DISCLAIMER : I own a few things, but those don't include Naruto or Harry Potter. But you knew that, didn't you ?
Konoha, Present Time
Back at his home, Konohamaru sat back against his bed and relaxed. He always loved this place, and after his Uncle Asuma had died the Sarutobi Mansion just held too many painful memories for him. So he had turned to the only person who could help him, Naruto. Naruto had let him camp out at his place free of charge for nearly a year, and when he had moved to a larger house, he had left the tiny apartment at Konohamaru's disposal. The old place had been perfect for Konohamaru who had always felt right at home in here. It was getting quite late at night, yet he was in no hurry to sleep. Ruffling his brown hair he ambled over to the small kitchen, setting the kettle to boil as he pulled out a packet of instant ramen. One good thing about Instant Ramen was that it could stay good for long, and cooked easily, ideal for long travels and as an easy, cheap food.
As the water boiled, Konohamaru took a moment to think back on the memory he had just seen, It was funny and silly, yes, but also highlighted the deep bonds the team had shared with each other...and he knew that the ties had only become stronger with age. It also offered a glimpse of the old days in Konoha before war had tainted all their smiles. It was a good feeling, seeing those days again. The experience in the memory itself was very odd; he could view the memory happening in front of his eyes as a silent spectator, but also he could feel the undercurrents, the subtext behind the spoken words in his subconscious. He supposed what he was feeling were the thoughts of those whose memory it was. The Yamanakas described a similar experience when they delved into someone's mind. In the words of one of his academy friends : 'a human mind has far too many layers for us to read easily. When we invade someone's mind during an interrogation, we try to feel the impressions and subconscious thoughts of our victim. The impressions may be anything, from a vague sense of smell or taste or even a feeling of joy or sorrow or it may be something entirely different. It is...difficult to put into words.'
'Not very helpful, though I now understand what he meant. As a kid, I was too enamored by the sheer coolness of the memory books to think much about them.' Konohamaru thought wryly.
His ruminations were cut short as the kettle cheerfully whistled as the water within it rose to a boil. Applying a little water-natured chakra to his palms, the young jounin pulled off the kettle from the stove and carefully poured out the hot water into the open cup of ramen. Pulling off the lid a couple of minutes later, Konohamaru took in the aroma and eagerly tucked into his meal, the familiar flavor bringing back memories of sitting on the windowsill with his grandfather on the rare times that he was free as they shared a cup of ramen, talking about inane matters.
Tossing the now empty cup expertly into the dustbin, Konohamaru straightened up and dusted off his shirt, then picked up the book and flopped back down on the bed. Kicking back his feet he turned to another page of the book, and began to read.
Rule 17: Brats love flashy Techniques. Brats respect those who use flashy Techniques. But keep in mind that their overuse will produce little wide-eyed hanger-ons who will never let you have a moment of peace.
(Keep finger on the circle below to view the memory of the disastrous results if this rule is not followed)
Now used to the strange book, Uzumaki's protégé let himself be sucked into the memory of his hero's latest escapade.
In the Memory, ANBU HQ
Haruki sat in his office at the ANBU headquarters, going over some minor reports from the border garrisons. There was nothing major to report, though the clouds of war were starting to gather once more. According to the missives, troop activity had increased in the waterways of Hidden Mist even as the rebels had starting gathering en masse against the current regime of Yagura. The borders of Hidden Rain remained closed, though the Konoha Patrol had discovered evidence of a few infiltration attempts. Hidden Sand had opened up new trade routes with Rice Country, while it's emigrant population had increased, understandable when you consider the draconian sanctions imposed against it by Wind Country's Feudal Lord. There was no news about Hidden Cloud or Hidden Stone. The border patrols had not deemed the smaller countries worthy of perusal. That was another thing that he would have to correct soon. Haruki, the man once known as Harry sighed and rubbed his head wearily.
There were a hundred small matters to attend to, but for now it was another day with another bunch of whippersnappers eager to be trained. Ho-hum. Let no one say that Haruki's life was easy. He was hungry, tired and needed his tea fix, and none of that green tea, oh no. What he need was good old Earl Gray. It was a pity that the Mokuton fellow couldn't grow plants, only trees. He flaggingly sighed at the evil box which said 'Sigh here'…wait that wasn't right. Oh right, it was 'Sign Here', which was deserving of a stab with the pen as he did as instructed.
