Wow, Tsunade and Jiraiya conspiring against Naruto and Hinata… this is evil stuff right here… jijiji

The Hokage's office...

"A message from Jiraiya? What's this all about Shizune? Don't give me that look, I punched the crush out of him ages ago so don't you get any ides, now read it while I look for a bott... erm some papers"

Shizune smiled at Tsunade and released the seal on the note. She giggled uncontrollably as she read the note and the Hokage put down her sake cup annoyed at the lack of information.

"Sumimasen Tsunade, but Jiraiya-sama is really something! He says that he's going to make a wager that you can't resist being a gambling addict and all" the Hokage's face blushed in rage "He says that he found out just how to make Naruto grow up and he's willing to bet with you on it, but he needs your cooperation. So if you send Hinata to the onsen on the outskirts of the village, he's going to make sure Naruto comes out a man. And don't forget it's a money bet and if Naruto gets laid you owe him money, if he doesn't, then he'll get you a pretty souvenir when they get back from training." Shizune took a step back in fear when the Hokage merely smiled evilly.

"Yosh, it's decided, I want Hinata in my office immediately... I can't loose to that bastard! He forgets Hinata is too shy to talk, so it's impossible for them to get intimate! Ha! I can already taste victory! What are you standing around for? Hurry up, hayaku, off you go!!" Tsunade saw her apprentice rush away and thought that after the bet, she'd start looking around for boyfriend candidates for Shizune. "We have some handsome jounin here in Konoha... I wonder who's free..."

In a roadside cafe just outside of the village...

"Oi! Ero-Sennin! Weren't we going to rush off into training? What are we waiting for? Grrr why are we just sitting here in a stupid roadside cafe that doesn't even have decent rameeeeen!!" Jiraiya rolled his eyes pretending to be annoyed. But all he could think about was of the letter he had just sent Tsunade. If she agreed and he won the bet then the money would be enough to repay his debt to Naruto, pay for the onsen and even have leftover money to buy the Hokage a souvenir, not to mention money to entertain the 'ladies'. And of course, Naruto getting laid was priceless in itself, but the thought didn't last long because the boy kept pestering him. "Naruto, listen to me carefully, I want you to stand outside and wait for a messenger bird to come here. It brings VERY important news and if you keep being so loud you'll scare it away and you're training will be delayed by four months... or more" Naruto's eyes widened, never suspecting he was being reeled in. He stood like a soldier right outside the cafe and performing his signature jutsu, he placed shadow clones of himself on all the trees nearby to be the first to spot the bird.

At the Hokage's office some minutes later...

"Hinata I want you to listen carefully. This should be an easy mission for you since you have the benefit of Byakugan. In the outskirts of town there is an onsen run by a fragile old lady. She sent me a request saying that lately her customers have been seeing ghosts at night and as a result, business is bad. She claims the ghost only appears in the women's area so you might have to get in to investigate, stay alert and try to enjoy the free visit. And please give these notes to Shizune so she can have them sent out with the birds; I want the old lady to know beforehand that you're going so leave at sunset, ne?" Hinata stared at the floor, her mind occupied with the image of Naruto leaving. She didn't notice that the Hokage had stood up until they were face to face.

"Hinata... do you know why I gave you this mission?" the girl shook her head slowly "I gave you this mission so you can show all of Konoha that you will move on, that you acknowledge he left to get stronger for you, for me, for all of us. And you know what? I have another mission for you. I want you to think on the way to the onsen why he never said good bye to you and when you get back you'll tell me, ok? Now wipe those silly tears off your face because my kunnoichi don't cry in front of the Hokage" Tsunade smiled warmly at her and gave her a hug. 'A-a-arigatou Tsunade-sama, u...um... su-sumimasen that... I mean... i will think about what you said, I will move on" the Hokage watched the girl leave and thanked the kamis that she knew the onsen owner would be a happy accomplice. Everything was set, Jiraiya would find out soon what the girl was told to act in coordination. She looked for a new bottle in the bottom drawer and began to celebrate an early victory.

An hour later at the roadside cafe...

As he spied a bird in the distance, the shadow clones disappeared and the boy went to fetch his master. "Oi!! Ero-Sennin!! The bird's here, c'mon let's go already!!'Jiraiya looked up from a Icha Icha rough draft he was proofreading and looked at a serious Naruto. The bird landed next to the man and he motioned the boy to go and fetch him some tea. An evil smile crept over his face as he read Tsunade's reply. "Naruto! Forget the tea; I just received a message with some leads. We leave immediately, and it's nearby so we're heading out now." "Ero-Sennin! It's not another of those women places again is it?" "Don't say that so loud, people might actually believe you!! Now stop whining and let's move out!!" Reluctantly Naruto gathered their belongings and they began the short trip to the onsen.

When they arrived an old lady greeted them at the door smiling and impulsively she pinched Naruto's cheek. "Itttaiiii, obaaa-chan, that's so mean!!" She winked at him, "Oh this old grandmother just wanted to see if your cheeks would flush red with health, nothing you can't forgive, eh young man?" Naruto grinned at her cute comeback but his face became serious when Jiraiya spoke. "Grandmother we came here because we were the nearest shinobi nearby when the message from the Hokage arrived. You requested two night watches, am I correct?" With a twinkle in her eye the old lady replied "Why yes, but I thought Tsunade would send me a girl and a boy, after all I need one person in each area to make sure the thief doesn't return through the springs."

Naruto's jaw dropped but before he could say anything his master said "That won't be a problem, we'll manage." He smiled at a speechless Kyuubi boy as the old lady led them to a guest room. "Oi!! Ero-Sennin!! omae!! Temeeeee!! You KNEW that they requested a GIRL??" The man laughed amused, "Naruto, your Sexy no Jutsu is perfect, even the Third Hokage would nose bleed from it and anyways it's petty thieves we're dealing with so they won't know the difference" Naruto's eyes narrowed, but he let it go at that and leaning against the wall, closed his eyes and allowed his thoughts to wander for a moment.

"You bastard, you never said goodbye... she takes care of you and she heals you and you didn't even say farewell... but what is more unforgivable is what you did to the Hyuuga...you could've turned around... you knew she was there... she didn't try to hide her chakra so it was her... arghhhh dammit... now it's too late... Naruto you're an idiot... you didn't say anything because you didn't know what to say and you realize now, when there's a chance you won't see her in ages, that maybe she stammers and blushes when you're around for a reason... she'll never forgive you and she'll do her spiraling dance and you will never have chakra again."

"Naruto! Wake up! How long you plan to stay slacking off? The grandmother emptied out the female's area so Sexy no Jutsu and stay inside the water, alert at all times. And don't do anything stupid, just pretend you're a girl and only turn back to normal IF you see another man, OK? If the intruder is female, stay transformed in the technique, understood?" Naruto stared confused at his master, wondering what kind of request was that. "If I hear one complaint out of your mouth, then we'll delay your training two months, and don't forget that I'll be a stone wall away so I will be able to hear anything you say, now what are you standing around for, you waiting for the thief to send you an invite?" The Kyuubi boy just moved his lips wording 'not fair' but no sound came out as he obediently left for the girl's area.

I'm so excited about what might happen… oh and If you need any translation ask in a comment, ne?