Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Naruto Dragon Champion ❯ Social Graces Part 1 ( Chapter 25 )

Naruto The Twin Swords

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Naruto, and if I did…well…I won't be writing anything like this at all.

Chapter 22

Part 1

Social Graces

( ): Thoughts

((“ ”)): Holy Talon's Voice

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There is a truth that even the greatest warrior needs to take a vacation every now and then to make sure that they do not suffer the melancholic effects of warfare and combat…and this is true for everyone in this world…

Even Dragon Champions…

Words of Vane, Dragon Champion during the Festival of Harvest…

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Konoha…

Naruto was busy training in the arts of magic with Holy Talon beside him in the field and he was looking as he focused his skill with Nature Magic and focused on making a simple plant bloom and grow into a large tree through proper applications of Dragon Fire. He had to make sure that he should channel enough Dragon Fire to give the seed the energy needed to grow…if he gave too much Dragon Fire to the seed…it would grow too fast and destroy itself, and if he gave too little, then the seed would lose it's strength and die as well.

The test sounded simple…but Naruto quickly learned that this test was similar to the Water Walking training Ebisu had given him. Like he needed to learn how to control his chakra to master other jutsu properly, he had to learn how to properly channel his reserve of Dragon Fire and that of Holy Talon to ensure that he didn't consume too much energy and waste his powers…and this was the right test. So far the plant was still only a small shoot at the moment and had only tiny leaves and nothing different yet. Naruto was sweating as he continued to channel the right amount of energy…which had to be changed slowly in order to accommodate the growth of the plant in question.

It had been a week since he began to test and it was taxing to say the least as he tried to focus his Dragon Fire into the test…there were already three dozen attempts from him that resulted in over grown and badly mauled plants…to weak and very sickly plants…this was his 37th attempt and he was going all right at the moment and it did him good to do it as well.

Holy Talon noted it's master's progress and encouraged him further with gentle and patient explanations as it rebuilt it's own reserves of power…the lack of missions for the past days had been enough to rebuilt a small but significant portion of it's Dragon Fire reserves and Naruto's own reserve as well. Naruto's enhanced growth would eventually help him create his own Dragon Fire reserve for him to use spells of his own when needed…and even create variants or new ones…just like the other past Champions have done…for now however, his reserve was still rather low at the moment…due to summoning Lord Faldren in Battle Form. However Holy Talon deemed that now was the time for it's master to rest.

((“ Master Naruto…that is enough for now…you need to rest for a time.”))

(I can keep it up a bit more Holy Talon.)

((“I am aware of that…but it is lunch time after all and you won't be able to train hard enough if you don't eat you know.”))

Naruto felt his stomach growl a bit and nodded as he stopped and the plant was still healthy and growing on it's own for the time being. The blonde sighed and got up from the lotus position and stretched a bit as he placed Holy Talon on his back and then headed off to the Ichiraku Stand for Lunch and he checked his reserve of cash and noted that he had more than enough for a good run of ramen, the thought made his mouth water a bit as he made his way into Konoha for lunch. The reconstruction was still underway and there were a lot of working people here…most were from the village while the others were hired from the outside from other smaller towns and villages as well. It would take time still but Naruto had faith his home would pull through…he smiled as he arrived at the Ramen and stand and he was greeted warmly by Teuchi.

“Ah! My favorite customer!”

“Hey Old man, it's great to see you! How are things going?”

“Been good…business is picking up well though having you around certainly helps…you've been training real hard haven't you?”

“Oh yeah! It's hard but it pays dividends…I'm going to order a lot today!”

“Hehehehe, I knew you would…Ayame…get ready for a long haul today…our favorite customer is here!”

Ayame agreed and smiled warmly as she got out from the back and smiled at Naruto and he smiled back as the two worked on getting his meals ready and the smell of ramen was enough to get Naruto's mouth all watery and his eyes were alight as well. The blonde loved to eat and he was dying for a good meal and Teuchi and Ayame didn't disappoint at all as they presented the first of several bowls of ramen to the blonde ninja and sure enough…the blonde began eating away at the ramen like a vacuum cleaner taking in the dirt. He was so focused that he didn't notice that someone was walking towards him and the Ramen stand , it was only after eating his third bowl of beef ramen that he saw the new arrival as Ayame and Teuchi did.

“Good morning Hokage-sama!”

“Hey Tsunade, good to see you!”

Tsunade smiled at that as she knew just where she could find the blonde ninja who she knew would be having his usual ramen cravings. She sat down and ordered the house special and ate alongside the blonde ninja and she felt her tension relax a bit more as she ate her own food…it was then that she decided to speak to Naruto about the results of his mission…one of his first successes…

“By the way Naruto-kun…I have news for you about Rock Lee.”

Naruto quickly turned and looked at her with expectant eyes…he knew that she had immediately began Lee's surgery and with Gai there to help support Lee he felt that Lee was in great hands…he had great faith in her medical jutsu and skills and despite his desire to help Lee..he let Tsunade heal him. It had been some time since he had heard about lee and now he hoped that it was good news.

“How is he? Did the operation go well?! Is he going to make it?! Tell me please!”

Tsunade smiled and replied.

“He's fine and recovering nicely…your efforts to secure the medicines from the convoy helped in the procedure…Lee's recovery will be long, of that there is no doubt…but his body is in better condition and he's going to be up and about in no time.”

Naruto smiled warmly and was ecstatic and Tsunade could see the joy in his face…mirroring the same smile Nawaki had on him so long ago, along with Dan's own smile…both smiles made her heart ache a bit…but she gasped a bit as Naruto…without any care etiquette and social rules…reached out and hugged Tsunade and tightly as well as he heaped on her his thanks.

“Thank you Tsunade!!! You did it!! You're the best!!!”

Tsunade couldn't help but smile a bit and feel rather embarrassed at how openly Naruto was showing his appreciation and thanks to her in a public manner and she knew that doing that in public was considered immodest and inappropriate…even more so considering that Naruto was still a Genin and she was the Hokage, and most of all…she was older than Naruto as well and a woman as well and the way Naruto hugged her was going to attract the wrong kind of attention…

And sure enough…it was already attracting that said unwanted attention as several villagers were commenting on the fact that their Hokage was being shamelessly hugged by the blonde ninja before them…in public and in a ramen stand no less! Tsunade quickly remedied that and clonked Naruto on the head gently…though gently when being used to describe a blow from the super human strength of Tsunade was a little off key as Naruto was sent to the ground with a thump.

Naruto recovered and gave Tsunade a glare and spoke his discontent.

“What the heck was that for?!”

Tsunade waited as the people left and she replied.

“Sorry about that Naruto…but try to be a little more social when you do something like thank a person.”

“What do you mean?”

Tsunade couldn't help but give a sigh as she realized that since Naruto had been a truant all his life before he finally got serious in his training as a ninja, he might have not gotten some social training and she knew that if he needed to get rid of the perception that he was an idiot by others…he would have to learn how to act in public with others…she didn't plan to get rid of his whole personality…just help him deal with being around other people at the moment…namely those of higher rank…though she was not keen on getting rid of Naruto's defiance…she liked that too much to get rid of as she wanted to see Naruto stand up to the Council once in a while…that she had to see as she recalled from Jiraiya what Naruto had done in front of the Council.

(Well…I guess some social lessons are in order.)

“For one thing Naruto-kun…you are in a public place, and I'm the Hokage…you can't just hug me out in public since others would see that as being totally inappropriate.”

