Oi, everyone. It's been awhile since I finished my first Naruto story. Well, I decided to continue into Shippuden. Sorry about the title, I really suck at coming up with them. :P (Also, I'll try to post as frequent as possible, so just bear with me. Arigato.)
-Kazumi
Tale of The Crimson Kitsune And The Silver Ookami
Chapter One: Naruto's Homecoming, Old Teammates Reunite
Normal Point of View, Hidden Leaf Village:
It was just another normal, but busy, day in Konohagakure. The sun shined brightly in the cloudless blue sky, warming up the area and eliminating the cool air from the night before. Throughout the village, young children were either running around, playing ninja, while others headed off to the academy. Businesses were opening up, readying themselves for another day of hard work. Shinobi of the village were patrolling, others prepared to be sent off on missions, start a long day's worth of training or teaching young ninja the importance of being a ninja of the Hidden Leaf.
Over inside the Third Training Grounds, a familiar silver haired figure was standing before the Memorial Stone. Although her attire somewhat changed, many who knew Kazumi would recognize her on the spot. While she stood there, the wind gently blew her lengthened hair, which cascaded down her back, barely reaching the mid-lower part of her back. Her short bangs still hung over her forehead, which were slightly parted to reveal the Hidden Leaf emblem on her headband. Her side-bangs have also grown and hung pass her chin a little.
As for her attire, she still wears her sleeveless dark navy shirt (with her mask attached). Over that she wears a black short-sleeve hooded jacket with a light grey hood and sleeves. Around her neck hangs her (diamond) crystal necklace (Naruto had given her). Like she promised, she never took it off, not even when she goes on missions. Her pants and shoes are now black, and both of her ankles are still wrapped with bandages. Like the traditional uniform, she has a white bandage wrapped around her right thigh with her holster secured over it. In addition, she now wears dark navy armbands, which cover her wrists up to the middle of her forearms with steel armguards. (The same length as her armbands.) Also, she still carries her katana, which is strapped to her back.
As she continued to stand there, her eyes were closed while her head was slightly tilted towards the ground. After a moment, her eyes opened to reveal her clear slate grey eyes. She takes a step forward and kneels down to one knee as she reaches out to touch two names on the stone.
Kazumi's Point of View:
After sitting there for a solid minute, while I said a small prayer, I finally stood up and returned back to my full height. I turned around and proceeded out of the grounds, heading back to the village. I started visiting the monument more often than I used to. So today, I decided to visit before anything could come up and keep me from doing so.
"Wow. I can't believe it's been two and a half years already." I thought. "Heh, now that I think about it, I wonder when Naruto and Master Jirayia will return."
"You never know. It may be sooner than you think." Kiyiya answers seconds later.
"Yeah, you're right." I agreed. "And I can only wonder if he'd matured at all. I know he probably has gotten taller, but I want to know if he'd matured mentally."
"Well… we won't know until he gets back." Kiyiya says. "But it's a possibility."
"I know one thing… it's been quiet with him gone, that's for sure." I thought the last part privately to myself.
"So… What do you have planned for today?" She asks. "We know it's only a matter of time before Lady Tsunade gives you a mission."
I folded my hands behind my head and kept looking ahead, "Well, I need to be training to gain control over your power." I answered."In case you've forgotten, I nearly lost control the last time we decided to test out my limit."
"Trust me, I remember it perfectly." She says. "You just need a little more time. You didn't think you were going to achieve this in just two and a half years? It takes longer than that, and it depends on the host and their partner."
"Since you're saying that, I take it that the other Tailed Beasts aren't as friendly as you." I replied. "Well… I shouldn't be surprised. Take Shukaku and Kurama for example. Those two have the biggest egos I've ever seen."
"My point exactly. They both think they are superior then everyone else. And that includes both human and Tailed Beast." She says. "So don't worry. You'll be in control in no time."
"Yeah. They kind of remind me of Uchiha." I replied. "But don't forget, the main dilemma is figuring out the riddle to this damn seal if I'm to release you completely." I reminded her. "Once we have that, we can really get to work."
