By Chibified Kitsunes
(Day 1 of mission)
“IKUZO!”
Neji and Jiraiya smirked at the display of enthusiasm; Hinata couldn’t help but giggle as she watched her boyfriend skip out of Konoha, leading the way to Tea Country.
“Ano… Jukodo-san,” she started as she turned to Sanzo “why are we going to Tea Country instead of one of the nearby villagers for material?”
Sanzo smiled, “Well you see,
my wife and I were originally from
Shizune gasped, “What did you do? You had to have done something otherwise you would not be in Konoha now.”
Sanzo looked over at his wife who smiled back and continued. “That’s where the Boss of the district came in. He helped us to recoup our losses and to rebuild our shop, paying for all the repairs. We were so grateful to him and offered to repay him one day but he refused. He was so kind.”
Jiraiya turned around and asked, “He wouldn’t be Jirochou of the Wasabi clan would he?”
Emiko nodded, “Hai, how did you know?”
The white haired sennin grinned, “Ah well, just a guess.”
Naruto stopped in mid step and bounded over to the couple, “Boss Jirochou helped you? I knew he was a nice man!!”
Neji glanced at Naruto, “You know him?”
The blonde boy grinned cheekily, “Yep! Just ask Hinata-chan, ne Hinata-chan?” He asked as he turned to her.
Hinata giggled and agreed, “Naruto-kun tells me stories.”
Naruto laughed boisterously and hopped over to his girlfriend and slung his arm over her shoulders and drew her close, “Ne Ojii-san, Obaa-san! Meet my girlfriend Hinata-chan!!”
Emiko smiled in a motherly like way, “Ohh your girlfriend huh? Hinata-chan, is Naruto-kun taking good care of you?”
Hinata giggled and blushed slightly before nodding, “Hai, he takes me out often.”
Jiraiya chuckled loudly, “Now I know why you were so uptight yesterday at the office!! She’s your girlfriend!! Hohohohoho!!!”
“ERO-SENNIN!! If I catch you peeking at Hinata-chan or Shizune-neechan, you are so dead! You hear me!!” Naruto yelled as he pointed an accusing finger at his frantic sensei.
“Naruto! How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that in public!!?” The older man warned.
Neji frowned, ‘He really is a pervert…Why do I always get the stupid teams… At least there’s always one normal person in them.’ He thought as he looked over at a laughing Shizune and Hinata.
He sighed quietly to himself, missing the good old days with Tenten. After their training routine of her throwing all her available weapons at him and him deflecting them, they would lie on the ground in exhaustion, quietly listening to their surroundings in peace. But now, looking over at his blonde teammate and perverted sensei, he knew those days were over.
He counted himself lucky though, having spent some time with his girlfriend the evening before.
>>Flashback begins<<
“Neji!” Tenten called out
as she ran toward him.
Neji turned around, a small
smile on his face, but that was already enough to lift Tenten’s spirits to
greater heights.
The brunette fell into step
beside her boyfriend, hands clasped behind her back, “You’re leaving tomorrow.”
“It’s just a week; it’ll
fly by in no time.” He answered
Tenten nodded, “Yeah…”
Neji asked curious, “So
what are you going to be wearing for your mission?”
She smiled wryly, “A kimono…
I don’t know how I’m even going to fight in it but it’s the standard uniform
so we’ll all have to go with it.”
Neji smiled quietly, “You’ll
do fine, I know you will.”
Tenten stopped and turned
to Neji, “Arigatou Neji. I know your mission is pretty easy and all, but be
careful ne?”
The white eyed boy nodded
and continued on his way, but not before sliding his right hand into her left,
entwining their fingers together.
>>Flashback ends<<
“Neji, Oi Neji!!”
The said boy looked up at his name being called, only to find his team a few feet ahead of him waiting. “Kuso.” He muttered under his breath before making his way toward them.
By mid afternoon, the party
had already reached
Naruto stopped in mid sentence before turning to Sanzo, “Ne Ojii-san, are we going to meet Jirochou-oyabun?”
Emiko laughed and nodded, “And how did you know Naruto-kun?”
The blonde boy sniffed and turned toward Hinata who smiled back, having heard his story before. “Hehe, I was in Tea Country recently when that annual race thing was on and my team was assigned to guard the Wasabi clan’s racer.”
Sanzo raised his eyebrows, “Oh?? And I take it that you succeeded?”
Naruto nodded vigorously, “Yep! That’s why Jirochou-oyabun’s running the district now isn’t he!”
The older man smiled as he ruffled the boy’s golden locks, “Come on, we should get going now.”