"Taking orders from a stupid box drawn on a piece of worthless paper. What's next, singing 'A cauldron full of hot strong love' at the request of a talking toad? "The irritated Hanshi griped. His mood soured further when he felt the approach of a familiar chakra signature. It wasn't that he hated the man, he was his closest friend...but Haruki knew that the man was only bringing more work for him.
"Yo, Ground 7, ten minutes. Be there." The grating voice of Kakashi confirmed his fears.
"Oi, wait, aren't you always a couple of hours late, eh Hatake?"
"I already am. The meeting time was two hours ago." the Jounin quipped, before escaping through the window with a Shunshin.
Trying not to feel too aggravated, Haruki put on his Jounin vest and his Forehead Protector, then he turned on the spot and vanished too.
Training Area 7, 0930 hours
Naruto was dozing peacefully on a tree branch, confident of his senseis' late arrival, while his stubborn, and dare he say it, optimistic teammates waited for them below. When suddenly, with a swirl of leaves and a popping sound, the two missing jounins appeared on the tree branch, knocking down the poor blonde genin on his head.
Sakura couldn't bear it any longer and cried out righteously, "You're late!"
"Well, you're Pink! You don't see me complaining." Haruki yelled back, "Any other asinine observations anyone?"
"Maa, Maa, Cool it you two. What Haruki-san is trying to say, is that since you all have wasted a lot of time this morning, let's just spar before heading out for missions."
The Genins fumed, with one still rubbing his sore head. Naruto grumbled, "WE have wasted time? When these two are the ones who are late!" but complied nevertheless.
"Excellent. Now for today, you, my little piggies are the target. The spar is simple, attack me or I'll attack you. Now go, shoo, scatter, vamoose you varmints"
The Genins promptly scattered to the four winds, which was quite a feat considering there were only three of them.
"Want to sit this one out Kakashi? I want some 'Me time' with these little hellions"
"Mou, don't go overboard. Other than that, have fun. I'll be sitting…over there…with my book….reading."
Haruki just waved him off and settled into his familiar battle stance and extended his mind all over in an attempt to touch the minds of the hidden kids. He grinned as he detected Sasuke behind him, attempting to use the Uchiha staple, the Great Fireball Technique. Before the Uchiha could unleash his fireball, Haruki moved his hand in a series of complex motions, and whispered 'Imprecor Incaendo', letting loose a huge wall of fire which took the shape of snakes , dragons, chimeras and other assorted destructive beasts and roared towards Sasuke's position. The Fiendfyre roared down towards Sasuke's position in a blistering torrent of implacable flames. The Uchiha froze, stunned at the sheer destruction veering towards him, convincing him of his mortality. Moments before the firewall reached him, Sasuke took a moment to laugh dryly at the irony of an Uchiha being killed by flames, even as he was surprised that his weird but good-natured sensei had used this technique on him. It was all too late to dodge and before he could even think of an escape route, the streaking wall of cursed fire crashed around him.
To say that everyone was shocked was an understatement. Kakashi widened his eyes imperceptibly, while Naruto and Sakura yelled out in fear, but they were all left feeling stupid when the fire settled in a circle revealing a cowering but unharmed Sasuke at its center.
"One down. You can't leave this prison without being burnt and reduced to a sooty pile of Uchiha ash, so I advise you not to try it Sasuke. As for you two, you have already given away your positions through your inane hollering, so you might as well come out to attack me now."
First to come out from the treeline was Sakura, who attacked in a precise Academy style taijutsu, albeit enhanced by chakra for more stopping power. It wouldn't uproot trees or destroy buildings just yet, but it was a start all the same. Haruki ducked under the first punch, then dodged and rolled to the side while avoiding a high kick and then followed it up by a vicious kick aimed at Sakura's outstretched hands, which were trying to go for a debilitating punch. Somersaulting over her head , he muttered 'Terra Rapio' , causing two fists made of stone and rock to shoot out from the earth and grab Sakura's ankles, holding her in place.