"That's true. And who knows what kind of seal Orochimaru used. It could take us years, if not more, to figure it out." Kiyiya said.
"Well, we need to hurry. We don't have years to complete this task." I told her. "We still have the Akatsuki to worry about. And you and I both know that they've been completing their objective of capturing the other Tailed Beasts."
"Yes. That's right." she agreed. "They've only been going after those they know they can capture without any problems. But I know my siblings put up one hell of a fight against them. Neither one of us will go down, not without a fight."
"That's good to hear, but it's still horrible that we're being hunted like this." I added. "And before we know it, they'll be coming for us."
"Well, let's not worry about that to any further extent, okay. Let's just focus on the here and now." she suggested. "Agreed?"
"Yeah, agreed." I replied. "Well, I guess I could catch up on some reading. I haven't been able to read any of my books lately. So today seems like a good day to do so."
"Well, I hope you haven't started reading any of your brother's books." She said.
A deadpan expression immediately appears on my face as soon as I hear what she said. "I can't believe you just said that." I thought. "You have got to be kidding me!"
"I'm just messing with you, pup." She replied with a chuckle.
"Oh, ha-ha, you're so funny." I replied back with much sarcasm. Before long, I finally made it to the main gates of the village. "Hey Izumo, Kotetsu." I greeted as I stopped at their post.
"Hello there, Kazumi. Where have you been?" Izumo asked.
"Oh, well. I've been at the Memorial Stone." I answered. "I figured I would visit before any impromptu mission or training session came up."
"You went to visit your parents, right?" Kotetsu asks.
"Yeah, that's right." I answer with a slight nod. "So… What's been going on with you two? You both look a bit bored."
"Well, you'll be right. It's been a slow morning." Izumo says.
"Yeah, I bet." I said with a chuckle. "Well, I'll catch you guys later, okay." I told them. I soon started moving, making my way towards the inner section of the village.
"See ya, Kazumi." I hear Kotetsu and Izumo call back together.
Normal Point of View:
While Kazumi made her way inside, the villagers continued to roam the streets, carrying on with their daily routines. Children could be heard running around playing as well. Through the crowd, a familiar pink haired Kunoichi could be seen walking down the streets. She was donning a red, sleeveless top with her Clan's symbol on the back, black shorts, boots and a pink skirt with matching pink elbow pads. She also traded her blue cloth headband for a red cloth to match her attire. Her headband was tied on top of her head instead of it being tied traditionally around her forehead. As she continues walking forward, she suddenly hears a voice of a young boy calling out to her.
"Hey, Sakura…!" That said pink haired girl stopped and turned around to see a small group of kids running right towards her.
"Oh. Hi, Konohamaru." Sakura said as they stopped in front of her.
"So? Where are you off to?" he asks.
"The main gate." She answers. "I have to pick up this morning's pedestrians traffic list for Lady Tsunade. Do you want to come along?"
Just pass the village gates:
"It's been about three years." Naruto says as he walks in front of Jiraiya.
"So it has." Jiraiya replies.
With Sakura and the others:
"…then the cat went nuts and started scratching my face off." Konohamaru continues, causing Sakura to laugh a little as a response.
"We had missions just like that." She told him. "Brings back a lot of memories."
"Hey, by the way. Have you've gotten word or anything about Naruto?" Konohamaru asks.
"No, nothing yet." She tells him.
"Oh, too bad." Konohamaru replies.
"But he should be popping up around here pretty soon though." She adds. "Hey, Izumo…! Kotetsu!" Sakura greeted as she, along with Konohamaru, Udon and Moegi, followed closely behind her.
"Hey you guys. There's something waiting for you all back in town." Kotetsu tells them.
"Yeah! You'll have to see it to believe it." Izumo adds.
"What are you guys talking about?" Konohamaru asks.
"Huh?! No way!" Sakura suddenly says and takes off running.
"Huh?! Sakura!" Konohamaru yells and chases after her.
