By Chibified Kitsunes
Naruto shot up in bed, his vision blocked by an orange ball of fluff. “Get off my face you baka kitsune!” He said as he plucked the said animal off his face and none too gently dumped it on the bedside floor.
“Naruto!!” Iruka called from the kitchen, “get out of bed now!!”
The blonde boy flipped back the covers and climbed out of the warm haven, grumbling as he stumbled to the toilet, the kit close on his heels.
“What no ramen?” Naruto whined as he entered the kitchen, now dressed in his orange pants and black shirt.
Iruka grinned and ruffled his hair, “How many times do I have to tell you Naruto, no ramen for breakfast…” He broke off just as the baby fox hopped onto the table. “Hey you! Get off the table! Your food is on the floor, not the table.” Iruka scolded.
Naruto grinned as Iruka caught the squirming animal and set it on the floor and placed a dog bowl in front of it. “Here you go,” he said as he dropped a piece of meat into it. The meat made contact with the bowl with a resounding splat and was immediately pounced upon by the little animal.
Iruka smiled affectionately at the fox before turning to Naruto, “So Naruto, have you thought of a name for him yet?”
Naruto shook his head before wolfing down his breakfast. He stopped mid bite and looked up at Iruka. “Him?”
Iruka nodded, “Yes, him, the kit.” The older man stated simply as he pointed at the animal on the floor.
Naruto blinked up at Iruka as he finished his breakfast. Then he bent over and picked the baby fox up. Lifting it high above his head he raised a paw and peeked under, “Ohhh, you’re right!!”
Iruka groaned and shook his head, shoulders shaking with mirth as he watched the silly boy grab his jacket and forehead protector and make for the door. “Ja Iruka-sensei, I’ve got to go to baa-chan’s office for a meeting, I’ll see you later!”
Iruka waved him off, shaking his head at Naruto’s antics, and grinned as a little orange bundle of activity shot past him, racing after a fellow orange blob that was fast disappearing around the corner.
oooooooooo
“What are you doing?”
“Sit still!”
“No, not until you tell me what you’re doing!”
“Stop squirming or else!”
Inoshi looked up from his breakfast at his ceiling, “Kami, what are they doing up there?”
His wife reached over the table and smacked him playfully on the arm, “Oh for goodness sake Inoshi, they’re girls! Leave them alone.”
Inoshi grinned as he cast another glance up, “At least they’re not screaming.”
“AIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!!!!!!”
oooooooooo
Kiba strolled up to the Hokage’s office; Akamaru perched on his head fast asleep. He was about to enter when the two jounins on either side of the door stopped him saying, “No one is allowed to enter until everyone is present, Hokage-sama’s orders.”
Kiba nodded and he walked over to the wall directly opposite the door and made himself comfortable. Just then, he picked up a distinctive scent, ‘Smells like a fox!’ he thought. Perched on his head, Akamaru stirred and Kiba knew he had picked it up as well.
“Oi dog-boy, you’re here early!!” Naruto called out animatedly as he came into view.
Kiba grinned, “So are you dobe!”
Naruto growled before starting a playful fight with Kiba, ignoring the two shinobis at the door. Kiba however, noticed their heated glares. He scowled when Akamaru whined to him how he could feel the hate emanating from them. ‘Fucking bastards, who are they to judge him! Don’t they know that Kyuubi and Naruto are not the same?!’
“Oi Naruto!” Kiba jeered as he dodged another half hearted punch, “Tell it to take a shower!”
Naruto paused and cocked his head in confusion, “Huh? Tell who to take a shower?”
“Baka,” Kiba grinned, “I can smell him from here, that baka Kyuubi needs a bath! He really stinks!!” At that, he chuckled as he took in the looks of shock written all over the jounins’ faces.
Naruto clutched his stomach as he laughed, “You know, Kyuubi doesn’t appreciate you making fun of him like that. In fact, he’s trying to break out and snarling about how he wants to devour you.”
Kiba laughed and Naruto’s reply and at the jounins’ horror stricken faces, “Really? You can actually talk to him?? Does he sound like Akamaru when he speaks?”
“Yup!” Naruto nodded grinning, “If you mean talking in growls and whines then no, Kyuubi speaks like a person, I guess that’s ‘cause he’s a demon and all. But not to worry, I won’t let him hurt one of my precious people.”
Scratching his cheek, the brown haired boy answered, “Gee thanks Naruto, but you still smell like a fox.”
Just as the blonde opened his mouth to reply, he suddenly stumbled forward and fell to the ground. Kiba watched confused as Naruto turned himself over at the last moment so he fell onto his back. ‘Is it just me or did his jacket look bulgy?’ He thought.
“Ahh gomen nasai Naruto-kun! I only meant to challenge you not to push you down!! I would never hurt my eternal rival, the hero of Konoha, he who holds the eternal power of the greatest demon Kyuubi at bay…”
“Ahahaha…” Naruto laughed embarrassed, “I get the picture Lee, and I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
Lee stopped bowing his apologies and flashed his rival a smile. Kiba smirked as a thought hit him, “Hey Lee, didn’t Naruto play a prank on you last week?”
Naruto turned his head and glared at Kiba, promising death as he growled, “I’m so going to Kyuubify you ass!”
Lee smiled again, his teeth ‘ping’ing as he answered, “Ah yes he did. But I should have expected that from my eternal rival. From now on, if I fall for another of his tricks, I shall run around Konoha one hundred times, punch a log three hundred…”
Kiba and Naruto sweatdropped and Akamaru covered his ears with his front paws as Lee droned on and on.
“What is this racket?” A voice resounded, filled with confidence and authority.
“Ahh if it isn’t the great Hyuuga Neji.” Kiba grinned. Akamaru barked a greeting which the normally stoic boy returned with a small nod of his head.
Naruto ran up to Neji, “So how’s your arm teammate?”
“It’s fine.” He replied nonchalantly. “What are you four doing out here?”
“Four?” Naruto, Lee and Kiba parroted, confused.
Neji snorted and pointed over to a corner shrouded in darkness, “Aburame.”
A bug scuttled out of the corner as the person in question stepped out. “Hyuuga.”
“Shino!” The three boys exclaimed as they called out their greetings.
The bug boy acknowledged their greeting by answering with a nod just as a bored voice rang down the corridor, “Why must this meeting be so early? It’s so damn troublesome to wake up and get here. I knew having a female Hokage was a bad idea.”