“Huh? I was just thanking you Tsunade.”

“True…but be a bit more subtle…how about this then…drop by the Tower when you don't have any pressing appointments…you're going to get some proper social lessons today.”

As Tsunade left and headed back to work Naruto couldn't help but scratch his head a bit and wondered just what was it that Tsunade was referring to at the moment and couldn't help but focus on his food…though he had to admit that maybe hugging Tsunade in public was not a good idea. Teuchi smiled and replied.

“The Hokage does have a point Naruto-kun…hugging another person out in public is not exactly a good thing unless you are close to said person. And hugging our leader like that might get you in a good deal of trouble.”

Naruto thought about that and he had to admit that maybe Teuchi and Tsunade were right about that and decided to finish his last bowl of ramen and thanked both Teuchi and Ayame. The blonde ninja had not noticed the whole time that he had hugged Tsunade…that Ayame was looking at the two of them with some level of shock and…jealousy, which in itself was rather odd indeed, but she did feel jealous in some ways at the sight of Naruto hugging Tsunade.

She shook her head clear of those thoughts and went back to her duties with her father as several more customers began to arrive and she placed her previous thoughts aside for the time being.

Naruto went back to his apartment and was able to meet up with Kin who had planned to go shopping for some new supplies. Kin had proven to be a good ninja of Konoha and was no longer under probation at the moment and that was a good thing on his mind to say the least as she was not under that much suspicions at the moment. He walked up to Kin and smiled in greeting…which the Kunoichi gave back in kind.

“Hi there Kin-san, going shopping?”

“Yep…buying supplies for myself and well…you of course Naruto-kun…how's training?”

“Been great…plenty of hard work left to do but you can't be a great ninja without sweating and training your butt off!”

Kin smirked at that and decided to bait Naruto a bit.

“Say Naruto-kun…if you have nothing to do for today…why don't we go out and see the sights on Konoha…I know you've lived here for years so you know some places.”

Naruto grinned at the thought but that faded as he recalled that Tsunade had told him to meet with her in the Tower for a band of lessons and knowing how angry Tsunade could get when what she asked was not followed to the letter, he was not in the mood to court her wrath…after all…despite their history she was the Hokage after all and incurring her temper was the last thing he liked to do.

“I'm sorry Kin-san…but Tsunade's asked me to drop by the Hokage Tower later for some special lessons.”

“Lessons? On what? Chakra manipulation and control?”

“No…something about me learning proper social lessons or something like that. Maybe next time okay…I just need to get a shower and meet up with her in the Tower. See you later…”

As Naruto entered his apartment…Kin couldn't help but look at Naruto and wonder just what was it that Tsunade was up to…she was aware of the fact that Naruto had reversed Tsunade's age during the encounter with Orochimaru and she knew that in some ways Tsunade had a soft spot for Naruto and …

(Wait a minute!!! I'm getting ahead of myself here! No way is that woman going to do THAT to Naruto-kun…it's just…wrong…despite him being hot…he's still 12 and she's…okay she's not 50 anymore…but 20 and that's bordering on….ahhhh! Get a damn grip girl…it's not going to happen….not in a million years!)

Despite those thoughts and her focusing on her shopping, the former Sound Kunoichi couldn't help but feel a shiver of doubt run up her spine.

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Later…

As Naruto made his way towards The Hokage Tower he wondered just what was Tsunade going to teach him…normally he would be trained in chakra manipulation and control by the Hokage when he was there and when she was not very busy with whatever amount of paper-work the Council placed on her…and there were those times that Tsunade would tease him and those times made him blush bright red and made him wonder just what Tsunade was going to do to him.

(Do I really need to learn social skills?)

Holy Talon decided to answer that particular question for it's master.

((“Yes you do Master Naruto…there are times that words can have better power than swords or magic…and you might say that words also possess their own magic and potency.”))

(All right…what about you Holy Talon? Can you teach me anything about social stuff?)

((“Yes I can…as I have said…for the thousand years of my existence, along with the knowledge Lord Faldren and the other Dragon Flights, I have learned many things apart from warfare, spell casting, and summoning…the other part of my knowledge is in culture and customs, both human, dwarf, elf, gnome, dragon-kind, and more…though in this realm, I have no clue yet…but it is needed to learn social skills to deal with situations were charging blindly onward is not the…healthiest of suggestions.”))

Naruto had to agree with that to a point, though what sort of lessons Tsunade had in mind for him in the social sense still eluded him at the moment and he was still unsure what he would do once he arrived in the Tower…he had his old clothes on…though his clothes had been retailored and were made so to match his growth and his increase in height and muscle size…and the clothes were very comfortable to say the least. Holy Talon was there on his back as well…in the sheath. As soon as he arrived he was greeted by the two Chuunin Examiners who were currently Tsunade's aides while she was the current Hokage at the time, Kamizuki Izumo and his long time partner and friend Hagane Kotetsu, they worked alongside Shizune when it came to doing the needed assistance to Tsunade. The two Chuunin looked at Naruto and wondered what he was doing here at this time of the day…usually he would be seen training in the field and also working on other matters.

“What brings you here Naruto?”

Naruto replied to Izumo's inquiry.

“Tsunade asked me to come here for some special lessons.”

“On chakra training as usual?”

“No…something on social training…though I'm not really sure about what she meant by that.”

The two Chuunin looked at one another and shrugged and allowed Naruto to pass through…Naruto had been a regular in the Hokage Tower long before the time Tsunade took the office of Hokage and so all the people who worked as the support of the Hokage were already familiar with him being there all the time…though he was more frequent now that Tsunade was the Hokage and while many thought that there was nothing but simple training going on between the Hokage and Naruto..rumors had been circulating about recently.

Shizune did her best to keep those rumors quiet but she knew that things were not going to be so simple…with Naruto being the container for the Kyuubi and the fact that Tsunade was now a young woman again and her having a soft spot for Naruto, there were always going to be rumors flying about when it concerned the bond between the Hokage and the blonde ninja.

Naruto naturally had heard some of these rumors and ignored them..though he does recall the times Tsunade would tease him and he recalled how many times he had suffered from blood lose from either nose bleeds of blushing to the point his face would have passed for a tomato. He couldn't help but smile a bit at those times but he quickly placed those thoughts aside…Tsunade liked to tease him, but when it came to lessons she was strict and he knew better than to get himself distracted when she was around.

He then arrived at the door to the Hokage's office and he knocked on the door…knowing well that Tsunade would be working there in her office.

“Come in.”

Naruto opened the door but to his surprise, he was not facing Tsunade but Shizune who was apparently working on some other documents that were usually in a pile on Tsunade's desk at the moment…he had always wondered why Tsunade had so much paper-work…couldn't the Council at the very least pick up some of the slack every now and then?

“Oh Naruto-kun, what brings you here?”

“I was supposed to meet with Tsunade here for some lessons on social skills, do you know where she is Shizune?”

Shizune knew just where Tsunade was and told Naruto.

“She's at the Hokage's meeting hall for visitors since she did her work early and finished it at least three hours earlier…she wanted me to tell you that she'll be there waiting for you.”

Naruto smiled and thanked Shizune and left the office…allowing Shizune some time to herself as she got back to arranging Tsunade's completed work for the day. All the documents were signed with her seal of approval and Tsunade had been busy with the paper-work. Shizune was happy that the spell Naruto used had given Tsunade her youth back as it helped her have a higher degree of energy and zeal in her work…and she needed that zeal and energy.

