"Welcome back, Naruto," Kurama said. He was back in his 'size of a house' form, sitting on his haunches with his tails coiled around his feet and the seal's net hanging loosely over him. "So, what did you decide?"

Naruto blinked. "What did I decide about what?"

Kurama cocked his enormous head, studying the blond genin intently. "Ah," he said, sounding disappointed. "I suppose not, then." He sighed. "Naruto, what is the most useful thing Anko has taught you?"

Naruto hesitated. "Well...the taijutsu is useful...," he said slowly.

Kurama said nothing.

"Um...treewalking turned out to be really useful," he said. "Although, sometimes kinda painful. But, really, I guess it was the way she kept telling me to think more carefully."

"Mm-hm," Kurama said. "And how exactly did she do that?"

"Well...," Naruto said. "She kept telling me to think, and poking me in the head, and poisoning me, and lying to me..."

"Mm-hm," Kurama said again. "All that careful training, from the best field ninja you've ever met, and yet you still missed a blatant lie."

Naruto frowned in thought. "The chakra sheathing," he said. "You told me that I fell over because you were startled. That was bogus, wasn't it?"

Kurama nodded. "Of course," he said. He considered his jinchuuriki's avatar gravely for a moment. "Naruto, the Sage didn't seal me and my brethren into humans because he was feeling cranky that day. There were many reasons, weaponizing our chakra being the most obvious and least important. He wanted us to..." He paused, frowning. "How to put this...? Bijuu don't think the same way that humans do. Humans have a sense of...camaraderie, I suppose, that bijuu lack. I and my brethren are fragments of the Ten-Tails, a primordial entity from beyond time. The Ten-Tails was unique and, when you're the only one of your kind, there's not really a need to learn how to form and manage relationships. The Sage wanted us to learn that.

"On the other hand," Kurama continued, "bijuu have a sense of history and perspective that humans lack. Humans are mayflies—here and gone in a few short decades. None of you even make a century, and ninja rarely make half that...which is a problem, given the disproportionate amount of power each of you wields. The bijuu and their jinchuuriki are an answer to that. I and my kind are here to teach you, to encourage you to take the long view, to care about the course of the future, and to give you the power to help set that course aright when your fellows try to tear it asunder."

He paused, eyeing Naruto consideringly. "I am here to help you in battle," he said. "To learn from you, and also to teach you. The very first teaching is 'who are you in the dark?' I froze your legs and then told you a transparent lie because I needed to know something about your character—when you received a minor affront, how would you respond? Would you laugh? Torture me? Storm off? I was surprised when you didn't respond at all. When you left, I assumed it was simply that you'd decided to think about it before doing anything. Now I find out that you didn't detect the lie at all, and I find that most alarming. Someone who wields the power of a bijuu cannot afford to be that oblivious."

"Why did you think you had to test me in the first place?" Naruto asked.

Kurama sighed. "Why did Anko poison you?" he demanded. "To help you improve, obviously. Naruto, I am not human. I am literally older than your planet, let alone your species. I am a creature of Power and, to be honest, I'm offended that you don't respect me enough to think caution is warranted. If you're this naive and overtrusting with me, how ridiculously oblivious will you be towards merely human liars like Orochimaru? Leaving aside the dangers, how many opportunities will you miss if you remain so oblivious? Remember how long it took you to finally notice Hinata? You need to pay more attention to your surroundings, both physical and interpersonal."

"Sensei told me she was going to lie to me before she started doing it," Naruto grumped.

Kurama shrugged. "She's your assigned teacher; there are ways that humans interact, and that's part of them. Yes, I'm here to help you and to teach you...but I am the Nine-Tails, not some puling mortal jonin. I expect more from my jinchuuriki than the sort of obliviousness you showed last week. Do you really need me to spoon-feed you, or can you manage to show intelligence in your own right?"

"No," said Naruto resentfully. "You don't need to spoon-feed me."

"Good," Kurama said. "Because I want a partner, not an infant. Now, back to the original question: yes, under very limited circumstances, I can affect your body. Specifically, if you've created a channel between us—for example, by drawing on my power—and you haven't put up any barriers, and you aren't actively fighting me, then I can exhibit some control. If you don't want me to control your body, the seal makes it trivial—just imagine a door between us and close it."