Naruto slid his hand into Hinata’s and held onto it tightly as he walked next to her. “Ne Hime-chan,” he whispered “Maybe if Ojii-san let us have some time off I could bring you around town.”
Hinata nodded shyly and whispered back, “I would like that Naruto-kun.”
“Naruto-kun…”
“Nande Hime-chan?”
“What’s Jirochou-oyabun like?” The blue haired kunoichi asked curious.
Naruto tapped his chin and frowned thoughtfully, “I don’t know, I just know he’s really nice and all.”
“Is that all you can say about Oyabun?”
Both Naruto and Hinata turned around at the voice, “IDATE??” the blonde screamed.
“Glad to see you again Naruto!” The said teen grinned waving cheerfully. He sobered though as he walked up to Sanzo and his wife. “You must be Jukodo-san, Jirochou-oyabun knows you are coming and he requests your presence.”
Sanzo grinned, “Ahh, and you must be Idate-kun. I have heard a great deal about you from Jirochou in his letters.”
Idate bowed his thanks and greeting before stepping aside, an arm outstretched as he said, “Thank you Jukodo-san, if you would please follow me.”
Naruto grabbed Hinata’s wrist and skipped forward, “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s set off already, lead the way Idate!”
Hinata giggled at her boyfriend’s antics, but that action alone attracted the black haired boy’s attention. “Ohhh, and who might this be?? She’s even prettier than that pink haired one!”
Naruto’s eyes narrowed as he glared daggers at Idate; Neji, seeing this stepped forward protectively. Jiraiya chuckled boisterously before taking the lead, joking about teenage hormones raging. The other three adults joined in the laughter as they walked off, leaving the four teens behind.
The two male Konoha genins’ tempers were rising as they watched Idate flirt shamelessly with the blushing Hinata. But when Idate finally made a move to take Hinata’s hand and ask her for her hand in marriage, it was the last straw. Both males lunged at him, fists raised to hit him but the older teen jumped to safety clutching his sides laughing.
“Kami-sama!! You should have seen your faces!!!” Idate laughed as he pointed at the two males. He straightened his back, smothering the last of his laughter and smacked Naruto on his back saying, “Don’t worry Naruto, I know she’s your girl. And the Hyuuga must be her brother or something.”
Neji narrowed his eyes, “Cousin. And how did you know we are Hyuugas?”
Hinata cut in and answered, “He was from Konoha.”
Idate raised his eyebrows in surprise, “How did you know that?”
The shy girl gasped, blushing as she covered her mouth, realizing she had spoken out of place. Naruto grinned and wrapped an arm over her shoulder in an almost comforting gesture and replied, “I tell her stories.”
Idate grinned, “Great! So I trust you told her how I, the great Morino Idate won the Todoroki Shrine Offering Race that secured Oyabun’s reign over Degarashi Port then.”
Naruto snorted, “What do you mean you? If it weren’t for me, you would have died!”
As the two got into an argument, Neji turned to Hinata and asked, “Hinata-sama, is this Idate by chance related to Morino Ibiki, the first examiner in the Chuunin exams?”
Hinata nodded before asking Neji a question, “Ano… Neji-niisan, don’t you think we should get going now?”
The white eyed boy glanced briefly at the two still arguing males and nodded. He walked over to the pair and pulled Naruto by his collar before glaring at Idate, silently ordering him to lead the way.
The Morino huffed before spinning on his heel, Neji following closely behind. Naruto reached over and grasped Hinata’s hand, who blushed again, this time in embarrassment.
Seeing this, Naruto leant in till their noses were almost touching. “Gomen ne Hime-chan, I should have known Idate would do that. Last time he asked Sakura-chan to marry him too.”
Hinata giggled a little, her blush subsiding, “Daijoubu Naruto-kun… I was just a little surprised.”
“Ano… Naruto-kun… Idate-san and Neji-niisan are gone…” Hinata whispered softly, not really wanting to leave.
Naruto jumped backward and yelled, “NANI?????”
He looked around and realized without a doubt, the two other males had left them. He growled under his breath before turning back to Hinata. “Daijoubu Hime-chan! I know the way!!” He kissed her lightly on the cheek before reaching for her hand and heading off.
Hinata giggled and pulled back on his hand and pointed in the other direction, “Naruto-kun, they went that way.”
The blonde kitsune grinned sheepishly as he scratched his scarred cheek, “Oops.”
It took four wrong turns, three wrong houses and two dead ends before Naruto and Hinata stopped to ask for directions. Finally they were standing outside a big mansion. Their guide had said it was the residence of the Wasabi clan before wandering back to what he had been doing.