Naruto arrived at the door and decided that instead of barging in…he might as well knock and see if Tsunade was indeed there…as he knocked five times…he heard a familiar voice, which was naturally female….and someone he knew quite well.

“Who is it?”

(Well at least she is here.)

“It's me Naruto….Shizune told me you were here Tsunade…can I come in?”

“Hold on….ah, done…all right Naruto-kun, you can come in.”

Naruto opened the door and was impressed by the room…he had not been in this room since he had started making his first pranks as soon as he was able to run and do his basic ninja skills…and the Old Man Sarutobi was still the Hokage…he missed him and hoped that maybe the old Hokage would have a more peaceful sleep now that he knew Tsunade was taking the reins of leadership. Speaking of which he wondered if she was there…the only person he saw was a figure dressed in a kimono and he hardly knew her…but he decided to ask.

“Excuse me…but have you seen Tsunade anywhere…I thought she was here as I heard her voice.”

The woman turned and gave him a slight amused smirk.

“You don't recognize me Naruto…I AM Tsunade.”

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Outside in Konoha…

Sakura was busy brining in some food to Sasuke and she was hoping that he would be back on his feet soon, it would be nice to see how the young Uchiha member of their group was doing ever since he had been told that he would be in full recovery in a week or more and be fit for missions. As she entered the room she found Sasuke looking out into the sunlight of the mid-afternoon sun.

“Sasuke-kun…I brought something for you to eat…are you feeling any better?”

Sasuke said nothing and seemed to be deep in thought and Sakura had learned that now was not the best time for her to be talking to him as when he was like this, no one could reach him…not even her. She worried about that as he seemed to get into these mood swings more often nowadays and that was troubling…when she had been told how he had been injured by someone named Itachi she made it her mission to find out just who Itachi was and found out to her shock that Itachi was the one who murdered the Uchiha Clan and left Sasuke the only survivor.

(So he's the one Sasuke-kun wants to fight so badly…)

She knew that she would have to leave him with his thoughts and with that, she placed the basket of food down and was about to leave when Sasuke turned and spoke.

“Sakura…”

“Yes?”

“What's Naruto doing now?”

Sakura turned and saw Sasuke looking at her in a way that was a bit unnerving and that made her worry just what was going through his mind and the moment and she recalled how he looked with the Curse Seal active before and this was somewhat similar…she calmed down and spoke.

“He's been training for the past few days since the mission we had in Wave Country was over…and he's been reading on all sorts of books lately…trying to catch up all those years he spent in a bad way.”

“I see….thank you Sakura.”

Sakura nodded and left the room…and as soon as Sakura left…Sasuke looked out to the outside and began to think about what he would do once he was out of the hospital and back into doing missions and more…with that on his mind he closed his eyes a bit and lay back on the bed and brooded over the situation he was currently in at the moment.

Sakura sighed and as she walked out of the hospital and headed home…a part of her wondered what was going to happen now…she had a deep feeling of worry in her and she hoped that it would pass and things would be all right…but she felt that what she thought was a lie….there were things going on that she knew she had be ready for….with that in mind the pink haired Kunoichi went home with greater determination in herself…

Unaware that deep in her body was a slumbering energy that was soon to awaken…all it needed was a key trigger.

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Back in the Tower…

Naruto looked on and his eyes were wide and his jaw dropped like a ton of bricks…and for good reason…after all…how would one react when seeing a sight most men would have considered heavenly to the core?

Tsunade was not dressed in his usual garb of upper gi top, pants, and green jacket…oh no…she was dressed in a sinfully black silk kimono with beautiful gold thread in wave patterns and there were red flower designs as well, the obi was also in deep red with golden thread and ended with an elegant tie at the back…adding to the attractive quality of the sight before him. The kimono hugged Tsunade's very well built frame like second skin and showed her full figure while hiding it at the very same time, the top managed to contain the blonde Hokage's more than ample breasts...though he could have sworn that the kimono was tighter for a reason and that made Tsunade's breasts protrude out proudly…the blonde Hokage's hair was also not in the usual twin tails that she normally had on.

Rather the hair was in a single ponytail that had the knot held together by a pair of lacquered and decorated chopsticks and she had had some light application of makeup and she looked at Naruto with a smile that was sending the wrong signals into the poor blonde's brain.

(OH MY FREAKING GOD!!!!)

Tsunade smiled a bit more and spoke to Naruto.

“Naruto-kun, you better close your mouth before you start drooling all over the floor and we can't have that.”

Naruto quickly noted that his mouth was indeed hanging open and he felt like an idiot at the moment, but how could he not feel that way as he saw Tsunade look like a vision? He shook his head and walked over to Tsunade and spoke to her slowly.

“Tsunade…”

Tsunade smiled a bit more and turned around to show Naruto the outfit and she spoke.

“So Naruto-kun….how do I look?”

“Uh…you look…well, you look…lovely.”

Tsunade had expected some higher words but decided not to overreach her expectations, and besides…the look of awe Naruto gave her was reward enough, and she couldn't help but smile even more as she walked over to the stunned blonde ninja.

“Thanks, I haven't dressed like this in years since I normally don't go for this look.”

(I had no idea…Tsunade would look this lovely in a kimono….aaaauuuugggghhhh! I have to focus!)

“Tsunade…I, well…I mean you look lovely and all…but what are you going to teach me about social skills?”

Tsunade smiled in a very mischievous way and spoke.

“You're getting your first lesson right now…and that is how to address other people of higher stature.”

“Huh?”

Tsunade sighed and pointed to a nearby table and allowed Naruto to sit down as she began to explain to him the basic rules of social manners and etiquette. The reason she dressed up was not just to look nice but to act as Naruto`s guide on how to conduct himself on social matters…she knew that if he ever wanted to be a Hokage…he would have to learn social graces and manners in order to give a good impression when needed to other foreigners who come to the village…of course the look of awe and appreciation from the blonde ninja was yet another reason she dressed up..and she was telling the truth that she normally didn't dress like this..but this was a good chance to get back to some old things she did long ago.

Naruto would have considered social stuff to be boring…but the way Tsunade looked and knowing how she was teaching him to do this was enough for him to shut his complaints for the time being. Plus he knew better than to anger Tsunade since she went through the trouble of doing all this for him.

The time passed and Naruto learned at least some important lessons with social manners while Tsunade explained that the reason she taught him these things is that when he does claim the title of Hokage, he has to learn how to act in social functions as well. As soon as it was now late afternoon…Tsunade smiled as she and Naruto walked out of the meeting room and the two walked together to the exit of the Tower while she explained to him some of the more important details of social functions.

As the two arrived to the exit Naruto remembered his lessons and bowed to Tsunade and he spoke.

“Thank you for the lessons Tsunade.”

Tsunade smiled at that and she bent forward and kissed Naruto on the cheek and bid him farewell…and as she watched him leave the area and head off to his home she smiled a bit more as she thought back on the times he had been looking at her as discreetly as he could…but she saw the stares and she couldn't help but smile deviously at the memories…Tsunade then turned and decided to call it a day well done and she recalled that she had asked Naruto to come back to her for more lessons in the coming weeks. She couldn't help but plan out a few things and it could prove to be very much an entertaining situation.

As Naruto made his way back to his apartment, Holy Talon decided to speak.

((“I have to admit Master Naruto…that was unexpected of Tsunade…but very fitting…I'm not familiar with that type of dress though.”))

