Finally! Chapter 2 is being put out! 'Bout time, don't'cha think? Sorry for the delay. It's just been one thing after another. For example, school work, software issues (could not edit, save, or even copy file or portions inside file). Soooo, yeah...it was 'blast'... It sucked.
Ah, but here we are, finally updated and ready to continue. Also, this is the last week of school, so besides looking for an internship and getting married (19 days left!), there should be very little getting in the way of writing. We'll see how long it takes for me to get the sequel done compared to the original, eh?
Regardless I hope you enjoy the new chapter and that you continue to enjoy the ensuing chapters. Read on!
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"Time to feast!"
"Hey, don't get ahead of yourself my friend. I don't think you want to go 'feasting' on the god-daughter of one of the sannin, do you?" Jiriaya appeared between the two groups, catching Kisame's sword on his arm guard. "Really, that's just poor manners," he said, affecting a tone of mild offense."
"Keh!" Kisame jumped back to join his partner, eying the woman the sannin had over his shoulder. Hadn't they observed him following their bait?
"Jiriaya-sama…you don't seem to be as predictable as we thought," Itachi said as he looked on in seeming boredom. Jiriaya puffed out his chest.
"Hah! As if I'd just simply fall over for a pretty face. I am JIRIAYA! The great Toad Sage! Women fall over me, not the other way around!" He declared even as Naruto shook her head.
"Old perv. You have to pay them or peep to see any woman not trying to kick your face in." The sannin flinched at her comment but maintained his stance for a moment before getting serious again.
"So, you were after Naruto, right? Sorry to disappoint you, but no matter what, I'm not letting you take her."
"Hn. Don't think we'll give up so easy, old man. We have orders, and we're-"
"Kisame, we're leaving." The ex-kiri nin jerked his gaze towards Itachi, eyes wide.
"What? But she's right here-"
"You know we're not prepared to deal with a sannin. We'll retreat, for now, and prepare for next time." Kisame narrowed his eyes before grunting in agreement and the two fled down the hallway.
"Not so fast," called out Jiriaya. "I'm taking you in; Toad Mouth Bind Jutsu!" As he through his hands onto the ground (somehow managing to gently deposit the woman he had been holding) the floors and walls of the building changed around them, seeming close to skin.
"Wh, what's that?"
"A technique where I can trap my enemies in the esophogous of a giant toad from Mount Myoboku," he said, gripping the 'floor' even tighter. "It keeps them from escaping, can trap them in the wall itself, and allows me to allows know where they are…?"
"What's wrong," Naruto asked as his head shot up.
"Its…not possible." He shot up, running down the hallway the Akatsuki members disappeared from only a moment before. "Stay with Sasuke," he called out.
"O…kay," she said, shaking her head after a moment and turning her attention to her boyfriend. She knelt down next to him, gently tapping his arm to check for the break and other pain. "Well then, do we feel enough like an idiot?"
"Hn," Sasuke characteristically grunted. "I managed to keep them from taking you, didn't I?"
"Yeah, breaking your wrist in the process, and treating me like helpless little girl," she added, reaching into her pack to grab some bandages and a pair of kunai. "Really, you made me want to kick in the…well, kick you really hard," she said as Sasuke winced at the implication.
"Well I-ow!"
"Hmph, it's your own fault," she declared as she used the kunai and bandages to form a splint. "Besides not including me in your little attack plan and trying to keep me from doing anything useful, it was also stupid. Or did you forget I have a sannin with me?"
"hn! Yeah, and whe-erk-where was he when they tried to drag you off? Seems I-gerk!-managed to get here before him." Naruto sniffed.
"He would have made it. Ero-sennin may be a complete perv, but he cares about me. He wouldn't have let them get away, no matter what. Didn't you see how fast they ran away when he showed up?"
"And what if he hadn't shown up in time! What if that guy had cut your leg off?"
"Sheesh, give a guy some credit," came Jiriaya's somewhat aloof voice. "I was right there the whole time. Naruto had a bunch of clones training when these guys showed up and they went and got me. Of course, I was already on my way," he added, trying to make a point. "But in any case it isn't the what if's that matter in this world. It's the-"
"DYNAMIC ENTRY!" Before Jiriaya could finish his sentence Gai came rushing through their midst, slamming his foot right into Jiriaya's face. "Success," he proclaimed, giving the two gennin a thumbs up and smile as he planted his foot on his fallen 'foe'.
"Errr, that's great, Gai-sensei…but could you get off pervy sage, please?"
"Huh?"
"Meburgerboh!" Gai looked down to see Jiriaya of the sannin looked up at him, trying to speak as Gai's foot covered his mouth.
"Ah! I'm so sorry Jiriaya-sama! I knew Itachi was going to be here and-" Naruto and Sasuke stared at the two for a moment before shuddering and continuing to bandage the boy's wrist.
"As I was saying, I'm fine, and as a sannin, my god-father is perfectly equipped to protect me. Besides, you promised me that we'd fight Itachi as a team, didn't you?"
"You're not strong enough-"
"STOP SAYING THAT," she yelled in his ear, dropping the bandages and crossing her arms. "Why is it that boy's always tell girls, 'you're not strong enough, you need me to protect you,' whenever something big is happening?" Sasuke was silent for a moment.
"Neither of us is," he said. "Itachi is much stronger than even the two of us and Sakura. More than even all three of us and sensei, too."
"You don't know that."
"…he put sensei in the hospital while they were looking for you in the village," he said. Naruto gasped.
