Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, but you already knew that. However, I own my OCs.

Si a alguien le interesa leer esto en Español, puede dejar un review o mandar un PM. If you'd prefer to read this in Spanish because you prefer that language or something like that, you can leave a review or send a PM.

Now, welcome to my first Naruto fanfic.

I plan to start by giving hints of what's wrong with my OC. (I'm talking about her troublesome secret.) I really, really hope to avoid making her a Mary Sue…but if you read the longer summary, you'll see that she'll have an even better chakra control than Sakura because of her secret.

By the way, I don't want to make them fall in love immediately. In my humble opinion, Shino is not the kind of guy who'd fall for a girl in a couple of days. They'll get to know each other as slowly as possible.

Please note that troublesome secret does not equal dark secret. Like, oh, she wants revenge or is trying to save someone. I don't hate clichés, in fact, sometimes I like them a lot. However, I hope to avoid them.

Lastly, I'm not going to bash Hinata, but, in accordance to the summary, my OC won't be enthusiastic about getting to know her. Just as I'll try to keep the original Naruto characters in…character, I'll try to do the same with mine.

Read, enjoy and review. Reviews make me happy. (I also have an account in fictionpress).


Betting on a Bug

By Meian Tsukino

Chapter 1: Introductions

"The road to Hell is paved with good intentions."

A few years ago…

He merely knew that he was falling, falling into the dark. He didn't care that his whole body ached or that he was falling to his death, what mattered to him was that at least his teammates would live.

Or at least, that one of them was safe.

'Live well, my friends…'

And with that final thought, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to be engulfed by the dark.


"You know, if I didn't hate the Hyuuga brat so much, I'd tear this cloak, Sayuri-chan!" said a male voice, "It's totally uncool!"

"I know that deep inside you like it so stop whining."

"Well, yes but now, everyone's going to think that my summoner likes drama! You're going to steal my spotlight!"

"I don't think so. Besides, the cloak is useful."

"Of course it is! It hides your hair! How could you confuse the bottles? It's weird for you to be so clumsy!"

"I…I was distracted."

"Oh, right! The old hag sent you something!"

"Don't insult Tsunade-sama or I'll tell Midori-san."

"Kyaaaaaaa! You wouldn't!"

"Try me."

"Awww…Sayuri-chan…I think that cloak is evil, it's making you act all meanie…almost as meanie as the Hyuuga brat."

"An evil cloak? Do you think I can imitate the cold persona of a Hyuuga? Hmm…that's not a bad idea and it could be entertaining, to say the least."

"Bad idea! Bad idea!"

"It was a joke. By the way, I'm not sure if I should give Tsunade-sama that alarm clock you suggested."

"Why not? Why not? I'm sure Shizune-san will like Tsunade's face when you give it to her. That old hag is the Hokage, that will help her to get up early and deal with the paperwork."

"Yes but I'm already bringing her sake…oh, well…I'll tell her that it's a gift from you."

"Ha! As if I wanted to give that old hag something!"

"Itsuki…"

"Fine…I'll give her a nicer nickname…anyway, now we can make new friends! Naruto mentioned that Sakura-chan a lot! Maybe you should contact her so that she can introduce us to more people and many cute girls!"

"Sounds like a good idea."

"I hope she's nice and pretty!"

"You're a flirt."

"Oi, Sayuri-chan…is that Konoha?"

.


"…so that's why I chose you for the mission. The fourth member of your team should be arriving in any moment. By the way, she'll be the leader for this mission and Shino will be her second-in-command."

"Oh, that'll be funny, we've never had Sakura leading us," said Kiba, "I can almost imagine her bossing Shino around."

"Actually, Sakura won't be leading you," replied Tsunade, smirking. Beside her, Shizune sighed.

"Then, who?" asked Kiba.

A knock was heard.

"Come in," said Tsunade. She took a generous sip of her 'tea', but for the glare that Shizune sent her, it was clear that the liquid in her cup wasn't such an innocent drink.

