Chapter 46: Master's Students

Naruto sat on a log that he had found outside of the village. It was late at night and he had a fire near him to keep him warm. Moments after spending time with his master, the boy had went to his apartment only to find out that his door was locked and he forgot his key inside.

Of course he thought of entering through his window but that was closed shut as well. There was no spare key so the teen was forced to spend the night under the star lit sky.

Nia had finished being interrogated by Ibiki after nearly five hours and was dragging her feet across the training grounds in order to get to Iruka's house. Her eyes were red from exhaustion and there were small bags under her eyes.

"Curly Brow!" She heard a voice to her left.

The girl glanced at that direction and saw Naruto trying to get her attention as he sat near the fire he set up.

"Naruto?" She squinted her eyes to see better, "Is that you? What're you doing up this late at night? It's like almost midnight. Don't you wanna go home?"

Naruto watched as his friend yawned then said, "I locked myself out my house, ya know?"

He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

"Oh geez... I wish you could come with me to Iruka's but we already know what he would do if he saw us together at this time."

"Yeah."

"Well, I'm gonna go now, I'm super tired."

The girl then said goodnight and waved but as she took a step forward, something fell out of her pocket. She picked it up as it dangled from her fingers.

"That's Kakashi-sensei's!" Naruto exclaimed.

The two bells were bent out of shape. Naruto asked his friend what had happened to it and the girl only shrugged.

"It probably got all messed up when I fell out of my chair while being interrogated or when I fell through the ground when we met that weird spider guy."

The boy raised an eyebrow, "Do you know how to fix it?"

She shook her head.

Naruto held his hand out, "Here, I'll fix it for ya then hand it to Kakashi-sensei as soon as I see him. You can go home and get some rest now. You look tired."

"Of course I am..." The chuunin sweat dropped as she handed the item to her peer then watched as Naruto did his magic.

He was so gentle with those bells. Nia didn't turn her eyes away from him. In fact, even though she was dying to sleep on a comfortable bed tonight, all she could think about now was how Naruto would have to sleep with the bugs.

This bothered her.

Instead of walking home, she sat on the log next to the young man though not too close.

Naruto glanced at her as he continued using his chakra to fix his sensei's most treasured item.

"Aren't you going home?" He asked.

Nia shook her head, "Nah, I'd rather just camp outside tonight."

And make sure you don't feel lonely or anything.

"But... there's rats out here, ya know."

Quickly, the girl shrieked and stood atop the log, "Where?! Where is it?! I don't see it! Naruto, where is it?!"

The blond didn't say anything as he was getting a kick out of watching the girl freaking out over some rodent he had no fear of himself. He quietly laughed to himself but the girl in glasses heard him and frowned.

"Really?" She furrowed her eyebrows, "I'm too tired for this, you know..."

"I really fooled you, huh?" Naruto pointed at the girl as he laughed a little louder. He then placed his hand back to where it was and resumed fixing the bells.

Though she was still upset over earlier, Nia couldn't help but smile at his jokester-like personality even though she was a bit pissed that he made her believe there were rodents in the area. She didn't know why her cousin didn't like this side of him but she did even though it did get annoying at times.

Taking a deep breath, the young woman sat back down and placed her elbows on her knees then her cheeks on her palms.

Man had Naruto gotten to her over time. His laughter, his smile, his eyes... they were so... so wonderful. This however, only made her think of his confession.

"I like you... but I like Sakura too."

Remembering his words from earlier somewhat hurt her as she thought about them again. She was happy to know he felt something toward her, but his feelings for Sakura... was a whole other story. Yet, she didn't want to force her feelings on him.

"Naruto... you really meant what you said earlier, right?"

"If I meant what?" The genin glanced at the girl again.

"A-About... you liking me?"

"WHAT?!" The boy completely freaked out suddenly, "How did you figure that out already?!"

Nia sweat dropped, "You told me already... in the morning..."

Naruto blinked a few times as he tried to remember exactly everything that happened earlier in the day. He blushed when it all came back to him.

"O-Oh yeah..." He rubbed his head, "I did... tell you that."