“Ano Naruto-kun, are you sure of it this time?” Hinata asked, a little hesitant on entering without knocking, having barged into two other houses before.
Naruto grinned, “Sure!!! I’m the future Hokage!!” With that proclaimed, Naruto burst through the doors only to get hit over the head. “ITAI!” He cried out as he fell to the ground clutching his head.
His eyes widened as he stared up at his sensei, “Ero-sennin what the hell was that for?” Naruto yelled.
Jiraiya glared back, “Hmph that was for falling behind. Now get in, everyone’s been waiting for you.”
Naruto huffed at Jiraiya before running in, dragging an apologising Hinata behind him. Jiraiya smirked to himself, “Now she’s a nice one.”
Just as Naruto reached the door, Hinata pulled him back lightly by the arm and stepped forward. She knocked lightly on the door, whispering to Naruto that it was only polite. The whiskered boy nodded meekly, knowing that his girlfriend knew the basic rules.
Inside Jirochou looked up and smiled, “Ahhh, it must be Naruto-kun. You may enter.”
Hinata slid open the shouji door and bowed slightly, apologising for their lateness before stepping in. Seeing this, Naruto followed suit; though he hopped in and greeted Jirochou in his normal loud and friendly manner.
“Jirochou-oyabun!!! How have you been?” Naruto asked as he plonked himself next to his black haired teammate.
Jirochou chuckled and replied the greeting, “Ahh, I have been well Naruto-kun. Thank you for asking. Now then, shall we get on?”
Sanzo bowed his head slightly,
“Jirochou-sama, thanks to you my wife and I managed
to recoup our losses. Recently we also heard that
Jirochou
nodded, “Yes, since I took over the district, I wanted to make things right
by brining the economy up again. The growing of silk and cotton has proven
to be a good investment, merchants from the different districts and countries
have arrived, bringing different goods to trade with. Would that be the reason
you’re back here at
Emiko nodded, “You are still as observant as ever Jirochou-sama.”
Jirochou smiled and waved his hand, “Oh please don’t address me as that, Jirochou-san is fine.”
Sanzo bent over, touching his forehead to the ground in respect, “Arigatou Jirochou-san. If that will be all, we shall take our leave and look for an inn to rest in.”
Jirochou raised his eyebrow, “Oh? You haven’t found a place to stay in yet? That’s even better!” He turned to Idate who nodded, standing up, he made his way over to the door and left.
The district boss continued, “You are all welcome to stay in my residence, Idate shall show you to your rooms.” With that said, Jirochou rose from his seat, the room’s occupants following suit.
“Anosa anosa, Ojii-san!” Naruto yelled out as he scrambled up from the floor. “What about the mission?”
Sanzo grinned, “Well, seeing it’s almost evening I think its best we start tomorrow, don’t you think Emiko?”
Emiko nodded before adding, “Besides, we would like to catch up on old times with Jirochou-san. Why don’t you and Hinata-chan go see the sights or something.”
Jirochou chuckled, “Hinata-chan, is she your girlfriend?”
Hinata blushed, clutching the hem of her skirt as Naruto brought his arm around her waist pulling her close. “Yup! Isn’t she pretty?”
Hinata’s blush deepened further as Jirochou nodded his approval before leading the group out of the room. Outside Idate waited with two servants, ready to show them to their rooms. “Oyabun, the tea has been prepared in the next room.”
Jirochou smiled to Idate and gave him one last set of instructions before heading over to the next room; Emiko and Sanzo handed their belongings over to a servant before following him.
As the group watched the three older people walk off, Idate spoke up. “Oyabun wants me to bring you around to see some of the sights. I’ll just show you to your rooms first so you can set your belongings down before leaving.”
Naruto spoke up, “Oi Idate, can Hinata-chan and I just go first, I want to show her something else.”
The black haired boy grinned knowingly before stretching out his hand, signaling for Naruto to hand over his backpack. “Give your stuff to me, I’ll put them in your rooms for you.”
Hinata and Naruto did as asked, thanking the male. Neji however glared at the blonde and muttered under his breath so only Naruto could hear. The spiky haired boy glared back before nodding, much to the curiosity of Hinata and Shizune. Jiraiya chuckled under his breath before throwing his bag at Idate, “Here boy, I’m doing my own sight-seeing.”
Naruto and Neji turned their heads and glared at their teacher, the louder boy yelling out, “Yeah right ero-sennin! More like you’re going to go peek at some girls!!”
Jiraiya turned and grabbed Naruto by his collar, lifting him off the ground, “How many times do I have to tell you!!!”
The blonde boy stuck out his tongue and formed his hands into his favorite seal, “Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!!!”