"How do I know that will work?" Naruto asked suspiciously. "You've already lied to me once."

Kurama shrugged. "You don't, but it's true. I've always found it simpler to have a positive relationship with my jinchuuriki; in my role as teacher I will, as Anko does, occasionally attempt to deceive you when it's safe to do so. I will not do that when anything important is on the line, as it wouldn't help either of us."

"Why should I believe you?" Naruto demanded.

Kurama made a face. "If I'm being completely honest, even if I wanted to work against you, it simply isn't practical. First, if you die I'll be banished to Hell, and I don't want that. Second, the seal traps me in your mindscape, where you are able to restrain me or injure me whenever you so desire. Maintaining a positive relationship is very much a necessity for me."

Naruto stared at him for a moment, then grimaced and sat down. "Fine," he said. "So, you can control me if I'm not careful, but I can stop you just by imagining a door."

Kurama gave him a polite head-bow. "Indeed," he said. "Now, shall we move on? I've been watching you and Hinata interact, and I'm about to pull my fur out in frustration. Would you please go spend some time with the girl? It's been nine days since you woke up in that hospital and you have yet to have a serious conversation with her. Hugs and the occasional smooch are lovely, but they aren't what a relationship is built on."

"I've talked to her!" Naruto said defensively. "And besides, sensei has been running us ragged. She's been so exhausted I didn't want to keep her up, and we never have a moment to ourselves."

Kurama gave a long, exasperated sigh and scratched behind one ear. "Child, she is so madly in love with you that she would happily run her feet bloody and her body to collapse rather than look weak in front of you; missing some sleep won't even register. Go talk to the girl, you idiot. And try harder to think before you speak because, so help me, if you say something to upset her and end up with a giant ongoing spat, I will gnaw my way out of this prison and bounce you off every tree in the Elemental Nations, just out of sheer frustration. The last thing I need is to have to listen to more teen drama—I got more than enough of that from Kushina, I don't need it from you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to have a nap." He stretched out on the stone floor and closed his eyes.

"Hey!" Naruto said. "I was coming down here so you could teach me the Rasengan!"

Kurama twitched an ear but didn't otherwise move. "Not tonight," he said. "I'm tired and irritated. Leave me alone."

"But I don't know when I'll be able to come back," Naruto said. "I've been trying to get down here for days and couldn't figure out how."

Kurama growled softly, somewhere between exasperation and disgust. One eye opened and glared up at Naruto for a moment before closing again. "It's your bloody mindscape, you idiot," he said. "You should be able to find your way down here whenever you want."

"Well, I couldn't!" Naruto shouted. "All right?! I couldn't figure it out! You said you were here to help me, so help me!"

Kurama lay still for a moment then opened his eyes and heaved himself to his feet with a noisy sigh.

"Fine," he growled. "Mindscape 101: The Ridiculously Basic Basics. First, understand at a deep level that this isn't a 'place', it's a visualization. That visualization isn't inside you, it is you. Noticing 'where' it is is no more difficult than noticing where your arm is while your eyes are closed. All you need to do is..."

The lesson went on for a while; apparently there were more 'ridiculously basic basics' than one might suppose from the name.

o-o-o-o

Naruto awoke when his 'alarm clock' shook him. He struggled to push the fog of sleep aside and heaved himself upright. The other two genin were likewise starting to sit up as the henged Naruto clones assigned to them shook them awake.

"I still find this type of clone odd and a bit disturbing, Naruto-san," Shino said, eyeing the creature that had wakened him. The thing was actually one of Naruto's Kage Bunshin, henged into the form of a squat, three-foot-tall ape with orange fur.

Naruto shrugged. "The ones that looked like me seemed to bother you guys. And don't worry, these ones are dumb as a box of hammers—just enough brainpower to breathe and follow a couple of very simple instructions. No offense, Shino-kun, but I'd rather have them waking me up than your bugs."

Anko pushed the door open before Shino could reply. "Okay campers, up and out!" she said. "You've got three minutes to use the can and then I expect you on the line in the main room!"

The genin immediately bolted for the bathroom. Anko had made it abundantly clear that she had no problem physically pulling someone off the toilet if they didn't meet her deadlines; Naruto had made that mistake exactly once and the others had learned from his example.