"What? Is, is he okay? How bad is it? Is he gonna live? How-"
"Kakashi is doing fine, little miss," Gai said. "He just had a bad encounter with Itachi's genjutsu. Physically he is fine, but it will take a week or two before his mind recovers sufficiently to move around again." Naruto breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness! Rin-chan would have been devastated if died."
"And so would I be, if you died," Sasuke tried to point, pressing what seemed to be his advantage.
"Oh, and you don't think I would either?"
"But you're-"
"Bull!" The Uchiha, and others, blinked. "Just 'cause I'm your girlfriend, just 'cause I'm the jinchuuriki, not to mention the future Hokage, doesn't make me more important than anyone else. Your life is just as important as mine is, and I swear, Uchiha Sasuke, if you and try to make me be the only one of the two of us left in this world ever again, I'm gonna kill myself just so I redefine hell for you!" Silence rang as she huffed for a moment, out of breath after making her point. Sasuke reacted first, changing from a stare to a wry smile.
"Well…wouldn't be much of a hell if you're there," he said. Naruto blushed and punched him in the arm.
"Jerk."
"Dobe."
"Teme."
"Pretty." Naruto tried to look dignified, turning her head and scrunching her nose, once again looking away. "I'm sorry," he said, lightly touching her arm with his good hand. "You're right; I went solo again. I should have been willing to team up with you against him. I won't do it again." The blonde tried to maintain her severity for a moment longer before letting out a long breathe.
"Fine," she muttered. "But you better keep that promise," she warned.
"I will."
The adults gave each other a look as the two shared a quick kiss and a hug.
"You think they even remember we're standing here? Ow!"
"How's that for an answer, ero-sennin," Naruto asked as the old man gripped his knee when she's kicked it.
"Darn it Naruto! Do you do don't you want me teaching!"
"Not my fault if-!"
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"Well, hopefully we won't have any more interruptions on this trip," the sannin said, rubbing his knee (how hard did she kick me that I can still feel it today?) as Naruto waved to Sasuke (and Gai) as they headed back to Konoha.
"Pft! Like anything else could go wrong." In reply, Jiriaya only grunted, standing up again.
"Come on squirt, let's hit the road again. Day light's wasting.
"Yes sir, pervy sage sir!"
"Stop calling me that!"
Naruto giggled at his antics. It was the perfect nickname for a self-proclaimed 'super pervert,' so he thank her! Not yell in protest every time she used it. Still, it was nice, having a god-father she could play around with like a real family.
Her brow furled. I won't let you lay a finger on Naruto!...He's after you!
What did he mean by that? After me? What would they want me?
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The night before…
"So, how is she," asked Kankuro as he reclined on the bed. It had been a long day of training, and convincing the standing council that Gaara was not only fit to be a ninja, but that he should also be joining the new Suna training program along with him and their sister. Given his previous disposition it had been hard to get them to come around, but they had made progress. They were willing to, 'consider the possible application of Suna's jinchuuriki to the academy and gennin training program.' It was better than nothing, so Kankuro was happy with it.
"…she is…safe now." Temari picked her head up.
"Eh? Wuz that? Sage now?"
"Ermmm…sis, maybe you should actually wake up when you're going to ask a question. Good point though," he mused, rubbing his chin. "What do you mean by, 'safe now'?"
"The Uchiha-sorry- Sasuke's brother, it seems, Itachi, tried to kidnap her." Both his siblings shot up. Temari, hair a complete mess, was now fully awake.
"What?"
"Yes," Gaara nodded. "He wanted to kidnap her. Him and another shinobi. Kisame from the hidden mist. But she is safe now." Temari and Kankuro shared a look.
"But..why did he want her?" Gaara's face remained expressionless.
"I do not know, but we will ask her. In person, I think. I do not think it is wise to entrust suck a question to a letter. We will have to find a reason to go to Konoha again soon. After her trip is over…where are you going?" Temari tied the belt of her robe, walking to the door.
"Kin will want to hear about this, and I can't sleep right now, either."
"Oh, hey, I'll come," Kankuro started before his sister pushed him down violently with her foot.
"NO! Guy's don't go to girls rooms at this time of night, especially when they're only in their night clothers."
"But you-"
"But I am a girl, just like Kin, so it's fine. We need to have some good girl talk anyway. Hardly any shinobi girls worth talking to around her," she mumbled, leaving Kankuro to rub his head, easing the pain of where he'd hit the headboard.
"Well, that's sisters for you: violent and scary."
Gaara stared at the door their sister left through then assumed a meditating position.
"Oh, doing that again?" He nodded. "Is it helping?" He nodded. "…you want me to shut up, don't you?" Gaara cracked an eye.
"It is difficult to concentrate otherwise. We shall speak in the morning, after you have your sleep."
"Figures," the puppet user muttered. "Something big happens so Gaara uses his new meditation as an excuse to not talk and Temari goes to have a late night chat with my girlfriend, and I can't even sleep!"
"…count puppets…"
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Aaaand, second chapter iiiissss...done! How was it? Did you like? Yeah, I know it was a bit short, but I thought it was good. It was fun adding in that bit with the other sand sibs at the end. After all, the whole basis is that Naruto is their...1/3 sister, pretty much, so I think they deserve a little screen time now and then, don't you? Siblings prerogative. That does NOT mean they will be in every chapter. The story is Naruto's, not theirs, and live kinda live in two different villages. They will have chances to interact, and sometimes we will see things going on in Suna, but only sometimes. Yes, I know, sad, but that's how it's gonna be.
Hope you liked the chapter, now don't forget to review. See ya next time!
