Shikamaru and I walked into the main area of destruction, shinobi and volunteers from all over working away on building new buildings. The crater had already been filled in. The first building, the Hokage's office stood central at the base of the monument. The carver already working on adding my face to the other four. "Better get started," I frowned, stretching my arms over my head.
Shikamaru gave me an odd look, "you're going to get your hands dirty?"
"Ha! You're funny," my voice dripping of sarcasm as I rolled up my nonexistent sleeves. I walked towards the group of carpenters. "Give me a job." They just stared at me in shock. I locked my jaw and picked up ten long two by fours on my left shoulder, another ten on my right. "Tell me where I'm going." The carpenters shot into gear, grabbing their satchels of nails and hammers. They led me towards where the base of a large apartment building would do off to the right of the monument. I helped hold the planks in place as they hammered the lower sections.
"Inari – go grab the ladder," the older carpenter, Tazuna, yelled.
I smirked. They would need a ladder anyway, so there was no need to stop the boy's actions. I easily scaled the bones of the structure, a hammer and bag of nails in my left hand. I set myself down where the tops of the two by fours hit the next base plank. The carpenters below stared up at me in awe. A crowd had gathered off to the side to watch the construction. Shikamaru was carrying the ladder for the kid Inari already. "Looks like all the shinobi are joining in today!" Tazuna laughed. We had all but put the doors and windows in to the large apartment when the sun began to set.
"Thanks for helping you two, you were a real help!" Inari smiled, placing his hands on his hips. "Are you going to help out tomorrow too?"
"He will, I may be needed elsewhere," I frowned, ruffling the kid's hair.
"Are you going to move into the Hokage's mansion?" Inari asked expectantly.
I raised a brow, "of course not. It's far too big for just one person. Go get a good night's sleep." Shikamaru and I headed off towards the temporary housing units again. He led me around the temporary unit to a large balcony on the fifth floor. Five boys were seated with their legs over the edge sharing a plate of rice balls and a bottle of sake – except for the one with a bowl cut. Next to him was an Inuzuka, then an Aburame and an Akimichi (with his own plate of rice balls), then a Hyuga. Shikamaru sat down on the end, leaving a space for me on his left. "I hope you don't mind, but I brought Makoto along with me." I gave a curt wave as each boy turned and stared at me for a moment – but the Hyuga; he gave me a glance before returning to his previous position.
"You brought the Sixth Hokage with you," the Inuzuka howled. His dog laid behind him.
"Don't call me that," I said quickly. "Just Makoto." The Akimichi boy poured two cups of sake, handing both to Shikamaru. I lend down to take my own cup, shooting it back in one go.
I sat down beside Shikamaru, the long haired Hyuga on my other side. "You really made an impression today," the Akimichi boy laughed before taking a bite of a rice ball. "You even made Shikamaru work!"
"Did you get even lazier since I left Shika?" I raised an accusatory brow.
He shook his head as he handed me two rice balls. "Choji – stop making me out to be a lazy bastard," Shikamaru groaned. "He's my teammate with Ino Yamanaka." He introduced each boy. Rock Lee was on a team with Neji and Tenten; he was only capable of using taijutsu and was a master of the drunken fist. Neji Hyuga was the nephew of the head of the clan and an excellent user of the byakugan. Kiba Inuzuka and his partner Akamaru were teamed up with the beetle user Shino Aburame on a team with Neji's cousin – Hinata.
"I don't remember seeing you around the village at all," Shino mused, looking me over. I felt his eyes land on the top of my exposed breasts for a while. I crossed my arm in front of myself with my sake cup – Choji instantly refilling it.
I shrugged a shoulder as I tossed my hair that had fallen into my face over my shoulder. "I graduated from the academy when I was six, put on a team with Tanari Yama and Rai Tsukiyo under Hyate. Made jonin at ten then left the village to continue my training. I was on my way to the sand before Kakashi interrupted that." I downed my cup again. The boys were silent.
Until Neji broke it. "You can't be that strong." He took a sip of his own drink.
"That's what I told them. But no." I took a bite of my rice ball. Glad to finally have some food. I kept going until they were both gone.
