"WHY DO I HAVE TO WORK WITH HIM?!" Naruto shouted, pointing his index finger at the raven-haired Uchiha glaring back at him.
"Because, it's an order!" Tsunade retaliated. "The other four Kages have requested our assistance, so it's the Hidden Leaf's duty to fulfill these favors. Plus, I want the four of you to improve your coalition sleight, especially yours Naruto."
All eyes were then laid on the confused, yellow-haired boy. "W-why is everyone looking at me? I have plenty coalition sleights," he responded, scratching his head.
"Do you even understand what she's saying, dumbass?" Sasuke condescendingly questioned.
"WHAT WAS THAT?! YOU COCKY B-"
"What Lady Hokage's saying is," –Shikamaru leaned against the wall and lifted his head - "to become more proficient in our teamwork. And childish bickering isn't going to help."
"Shikamaru's right guys. If we're gonna build cooperation, we first have to get along," Kiba concurred and began to stroke Akamaru.
Tsunade took a deep breath. "Naruto. I'm going to give you this," she reached in her coffee-colored desk drawer and pulled out a thick manila sheet of paper, "this here is a stamp sheet. Naruto, you'll need to collect stamps from each of the four Kages as well as your teammates in order to complete this mission. To get a stamp from a Kage, you need to consummate their tasks. To receive a stamp from your team members, you need to work with them individually to accomplish an objective."
Naruto squinted his eyes, knowing that there was a catch. "And if I do-"
"If you fail to receive all seven stamps before your arrival back into the Leaf, then you will be prohibited from ever eating at Ichiraku Ramen."
"Granny Tsunade! That's harsh!"
"Well if you truly love Ichiraku, then you'll play nicely with Kiba, Shikamaru, and Sasuke." Tsunade stood, "Shikamaru," the jōnin opened his eyes; he had nearly fallen asleep, "I hereby appoint you as the captain of this team."
"What a drag," Shikamaru sighed.
"The first village you should venture to is the Hidden Mist Village. I've already arranged a boat for you at Hinokoku Harbor, east of here."
"Thank you, Lady Hokage. We shall take our leave now," Shikamaru waved his left hand as he walked out of the mansion with the other three. "Well, we should probably rest up for tomorrow. See ya'." With his hands in his pockets, Shikamaru departed from the group, and Sasuke soon followed without word.
"It's getting late. I think I'll head home as well because Akamaru gets rowdy when he's hungry. See you tomorrow," Kiba gave Naruto a pat on the back as he and Akamaru headed home. Naruto smiled and waved goodbye to the inseparable duo, waiting until they were out of sight before shifting his smile to a sad face.
Naruto slumped down Hidden Leaf Road, kicking rocks as he walked. Does everyone really hate me? Am I that hard to work with? I mean…why would Granny Tsunade only give me this paper if she didn't hate me? Naruto pulled out the stamp sheet and gave it a blank stare. Do I really screw everything up? I'm only trying to help. Will I ever be able to become the Hokage, if I can't even fight on a team?
The sky had darkened when Naruto arrived at his apartment. He flipped the light switch and instantly the whole living room was being illuminated by a dingy light bulb that danced when you first turned it on. Naruto relaxed on his rundown, burgundy, leather sofa, pondering on how a light bulb functions. When you flip a switch, it sends a signal to wires in the walls and ceilings. The wires are conjoined with objects in the house that are supposed to activate on the switch's command, like the light bulb for example. When the signals from the wires reach the bulb, the mechanics inside of the light socket tells the bulb to turn on. The bulb then irradiates the designated area. These are the four steps that get the objective done; this is what it means to be a team! He then fell asleep.
*The Next Morning
"Are we almost there yet?!" Naruto wearily cried, trailing behind.
"Would you stop your complaining? We haven't even been walking that long," Kiba shouted back.
"Easy for you to say! You're riding on a dog!"
"Will both of you shut the fuck up?! Your yelling is not making this commission go by any faster," an annoyed Sasuke snapped, "it's already bad enough that I have to be stuck with the likes of you, Naruto."
Man, all of them are annoying. Shikamaru stared at the map, as he led the four-man squad to Hinokoku Harbor. Tsunade, why would you put me on a team with these idiots?"