(It's called a Kimono if I recall it right…guys can wear that too for formal occasions though I still think I'd look goofy in them…but Tsunade…she was gorgeous.)

Holy Talon agreed with Naruto and the blonde ninja was now in front of his apartment and as soon as he entered…he smelled hot ramen and his mouth drooled as he arrived in his dining area to see Kin sitting down with several platters of hot food and a large bowl of ramen there as well. The former Sound Kunoichi smiled at him and spoke.

“Took you a while to get here Naruto-kun! I was worried about that…here, I've bought you some really delicious hot pot and ramen to boot…and your favorite I might at as well.!”

Naruto smiled and sat down next to Kin and thanked the new Konoha Kunoichi as they began to have their dinner and Naruto was enjoying the food greatly as they talked a bit about how their day had gone. Kin was happy that her probation period was over and she would be allowed to slot in with another group of Genin…though it was not very promising that she…despite showing better talent than some of the new Genin students had to be in a Genin Squad once more…but considering the fact that the Jonin in Konoha were more kind hearted than the ones in Sound…it was a vast improvement in her mind.

Naruto then decided to spend some time in his room and decided to get some shut eye as he had a lot of training left to take care of and he decided that maybe checking on lee himself would be a great thing…he wondered how the skilled Genin was doing and how happy he was to be back in the game of being a ninja….with those thoughts in mind he decided to grab some much deserved sleep.

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The next day…

Naruto was already dressed in his usual choice of clothes…though modified to suit his growth and his change in shape and size. He carried Holy Talon and made his way to the hospital and he headed straight for the room where Lee was supposed to be recovering from and he was guided by the nurses and as soon as he was able to open the door…he spotted a sight he thought he'd never see…

Lee exercising in pushups…with his fingers on his bed…and now wearing his trademark jumpsuit, and Naruto could tell that he had been at it for the past few hours now…considering the sweat that was flowing down his face and pooling at the floor. He couldn't help but grin at the sight of the hard working Genin being back in his old habits.

(Heh…I should have known he'd be doing this as soon as he got word he was all better.)

((“He might need to rehabilitate more though…however…his determination and desire to be stronger is certainly admirable.”))

“Good to see you up and about Lee.”

Lee turned and smiled as he replied.

“It's great to see you Naruto-san…give me a moment…there!”

Lee finished his last repetition and then righted himself and now faced Naruto with a smile as he offered his hand in the desire for a handshake…which Naruto willingly gave as Lee smiled even more and spoke in gratitude.

“I really owe you a lot Naruto-san…with the medicine that you brought in…and Gai-sensei's encouragement I was able to pass the surgery offered by Tsunade-hime. I owe you a good deal Naruto-san I wish to repay that debt someday.”

“Think nothing of it Lee….you'll get your chance soon enough…so when are you leaving the hospital?”

“It a few more weeks time….the nurses and Tsunade-hime said I can take light exercises but not strain my body too much…still it is hard for me to remain here when I want to catch up for all the time I've spent here in the hospital.”

“I understand…but heed their advice….Tsunade-sama did tell you to rest and recover until you're back at your prime Lee…so don't push it….or else all the efforts will be for nothing, all right?”

Lee nodded in understanding as the door opened and in walked none other than Gai and Lee's team-mates…Neji and Tenten. Gai and Lee shared their usual moments being reunited…much to Neji and Tenten's discomfort and to Naruto's utter amusement…no matter how weird it looked to others…Naruto found Lee and Gai's antics to be very entertaining and so did Holy Talon/ The blonde then turned to Neji and spoke to his mentor and somewhat friend.

“How are things so far with you Neji?”

“It's been good so far….I had…a lot of time to think about all that happened. So how goes the lessons?”

“Pretty good so far…how about you guys…planning to take on another mission in the near future now that Lee's back on his feet?”

Tenten shook her head and spoke for her team as Gai and lee were planning to have yet another one of their usual training runs as soon as lee got the all clear to leave the hospital. The weapon specialist of Team Gai was a bit uncomfortable with being close to Neji who she respected and still liked…and Naruto she had developed the hots for so she focused on Naruto's question for the time being.

“Not really…there's no new missions on the table just yet for me and the others to take on…besides…lee's still here so rest is a must.”

Naruto nodded and that was when Gai stepped forward and placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder and the Jonin spoke to the blonde Dragon Champion.

“I owe you a debt of gratitude for the effort you put into getting Lee back on his feet Naruto…and if you'd like, I can also teach you my personal Taijutsu secrets along with lee in payment for the effort.”

Naruto was surprised and so was Neji and Tenten and Gai replied.

“I heard Neji and his cousin Hinata have been teaching you some of the Gentle First Techniques of the Hyuuga Clan under Hiashi-san's personal command, so I figured it's a chance for me to teach you the same Taijutsu that I taught Lee…though that's only going to happen if you're willing to be taught by me of course.”

Lee was ecstatic and was eager to spar with Naruto as he had heard about the Boundless State style of Taijutsu that Naruto was known to use and he was eager to see this style that gave his team-mate Neji a run for his money as well. He looked at Naruto and the blonde ninja thought about it and then gave a reply.

“I'd be honored Gai-sensei.”

Gai grinned and gave his `Nice Guy' pose and nodded.

“That's great…I'll expect you to be up, bright and early when lee leaves the hospital…then the two of you can begin your training early!”

Naruto nodded and Lee was in good spirits…while Neji and Tenten shook their heads. It seemed that they were going to have a hell of a time during training hours now from here on out.

--------

Later…

Naruto was currently running through his lessons with Sakura while they were in a nearby park bench and Sakura carried several of the day's lesson books handed to her by Iruka…Naruto gave only a slight groan at the number but didn't argue too much and began to read…and he didn't hesitate to ask Sakura questions on several key subjects.

The pink haired Kunoichi had been rather busy with several matters, namely providing food to the people working with food from the various shops and helping her parents work on their small but flourishing business and also do her usual runs of helping out every now and then. She was still a bit worried about Sasuke as the dark haired Uchiha seemed more and more distant…though not that distant as he would often ask her questions on what was happening around the village…mostly on Naruto's progress…despite her desire to see things in a more cheerful perspective…she couldn't help still worry about Sasuke's changing nature.

“Hey Sakura-chan…are you all right?”

Sakura shook her head as she realized that in her thoughts…she had zoned off and when she looked at Naruto, he had a concerned look on his face and he had placed aside the book to figure out what was bothering her at the moment. She gulped as the way Naruto looked at her made her feel…heated…as she looked at the blue eyes with silver…she had not noted that before when Naruto had not gained Holy Talon, but now she couldn't help but look at Naruto's eyes…and it was then that an image hit her right in the head…

And that was an image of Naruto leaning over her without a single stitch of clothing on and looking at her with the same eyes…but with desire in them…and he would then….

Sakura nearly fainted at the sudden direction her thoughts were going and managed to restrain herself and give Naruto an answer to his question.

“I…I'm fine. So how are the lessons going?”

“Pretty good…I'll be busy later in the afternoon since I have to go back to the Hokage Tower later.”

“Oh? Is Tsunade-sama asking your for a mission?”

“No…just some lessons on social matters and actions.”

“Really? Since when did you have to learn how to act socially?”

“I guess the lessons are important…and Tsunade-sama wanted me to be ready for situations where attacking won't always work.”