Two minutes and fifty-seven seconds later, the three genin were lined up at attention in the living room. Anko left them standing for ten minutes while she did something in the kitchen but, eventually, she came out carrying a tray with a pot of hot water, a tea bowl, and the makings for tea. She set the tray on a low table before bowing to the genin and gesturing for them to be seated. The three dropped silently into seiza, watching careful as they waited to see what would happen.

Anko knelt in seiza before them and, with graceful motions, went through a traditional, albeit abbreviated, tea ceremony. She cleansed the bowl, whisk, and tea scoop carefully and poured the water with an unconscious fluidity such that it entered the bowl without a sound or a splash. She whisked the tea with movements of wrist and fingers so precise they would have looked perfectly at home on the hands of a master calligrapher. The tea made, she silently proferred the bowl to Hinata.

Hinata took the bowl carefully before bowing deeply—first to her teacher, then to Shino who knelt to her left. She turned the bowl slightly and took a sip before bowing again to Anko. "I thank you for your excellent tea, sensei," she said. She sipped again and then a third time before wiping the lip of the tea bowl clean and passing it to Shino.

The procedure repeated down the line, first Shino and then Naruto carefully following the practices of the tea ceremony; with rigid formality they bowed, sipped, complimented their teacher on the tea, sipped twice more, cleansed the bowl, and passed it on. Even Naruto, usually too impatient to sit through such ceremonies, was quiet and respectful. He even remembered to take a moment to study the bowl appreciatively after he drank, and to give the other two a chance to do so as well before he passed the bowl back to Anko.

Once the ceremony was complete, Anko carried the implements back to the kitchen before returning to sit seiza in front of her students. With her she brought the hita-ate that she'd previously confiscated from Shino and Hinata. She placed them in front of herself with exacting care, being certain the bands were precisely folded below the metal of the protector itself.

"Cadet Hyuuga Hinata to the front," Anko said formally. Hinata immediately came forward, knee-walking with a fluid shikko motion that simultaneously showed formality, respect, and the ability to fight without moving from a kneeling position.

Anko lifted Hinata's hitai-ate, holding it in both hands as she considered her student. "Your efforts during training have been exemplary, Cadet," she said. "Your dedication and hard work is all that any teacher could hope for. Your taijutsu skills were strong when you became my student and have become the equal of some chunin. Your ability to master an elemental jutsu so soon after graduation is more impressive than I think you realize, yet even more impressive than your technical skill is your demonstrated ability to apply your training tactically. I am very proud to be your teacher."

Anko smiled at Hinata's shocked expression. "No, I'm not joking," she said, trying hard to hide the laughter in her voice. After a moment she forced her face to be serious again. "Cadet Hyuuga, for your dedication and your accomplishments, I give you the hitai-ate of a Konoha genin." She leaned forward and buckled the hitai-ate on the young girl. "Wear it always in honor and service to the Village Hidden in the Leaves." She gave Hinata a deep, respectful bow before saying, "Resume your place, Genin Hyuuga."

It took a moment before Hinata was able to react but finally she bowed deeply before returning to her place in the line. She held tightly to her Hyuuga calm, but there was a suspicious wetness in her eyes.

"Cadet Aburame Shino to the front," Anko said. Shino shikkoed to the position Hinata had occupied and bowed respectfully.

"Your effort and progress in your training have been as exemplary as those of Genin Hyuuga," Anko said. "Your physical skills have advanced to a degree that exceeded my expectations. The mastery of your kikai that you have demonstrated by learning to create and use an insect clone is well beyond an average genin of your experience. Your tactical skills and forethought, already sharp when you became my student, continue to impress me, as have your demonstrated leadership abilities. I am honored to be the teacher of such a dedicated and accomplished student."

She paused to study him before picking up his hitai-ate. "For your effort and dedication, I give you the hitai-ate of a Konoha genin." She leaned forward and buckled it on him. "Wear it always in honor and service to the Village Hidden in the Leaves." She gave him a respectful bow before straightening and gesturing back to the line. "Resume your place, Genin Aburame."