The following two hours were filled with awkward silences, trees rustling in the wind, footsteps, rocks, barking, extreme heat, and potty breaks. After what seemed like an eternity, the thickening and increased saltiness of the air indicated that they were near the harbor. You could see the seagulls and pelican's shadows traveling the ground as they flew overhead. The sun gleamed over the horizon and created sparkles along the oceanfront.
"Laaaaand hooooo!" a short, potbellied, gray-bearded, elderly man roared atop the bow of a luxurious, Elmer's Glue white and neon blue, 5-star cruise ship. The man swiftly waved a small white flag in his left hand, had the right on his hip, and maintained a content countenance.
"I assume he's the captain," Shikamaru stood in his pimp-lean stance, "well I'll go take care of our passports. You guys just wait here… and try not to destroy anything while you're here; we already have enough problems as it is," he forewarned as he walked the dock to meet the over-ecstatic captain.
Sasuke crossed his arms and departed from the group, "I'm leaving as well," he cocked his head, "I don't want to be stuck with the likes of you two."
"And just what the hell is your problem?! You're so damn arrogant! You think you're better than everyone, is that it?!" Naruto was enraged. Steam was practically blowing from his ears.
"I don't think I'm better than everyone. I know I'm b-"
"RASENGAN!" Naruto charged at Sasuke and followed it with a leap.
"Humph. Pathetic." Sasuke performed a front handspring, avoiding Naruto's attempt and followed it up with a rock-hard kick to Naruto's right rib cage, crashing him into a wooden fish stand.
Kiba ran in the center point between the two arguing boys, "Now, now, let's not fight guys. I'm sure we can re-"
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Three Narutos emerged from the broken wood slabs as he shouted, "Get ready for Naruto Uzumaki Barrage!"
*MEANWHILE WITH SHIKAMARU
"Yes, thank you very much for having us," Shikamaru received the tickets from the captain, but his actions were interrupted when he saw Sasuke's Phoenix Flower Jutsu exploding in the sky. "God damnit! I swear I told them not to destroy anything!" He hastily ran through the dock, scanning the areas of destruction, until he discovered Kiba helping an elderly man to his feet. "Where are they?!" Shikamaru demanded with his face as red as a tomato and his eyebrows at forty-five degree slopes.
"J-j-just up the d-dock," Kiba muttered in aghast, like a helpless puppy, trembling at the sight of how angry Shikamaru was.
The egghead continued his sprint up the dock. Eventually, he reached the battlefield, in which the two fighters had made their own. Shikamaru abysmally inhaled and hollered, "KNOCK IT OFF! CAN YOU GUYS JUST GET ALONG FOR ONE SECOND?!"
Naruto and Sasuke looked off in different directions. They couldn't bear to look Shikamaru in the eye after how embarrassed they were. They then turned their heads at the sound of heavy footsteps behind them; it was the captain. The two immediately fell to their hands and knees and asked for forgiveness. "We are truly sorry, please forgive us," the two said in unison.
The captain scratched his head and gave a crooked smile. "Eh, I guess I can forgive your actions… but just this once!" He sighed, "I'll be taking you to the Mist Village now. Boat's over there," he said, pointing to an old, wooden, Caribbean style ship.
Naruto complained, "You couldn't afford to give us a nicer bo-"
"THANK YOU!" Shikamaru smacked Naruto on the head.
"Ouch!" Naruto rubbed his cranium.
"You're gratitude is more than appreciated." Shikamaru and the captain shook hands and prepared to sail.
…
"So, how long will we be at sea?" Kiba anxiously questioned.
"About two days," the captain sipped his beer, "why? You scared (burp) of water?"
"N-no! I-I'm just curious." Kiba tried to cover his mouth as his face became a flustered red ball. I can't let anyone find out that I can't swim!
Ding! Ding! Ding! The captain struck the bell atop the crow's nest, signaling the departure from the port. A Hinokoku staff member released the anchor and gave the ship a push along its sternum. Once again, the captain waved his little white flag and screamed, "Laaaaand hooooo!"
*A FEW HOURS LATER
Naruto aimlessly wandered the ship in search of entertainment. Walking the upper deck, he encountered their team leader staring off into the distant sunset. "Hey, Shikamaru." Naruto had a wide smile.
"Yeah, what's up?" Shikamaru pretended to be interested. Let's pray this conversation goes somewhere.