"Now we have two down. That was a display of astounding precision over Taijutsu Sakura, but you need to branch out more. Learn some new moves as well as some Jutsus. Tell that Sensei of yours to teach a variant of this move I used on you, it's called the Hiding like a Mole Technique and its follow-up attack : Double Suicide Decapitation Technique."
Sakura could only tilt her head in acknowledgement even as she frowned at her easy defeat. Then her eyes widened in surprise as she felt the tremors of many feet approaching their location. She brightened; The Army of Narutos had arrived.
And indeed it had. A swelling tide of Orange and Yellow, yelling and pulling faces and making threatening gestures, the sheer volume being so daunting that a normal opponent would have been unnerved. But Haruki, long used to insurmountable odds and last stands was unfazed. He stood up straight, and calmly drew a line across the ground in front of him.
"Resistance is Futile. Surrender. You will not cross this line."
"Get him boys, we will swarm him down." a foolhardy clone piped up.
"Yeah! Victory cannot be achieved without sacrifice; we Shadow Clones know that better than anyone…Never lose faith my friends….never. We will not pause. We will not falter. We will cross that line or die trying. URA!" a clone bravely roused the clone army only to sit back down sheepishly when everyone gave him flat looks.
Haruki could feel the headache kick back in. "Naruto, for Kami's sake, dispel that idiot clone of yours.", he groused, rubbing his temples.
Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Yes Sensei. On it, Sensei" The clone made a last ditch attempt to change the mind of his creator but was left grasping at air as he was dispelled.
"Thank you. Now, Let us begin"
What followed next was a slaughter. Ducking and weaving through the front ranks, Haruki made short work of the clones and tore a smoky swath to the rear of the army. Waving his hand in a sweeping gesture, he muttered 'Terra Aes Spiculum', which caused short stubby spikes of metal to shoot out from the ground, impaling many of the clones. Even as the heart of the clone gang was sown into confusion, he took advantage of the chaos and smoothly touched one spike as he mumbled 'Fulmen Includo', sending out a wave of lightning which arced to all the metal protrusions and formed a dome like cage trapping all the Narutos inside. The lightning would arc occasionally, sending out a bright flare of corona, dissuading all approach, either from inside or from outside.
"Three Down. And it's over. So, what did you guys learn today?" Haruki asked cheerfully, freeing the trio from their respective prisons and beckoned Kakashi over.
"I know, never ever spar with Haruki ever again."
"I got one too, never be caught inside Haruki-sensei's traps"
"Hn. Never hesitate on a battlefield."
"Maa, I got one too. I learnt that Haruki knows many cool techniques and I want to learn them too."
"Ok. First of all, Naruto, you suck. Second of all, you are partially correct Sakura; I'd rather say that you shouldn't be caught in anyone's trap at all. Third of all, that is very true Sasuke, but that's not the point of my lesson. And Finally, Hatake, get me a spare Sharingan and I'll teach them to you. Most are basic elemental manipulation. And no, you can't promise me Sasuke's when he finally activates them."
Kakashi who was trying to say something shut down and deflated. Sasuke glared at him, annoyed that Kakashi could even think of promising his Sharingan just like that to someone. They were his and his alone. His Precious. When he finally activated them, that is.
"Sadly, you all missed the point of the lesson, and that was imprisonment. A clever shinobi does not need to kill or even maim his opponent to knock him out of the fight. Capturing him inside an elemental cage or prison will serve just as well. Are you with me so far? In fact, I also wanted this spar to teach you how to escape various prisons. Sasuke, your fire cage extended to above ground, but not below it. A use of Hiding like a Mole Technique or other such underground movement techniques would have set you free. Sakura, your hands were free for Kami's sake, you could have used any Water Style Technique to turn the rock hands into mud. And Naruto, yours was the hardest to escape, but it had one significant flaw, it needed my contact to keep it active. Even if one clone of yours had been kept out of the active battlefield and had taken the opportunity to attack me, I would have been forced to release you."
All the genins nodded, feeling a tad foolish for overlooking such easy details, but at the same time determined to do better next time.