As had Hinata, Shino bowed deeply before returning to his place in the line. His face was completely blank as he resumed his position, the the detached mask of the Aburame drawn over his thoughts.

"Genin Uzumaki to the front," Anko said. Naruto shikkoed to her silently, taking special care to be serious.

"Due to the circumstances of your birth, you are burdened with a quantity of chakra that makes proper control difficult," Anko said. "Due to your injuries, you have not received as much training as your teammates since becoming my student," Anko said. "Finally, due again to the circumstances of your birth, you were provided a lower quality and quantity of instruction during your time at the Academy. Given these facts, it is unsurprising that your skills remain behind those of your comrades. Despite that, the progress you have made is, if anything, even greater than theirs. No teacher could possibly ask for a student who works harder or is more eager to learn, nor could any teacher be prouder of her student. It is my firm belief and expectation that you will continue to work as hard as you have, continue to make progress as quickly as you have, and that someday soon you will be a ninja to be acknowledged with respect in any gathering of your peers. It is also my firm belief and expectation that you will always wear your hitai-ate in honor and service to the Village Hidden in the Leaves." She bowed deeply to him before saying, "Resume your place, Genin Uzumaki."

Naruto stared at her in shock, his mouth hanging open. She waited calmly for him to recover; only after ten full seconds did she raise one amused eyebrow.

The eyebrow knocked him out of his state of frozen immobility. Naruto bowed all the way to the floor in respect before once again taking up his position at the far left of the line of genin.

Anko sat and considered them silently before once again offering a respectful bow. The genin bowed with her, bowing deeper than their teacher. Anko straightened up and considered them again for several quiet seconds.

"Dismissed," she said calmly. "Go back to sleep. You've all earned it." With that she stood up and left the room, sliding the screen of her own room closed.

o-o-o-o

For the first time since arriving in Sound, the genin were actually well-rested when training began.

"Today we're doing something a little different," Anko said, shaking the frying pan to ensure that the morning stir fry didn't burn. "Planning. Naruto, you're the Escape Officer; after we eat, it's time for you to do your job."

Naruto looked momentarily uncertain before flashing a bright smile and a thumbs up. "Okay, sensei!" he said cheerfully. "I'm all over it!"

Anko studied him dubiously. "You haven't thought about it, have you?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Well, um...we've all been pretty busy, and—"

Anko sighed and thwapped him on the back of the head. "Well, start thinking about it. I'm serving up in about two minutes. Go pour some water for everyone."

Naruto gave her another cheesy grin and thumbs up before hurrying out to the living / dining room area with a tray of four glasses in one hand and a pitcher of water in the other.

Twenty minutes later the genin and their teacher had each wolfed down a giant portion of stirfry, washed up, and were seated back in the living room with cups of tea in hand.

"Okay, Naruto, you're the EO. What have you got?" Anko asked.

Naruto shifted uncomfortably. "Not much, really. We've been training so hard that I haven't seen much of the village. I need to get out and about, figure out what we have to work with and what the issues are." He paused in thought for a moment. "Tell you one thing, though—based on how quickly Shino-kun and Hinata-chan met up with that guard team when they pretended they were trying to escape, a straight run isn't going to do it; we'll need some sort of distraction, tie up as much of the Sound manpower as possible. My first thought was that we set the village on fire so the guard teams on the perimeter need to come in and help fight the flames." Hinata's eyes went wide and she sucked in a soft breath. "I don't want to do that though," Naruto said. "Too many civilians would be hurt." She relaxed again.

Anko nodded. "Okay, getting you out into the city makes sense. It also wouldn't be a bad idea to pick up a whole bunch of smoke bombs and explosive tags." She paused, pursing her lips in thought. "You and Hinata are going out after breakfast," she said finally.

"What?!" Shino said. "Sensei, it's not safe!"

"Nothing we do here is safe," Anko said. "Don't worry, this won't be as risky as you think. We're here at Orochimaru's 'invitation' and more or less under his protection. He killed everyone who would have had a grudge against Naruto, and I'm sure he put the word out at the same time that we weren't to be randomly killed. Given that, no one is going to start anything with us unless provoked. Even if something does start, your combat skills and situational awareness have developed quite a bit; so long as you aren't attacked with overwhelming force, I'm confident you'll all be fine until you can E&E back here."