Normal Point of View:
Back inside the village, Naruto suddenly comes to a stop and drops his backpack on the ground at his feet. He then jumps into the air and begins climbing, running, up the pole. Jiraiya just stands where he is and watches as he's student continues to the top of the pole.
"Always rambunctious." Jiraiya says as he chuckles to himself. Before long, Naruto reaches the top and stands on the pole.
"Now this takes me back! The village hasn't changed a bit!" he exclaims happily and excitedly. "I'm home everyone! Naruto Uzumaki… has returned to the Hidden Leaf Village!" He cheers out once more. "Man. I'm feeling so nostalgic right now."
Kazumi's Point of View:
I was sitting on a thick tree branch, reading one of my books as I tried to pass the time. It was a mystery/adventure story which caught my interest. While I was deep into my reading, a familiar voice caught my attention, pulling me away from my book. I looked up and spotted an all too familiar toad sage standing beside a pole, looking up towards the sky.
"Huh? Master Jiraiya?" I thought. "If he's here, so the voice I heard…"
Before I could finish my thought, I spotted Sakura. She was running at full speed and soon came to a stop right behind Master Jiraiya. Following close behind her were Konohamaru and his teammates. Just like Master Jiraiya, she and the others looked up towards the sky as well.
"What? Can it be?" Sakura asked herself quietly.
"Heh looks like." Konohamaru replies.
"Naruto! Naruto is that you!?" She suddenly asked out loud. "When did you get back to the village, Naruto!?"
"Oh! Just now!" I hear Naruto call back. Seconds later, the familiar orange clad, blonde-haired ninja lands right in front of her. "Long time no see, huh Sakura?" he asks as he chuckles quietly to himself.
"Huh? No way." I breathed out quietly to myself. "It really is Naruto. Heh, just look how much he's grown. He doesn't look like a little kid anymore, that's for sure."
"Huh? Wait a minute." Sakura suddenly says. "You've gotten taller than me, haven't you?"
"Huh? Yeah. I guess I have." Naruto replies while he looks up, using his hand to measure and compare his height to hers.
"He seems more grown up since the last time I saw him." Sakura thought to herself. "So… um. What do you think? Do I seem more like a woman to you now?"
"You kidding? Not really. You haven't changed one bit." Naruto tells her as he gives her a thumbs up and a smile. With that comment, Sakura's expression changes in an instant. She turns away from Naruto, folding her arms at the same time.
"Hmm?" Naruto questions as he looks at her.
"Ugh…. Smooth kid. Could you be any more oblivious?" Jiraiya thought to himself.
I couldn't help but chuckle quietly to myself. I had to cover my mouth just to be sure I didn't laugh louder than I wanted. But while I sat there, I noticed Naruto had turned his head, now looking my way. I froze in my spot and waited for a minute, just to see if he recognized me or not. My unspoken question was answered when I saw Naruto slowly making his way over. He stood underneath the branch and looked right at me.
"Wait a minute." I heard him say to himself. Seconds later, I saw him raise a curious eyebrow. "Kazumi-chan?" Naruto asks as he continues to look towards me.
"Heh, long time no see, eh, Naruto?" I asked as I put my book away. I soon jumped down and landed a few inches in front of him.
"Kazumi-chan..." He said quietly.
"Hmm? Naruto, what's…?" Before I could finish, I suddenly found myself being lifted off the ground and twirled in the air.
"It's great to see you, Kazumi-chan!" he exclaimed happily as he spun us around. I was caught off guard for a second by Naruto's sudden reaction of seeing me, but I was able to recover.
"It's great to see you too, Naruto." I laughed as he spun around once more. As soon as he stops, he carefully sits me back on my feet. "Geez, Naruto. Just look at you. You really did some growing in just two and a half years. You're no longer than little kid I once knew."
"Yeah, I know. But hey, look at you!" he says as he points towards me. "Not only are you taller, but your hair is longer and you filled out a bit too. You look great." he says as he gives me a thumbs up. That just caused me to blush. Thanks to my mask it was hidden, but I had a feeling that Naruto could still tell that I was.