"So, Team-7, my assignment for you lot today is, sit with your sensei and rack your brains for various elemental prisons and how to escape them, and to learn an underground movement technique. Copy Ninja Kakashi, live up to your name and teach these children about various such Jutsus you have seen or experienced. After that you guys can go and do some D-ranks, imagine the look on Tora's face when you capture that evil cat from underground."
Five fierce grins lit up at the happy thought.
Haruki got up from the ground smoothly and started to dust off his clothes. The three genins exchanged curious looks, intrigued at the uncharacteristic haste their lazy teacher was displaying. Finally, Sakura put on her best innocent face and asked sweetly, "Ano, Haruki-sensei, whereare you going?" she enquired.
"I am meeting Team-6 today at their training ground. Asuma asked me to properly motivate his team today, heh." Haruki answered with a malicious chuckle.
Everyone sweat-dropped at the scarred Jounin's eagerness, who then waved at them and disappeared with in a swath of smoke with a near-silent pop.
"Well, that was...illuminating. Team, what do you say that we stalk Haruki and see what else he has up his sleeves?" Kakashi asked with a sly gleam in his eye as he closed his book with a snap.
The genins answered with a resounding yes, much as Kakashi had expected. They took a short break to freshen up before taking to the trees, heading out towards training ground 6.
Training Area 6, 1130 hours
By the time Team-7 reached the training grounds, the hijutsu training of Team-6 had already started. They came in expecting spectacular jutsus flying left and right, the way it had been inflicted on them. To their extreme disappointment all they found was Ino and Haruki staring at each other blankly.
Seeing their dejected faces, Asuma spoke up, "You haven't missed anything fun, and those two have been like this for the past fifteen minutes. Shikamaru has gone off to sleep again while Chouji has started on his next packet of chips. I have started on my second cigarette, in case you were wondering."
"We weren't, Asuma-sensei." Naruto answered honestly as everyone sweatdropped, including a dozing Nara. Oblivious to the people's reactions, Naruto sat next to the two Shinobi lost in stupor.
He waved his hand in front of their faces.
No reaction.
He poked the duo softly.
No reaction.
He poked the duo again. Harder this time.
Sea green eyes remained lost in Emerald green ones.
"Ne, Kaka-sensei, isn't Ino too young to be lost in Haruki-sensei's eyes?"
Sakura responded with her usual fist to the head special before yelling"Idiot, they must be training in that weird mind techanique that Ino-pig's clan uses."
Naruto and Shikamaru just sighed, "Troublesome."
"Hn, they are beginning to stir, we should hide."
"Team, scatter."
Which they did, and not a moment too soon as Ino and Haruki returned to the outside world. Haruki calmly got up and went behind the bushes where gagging and retching sounds could be heard. At Asuma's questioning glance he just grumbled,"it's a mind of a teenage girl Asuma. Next time, spare me the horror'. Shrugging, The former fire guardian concentrated on Ino who looked ecstatic.
"That was so amazing Haruki-sensei! You could literally read through my mind like a scroll, and you didn't even use any hand seals at all. Can you teach me that? That was just amazing, wait till I tell my dad, he will be amazed"
"Troublesome girl, calm down already."
"Stupid Shikamaru, I AM calm!"
"You just used 'Amazing' thrice. In a single breath."
"Just shut up you. You didn't experience it. It was amazing."
Shikamaru shook his head at the lost cause, "It's like talking to a brick wall."
Haruki smiled gently and mediated between the two, "Don't antagonize her unnecessarily Shikamaru and Ino-chan, sure, I will give you the scroll from where I learned this technique but only on one condition."
"What is it Haruki-sensei? I'll do anything!"
"Never ask me to practice that technique with you again. My poor feeble mind isn't built for a young girl's psyche." Haruki smugly declared.
Ino looked rebellious for a moment, but acquiesced to his request. "Does this mean you will not teach me again?" she queried with a downcast expression.
"Not at all Ino-chan, I will. But not that Technique again." Haruki smiled down at her kindly, giving her a small tightly bound book titled 'Clearing their Mind- A Beginners Guide to the Mind Arts' which was supposedly compiled from the notes of a certain Severus Snape and published by a Harry Potter. Strange names, but then again, Haruki's approach to the mind techniques was pretty outlandish by Ino's standards.