Naruto and Kiba grinned as they simultaneously said, “Shikamaru.”
The said boy walked into view and with a wave of his arm, he called out, “Yo.”
Chouji stepped up from behind Shikamaru, ever present bag of chips in hand. Kiba asked, “Is it just me or does Chouji look fatter than he did in the hospital?”
Chouji’s ears perked up. ‘Fat, fat, fat, fat…’ The words replayed itself over and over in his mind. “I am not fat! I am big boned!!!”
Kiba’s eyes widened as he took a step back, “Woah, sorry man. Alright you’re not fat but you do look bigger than last week.”
Chouji calmed down and nodded, “Yep, (munch) the doctors prescribed me a special diet. (munch) It’s designed to put a little (munch) flesh on my bones but still keep me in shape. (munch) So nobody can call me fat anymore! (munch)”
Naruto jogged up to Chouji and grabbed him by the shoulders, “You look real cool when you were skinny! I’m surprised you didn’t have a fan club chasing after you!”
At that, Shikamaru laughed as he swung his arms over their shoulders, “Well believe it or not but he did.”
Kiba gawked and pointed at Chouji, “Are you serious?”
Shikamaru threw his head back and laughed, “Nah I was just joking.”
Kiba narrowed his eyes as he jumped towards Shikamaru. “Why you lil…” Kiba stopped in mid sentence as he found himself unable to move. Shikamaru smirked, “Did you forget I could do this?”
Kiba growled and started when his arms started to move on its own accord. Naruto laughed as he turned back to Chouji and said, “Hey Chouji, I never got the chance to apologise to you for putting you down. I was wrong and I admit it, you’re a very reliable teammate and if it hadn’t been for your help we wouldn’t have been able to bring Sasuke-teme back.”
Chouji grinned, “Thanks Naruto! You’re a great person too!! Want some chips?”
Naruto’s eyes widened as he took the bag, “Sure thanks!! Hey how about I treat you to ramen one day?”
Shikamaru’s mouth fell open as he turned around thinking, ‘Chouji, sharing his chips?? He doesn’t even share it with me? Naruto treating Chouji to ramen? What is the world coming to?’
As Shikamaru shook his head, Kiba shook his as well. Under the effects of the Kage Mane no Jutsu, he could do nothing but mimic Shikamaru’s movements. Chouji and Naruto joined in the laughter as Kiba blushed, trying to break free. Just as Shikamaru was about to pretend to pick his nose, Kiba couldn’t take the humiliation anymore and yelled, “Akamaru, get him!!”
At that, Akamaru jumped onto Shikamaru’s hands and bit him. “ITAI!!” The raven haired boy cried out as he flung his arm out, the dog still latched onto his wrist. The rest of the boys either joined in the laughter or smirked in amusement. They started on a conversation about what training would be like now that they were on different teams. Just as they had gotten to what they’re missions would be like, Sakura’s voice rang down the corridor, “Hurry up Tenten, wait till Neji sees you!”
Male heads turned to look at Neji who stared back at them with a poker face. They turned back down the corridor, the same thoughts running through their mind, ‘What the hell?’
Finally, the girls came into
view, Ino leading the way as Sakura dragged Tenten and Hinata trailing behind.
“Hey Neji, wait till you see your girlfriend!!” Sakura yelled out as she ran
back and pulled the reluctant brunette forward. The momentum was too great
as Sakura and Ino let go, grinning like
Neji reacted on instinct when he saw the two stupid girls let go of his girlfriend. Being a Hyuuga, he was also able to analyze situations even without the Byakugan. He knew that the two idiots would let go of her, he knew that Tenten would stumble and fall, but he did not know that his body would move on its own accord. As she fell forward, his arms reached out to catch her. He grunted as her full weight collapsed against his chest, wrapping his arms around her, he stabled himself. His breath caught when she looked up into his eyes, those eyes that had melted his very soul.
Tenten blinked rapidly as her hair fell into her eyes, seeing this; Neji reached out and carefully brushed it away, tucking the strands behind her ear. Her eyes were accentuated lightly with white eye shadow, a faint blush marring her cheeks. Neji couldn’t help but gaze down when he realized Tenten was not wearing her normal outfit but something made of polyester.
A dark green short sleeved Chinese dress hugged her figure, showing off curves Neji never knew existed. Then again, he never was one that noticed, despite his ‘all-seeing’ eyes. The dark haired boy’s gaze traveled down as he admired the intricate design of the dress, dragons in various sizes and poses were embroidered into the dress with a lighter shade of thread. Neji’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the length of the skirt. It was extremely short, ending right at the thigh. Tenten grew frantic as she threw a glare at Ino and Sakura who began to chat animatedly with each other, ignoring the girl.
Luckily, the two of them had enough sense to give her a pair of short black tights and black fishnet leggings to wear underneath. The tights protected her modesty as the fishnets ended at her knee. Neji’s gaze traveled upwards when he suddenly realized that his girl’s hair was no longer in its traditional hairstyle. Instead, it was tied up in a high ponytail and secured with a hairclip.
Tenten watched happily as Neji’s eyes widened in surprise and male pride on seeing the clip. It was the very same clip he had bought for her at the markets, the one with two black dragons crisscrossing over one another. She had been so happy when he gave it to her in his personal pouch. She had kissed him right then and there before she went home, and was forcefully sent over to Ino’s house to stay.
Neji gave a tiny smile as he leant in and whispered for her ears only, “You look very pretty today.” His words elicited a blush from the girl as she pecked him quickly on the cheek. They would have kissed right there had Naruto not spoke up, “Hey Neji, who’s that? Won’t Tenten get angry with you for kissing another girl?”
The other boys’ jaws dropped, smacking themselves on the forehead as Tenten blushed. Hinata giggled as her two friends gave each other a hi-five on a good job done. Meanwhile, Neji buried his head in Tenten’s shoulder as he tried to compose himself. Unfortunately, Naruto spoke up again, “But this girl looks a lot prettier than Tenten, so go ahead.”
All but Naruto and Neji, and Shino, who smirked, burst into uncontrollable laughter at the second statement. Naruto looked around confused, as dense as ever. Neji turned and walked over to Naruto, back straight as he growled, “Dobe that is Tenten.” With that he threw a punch at Naruto, who dodged it saying, “Ohh, why didn’t you say so in the first place?”