"Heh, wow… thanks, Naruto. I'll take that as a compliment." I told him as I held the back of my head with my right hand.
"You have got to be kidding me." Sakura thought with a glum look on her face.
"It's great to have you back, Naruto." I told him. "I really missed you."
"I missed you too." Naruto tells me. "And it's great to be back." he adds.
"Hey! Naruto!" Konohamaru says, causing Naruto and I to turn around to face him and the others. Small white clouds of smoke appeared, covering him. "Sexy Jutsu." He said in a seductive voice.
Master Jiraiya stood there with a nosebleed as he continued to stare. I had half the mind to go over there and snap him out of that damn trance he found himself in. Meanwhile, Sakura had a surprised look on her face. While Naruto and I walked over, I just look at the boy with a deadpan expression. I swear this kid wanted to get punch, ether it was from me or Sakura. Before long, Konohamaru returned back to normal.
"Well? What do you think?" Konohamaru asks. "Not too bad on the curves department, huh?" Naruto just chuckles quietly. "Huh?"
"Konohamaru… I'm not that little kid anymore." Naruto tells him. "And you shouldn't be using Jutsu like that either. It's beneath you."
"Well I be. It's not just the outside that's changed." Sakura thought to herself. "I kind of miss the old Naruto. But you've turned out pretty well, haven't you? Knowing you, I bet you have a whole slew of incredible jutsu to show us."
"I mean come on, Konohamaru! Is that all you got!?" Naruto yelled. "Now step aside and get a load of my brand spanking new Pervy Ninjutsu!"
"Right. Like a new Pervy Ninjutsu." Sakura thought.
"Here we go!" Naruto yelled.
"Are you kidding me!?" Sakura yells and punches the hell out of Naruto, sending him flying back and crashing into the ground. We all watch as she walks over and picks Naruto up, shaking him violently. "What the heck is wrong with you, you pervy little dofus!? We don't see each other for over two years and you've got the nerve to pull a stunt like that!? Do you have any idea how that makes me feel!? Do ya?!"
"Oh brother. I knew it was too good to last." I thought to myself. "Alright, Sakura. I think that would be enough." I told her. "There's no need to shake him like some old ragdoll."
"Not a chance." She replied as she kept her eyes focused on Naruto. "I know one thing; I don't miss the old Naruto! Not one bit!" she continued.
"Yep. Sakura hasn't changed a bit. To be honest, it looks like she's gotten worse." I thought to myself. "Oh man. This means Naruto is going to be knocked around again. That's a definite."
"That hot quick temper and monster strength. You've raised a Tsunade Junior." Jiraiya thought to himself.
"Yep. Sakura hasn't changed at all. She might be even more vicious than ever." Naruto thought.
Before long, Sakura had final stopped shaking Naruto and drops him to the ground. I walked over and kneeled down beside him. There I helped him sit up. Once he recovered from Sakura's attack, I helped him back to his feet. Even from the violent shaking, Naruto looked to be okay. I honestly thought that Sakura had gone a little too far, but I knew how she was. The punch she delivered would have sufficed, but knowing Sakura, a punch wasn't enough to satisfy that quick hot temper she had. Hell, the old Sakura would have just punched him and be done. She had definitely gotten more violent ever since she decided to train under Lady Tsunade.
"Are you all right, Naruto?" I asked him.
"Yeah. I think so." He replied as he rubbed his head, trying to ease the pain. "Geez. Sakura has gotten stronger... and scarier."
"What was that!?" Sakura snaps, her eyes quickly turning white in anger.
"Nothing! It was nothing!" Naruto quickly told her.
"That's what I thought." Sakura told him, calming down in a sense.
"Yeah. Things are still the same, that's for sure." I thought to myself. "I'm glad that Sakura didn't hurt you too bad." I told him, giving him my signature masked smile. "And sorry about her little welcoming gift. You know how she can get."
"No need to apologize, Kazumi-chan. Trust me, I know." he said happily, back to his normal self.