"Thank you Sensei ! I'll keep this book safe and learn well from it, I promise."
"That's all I ask, but be sure to keep the book secure. It's the only one of its kind in the whole world. And I expect it back when you are done with it." Haruki sternly told Ino who nodded enthusiastically.
"You're up next Shika."
"Do I have to? Training sounds so troublesome."
"Oh don't be like that, I'm training your mind. Let's play shogi."
Shikamaru smiled at that and set up a board , and soon He and Haruki had settled into pensive poses as Asuma looked on with engrossing interest. Ino pored through her new book while Chouji pored through his bag of chips. All in all, Team-6 was content. For a small while at least.
Back in the trees
Team 7 were NOT content at these developments. Sakura fumed at the injustice of it all. Naruto pouted childishly, still feeling the sores and aches. Sasuke looked mildly discontent as he remembered the scary moment with the fire. Kakashi just giggled as his novel's hero Isshin chased after a naked Masaki.
"Why does their team get such easy training? You angered Haruki-sensei somehow, didn't you Pervert-sensei?"
"Mou, he has been like that with me ever since the Jounin Exams Gauntlet. I fought him, he defeated me. I don't know why he is sore about that still?" Kakashi declared, crossing his arms across his chest, as if daring anyone to refute his claim.
Unfortunately for Kakashi, his bane was nearby.
"Yosh! My most youthful rival, it might have to do with you setting Anko-san on him after the exams were over." Gai exulted, flashing a thumbs-up towards the assembled Team-7. Behind him, Lee looked adoringly at his sensei, while Neji and Tenten did their best to look inconspicuous.
"GAI! What are you….and your...Team, doing here?"
"Kakashi-san, we are here to observe the most youthful Haruki-san, he put us through the most inspiring training yesterday which ignited our flames of youth!" Lee answered...enthusiastically.
Neji was more reserved in his reply, "True. Haruki-sama's insight on not only shinobi skills but also his opinions on worldly philosophy were most inspiring. For instance, did you know, his scar used to be a cursed seal once? And it was far more sinister and painful than the one which we Hyuugas use. He truly is extraordinary."
"So what did you guys learn yesterday? And why is Tenten so silent?" Sakura felt obliged to ask on behalf of her fellow kunoichi.
"He first created a few homunculi from raw earth which he powered with seals. Then he asked Lee to spar against the puppets where it was revealed that each puppet was imbued with a separate elemental chakra as well as had a certain degree of sentience. But the most surprising thing was that the puppets were indestructible, as Lee quickly learned, and could only be stopped by removing the Seal Array on the puppets' back. At the half-hour mark, he allowed Lee to take the puppets he had succeeded in stopping for his personal use."
Naruto , who looked baffled nudged Sasuke, "Hey, Bastard, what did he mean?"
"Hn. He meant that Haruki-san can create and use indestructible puppets which can use different elemental techniques. The puppets work on Seals and are their weak point. Lee was allowed to keep the puppets he defeated as 'Trophy'. Understand now Dobe?" Sasuke curtly replied.
Naruto nodded at that, a part of his mind wondering why Neji felt the need to use flowery language all the time.
"As I mentioned, he taught me about Cursed Seals and how I could protect myself against them, and gave me a book on something called Occlumency which he claimed would be useful. If he is to be believed, which I am rather inclined to, this Occlumency can help block out some of the nerves behind the cursed seal. He also guided me to create a new Jyuuken move, which I am still trying to perfect. Tenten on the other hand engaged in a sword duel with Haruki-sama an-"
"Wait, Haruki-sensei has a sword?"
"Yes, Sakura-san, he uses a long straight blade, it's hilt encrusted with rubies. It seemed like a magnificent weapon even to these eyes unversed in weapon appreciation. Tenten-san was quite taken by it."
"Bastard, we will have to get Sensei to show us that super cool weapon, it sounds awesome, doesn't it?"
Sasuke merely grunted in affirmative( it was something that Team-7 had had to learn quickly, for being a single sound, the grunts were surprisingly wide ranging in their meaning), before curtly nodding towards Neji, motioning him to continue.
