A/N:

This is not a new chapter.

The story has been reworked slightly. One chapter grew to such a length that it needed to be split into two.

But, there is a ninth and new chapter in the works, for those who are interested.

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The echoes from the loud impact were fading now.

Large amphibian footprints marked the soft lawn surrounding the girl's dormitory. The cause of those deep marks stood with pipe askew, somewhat unhappy at being called for this kind of thing.

"IF YOU ARE GOING TO WASTE MY TIME…."

Gama-Bunta, the largest of all toads, blew huge rings of smoke from his mouth. The wavering circles passed over Naruto, as he backed away from a large glass door.

"I'm Sorry!" Naruto was not speaking to the Boss Frog. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…." His words were directed to a group of pajama-clad girls whose balcony he jumped off onto. They were all screaming and shouting, their curtain drawn tight. "Wrong room!"

"YOU SHOULD AT LEAST GET THINGS RIGHT…."

The massive creature had resigned himself to helping. He was there, anyway. And, he did owe the boy a great deal. They had made a pact, and had finally found the time to make things official, sharing the traditional drink. More importantly, he had saved one of his sons from Shukaku, back before the sand spirit had been captured by Akatsuki. However, after this indignity, they were even. And then some!

"Hey! Oyabun!" Naruto leaped off the porch, expecting the Boss Frog to catch him with his tongue. Instead, he found himself plummeting all the way down, landing up to his knees in mud that overflowed from one humongous footprint. "Thanks a lot!" He smacked himself on the butt, as a rude and indolent gesture. "I couldn't help it. I've never seen the room from outside. It must be the one over there." He pointed to another room at the back corner of the building.

"NEITHER JIRAIYA NOR MINATO WERE THIS STUPID…."

Gama-Bunta swiveled one giant eye to the side, catching sight of a startled group of guards. He had no way of knowing that they were the same women that had been hunting for Naruto earlier that evening. But, he wouldn't be surprised one bit, had someone clued him into that fact.

"I'm not stupid!" Naruto shook a fist at the hulking monstrosity. He still showed the same spunk that he exhibited that memorable day, back when the Ero-Sennin had tossed him into a deep ravine. "Big… ugly… smelly… frog!" He obviously wasn't a big proponent of the 'win more friends with honey instead of vinegar' theory. He ducked. Some of the braver girls had run and picked up sundry items. They were now throwing them down at him.

"SHOULD WE ASK THEM ABOUT YOUR INTELLIGENCE…."

Gama-Bunta pointed his large head towards the girls. Those kunoichi had been so focused on Naruto, that they never actually realized what kind of monster stood impatiently outside their domicile. A number of the girls fainted. One stalwart soul ran to find a camera.

"Any way… any way, Oyabun…." Naruto yelped when he was struck on the head with a frying pan. A frying pan! That was like something out of one of those clichéd children's cartoons. "Just one more time… I'm sure it's that room." A fresh welt was rising on his scalp, right next to his cut from before.

With a chuckle that rumbled like thunder, the giant frog tapped his pipe against a large oak, and then vanished, heading back to whence he came. A vast cloud of smoke rolled across the campus like an enveloping fog.

"Bastard frog!" Naruto kicked at the dented frying pan. He needed to find a way up to the other balcony, before the disordered guards got their act together. Right! That would work! He began working hand seals, realizing that there were people at every window in the dormitory.

So much for anonymity.

Moving quickly, he created a large number of shadow clones. With short curt commands, he directed them to form a huge human pyramid. Their work done, he climbed up to his targeted destination, leaping to another sheltered balcony. He had better be right. There wouldn't be time for a third attempt.

Someone had obviously noted his arrival. The curtain pulled away from the large sliding balcony door. The door slid open and Ten Ten stepped out, careful not to step on the grill that someone had put outside for the night. A number of faces appeared at the glass.

"What are you doing back here?" Ten Ten looked cross. She still hadn't forgiven Naruto for his comments about Neji earlier. "Didn't the Hokage tell you to stay away from the girl's dorm!"

"I can't believe it!" Ino was brave enough to step outside, even though she was one of the kunoichi who had changed into her night clothes. "Naruto again! He's just like a bad penny…."

