Naruto ❯ Rubies & Sapphires Book 2: Onyx & Citrine ❯ Birthday Party, Part 1 ( Chapter 3 )

A/N: People, I know some of you are looking for more Sakura bashing in this story as well as in Living Behind a Mask. There will be more Sakura bashing in both of them, that I can promise. Also, someone asked if they could use Yukiko from my Bijuu series for their own fic. I've been scrolling through my seven hundred, yeah, that's right, seven hundred PMs in my inbox from Fan Fiction and I can't find it, so I can't remember who it was. If the person's still reading my fics, could they please drop me a line? I want to see if you've started it yet and how it's going.

 

Oh, and I believe I've found an image which will essentially sum up the plot of every single NarutoxSasuke Yaoi fic that has one in it's most basic form. Check my profile for the link.

 

There's no equivalent of Review Replies on Media Miner, so I will answer all Media Miner reviews in the next chapter of the story they are for. Luckily, reviews from Media Miner are somewhat… Rare compared to Fan Fiction reviews.

 

If anyone knows of the fic where Naruto has a bloodline limit that involves absorbing metal and he has a lion for a pet, please let me know. I really want to keep reading it, but I can't find it even using the search engine…

 

As a final note, people in your Personal Messages and reviews, I don't know what it is that compels you to, but for the love of whatever god you believe in, don't grovel! If you've seen Monty Python & the Quest for the Holy Grail, remember when King Arthur saw God, and God ripped into them for grovelling and averting their eyes? I want to do that to you guys for exactly the same reason. The only problem is, I'm not god. Sure, I wouldn't mind giving the `job' a try for the experience, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm not. Oh, don't grovel!... One thing I can't stand is people grovelling. Sorry…And don't apologise! Every time I try and talk to someone it's `Sorry this' and `forgive me that' and `I'm not worthy.' WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW? Averting our eyes, O Lord. Well, don't. It's like those miserable Psalms; they're so depressing. Now, knock it off! Hahahaha, couldn't resist…

 

Thanks to my Beta, Kyuubi no Yoko 9 for making sure this chapter is grammatically error free.

 

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...”

 

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Rubies & Sapphires Book 2: Onyx & Citrine:

 

Chapter Three:

 

Birthday, Part 1:

 

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Next Morning:

 

Naruto rolled over in his sleep, enjoying a particularly lewd dream that involved Kurenai, himself and a can of whipped cream. He was just getting to the good part when he heard a strange sniggering noise. He ignored it and focused on his dream. The sniggering noise came again and the dream started to unravel.

 

“No… I still have to eat it…”

 

The dream finished and Naruto groaned as he slowly opened his eyes to see Kakashi leaning against the doorway of his room and lapping up Naruto's dreamy expression. Naruto stared at him.

 

“You better have a good reason for waking me up, Niisan.”

 

Kakashi smiled lazily, hiding his glee.

 

“So, you do have perverted thoughts after all…”

 

Naruto blushed heavily as Kakashi chuckled at him.

 

“Whipped cream, eh? I have to say, sounded like fun…”

 

Despite himself, Naruto got a nosebleed at the memories of the dream. Kakashi smiled at him again.

 

“I bet Kurenai would love to hear about that…”

 

Naruto froze.

 

`He wouldn't dare…'

 

Kakashi kept smiling as he turned to leave when Naruto got an idea.

 

“I guess the world wouldn't mind hearing about how the great copy ninja Kakashi, master of over 1000 jutsus loses all sense of logical thought and motor skills when in the presence of the latest Icha Icha novel or movie and then treats it like the child he never had once he gets it.”

 

Kakashi stopped as he heard that. Everyone knew he read the perverted novels in public, but Naruto was probably the only one who knew about it to that extent. Kakashi hung his head in defeat.

 

“You're evil, Otouto.”

 

Naruto smiled lazily as he wiped the blood from his nose and put his mask on.

 

“Can you blame me for the occasional perverted thought or dream about her?”

 

Kakashi couldn't even if he tried. She was smart, very strong in her chosen area of jutsus and most of all drop dead gorgeous. Naruto took the shrug as a `no' and then got out of bed to get dressed. He thought over what he had to do today as he pulled on his regular ninja attire.

 

`Let's see, apart from the obvious of training Akira, I wouldn't mind spending some time with Kurenai-Chan…'

 

Naruto pulled on his Jounin flak jacket and zipped it up. He walked out of his bedroom and into the kitchen to start preparing food for breakfast. While he pulled out a pair of frypans and got some bacon rashers and eggs out of the fridge, he looked at the pile of mail that was in its' usual place on the counter. After he covered the pans with oil and turned the heat on for one pan, he sifted through the bane of most people's existence.

 

“Bill, bill, bill, ads, letter from Unryu Itachi, bill- WHAT?”

 

Naruto went back one and saw that it was indeed a letter from his friend. He ripped it open and pulled the letter out. He completely ignored breakfast in favour of finding out about his friend.