The sennin smirked, knowing the boy couldn’t do anything. After all, he was holding the real Naruto in his hands. But before Jiraiya could do anything, the clone lunged at him and kicked him, right in his most sensitive spot. Jiraiya choked, letting go of Naruto before he double over, clutching his injured spot in pain. Idate howled with laughter, even Shizune couldn’t resist a giggle or two. Having been forewarned by Tsunade, Shizune had come to expect the unexpected from the two. Neji smirked silently, approving of the punishment his teammate had bestowed on their sensei. Only Hinata seemed upset about it, though Naruto reassured her that the pervert would be fine and he deserved it.
Hinata nodded hesitantly but before she could say anything else, she was already being pulled toward the door. “We’ll see you tonight!! Won’t be back for dinner though!!” Naruto yelled out as he passed through the doors.
The blue haired girl stumbled after her boyfriend before catching up. Jogging aside Naruto now, she turned to him and asked, “Ano Naruto-kun, where are we going?”
Naruto turned over to Hinata and grinned, “It’s a surprise.”
The white eyed girl blinked in confusion as Naruto suddenly stopped and pulled his hitae-ate off. She opened her mouth in protest as Naruto slid it over her eyes but he silenced her with a kiss. “Trust me Hime-chan, you’ll love it.”
Hinata blushed as she nodded. “And don’t use your Byakugan either!” Her blush deepened further, knowing that Naruto had guessed she would peek. “Alright Naruto-kun, I promise.”
Naruto grinned as he bent over in front of Hinata and whispered, “Good girl.” Before placing a light kiss on her lips.
Had a cloth been placed over Hinata’s face, it surely would have caught fire from the heat of her blush. Naruto pulled back, a slight red tingeing his cheeks. He grabbed the blue haired girl’s hand as he bent over, directing her to get onto his back. “Hime-chan, climb up, if we don’t get there in time we’ll miss it.”
Hinata nodded and stumbled toward Naruto, fumbling around, she finally brought her arms around his neck and hopped on. “Naruto-kun, are you sure this is ok?”
Naruto glanced back, “Sure!! Daijoubu Hime-chan, I won’t drop you.”
“De…Demo Naruto-kun, I’m wearing a short dress, what would people think?” Hinata stammered, a little embarrassed.
Naruto looked down as he realized the problem, turning away quickly when he realized his gaze lingered a little too long. ‘Kuso ero-sennin!! This is all your fault!! If I become a hentai like you, I’m going to kill you!!!’
He set Hinata lightly on the ground and unzipped his orange jumper, “I’ve got an idea. Take off the blindfold for a while Hime-chan.”
Hinata did as asked and blinked when Naruto placed his jumper in her hands, she looked up confused. The blonde boy looked away as he scratched his head in embarrassment, “Tie it around your waist.”
The white eyed girl smiled gently and raised herself on the tip of her toes as she pecked Naruto lightly on his cheek, “Arigatou Naruto-kun.”
Naruto blushed and turned his back, signaling for Hinata to get on. She pulled the two sleeves into a knot, rearranged the jacket to cover her exposed legs and climbed on. Replacing the makeshift blindfold, she leant over saying, “Naruto-kun, we can go now.”
With a burst of energy, Naruto took off. More surprised than frightened, Hinata’s arms clung tightly around Naruto’s neck. Realizing his mistake, he slowed down a little as he tightened his grip on Hinata. “Gomen Hime-chan, daijoubu, I won’t drop you.”
Hinata giggled, “Daijoubu Naruto-kun, I’m ok, I was just a little surprised. I trust you.”
Before long, Naruto finally came to a stop. Hinata’s hands itched to remove her blindfold but Naruto had not yet told her to do so. She was curious though, as the scent of salt wafted into her nose.
“Na… Naruto-kun, where are we?” Hinata asked curious to know where she was exactly.
The boy grinned widely, forgetting that Hinata was blindfolded, “I told you it was a surprise!”
“Naruto-kun!” Hinata protested, stomping her foot lightly as she frowned..
The mischievous boy chuckled, “Don’t frown Hime-chan, it makes you look less pretty.”
Hearing that, Hinata blushed to the roots of her hair, not sure if she felt flattered or insulted by the boy’s blunt honesty. Naruto chuckled again as he directed Hinata forward. The blind girl stumbled a few steps, almost falling but her boyfriend was always there to catch her. As he pulled her down next to him, Hinata leant her head on his shoulder, breathing in the scent that was uniquely Naruto. There was always a hint of ramen but he always smelled of the earth, showing that he spent most of his time training.