Sakura couldn't help but wonder just what sort of lessons was Tsunade imparting on Naruto as this was the first time she had ever heard of a Hokage directly teaching a Genin…she knew that there was something of a friendship between Tsunade and Naruto…but she was not sure as to what extent was the friendship between the two was…however she shook her head as she thought that such a thought was wrong in some way.

She placed that all aside and decided to focus on doing what she could to help Naruto with his trip back into the lessons that he had been skipping for the past twelve years…it made her smile as Naruto would struggle…but instead of denying he understood things he didn't really understand and being cool…he would always ask for any advice and clarification…it was something that she liked seeing nowadays. As time passed…the two had a simple break and had a hot meal of ramen in the Ichiraku Ramen Stand and Ayame was being unusually nice to Naruto…at least in her mind as the moment.

The pink haired Kunoichi could understand some of Ayame's behavior…as Naruto had been the stand's most frequent and well known customer as he LOVEDE the ramen being served there…but it seemed that Ayame was a lot more friendly with Naruto and the pink haired Kunoichi couldn't help but feel rather uneasy with the way Ayame would look at Naruto's direction and blush hard when he would complement her for the food and it was something unexpected.

Later…Naruto bid them farewell as he made his way towards the Hokage Tower for another round of lessons with Tsunade in both chakra manipulation and control along with some more social lessons. It still made Sakura rather uneasy as to what was going on between Naruto and Tsunade and despite her denial of what she suspended…the pink haired girl did know about the soft spot Tsunade had for her team-mate.

(What am I thinking?! There is no way that Naruto and Tsunade would be involved with one another…sure Tsunade is no longer a 50 year old woman…but still it would look very weird as to why the Hokage would have a relationship with a Genin! I am not jealous of Naruto taking private lessons from Tsunade-sama!)

Naruto arrived at the Hokage Tower and Tsunade was there and soon began to study other important aspects of social situations and Holy Talon, seeing that the lessons proved to be of great help to his master, agreed with them and took in as much as it could about the cultures that resided in it's master's world and stored it away. Tsunade had worn another kimono and had given Naruto quite an eyeful as the kimono was deep red and had black and gold patterns of waves and flowers…Tsunade was very stunning in many ways and she enjoyed flirting with Naruto in private.

Tsunade knew that what she was doing was not entirely illegal, due to the physical enhancements that Holy Talon had given to Naruto he resembled a 16 year old male and being sixteen meant that you were at the age already for more intimate relations with girls…but Naruto was still 12 in terms of mental state of thought so she figured getting him to know more about social graces, behaviors, and functions…and even further than that…having the chance to treat girls the right way…she was actually VERY eager to have Naruto all to herself at the moment…but decided to get him to grow up to be a good and decent man.

Naruto at first was very uncomfortable with flirting…even when he asked Sakura out for dates...he had no prior experience with girls…including asking them out and how to act in a date and all…he told Tsunade that much And unknown to him…Tsunade had some ideas on how to get Naruto out of his shell when it came to women…she KNEW for a fact that sooner or later…her team-mate Jiraiya would be training Naruto…and while she knew that Jiraiya was more than qualified to teach Naruto in the ways of the ninja…she was NOT going to let the perverted young again coot pollute HER Naruto-kun with the wrong ideas about women early on in his youth…she had every intention of making Naruto a good man…and allowing Naruto to be turned into a full scale pervert was NOT on her list.

That was why she had a plan to show him just how to properly treat a woman out on a date…but first…she had to find the right day to do that little romp.

--------

The days rolled on for everyone in Konoha as Naruto continued his training while under the guidance of many people who were part of the group who were dedicated to training him…namely Iruka, Ebisu on his free time, Kakashi on occasion when missions were not taking in his time, Neji, Hinata, Sakura, Holy Talon and the essences of the other Dragon Champions, and most recently…Gai and Lee. The nearly fully recovered Genin and Naruto would routinely spar with each other while Gai would watch on and while Kakashi was not quite pleased with Gai's interference with Naruto as the blonde was his student and NOT Gai's…but he admitted that Gai was a fierce fighter and his reputation was enough to make even Itachi wary of him…plus his Taijutsu skills could easily supplement Naruto's need to be even stronger.

The only good thing in almost everyone's mind…including Kakashi was that Naruto didn't wear the same green jumpsuit as Gai and Lee did…Kakashi swore he'd hurl and have nightmares the very second Naruto put that fashion monstrosity on. However…Gai's offer was certainly helpful as Naruto and Lee were proving to be good sparring partners as Lee taught Naruto how to fight using his extreme Taijutsu style while Naruto showed Lee the Boundless State along with a few other choice styles he picked up from his teachers in Holy Talon.

The blonde ninja would wake up early as he could manage…have a quick break-fast with Kin and then leave for the training field and practice on the same small tree that he began to grow using Dragon Fire and as soon as he was told by Holy Talon that it was enough for now…he would train in the arts of combat and strategy under Holy Talon and the essences of the other past Dragon Champions, along with learning how to cast low level spells by using only the same amount of Dragon Fire he used to help the tree to go…learning how to properly use the Dragon Fire and not waste it. After that he would learn sword techniques and other weapon skills as well…and then later…he would read and study his lessons and books as well with Iruka and Sakura…and finish off with regular trips to the Hokage Tower learning chakra manipulation and control from Tsunade and of course his social lessons.

Those social lessons that Naruto was getting from Tsunade however were becoming something of a concern for several young Kunoichi as they had no idea what sort of lessons was Tsunade imparting on the blonde ninja and Dragon Champion. Temari was also curious about these events as she had been placed as a diplomatic liaison for the time being…as she had a love for peace, the council of Suna had appointed her as part of the diplomatic envoy to Konoha. She agreed to the idea as this would allow her to be closer to Naruto in a more official capacity at the moment…but as soon as she found out that Naruto was taking social lessons from Tsunade she became very curious and worried. Hinata was as well as Naruto would often leave early from the lessons she and Neji would teach him after they were done to meet with Tsunade…and like the others…the shy girl was aware of Tsunade being younger now thanks to Naruto's use of Holy Talon's powers and that made her curious as to what was the relationship between the Hokage and Naruto.

The girls would then take the chance to see Naruto when he would go to the hot-springs whenever he was tired and needed a good soak to relax his body. Temari had also appeared there and had been on another side when she spotted Naruto in the buff…the moment the eldest sister of Gaara saw the blonde ninja in the nude…she was VERY interested in getting closer to Naruto after seeing him in all his glory.

They were unaware of the fact that they were not alone as a certain pair of Jonin were also looking at Naruto and then a certain Hokage as well. Tsunade smiled a bit and decided to keep this little situation as something of a card…she knew that there was a chance that those girls would find out about her plan to be with Naruto and she was keen to have as much fun as she could squeeze out of it all.

It was on Friday however that a traveling fair had set up in Konoha that things got rather interesting….Tsunade had allowed the people of Konoha to have the day off and it was the chance she had hoped for…she had effectively bullied the Council into allowing the people of Konoha to have a break for as long as the fair was here to help their spirits as the reconstruction was still going on and would take much more time and something to help the morale of the people was needed.

As soon as she had been given the reports from security and ANBU that there were no individuals who were spies or terrorist ninja in the roster of the fair's personnel she gave her approval and the people were more than willing to party at the fair. She took her leave and had finished her work for the day and paid Naruto a visit.

She looked at his apartment and sighed at the decrepit place…

(Why would Naruto-kun have to be forced to live here in an old and falling apart apartment like this?! If the purse strings at the moment weren't so tight, I'd have the thing rebuilt so it would be at least decent looking.)