 

`Hey Naruto. Sorry for not sending a letter sooner, but there aren't any mail routes between Kumo and Konoha anymore because the Rice Field Country is blocking all mail between us. I eventually found out about this group of ninjas that have become mail deliverers. They're called courier ninjas. They deliver mail faster than express mail and they will fight to make sure the mail reaches its' destination safely if necessary. How are you? I'd assume you made it to Jounin along with your team, much like we did. I've already taken on an apprentice by the name of Rei. Our Raikage is apparently considering retiring soon from old age. Word has it that he's considering me for his replacement. I've been pestering him for a mission that involves Konoha ever since I got back. He may be old, but he knows what I'm hoping to achieve and is all for it. If you want to send a reply message, ask for a courier ninja. They're a bit more expensive, but it's worth it. Hope to talk to you soon.

 

Unryu Itachi.'

 

Naruto smiled. His friend had kept the promise he had made and kept in contact. Naruto looked up and sighed. He turned back to find the fry pan was at the right temperature to start breakfast. He pulled out the 12 rashers of bacon and threw them into the pan, watching them pop and sizzle in the burning oil. Naruto turned down the heat so the oil didn't spray everywhere while he cooked. Kakashi wondered in and took a seat at the table, pulling out his little orange book. Naruto turned the heat on for the second fry pan and waited for it to warm up. While reading, he made a casual observation of his adopted brother.

 

“You seem rather happy, Naruto.”

 

Naruto smiled at Kakashi over his shoulder.

 

“Itachi sent a letter.”

 

Judging by Naruto's expression, it wasn't Uchiha Itachi he was talking about. Kakashi smiled.

 

“How is he?”

 

“He's good. Like me, he's been promoted and taken on an apprentice, a girl by the name of Rei.”

 

Kakashi nodded and turned back to his book as Naruto cracked six eggs into the second fry pan which was now the right temperature for cooking. After flipping the eggs and the bacon over once, he turned the heat off and separated the pan's contents, putting them onto two plates before bringing them to the table. Kakashi took his plat and they both said the usual pre-meal prayer.

 

“Itadakimasu.”

 

Within several seconds, the plates were clean of food. Kakashi smiled at Naruto as he got up, taking the plates to the sink.

 

“Tasty as always, Naruto.”

 

Naruto smiled lazily at the compliment. He stood up and checked his watch. 5:34 am. He still had a bit of time left before he had to see Akira. He waved at Kakashi as he headed for the door.

 

“I'm going out, Niisan.”

 

“Don't do anything I wouldn't.”

 

Naruto shook his head at the jab. Kakashi knew exactly where Naruto was going and had made a jab at the attempt to hide the `I'm going to see my girlfriend' remark.

 

“I wouldn't do half the things you would do, let alone the one's you wouldn't.”

 

Kakashi chuckled as Naruto closed the door and took the stairs two at a time. He walked out the front door and into the early morning sunlight. It was a Wednesday, so if he knew Kurenai well enough, she'd be getting the weekly groceries right about now. Naruto walked towards the local supermarket where everyone in the area got their regular supplies, as well as just about every ninja in the village. The store regularly opened early because many ninjas didn't have a lot of time during the day to shop because of missions. Naruto walked in through the front door and waved at the old lady running the front counter. Naruto stopped for a moment and focused. Sure enough, he could sense Kurenai's chakra signature not to far away and headed in that direction.

 

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Several Isles Away:

 

Kurenai was currently deciding whether to get Dango or Natto and sweats when she felt arms encircle her waist. She smiled as whoever it was stopped suppressing their chakra.

 

“Morning, Kurenai-Chan.”

 

“Morning, Naru-Chan.”

 

Naruto leant his head on her shoulder while she turned her head towards his face and pulled his mask down so they could share a kiss. Naruto pulled back and raised his mask to cover his face; smiling at her while she raised an eyebrow.

 

“Finding me here wasn't coincidental, was it?”

 

Naruto shook his head.

 

“I know you shop on Wednesday mornings at around 6:30. Need a hand?”

 

Kurenai smiled at the gesture but shook her head.

 

“No, I'm just deciding on what to get here and then I'm done…”

 

Naruto nodded and watched her decide. He'd found out quite some time ago that suggesting which sweats a woman should buy usually ended up in what Shikamaru would describe as a troublesome situation. Finally, Kurenai decided on Natto and sweats. Naruto stepped back to allow her to walk down the isle to the counter at the front, keeping pace with her. The old lady smiled at them.

 

“I haven't seen a couple like you in quite a few years.”

 

Naruto smiled slightly while Kurenai blushed as she put the basket of groceries onto the counter. The old lady punched several numbers in for each item and then put them into a large paper bag. After the last item, she looked at the cash register's display.

 

“That's 16,937 Ryou, dear.”

 

Kurenai nodded as she pulled out a bunch of notes and several coins from her wallet, and handed the money to the woman. She pressed a button and the cash draw opened. She separated the notes and the coins, pulling out three coins and handing them to her with a smile on her face.

 

“Take care of yourselves.”

 

They nodded and left the store. Naruto froze momentarily when he could have sworn he heard a `nice catch' from behind him. He looked turned around and looked at her to see her scribbling some things onto a list of produce, and could have sworn she was smirking ever so slightly, even with her back turned to him. Kurenai stopped and looked at Naruto.

 

“Something wrong?”

 

Naruto shook his head and turned to face her.

 

“No, it's nothing.”