"Shhhh-hhh-hh-h… don't make so much noise…." Naruto had something that he wanted to accomplish without too much fuss. The more people that got involved, the worse his chances would be. His eyes widened. He thought of a clever line that might stop the blue-eyed girl in her tracks. "If I said I was here to get Sakura's panties… and run them up the flag poll for everyone to see…would you get them for me?" He hid a grin.

Ino's eyes narrowed at first, but then her eyes sparkled wickedly. "Would it be better if she were still wearing them?"

"Ino!" Ten Ten scowled, and then ran inside to officially confirm Naruto's presence.

"Well… well… well… it looks as if you guys weren't hallucinating after all." Anko stepped outside. Her cheeks were ruddy. Who knows how much she had to drink? "Ino, get back inside. You don't want to see this…." Anko stepped outside, spinning kunai around her index fingers. When the other girl obeyed, she turned to Naruto.

"What?" Naruto glared at Anko. His whole idea about keeping things low key evaporated. Natural instincts kicked in. "Are you expecting me to drop my drawers or something?" He thumbed his nose at her, making reference to his earlier jokes.

"There's no need," Anko remarked. "In the dark, it would probably be too small to see." She smiled at Naruto's clenched teeth. "So… I'll just make my cuts in the general vicinity…." She pointed at his crotch area with one of her weapons.

"Hah!" Naruto felt a misplaced need for bravado. "My manhood is so huge, that it probably couldn't fit on this damn balcony!" He put one foot up on a metal chair.

"Naturo-kun?" Naturally, Hinata chose that moment to come to the door. Hearing what she did, her ears turned bright red. She had been about to ask why he came back. But, her tongue felt like it was glued to the top of her mouth.

"What's going on out here?" Kurenai strode over to the door. "Hinata… why are you standing there in your pajamas? You'll catch your death of cold." She had been in the bathroom when everyone else noticed Naruto's grand entrance. Her eyes narrowed when she caught sight of Naruto.

"It's nothing much," Anko said with sly humor. "Naruto was simply telling us how big his schlong is." That out to get the other jounin's panties in a knot, pronto! "Do you think the other gals might be interested?"

"But…." Naruto's mouth opened and closed like that of a newly caught fish. "I was just…."

There is a phenomenon that occurs whenever people overhear something. The story often changes with each telling. In just that fashion, one girl's observation grew more damning with each mouth it passed from.

"Who spiked the punch?" Shizune made her way onto the crowded balcony. She was certain that someone had added rum or vodka to one of the non-alcoholic drinks. The things those girls were saying! "Someone told me that Naruto was here, trying to get Hinata to look at his penis!" She caught the white-eyed girl as she came very close to swooning.

"While she still can," Anko added, pouring fuel on the flames. She repeated her swiping motion, bringing the tips of her sharpened kunai perilously close to Naruto's trousers.

"It's not that…." Naruto held his hands up. "Hinata… tell them…." He took a step back when more girls pushed their way outside. "I'm here because… really… it's no big thing!" That wasn't exactly the best choice of words at the time.

"Naruto!" Sakura got the wrong impression. She thought that Naruto was bragging about Hinata seeing something she had no business seeing. The pervert! "You… you… you pig!"

"Buhiiii-iii-ii-i". That indignant sound came from TonTon. Tsunade's porcine companion had felt compelled to join the part. After all, she was female too

"Oh… sorry Ton Ton…." Sakura reached down to scratch behind the pig's ear before standing up and glaring at her teammate again.

"Tell her about the panties," Ino said helpfully, wanting to see the pink-haired girl's reaction. The sarcastic look that Naruto gave her clearly said 'Don't do me any favors!'

"Panties?" Sakura's face darkened. "What panties?" She noticed Ino's smirk. "Whose panties!" A number of girls quickly moved behind her.

"Ino asked me to run them up the flag-pole," Naruto lied. The girl deserved it, ratting him out that way. And, while he was at it, he still didn't feel as if he had done enough to get back at Sakura. "I told her that they were probably too big. Someone might think they were a warning flag or something." He put both hands behind his neck. "It wouldn't be funny, if everyone thought the Sound was attacking again…."