The blonde Hokage pushed that out of her mind as she climbed the stairs and made her way to Naruto's room and knocked on the door. The Hokage didn't have to wait long as the door opened to reveal none other than Naruto himself…dressed in only his pants…the blonde was shocked and quickly turned around after mumbling an apology and ran back into his room to get properly dressed…

Tsunade smiled at that…she had apparently caught Naruto in the middle of him getting into his room to change clothes, no doubt from a bath but she liked the view of his half naked body and that made the blonde Hokage blush a bit. She placed her thoughts aside as Naruto returned and was wearing a simple long sleeved blue shirt and his pants with Holy Talon right behind him at the moment. The blonde Dragon Champion then faced Tsunade and greeted her as usual.

“Tsunade…what brings you to my home?”

Tsunade smiled and looked at the blonde ninja and spoke to him.

“You know about the fair that's here for a few days Naruto-kun?”

Naruto heard about a fair coming in when he had gone to the Ichiraku Ramen stand for break-fast this morning and while he was happy to finally have a fair here in Konoha of all places he was not sure why exactly was Tsunade telling him this information…unless there was something she wanted from him. Holy Talon remained silent as it observed the situation…however…the Holy Dragon Sword could sense the emotions coming from Tsunade and sensing that Tsunade had good if somewhat romantic intentions, it decided not to interfere with the situation.

“I do…so what does that have to do with you coming here Tsunade?”

“Why? Is something wrong?”

“No…I didn't mean to sound ungrateful or anything…it's just…unexpected.”

“Ahhh…so I must be the ONLY adult woman you've ever had in your home…why…want to do something interesting with me while I'm here with you?”

“Eh/ What do you? Wait…you can't be serious?!”

Tsunade smiled and laughed a bit and spoke to Naruto.

“I'm just teasing you Naruto-kun…I personally think you're not ready for that yet Naruto-kun...I asked you that question since I want to see you use those lessons I taught you for the past few days…and in a very important setting as well.”

“Really?”

“Yes…on your first date…and you're going to learn how to properly be with a lady...because I'll be the one to be your date.”

“EH?! Are you sure?!”

“I am asking you didn't I?”

“But…you're the Hokage…”

“True…but I am also a woman and a living being…being in a position of power is good….but it can be hard on a person's private life you know, and believe me…having company to be with on times of revelry can certainly lift up one's spirits…so will you join me?”

“Is that an order?”

“No…it's up to you Naruto-kun to say either yes or no after all.”

Naruto thought about it and figured that as long as things were all right here in Konoha…there was nothing wrong with having fun and relaxing for a bit…he then heard Holy Talon's voice.

((“You should accept Master Naruto…taking a break and relaxing in even the most simplistic of fashions can really help you in many ways…besides…you do care for Tsunade and she did ask you for this..a date is an important thing for all involved in many ways.”))

(I guess you're right.)

Naruto then bowed and replied.

“I'll be happy to be with you on this date Tsunade.”

The blonde Hokage smiled warmly at that and she then proved her happiness by kissing Naruto and hugging him as well…pressing her breasts right into his body and Naruto blushed bright red when she did that to him. The hug lasted a few more seconds before Tsunade moved away and spoke to Naruto.

“I'll be waiting for you at the Hokage Tower…and don't be late.”

--------

Kin had been moving back into the apartment and she had spotted Tsunade entering Naruto's room and she was very much shocked as she couldn't help but wonder just what was going on right in front of her at the very moment. She then used her training in Sound Village to overhear the conversation and she was stunned when she heard all that Naruto and Tsunade had said…and she moved away as soon as she was sure Tsunade was leaving…however…she was surprised to see Sakura talking to Tsunade and as soon as the Hokage left…Sakura was looking at her and soon the pink haired Kunoichi reached the former Sound Kunoichi.

Sakura quickly grabbed Kin by the shirt and glared at the Kunoichi.

“What is going on here?! What was Tsunade-sama doing in Naruto's apartment?!”

“She asked him!”

“Asked him what?”

“She actually asked him!!!”

“You're not making any sense Kin!”

Kin shook her head and replied as she glared right back at Sakura and replied.

“Tsunade-sama asked Naruto-kun go out on a date with her!!!”

Sakura gasped and said only one phrase.

“WHAT?!”

--------

Later that day…

Tsunade was dressed in a comfortable kimono of deep white with beautiful pink flower blossoms and had her hair in a lush and well combed tail of deep blonde hair and was waiting for Naruto…who showed up in time and was dressed in a suitable white long sleeved gi top with the symbol of Konoha on the back and black pants, along with soft sandals…Naruto was not armed with Holy Talon at the moment as he had left his sword at his apartment…but since the sword and Naruto were connected in mental conversation, then he didn't have to worry too much about his sword being left there…and his own reserve of Dragon Fire was growing as well. That and the intense training he had for the past few weeks were certainly going to help.

The pair arrived at the fair and Naruto began to use his training on social matters to conduct himself properly when with Tsunade and he was trying his best as he knew that this was the first time that he had ever been on a date…though he wished to have Sakura as his first date…he was still happy being with Tsunade since she had done a lot for him like Sakura did…though he did worry a bit on how things would turn out if anyone he knew found out he was on a date with Tsunade…but he decided to enjoy it as this was rather nice anyway…and the lessons were certainly paying off.

Unknown to Naruto…they were already being followed by a small group…Sakura and Kin were there at first and were tracking the pair as they were now in the fair…however, they were not alone as Tenten, Ino, and Hinata appeared…they had seen Naruto with Tsunade and they were naturally surprised on what was going on and then they spotted Sakura and Kin and quickly joined them…and Temari also arrived and she too had seen Tsunade and Naruto walking along as well. When the pink haired Kunoichi and the former Sound Genin told the others of what was happening…they quickly joined in to see what was going on.

The small band of Kunoichi tried their best to keep out of sight as they tracked Tsunade and Naruto seemingly having fun in the fare. Hinata was the scout of the bunch as her Byakugan had given them the edge in being able to see what was happening without exposing themselves to either Naruto orTsunade….as the two bought food and were talking with one another. The girls had been tracking the couple for a while and it seemed that the two were enjoying each other's company.

Sakura couldn't believe her eyes as she looked at her team-mate being very friendly with the Hokage and they were enjoying themselves at the moment, eating and chatting. She knew that there was some history between Naruto and Tsunade, but she had no idea it was THIS close!

Hinata was very much worried…while she would be very unhappy to know that Naruto had a relationship with an older woman and she would have wanted to find out how deep it was…she knew about Tsunade's abilities and even her Byakugan would not match up in power to Tsunade's skills in Medical Jutsu and Taijutsu. But she can't help but feel rather angry at the moment.

Kin was very worried about what she was looking at and despite unable to see at the same distance as Hinata she was miffed at the sight of Tsunade and Naruto having a grand time together…she wanted to ask her Naruto-kun out on a date but here she was stalking him because he was with another woman, it galled her but she knew better than to lash out in anger towards Tsunade as there was no way she could match up with the blonde Hokage.

Temari was also very much miffed…she had kissed Naruto before and she liked him…but here he was being with a woman who was older than he was…she was older than him too but why was it he was going out with Tsunade…not only was it odd, him being a Genin and her being the Hokage, but still the age difference was significant despite Naruto looking physically older.