Suddenly, Naruto said, “Here it comes Hime-chan, are you ready?” With that he removed his hitae-ate from her eyes. Hinata blinked rapidly, trying to get used to seeing again. As her vision cleared, she gasped, taking in the scene in front of her. She now knew where the smell of salt had come from; they were standing in front of the sea.
Hinata’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears at the beautiful sight in front of her. The pair stood atop a hill overlooking the dock and the sea. But what caught her breath was the colors playing across the sky as the sun set.
“Kirei…” Sitting up she whispered, bringing her hands up to her mouth.
The blonde boy nodded, “Yeah, so beautiful…” agreeing as he stared dumbly at the girl next to him.
Hinata turned about to thank him for taking her here when she saw the lovesick look plastered on his face. She giggled softly before squeezing his hand. “Naruto-kun… you look silly.”
This time it was Naruto’s turn to blush as he gazed down at Hinata. He hadn’t meant to say that, the words had just rolled out. With the sun setting behind the clouds and into the sea, it cast a play of shadows across the pair. Naruto’s fingers came up to caress Hinata’s cheek as her hand came up to trace his whiskers. The blonde boy leaned his head into her hand as his own crept to grasp it.
Naruto smiled as he entwined his fingers into her own and proceeded to sit down on the grass, pulling her down by the hand with him so that she sat between his legs before wrapping his arms around her. She leaned back, admiring the display of colors stretching across the evening sky. The two stayed there for what seemed like hours watching the sun disappear into the sea.
Hinata sighed wistfully as Naruto’s arms tightened around her. Just then, the cool sea breeze drifted past them, eliciting a shiver from the girl. Naruto frowned and untied the jacket around Hinata’s waist.
“Are you cold Hime-chan, you should put on my jacket.” He instructed her as he motioned the girl to stand up.
Hinata did as told and smiled as Naruto zipped the jacket up to her chin. “We should go for dinner now huh?”
Just as she opened her mouth to answer, a growl resounded. Hinata and Naruto blinked as they looked at each other.
“Wow Hime-chan, you sure seem hungry.” Naruto joked.
Hinata shook her head, her eyes wide, “It wasn’t me!!”
“Grrrr…”
“There it is again!” Hinata whispered, suddenly afraid that it might be a wild animal of some sorts.
The bushes behind them rustled and Naruto jumped in front of Hinata, a kunai in hand. The rustling got louder and just as Naruto was about to let his kunai fly, a kitsune came bundling out.
Hinata squealed with delight as the kit shot past Naruto and hopped straight into her arms. Naruto scratched his head chuckling, “He really does like you Hime-chan!!”
The girl giggled as the kitsune licked her face playfully, nodding.
He narrowed his eyes though when he saw a piece of string tied around his front paw. Taking hold of its right paw he untied the string and raised his eyebrows as a scroll dropped onto the ground. ‘A scroll? I didn’t see that.’
“Naruto-kun, what’s that?” Hinata asked as she dodged another lick from the playful kitsune.
Naruto picked up the scroll and opened it, “It’s a scroll…” His grin appeared again as his eyes scanned the piece of paper, “And it’s from Iruka-sensei!”
“Hi Naruto, hope your journey
to Tea Country has been a breeze. I know it’s barely been a day since you’ve
left but the kit has been a bundle of energy and I can’t keep up with it.
I had to practically drag it to class this morning and tie it up just to keep
it from going after you. But by mid day, I knew it was useless, I attached
this message to the kit so you would know why it was here. The scroll had
a genjutsu placed over it and knowing how useless
you are in detecting genjutsus, I allowed the string
to be visible. Take good care of yourself and the kit Naruto and I’ll see
you in a week.
Iruka-sensei
Ps: Send my greetings to
your teammates, especially Jiraiya-sama and Shizune-san. Remember Naruto;
always treat your elders with respect.”
Naruto grinned as he saw an angry looking Iruka drawn next to the word respect. Folding the piece of paper neatly, he tucked it into his pants, where another ‘treasured’ piece of paper lay.
Hinata giggled, scolding the kit in her arms, “You playful little thing, you gave Iruka-sensei trouble and you dare run to us?”
The kit yipped as it playfully nipped Hinata on the nose and yipped again, almost as if it was saying, “So what?”
Naruto laughed out loud as he grabbed Hinata around her waist and swung her around. Girl and kit squealed happily, feeling the wind rush past them over and over again.
“Yosh!” Naruto cried out as he put Hinata down, “let’s go for dinner!!”
