Naruto raised a hand to push open the door and...
"GAAAA!" a loud "gasp" came from Narutos left. He turned to look and there was Haku... holding a piece of wood. "Sheesh, you don't have to yell..." Naruto said, poking a finger into his ear.
"Well I'm just not used to people coming out of the closet," Haku retorted.
"Heh heh, sorry... but I saw a hole in my kitchen wall and I thought it was a rat..." Naruto said sheepishly.
"Nope, no rats, Snowflake did it," Haku replied.
"The rabbit?"
"Yeah."
"Ok. Oh, here, I got the recipe for you... why did you want it, anyway?" Naruto asked, handing him the card.
"Well... I... wanted to try the chicken." Haku sounded slightly unsure of himself. Sakura at this moment walked in carrying a box.
"So when...err, hi N-Naruto, what are you doing h-here so soon?" She sounded panicked and tried to hide her box behind her back. Naruto pretended he didn't notice.
"I was about to patch up that hole for you," Haku interrupted, trying to distract him while Sakura slipped away. Haku then put the piece of wood over the hole and finally put a laundry hamper in front of it to keep his rabbit from causing any more damage in the area.
"Haku, are you going to the festival tomorrow?" Naruto asked, changing the subject and trying to sound cheery.
"I don't know yet," he replied.
"I'm not going," Naruto said, "but I'll tell you where to find me if you need me. I never really like the festival. Too loud. Anyway, I will be atop the tallest tree closest to the fourth Hokage's head on the monument."
"Ok," Haku nodded, looking slightly confused.
'I have a feeling I know what my teammates are up to,'Naruto thought. Aloud, he asked, "Do you need my help with anything else?"
"No, it is all right, I have enough help... BUT MAYBE YOU SHOULD GO THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR TO GO BACK HOME NOW," Haku hollered out the door. Naruto took the hint and got up to leave. 'Yep, just as I thought... a conspiracy.' Naruto chuckled to himself.'Haku may be good at hiding, but he needs more work on covering up for things like this. On his way out, Naruto saw Hinata and Lee also in Haku's house, not to his surprise. "When did you two get here?" Naruto asked innocently, raising an eyebrow.
"WHY, WHEN YOU WERE GETTING THE YOUTHFUL RECIPE, OF COURSE!" Lee shouted. The youthful genin was still wearing the outfit from earlier, a light green collared shirt with dark green track pants, much to the relief of all spandex-fearing folk.
Sakura hit him. "Quiet down! THERE ARE PROBABLY PEOPLE TRYING TO SLEEP!" she shouted, ignoring her own advice.
"You going to leave or what dobe?" Sasuke asked exasperatedly from the wall he was leaning against.
"YOSH-" Lee started to yell before Sakura cleared her throat. "Yosh! That is very unyouthful, but that is what makes you a worthy rival!" Lee exclaimed in a slightly softer tone, fire in his eyes.
"Don't worry N-Naruto you can get home and.... take a rest..." Hinata said. Naruto sighed in defeat, went home, and went to bed, shaking his head at the obviousness of his friends' behavior.
The next morning Naruto awoke to the sound of the parade celebrating the "death" of the Kyuubi. He sighed. Some things just didn't go as planned. 'Damn... I was dreading this. Because I got to the wave mission about a week early we got back a week early and I didn't miss this...' He stared out his window at his destination. Although in the past he would have sat atop the fourth Hokage's head, now he preferred to sit overlooking the mountain.
