"Think of it like recon," Kiba-kun had argued yesterday. "That''s our team''s specialty; tracking and recon! Please, Hinata, you''re the only one I can rely on and Shino already said no."


    "But isn''t she entitled to her private life?" Hinata had tried to counter.


    "All''s fair in love and war," Kiba cried out. "It''s like what I always tell you. You have to get after the things you want."


    " Why- why don''t you t-track her, then," Hinata had actually managed to ask him.


    Proud of himself, he smiled broadly as he said, "I''m so d you asked Hinata. Because I''m being mature! If I tracked her and uncovered this guy''s identity, depending on who it is, I might get angry and blow it with Ino.


    As team captain, I want you to learn who it is because, I know you''re responsible and I''ll only want you to tell me if it''s someone bad, like any adult."


    "I- I can''t believe Ino-chan would be like ''that'' with an adult," Hinata had responded.


    Kiba exined, "Okaa-san said the flower this guy got her sells for a lot of ryo. Who would do that unless it was an adult? On top of that, Ino hasn''t even told her parents. Don''t you think that sounds pretty suspicious?"


    Though Hinata felt wrong about invading Ino-chan''s private life, she didn''t want to let her teammate down. Kiba-kun has been so caring and always tries to encourage her.


    Hinata couldn''t not help him in return, even if it felt awful to invade someone else''s privacy''a fellow ssmate no less.'' That isn''t to say that Hinata and Ino-chan were close.


    In truth, they were slightly better than acquaintances, but as Konoha ninja, there are firm ground rules about using jutsu on fellow shinobi: ''If you do it, don''t get caught.''


    As such, Hinata finds herself following Ino-chan when she leaves her n''spound. With her Byakugan, she can see her target from rooftop fifty meters away and not have to worry about Ino spotting her using reflections.


    Though, Hinata almost lost her footingnearly falling several stories to a horrible injurywhen Ino meets Naruto-kun in the market. Hinata can''t hear their conversation but she can tell from their bodynguage that Ino''s upset and Naruto-kun is trying to appease her.


    Hinata wonders if Naruto-kun could possibly be the boy who gave Ino-chan this flower before immediately wondering if he likes her now. She had observed him ask Sakura-chan out almost every day when they were in the Academy. ''What changed,'' her mind asks as she follows them through the market.


    Ino-chan seems anxious as she physically forces Naruto-kun forward, leaving Hinata to wonder if she''s wrong. Of all the ces Hinata thought they might go, Kurenai-sensei''s house wasn''t one of them.


    Hinata watches them sit in her living room and talk. The conversation seems on edge and for a moment Hinata wonders if she should listen in until she realizes Ino-chan is meeting with her sensei and this has nothing to do with what Kiba-kun wanted to know.


    Kurenai-sensei has helped her far too much to invade her privacy like this. Hinata was actually able to invite Naruto to lunch once and that was only possible because of Kurenai-sensei. Even now, it''s so unbelievably astounding to her she actually asked.


    So when Naruto leaves the two kunoichi to walk outside, Hinata ignores the foreign lodging in her throat, the insane heart-beat drowning her ears, and the horrible familial voices in her head detailing how this will all go wrong for her, to bravely walk up to the blond boy of her dreams.


    KURENAI


    "I did trick Naruto," Kurenai first tells Ino as the three of them settle in Kurenai''s living roomKurenai sits on the sofa with Ino while Naruto takes the farthest chair.


    Last night, Naruto had woken her by knocking on her bedroom window, and it was no surprise to her when he confessed to telling Ino-chan how she learned of them.


    With hard saddened eyes he asks if he can stay with her, to which she had responded, "I know you feel ashamed but that isn''t a good idea. That''s not what we have."


    "I''m used to being by myself so it''s no big deal if you want me to go," he replied. "I just thought, maybe, being with you would be better."


    "I suspect we''re a good distraction for one another," Kurenai had told him. "But maybe that''s not always for the best. Go train, Naruto," she hadmanded him. He looked upset until she adds, "train for as long as it takes to feel better, then youe back here to rest.


    After your team meeting, you, Ino-chan and I will talk this out."


    He trained through seven hours of the night and when he returned, he was cold, covered in dirt and leaves, with dried blood on his already healed knuckles, lip, and temple.


    She helped wash his worn and tired body in herrge bath and despite covering herself with a towel, she still had to give his excitable membrane some of her best head to settle him. With his arms holding her close, they sleptfortably in her soft bed until he left for his meeting.


    Her living room is tense and Ino-chan hadn''t made more than fleeting eye contact so far, letting the raven-haired kunoichi know she''s supremely ashamed and embarrassed. It must be odd for the young kunoichi to sit beside someone who knows their most intimate secret.


    With as much empathy and encouragement as Kurenai can express, she tells Ino, "I tricked Naruto as much for his education as yours Ino-chan." Surprised, blue pupil-less eyes snap to her red irises before she answers, "if you had reacted normally when we met in your family''s shop, it wouldn''t have mattered that I knew who gave you the orchid.


    Naruto hadn''t given me the slightest hint he was involved with anyone until I met you."


    To hear such a critical observation from someone Ino has grown to admire is disparaging, and Ino''s shoulders sag at her physical assault of Naruto when it seems like she is mostly to me. Kurenai continues, "I realize that we are in the safety of our vige, but we are still ninja.


    Keeping secrets that affect the world is part of the job, always, and neither of you should be tricked so easily. The both of you must do better with protecting information, understand?"


    .


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