"Alright, Naruto. We better head on over to the Tower now to see Tsunade." Master Jiraiya says. "If we don't give her a proper hello, we're bound to get an earful later."
"Yeah, you're right. So let's head on over to see Baa-chan!" Naruto yells as he grabs a hold of my hand and takes off running, pulling me with him. I quickly started matching his speed so I wasn't being pulled along. "Catch you later, Konohamaru!" He yelled.
"Yep. He's still the same old Naruto. Good." I thought to myself. "Come on Sakura! Master Jiraiya! You guys are falling behind!" I yelled as I glanced back at them.
"Hey! Wait up!" Sakura yells and takes off after us. Jiraiya just smiles to himself and begins to move forward as well.
"Come on, Naruto. Slow down." I told him with a chuckle in my voice. "Lady Tsunade isn't going anywhere."
"I know. But I was thinking that after Pervy Sage and I say hello, we can all head over to Ichiraku afterwards and get some ramen." He explains.
"Of course. But I would have thought that you ate ramen while you traveled." I asked.
"Yeah, I did. But it was nothing compared to Ichiraku's ramen here in the Hidden Leaf." He tells me. "I really missed Ichiraku and I can't wait to get a steaming hot bowl."
"Yep. Still the ramen-loving knucklehead I see." I said with a smile clear in my voice. Naruto just laughed along as we continued to run towards the Hokage Mansion.
Inside Lady Tsunade's Office:
"It's been a long time you two." Tsunade tells Naruto and Jiraiya. "Your training proved to be fruitful I hope."
"You think we would have come back without producing any results?" Jiraiya questions her.
"Mission accomplish, grandma." Naruto adds.
"Huh, I'm glad to hear it." Tsunade says. "Show me what you got kid."
"What!? Right now!?" Naruto asks.
"I have someone I would like for you to go up against." She explains. "I've kept him off missions for the last few days so he could be ready for just this moment. Your opponent will be…"
Just as Tsunade was about to announce Naruto's opponent, there was a sudden knock at her office door. When Tsunade called them to enter, the door opened and revealed to be Shikamaru and Temari of the Hidden Sand Village.
"Hey! Shikamaru, Temari, look who's back." Sakura said as she pointed towards Naruto.
"Naruto…? Hey!" Shikamaru says. "If it isn't Naruto!"
"Shikamaru!" Naruto says excitedly.
"This is that shrimp?" Temari asks herself.
"So you came back!" Shikamaru says.
"Yeah. I just got back this morning." Naruto explains.
"You don't look like such an idiot anymore or… How to say it? You've changed." Shikamaru tells him.
"He hasn't changed at all." Sakura quickly added.
"Just as I thought." Shikamaru replies.
"Sakura..." Naruto says as he hangs he head down low. After a second, he quickly looks back up. "So, my opponent is supposed to be Shikamaru?"
"Opponent? What are you talking about?" Shikamaru asks. "I just came here to pick up some documents."
"So it isn't Shikamaru?" Naruto asks. "Then." he says as he looks towards Temari. "Uh… Who are you again?"
"You mean you don't remember?" Temari asks him.
"Naruto, that's Temari. You know, from the Hidden Sand Village." I told him. "Remember? She was supposed to be my opponent back at the Chūnin Exams. However, she chose to forfeit instead of fighting against me."
"Heh… Like you would have lasted five seconds against me." Temari replied.
"Oh really?" I asked. The smirk on my face was clearly heard in my voice. "Then how about we go at it right now? I have no problem proving you wrong, Temari."
"Heh… You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Kazumi." She tells me while she leaned towards me with a smirk of her own.
"Oh, I really think I do." I stated back confidently as I leaned forward. After a short tense moment, Temari and I relaxed and just chuckled quietly to each other.
"Whoa. For a second there, I actually thought those two were serious." Naruto said to himself as he sighed with relief.
"Don't worry, they always act like this." Shikamaru assured Naruto. "They became friends when they were on a joint mission together."
"Oh, really…?" Naruto asks.
"Yeah." Shikamaru answered.