 

Kurenai nodded and they turned back to walk to her apartment. Naruto definitely could feel the old lady's eyes on the back of his head. He dismissed it as he took Kurenai's free hand in his. Once they walked the few short blocks to her apartment and up the stairs. Kurenai opened the door of her apartment. Naruto had known a while ago that it was practically the same design as his own, since this entire sector of Konoha had been designed by the same person. Kurenai went into the small kitchen and placed the bag on the counter. Naruto immediately helped unpack the foodstuffs. Once they had finished Naruto realised the situation. He was in his girlfriend's apartment, just the two of them, with neither of them having anything to do for at least two hours. The dream from this morning came back and he had to mentally stamp it out or risk ruining his mask with a nose bleed. Kurenai seemed to notice as well. She did a good job of hiding it though as she walked over to the couch and sat down, Naruto sitting next to her, leaning his head on her shoulder. She smiled slightly as she looked at Naruto.

 

“Have I told you why I love you?”

 

Naruto raised an eyebrow at this strange question. She hadn't told him, so naturally, he was interested. He shook his head.

 

“You have all the best physical features of Kakashi, Jiraiya and Arashi, as well as the best parts of their personalities, with none of the bad parts.”

 

Naruto raised an eyebrow at this.

 

“The pervertedness and womanising?”

 

Kurenai nodded.

 

“I also had somewhat of a crush on your father when we were younger…”

 

Naruto sighed as he looked downcast for a moment.

 

“So I'm just a repl-“

 

“No.”

 

Naruto looked up to see Kurenai glaring at him. Her features softened as she hugged him.

 

“While Arashi had the majority of the qualities I wanted in a man, he was still a pervert.”

 

Naruto's eyes widened at this.

 

“My dad was a pervert?”

 

Kurenai chuckled as she nibbled on his earlobe, sending shivers through Naruto's body.

 

“He sure was. It seems even he was corrupted by Jiraiya. After I found out, I got over my crush soon enough. Naruto, you are not a replacement for anyone. The crush was just that; A crush. Like most girls in my age group, I got over the crush on Arashi. I love you for who you are, not who you resemble.”

 

Naruto smiled as she pulled down his mask and pulled him to her, lips meeting. Naruto unconsciously placed a hand around her lower back and another around her upper back, pulling her onto him. She slipper her tongue into his mouth and he replied in kind. After several minutes, Naruto pulled back, his lower lip tugging slightly on hers as they parted. Kurenai smiled as she hugged Naruto.

 

“I love you, Naruto.”

 

Naruto smirked as he thought up a particularly cheesy line his aniki would use in this situation.

 

“I love me too, Kurenai-Chan.”

 

Kurenai playfully hit him on the arm and gave him a look of mock annoyance.

 

“Baka.”

 

Naruto chuckled as he pulled her back into the hug.

 

“I meant I love you too, Kurenai-Chan.”

 

Kurenai smiled.

 

“That wasn't so hard to say, was it?”

 

Naruto shook his head slightly, giving Kurenai an indication of his answer. Naruto smiled as he remembered the events of that morning.

 

“I got a letter from Itachi.”

 

Kurenai's eyebrows rose but then she closed them as she kissed his temple. She whispered to him.

 

“How is he?”

 

Naruto replied in the same whisper.

 

“He's doing fine. He's been promoted and taken on an apprentice like me. He said he's been trying to get a mission somewhere around Konoha.”

 

Kurenai nodded. Itachi was very different from most Kumo Nins. Most of them were told to hate Konoha and they did, not knowing the reason why, not that there really was a legitimate one. Itachi, on the other hand, had no such preconceptions from what she could tell. It seems that being a Jinchuriki gave one a lot of patience and the ability to reserve judgment for when it was needed and not given out left right and centre like the majority of people did. Naruto pulled back and leaned up against the couch's backrest while Kurenai leaned her head on his shoulder. They stayed in that position for almost fifteen minutes, content with the comfortable silence. Naruto eventually leaned his head over and kissed the top of her head while brushing his hand over part of her hair in a gentle, repetitive motion.

 

“Are you doing anything in the near future, Kurenai-Chan?”

 

Kurenai shook her head.

 

“Not unless an emergency comes up. I'm not going to take on another Genin Team. You three were a handful.”

 

Naruto chuckled as he kissed the top of her head again.

 

“Can you say it wasn't worth it though?”

 

Kurenai smirked at the implication.

 

“It was definitely worth it.”

 

Both of them stayed like that for a moment before Naruto heard some distant rumbling. He paled.

 

“Oh no…”

 

Kurenai looked up at Naruto's expression and then heard the noise as well. She slapped her hand to her forehead.

 

“Why now?”

 

They heard a crash and the rumbling increased dramatically in volume.

 

“Whatever he says, just ignore it…”

 

Kurenai nodded in agreement and sat back just as the door to her apartment burst open to reveal a somewhat passionate Gai and his younger pupil screaming in their faces.

 

“What's this I hear about my eternal rival's adopted brother doing something incredibly unyouthful with such a charming young woman such as Kurenai-San?”

 

The entire apartment complex vibrated with Gai's roaring and Naruto wouldn't be surprised if he had woken up all of Konoha and possibly more. Naruto looked at Gai and pointed to the clock on the wall one Gai had stopped his rant.

 

“Gai-Sensei, do you know what that is?”

 

Gai looked where Naruto pointed and then back at him.