"Oooo-ooo-oo-oh!" Sakura's hands curved into hooks. She didn't know who to throttle first, Ino or Naruto. The decision was made easy for her. Somewhat inebriated, Ino walked behind Sakura, grabbed hold of her waistband, and pulled her pajama pants down.

"Uhhh…." Naruto blushed. His teammate had pink undies with red hearts. He blinked repeatedly. "Bigger than I thought." He took a step back when he saw the look on Hinata's face. "I didn't look on purpose!" He waved his hands. "They're hard to miss. It's like medical ninjas have a jutsu that makes their butts big!"

Once again, he had made the wrong remark at the absolutely worst possible time.

"All of the medical ninjas in the Leaf won't be enough to put you back together again." That was Tsunade. The growing ruckus had finally pulled her away from an innocent card game she had gravitated towards. "Humpty Dumpty had it easy." She was suddenly jostled by all of the girls running for shelter. "Didn't I tell you never to come back here?"

"Granny Tsunade!" Naruto decided it would be wise to change the subject. "That was a really great trick earlier!" As a prankster, Naruto appreciated a good trick when he saw one. "You're not getting older, you're just getting better!" Woops. Another slip of the tongue. He had no excuse, since his body had long since burned off the remnants of the Sake he had quaffed.

Tsunade's face looked like it was the source of the earlier storm.

"You and I need to have a talk." The Hokage moved a fist against her palm, in a grinding motion. She was not above taking the boy across her knee and giving him a spanking. He deserved that!

"That's right! We do!" He stepped backwards as far as he could, until he felt his back rub up against a cold brick wall. "If you're going to let girls drink like that, you should teach them better manners!" If he was going to get in trouble, he might as well make the most of it. He should simply have vaulted over the railing and run for his life. But, that was not his Ninja Way.

"You're hardly one to talk," the Hokage said, flexing her biceps. "Soon, you'll hardly be able to walk."

"First… Anko stuck her nose where it didn't belong…." Naruto had to speak quickly. His voice was a good bit louder than he realized. "She wanted to do something dirty!"

"You're a dead man!" That was Anko's voice. Naruto couldn't see that the fearful jounin was being restrained by a number of shinobi.

"Then…." Naruto coughed. "Then Shizune started talking about my… you know… penis…."

"He's a goner, alright." Out of view, Shizune moved by force of habit. She put her hand where her poison-needle shooter usually was. She hadn't worn it.

"And Sakura…." Naruto cringed when he saw the Hokage hit the railing with her fist. The two-inch steel bent as if it were tinfoil. "Sakura was flashing her panties."

"You can't kill him." That was Sakura. She wasn't standing up for her teammate. "He won't feel enough pain that way."

"And… because of all that… you accidentally made a comment about medical ninjas." Tsunade furrowed her brows. "Just like you showed up here, accidentally… right?" She laced her fingers together and cracked her knuckles.

"Please, Ma'am…." That was Hinata. She had bravely stepped between Naruto and the Hokage. Kurenai had placed the nearest available overcoat around her as she headed outdoors. "Don't hurt him."

"Well…" Tsunade took a couple of steps back, wanting to get a good look at Hinata's face. The girl looked determined, not frightened. Good. "He did disobey my order…." She couldn't keep allowing the boy to get away with things like this. "He has some kind of punishment coming…."

""You have rounds at the clinic tomorrow," Shizune noted. "You could make an appointment for him. I know he's way too young… but… you could write orders for a prostate exam." No one could tell if she was serious or not.

"Or an enema!" That suggestion came from Ino.

"Hey!" Naruto put his hands over his backside. "That's a lot of crap!"

"Not if you have an enema," Tsunade quipped.

"Don't worry, Naruto," Sakura offered. "The procedures should go easy, since you've been acting like such a big assho-" Her angry joke was stifled by the numerous hands she found covering her mouth.

Naruto clenched his fists. He didn't like being the butt of that kind of humor, so to speak. But, since they had set the scene, he would act accordingly.

"OK. Fine." Naruto turned around to face the wall. He brought his hands down to waist level. "But… I'm busy tomorrow…." He began worked on his belt. "So… we might as well get this over with now…." He started to pull his pants down.

"UZUMAKI NARUTO!"

That shout hadn't come from the Hokage, as everyone might have expected. It didn't come from any of the jounin, either. The most vociferous chunins in the crowd had been beaten to the punch, as well.