"We're back, Tsunade-sama," greeted Sakura. The pink-haired girl was immediately followed by a blonde, Ino Yamanaka.

"So I guess it's Ino?" asked Kiba.

The Yamanaka blinked and pointed at herself. "What did I do?"

The Hokage frowned. "Sakura, didn't I ask you to bring her with you?"

"We're coming, we're coming…you're so impatient, Tsunade," said a male voice.

A mantis that was half the size of Hinata entered the Hokage's office. Tsunade immediately glared him.

"You…" she said, her eyes narrowed.

"Did you miss me, sweetheart?" taunted the insect.

"Itsuki…" called a female voice, her tone slightly scolding. A tall figure with a cane made of glowing strings entered the office. Her attire was very simple; a white cloak with wide sleeves covered her whole body while a hood hid most of her face, revealing only her lips.

Tonton jumped out of Shizune's arms and went to greet her enthusiastically. The newcomer knelt and took out a small snack for her. The pig accepted it but not without thanking first in her own way.

"It seems you still like this, Tonton" said the girl. She had a small smile.

"Don't worry, Sayuri, you can take your time," said Tsunade with a hint of sarcasm, "I'm sure the client won't mind."

"Tsk, to think that I bothered bringing you all that sake," the girl called Sayuri said. She shrugged and the cane of glowing strings disappeared into the sleeves of her cloak.

"I told you that she'd be ungrateful, she doesn't even deserve the alarm clock," said Itsuki and he purposely ignored the glare that the Hokage gave him. He then made his way towards Tonton. "Oi, piggy, leave my summoner alone. I'm not sharing the rest of the snacks with you."

Tonton responded by scowling and she even attempted to bite him, but the mantis dodged her easily.

"Itsuki, behave," said Sayuri. The mantis went to Tsunade's desk and took a folder. He opened it and began reading the document inside of it.

"This isn't a boring mission at all," said Itsuki, "We've got to find and rescue a Daimyo's child and take a good look at her, it seems she's a sickly girl. No wonder we'll need a tracking team, you're not suited for that kind of missions."

"I was already aware of all the details of the mission," replied Sayuri, shrugging, "I was merely waiting for Tsunade-sama to find a good tracking team."

"I've already got the tracking team," said the Hokage, "You're the leader."

"Very well," said the mantis summoner. She stood up and removed her hood, revealing bandages that covered her eyes. "I'm Ito Sayuri." Her hairstyle was similar to that of Tsunade, with two long, messy locks framing her face but instead of having two ponytails, the rest of her hair was tied into a loose braid. Finally, a hitai-ate was tied around her forehead, just below her black hair.

She removed the bandages and amber eyes were opened. Her eyes scanned the room and they stopped at the figure of Hyuuga Hinata. "You're a Hyuuga…and a member of the main house…" the last statement was said with obvious distaste. The amber eyes were fixed on Hinata alone and they wouldn't have left her if not for Shizune.

"She's Hyuuga Hinata," the Hokage's assistant told her.

Sayuri turned to look at her so quickly that Shizune almost took a step back. "Neji's cousin?" asked Sayuri and after Shizune nodded, she sighed.

"This is interesting, very interesting," commented Itsuki, "I should bring popcorn for this mission. Mind you, I never thought that I'd agree with the Hyuuga brat."

"Itsuki, shut up," said Sayuri curtly.

"Fine, I won't say what he told us about her," replied the mantis, "But…I can't believe he forgot to say that she's soooo cute!" Hinata blushed. "Yes, you're just as lovely as Sakura-chan and Ino-chan." Itsuki flew towards her. "Neji is a brat, but I can't believe that Naruto didn't praise you and Ino-chan for your beauty." He nodded towards Tsunade. "Your shinobi must be blind."

"N-Naruto-kun?" said Hinata, a lovely blush staining her cheeks.

"You've met Naruto?" asked Kiba.