Shikamaru shook his head, “Naruto, you never change. One would have thought that finding out about Hinata’s love for you would mean you were smarter, guess not.”
Kiba rolled on the floor, clutching his stomach as he laughed, “I can’t believe you said that Naruto!!!”
Naruto laughed and scratched his cheek before dodging another punch thrown by Neji.
“Oh the beautiful sound of laughter! How the youth of today rejoice!!” At that voice, Naruto stopped short and received a punch in the face.
“Itai…” He cried out just as Lee yelled, “Gai-sensei!!”
The youngsters turned around only to find a giant turtle standing in front of them. “Lee!” The turtle, or so it seemed, spoke.
“Kami!!” The two loud mouths yelled in shock, “It can talk!”
Sakura whacked the back of their heads, “Bakas, its Gai-sensei.”
Tenten nodded, “Yeah so get used to it Kiba.”
“Mou, how troublesome.” Shikamaru muttered before he was shut up by his girlfriend with a blow to the head. Just as her fist met head, the turtle disappeared in a huge puff of smoke. In its wake stood the green clad Jounin, posing in a very awkward position.
Naruto sniggered and whispered to Kiba, “All the best to you dog-boy.”
The spiky haired brunette growled before grabbing onto the blond boy’s sunshine hair and pulled him into a headlock. Naruto stumbled forward, his head locked in Kiba’s arm, grabbing onto Chouji’s sleeve in the process. As the boy was too busy eating, he did not realize the situation was too late until it was too late. He too stumbled forward, loosing his balance and bag of chips flying. Chouji tumbled into Shikamaru who was staring out the window at the clouds. Shikamaru and Chouji fell forward onto Naruto, who in turn caused him to collapse onto Kiba. Meanwhile, Akamaru had jumped off Kiba’s head onto Neji’s, much to the Hyuuga’s distaste.
“AHHHHH!!!” Four voices yelled as they fell into a pile, the unfortunate Kiba lying at the bottom. “Get me out of here!!!”
Hinata giggled as she watched her friends helplessly trying to get out of the dog pile. Just then she sensed another presence behind her, smiling she turned and greeted, “Kurenai-sensei, Asuma-sensei.”
Kurenai grinned, “Hinata! I’m surprised you even noticed me from that far, you’ve improved.”
Hinata blushed at the praise as the other Jounin sensei lit a cigarette and headed for the pile of boys. Reaching out, he pulled Chouji out by his scarf and dragged Shikamaru by his Chuunin jacket. Ruffling his hair and messing up his ponytail he said, “Oi Shikamaru, how about another game?”
Shikamaru stared up at his sensei before replying in a bored tone, “It’s too troublesome to play it, I always end up winning anyway.”
Kakashi looked up as Asuma’s chuckle resounded down the corridor. ‘Hmm, they seem to be having fun without me already.’ He thought as his right eye crinkled with mirth. He sobered almost instantly as he shifted his attention to the situation at hand.
“No use fighting Sasuke, no one ever gets out of that thing.”
The two ANBU guards tightened their grips on Sasuke as they dragged him after Kakashi. All the way, Sasuke continued to struggle against his bonds.
oooooooooo
Shizune grabbed the last few chairs as she shoved the two men out the door. “Hurry up you two! The meeting’s going to start soon and we have to get these chairs in there right away!”
“Why is it we always end up doing the shitty work?” Kotetsu complained, shutting up almost immediately as Izumo and Shizune shot him disapproving glares. “Alright alright, I’m going, see?” He smirked as he strolled casually out the door.
The nose bandaged man whistled as he walked down the corridor, foldable chairs in hand, towards the Hokage’s office. He suddenly stopped short, his partner crashing into him from behind. Izumo glared at him, “Why did you suddenly stop?”
Kotetsu grinned, “Oh nothing, I was just surprised to see everyone outside the office.”
Shizune hurriedly walked past with her set of chairs saying, “All the more we should get these in!! At least they’ll be better help than you.”
Izumo chuckled as he followed after the medical nin, leaving his glaring partner behind to catch up.
oooooooooo
“The reason why Tsunade-sama said to not let anyone in was so I could come in and arrange the chairs. Get out of my way!” Shizune glared as she stormed past the Jounin guards, pushing open the office doors. Kotetsu and Izumo followed in, their own set of chairs under arm.
Shizune stopped short the moment she entered the office, the two Chuunin behind her coming to an immediate stop so as not to hit her. The raven haired woman sighed, “She fell asleep again.”
“NANI!!” Shizune turned around, only to be startled as an orange blur sped past her. “BAA-CHAN! Wake up!!!”
Shizune turned back just in time to see Naruto poking Tsunade’s head telling her to wake up. “Baa-chan… wake up!!”
Before anyone could react, Naruto was flying to the other side of the room where he hit the wall with a resounding smack. “GAKI! How many times do I have to tell you!!!”
Naruto groaned as he jumped back up, unhurt. “BAH! But you are a baa-chan! I’ll never stop calling you that!!”
Tsunade was about to retort back when she heard a giggle. Both blonds turned towards the sound where Shizune stood, covering her mouth. The raven haired woman giggled and pointed at Tsunade before removing the hand over her mouth to touch her chin. Tsunade raised an eyebrow and touched her chin. “Oops.” She chuckled embarrassed and wiped the trail of drool away with the back of her hand.
Shizune grinned and shook her head as she got to work. Tsunade sat up and straightened her clothes before turning to the blond boy, “Naruto, tell the others to come on in.”
Naruto glared at Tsunade before walking towards the door. Outside the other genins were looking at one another wondering if they should go in when Naruto suddenly poked his head out.
“GYAH!” Sakura and Ino yelled. Naruto grinned foxily, “Tsunade no Baa-chan says you guys can come in now.”
Hearing this, Asuma and Kurenai smiled before ushering the youngsters into the room, nodding at the Jounin guards. Asuma raised an eyebrow at Gai though, “Oi Gai, aren’t you coming in?”
