The setup was simple. Sasuke was to go in to the hotel-restaurant and charm the girl named Kaname, to make her fall in love with him. The purpose was to make her want to come back home to Konohagakure no Sato and her family that she had run away from.
Since almost all Konoha-girls already were enchanted by the Uchiha's good looks and status everybody saw fit that he were to convince her to come home. Well everybody meant Kakahi-sensei and Sakura-chan while Sasuke felt like he had to agree whit them since he doubted that the others could manage it. Naruto complained a bit and put up a sour face, but was ignored. The blonde's idea's were probably crazy anyway, was a thought the rest of the team adapted long time ago.
'That went well' Naruto thought slightly amused from the corner of the restaurant pulling a grumpy face. The blond sat beside Kakashi and Sakura, while watching Sasuke trying to interact with Kaname. At the same time that it was entertaining watching the black haired team-mate struggle, the mission was going badly.
The girl had from the beginning looked slightly interested as Sasuke come to stand close to her. But as he had stood staring at her for a while she seemed to be creeped-out. Naruto hadn't been able to hear what she said to Sasuke, but by the look, their conversation wasn't going well. She had moved away from him and begun to talk with the staff, pointing an accusing finger in the Uchiha's direction.
"That went really bad! I told you so. He's too much of a prick to win her over" Naruto said with a grin. "If it had been me…." The teen continued before being cut of by Sakura as she slapped the blond across the right cheek.
"Don't say such thing about Sasuke! If she can't see how bountiful and perfect he is, then that's her bad, not his."
"I could do this so much better! This is a piece of cake for a future hokage, believe it!" Naruto exclaimed in a childish manner. 'They'll never use me for this kind of mission anyway, so it's safe to say something like that. I've seen to it!'
This resulted in a snort from the pink team-mate as a response to the blonde's statement. The angered girl was just about to scream and hit Naruto when Kakashi startled them by putting his orange icha icha paradice away.
"Naruto is actually right this time. The mission is failing no matter the reason" Kakashi stated, looking at Sasuke as he moved to follow the annoyed girl. "We have to make up a new plan now before she leaves."
"Well, Naruto will never be able to do it anyway!" Sakura said angrily. "So, what are we going to do?"
"Well, we have never let Naruto try…" Kakashi said, giving the angry and irritated pink girl a look before picking up his book again. "In your current mood it'll be hard to convince the girl to come back and stay in Konoha."
This startled Naruto. 'No, this didn't go as planed. They'll probably find out that there's stuff they don't know about. It'll at least raise suspicion. But I can't decline, that will create even more suspicion. Nothing good will come out of this!
Looking at the blond, who's started to act strangely in Kakashi's eyes, he said "Naruto?" making the name to a question, as if asking if something was the matter.
'Ops! Got to do something now before they'll start wondering why I'm not going.' "Kakashi! I could do this so much better then the bastard! Why can't I do it, or Sakura-chan?"
Sighing, the thoughtful look disappeared from Kakashi's eyes. Giving Naruto a look he said "Then what are you doing here?" Jumping up and down in pretended glee the blond thought 'Well, we have to get her home to safety. This isn't a place fore a young naïve girl.' At this Naruto skipped away, leaving a partly regretful Kakashi and a fuming Sakura behind.
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As Naruto turned away from the team-members a more serious look begun to take place instead of the extreme grin that normally covered the face. Slowing down to a normal walk Naruto went and bought a cup of ramen. Scanning the room the blond found the table where Kaname sat at. She was a slender brunet without any specific features to remember her by. That way she would be prefect for spy-missions.
'This is going to affect what they think of me…' the blond thought. 'After this mission I have to find a way to make them stay away from me until they're forgotten this incident. I probably need to act extra annoying and absent-minded too keep them at bay.'
Naruto walked over to her table and leaned down asking "Is it okay if I sit here with you?" A thoughtful look began to manifest on the girls face. 'Hmm… she's a bit cautious thanks to Sasuke. What was he thinking stalking her? Haven't he learned from his fans that it's creepy? Though, the way his been treated, perhaps he thought that his mere presence would have her clinging to him. This is probably a good lesson to him.'
Slowly looking away, a hurt expression settled on the blonds features."I just feel so lonely" Naruto continued. "But if you don't approve of it I could find another place."
At this Kaname looked up, with the mentioned feeling visible in her eyes. After searching the teen's face she gave the blond a slight smile nodding to the chair opposite from her. At that Naruto sat down and asked for her name. She still seemed kind of nervous, so the blond begun to eat giving her some time to adjust to the new presence, but after a wile the blond looked up at Kaname again and begun to talk.