Neji looked on impassively, a minor twitch in his eye, before continuing his long-winded speech, "As I was saying, Tenten-san dueled him and finally asked him to show the Technique by which he defeated Hayate-san in the Jounin Exam Gauntlet. I am ashamed to admit that I lost my cool and was thoroughly intimidated by the Technique. He calls it the Danse Macabre wherein he creates copies of the sword which whirl around in a swirling vortex of Death. Thankfully he has always used blunted edges so far, but something tells me that the Technique will decimate any opponent in his path."
He was interrupted yet again, this time by Kakashi, "Ah yes, I remember that move. It was the talk of the town for days afterward. Many regard it as one of the pinnacles of Sword-based ninjutsu, which is how I supposed Tenten came to hear of it."
Neji didn't even bother to react this time, "Indeed, Kakashi-san. At the end of the duel, he gave Tenten a practice sword styled after his own, and promised her a true Master-Sword which he called 'Griphook's Bane' when she succeeds in mastering the practice one. The prospect of wielding such a blade has left Tenten speechless since yesterday."
Sasuke translated for Naruto who was looking flummoxed once again.
Kakashi eye-smiled at Sakura, "See, Team-9 had a rough training too. Team-6 just struck lucky it seems."
"Yeah, but they got Presents! Tenten got a sword, Neji and Ino got rare books, Lee got special seal puppets, look, even Shikamaru is holding a book now, and Chouji is putting on a new Armor. I'm sure Team-8 got something too."
Before she could continue her rant, the last rookie team sauntered in, taking their place in the impromptu huddle behind the bushes, which were now getting rather crowded.
"And you are absolutely right Sakura, Haruki gave us awesome stuff too, right Akamaru?" Kiba spoke with a wide feral grin on his face while the cute puppy woofed in agreement.
"Maa, this completes the rookie teams, right? Are you here to observe Haruki too, Kurenai-san?" Kakashi asked with a raised eyebrow. Ever since Haruki had joined Konoha, Kurenai and him had become fast friends, the friendship becoming stronger after the mission where Haruki had earned his title. Since then, the two teamed up usually for missions, at least until Asuma had returned from his stint with the Fire Guardians. Things had been a bit awkward and stilted, but soon Haruki had broken the ice with his characteristic aplomb. While everyone knew Haruki was Asuma's closest friend, the nature of Kurenai and Haruki's relationship was still unknown.
"No, not at all, I'm here for our lunch date, he promised to take me out today. And yes, he had a session with us yesterday and he was surprisingly able to teach such varied genins something new. First he had survival training for them where he attacked them randomly while they attempted to search him out and evade him. He kept yelling about 'Constant Vigilance' and to 'Stop, Drop, and Roll'. It was rather fun to watch."
Kiba butted in, "He had also started to teach me about impressing girls but Kurenai-sensei burned all my notes."
"That filth deserved to be burnt." said Kurenai with a faint blush to her cheeks.
"You are just sore it works. Wasn't that 'Let me change your bandages…' line awesome?"
"Enough Kiba" declared Kurenai firmly, bonking him on the head, trying to ignore the perverted giggles emanating from beneath Kakashi's mask.
"Moving right along, he also taught Kiba some mental exercises to become one with the beast, so to speak. According to him it would deepen the human-animal connection, so Kiba and Akamaru could work better together. He also showed them some technique which Kiba refuses to tell me about."
"It was shown to me in confidence Nai-Sensei! But I can tell you that it was terrifying yet awesome. I don't want to be at its receiving end. Ever. He also gave Akamaru this shiny new collar too, he said it belonged to his old pet Snuffles and with it, I can always track Akamaru down."
"Hmm, It seems Haruki has a knack for huge flashy Jutsus, right Gai , Kurenai ?" the other two Jounins nodded in affirmation.
"And what did he teach you Shino-kun, Hinata-chan?" Gai asked kindly.
Shino adjusted his glasses. "He helped me find new Kikaichuu, some which were even regarded as lost by our clan. It was most disconcerting. Why, you ask? It was because he would mutter a strange word 'Accio' followed by the name of the bugs we were searching for and after some time, the bug would appear. It seemed like some kind of Summoning Technique, but I am not certain. Already our clan has started the re-breeding of these 'lost' bugs. It is indeed, a priceless gift to our clan."