"Huh?" Naruto stopped what he was doing. He was shocked to realize that it had been Hinata who shouted. "Hinata?"

"Would you please behave, Naruto-kun?" Hinata clasped her hands together.

"Hmmm…." Naruto turned, and then realizing he hadn't pulled his trousers up, quickly rectified the situation. "OK… since you asked so sweetly…." He smiled. "You're much too cute to resist."

Some of the girls rolled their eyes. Others went 'mmmmm.' A few looked ready to hurl. Hinata simply turned pink, not bothered that she and Naruto weren't in private.

"Maybe we should all calm down a bit." That suggestion came from Kurenai. She had been shocked by Hinata's shout, too. But, that action had caused her to look at Hinata in a different light. She wasn't some helpless flower that needed protecting. She was a young woman on the verge of finding new strength within her. "If we give him a chance to do what he came here for, things can go back to normal."

"Thank you, Kurenai-sensei." Hinata gave her teacher a grateful smile.

"I'm sorry…." Naruto looked at Kurenai. His guilt from earlier antics was coming to the fore. "I'm sorry for making that comment about Kakashi earlier." That earned him a nod of the head from Hinata's sensei.

"Are you sorry about making those comments about Sakura's panties, too?" Ino was not on the same page as Kurenai, Hinata, and Naruto. All of the nonsense on the balcony had been fun.

"Yes," Naruto said, not feeling nearly as contrite as he sounded. "I'm sorry, Sakura." He fought down the strong urge to add 'I'm sorry you have to wear panties that big!'

"Wussy!" Ino pulled down on one eyelid and stuck out her tongue, just before Sakura clobbered her with a huge down-stuffed pillow. That led to a full scale pillow fight, with numerous girls joining in.

"Even when you don't mean to cause trouble…" Tsunade held her hand out and caught a number of goose feathers that managed to float outside after a couple of pillows had torn. "There still seems to be trouble…." She sighed. "So… why did you come back here?"

Naruto looked like he was going to be rebellious again. But, when he glanced over at Hinata, he hung his head. He had put up enough of a fight. Maybe it was time to act like an adult. "I came back to say good night to Hinata," he claimed. "I didn't have the chance, earlier."

"Was there something else, too?" Tsunade kept from smiling. If she could strip away all of Naruto's foolishness and tough guy exterior, there would still the heart of a child beating within his breast. It was great to see that the pain and suffering he suffered through at such a young age hadn't left him bitter and twisted. "A good night kiss, maybe?"

The pillow fight stopped abruptly. Various comments found their ways to Naruto's and Hinata's ears. In some miraculous manner, the combatants had been able to roughhouse and listen at the same time.

"Awwwwww-wwwww-wwww-www-ww-w…."

"How romantic…."

"Euuuuuu-wwwww-wwww-www-ww-w…."

"Gag me with a spoon…."

"I think we should give them a moment of privacy," Kurenai suggested. Before, she wouldn't have left Hinata alone with Naruto unless there was a troop of guards surrounding them. But, times change. She had to let Hinata grow up. It was as simple as that.

"I agree," Tsunade said, heading back inside. She, Kurenai, and Shizune dragged a number of girls away from the glass after their breath had fogged the door. Someone drew the curtain shut.

Not trusting the girls, Naruto created a fresh batch of clones and told them to stand in front of the sliding door. He heard that door slide back open a crack.

"You have five minutes," the Hokage said. "Not a second longer."

"Do you think we should leave them a pack of condoms?" That helpful question came from Anko, of course. The door closed with more force than was necessary.

"Ummm…." Anko's comment left Hinata pixilated.

"Well…." Naruto frowned. That was a real mood breaker! Someone ought to put a muzzle on that bloodthirsty byatch! "I… uhhh…." He cleared his throat. "I wanted to say good night. And…." He reached inside his clothing, hoping everything was still in good order. "…I wanted to show you something."

"What is it?" Hinata wondered what could have possible driven Naruto to risk facing the Hokage's wrath.

"The origami lady…." Naruto found what he was after and began taking it out. "You know. The woman at Inari's." He held his hands out, cradling the paper cranes. "She left these for me. I think she meant them for you, too." He looked down at his feet. "I went back there to say good night to everyone. And to…." He didn't finish.