"Yes, Sayuri-chan helped him to improve his chakra control," Itsuki replied, "She used ramen as incentive and that did wonders."

"That does sound like Naruto," said Kiba. Somehow, everyone in the room mentally agreed with him.

"Sayuri-senpai was telling us stories about him and Jiraiya-sama before we arrived," commented Sakura.

"Let's see the other kids of your team, Sayuri-chan," said Itsuki. He glanced at Kiba. "An Inuzuka…hmmm… do we have to bring that dog with us? He's too big. I bet he's probably full of fleas."

"Oi! Akamaru doesn't have fleas, I'm sure of that!" said Kiba and Akamaru growled at the mantis.

"Itsuki, apologize now," scolded Sayuri.

"I'm sorry," said the praying mantis. Itsuki lowered his foreleg and with a puff of smoke, he shrank until he was the size of a parrot. "But I'm not sharing my snacks with him." He then made his way to Shino's shoulder and poked him. "You're an Aburame." Shino nodded. "What's your name?"

"Shino," was the reply.

Itsuki nodded appreciatively. "Oh…an Aburame…Tsunade, why didn't you tell me sooner? I would've brought Sayuri-chan immediately. I'll love working with him."

"Why is that?" asked his summoner.

"Right, unlike the other two, you've never worked with a member of this clan. The members of the Aburame clan are infused at birth with a special breed of insects, the Kikaichu. This young man has a big amount of kikaichu residing in his body, a big amount even for a member of his clan. Anyway, the kikaichu can drain an enemy's chakra and they're highly useful for espionage and stealth."

"So you like them for their usefulness," said Tsunade, "It seems that you won't have trouble working with Shino. I'm glad because he'll be Sayuri's second-in-command." She raised her cup and began drinking from it.

"I'd never have trouble working with him!" said the mantis, "I love the Aburame clan! You can bet everything you own that he's become my favorite human right now! He looks so…so delicious! I want him for lunch!"

Tsunade choked on her drink. Shizune, Sakura, Ino and Hinata stared at the mantis in horror and disgust. Kiba dropped his jaw. Even Akamaru and Tonton blanched. Shino didn't seem disturbed in the slightest.

Sayuri blinked.

"I'll pretend I never heard that," she said.

"What? Wait! No!" exclaimed Kiba dramatically, "We can't work with someone that wants to eat Shino!"

"Kikaichu for lunch! Kikaichu! Kikaichu!" said Itsuki, raising his right foreleg. Shino ignored him completely.

"Stop joking, Itsuki," scolded Sayuri. Then, the summon made his way to Sayuri's shoulder.

"Tsunade-sama, perhaps we should send someone else in Sayuri's place or we shouldn't send Shino," suggested Shizune.

"Shino is going," Tsunade said firmly, "He won't be eaten by that thing."

"I assure you that Itsuki won't be a problem," said Sayuri, "He'd never attack an ally unless he was ordered to. Besides, he is professional, he'll behave once we start the mission."

"Tsunade-sama, why can't Sakura or Ino go instead of that girl? She doesn't like Hinata and that thing wants to eat Shino," said Kiba.

"The world would be an ideal place if we always liked those who work with us," said Tsunade, the images of her advisors coming to her mind. "There are two reasons why I want her to go with you. The first is that she knows Sugar Country too well and the second is that I'd like to confirm a few things."

Kiba didn't look very convinced but nodded. The Hokage's reasons weren't good enough and he had the feeling that she was hiding something.

"You don't have to worry about your teammates," said Sayuri, "Itsuki and I won't harm your teammates in any way, Inuzuka-san."

"The name's Kiba," said the chuunin, frowning, "Kiba or Kiba-kun are fine, I don't like formalities."

"That's fine with me," replied Sayuri, she turned to Shino, "What about you? Shino-san, Shino-kun or just Shino?"

"I'll leave that up to you. Why? Because I have no preference over such a trivial matter," replied the bug-nin.

"Fine," said Sayuri.