Tenten was rather curious and somewhat surprised to see Naruto being in a romantic style situation with the Hokage and Tsunade was her idol…she had always carried a firm belief that Kunoichi were as equal or better than Shinobi and Tsunade was her prime example…and now she was curious what was going on with Naruto and Tsunade.

Ino was likewise surprised and rather angry at the moment…she had begun to develop and attraction to Naruto and despite her trying to deny it…she actually began to like him a lot and not just on the physical looks, but at least he was more mature and serious, though she was not in the mood for him to change overnight. After hearing his stories about his battles she couldn't help but think on how much he had changed from the loud mouth, idiotic, and immature young man she knew…and now she couldn't help but wonder just what was going on between him and Tsunade.

The group followed and tried not to react too much as they knew that doing so would attract attention to them and the last thing they wanted was to be seen by either of the people they were currently following at the moment. They couldn't help but feel jealous when Tsunade and Naruto would have a grand time and have fun together and they each wished that they were the ones who were with Naruto at the moment. As the night wore on… they group were able to avoid being spotted…unaware of the fact that Tsunade had long sensed their presence but played along for the time being. As soon as the night was reaching half the midnight mark…she and Naruto went back into Konoha and she decided to give the tracking Kunoichi an eye-full.

“Thanks for that wonderful time Naruto-kun and you behaved so well.”

Naruto smiled a bit and scratched his head and replied.

“You're welcome Tsunade…I enjoyed it all too.”

“Good…you have to go get some sleep no Naruto-kun…good night.”

Tsunade then kissed Naruto right on the cheek and bid him farewell…making Naruto blush yet again and as soon as she was out of the area…the blonde Hokage decided to secretly backtrack and sure enough…

The Kunoichi were all looking at Naruto as he made his way back to the apartment and they looked at one another and began to talk about what they had witnessed for this night, namely the kiss Naruto got from Tsuande. They were not happy but they were so focused on their discussions that they didn't realize that they were also being followed…and by a certain someone as well. It was only when that person spoke that they realized that they were found.

“Aha…so…you're the ones who were following me and Naruto-kun…I thought as much.”

The group turned at the sound of the voice and found Tsunade looking at them with a rather scary look and that was enough for Ino, Tenten, Hinata, Kin, Temari, and Sakura to make sure not to do something that could be very offensive to the blonde Hokage…who had apparently been aware of their presence from the get go. The Kunoichi were getting a bit worried until Tsunade smiled at them and spoke.

“So…you ladies have a liking for Naruto-kun…I should have guessed that right off the bat…are you all jealous of the time I spent with him?”

The silence was deafening but Ino stepped forward and replied.

“Yes we are! Why did he ask YOU out on a date?! You're older than him!!!”

“INO!!!”

Sakura and Tenten quickly restrained their blonde comrade as they realized that what they were doing was inviting a serious beating from the superhuman strength of Tsunade. The Hokage didn't reply and the others tried to think of a solution to avoid serious bodily harm...Temari wanted to voice out her own dislike…but unlike Ino….she was well aware of Tsunade's legendary strength and her temper and was not in the mood to court her wrath, Hinata was likewise as she was well aware of the same abilities Tsunade had, but she couldn't help but feel very sad about Naruto dating Tsunade…all the girls were not happy but could do little...that is until Tsunade began to laugh and smile and then she looked at them with twinkling eyes and replied.

“Hah! About time you all admitted to that…come on…we all need to talk.”

Later…

Sakura and her compatriots were stunned as they were now in what was one of the most expensive hot-springs resorts in Konoha at the moment. They were all in the hot-springs and enjoying a good soak as Tsunade came in as well…as soon as the blonde Hokage was in the water…she looked at the girls and spoke in a very curious tone…

“So…I take it you all have been in a few escapades in looking at Naruto-kun?”

“What do you mean?”

Tsunade gazed at each girl and gave them a good looking at and then she replied.

“I caught you all looking at Naruto when he was taking that bath in these same hot-springs a few days earlier…you naughty girls…looking at a young man when he's in the nude…that was very indecent of you all…”

The girls all blushed bright red at that…Hinata was the worst as she couldn't help but try to go deeper into the water to hide the deep blush on her face. The girls were shocked at the fact that the Hokage had caught them peeping at Naruto and wondered just what she would do now. Tsunade smirked and decided to be truthful to them…after all she WAS guilty of the same thing anyway…and before she even came into the pool, she had placed special wards on the place to keep the conversation to themselves, the last thing she wanted was this getting into the Konoha grapevine.

“Not that I don't blame any of you…since I did the same thing too.”

“EH?!?!?!”

The girls looked at Tsunade with shock…they had NO idea that the Hokage was doing the same thing they were at all…it was shocking to say the least and they were stunned to hear that come out from Tsunade as she smiled at them. Tsunade was enjoying this immensely and looked at them all.

“Relax….I AM a woman after all…and I DO find Naruto-kun very attractive…makes me wonder how good looking he will be when he's older. But I want to make some things clear before you all get any wise ideas about me spending time with Naruto-kun. I know for a fact that you have reasons for being attracted to the blonde ninja…Sakura…Naruto saved your life in the Forest of Death when that bastard Orochimaru ambushed you and your team right?”

“Y-Yes…”

“And ever since then…you've developed an affection for him…which is surprising since you've had a strong interest in Sasuke Uchiha than him.”

Sakura nodded and she knew that what Tsunade said was the truth but it was still rather embarrassing to say the least. Tsunade then directed her attention to Hinata.

“I also know that unlike the other girls here…you've had a mountain sized crush on Naruto since you both were in the Academy and was the only girl who liked Naruto from the start…and now that he's like this…and he supported you in that fight with your cousin Neji…you're crush on him has grown hasn't it?”

Hinata twiddled her finger and blushed profusely as she recalled all the indecent thoughts concerning her and Naruto together alone and in private. She couldn't say anything due to the embarrassment she felt deeply for the truth of Tsunade's question.

The Hokage then looked at Temari and replied.

“I know for a fact that you are the daughter of the late Fourth Kazekage and you're the eldest sister of Gaara, who Naruto managed to defeat, and I've heard that Naruto helped change him and become good friends with him, and you feel grateful for what Naruto has done for your little brother.”

Temari nodded at that and couldn't help but blush at the truth in that statement and she was lucky she didn't blurt out the fact that she had kissed Naruto previously…Gods only knew how the others would have reacted to that bit of information. Tsunade was enjoying herself and decided to drop the bomb on them.

“Do you all know why I like Naruto-kun enough to go out on a date with him even if I am older than him?”

The girls looked at Tsunade and she replied after she drank some sake…being the only adult in the whole pool made her the only one qualified legally to drink…which was why she was not offering the drink to anyone else at the moment.

“Naruto-kun…reminds me of the two people I loved in my life…the first was my little brother Nawaki…who was the same age Naruto is now…despite the growth spurt. He's so annoying and very clueless at times, but brave, fiery, funny, and serious like my brother and I can't help but like that….And the other man Naruto-kun reminds me of…is my late fiancé Dan…my assistant Shizune's uncle. He's got the same dreams and hopes like my brother did and he wanted Medic nins in ninja squads like I did after my brother died I loved them both and I see the same in Naruto…I bet he never told you about how he and I exactly met?”

“No he didn't…”

Sakura replied as Tsunade smiled a bit at the memories of the meeting she had with the blonde weeks before and decided to tell her audience what exactly happened between her and Naruto so they will get an idea as to WHY she had a soft spot for the blonde ninja and Dragon Champion, and why she had done out with him on a date of all things. By the end of it the group were stunned to say the least.