He didn't have to. Hinata correctly guessed why he had gone back to the pub. It had not only been to wish everyone a pleasant evening. He had anted to let everyone know how things had turned out. That made her feel special. Again.

"What do they mean?" Hinata looked at the folded paper. Naruto had placed the three origami birds on the balcony rail.

"The woman said I was to get that one if I came to my senses." He pointed to the yellow crane. "What was the meaning? Right! Freedom and Joy."

Hinata nodded.

"I was to be given this one if I fondled you…." He tapped his finger on the beak of the pink crane. He winced when Hinata smacked his hand. What had come over her? Had he created a monster? "OK. Alright. I'll be good. The woman said I could have this one if I began to see that my heart didn't actually belong with Sakura."

"What does the pink mean?" Hinata picked up the elegant bird.

"When it's not associated with Sakura…." Naruto tugged at one ear. "…It means Happiness and… uhhh… Tenderness."

Hinata rubbed Naruto's hand where she had smacked him. That had Naruto blinking rapidly. "The bartender almost threw them all away," he said, sighing. It had been a wonderful night, but he had come very close to missing out on something he never knew he wanted. No, someone he never knew he wanted. "This one especially." He handed Hinata the final crane. "They all drank a toast to our getting together, do you know that?" He rubbed his head.

"Oh." Hinata felt warm inside. "What does the dark crimson mean, Naruto-kun?" Hinata stepped closer to him.

"Hmmm… it means… actually…." Naruto shuffled his feet some. Then he straightened his back and struck a pose. This was no time to be feeling shy. "Soul mates… and… Connections with words."

"I see," Hinata said. She smiled a sweet smile.

They could both hear the door slide back open. A series of popping noises could be heard after some unseen person delivered a powerful blow to the shadow clones. It was Tsunade. She tapped her watch, letting the two shinobi know that their time was up.

Naruto contemplated giving the Hokage the finger, as a gesture of defiance. He wasn't going to ruin the moment with something like that. Instead, he asked "Could we have another minute…."

"Please…." Hinata seconded his request.

"Oh… and could you put the clones back…." Naruto couldn't help but sneak that one in there.

"Don't push your luck!" Tsunade held up one finger, with a different meaning this time. "One minute." As she went back inside, she said something that immediately gained the two teenagers their privacy. The girls who had flocked to the glass found something else to occupy their time. The curtains closed again.

"Ummm…… Naruto-kun…." Hinata rubbed her fingers together. She would have to work on quitting that habit.

"Hinata?" Naruto gathered up the cranes and handed them to her.

"You've shown me the origami." Hinata couldn't meet Naruto's gaze. "But… well… before you say good night…." She held the cranes to her chest. "Is there… is there something …."

"Is there something else I want to do?" Naruto had to clear his throat. His voice had come out like a frog's croak. "Uhhh… well… yes…."

Hinata lifted her chin up a little. She felt a growing sense of anticipation, one which was pushing her shyness aside.

"Can I give you a kiss goodnight?" Naruto stood taller, trying to look nonchalant.

That was exactly what Hinata was hoping for. But, she decided to take another tack. "No," she said. "I… I don't think so…" She lowered her chin. "After all… we just started seeing each other tonight…."

"Oh! Sure! What was I thinking?" Naruto tried unsuccessfully to hide his disappointment.

"But… ummm…." Hinata gathered up her courage. "It's OK if I give you a kiss."

Naruto appeared surprised at first. He smiled. It looked like a certain white-eyed girl would be keeping him guessing. He swallowed hard when Hinata walked up close. Standing on her tiptoes, she initiated the kiss.

Kurenai peered out through a narrow opening in the curtains. She smiled, placing her hand over her belly. She thought of Asuma. She pondered the life growing inside her. There was hope for the Leaf.

"Who knows what the future might bring?" Tsunade walked over to stand next to Kurenai. "Those two show a lot of promise." It was more than just those two. The youth of Konoha had a great deal of potential.

"Yes," Kurenai replied. "Together or apart." For Hinata's sake, she hoped it would be 'together.'

Outside the door, Naruto's and Hinata's embrace deepened.

END