"How's it goin'?"
And it's going nowhere… "I'm just gazing at the horizon…," an awkward silence, "it's so beautiful…" Naruto just stared and grinned. "… There are so many vibrant colors: bright yellow, tangerine orange, scarlet red…" Naruto still didn't speak. "Okay, you're not speaking. That usually means one of two things: One, you've done something you shouldn't have, or two, you want something from me."
"Actually… I don't have anything to ta- Oh wait!" Naruto's eyes widened. "Could you do me a huge favor?" He cupped his hands together in a praying fashion.
"Depends," Shikamaru glared, "what exactly is it?"
"Could you… um… ask Sasuke… why he hates me so much?" Naruto's smile quickly turned into a disconsolate expression.
"Do I look like a mediator to you? Why do I have to do it? Can't you ask Kiba?"
"Shikamaru, please! You're the most intelligent person I know. Surely you can fish it out of him," Naruto pleaded, grabbing Shikamaru's shoulders.
I know I'm the smartest person you know. My IQ's not 300 for nothing. "And what will I get out of it?"
"I promise. I'll make it worth your while!"
"Fine, I'll do it. But remember, you owe me. And speaking of Kiba, where is he?" Shikamaru scanned the area.
"You're right. I haven't seen him in a while. I'll go check the lower deck," the yellow-haired boy rand down the steps to the lower level, "talk to ya' later, Shikamaru."
The lower deck somewhat resembled a haunted house. It was very dark with only one ray of sunshine peeping through a ping-pong sized hole in the ceiling. Cobwebs plagued the corners of the deck, and the floor boards squeaked with every step, and many were either broken or completely missing. There's got to be a light switch somewhere. Naruto groped the wall in search of something to activate the lights. *pat pat* "Hmm, what's this," Naruto rubbed the strange object, "marbles?" the grouping continued, "but it feels like cloth… marble wrapped in cloth?"
"WATCH WHERE THE HELL YOU'RE TOUCHING. PERV!" the mysterious person flicked the light switch, revealing his flushed face.
Naruto looked up. "Kiba?! What are y-"he looked at what his hand was touching. Kiba's junk. "Oh, sorry bout' that…" he laughed it off.
"Don't apologize. GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF ME!" Naruto removed his hand, "and why are you down here anyway?"
"Well, I was looking for you, Kiba. No one's seen you in a while. Looks like you've been down here the whole time, haha!" Naruto noticed that Kiba's body was violently shivering. "Are you alright?"
"O-of c-c-course. J-just leave me alone, okay?" Kiba grabbed his left arm in an attempt to control his shaking.
"Clearly there's a problem," Naruto contemplated idea, "oh, you're scared of the dark?" He cocked his head.
If I was scared of the dark, then why would I be down here? "No, Naruto. I'm n-"
"Cold?"
"I'm not co-"
"Akamaru died?"
"Hey! Akamaru did n-"
"Oh, I get it. You're hor-"
"I'm scared of the ocean! Because I can't sw-"
Boom! The ship heavily swayed to the right. Barrels rolled to the starboard (right side of the boat). The captain's voice conveyed on the intercom. "Sorry, everyone. The ship was just hit by a massive wave, but there is no danger and no need to worry. Thank you."
Naruto and Kiba had both lost their balance and fell. Naruto's lips were hot and pressed against Kiba's (unintentionally). His hands were pinning down Kiba's wrists, and his lower body was positioned against his crotch, between his legs. Both of the boys blushed hard, but neither of them moved.
Kiba looks so helpless and cute in this position. The way his fangs protrude from his mouth turns me on so damn much. He's so handsome, I want him! Naruto began to suck on Kiba's neck as he stroked his crotch.
"N-Naruto! What're you," – he moaned – "doing?!" As much as I want to smack him, I kind of want it. I've been crushing on Naruto for a while now, so when Tsunade said that we'd be on teams, I was overjoyed. Should I just let this continue?
Naruto moved down to Kiba's nipple. He sucked hard on the left, and used his finger to play with the right. The demon-fox boy got a hard-on at the sound of Kiba's pleasurable wincing. He began to strip his shirt and pants before Kiba interrupted.
"Naruto. I don't think this is a good time, because… I have to throw up!"
END OF CHAPTER 1