With the kit safely tucked in the orange jacket next to Hinata, Naruto picked her up and rushed to the nearest ramen stand. As three stomachs growled, the coin purse in Naruto’s pocket jingled with the amount of coins in it. Almost as if it knew it would soon be emptied.
oooooooooo
(Day 2 of
Kiba growled under his breath as he mercilessly ripped out another weed, pulling out a chunk of soil in the process. Seeing this he growled again in frustration. Picking the dirt up, he slammed it back into the ground. It was not his day, definitely not his day.
It was already the third day his team had been working on the garden and they were not even halfway through it yet. Kiba had thought that it would be a simple enough task; seeing the Hokage had told them to return for their next mission after they were done with the garden. Boy was she wrong, this so called half a day task would take at least weeks to finish. And the weather was not helping either. It had rained in the morning and the dark sky showed that the storm was obviously not going to clear anytime soon.
The brash boy looked over the huge garden over to his sane teammate who sat under a tree eating yet another packet of chips. Groaning, he stood up and made his way under the shade over to the Akimichi.
“Oi, you’re supposed to be flattening the ground.” Kiba barked as he pointed at the turf. It was a wonder how the feudal lord of Konoha could let his gardens come to such ruins. Potholes littered the ground as weeds grew where other flora and fauna did.
“I’m hungry!” Came the nonchalant reply.
Kiba frowned, “You just took a break fifteen minutes ago saying you wanted to stop for lunch!!”
Chouji grinned as he shoved another handful of chips in his mouth, “Well, I’m hungry again!”
“NO WONDER YOU’RE SO FAT!!” The young dog handler yelled out, immediately regretting it when he saw Chouji bend his head down, so that his eyes were shrouded by the shadows.
“Oh shit…” He muttered under his breath, knowing just what was coming.
“AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!” He yelled as he turned tail and ran, a humongous human ball rolling after him yelling, “I’M NOT FAT, JUST BIG BONED!!!!”
“Oh shit oh shit oh shit!! I forgot it was taboo to say that!!!”
Gai and Lee returned to the feudal lord’s residence, only to find the garden in a mess, even worse than it had been before. Grass had been torn up, the rose bushes that Madam Shijime had been so proud of trampled and worse, her cat’s playpen destroyed. The only good thing though, the potholes were now gone, the entire turf leveled.
They were rendered speechless by the amount of destruction. Gai shook his head and stepped forward, “Chouji-kun! Kiba-kun!!”
Kiba jumped off a nearby tree and landed a few feet in front of his sensei. Gai frowned as he looked over Kiba’s rugged appearance. Leaves were sticking out of his hair, mud covering his face and clothes. “Where is your other teammate?”
Lee swallowed; he had never seen his sensei this serious before. Probably except for the first time he taught him the kinjutsu when he explained the risks involved. Kiba looked at his feet and pointed at a nearby bush, “He ran out of chakra.”
“EXPLAIN YOURSELVES! WHY HAVE YOU TWO RUINED SUCH A BEAUTIFUL GARDEN? ESPECIALLY ONE THAT WAS TEEMING WITH SO MUCH LIFE!?” Gai yelled.
Kiba mentally rolled his eyes at his sensei’s question. ‘Beautiful my ass. Life? This garden was already dead to begin with.’
“I called Chouji the ‘F’ word.” He answered, afraid to use the dreaded word.
Lee gasped, “You mean THAT “F” word???” He asked in horror, thinking it was THAT “F” word.
Eyes mentally rolled again, “No you idiot, F-A-T, FAT!” He said before slapping his hand over his mouth, realising he had said it again.
“I’M NOT FAT!!! I’M JUST BIG BONED!!!” Came the terse reply, teeming with anger and force.
Gai smiled, “Ahh, Chouji-kun! I’m glad to see that you are still as passionate as ever even in your moment of weakness.”
Chouji stumbled out of the bushes and slumped against the tree trunk, also looking as muddy as his teammate. He grinned weakly and ripped open another packet of chips before digging in, trying to replenish his chakra supply.
“Now now, seeing you two youngsters are brimming with life and energy, we should get back to work to restore this wondrous garden and make it as colorful as possible for beautiful Madam Shijimi’s glorious garden party!!” Gai enthusiastically announced as he directed his eager younger double toward the mess.
Kiba and Chouji groaned in disappointment. “Oh great, I hate this mission more and more.”
Chouji nodded, shoulders slumped, and the two went about making amends to the mess they had created. Kiba went and grabbed a trash bag and began to help Chouji rake the weeds, ruined roses and twigs into a pile in the centre of the garden. Considering the place was already so big, it took them almost three hours. But they would have taken longer had Lee not helped out. After all, Lee was all speed and very hardworking as well.