Gai shook his head as he posed, stretching out his right fist as he held the other close to his chest. “Iie! I shall stand out here and wait for my rival Kakashi! He is late and needs to be taught a lesson!! For Tsunade-hime specifically told him not to be late and…”
Asuma smirked lazily as he walked in, leaving the two Jounins to listen to the man’s ramblings. Lee poked his head out the door, wanting to join his sensei, only to have Asuma drag him back in.
oooooooooo
“Hokage-sama, is there anything else you might need?” Izumo queried.
Tsunade shook her head as she waved them off, “I’m alright. Thank you for your help.”
The two chuunin nodded and bowed before leaving the room, passing the genins entering on the way in. Kotetsu couldn’t resist grinning at the girls and winking at them, much to the dislike of Neji who glared at him. Izumo chuckled and dragged his protesting partner away and shut the door behind them.
Tsunade chuckled before signaling to the genins to take a seat, “It would be best if you could all sit in your respective teams.” Naruto grinned and hopped up, pulling Hinata along with him and sat her down before sitting next to her. Ino grinned and ran up to the front, dragging her reluctant teammate along. Tenten sighed and shrugged at her boyfriend before following. Shino walked past him wordlessly and joined them.
Neji stared at the last two remaining seats next to his teammates before walking over. He wanted to make sure his new sensei, a pervert as Naruto said, would not get his hands on his cousin. He sat down quietly next to Hinata, leaving an empty seat to his right.
Chouji walked in still eating his chips and sat down, patiently waiting for his two other teammates to join him. Seeing this, Lee yelled out in joy and rushed forward. But not wanting to get stuck sitting next to a weirdo teacher like his own, Kiba bounded forward. Jumping over the seats, he landed right next to Chouji. Lee frowned at him but Kiba smirked and said, “So you can sit next to Gai-sensei!” Lee grinned and nodded, “Yosh! I am glad to have you as my teammate Kiba-kun! You are so considerate.” Kiba’s face faulted a little, his smirk becoming a little forced at the proclamation, “Ah... Thanks I think…”
Asuma walked up to the front and grinned at his team before sitting down, Kurenai entering and taking Sakura by the shoulders, led her to the back row to sit. “Come Sakura-chan, we’ll sit here with Shikamaru-kun.”
Sakura looked up to see the lazy boy already sitting in the back row, lounging in his chair. Sakura smiled slightly at the boy who replied with a small grin. She sighed mentally, wishing it were Sasuke who was doing it, instead of his usual cold shoulder.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Tsunade spoke up, “Who’s not here yet?”
Asuma stood up from his seat and acknowledged the Hokage, “Jiraiya-sama, Kakashi and Sasuke. Gai is outside waiting for him.”
The blonde woman nodded her thanks and looked up at Shizune, “Shizune, why don’t you go sit with your team?”
Shizune started, “Demo, what about Jiraiya-sama?”
The Hokage grinned, “That’s his problem, who asked him to be late? He’s probably peeking by the bathhouses even as we speak.”
oooooooooo
“Kakashi!! You are late!!! Tsunade-hime specifically told you not to be late but…”
Kakashi walked toward the door, a sweat-drop rolling down the back of his head as he grinned under his mask. “Ahh, you see, I was on my way here when I saw an old lady carrying her groceries. They looked very heavy so I stopped to help her.”
“Ohhh! I see, ah, my eternal rival has such a kind heart!! I must prove to you that I have one that is much kinder!!” Gai said as he pointed at Kakashi.
The sweat-drop on Kakashi’s head grew bigger, unable to believe that someone actually believed his lie. He tuned out Gai’s ranting and none too gently shoved the man through the door. He then looked back to the two ANBU and with a slight nod, he walked in.
oooooooooo
Tsunade looked up as Gai stumbled in, but just as he touched the ground, he stuck out his hand and did a flip before somersaulting in the air and landing on his two feet. “YOSH! Tsunade-hime, Kakashi is here!” He yelled as he did a nice guy pose and smiled, his teeth ‘ping’ing in the process.
Tsunade forced a smiled before asking the man to sit, who did so much to the delight of his student.
Kakashi walked in a few seconds later, bowing his head slightly in apology as he greeted the Hokage, “Ohayo Hokage-sama, there were a few problems.”
Tsunade cocked a blonde eyebrow, “And I trust they have been fixed?”
The silver haired Jounin nodded and turned, allowing everyone present in the room to see who it was that entered next. The Genins, Chuunin and Jounins turned in their seats, wondering who it was. The doors opened and there in the doorway, stood the traitor, Uchiha Sasuke, flanked by two ANBU.
The team that had been sent averted their gazes, not wanting to see the boy in all his disgraced form. The girls gasped slightly at his appearance, shocked that the famed survivor of the Uchiha clan was reduced to this.
Uchiha Sasuke struggled against the bonds of the straight jacket but there was nothing he could do. Kakashi was right, it was impossible to get out of his bonds. Not that he could protest, the bottom half of his face was wrapped up in bandages held together tightly with chakra.
The problem that Kakashi had encountered before arriving was because of this. The ANBU had already made sure Sasuke was bound, ready to leave. What was wrong was that they couldn’t get him to shut up, the boy ranting on and on about power and revenge. Thankfully, Kakashi had a few extra bandages with him and had proceeded to gag him, using chakra, he reinforced them; making sure they wouldn’t fall off and keep him quiet at the same time.
oooooooooo
Tears welled up in Sakura’s eyes as she stared at her long time crush. ‘Sasuke-kun…’ She called out silently. Inner Sakura was shocked, and couldn’t voice her opinion. In any normal situation, Sakura would have jumped up and yelled at her sensei for binding her Sasuke up like that. But this was no normal situation; they were dealing with a traitor, one who had nearly killed his best friend and teammate, betrayed the village; all for the quest of power and revenge. She turned her head, eyes clamped shut as she look away. Seeing this, Kurenai reached over and patted her on the hand whispering, “Daijoubu Sakura.”
Sakura nodded before her green eyes darkened a shade, steeling over. Ever since Naruto had returned up till now, she had been doing some soul searching, realizing that not everything revolved around Sasuke. Take Hinata for example, she had been watching the shy girl for quite some time. Shizune and her trained in an area not far from her house and she walked by them everyday. She stood by quietly watching Hinata train hard, in an effort to be recognized by her clan and to protect her friends. Sakura knew that she too had to do the same.
‘It’s time to wake up Sakura. You have to become stronger and show everyone you’re not weak!’ She thought. Inner Sakura yelled out her encouragement, punching her fists in the air.