 

“Of course, Naruto-Kun! It's a clock!”

 

Naruto nodded.

 

“Indeed it is. And can you read what time it is?”

 

Gai looked back at the clock.

 

“It is currently 3 minutes past six on this fine Wednesday morning!”

 

Naruto nodded again. Apparently, Gai still wasn't getting the point.

 

“And do you know what the majority of Konoha would be trying to do at this time on Wednesday morning?”

 

Gai got into his `deep thinking pose', which consisted of him putting his hand on his chin and tilting over comically, letting out a `hmmmmm' as he did so.

 

“Hmmmmmm, that is a truly difficult question, Naruto-Kun.”

 

Naruto gritted his teeth.

 

“It's actually remarkably simple. It's called sleeping.”

 

Lee looked from Naruto to his Sensei.

 

“Sleeping? At this time of the morning?”

 

Naruto nodded, barely containing himself from smashing these two over the head.

 

“Yes, unlike you, most people enjoy sleeping. In fact, the majority of them do something called `sleeping in' whenever they get the chance.”

 

Naruto's copious amount of sarcasm was completely lost on the green spandex duo.

 

“Sleeping in?”

 

Naruto nodded. Kurenai could see his fingers twitching, which was a very bad sign.

 

“Yes, sleeping in. The majority of humans enjoy sleeping because it is relaxing. People tend to get very, very angry and somewhat violent when they are forced to wake up, especially if it's much earlier than they have to.”

 

Naruto saw Lee pull out that horrid green note book and began scribbling this down. Once he had finished, he looked back up at them to find that they were shaking their heads in disbelief.

 

“Is something wrong, Naruto-Kun? Kurenai-San?”

 

“Do you realise how loud you were when you came in here?”

 

Clearly, neither of them thought it was a problem, so Kurenai glared at them.

 

“You were loud enough that this entire building was literally vibrating from the volume. It's extremely unlikely that any person within a 500 kilometre radius of this apartment did not hear you. Think for a moment. How many people are there in any direction within five hundred kilometres of here?”

 

Gai nodded as he vaguely estimated.

 

“Many thousands.”

 

Kurenai nodded.

 

“Considering that about 90 percent of them were trying to sleep at that time and were forced awake by your level of volume, combined with the fact that they will now most likely attempt to kill the thing that awoke them, do you realise your situation?”

 

Realisation was indeed starting to dawn on the pair. Naruto looked out the window to see that a mob with makeshift weapons was forming and smiled.

 

“I suggest you start running. They don't look happy.”

 

Gai turned to Lee with a nervous smile on his face before pointing in the direction of the rising sun.

 

“Lee! We must see this as a training exercise! We shall outrun the villagers! If we fail, we will do 100 laps around Konoha on our hands!”

 

“OSSU!”

 

Naruto smiled as they turned to leave.

 

“Just a warning, but people seem to be able to find some sort of hidden power when they are forced awake this early. All of that power is focused on destroying the object that awoke them. Good luck. You'll need it.”

 

Gai smiled as they charged out the door and down the stairs, Lee hot on his tail. Once they flew out the doors, Naruto and Kurenai got a sense of grim satisfaction when they heard the mob notice them and begin the hunt.

 

“THERE THEY ARE! GET THEM!”

 

“YEAH!”

 

Naruto sighed.

 

“They spoilt the mood…”

 

Kurenai nodded in agreement. She was somewhat satisfied that both Gai and Lee were now running for their lives. Kurenai's eyebrows knitted as she remembered the first thing Gai had said.

 

“Knowing Gai, `unyouthful' consists of either perverted actions or committing crimes…”

 

Naruto froze when he remembered what had transpired this morning and put two and two together.

 

“Kakashi, when I get my hands on you, you will die.”

 

Kurenai looked at Naruto with a slightly raised eyebrow.

 

“Kakashi doesn't spread false information…”

 

Naruto looked at Kurenai to see she was expecting an answer. Naruto sighed and sat back.

 

“He doesn't spread false information, but I can guess what happened… I don't think you'll like it though…”

 

Kurenai's eyebrows narrowed.

 

“I'll be the judge of that.”

 

Saying Naruto was uncomfortable was an understatement. Admitting personal fantasies about your girlfriend to her face was by no stretch of the imagination an easy thing to do.

 

“Well, this morning I had somewhat of a… Perverted dream about us…”

 

Kurenai raised an eyebrow.

 

“Really?”

 

Naruto put his head in his hands. He did not like this at all.

 

“It involved us and…”

 

Naruto really didn't want to say what came next but Kurenai would get this out of him one way or another.

 

“And?”

 

“Acanofwhippedcream.”

 

Kurenai managed to catch it and blushed at the thought. Naruto recovered, the somewhat embarrassing part of it over.

 

“Niisan happened to hear me sleep talking and mused if you wanted to hear about it. I thought I had shut him up by threatening to tell everyone about the extent of his pervertedness. He must have either muttered it to himself or said it directly to Gai, who only heard half of it and took action…”

 

Kurenai sighed…

 

“And now the majority of the Fire Country knows indirectly about it…”

 

Naruto nodded as a particularly sweat idea came into his head and he smiled.

 

“Perfect…”

 

Kurenai saw Naruto's grin and raised an eyebrow. Naruto turned to Kurenai.