He then placed his hands were they were before and kept fixing the bells. However, he never lost eye contact with Nia and winked.

Of course, this made Nia look to the ground, smiling to herself as her heart raced and face reddened.

Oh gosh... I can't remember the last time a guy had admitted to liking me or winked at me... this is amazing. He's so amazing for that.

"Curly Brow," Naruto suddenly became serious, his eyes reflected the emotion he was feeling, "I've been meaning to ask you something but couldn't find myself to bring it up till now..."

Nia looked at her friend again. Already she could tell something was greatly bothering him.

"What is it?" She asked concerned as she calmed down.

Naruto only grew more serious.

"In the Cloud... when you got separated from everyone... that guy who was talking to you... the one with the crows... Itachi... what... did he say to you?"

Nia thought really hard on whom Naruto may have been talking about. As hard as she tried, she just couldn't remember who it was he was talking about and so asked for him to describe the person. When he did, a sudden memory hit her.

"Give Naruto a message for me..." She remembered hearing the guy say.

"O-OH YEAH!" The girl stood up, "I completely forgot all about that! He... He wanted me to tell you something but-"

"What?!" Naruto stood up with her, dropping the bells to his side, "What did he want you to tell me?!"

"I... can't remember," Nia tried to recall the Uchiha's message, "I forgot all about it when the village was attacked with those paper bombs."

Naruto felt a sudden gut feeling and grasped Nia's shoulders, "You gotta try and remember, Curly Brow! I get this feeling he said something very important."

Again, the girl tried especially hard to remember. However, she just couldn't recollect the memory. It had happened too long ago for her to do so.

"I'm sorry... Naruto."

The genin grunted and released his friend.

"Dammit!" He cursed, "...What... was it?!"

Nia felt bad. All she could do was keep apologizing over and over. Naruto calmed his temper after realizing he was making her feel guilty.

"I don't blame you for forgetting... there was a lot of things going on for you that day, ya know?" He gently told her.

It wasn't a lie. That day was her chuunin exam. She was focused on being able to pass it so she could be promoted and be able to leave that village. The paper bomb incident was a cause of distraction also.

"What do we do, Naruto?" Nia replied, "Do you want me to keep trying to remember what he said?"

"I'd really appreciate that if you could. I dunno what it is, but I just know something he said is definitely meant for me to know, ya know...?"

Nia nodded, "I'll try my best to remember so that I can tell you, Naruto. I promise."

The blond gave a firm nod also as he then sat back down on the log and resumed fixing his sensei's bells, "I'm counting on you, Curly Brow." He smiled.

Nia returned the expression, "Yeah."

It then became quiet again as Nia gazed at whom she had feelings for. She was beginning to blush as time went on.

"Naruto?" She finally decided to break the ice.

"Yeah? What's up?"

"Um... do you wanna... you know um..."

Naruto looked up at the kunoichi as he then noticed how timid she appeared.

"What is it?"

"I was just wondering if... if..." Nia couldn't spill what she wanted to say.

Naruto waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Then waited some more.

Finally...

"Are you gonna say something or not?! You're driving me crazy over here!" He snapped.

Nia's eyes widened for a second before it then lowered to the ground.

"N-Nevermind..." She said softly as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Guah! Wait!" Naruto stood up as his face turned blue, "I didn't mean that! Don't cry!"

"I was just wondering if you would let me hug you?!" The girl then became upset and turned away, "But I see how it is!"

"You can't ask me for a hug but you can whisper some sexy stuff in my ear?! That doesn't make sense, ya know."

"Kyah!" Nia turned back around embarrassed, "When did I ever whisper sexy stuff in your ear?!"

"Don't act innocent! You know what you did!" The genin retaliated as he then pulled the girl against him and wrapped his arms around her, "Besides, if you wanted a hug that badly, just ask or just hug me without doing so."

The kunoichi's heart pounded as she was embraced. She loved the feeling. It was the most comforting thing she'd ever felt.

"Naruto, why would you let me actually hug you?"

"Because it's pretty obvious you need one."

"But you don't have to! You can just push me away like everyone else!"