"Naruto…! Those two aren't your opponents. He's over there." she says as she points towards the window. Naruto walks over to the window and lifts it up to look out. Sitting on the roof was none other than Kakashi.
"So Naruto, you went and got all grown up." Kakashi says as he looks up from his book. "Hey." He says as he lifts a hand in the air.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yells as he jumps out the window. Meanwhile, Sakura, Lady Tsunade and I walked over and stood by the window. "Wow sensei, you haven't changed a bit. Ah, that's right. I have a present for ya, Kakashi-sensei."
Naruto reaches inside his pouch and begins to look for something. A second later, He pulls out the item, a book to be exact. As soon as Kakashi recognized exactly what kind of book it was, it caused him to have a shocked and surprised look on his face. Well… It was mainly his body movements and facial expressions that did most of the talking anyway.
"What?" he exclaims. "Y-You…. Th-Th-This is…"
"Here you are. The first new book from the Make-Out Paradise series in three years!" Naruto explains. "It's really boring. But you like this stuff, don't ya, Sensei?"
"The fool. Like a brat like him would be able to understand just how interesting it is!" Jiraiya thought to himself. "And that one hasn't even been put into circulation yet!"
Kakashi holds the book in front of him and slowly begins to open it. It was almost like a magical moment for him. In fact, a dramatic light show appeared from the book as it was slowly opened wider and wider. Kakashi just grew even more excited with each passing second.
"Okay! Stop goofing around, Kakashi." Lady Tsunade tells him from the window.
"I'm sorry about that, Lady Tsunade. My brother tends to get a little crazy when he gets his hands on one of those stupid books. And it doesn't help when it's a brand new one that hasn't been released yet." I told her as I glared at a certain toad sage, who was the one to blame.
"A little?" Sakura asked. I looked over and saw her with a raised eyebrow. "Try overdramatic." She adds.
"Yeah, you're right." I agreed with a shake of my head. "He does get melodramatic."
"Hey, wait. So, Kakashi sensei, you're my opponent?" Naruto asks.
"You're close but not quite right." Kakashi says as he stands up and walks over to the open window. "Hmm, it's been a while hasn't, Sakura?"
"Yes it has, Sensei." Sakura replied as Naruto jumped through the window to stand inside with me and Sakura.
"Now, to explain who my opponent is." Kakashi says as he jumps and stands on the windowsill. "It's Sakura, Naruto and Kazumi. The three of you together."
"The three of us, against you?" Naruto asked.
"That's right; Kakashi will put you three to the test." Tsunade said. "How well you do against him will determine your future status."
"Their future status, huh?" Shikamaru said to himself.
"So, shall we get started?" Kakashi asked. Naruto just looks at him. "Okay right, you just got back Naruto, you must be tired. We will give you a chance to rest first."
"I'm not tired; I'm ready to go right now." Naruto assured him.
"No, you take it easy. I'll meet you later at the training grounds. So long." He said and disappears in a plume of white smoke.
"I wonder what's wrong. He was in such a hurry." Shizune says.
"I have a pretty good guess." Tsunade says.
"He's planning on reading that book." Shikamaru adds.
"Exactly." I reply.
"Yeah, that look in his eye…. That has to be it." Sakura says.
"That's only natural since he got one of my books that hasn't even been released yet." Jiraiya thought as he kept a smirk on his face. I turned around to see him chuckling to himself.
"Wipe that smirk off your face!" I growled, causing Jiraiya to jump slightly. "That's not funny. That's pathetic!"
After leaving the Hokage Tower, Shikamaru, Temari, Sakura, Naruto and I were all walking down the street in our own conversation. I had to admit, it felt great to walk around town with my old teammates and friends. It's been awhile since we all did this.
"So Shikamaru, are you and Temari on a date or something?' Naruto asked.
"What, no. I'm just her escort. We both have been traveling back and forth from the Hidden Sand to get ready for the upcoming Chūnin Exams." Shikamaru explains.
"Oh yeah, the Chūnin Exams, now that takes me back." Naruto stated.