Sasuke was once again translating for Naruto who wondered why all the silent ones used such difficult language. 'They must be ashamed of their difficult way of talking that's why they remain so quiet.' He decided mentally.
"And Hinata,you ?"
Hinata, who was once again impersonating a tomato as she gazed at the cute confused expression on Naruto's face, stuttered as she was shaken out of her reverie.
"A-Ano, he helped me train my B-Byakugan so it becomes stronger. He also gave me a book on Plants. He said it was written by one of his best friends, someone called Neville and then he said that I reminded him of his friend. A-And he felt I could be even better than his friend." Hinata finished quietly.
Mount Sakura exploded quietly, "Everyone got something, except us, I will show that good-for-nothing Sensei when I see him next. Shannaro!"
At the Golden Dragon Restaurant, 1430 hours
"Hey Nai-chan, does it feel to you that someone is watching us?" Haruki asked curiously, looking up at his date as he tucked into his Tonkatsu cutlet.
Kurenai gazed amusedly out of the window where a row of children stood with their faces pressed against it. A certain pink-haired one held up a sign demanding presents. Kurenai merely sighed and shook her head exasperatedly. "No, Haruki-kun, its just us. Why? Aren't I enough that you want more?"
As Haruki earnestly denied this allegation and tried to make amends, Kurenai smiled inwardly,'Yes, Haruki certainly was fun to be around…'
Later that night
Haruki had changed out of his uniform into casual clothes and reflected on his day, it had been a pretty fun one, all things considering. And the date, while nothing serious, was a high point too. Spending quality time with Kurenai was a privilege that he had come to appreciate greatly. And while he would never admit it, teaching those twitchy brats was something that he enjoyed a lot too.
Haruki chuckled to himself and after doing a final sweep for any intruders, went to close the door of his house. To his surprise, he saw a small crowd gathered outside. The crowd itself was large in numbers, but its members were small. The Rookie Twelve to be exact. Haruki sighed, feeling the onset of his headache yet again.
"What do you all want now?" Haruki gave in and asked, much to his better judgement.
"Super Awesome Techniques!"
"Shut up Idiot! I want some presents!"
"This is so Troublesome, I just want a Shogi match."
"I'd like some more of the cheese chips you made. They were yum."
"SUPER AWESOME TECHNIQUES!"
"I want a Spar. Hn. No walls of fire this time."
"A Duel!"
"PRESENTS!"
"Any Techniques!"
"Some Help Haruki-san. Why you ask? Because this loud noise is disturbing the new bugs."
"PRESENTS ! Shannaro!"
"Hn, Training!"
Haruki closed his eyes and slammed the door close. Maybe if he could pretend, those annoying brats would go away. All he had to do was stay quiet, not open his eyes nor open the door. A few moments passed, and Haruki tentatively peeked his eye open. Gingerly, he opened the door, just enough to let a sliver of moonlight shine in. To his relief, the crowd outside had dispersed. But before he could sigh in relief, he heard a cough from behind. Cringing, he turned his head slowly around before being yelled at again.
"Youthful Training!"
"Techniques!"
"Chips!"
"Hn. a Spar!"
"A Duel!"
"PRESENTS!"
"TECHNIQUES!"
"Help."
"PRESENTS ! Shannaro!"
"Youthful Training!"
"PRESENTS !"
Haruki could not take the aural abuse any longer and with a strangled yell about 'demented obsessed brats', disappeared with a pop, leaving a crowd of disgruntled young shinobis behind.
Present Time
Konohamaru looked disbelievingly at the innocuous looking page after coming out of the memory. His image of the legendary Konoha Twelve was shattered forever after watching them swarm around like kids at a candy store.
Still, the lesson had it's uses. He made a mental note to not show the Rasengan or it's variants on his first day of teaching to his squad. He did NOT want to end up chased out of his own home like poor Haruki-san. Eager for more advice, Konohamaru turned a page…
A/N : Updated on 6th September 2014 to reflect current trends and standards.
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