"Huh?" Naruto pulled away from the hug, "What do you mean 'Push you away like everyone else?'"

Nia answered, "Oh, it's not a big deal or anything. It's just that when I try to hug someone I care about, they push me away or outright tell me they don't wanna hug. It's not a big deal or anything like I said."

"But doesn't that hurt you? I mean aren't you bothered by it at all?"

"A little but that's just how I gotta live my life."

"That's crazy! How can someone live a life where they can't get a hug?!"

"I barely only got hugs from my family, but since they're not here, I guess I won't be getting any anymore except from maybe Iruka and if I get lucky... you."

Nia then threw her arms around the boy's neck, "So please let me hug you, my hero!"

Immediately, Naruto's eyes turned into hearts as soon as he was referred to as a hero.

"Sure!" He obliged quickly and held the girl close to him again, "A hero is supposed to make a woman feel safe and protected, right?"

"My hero always makes me feel safe! He's really strong." Nia added rather smoothly.

This time, Naruto was the one to blush deeply, "I'm always training really hard so of course I'm really strong, ya know!"

Nia pulled away, obviously being completely entranced by the whole situation and experiencing a sense of high euphoria.

"Maybe my hero has been training to prepare himself for something else, too?" She softly placed a finger on her bottom lip flirtatiously, "I wanna kiss my hero. He's been very good to me."

At this comment, Naruto looked away as he became extremely flustered.

I sorta feel like... she's acting like... my sexy jutsu...

"Naruto..." Nia then leaned forward, "Please don't tell me my hero is gonna leave me heartbroken?"

'H-How can she act all innocent but then get like this all of a sudden?' Naruto thought as he felt his heart pounding, 'But then again... Pervy Sage said she might be in love with me, so maybe that's why she's acting like this... if she feels this strongly about me then...'

The genin gulped.

"I-If you wanna kiss me so badly, then I won't stop you, ya know!"

Nia nodded before suddenly feeling shy again. She broke eye contact and said, "I... I feel too shy to initiate..."

"Gyah!" The blond slumped his shoulders and sweat dropped, "You can only last for so long before you get back to being timid..."

He then straightened up and cupped her face in his hand, "I'll just be the one to do it then since I have no trace of shyness in me, ya know!"

However, despite saying that, his hand began to tremble and as the two were nearly about to kiss, he backed out of it and looked down as he placed his hands on the girl's shoulders. Steam poured out of his reddened face.

"O-On second thought..." Naruto wouldn't look Nia in the eye, "You being all shy and nervous got me feeling like that too."

This only made the kunoichi smile widely as her heart raced twice as fast.

"Awwwwww!" She nearly died from the thought of such an outgoing person having a shy side, "Naruto, I didn't know you could get shy! Kyah! That's so cute!"

"I'm not shy, ya know!" The young man got frustrated, "That was just an act!"

Nia leaned forward, but Naruto's nerves got the best of him and he turned around. The girl looked at the side of his face to see him looking flushed. Her eyes sparkled as she saw this.

"Cuuuute!" She hugged him from behind, "Naruto, you're so cute like this!"

Embarrassed, the genin tried to shake the girl off but she wouldn't budge. He looked back at her to see just how widely she was smiling as she layed her head on his back with her eyes closed.

'She looks so happy...' He thought as he then turned and had the girl hugging him from the front instead, 'I've never seen her smile this much before...'

With a sigh, he gave in and just let the kunoichi hug him as she pleased.

They stayed like that for a while as they stayed under the stars of the night sky.

•••

Morning had arrived and standing above the two teens fast asleep was Iruka with a very very very angry expression.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" He yelled at the top of his lungs.

Immediately, the two woke up and fretted as soon as they realized who had caught them together.

"O-Oh hey, Iruka-sensei. Beautiful morning we're having, huh?" Naruto tried to stay as calm as possible though he was slightly trembling.

"Cut the crap, Naruto!" The man clenched his former student's collar, "Just what do you think you're doing out here sleeping near Nia?!"

"Erm... well... um..." The genin's face turned blue.