 

“We need to find Gai.”

 

Kurenai looked at him in a deadpanned expression that screamed `why'.

 

“We'll use him the same way Kakashi just used him against us.”

 

Kurenai's eyebrows rose before she smiled. Both of them got up and closed the door behind them as they took the stairs two at a time and out onto the streets. They looked around to see a cloud of smoke being raised with a much larger cloud not far behind them. Naruto sighed and started after them. It seemed they'd already done something with a slight resemblance to a lap of Konoha. Kurenai was directly by his side as they sped up. Luckily, both Lee and Gai still had their weights on, which made this much easier to catch up to them. The couple drew level with the rest of the group before pulling ahead of them. Lee looked back over his shoulder and saw two of the pack pull away.

 

“Gai-Sensei! They're catching up!”

 

Gai looked back and saw that two of them were indeed catching up. However, he didn't see that they were Naruto and Kurenai.

 

“Indeed they are, my adorable Lee. If we wish to complete this training, we must increase our speed! I'm making an exception to rule number 1!”

 

Lee gasped as they kept running.

 

“Demo, Gai-Sensei! I thought Rule One stated that it could not be broken unless protecting many important people!”

 

“I don't care! I will allow it!”

 

Lee smiled as he reached down to his orange leg warmers.

 

“Oh no…”

 

Naruto called out to them.

 

“Gai-Sensei! Lee! Matte!”

 

They both looked back to See that the pair was actually Naruto and Kurenai. They slowed down slightly for a moment before remembering what was behind them. However, it was enough for Naruto and Kurenai to fall in behind them. Naruto looked at Gai and began his plan.

 

“Gai-Sensei, I'm somewhat upset with Aniki…”

 

Gai and Lee, being the somewhat `innocent' gullible people they were looked at Naruto questioningly.

 

“And why would that be, Naruto-Kun?”

 

Naruto sighed and shook his head.

 

“Kakashi-Niisan treats his Icha Icha movies and novels better than he treats me…”

 

Kurenai had to suppress her full blown laughter as Naruto's plan was put into action. It was clever, she'd give him that.

 

“How so, Naruto-Kun?”

 

“When he gets a new one, he hugs it like the child he never had…”

 

Gai gasped in shock.

 

“My eternal rival would do something like that? How unyouthful! I shall defeat him with my fists of love! He shall accept the influence of justice and weep! Lee! Remove the weights! We have to stop my unyouthful rival!”

 

“OSSU!”

 

Both of them took their weights off and dropped them before emitting a sonic boom from breaking the sound barrier as they sped off to find Kakashi. Naruto and Kurenai slowed down and let the essentially rabid villagers storm passed them after the current objects of their hatred. Naruto waited as he started counting down.

 

“7… 6… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…-“

 

“KAKASHI MY ETERNAL RIVAL, WHAT IS THIS I HEAR ABOUT YOU TREATING YOUR VERY UNYOUTHFUL COLLECTION OF LITERATURE WITH MORE CARE THAN YOU TREAT YOUR ETERNALLY YOUTHFUL OTOUTO? EH? PLEASE ANSWER ME!”

 

Naruto decided that breaching etiquette this once would be acceptable given the circumstances, and fell over laughing as everyone seemed to stop what they were doing and stare in the general direction of the booming voice in various forms of amusement, shock and the majority of the female population, horror. Kurenai couldn't help but laugh either. It was somewhat cruel to use Gai's naivety against him, but if Kakashi would resort to exploiting it, then so would he. Fight fire with fire, as they say. Naruto slowly stood up and looked at his watch. And saw he had enough time to do something before he had to begin the day's training with Akira. Naruto turned to Kurenai and took her hand.

 

“Want to go to the park?”

 

Kurenai smiled. In a sense, this was their first `date' since they had started going out, and it was at the same place as the first one.

 

“Sure.”

 

Naruto and Kurenai walked off towards Konoha Central Park to enjoy their last hour or so together for the day.

 

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The Park:

 

Naruto and Kurenai walked through the park, admiring the early morning sunlight glittering off the pond's surface as they sat on one of the park benches.

 

“Reminds you of our first time, doesn't it?”

 

Naruto nodded in agreement. This was the exact same bench they had sat on for their first date. Naruto put a hand on her thigh, while she placed a hand over the top of his. They sat there in contented silence as several people occasionally walked passed them. Some of them were going for a morning jog before work, while others were simply admiring the scenery. They sat there in silence for the better part of half an hour in a comfortable silence. Kurenai turned to Naruto as an idea came into her head as she pulled Naruto into a hug and whispered into his ear.

 

“Your birthday is coming up soon, right?”

 

Naruto nodded slowly. His 16th birthday was in just over a week.

 

“Have you planned anything yet?”

 

“Not yet…”

 

Kurenai nodded as a smile touched the corner of her lips.

 

“Keep the night free.”

 

Naruto's eyebrows rose slightly, but he agreed.

 

“Sure thing, Kurenai-Chan.”

 

Kurenai knew there was no one around, so she pulled down his mask and pashed him on the lips. Naruto responded by slipping his tongue into her mouth. After a several minute long tongue war, they pulled back before Naruto hugged her.

 

“I love you, Kurenai-Chan.”