Shikamaru cast a slight glance to the pink haired girl and smirked slightly, almost as if he could read her thoughts. He couldn’t help feel a little grateful that the Uchiha had tried to betray them, causing a few hearts and eyes to wake up in the process.
Hinata gazed over to her blonde teammate. Naruto was sitting back straight facing the front, his face clenched up in an emotion she could not decipher. She lay a hand on his shoulder trying to comfort him. Naruto flinched slightly before relaxing, he apologized, “Gomen Hime-chan, it’s just that I still can’t stand to look at him after what’s he’s done.”
Hinata nodded slightly and brought her other hand around and held his, “I understand, Naruto-kun.”
Almost as if on cue, Jiraiya appeared in a huge puff of smoke atop, “Ah!! So sorry I’m late!! I was about to leave when three beauties stepped in, I had to GACK!” The white haired pervert was interrupted as a scroll hit him over the head, causing him to falter.
“TSUNADE!” He yelled, only to get hit by another.
“Shut up and sit down!!” She yelled, “You’re late!”
Jiraiya crossed his arms and fumed, he walked toward the chairs and stopped short, “Oi, where’s my seat?”
“Heh, you don’t get one because you were late.” The woman smirked. She was replied with a death glare as the sender made himself comfortable against the wall.
Thankfully, Jiraiya’s sudden appearance and actions lightened the mood ever so slightly. Sasuke was sat down in the last row right at the end as Kakashi sat next to Kurenai. He grinned at Sakura who replied with a small smile. Noticing her actions or lack thereof toward Sasuke, he realized that she had grown up. He smiled to himself, proud of his student.
The ANBU took their places, standing behind Sasuke making sure he wouldn’t try anything funny. They nodded to Kakashi, telling him they would handle it. He then faced the Hokage and grinned, much to her dislike, letting her know she could begin.
oooooooooo
“Gai, your team’s mission today is to go dig up the weeds in Madam Shijimi’s garden. Once you’ve done that, come back to receive your next mission.” Tsunade said as she handed Gai the scroll.
“YOOOOSH!!! Our first mission as a team!! Let’s go!!!” Gai yelled as he received their mission for the day.
“HAI GAI-SENSEI!! I will make sure I pull out all the weeds in the garden as fast as possible, if I cannot do it, I will train myself to do so by…” Lee cried out, pumping a fist in the air.
The two looked at each other as a backdrop of a setting sun suddenly appeared behind them.
“Gai-sensei!!”
“Lee!!”
“Gai-sensei!!”
“Lee!!”
“Gai-sen…!!”
“Oi!” Tsunade interrupted, “I know you two love each other very much but I think we’ve had enough, please return to your seats.”
“Of course, Tsunade-hime.” Gai said, bowing his apologies as he scratched his head.
Jiraiya sniggered but was rewarded with another scroll hitting his head, “Itai!”
Clearing her throat, Tsunade continued, “Asuma, Kurenai, your team will be working together for a while during missions and trainings but the genins are still under the respective senseis, understood?”
Asuma and Kurenai stood and nodded their affirmation, awaiting further instructions. The blonde woman continued, “Your teams have been assigned to escort an old couple Jukodo Sanzo and Emiko. They will be…”
“Ahh!!”
Tsunade looked up from her scroll to see Naruto standing up; eyes and mouth wide open in surprise. “Nani?”
“Ah… oh it’s just that… Hehe…” Naruto chuckled nervously before continuing, “It’s just that I know those people.”
The Godaime cocked her eyebrow, “Oh?? Then how about I give the mission to you then, seeing you know them and all, it would make it much easier.”
“Honto?? Yay!! I can get to see Oji-san and Obaa-san again!” Naruto yelled as he cheered before Neji leaned over his cousin and pulled the jumping boy back into this seat. “Urusai, you’re too noisy.”
Naruto glared at his teammate about to retort when suddenly he burst out laughing, “Ahahaha!! Stop it!! Hahaha it tickles!!!”
The others turned around to look at Naruto as he squirmed around in his seat, patting his jacket, almost as if he was trying to grab something. Just as Kiba was about to laugh at him, a lump appeared in his jacket before an orange bundle of activity jumped out. Naruto fell backwards in his chair only to get caught by Gai who was sitting behind him. But the orange fur ball flew up into the air, Sakura’s eyes widened as she recognized it.
Naruto scrambled to get up but Hinata was already there. Her training had paid off, her quick reflexes enabling her to reach out and catch it. She gasped as the sleek fur touched her arms and gasped louder this time when the bundle growled. The orange animal uncurled, only to reveal itself as a baby fox. It blinked, looking up at Hinata before raising its head and licking Hinata’s face.
The girl giggled as the other kunoichi looked on, crooning over the baby animal. “Naruto, why did you bring it here?” Sakura asked as she scratched the kit behind its ears.
Naruto scratched his head, “I didn’t it followed me.”
Kiba frowned, “Oi Naruto, are you taking care of that?”
The blonde boy nodded, grinning, “That’s why I smelt like a fox, you probably smelled this little thing over here.”
Akamaru barked a reply before hopping into Hinata’s arms as well and began a playful fight with the kit, much to Hinata’s discomfort as she held two squirming animals in her grasp. Their said owners reached over and removed the animals from each other, Kiba smirked at Naruto, “Got to hand it to you dead last, you’ve earned my respect, taking care of an animal like that.”
Naruto grinned, “Heh, thanks Kiba, maybe one day you could give me a few tips in training it too!”
Kakashi’s eye widened, ‘Naruto, you’ve grown… I never expected you to actually know how to ask anyone for tips, much less be smart enough to ask the right person. You certainly have grown a lot since the beginning...’
Sasuke fidgeted next to him, about to stand, but before he could do anything, three hands were already on him, two on his shoulders and one on his right forearm holding him down. “Make one false move Sasuke, and I’ll have to tie you down to the chair as well.”
At the said threat, the raven haired boy growled but sat still. Slowly and hesitantly, the three hands were removed but their attention was not.
Tsunade cleared her throat for the second time that day, “Much as I enjoy this little show, we have to get on with the meeting. If you would all please?”
Naruto grinned sheepishly, “Gomen Baa-cha..!” He never got to finish his sentence as his team’s mission scroll came flying at him and catching him in the forehead. “Heh!! Good thing I got my hitae-ate on, that had no effect.”