"He was sleeping with me because I didn't want him to be all left alone out here with all these bugs. Besides, he got locked out of his house." Nia crossed her arms as she stood up.

Immediately her cousin released Naruto and instead pinched the girl's cheek.

"Owwwww!"

"Sleep with?!" Her cousin repeated. He then pinched the kunoichi's cheek harder, "Do you have any idea what you're saying, young lady?!"

Nia didn't say anything.

"I hope that's not what you told Naruto that night you two went off on your own! Knowing him, he probably got the wrong idea!" Iruka predicted correctly.

Naruto sweat dropped.

You're not wrong there, Iruka-sensei...

"Now now, Iruka," A certain tall, long-haired man appeared, "These two kids haven't done anything wrong. Let em go."

"Pervy Sage!" Naruto grew excited and stood.

Iruka released Nia's cheek as she didn't say anything and just stared at the ground. She still hadn't forgotten what the sannin had did to her when they had first made it back to the village.

He noticed the look on her face and walked up to her.

"I heard the news of you becoming chuunin. I'm proud of you, Nia. Glad to see yeah again." Jiraiya said with a smile as he placed his hand on the girl's head.

Instantly, Nia blushed and smiled. She was extremely happy to hear such things from the man she greatly admired and looked up to.

"T-Thank you so much," The girl had tears well up in her eyes, "That makes me so happy, Jiraiya-sensei. I'm so happy to be here!"

"Well good cause there's some things I need to discuss with you and that knucklehead right there." Jiraiya pointed back at his male apprentice.

"Master Jiraiya, if that's what you need to do that's fine, but don't forget Lady Hokage needs to see you three in her office later on." Iruka reminded the older man.

"Oh don't you worry about a thing, Iruka. We'll all be there in the nick of time."

"Wait! Before we talk, can I please go take a shower first and change my clothes?! It's been a little while since we got to bathe thanks to never bumping into a hot spring during our trip back to the Leaf." Nia pleaded.

Iruka crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at her, "You would've been able to taken a shower earlier if you just would've went straight to my place."

"S-Sorry..." Nia apologized.

Iruka handed his key to the girl and as she left, Naruto asked the academy teacher, "Hey, do you think I can hop into the shower at your place too, Iruka-sensei? I left my key in my apartment and the door and window are locked so I can't get in."

"Absolutely not!" He replied, "I know what you're planning to do, Naruto. You can't fool me."

"What're you talking about?! I just wanna get cleaned up."

"Well you're in luck, kid." Jiraiya threw a key to the boy, "Tsunade gave me a spare key to your apartment just in case you didn't hear me knocking on the door."

"Oh yeah! You're the best, Pervy Sage!" The genin gave his thanks and ran off in the direction of his house.

As he did, Iruka sighed, "What am I gonna do with those two?"

Jiraiya chuckled and placed his hand on the young man's shoulder, "Just be patient, my friend. They'll come around."

"I sure hope you're right, Master Jiraiya."

•••

"SHE SAID WHAAAAAAT?!" A very shocked Jiraiya nearly broke his vocal cords upon hearing the news Naruto had gave him, "Why didn't you tell me this yesterday?!"

"I forgot about it cause I couldn't get my mind off of ramen, but she told me that if I were to truly fall for her, I can make love to her all I want!" Naruto once more told his master.

Jiraiya looked ahead of him to see Nia yards away writing in her diary, completely out of ear shot.

"I don't believe you."

Naruto became offended, "It's true, ya know!"

"But she's so innocent."

Naruto gazed at the girl then said, "If she was innocent, she wouldn't have whispered that in my ear and besides last night, she was all over me!"

"I can't believe this..." Jiraiya shook his head, "Naruto, you do realize what she is then... don't you?"

Student and teacher gave eachother knowing looks.

"She's the: Acts innocent but is secretly a freak in the sheets type!" They both say at once.

"That's the kind of woman men die for!" Jiraiya freaked out as he thought of a random woman whom was his type being like that, "Every man's desire!"

Naruto sweat dropped.

There he goes being perverted again...

"Really, Naruto!" The toad sage shook the boy by the shoulders, "This type of woman will be quiet and appear innocent in public, but when it comes to just that one special guy, she'll show a side of her that no one but that one man gets to see!"