Looking at the girls backpack the blond asked with a smile. "Are you a traveller, if so where are you heading to?"
"Well, I guess you could say so." Kaname replied, looking nervous but a bit relived to have someone to talk to. "This is the first time out of the village for me" she said.
"So, how a sweet girl like you end up at a place like this?" Naruto asked with a concerned expression, taking a look around at the many drunk and sometimes lecherous men that sat around the restaurant bar. No question about it, this was a road-hotel in a part of the fire country where many men took in on their long journeys. Seeing that the point had gone through to her, the blond continued. "I've been thinking…' the blond carried on looking around the room. 'This isn't a safe place for a girl! I see that you're alone unarmed nor are you a ninja"
Kaname gained a nervous look, turning her face away. "I'm on my way to shop some new clothing. My father's on his way, his going to meet me here."
The lie was obvious, not only because of the mission-briefing but because of her entire carriage. Giving a sad smile the blond looked down into the remaining ramen. 'She's probably going to freak now, but it has to be done.' With that Naruto began to uncover her little lie in hope to get closer to her by the end.
"You know what. You're really bad at lying." Kaname had by now gained a panicky look and begun to rise from the chair she was sitting in. At this Naruto continued "You don't have to go, I was just wondering why you run away from home, but you don't have to tell me if you don't want to." With a hard look on her face Kaname continued to put her things away so she could leave.
Naruto continued to look down in the now almost empty cup. "I can understand those who run away, leaving the trouble behind. I've thought of it my self over and over through the years and I have packed my things so many times that it's not even funny."
At this Kaname froze in her movement, her gloves in the right hand, a confused look crossed her face. This wasn't how these things usually went. Weren't they supposed to talk her into going home? "Aren't you one of those who are meant to take me back home?" she asked.
Naruto looked up for a second time. "Well, to me that depends on if it's worth it. What's the point in dragging or carrying a girl home that's kicking and screaming if she is only going to run away again?"
Sitting down Kaname resumed eating her food, looking a bit more nervous then in the beginning but quite curios of her new acquaintance rather than panicky. "So, way didn't you?"
A warped smile made an entry to the blonde's face as the teen answered. "The thought of being hunted down isn't so appealing. What am I going to do when I've get away, what am I going to do for a living? And then there is the fact that I'd be all alone and given up on the last hope that things will change for the better."
The blond continued after a while. "So, way did you run away from home?" The question was simple, but crucial for how the mission was to end. If she continued to lie or stay quiet, it would be hard to convince her to come home. Naruto leaned forward with a reassuring smile to be able to get eye-contact with her since she seemed to had found a spot on the table that apparently deserved a throughout examination.
The silence lasted for what felt like hours, but was probably just a few minutes. When she decided to look up, uncertainty was written in her eyes. After looking the blond in the sad looking azure blue, she suddenly found the courage to lighten her hart.
"Do you have a family?" Kaname asked somehow managing to make a face that showed both sadness and anger warped together by the underlying love she held for her family.
Naruto's reaction wasn't visible to anyone looking from afar at the couple, but for the one looking into the blond's eyes it was devastating. Sadness and loneliness entered the eyes with such a force that Kaname felt a need to protect the smaller then average teen.
Not having to answer the question since the information already had come through, Naruto continued. "You love them, but you run away nonetheless, how come?"
Tears started to fill Kaname's eyes. With a sob she began to tell the blond about how the business had dropped and how the family was short of money. Her father had found a slightly wealthier man, who he had decided to marry her of to. He wasn't a bad person as far as she knew but she didn't know him, didn't love him. How could one marry a stranger?
Naruto could feel how desperate Kaname was for answers, directions as where to go from here, what to do. Her eyes were now filled to the bream with tears and some had already begun to roll down her cheeks.
Wiping the tears away, Naruto gave her a slight smile with a sad edge to it. "The world isn't such an easy place to live in. It's like dancing on harsh thorn-roses that seldom blossoms. You often end up sad and bleeding, making you wonder what the meaning with all of this is. But there is always the little hope that makes one go on, hold on to what we have, the chance to experience a rosebud burst into a wonderful flower that makes the life worth living."
Naruto's eyes gained a slight glazed over look as he continued speaking. "By talking to your parents, this marriage might be evaded by taking other measurements to save the barbershop. And the man that you avoid might be the love of your life. But this choice to run away to a place like this will guarantee you pain by giving you loneliness in the absence of your family and many bad experiences." Looking down again the blond whispered. "I know loneliness… it hurts like… in my heart…" the blond trailed of, sitting quiet for a while before continuing. "I definitely don't want you to experience it too."