“Naruto actually said THAT?!”

Sakura was surprised as she realized that Naruto was probably the only man she knew who had insulted Tsunade…and lived!

“Oh yes…first time I let a kid say that to me…”

Tsunade smiled at the thought and then spoke to the girls.

“I happen to honestly like him and while he IS physically older now…he is still a 12 year old boy in terms of how to deal with the opposite sex…so I took it upon myself to train him on how to properly act around women…hence our little date recently…and let me tell you girls…he's really a great guy…shame he had to have a rough life before all this happened. But then again…that's what makes nice guys VERY good partners. I ought to know, Dan was such a kind and strong man…but a real nervous wreck around women…and Naruto-kun is the same. But he is his own person after all and I like him the way he is at this time. Now do you understand?”

The girls thought about that and then Tsunade smiled as she had an idea…

“If you ladies want to see the results…why don't you ask him out on a date? It's not that hard now isn't it?”

The girls blushed bright red and then they began to look at one another and Tsunade decided to help out a bit before things got ugly…while there were times she was going to enjoy watching a decent cat fight this was not one of the times. She called them to attention and spoke seriously to them all..to show that she wanted them to listen to her…though that was not entirely necessary as they were not going to contest her as she was the Hokage after all.

“Now before I see you all start throwing words…let's make things clear for the moment…there will be NO fighting over Naruto, no sneaky tricks, no trailing him and his date, and above all else…NO use of force…let Naruto decide if he wants to come with you or not. Is that clear?”

The girls nodded and Tsunade then spoke.

“Just so we're clear….I want to make it clear that I also happen to like him a great deal so I'll even ask him out on a date so keep in mind that I will follow those same rules to prove that I will keep my word…just for the sake of giving you ladies some decent competition. But in this case…the one who has the most feelings for Naruto will be the first…and I have a feeling we already know WHO that person is…”

Hinata realized that she was the one that Tsunade was referring to as she saw that everyone in the spring was looking at her and she realized that she was now being given official approval by the Hokage to actually do the one thing that she had NEVER done before in her entire life but dreamed of doing for a long time as well…

Ask someone out on a date…and not just ANY someone at that…

--------

Next day…

Naruto woke up early and realized that today was a Saturday…so this was the time he got to have a decent chance to rest and he heeded Holy Talon's advice on not tiring himself out. He yawned and got out and headed for the bath room to take a much needed shower and bath. Kin was out early on a routine D rank mission and was not going to be back in a few days. Sakura was busy with other matters as well and the fare was still on for the day…this left him plenty of free time at the moment.

He then got dressed and figured a quick trip to the fair would be nice at the moment. And maybe see the people relax for once…however he opened the door to find a certain someone at his door.

“Oh…hello there Hinata-san!”

Hinata blushed and smiled at Naruto while twiddling her fingers as she knew that what she was going to do was something she had dreamed of for years…but never had the courage to do at all…but now she wanted to do this no matter what happens.

“H-H-Hello Naruto-kun…I…I wanted to ask you something?”

“Oh? Sure…go ahead.”

“I, I was wondering…do you have anything to do today?”

“No…not really. Why? Do you want something from me?”

“Yes…can I…can I ask you to…go out on…a date…with me?”

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To be continued…

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Well that wraps this little number up nicely…you'll have to excuse the mess at the moment since I had some real updating to do so my mind is kind of distracted at the moment since I had a ton of work to finish and update at the same time…plus researching ideas for Naruto Tekno Ninja and working on my other works is a killer on my free time and my hands are getting rather stiff at the moment…so I hope you can excuse of the shoddy work I did on this story at the moment since I had some body pains and slight dull headache…

Anyway…I hope this one is all right and Social Graces Part 2 will be out soon enough…and we'll get to see just how Hinata and Naruto's date went along and don't forget that Kurenai and Anko might get involves as well, and even Ayame…not to mention the other girls after Naruto

Oh yes…on the next part…I have plans to introduce a new character into the story…and it's a woman, and how she gets to the Naruto world will be explained later on in the story so have fun…and here…she might develop a thing for a certain white haired Jonin.

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Trailer:

Kakashi panted as he looked at the robed figure before him at the moment…whoever this stranger was…she fought with amazing skill with the two Longswords she had in hand…however…there was something odd about the fighting style she used…

(That style is almost the same as Naruto's dual wield style…)

The robed and hooded stranger was still ready for a fight and Kakashi was not happy with the fact that he was not completely recovered since the battle with Itachi at the moment but he was not backing down from this new battle though he still wondered just who this person was…he couldn't see the face under the robe and hood at the moment.

He got his kunai ready as the stranger readied the weapons…but that was when Naruto appeared and drew his sword Holy Talon and there was Sakura and Sasuke with him.

“Kakashi-sensei!”

The three Genin were now ready to fight with Kakashi and Sasuke and Sakura were armed…Sakura with her kunai and Sasuke with his windmill shuriken…but suddenly the stranger looked at Naruto and amazingly placed aside the weapons and bowed…and spoke in an arcane tongue.

`What the?!”

The group were stunned but Naruto quickly recovered and then began to speak in the same arcane tongue that the group recognized as the one he would use to summon allies from Holy Talon. In a moment Naruto relaxed and re-sheathed Holy Talon and then turned to them and spoke.

“It's all right guys…she's not a threat.”

Kakashi was not entirely convinced and neither were the others. Sasuke was the first to say that.

“How can you be so sure about that?”

Because if she had been an agent of the enemy she wouldn't bother to lower her weapons…”

“She?”

“Yeah…she's a War Blade from Holy Talon's world…her name's Kaelyn.”

The apparent woman stood up and then removed her hood and her robe and stunned the group…especially Kakashi…

Kaelyn was a stunning redhead with her hair in braids, she had deep green eyes that resembled emeralds…and a very attractive face…enough to make her equal to even Kurenai or Tsunade in attractiveness and the small scar near her right eye that ran to her cheek didn't detract that…she was tall as well…nearly Kakashi's height and perfectly proportioned despite the fact she wore chainmail and had plate armor on her shins, thighs, forearms and she had a breast plate that held her bust which was considerable to say the least. She looked at Kakashi and to the Jonin's surprise…she smiled at him!

The others looked on and when Kaelyn spoke…it was still in the same language and Naruto then translated.

“She said she was impressed with the way you fought Kakashi-sensei…she's never met anyone who fought the way you did and it was very entertaining to her.”

“I see…well tell her that I apologize for the misunderstanding.”

Naruto did so and Kaelyn listened to Naruto explain and she grinned and spoke once more with Naruto as interpreter.

“She said it's all right and she wants to apologize for the unprovoked attack.”

Before Kakashi could respond to that…Kaelyn walked up to Kakashi and without any fanfare...kissed the Jonin right on the cheek! That action was very much unexpected and after Kaelyn moved back and gave Kakashi a very seductive smile… Kakashi's exposed eye widen and to the utter amusement of everyone…even Sasuke for that matter…they saw Kakashi blush for the first time in all the times they had traveled with him….

Kaelyn smiled at Kakashi's blush and spoke once more and Naruto translated…this time with a grin on his face.

“Oh yeah…she said you're very handsome Kakashi-sensei.”

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She's only going to be among the first I'll be introducing…I did state that the guys in Naruto's world won't be alone after all…so enjoy this trailer for now…we might even see some other male Genin in the same boat as Kakashi…for example…Lee.

See you next time!