"I'll call you Shino-chan!" proclaimed Itsuki. His summoner poked him. "What? I'm not going to eat him! His bugs would kill me first!"

"Well, if that's all, you're dismissed," said the Hokage, "And be sure to take that thing with you."

"I expect you to be ready to depart in forty minutes, I'll meet you at the gates," said Sayuri to Team 8. She then smiled slightly and bowed in Ino and Sakura's direction. "Ino-san, Sakura-san, it was a pleasure meeting you."

The two girls smiled cheerfully in reply. "Likewise, senpai," said Ino.

"Bye!" said Itsuki, "We'll bring you some sweets and chocolates! Sugar Country's sweets are the best!"

"Sayuri, try to moderate your consumption of sweets," said Shizune, frowning, "I'm going to ask Shino to keep an eye on you and trust me, he can be intimidating when he wants to."

Sayuri glanced her incredulously.

Tsunade tapped her desk, but not before a teasing smirk appeared on her face. "It's so unfortunate that you must leave before seeing Neji again. Would you like to leave him a message?"

Sayuri rolled her eyes just before she put the hood back on her head. "Just tell him that I hope he's become stronger and faster. I need a sparring partner."

"Oh, and I hope he's taken an anger management course because he needs one," added Itsuki.

"By the way, I'm not bringing you sake this time," said Sayuri, "Have fun with your paperwork, Hokage-sama."

Shizune nodded in approval while Tsunade grunted. "Take care."

"You too," replied Sayuri. Itsuki vanished in a puff of smoke and seconds later, his summoner disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Tsunade tilted her head to the right.

"Shino, as the second-in-command, I expect a report from you, too," the Hokage said, "I want you to keep an eye on Sayuri, she's practically worked alone for years and sometimes I think she enjoys risking her life. I ignore how she'll lead you and we can't let her jeopardize the mission or let her take the team's safety for granted. If you think that her orders are reckless, you will object to them and if she persists, you'll become the leader of this mission. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama," replied the bug-user.

"Tsunade-sama…" murmured Shizune with a disappointed tone. Sakura and Ino shared a look of wonder.

"Don't give me that look, Shizune," said the Hokage, "You've read her reports too."

"Yes, I know," replied the assistant, "Still, she hasn't failed a mission in her whole career and we both know that the one she got just before meeting Naruto was very difficult. Besides, you're the one who's kept giving her those missions."

Tsunade gave her an annoyed look. She quickly glanced Team Kurenai. "Dismissed."

And they left.


April 12th.

Since I'm already in Chapter 5th, I've come back to chapter one and here are some spoilers

SPOILER 1:

"Don't be so mean to my Sayuri-chan," said Itsuki. He went to poke Shino and then, he sat on the Aburame's shoulder. "You've got lots of kikaichu to worry about one, Shino-chan. You must be pretty popular with the ladies."

Shino raised an eyebrow.

"Shino-kun…" muttered Hinata, worry evident in her voice. Even Kiba stopped trying to pick the kidnapped princess's scent.

"I'm talking about the girls of your clan," Itsuki clarified, "I'm sure you must have a fan club back in Konoha." The mantis poked him in the neck. "How many girls are after you?"

Spoiler 2:

Before Shino could say something, Sayuri was already on the ground. Strings came out from her fingers again and they glowed even more than before. She jumped, just as a set of stone spikes emerged where she'd been.

"Interrogate him," she reminded him.

'A plan? That's more like a series of orders.'


Now, I hope you enjoyed it and let me know through your reviews. English is not my first language and it's been a while since I've written something, but I know that such things aren't excuses so…if you've got suggestions, make them. By the way, I suggest you to read the paragraphs above the title of the chapter or my profile. I explain a few things there.

Once again, if someone would like to read this in Spanish, please leave a review or a PM.

Una vez más, si alguien quiere leer esto en español, por favor, deje un review o un PM.

That's all for now, have a nice day.

P.S. Remember, reviews make me happy and motivate me to write.

Meian Tsukino.