He ignored the threatening glare as he sat down, cradling the kit in his arms. But the moment he leaned back in his chair, the baby fox leaped out of his light hold and hopped onto Hinata’s lap. Before she could do anything, the fox was already sitting atop her head, making itself comfortable as it fell asleep again.
Hinata blushed as Naruto cried out softly, “Kawaii! Ne Hime-chan, I think he likes you!!”
She looked up and giggled, “Maybe… Naruto-kun, does he have a name?”
Naruto frowned and shook his head, “No… Iruka-sensei and I haven’t thought of one yet. Maybe you can help me think of one!”
Hinata giggled again, “Maybe, maybe after I’ve spent some time with it, a name for him might come out easier.”
The dense boy’s face scrunched up in thought before he nodded, “Yeah, you’re right!”
“HEY ERO-SENNIN!!! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!!” Naruto yelled as he spied his sensei looking over at Hinata occasionally and giggling before scribbling something in his notebook.
Before anyone could react, a mission scroll was flying across the room, hitting the pervert’s face at full speed. Before he could recover, he was already bent over clutching between his legs, courtesy of a swift kick by Naruto. The boy grabbed the notebook from his grasp and opened it, his mouth falling open as he gawked at it.
Tsunade grabbed her stomach laughing as she watched Naruto get knocked out by a massive nosebleed. Seconds later, he suddenly jumped up recovered, ripped out the page and kicked Jiraiya again for good measure before throwing the book at his head. Naruto stomped back to his seat muttering under his breath before Tsunade’s voice stopped him in his tracks. “Naruto… Didn’t you tear something out? Care to show us??”
Naruto turned around slowly; his head bent hair shadowing his eyes. “Tsunade no Baa-chan…” He growled threateningly, much to the amusement of Tsunade who grinned innocently and held out her hand.
“Give me…” Tsunade repeated, grinning.
Naruto shook his head as he plunged his right hand into his pants pocket; keeping it there he scrambled back to his seat. But before he could make it all the way, Tsunade had already jumped over the desk and grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and held him up. Legs dangling, Naruto struggled, swinging his free arm and kicking wildly at Tsunade who only stretched her hand out further, keeping him at arm’s length.
“Give it to me Naruto or I’ll ban you from the Ichiraku ramen stand!!” She yelled impatient.
Naruto’s eyes widened as he yelled, “No!!”
Tsunade smirked, feeling proud of herself, “Heh, knew you would see it my way, now hand it over.”
“No!!” Naruto yelled, “I meant no I’m not giving it to you no matter what!”
Everyone in the room gasped sharply, what could be of so much value that would cause Naruto, the king of ramen, to agree to being banned from the Ichiraku? They were about to find out.
Meanwhile Jiraiya sniggered before moaning again, clutching between his legs as he rolled on the ground pitifully.
Tsunade sighed, “Fine, whatever. Remember Naruto, you forced me to do this.” At that, she tossed the screaming boy up into the air, grabbing his ankles she hung him upside down and shook him.
Bits of paper, his frog purse and his weapons tumbled out of his pockets and holsters. Tossing him back into his chair, Tsunade bent over, raising the room’s temperature by a few hundred degrees as she did so, and picked up the paper. She smirked as she unfolded it, wondering what it was.
“KAMI-SAMA!!” She yelled out loud before clamping a hand over her mouth.
She looked over at Naruto and grinned evilly, “Tsk tsk Naruto, guess training under Jiraiya affected you in more ways than one huh?”
The said boy looked down blushing as the Hokage and his sensei, who had already recovered from that near death blow, laughed heartily. Tsunade folded the paper in half before placing it back in his hands, “Take good care of it boy, don’t want anybody else seeing it now do you?” Tsunade couldn’t help but grin as she watched Naruto’s blush deepen.
She patted him on the head, ruffling his blonde locks before returning to her desk. “Now, back to business, where were we? Ah yes, escorting Jukodo Sanzo and his wife. Naruto, you and your team will be escorting them to the Tea Country. Apparently they need more textiles and they’ve requested a team of shinobi to escort them and maybe help them with their shopping. They leave Konoha at eleven so be at the west gates before then, understood?”
“Oi Tsunade, do we have to go as well?” Jiraiya asked.
Tsunade smirked, “Anything to keep you from peeking, does that answer your question Jiraiya?”
Jiraiya glared at the woman before crossing his arms and muttering under his breath.
oooooooooo
Shikamaru sighed in frustration as he walked home; the Hokage had only called him to the office just to brief him on working with a Chuunin team and helping her out in the office. Turns out he was going to be paired up with those two Chuunin that had been outside before. “Mou, why did they have to make me a Chuunin, it’s going to be very troublesome from now on.” He muttered under his breath, sighing as he pushed open the door to his house, “I’m home….” He called out in a lazy tone and made his way into the kitchen for a late breakfast. Having woken up late, his mother had thrown him out the house without breakfast, telling him to get to the meeting immediately and not disrespect the Hokage. “Hai hai!” He said before a piece of toast whacked him in the back of his head.
Seeing there was a plate of toast already on the table, he went over to the fridge and took out a carton of milk. He sat down and unfolded the newspaper laid neatly in front and began to read, biting into his toast as he commented to himself, “Ch, what a troublesome thing it must be to write one of these stupid…”
Shikamaru’s words trailed off as someone had grabbed the end of his ponytail and pulled, “Shikamaru! That’s my breakfast you know.”
The young
Shikato slapped his son across the back before moving to the other side of the kitchen to make his own breakfast. “So, what was that meeting about?”
The raven haired youngster groaned, “Urgh, it’s too troublesome to talk about it.”
His father smirked, “Well, you could at least tell me who was there right?”
“Fine, fine!” Shikamaru relented; taking a sip of milk straight from the carton before continuing, “My team, that Hyuuga’s team, dog boy’s team, the Uchiha and his team.”
Shikato frowned for a moment, “And Uzumaki Naruto was the one that brought him back, wasn’t it?”
Shikamaru nodded, “Hai, hai… Apparently he’s got a fox now too.”
At that, the older man suddenly looked up, “Nani??”
The younger boy looked up startled before explaining, “He picked up a stray fox somewhere and was asking Kiba tips on how to train it.”