The man then placed an arm around his pupil and grinned, "You wouldn't have to worry about her trying to get with other men cause she'll only show her adventurous side to you and you only. Don't be a saint, Naruto. Doesn't that turn you on at all?"

Naruto thought about it.

I wouldn't have to worry about her thinking of someone else then during the act like I would if it were Sakura...

"Yep!" The genin agreed as he then smirked, "That's for sure!"

"Well then!" Jiraiya pulled away and crossed his arms, "I guess you did grow up some, Kiddo."

"I'll still never be as perverted as you though."

"You're getting there, don't worry."

"I wasn't saying that as if it were a goal, ya know?!" The blond went off.

Jiraiya chuckled.

Oh, I know. I just had to though.

"NARUTOOO!" Nia then waved with a smile from far away.

Jiraiya giggled and pushed Naruto forward, "She wants you...!"

"Bwargh! Whatever!" The genin replied before hopping over to where his friend was.

"What's up, Curly Brow?" He greeted.

"Sit," The girl patted the spot in front of her with one hand. The other hand seemed to be kept behind her back. The girl was also very smiley.

"What's going on?" Naruto became suspicious due to the girl's behavior.

"It's just I wanna tell you something that made me very happy when I woke up today but I hadn't gotten the chance to tell you till now."

Naruto leaned forward.

Nia looked down and smiled, "I had this dream... this dream about some guardian angel."

"Okay..." Naruto payed attention.

"In the dream I was being verbally and physically abused by these group of people. They insulted me like crazy then pushed me but I kept my balance," Nia explained, "I was too scared to defend myself because these people were bigger and just much stronger than me. They scared me. However, there was this angel standing on the sidelines just doing nothing."

"What a jerk..." The blond commented as he crossed his arms, "Just watching a defenseless girl get attacked like that."

Nia giggled then said, "Well, the angel saw how scared I was and just randomly patted my face then gave me a nod."

"Eh?" Naruto raised a brow.

"When it did that, I somehow snapped out of my fear I had for those group of people and began to go on the offensive. It was like it gave me strength or courage but even so, every time my fist would land a hit on their face or anything, it didn't do a thing to them," The girl continued, "They eventually managed to bring me down and pushed me into a wall which I then slid down from it. I began to tear up and had just about given up trying to fight these people."

"So then what happened next?"

"The guardian angel reached its hand out for me," Nia grinned as she remembered the moment, "It helped me up and smiled. It's smile was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life."

The genin pouted, "Oh please, that guardian angel's smile wasn't all that amazing."

"Yes it was!" Nia defended her opinion, "It was the most beautiful thing in the world, Naruto!"

"Whatever," The boy pouted, "What next?"

The kunoichi then responded, "It stood by my side and even stood protectively in front me while being surrounded with light. The people who frightened and bothered me couldn't get near me as long as that angel stood in between them and I. By the end of the dream, the angel assisted me and I was able to fight what frightened me away and watched as that angel turned back to me and grin a wonderful grin. That's when Iruka woke us up."

"..." Naruto didn't say anything as he was rather confused.

Nia kept smiling.

"I wanna say something to that guardian angel so bad..." She confessed.

With an attitude, Naruto crossed his arms and looked away, "That angel wasn't so great."

"They were and they are," Nia corrected her crush as she then took out the single rose she hid behind her back and displayed it in front of the young man, "Naruto... thank you for being that light that protected me from the people that tormented me."

"HUH?!" He looked at the rose in shock, "Wait! Are you saying I was the guardian angel in your dream?!"

Nia blushed and nodded with a large smile, "Yeah, of course you were. Thank you for being my hero again, Naruto. I really appreciate you."

At this, Naruto just gawked at the girl. He did so for quite some time, making Nia feel as though what she said was a bit too much.

"I-I'm sorry, maybe that was a bit too much. I hope I didn't make you feel as though I'm creepy or something. I just thought that-"

"You really... got this... for me, Curly Brow?" The genin gazed at the red rose.