 

Kurenai kissed his temple and whispered in his ear.

 

“I love you too, Naru-Chan.”

 

They sat there for another half an hour before Naruto untangled himself from her and gave her another kiss before standing up and pulling his mask back up.

 

“Sorry, Kurenai-Chan, but it's time for me to go.”

 

Kurenai nodded as she stood up as well, giving Naruto one last hug before they went about their daily activities.

 

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10th of October, Naruto's Apartment:

 

Naruto had told Akira that tomorrow he could have a day off from training because it was his birthday. Akira had begged Naruto to be allowed to come, and so Naruto had relented, telling him to turn up around midday and had given him the address. Naruto was being awoken by the rays of sunlight streaming in through his window, so he turned over to get away from it. The only problem was that he was still catching the light in his eyes. Even in his semi sleeping state, Naruto knew something was off.

 

`I don't have a window on that side of the room…'

 

Naruto grumbled as he slowly opened his eyes a crack to see that there was no natural source of sunlight coming from the other side of the room. However, there was no window, nor a natural source of light. There was, however, a very annoying silver haired Jounin shining a flashlight in his eyes. Naruto growled.

 

“What the hell are you doing, Niisan?”

 

Kakashi flicked the light off and flipped it over before putting it away.

 

“Well, you did say you wanted a sleep in…”

 

“Then why are you waking me up?”

 

Even with Naruto's sleep blurred vision, he could see Kakashi smiling.

 

“Because it's almost noon.”

 

Naruto's brain processed this for a moment before he looked at his bedside clock to see that it was 11:47. Naruto shot out of bed, covers flailing everywhere as he raced to put on some decent clothes.

 

“Why didn't you wake me up earlier?”

 

“Sorry, but I had to help an old woman cross the road.”

 

Naruto slapped his head as he pulled on a skin tight black undervest and some black pants. He was reaching for a semi formal shirt when Kakashi smiled.

 

“No need to be formal, it's just a gathering of friends.”

 

Naruto looked at Kakashi with a raised eyebrow before putting the shirt back and sighed as he walked out of his room with Kakashi when he realised something. He didn't have his mask. He looked back to se Kakashi standing in front of his door with an innocent smile on his face, but Naruto could tell Kakashi knew exactly what he was doing. Naruto grumbled and stepped out into the living room to see that all of his friends, Senseis and even Akira was there. They looked around and all talk stopped when they saw Naruto's face. Naruto somehow felt completely naked without his mask on. He could see all of the girls in the room had hearts in their eyes while the boys looked green with envy. Asuma smirked.

 

“It's been a while since I've seen your face, Naruto.”

 

Naruto smiled as he put a hand behind his head and laughed nervously. Naturally, having just a sleeveless skin tight vest on revealed his well toned muscles. Naruto looked at the girls who wore the same hungry expression to varying degrees. He smiled lazily.

 

“You girls do know I'm taken, right?”

 

Ino smirked.

 

“Doesn't mean we can't window shop.”

 

All of the boys in the room sweat dropped. Kiba took particular interest in his facial features, specifically the whisker marks.

 

“No wonder Akamaru and I always thought you smelled like a fox, Naruto. Still, you could have pulled any girl you wanted with that face.”

 

Naruto looked at Kiba and then Kurenai before looking back at Kiba.

 

“And I did just that.”

 

Several of the Genin raised an eyebrow, making Naruto look at Ino.

 

“I thought you would have told the entire town by now, not to mention Gai-Sensei shouting it to the world…”

 

Realisation came to the few who didn't yet know and they looked at Kurenai with a look that clearly said `damn you, I wanted him'. Naruto sighed as he took a seat net to Kurenai and gave her a kiss and a hug, which she returned before Naruto looked at the kitchen table to see a somewhat large mountain of presents sitting on it. Naruto looked at the presents in awe.

 

“I've never had so many before…”

 

Kakashi put a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him.

 

“It's probably because you're at the age of consent. 16's a big deal.”

 

Naruto scowled at the hidden meaning.

 

“Hentai.”

 

Kakashi smiled and pulled out Icha Icha Tactics.

 

“Yup, and proud of it.”

 

Everyone else in the room sweat dropped. Tsunade turned to Naruto before giving him a hug, smothering him in her ample cleavage, much to his and Kurenai's chagrin and everyone else amusement. She released him and his gasped for breath while Jiraiya chuckled.

 

“Death by cleavage.”

 

Tsunade was about to smack him through the wall when Naruto sweat dropped.

 

“I'd rather not have a gaping hole in the wall thanks…”

 

Tsunade reined in her anger before straightening and pushing Naruto to the table, where everyone either took a seat or stood around. Tsunade smiled at Naruto.

 

“Go on, open them.”

 

Naruto nodded and reached for the first one. He looked at the card to see it was from Tenten. He smiled at her as he opened it and saw two ornate wooden boxes. He raised an eyebrow as he opened one to reveal a professional whetstone sharpening set. His eyes lit up. He'd been meaning to get one for a while now. He closed it and opened the second box to reveal a set of 12 three pronged Hiraishin kunai without the tags. His eyes widened at this before he looked at Tenten.

 

“Tenten, how did you get these?”

 

Tenten smirked.

 

“Our family are Konoha's main blacksmiths, so your dad happened to leave the schematics for them with us when he used to get us to make them for him.”