Shikato nodded slowly but his son was not done, “Besides, I think it would work quite well, considering that what’s-its-name Kyuubi could probably help too.”
With that said, the boy genius pushed away from the table yawning widely as he headed up to his room, missing the look of shock written all over his father’s face. “What in the world… Kami!” He whispered to no one in particular before going back to his breakfast, his mind still digesting that piece of information.
oooooooooo
“Argh! Why do we always have to get the crappy mission?” Ino growled as she walked in front of her sensei. “Asuma-sensei!! It isn’t fair!!”
Asuma drew on his cigarette before answering, smoke blowing out as he did, “Ino, missions are never meant to be exciting, besides they have to be carried out efficiently and since Naruto knows the clients, it makes his job much easier and the mission will be completed in no time. Besides, this mission isn’t too bad, you can take it as training as well.”
Sakura grinned as she turned to look at her friend, “I think you’re only complaining just because their mission is outside of Konoha and they’ll be shopping!”
The pink haired girl smirked before flipping her hair and ignoring her friend’s heated glare. Tenten spoke up then, “Sakura, didn’t your team go on a mission to the Tea Country before?”
Sakura blinked, “Ah yes, how did you know?”
Tenten giggled, “Oh because Hinata told me, apparently Naruto’s been telling her stories, something about Nidaime’s Raijin sword.”
Kurenai and Asuma gasped, “Nani? The Raijin sword you say?”
Sakura nodded, “Hai.”
Shino chose this time to speak up; clearing his throat he asked quietly, “What’s the Raijin sword?”
Kurenai answered, “That is the sword the legendary Second Hokage used in battle but it was stolen. Rumor has it that Morino Ibiki knew something about it but it was never confirmed.”
The pink haired genin nodded again as she continued, “A Konoha Jounin by the name of Aoi stole it and tried to blame it on his student and his brother, Morino Idate and Morino Ibiki. Aoi betrayed Konoha and went to the Rain village. We ran into him on our mission at Tea country and Naruto defeated him, though the Raijin sword was destroyed.”
“Aoi, Morino Idate, Raijin sword… destroyed?” The genjutsu specialist gawked. Even Asuma was shocked, the cigarette between his lips forgotten. Sakura’s three other genin teammates fell silent, listening to the tale.
oooooooooo
“Shikato, are you sure he said that?” A blonde man asked, placing his glass down on the table.
The said man nodded, “Very sure.”
The original Ino-Shika-Chou group sat at a table in a barbecue house facing each other. For once, food wasn’t on Choumaru’s mind. “I trust my son’s judgment in friends, after all, look where he is today?”
Inoshi nodded, “That is true but this IS Uzumaki Naruto we are talking about.”
Shikato frowned, “Well but it seems that my son had nothing of praise for him, or so it seemed to me. I think we should ask our children what they think.”
His friends nodded solemnly, agreeing with his decision. “When shall we do it?”
“Tonight.” Inoshi answered his face unreadable. “At my house tonight.”
oooooooooo
Shikamaru groaned, “What are we doing here, it’s so troublesome.”
Hearing that, his mother whacked him over the head and reprimanded him, “If your father says to go over for dinner, we go. Now stop complaining and get in.”
Following his father he sighed, “Mou… How troublesome.”
“Shikamaru!!!” The said boy winced at the high pitch squeal, “Ino.”
“Shika-kun, guess what!!!” Ino asked excitedly, not waiting for the boy to answer she continued, pulling him toward the living room where Chouji was already waiting. “Guess what Sakura-chan told me today!! Have you heard of the Raijin sword?”
“Hai hai, it belonged to Nidaime until it was stolen three years ago.” He replied in a bored tone.
Chouji spoke up, “Ehh, how did you know Shikamaru?”
Ino hushed him, “He’s a lazy genius that’s why, but anyway, apparently on his last mission, Naruto ran into the thief and defeated him, even though that person was holding that sword. What’s even better was that Naruto destroyed it!!”
“Nani?” Shikamaru asked startled, “Are you sure?”
“Yeah!!! That’s what Sakura told me!!” Ino replied as she shook him by the shoulders.
But before Shikamaru or Chouji could say anymore, their fathers walked into the room. “Children, while your mothers are busy in the kitchen, we would like to talk to you about a certain friend of yours.”
Shikamaru narrowed his eyes
slightly, ‘Kuso, I wonder if this has anything to do with what I said
this morning.’
Shikato spoke up first, “Aside from Shikamaru, do you two know anything about Uzumaki Naruto?”
Chouji frowned, tapping his chin, “Well… he’s a really nice guy and I like him.”
Choumaru smiled and nodded but Inoshi spoke up, “Aside from that.”
Ino blinked, “You mean about the Kyuubi?”
At that, the three men flinched slightly at the name but they nodded. “Who told you?” Inoshi asked.
Shikamaru chose this time to speak up, “If this is about him being the Kyuubi, that’s where you’re wrong. Kyuubi and Naruto are not the same thing; he’s just its prison, keeping Kyuubi away from us. And this is what I heard straight from Naruto’s lips, ‘I will never let Kyuubi hurt any of my precious people.’ If you’re going to ask us to keep away from him, that’s where you’re wrong because Naruto is our FRIEND! Not some demon that destroyed the village!!!”
As Shikamaru caught his breath, the others blinked. Ino giggled and wrapped her arms around his waist, “That’s the most I’ve ever heard you say Shika-kun.”
The boy flushed a little in embarrassment, knowing he had lost control, but if his parents were going to keep him away from Naruto, then he would do anything to prevent it from happening.
The three men looked at each other before bursting into laughter, “We weren’t expecting that but it’s good to know that you’re getting along well with him.” Inoshi explained. “All we wanted to know was who told you his secret as there was a rule against telling the younger generation.”
Chouji spoke up, “Naruto did, because he said as his friends, we had a right to know.”
His father walked over and patted him on the shoulders, “That’s good son, that’s very good.”
Shikato sat down and grinned, “Yeah, personally we didn’t really like the way the other villagers were treating him. We’re just glad you accepted him the way he was.”
His blonde counterpart nodded, sitting down as well. Inoshi smirked however as he changed the topic, “And when were you two planning on telling us you got together?”
“Daddy!!!”
oooooooooo
Sasuke remained silent throughout the whole trip back to his house, courtesy of the gag still attached. Though he kept shooting his sensei and the two ANBU guards death glares at which they pointedly ignored.