Shino subsided, but didn't look happy.

"There's other reasons to send them out," Anko said. "We've got an established pattern; out to the training field and back, every day. When we divert from that pattern it's going to attract attention, so we need to get the guards used to the idea that we sometimes do other things. Also, when we do go to escape we'll probably need to split up at some point. We need to be used to working in pairs, and, again, we need the guards to be comfortable with the idea of seeing us in pairs."

Shino looked startled for a moment. "Sensei, speaking of pairs...Orochimaru-sama said something odd to me when he took me off to deal with the wasps. I kept meaning to ask you about it, but there was never a time."

Anko cocked an interested eyebrow at him. "Yes?" she asked.

"He said that I should ask you about Ibiki-san," Shino said. "He didn't provide any context beyond that, though."

Anko sat back on her heels, looking thoughtful. After a moment she smiled slightly. "Clever, sensei," she murmured, before shaking her head clear and refocusing on her students.

"Ibiki-kun and I met when I returned to Konoha from Sound," she said. "He's the head of Konoha's Torture and Interrogation department; I spent four very intense days and three equally intense nights with him and a series of Yamanaka mind-jutsu users as they verified that I wasn't a double agent." She chuckled. "At noon on the fourth day, Ibiki-kun made his report to the Hokage that I was safe; he also asked to take two weeks of his accumulated leave. Let's just say that we ordered a lot of delivery during those two weeks."

Naruto frowned. "Why did you—"

"They didn't leave the house because they were having sex," Shino said, not looking away from his teacher.

"Oh," said Naruto, blushing to the roots of his hair.

Anko smiled like the cat that ate the canary, eyes far off in memory. "Pretty much, yeah. Let me tell you, the things that man can do with a candle..." She trailed off, a goofy smile on her face, until finally she managed to shake herself out of the reverie. "Right, sorry, where was I? We met when he interrogated me, then we had a bit of a whirlwind affair with lots of NRE flying around—"

"NRE, sensei?" Hinata asked quietly. "What's that?"

"New Relationship Energy," Anko said. "It's when you've just taken up with someone and they're all you can think about." She carefully ignored the way Hinata's head twitched slightly towards Naruto. "It's a dangerous time, because it makes you less attentive to your surroundings." She shrugged. "Even if you aren't under hostile-territory conditions, it can be hard on friendships and other relationships—especially polyamorous relationships—because it can leave your other friends and lovers feeling abandoned. When I took up with Reizo-chan that was a problem."

"Yeah, how does that work, anyway?" Naruto asked. "Isn't dating two people at once cheating?"

Anko snorted. "No, cheating is when you and your lover are supposed to be monogamous and you go behind their back with someone else. When I felt myself falling for Reizo-chan I talked to Ibiki-kun about it and we worked it out."

"Didn't you just say it was a problem, sensei?" Shino asked.

She nodded. "Yes, but not because I was dating someone else. He gave me his blessing for that; the problem was that I let all the NRE overwhelm me and spent all my time with Reizo-chan for a week or two, both alone and in the company of Ibiki-kun. I thought that I was being perfectly reasonable, since Reizo-chan and I were having dinner or playing cards with him four or five nights a week. The problem was that the time he and I spent together was also time that I spent with her; he was feeling left out and jealous...fortunately, he was smart enough to tell me that that was how he was feeling and to ask for what he wanted. I explained things to Reizo-chan, spent several days in a row with Ibiki-kun, and then made sure to alternate more between them."

"So, do you—" Naruto began before hesitating. "I mean, Ibiki-san must be very happy to have...um..."

Anko laughed. "No, we don't all share a bed. Ibiki-kun and Reizo-chan love each other, but not sexually." She shrugged. "That's honestly pretty normal in triads; typically the relationships aren't exactly the same between all the pairings."

"But...how can you love two people, sensei?" Hinata asked uncertainly.

"How can you not?" Anko asked. "You love your parents, and your friends, and your village...there's all kinds of love, and romantic love is just one of the flavors. Why should you be able to love multiple family members but not multiple romantic partners?"

All three genin frowned doubtfully at that.