Giving a tiny smile at the new returned hope Kaname reached her hand towards Naruto's and grasped the blonde's hand. "Thank you for giving me back my hope and taking me home. I don't think anyone else would have bothered to listen to my story. Is there anything I can do for you?"
The blond responded to this with an honest smile that didn't cover a large part of the face, but somehow manages to enter a part of the blue eyes for the first time since the sandaime hokageHiruzen Sarutobi passed away. As an answer to her question, the teen gave her one question back. "Would you be my friend even though I hold lots of secrets?"
At this Kaname smiled. Together they started walking towards the exit of the restaurant followed by the eyes of the blonde's surprised team-mates.
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'What happened? There's something I must have missed' Sasuke contemplated as he watched Naruto and Kaname walking out of the building hand in hand. Before deducting the ridiculous thought he decided to go through the events of the day.
'As I woke up in the morning, I took a shower and had my usual breakfast consisting of onigiri and some tomatoes. Afterwards I took the dishes and washed them. Then I sat thinking until a messenger-bird came to me with a message from the hokage. On the way there I met this annoying girl who definitely would have confessed her undying love for me if I hadn't glared her out of it.'
'At the hokage-tower Sakura had been her usual clingy self and the dobe had been yappy and idiotic as always, and the way here was no exception.'
'At the restaurant where they had found the girl, strange things had begun to happen. First I was assigned to charm the girl, that wasn't so strange, but her reaction wasn't very normal. First she had seemed interested in me, giving me the glances I usually get from girls. Suddenly she told me to stay away from her, and when I said that it was time to go back to Konoha she had got angry and asked the staff of the restaurant to keep me away from her.'
'Watching as the dobe walked towards the girl I thought that she would give him a bitch-slap, but she had invited him to sit down. Then I watched as they talked, for some reason he seemed to have chosen to talk in a normal volume or even lower, making it impossible to hear what they were saying in all the noise of the restaurant.'
'After all of this, they had begun to walk hand in hand towards Konoha. Not only have I failed seducing the girl, that I normally could have done any living day, but the dobe managed to convince her to come home where I failed.'
As the Uchiha pondered at what could have happened he drew up blank. 'That girl's strange. How could Naruto convince her to come home when I could not? I excel in everything. How is it possible that a dobe like him could overshadow me? Usually the girls are all over me, being so annoying. Why is it that when it actually could be useful, it doesn't happen?'
'I did my usual... I even left out the glair so that she would feel like coming with me. She seemed interested at first, but then she suddenly turned on me? How did that happen? What did I do? I can't believe that the dobe actually was better then me. How did he do that?'
'To me it seemed like he just walked up and talked to her, and then she suddenly agreed to come with us. Why couldn't she have done that from the start if she was going to do that later anyway? The dobe must have done something special, like a jutsu or something. I have to talk to him.'
Looking at the two he saw them walking rather close to each other a little distance away from the rest of the group.
"Dobe! What did you do to convince her?"
At the same time as the question had left his mouth Naruto froze in the movements, almost to short time to be noticeable, but still the reaction had been there. Since the blond had at the moment been holding hands with the girl, she too had noticed.
Gaining a sour glair from Kaname and a few angered statements, Sasuke decided to wait with the questioning till later. There just was no point to argue with the girl who apparently had become sort of protective of the blond.
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Back in Konoha Kaname was reunited with her parents. Before living, Naruto wished the brunet good luck and told her parents to take good care of her, since they at least once, already had put her under to much pressure. Not forgetting Kaname's worries, the blond interposed that there were probably some other solution that would solve the case, before giving them a good bye.
Waving good bye, team seven left for the hokage-tower where Tsunade awaited. Kakashi turned towards Naruto, curious as to what made the blond change from the teen's usual loud and self-conceited ways. 'Earlier in the day the obnoxious blond hadn't showed any tendencies to want to change.' Kakashi thought. 'Maybe he's got the hots for the girl, but then again he hasn't matured anything even though he has liked Sakura since the first day of the academy.'
"Naruto, what did you…" Kakashi started to say, but was abruptly interrupted by Naruto.
"Kakashi-sensei! Wasn't I cool! So much better then Sasuke who only scared the girl away! I came there like a hero and asked her if I should help her home from there… I mean... Sasuke sort of scared her… so she wanted to get away from him, so I said that I would protect her, and she was so happy… but then again… who wouldn't… I mean... who wouldn't be happy to be escorted home by the soon to be hokage?