 

Naruto smiled.

 

“Thanks, Tenten. These things are damn hard to make and I've been meaning to get a professional whetstone set for a while now.”

 

Tenten smiled.

 

“No problem.”

 

Naruto put them to the side and went for the next one, which was from Hinata. He unwrapped it to reveal a beautifully lacquered set of chopsticks and a very ornate yellow china bowl with `Ramen Connoisseur' printed on the side. Naruto looked at Hinata and smiled.

 

“It's beautiful. You made it yourself, didn't you?”

 

Hinata's eyes widened before she smiled.

 

“Hai.”

 

Naruto took another look at it.

 

“You should seriously consider making more of these. They would sell out the second you put them on the shelves.”

 

Hinata blushed at the compliment as Naruto put them with Tenten's present and went for the next one, which happened to be from Ino. It was somewhat tall and a rather unusual shape. Naruto pealed off the paper to reveal a plant from which bloomed a stunningly beautiful flower. The outer edges of its petals were cerulean blue while the insides were crimson red. Both colours bled into each other in the middle to form a vivid violet colour. Naruto looked astonished at this.

 

“From all the times I've been in your shop, Ino, I've never seen a flower like this…”

 

Ino smirked.

 

“Not surprising. I bred it myself just recently.”

 

Naruto smiled at her.

 

“Thank you, it's beautiful.”

 

Naruto placed it with his other presents and reached for the next one. It was long and rectangular. The card identified it as Shino's present. Naruto opened it to reveal a display frame of butterflies that had been meticulously pinned to the soft fabric while each of them had a nameplate besides them, identifying their common and scientific names. Half of them, Naruto didn't even recognise, even with his studies of the Fire Country's wildlife.

 

“Shino, where did you get these? I recognise some of them from other countries…”

 

Shino pushed his glasses back up his nose.

 

“Our clan may only use insects from the Fire Country for the purpose of warfare; however we try to keep our knowledge of the world's insect wildlife as up to date as possible.”

 

Naruto smiled as he placed it carefully with his other presents.

 

“Thank you Shino.”

 

“You are welcome.”

 

Naruto reached for the next one and saw it was from Lee. Naruto was somewhat dreading that it might be one of those dreaded green spandex body suits, but unwrapped it anyway. He was shocked to see that it was actually a book called `The Inner Gates and how to survive their effects for masters.' Naruto looked up at Lee and then back at the book when Tenten sighed and explained.

 

“It was annoying, but we finally managed to get Lee to drop the idea of giving you a green spandex body suit and give you something more fitting for a birthday present.”

 

Lee looked downcast while Naruto smiled.

 

“Thanks Lee. Even with the Kyuubi's help, surviving the effects hurts like hell. This is really useful.”

 

Lee smiled and gave his nice guy pose.

 

“You are most welcome, Naruto-Kun.”

 

Naruto placed the book with the others and reached for the next one. This one was from Shizune and Tsunade. He opened it to see a pile of scrolls with all sorts of medical jutsus that were usually kept in Tsunade's personal library. He looked up at her in astonishment.

 

“You're giving these to me?”

 

Tsunade nodded.

 

“Although you have the Kyuubi's help to heal, it's not good to rely on its help all the time. These should help you with the non life threatening injuries.”

 

Naruto smiled at her.

 

“Thanks sis, thanks mum.”

 

Most of the people in the room sniggered at the pet names Naruto had given them. Naruto moved the scrolls over to the rest of them and reached for the next one, which was from Jiraiya. It was a book that much Naruto could tell.

 

“Do I really want to open this?”

 

Most people in the room laughed while Naruto sighed and opened it to confirm his worst suspicions. He slammed his head on the table before looking at Jiraiya in sheer anger and embarrassment.

 

“What the hell kind of a present is this, Ero-Sennin?”

 

Naruto showed it to Jiraiya, and consequently everyone else. Everyone felt the kind of fear reserved for when something very bad was about to happen.

 

“101 ways to please your wife in bed? HENTAI!”

 

Jiraiya laughed before producing another present from his pocket.

 

“That was only a joke.”

 

No one seemed to think it was funny, so Jiraiya grumbled and handed Naruto the small box. Naruto gave it a dubious look before he opened it and narrowed his eyes. He reached into it and pulled out a circular golden locket and looked at Jiraiya questioningly.

 

“Open it.”

 

Naruto shrugged and flicked the catch to open it. He froze when he saw what was inside and then started to tear up. Most people around the table were getting worried but were somewhat relieved when Naruto spoke.

 

“Thanks, Jiraiya… This means a lot to me…”

 

Jiraiya smiled.

 

“No problem, Naruto.”

 

Everyone looked at Jiraiya who smiled slightly as Naruto read what was inside the locket.

 

“'We'll always love you son'… Thanks, dad…”

 

Everyone smiled as Naruto put the locket around his neck before smiling in deep thought for a moment. He reached for the next present to find it was from Kiba. Naruto pulled the paper off to reveal a scroll for the `Tsuuga' technique. Naruto looked dumbfounded.

 

“You're giving me one of your clan jutsus?”

 

Kiba smirked.

 

“It'd be perfect for your fighting style once you go all out fox.”