Anko sighed. "I do get tired of this conversation," she muttered to herself. "Look, my romantic life isn't really any of your business, but in the interest of satisfying the prurient interest that all of you are trying so hard not to express, I'll lay it out for you: yes, I share a bed with both Ibiki-kun and Reizo-chan. No, they do not share a bed with one another. Yes, I've met other triads, some of whom do it differently—some all sleep together, some the various pairings do but not all three together. Yes, we are all fine with this; we've discussed it and agreed to boundaries that we're all happy with, and we stay within those boundaries. Yes, we sometimes get jealous. No, that's not a world-ending problem; jealousy is an emotion, just like anger, and it can be controlled with exactly the same techniques that you use to control anger. Yes, we all have fights. No, it doesn't end the relationship—we get mad, we fight, we calm down and apologize and talk to each other and then try to change our behaviors so that that issue doesn't cause a fight again in the future. Oftentimes whichever member of the triad isn't part of the fight will mediate, since we all want each other to be happy and we all want the relationship to continue."

Silence fell as the genin digested that. Finally, Shino half-raised a hand as though he were in a classroom.

"Sensei...why would you want to? asked hesitantly. "Polygamy sounds so much more complicated and difficult than just being normal. You said that both Ibiki-san and Reizo-san are your lovers, but don't love each other. Wouldn't they each rather have you to themselves?"

"First, I said that they do love each other other, they just don't have sex," Anko said. "Second, 'polygamy' refers to multiple people in a marriage; I'm not married. 'Polyamory' is multiple people in a romantic relationship, which is what we're talking about. As to wanting me to themselves...not really. Reizo-chan was poly when we met, but it was a new idea to Ibiki-kun. We all talked about it together..." Anko laughed at the memory. "It was really funny, actually: both of them were determined not to interfere with my relationship with the other, because both of them loved me. Really loving someone means wanting them to have what makes them happy, even if that isn't you. Ibiki-kun thought that Reizo-chan would make me happy, so he was going to friendzone me so that she and I could be together. Reizo-chan saw that Ibiki-kun was making me happy, so she wasn't going to pursue anything with me. I told both of them that losing either of them would make me unhappy, and then I got all of us together to talk. We had a great dinner and a great conversation, and we've had a great relationship ever since."

"But—" Naruto said.

"'But isn't it unfair to ask them both to be unhappy because they have to share you, Anko-san?'" Anko sing-songed. "That isn't what happens. The three of us are together and happier because of it." She snorted. "Honestly, I've never understood monogamy. It sounds so selfish to me, telling one person that they are expected to satisfy all your emotional needs. Having three people in the bond makes it much easier for all of us to be happy."

She paused, clearly marshalling her words. "I'm a field ninja," she began. "I'm frequently away for long stretches on classified and dangerous missions that Reizo-chan doesn't have the security clearance to be told about, and sometimes I can't even tell her that I'm leaving. Ibiki-kun is there for her at those times. On the other hand, Ibiki-kun works in Torture and Interrogation; he's very good at his job, but that doesn't mean it doesn't bother him. Reizo-chan is there for him when he's hav...when he needs support. I can't do that for him—I'm great at problem-solving, but not at just sitting still, listening, and sympathizing. On the other other hand, Reizo-chan is terribly shy and Ibiki-kun is very closed off; I pull both of them out of their shells, make them open up and do things that they otherwise wouldn't—for one example, I'm the one who introduced them to most of their friends. We complement each other, and all of us are happier because we're all together."

"Huh," said Naruto, his head cocked at exactly the same angle as those of the other two genin as all three of them tried to take in this bizarre life philosophy. "So why would Orochimaru-sama tell Shino to ask you about this?"

Anko shrugged. "You'd have to ask him," she said. "Now, let's talk about what we're all going to be doing for the rest of the day."

o-o-o-o

Hinata was having a little trouble walking; she kept feeling like she was going to float off at any minute. Here she was, walking alongside Naruto-kun...as in, right beside him, walking together. Just the two of them. No sensei, no Shino-kun, no enemies trying to kill either of them, no distractions. Together. The two of them. Here, now. Walking.

"It's, um...really nice to be here with you, Hinata-chan," Naruto said. "I, uh, I wanted to talk to you?"