Nia nodded, "Yeah. Of course I did. After leaving Iruka's, I stumbled upon this flower shop and saw this rose. I wanted to show my gratitude for you, so I bought this thing... do you not want it?"

"I want it," Naruto cupped his hands onto Nia's, "I really want it. I don't remember the last time someone gave me a present."

"Are you serious? It was that long ago since anyone gave you anything?"

The genin nodded but then grinned.

"Thanks a ton! I'll keep it safe, ya know."

Immediately, Nia frowned and lowered her eyes.

"..."

Naruto ended up noticing her strange behavior, but he didn't say anything.

"You'll really keep it safe... and with you?"

The boy nodded, "Yeah... I don't see why you gotta ask me that, of course I'll keep it safe. It's a gift."

At this, Nia remembered two events where she had given previous crushes a gift. A lot of them had thrown away her present when they thought she wasn't looking, ripped it up, or simply refused to accept anything from her. Her money and love had gone to waste by them.

"I really hope you do. You're very kind. Thank you, Naruto." The girl smiled warmly anyway as the blond took the rose out of her grasp.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head, "First you apologize when I'm the one who's done something bad and now you're thanking me and calling me kind when you're the one who's giving me a gift?"

Nia didn't say anything.

"You really are nice and sweet, ya know?" Naruto then winked.

This in turn caused Nia to blush, "R-Really? I was always told that I was... like, a bitch... or something."

"It's crazy how misunderstood you are. You're really generous!"

Naruto proceeded to turn around and call his master, "Pervy Sage, look! Curly Brow gave me this rose! Too bad you didn't get one haha!"

"Actually," Nia grabbed something from behind her and walked up to the sannin as she then held out a white rose to him, "I got this for you too, Jiraiya-sensei. Thank you for everything you've done for me. You're a good master, a good writer and most of all, a good man."

This nearly brought the tall man to tears.

"You see... this is what I always wanted to hear from my pupils. This is part of what I live for: to make sure I'm helping the younger generation move along." The man then raised a fist at his other student, "You see this, Naruto?! This is how you show appreciation to your master instead of calling him some pervert all the time!"

"Yeah, whatever." The boy replied, "I guess you're alright."

"Now that's much better."

The sannin then returned his attention back to his better behaved disciple, "This was very thoughtful of you, Nia. In fact, I think us three should celebrate your promotion to chuunin right here, right now."

"Oh, you don't have to do that." Nia quickly responded.

"Don't be so modest, I'll get the drinks now."

Holding up a sign, the old man then disappeared as smoke poofed from thin air.

"Oh yeah," Naruto stood up and walked to the kunoichi, "This reminds me. Tomorrow or maybe the next day, we were all planning to introduce you to everyone, remember?"

Immediately, Nia felt her nerves get the best of her, "I don't know if I really want to meet new people, Naruto. That sorta scares me."

"Ah, don't worry about it!" He slapped the girl on the back, causing her to shriek, "Everyone's pretty nice. The only people you gotta worry about is Kiba, Sai, and maybe Ino. The rest of them should be welcoming you with big arms. Actually wait, Shikamaru's really lazy so he might just give you a quick nod or something."

"You're just making me more nervous! How many people do you know, dude?!"

"Not too much, ya know?"

"I really don't believe you... you're super outgoing."

Naruto grinned, "I know!"

Nia sweat dropped as Jiraiya suddenly returned with a few goods in his arms.

"Okay now! Let's celebrate, you two!"

"All right!" The genin became excited, "You brought instant ramen and even brought a teapot with you! Let's get eating already, ya know!"

"Yeah..." Nia nodded as she kept thinking about how she would be at the center of attention the next day, "That sounds great..."

----

A/N - WHAT?! ANOTHER UPDATE?!

Yep! Another update! I'm spoiling you guys this week since you've really helped me out in the past week or two. I showing my gratitude by giving you three updates this week, this one being the third. However, because of this, I won't be updating for at least a week or two. I need to give myself a small break cause I've been writing non stop lmao. I'm tired 😴

Anyway, thx for reading and please comment and vote :) have a wonderful rest of your day! ❤️