 

No matter which clan it was, giving a clan jutsu to an outsider was a very big deal.

 

“Kiba, are you sure?”

 

Kiba snorted.

 

“Mum said it was fine, so there's no problems.”

 

Naruto nodded. Kiba's mother was the clan head, so her word according to the clan was as good as law.

 

“Thanks…”

 

Kiba smiled at Naruto's somewhat dumbfounded reply, but bit his tongue from giving one of his usual `smart' replies. Naruto reached for the next one, which was from Neji. Naruto opened it and smiled. It was a book on the human Tenketsu and how to hit them with maximum effect with and without the Jyuken. Naruto smiled at Neji.

 

“Thanks, Neji. This will be really useful.”

 

Neji smirked and closed his eyes.

 

“No problem.”

 

Naruto put the book with the ever increasing pile of unwrapped presents. Next, he went for one that was from Gai. He felt the same wave of foreboding washing over him from when he was about to open Lee's present, but opened it anyway. He practically choked when he saw what it was.

 

“How to use the Genjutsu that no one can explain? Wow, thanks Gai-Sensei.”

 

Kurenai gave the scroll a hungry look while the other's eyes widened.

 

“You mean that Genjutsu with the sunset and crashing waves?”

 

Gai nodded.

 

“Indeed. Only those in the springtime of youth are able to master such a youthful jutsu.”

 

Everyone was suddenly eying the scroll very intently, and Naruto made sure to put it into his pocket so that it didn't grow legs and take a walk. There were only several presents left that remained wrapped, so Naruto reached for another one which was from Asuma. He opened it to reveal an ornate box much like the two Tenten had given him. He opened it and smiled. Inside was a pair of master's trench knives, which was a sign that he was now a master of trench knife combat. He took them out and looked over the masterful craftsmanship before smiling at Asuma.

 

“Thanks, Asuma-Sensei.”

 

“No problem, Naruto.”

 

Naruto placed the knives back in the box and reached for the next one which was from Shikamaru. He opened it and was pleasantly surprised to find a ninja themed chess set. He looked over the pieces. The King was the Fire Country's Daimyo, while the Queen was obviously the Hokage, partly because it was the most powerful piece on the board, but also because it was a very well done piece of Tsunade. The Bishops were to Naruto's surprise, were himself and Kurenai, while the Knights were Asuma and Kakashi. The Rooks were not surprisingly Lee and Gai, while the pawns were wisely unmarked. The black pieces were no surprise either. The King was Orochimaru while the Queen was Sasuke. The Bishops, Knights and Rooks were all of the known members of Akatsuki, which Naruto guessed Shikamaru had gotten the information from Jiraiya. Naruto smiled at Shikamaru.

 

“This is great, Shikamaru. I assume you made this yourself?”

 

Shikamaru nodded.

 

“Yeah. It was troublesome, but my mother wouldn't stop nagging me until I completed it.”

 

Everyone shared a laugh at Shikamaru's expense, which he didn't mind in the least. Naruto put the pieces away and placed it with the other presents. He reached for the one Chouji had given him. It was remarkably small, but Naruto knew good things came in small packages. He opened it to confirm the thought. A year's pass to three bowls of ramen a week from Ichiraku's and three plates of meat a week from their favourite barbeque restaurant. Naruto smiled at his `big boned' team mate.

 

“Thanks, Chouji. I'll have to invite you to help me out with using these up. I won't be able to do it myself.”

 

Chouji gave Naruto his clan's trademark friendly smile.

 

“No problem, Naruto.”

 

Naruto reached for another one. This one was from Akira. He smiled at his apprentice as he opened it and his eyes widened in disbelief.

 

“Special Nindo Ramen? Akira, this stuff is extremely rare! Thanks!”

 

Akira smirked.

 

“You're welcome, Sensei.”

 

Now, there was only one present left on the table, however, two people had not given him presents yet. He took the last one and saw it was from Kakashi. It was a very small gift, so he unwrapped it to find a key. He raised a single eyebrow. Simple presents like this from his older brother usually had a hidden meaning. He thought about it for a moment before he realised what it meant and he lunged at his older brother.

 

“Thanks, Niisan!”

 

Kakashi smiled as Naruto got off him, and tried to regain some of the dignity he had before being tackled to the ground.

 

“No problem, Otouto. Welcome to the man's world.”

 

Naruto smiled. This wasn't just a key to a lock; it was also the metaphorical key to leaving his childhood behind and becoming an adult. Naruto set the key down and looked at Kurenai who was smirking at him.

 

“I'm giving you my present tonight, Naruto.”

 

Most of the people's eyebrows in the room rose but they said nothing. Naruto looked at everyone and smiled.

 

“Thanks, this means a lot to me.”

 

They all dismissed it in their own ways. Tsunade looked at Naruto.

 

“It's about time for the festival, and despite what others may want; you are not going like that.”

 

Naruto grinned sheepishly while the majority of girls in the room groaned in disappointment. Tsunade pulled Naruto forcefully to his room, much to everyone's amusement, while she told them to get ready themselves.

 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&a mp;&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&a mp;&&&

 

A/N: Ooooooo! I bet you're wondering what Kurenai's `present' is, aren't you? Well, you'll find out next chapter. I'll talk to you guys later.

 

Ja na,

 

Specula.