"What about, Naruto-kun?" she asked, a little breathless. She didn't pretend to be an expert on relationships, but nothing good ever came after those words...well, okay, there was that one time when cousin Hidehito had said to Kaori 'I wanted to talk to you, will you marry me?' but that was the exception to the rule. And she was pretty sure Naruto-kun wasn't about to propose.

Naruto stopped and turned to face her, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Well, I just...thought we should talk. Because we really haven't had a chance, and I didn't want you to think I was avoiding you or anything."

"Oh, d-don't worry, I d-didn't think that," Hinata said quickly.

"Well, it's just that...I know it's important, but I'm not really good at this," he said. "I've...never had a girlfriend before, you know?"

Hinata's eyes widened. "G-g-girlfriend?" she squeaked.

Naruto suddenly looked panicked. "No! I mean, not if you don't want! I didn't mean to—"

"N-no, girlfriend is g-good," Hinata said, making vague reassuring motions with her hands because she didn't know what else to do.

"Oh. Good," Naruto said. "Um...well, I just...look, Kurama said—I mean, I know that talking is important, and that we haven't really—"

"Wait, Kurama said?" Hinata asked. "The Fox told you that you should talk to me?"

"Um...maybe?" Naruto said. "He wanted me to talk to you, because I hadn't and he said I needed to be more aware." He paused, eyeing her and trying to decide if her expression was closer to 'shocked' or 'fulminating'; the answer wasn't reassuring. "He also said I was kinda dumb and unobservant for not noticing you sooner, and that I should think before I talked so that I didn't offend you and we end up in a big fight because he got too much teen drama from my mom and he didn't want to deal with any more of it and from the way you're looking at me I think you're upset and I guess I said something wrong and I'm really sorry and oh kami I'm just going to shut up now."

Hinata stared at him for a long moment and then burst out laughing. "I'm not angry, Naruto-kun," she said, taking his hand and smiling at him. "It surprised me, that's all. It sounds like he gave you good advice this time, but you really shouldn't trust him, all right? He's not your friend, he's your prisoner. He's got a vested interest in deceiving you."

Naruto shrugged. "Not really. I mean, if I die he'll go to Hell, so he wants to keep me alive. And he's stuck in my mindscape, so I can pretty much do whatever I want to him. He really wants to stay on my good side."

"How do you know that, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked.

"Well...he said so?" Naruto said. His voice trailed off at the end; even he realized that that wasn't a reassuring answer. "I mean, it makes sense though, right?"

"Yes, but—" Hinata froze mid-word. Her head twitched slightly as she overrode the instinct to look over her shoulder; the Byakugan made it unnecessary, but she still hadn't gotten used to having it on all the time. "Naruto-kun, do you remember we told you about that fight with Team Kaiya? Ichiro just jumped into my range of sight; he's on a roof at my eight o'clock, watching us."

"Let's walk," Naruto said, taking her by the elbow and leading her down the street. He kept his eyes away from where Hinata had indicated the enemy ninja was standing, choosing instead to look into the front windows of the various shops they were passing, trying to catch sight of him in a reflection.

"I can't see him," Naruto said quietly. "What's he doing?"

Hinata grabbed his arm and bolted for an alley a few yards ahead. "He's just unsealed a bow!" she said.

The two genin ducked into the alley, doubled back, and ran full-out for three blocks before slowing.

"He's gone," Hinata said. "He didn't follow once we went into the alley."

Naruto smiled at her. "You really are amazing, you know that?" he asked. "If you weren't here, he would have shot me before I even knew he was there."

Hinata blushed. "T-thank you, Naruto-kun," she said. "I don't believe that, though; you would have noticed him." She turned left and crossed the street, tugging him after her. "Come, there's a guard house on the next block. We should check the entrances and exits so we can estimate response time."

The two genin walked on, blissfully unaware of the small clump of kikai bugs on the roof behind them, just outside of Hinata's range of vision. Had they been a bit closer, Hinata would have noticed the way the insects flared their chakra in a rapid series of coded pulses. She might even have noticed how those pulses were picked up and repeated by another cluster of bugs on a rooftop one block farther on...and then by another clump, and another. From rooftop to rooftop the message traveled, flowing swiftly back towards Team Anko's assigned quarters.