Finally, the three boys stood in front of a pile of black trash bags panting. Well, two of them were panting, the black mushroom haired boy was merely grinning proudly. “Gai-sensei will be so proud of us!!” He said.
Kiba snorted, “Don’t you get all happy and stuff, we’ve still got to replant those rose bushes. Where did sensei go anyway?”
“He said (munch) something about (munch) getting new rose bushes (munch) and would be (munch) back in a while.” Chouji recalled.
The dog boy glared at Chouji, “What the heck are you doing eating at a time like this?”
The round Akimichi merely grinned as he shoved another handful of chips into his mouth, not bothering to explain. Obviously Kiba had forgotten the Chouji could regain his strength and chakra by eating, but he was not going to point it out.
Suddenly in a blink of an eye, Gai stood in front of the trio atop the garbage bags. “Ahhh, my wonderful students, I see that you have made me proud and completed the task of cleaning up. Now we have to replant the rose bushes and mow the lawn!! In a matter of hours, this will be a wondrous place to have a party!!”
‘Hours?? I highly doubt it…’ Kiba groaned as he kicked at the ground.
“Yosh!! If I don’t plant at least half of these rose bushes by the end of today, I shall kick a tree ten thousand times, do three hundred push ups and run around the village thirty times!!” Lee cried out.
Rivulet of tears rolled down Gai’s face. “Lee!!! As always, you are worthy of the title Green Beast of Konoha; you do your sensei proud!!! The youth of today have so much life in them, just like how spring arrives every year!!”
Almost as if on cue, a backdrop of a setting sun appeared behind them. Kiba and Chouji face faulted as they watched sensei and student run towards each other.
“Gai-sensei!!”
“Lee!”
“Gai-sensei!!”
“Lee!”
“Gai-sen…!” “Let’s go big guy, I’ve had enough of this.” Was all Kiba could say as he turned back to his job. ‘I wish Akamaru were here, then I wouldn’t be that bored.’
When Madam Shijimi realized that one of the genins owned a dog, she had immediately tossed the group out of her house. Kiba was very happy to leave though, seeing he was allergic to cats. He had spent the whole time sneezing away when Tora the cat had been brought in. Realizing that it was because of Akamaru that they couldn’t complete the mission, Gai and the rest of the team had forced Kiba to bring him home. None of them were keen on failing their first mission together as a new team.
Kiba had protested but he was overruled, Gai personally escorted him back to his house just to make sure Akamaru was left in the custody of Kiba’s mother.
A few hours later, a quarter of the rose bushes had already been replaced, thankfully provided by the Yamanaka Flower Shop. What was left was to replant the rest, rebuild the cat’s playpen; replace the turf and to set up decorations for the party. With all that, it would probably be done over the next two days.
Kiba sighed in relief as he threw out the last bag, wiping his brow he looked towards the sky. “Well, seems that the day’s almost over, wonder how Akamaru is doing. Ah… Ah… AH CHOO!!!”
“Nani?? There… Ah Choo!!” Before he could say anything he sneezed again.
Kiba covered his nose as he looked around, “Kuso, there has to be a cat around here.”
Almost as if the cat had heard him, it meowed in answer. He sneezed again before narrowing his eyes at a giggle.
“Muhi, where are you?? Stop hiding from me!” A light female voice called out as the owner giggled again.
(A/N: Hohoho!! Big hint!! The name Muhi is being used here, that means the fox’s name is not it anymore!! Can any of you guess what’s it’s name going to be??)
Suddenly the bushes rustled and before Kiba could dodge, a light brown ball of fur lunged at him snarling. “Argh!!” He yelled as he grabbed it and tossed it toward the house. A scream resonated throughout the house before a girl ran out, knocking Kiba into a puddle of water over in the process.
She headed over to the spitting animal and picked it up, stroking its fur, calming it as a drenched Kiba sneezed over and over again, the added effects of the cold water on him as well. “You…you get that… Ah choo! Thing a… Ah choo! Away from me!! I’m… Ah choo! Allergic to cats!!” And to emphasize his words, he sneezed again, this time unable to stop even with his hand over his nose.
The girl looked him over grinning smugly as she replied, “Well, I see Muhi found a wet dog in our house. Everyone knows dogs aren’t allowed in here.”
Kiba shook the water out of his hair and tried his best to wring the water out of his muddy clothes, glaring at the laughing girl in front of him. Unfortunately, a wet and muddy looking boy with his best glare was not very intimidating; the girl covered her mouth, stifling her uncontrollable laughter.
“What are you looking at? It was your own fault that you fell in.” She spoke up as she grinned like a Cheshire cat.