"Speaking of which, what are you going to do?" Shikamaru asked.
"Hmm, about what?" Naruto asked.
"About the Chūnin Exams." He said. "You are the only one in our year who is still a Genin."
"What!" Naruto yelled. "So wait, Sakura you mean you're a Chūnin?"
"Yep, that's right." Sakura answered as she gave him a peace sign.
"Kazumi, you're a Chūnin as well?" he asked.
"Mm-hmm, you got it." I told him.
"Oh man." Naruto groaned.
"You haven't heard the half of it." Shikamaru continued. "Kankuro, Temari, and Neji all took it a step farther. They all became Jounin."
"Ah, this sucks. I'm still a Genin." Naruto groaned. "Wait! Gaara! What about Gaara?"
"Well, Gaara is now the Kazekage of the Hidden Sand." Temari said.
"I-I see." Naruto said quietly and soon started smiling. "That's great. And there's no way I'm going to be out done by him. I'm still going to be Hokage one day!"
"Yep, that's Naruto for ya." I thought.
"Well, I guess we'll catch you guys later." Shikamaru tells us. "Great to have ya back, Naruto."
"Heh, thanks." Naruto tells him.
"See ya later, Shikamaru. Temari." I told them.
"We'll catch you later." Sakura added. They each gave us a nod and turn around to make their way to their destination.
"All right! Next stop, Ichiraku Ramen!" Naruto cheered. "Let's go!"
"Hold it!" Sakura quickly yells, making Naruto stop before he could take another step. "Aren't you forgetting something, Naruto?"
"Naruto stood where he was and looked back at the pink-haired kunoichi and asks, "Huh? What is it Sakura?"
"We have to get ready for our test with Kakashi sensei." She reminds him. "We should use this time to prepare and strategize. Who knows what will be waiting for us. Or what kind of test it would be."
"Unfortunately Sakura is right, Naruto." I told him. "We need to focus on this test first. For all we know, there could be a possibility that if we fail this test, our lives as ninja could be over."
"What!? No!" Naruto yelled and quickly rushed towards us. "Please tell me you're joking, Kazumi-chan!?" He asked as he held me by my shoulders.
"Well, this test does determine our future status. So it is possible." Sakura agreed. "So we can't screw this up."
"We all know that teamwork is the key to completing this test." I told them. "So no matter what, we have to work together, cover each other's weak spots and make sure that Kakashi sensei doesn't get the upper hand on either one of us."
"So? Do you guys have any ideas how we should go about this?" Naruto asks.
"Well, we shouldn't rush into the fight." Sakura says. "We have to be patient and we must pay close attention to Kakashi sensei's moves and everything around us. But with an opponent like Kakashi sensei, we'll have to really be extremely careful."
"You're right about that. Kakashi sensei is not someone you should be lenient about." I added. "When you fight him, you have to fight like your life depends on it. Neither one of us are no longer little kids fresh out of the academy."
"So there will be no reason from him to go easy on us." Sakura says. I just nodded my head to agree with her.
"And there's no reason why we should either." I added.
"Hey. Kakashi sensei may be strong, but I think we can take him." Naruto said confidently. "With the three of us working together, we will win!"
"Well… having a positive state of mind before entering this test will definitely help our moral. But make sure you don't get too cocky, okay." I told Naruto. He gives me a nod but continues to keep that confident look in his eyes. "And I think I might have a few ideas that may be helpful to us."
"Really!? Like what!?" Both Naruto and Sakura ask simultaneously.
"Don't worry. I'll explain them on the way." I told them as I turned around. "Come on. We better start making our way towards the training grounds."
"Right." Sakura agreed.
"Let's go!" Naruto cheered.
Naruto, Sakura and I started making our way down the dirt road, heading straight to the Third Training Grounds. Since we had time before Kakashi appeared, I decided to share a few ideas with them. They had ideas of their own. So there was a good chance that we were going to past this test. Hell, we have to pass it. Our future status as ninja were at stake. And I knew for a fact that there was no way either one of us would give up so easily.