Shortly after Naruto begun to talk, Kakashi grabbed for his smut-book and tuned the blond out. 'I guess that you have to look underneath the underneath to learn what have happened… but then again… who cares, it was a good change even if it was just for the moment' Kakashi thought, leaving the thoughts of Naruto to continue to read his orange book while walking to the hokage-tower.
"Backa! Do you even know what cool means?" Sakura shouted at the somewhat smaller teen while hitting the blond who toppled over. "Don't come here and compare yourself with Sasuke-kun! He's so much better then you! You don't even reach normal standard! I don't understand why they even let you graduate!" the pink-haired girl screamed at the blond, before giving the Uchiha a sweet longing look that was received with indifference.
While Kakashi was unconcerned about the blond's sudden development that disappeared just as fast, the Uchiha-heir was determined to get some answers from the blond now that Kaname was out of the way. Sasuke started to walk up to his team-mate, who had just scrambled up from the ground. 'I can't let something like this happen.´ Sasuke thinks to him self. 'I've worked so hard to get strong, I'm an Uchiha, god damn it! I'm the best there is, no one can be better then I am. I'm strong, good-looking and superior to everybody else in everything thanks to my heritage. Nothing can surpass a Sharingan-user!'
Smirking, the Uchiha reached forward to grab hold of the blond. 'I'm going to force it out of him now. He's really going to get it for making me look bad. I'm the better one, and I won't let anybody make me look like anything less!' Sasuke thought. But just as he was close enough to touch Naruto's arm he felt someone clinging on his left arm. Turning around towards the insolent person who dared touch him, he found Sakura with a cheerful smile squealing at his side. "We can walk to the hokage together!"
"Let go of me! You're annoying."Sasuke said with a cold voice while brushing her of before he turned back towards Naruto again, only to find the blond gone. Cursing his bad luck he continued walking down the road towards the centre of the village and the hokage-tower, where hopefully the dobe would be.
'I still can't understand what went wrong' the raven boy thought. 'What did the dobe that made such a big deferens?' Looking up he saw that he had reached his destination. 'Well, I'll interrogate him after the mission-report.' With that in mind Sasuke entered the building.
The first thing he saw as he stepped the room of the hokage, was Naruto sitting flung over the edge of the desk engrossed in a conversation with the godaime hokage. He hadn't come many stepps into the room before the blond had jumped of the table and started shouting at him and the rest of the team.
"You're such slow-pokes! I've already talked with Baa-chan, and I'm leaving now! Bye!" With that the blond disappeared like an orange dash through the window.
Cursing his bad luck, the raven turned towards the hokage. 'After the mission-report I'll catch him at Ichurakus ramen' the raven thought moodily.
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On the hillside surrounding Konohagakure no Sato, on top of the head of the fourth's monument sat a small teen watching the people walking to and fro their destinations, while pondering over the day's events and eating a cup of noodles.
'They're without no doubt at least a little suspicious' thought the blond and saved a noodle that was on the way to escapee the bowl. 'On the way back home, after I managed to get Kaname to return, Sasuke looked upset. Not that he wear his emotions on his face, but he kept glancing in my direction. Kakashi is kind of harder to read... he was rather obvious in his interest at the beginning... but after my diversion he seemed to lose his interest in me again… but its hard to tell with him… Sakura has thankfully no interest in me what so ever. I don't think I have to worry about her finding out anything even though she is clever. Actually, for being so smart, she doesn't use her head very often. But I probably have to do something to loosen their suspiciousness even if I managed to reduce it earlier.'
While contemplating what kind of action would be necessary to take, the teen spotted a raven boy with a duck-butt hairstyle heading towards the ramen-stand where the noodle-soup came from.
'As I thought, his curious, or rather irritable that I managed to do something, where he failed, that he normally doesn't even count as an achievement,' reflected the fair-haired teen, following the raven teammate with cerulean blue eyes.
Sasuke had stopped as he had reached the snack-bar and was now giving the impression of searching for someone. But only a few seconds later he was of and heading in what Naruto assumed was the blond's apartment, and within fifteen minutes it was confirmed when Sasuke walked up to the tenement.
'I probably should keep away form my usual places for a while and carry out one of the larger pranks to distract him from seeing me as a possible rival. I probably should make one of the more stupid ones.'
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Below the hokage-mountain, outside Narutos apartment stood a fuming raven wallowing in angry thoughts. 'Tomorrow I sure will hunt him down. He won't slip away from me again before I get some answers out of him' the raven reasoned moodily.