Kiba sneezed before answering, “What the hell? You pushed me in!!!” He narrowed his eyes as he looked the girl up and down, wondering what she was doing in the feudal lord’s residence in a t-shirt and jeans with a cap adorning her head.
“You were standing in my way!!” She retorted angrily.
The Inuzuka boy snorted and folded his arms, “Yeah right, you could have run around me instead of just hitting me and not apologizing!!”
This time the girl smirked, “Oh? And you call yourself a ninja???”
Now that shut Kiba up as he realized that he had just set himself up. A real ninja was never caught off guard and knocked from behind. His face flushed in embarrassment as he looked away.
Neko took this chance to look the grubby boy over in front of her. She honestly had not noticed him before and had accidentally knocked him over, but being the daughter of a feudal lord; it was not in her character or status to apologize to someone of a lower status than her. But the boy in front of her did look rather pitiful all wet sneezing away. She sighed thinking that if he kept that up, he would catch a cold sooner or later. Reaching into her pocket with her free hand she walked toward him.
Kiba stepped back as she approached him, he covered his nose and pointed, “The cat, I’m allergic to cats.”
“Well, I’m allergic to dogs too. That’s why Okaasan had you all thrown out when she saw the dog. You’re from the Inuzuka clan aren’t you?” She asked as she placed her cat on the ground and told it to stay.
Kiba nodded hesitantly before bringing his hand down, “Yeah, how did you know?”
“I’m Neko, daughter, well, adopted daughter of Konoha’s feudal lord. It’s my duty to know the different clans and their bloodlines or what they work with. So what’s your name?” She introduced herself as she handed him a towel. “Daijoubu, it’s clean.”
“I’m Inuzuka Kiba.” He answered before wiping his face. “You know for a feudal lord’s daughter, you have a pretty stupid name.”
Kiba watched as teal eyes narrowed before the girl huffed in exasperation. “If that’s what I get for being nice, I’m leaving!!” With that, she brushed past Kiba, snatching the dirty towel out of his hands and purposely banging into him. “Come Muhi!! It’s time for your shower!”
The cat ran through his legs, tripping him over in the process. Kiba gritted his teeth in anger as he watched the girl leave. “Stupid cat, stupid girl, stupid name, stupid mission!!” He muttered under his breath. As he sat in the puddle, his hands gripped the rocks on the ground.
Girl or boy, feudal lord’s child or not, he would never take any humiliation lying down. He raised his hand and flung the rock as hard as he could, letting out a loud laugh as it connected with her head, eliciting a yelp of pain from the girl.
She swung around, her cap flying off in the process. Kiba watched as shoulder length chestnut hair rolled down her head, finally stopping to frame her face. He couldn’t help himself but his mouth dropped open as he gawked openly at her. He couldn’t help but admit that she was one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen. But what made his heart stop, with guilt mainly, was the glistening of tears in her eyes.
He gulped. ‘Oh shit.’
Through teary eyes, Neko glared at the boy in front of her, hurt, angry and humiliated, before she spun around and headed into the house.
‘Just once I hoped to make a friend, just once I thought I’d finally made a friend who would treat me as an equal not like a princess. I obviously thought wrong…’
Kiba looked down at his hand, wishing he hadn’t reacted without thinking. Now he had gone and upset someone he had only just met, not just anyone, a feudal lord’s daughter.
That night as Kiba lay in his bed, he couldn’t help but keep thinking about a certain chestnut haired girl with teal eyes; teal eyes that shimmered with tears caused by him. He cursed, punching his pillow, trying to get her out of his mind.
‘Why do I keep thinking of her?!’ He yelled in his mind.
Akamaru whined as he crept into Kiba’s bed. “Heh, sorry I couldn’t take you again today Akamaru. But it turns out that that fat lady’s daughter is allergic to dogs just like I’m allergic to cats. Can you believe she called her cat Muhi?”
The dog on his lap growled a reply and his master grinned, “Yeah, it sounds stupid ne?”
(A/N: No offence to people who thought Muhi was cute, I thought it was cute too but this is Kiba we’re talking about. XD)
“Sigh, what should I do Akamaru, I went and made her cry.” The dejected boy sighed as he laid his chin on raised knees.
Akamaru jumped onto Kiba’s head and whined a reply. Kiba raised his eyebrows, “Apologise to her? I can’t!!”
The dog crawled down his head and nipped him on his arm, Kiba chuckled grimly. “Yeah yeah, a man shouldn’t make a woman cry. I guess it really was my fault huh.”
‘Kuso, I hate to do this but I’m going to have to ask Nee-san for help.’ He thought as he closed his eyes and fell asleep.