Kakashi opened the door and led Sasuke in, “As you heard Hokage-sama’s instructions, you are supposed to pack what is necessary for this, this includes clothes, personal items you might wish to take along and your weapons. Remember you will be gone from Konoha for quite a while so think about it. We’ll leave you alone in here for a while but mind you Sasuke, try anything funny and we will not hesitate to take you down.”
At that, Kakashi released the chakra binding him together and untied the straightjacket. Sasuke massaged his wrists and his shoulders, trying to get circulation back into them before turning his back on them and stepping into his bedroom.
Inside, Sasuke sat on his bed recalling the meeting. He was trying his best to ignore his surroundings but that dobe had gotten all the attention again, his included, even if he had not wanted to. All because of that stupid fox he brought. ‘Why in the world would the dobe carry a fox around with him anyway?’ He thought as he fingered the kunai he picked off the floor.
Snorting he set about the task at hand and began packing his bag, his thoughts straying toward a certain pink headed genin. He frowned remembering how the girl had not so much as flinched or come to his rescue when he appeared like that. If his memory served him right, Sakura always jumped to his defense, whether he asked for it or not. But why was it that she did not do that today?
‘Could it be that trying
to leave this pathetic village was wrong? But it cannot do anything for me.
The Hokage said this mission is to train me and protect me from harm. What
harm is there going to be? Could it be Orochimaru? Kakashi did say all he
wanted was my body…’
Sasuke stood up and walked to his dresser, looking at his reflection, he realized that the Sharingan had become activated. He stared into the three swirls, but instead of seeing himself, he only saw his brother. “Uchiha… Itachi.”
‘Hokage says Kakashi will
train me to become stronger. I’ll follow him and see how it goes. If I don’t
get any stronger, I will leave…’
Sasuke grabbed the kunai in his hand and slashed it across the palm of his other. He clenched his left fist and growled, “With this blood, I swear… I will kill you Uchiha Itachi… I will kill you!!”
With that he threw the kunai across the room and sat about finishing his task.
oooooooooo
Sasuke stood outside Naruto’s apartment, waiting for the blonde owner to open it. Apparently, Kakashi had received a missive from the Hokage, saying that Naruto wished to see the raven haired Uchiha.
The boy knocked on the door but no one answered. Seeing this, he kicked the door open, much to the ANBU guards’ shock, only to find himself standing inside an empty apartment. Suddenly Kakashi appeared in a puff of smoke, “Sasuke, what are you doing here? Didn’t I tell you that Naruto wanted to see you?”
Sasuke glared at the silver haired man, “There’s nothing here.”
“Ahh, you see, Naruto moved in with Iruka-sensei weeks ago.” Kakashi grinned, “He was tired of getting his house trashed.”
Coal colored eyes narrowed but Sasuke didn’t say anything. He turned on his heel and headed straight for his previous sensei’s house.
There Naruto was, already waiting. Dressed in his normal orange colored jumpsuit, he was easy to spot from a mile away. Only thing was, he was hanging upside down from a tree. “Kakashi-sensei!!”
He yelled before dropping onto the ground feet first. Spying the boy next to him, he nodded slightly, frowning a little. “Sasuke…”
“Hn.”
Naruto looked toward Kakashi, “Sensei… may I speak with him alone? Please, he deserves to know the truth as well.”
The silver haired Jounin sighed and nodded. Looking toward the two ANBU he signaled them to do the same, but not before looking toward Sasuke, “We’ll be watching, Sasuke.”
The trio jumped away, into a nearby tree where they kept watch but were unable to hear anything, giving the boys some privacy.
“Kakashi-san, are you sure that is alright?” The wolf masked ANBU asked.
His partner in the bear mask looked toward the Jounin, “After all, Sandaime made it a rule to never tell any of the younger generation.”
Kakashi smiled, “It is his choice to tell, after all, he did tell the other genins and they still accepted him as he was.” ‘Besides, Sasuke needs to learn a thing or two from Naruto.’ He added silently.
“Sasuke…” Naruto began, albeit a little hesitant but his teammate beat him to it first.
“Kakashi said all power comes with a price, power would have been mine had you let me go to Orochimaru. But Kakashi said that all he wanted was my body and the Sharingan.”
Naruto nodded slowly, “Yeah, that’s what Kimimaro said when I asked him. You should be thankful I brought you back Sasuke… Otherwise…”
“Otherwise what? Ch!” Sasuke scoffed before glaring at Naruto. “What was your price to pay then, dobe? After all, you had such overwhelming power when you defeated me.”
Naruto looked away suddenly, surprising Sasuke a little who covered it up immediately. “What do you know of Kyuubi?”
Sasuke glared, “The fourth Hokage killed it. Don’t know why he would risk his life to save such a pathetic village anyway.”
Naruto growled, “Don’t you dare say that. Yondaime risked his life saving this village; I would risk everything I had as well to protect this place.”
“This? This junk you call home?”
“What do you know Sasuke; all
you care about is power and revenge. Doesn’t the word precious person mean
anything to you?”
Sasuke’s glare intensified as he turned on Naruto, “My precious persons were destroyed by the man I called brother. How does that sound?”
“What of your team Sasuke? Kakashi-sensei, Sakura-chan? What about everyone else in this village? What about me?!” Naruto yelled, his temper rising.
“You are all nothing! You are all things that stand in my quest for gaining power and revenge!”
On hearing this, Naruto’s voice dropped to barely a whisper. But his voice was so cold, so cold that it struck fear into Sasuke’s heart. “If that’s all you think about, then I, more than anyone else deserve to take revenge on this village. Think about it Sasuke. Why do the villagers hate me so much, why do they glare at me with such contempt in their eyes? Because I have Kyuubi sealed in me… With the way they treat me, shouldn’t I get first dibs on revenge?”
Sasuke took a step back in fear at the gleam in Naruto’s eyes. ‘This… this is not Naruto… It cannot be!!’
But before he could say anything, Naruto turned his back on Sasuke and headed back into the house. He stopped though, at the door, “But I found my precious people Sasuke, and they brought me out of the darkness I called hell. If they had not, I could have ended up like Gaara or worse.”
At that, Naruto slammed the door shut; leaving a shocked and speechless Sasuke slumped on his knees outside.