Choji held out two of his own rice balls for me, "you must be starved after working hard all day."
"No," Shikamaru chuckled. "She gave her meals away to other people. Wait – Choji, you're offering her your own food!?" The boys, minus Neji and Shino, burst out laughing as Choji physically put the two rice balls in my hands.
"At least she does nice things for people. I'll share with her." Choji smiled, pouring me another glass of sake.
"Wait," I said forcing my eyes wide. "I'm nice? I think I need a doctor." The boys laughed harder, even earning a slight chuckle from Neji this time. Shino was just a brick wall. "Thanks Choji."
"Have you met any of the kunoichi yet?" Lee asked, leaning over the edge to better talk to me.
"I think I met two," I cringed slightly at the thought. "Don't think I made a great impression. I don't get along well with females in general."
"Oh? Who did you meet?" Shikamaru asked.
"It was just before I ran into you yesterday. Naruto was with a blonde and a pink haired girl. He challenged me to a fight." I shrugged.
"Must've been Ino and Sakura." Kiba mused. I took a big bite from a rice ball. "Sakura and Naruto were on a team with Sasuke Uchiha." I just barely stopped myself from spitting it out, but I wound up chocking on it. I hit the railing a few times as I forced myself to swallow.
"Makoto?" Shikamaru asked, rubbing my back.
Once I had finally ridden my airway and mouth of the rice I spoke – well, half yelled. "They were teammates with that bastard?"
"How do you know Sasuke?" Neji finally spoke.
I averted my eyes from his gaze and looked out over the area where our homes once were. "About three years ago I started to have a few run ins with Orochimaru and his experiments. Apparently he wanted my chakra for one of them. He always sent Sasuke and I kept defeating him."
"Please train with me Lady Hokage!" Lee yelled, moving onto his hands and knees to bow to me.
"Don't call me that. Especially not 'lady'. Just Makoto." I sighed. "And if and when the village is rebuilt."
"Yes Makoto!" He bowed again.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Get up. Please. No bowing. It's weird."
"Don't you have any manners?" Shino asked in an even more condescending tone. Kiba began to apologize for his teammate.
"I lived with samurai in a castle of a king in the Land of Iron. Of course I have manners – when they're essential." I said stiffly, finishing off my last rice ball. "I'll take your lack of appropriate banter as your own lack of etiquette." This earned a smirk from the Hyuga.
"Hey! You! Hokage! Fight me!" It was the same obnoxious voice from earlier. I took the shot of sake in my hand and turned my head to face the blonde boy, Naruto. "Prove to me that you're really as strong as Granny Tsunade!"
I rolled my eyes, giving Shikamaru my cup before I stood. "Look kid, if I fight you and beat you in ten seconds or less – will you stop bothering me."
He looked taken aback, "ten seconds? Who do you think I am? I'm Naruto Uzumaki – the next Hokage!"
"Prove it," I said quickly. "If you beat me – I'll step down and you can be the new Sixth."
"Uh, Makoto – don't be so rash," Shikamaru tugged at my pant leg. "He did just beat Pain and saved Konoha."
"Sounds like a better Hokage candidate than me." I smirked, sitting back on the edge of the top railing. "You want to fight me or not?" I let my body fall backwards over the edge, falling down the five stories. I saw the boys all watch me fall, some intrigued, some in horror. I landed lightly on my feet. "Where's the nearest field?" Rock Lee jumped down to join me, a small indent forming where he landed, while the others took the mundane way down.
"Training field eight," Lee yelled gleefully. I followed after him, the forest illuminated by moonlight. The others trailing a little way off. "You really believe that you can defeat Naruto in less than ten seconds? You must trust your skills greatly!" It was a short walk – the temporary units had been built on fields nine and ten as they were far enough out of the main town to be left untouched. I stood in the center of a large clearing, Naruto twenty feet in front of me while the boys stood off to the edge. Shikamaru was using his timer.
"Ready?" Naruto asked, taking his stance. I nodded, not even bothering to adjust my normal posture; upright, a single knee cocked with a hand on my hip. Naruto made a mass of swirling chakra in his hand and ran for me. Jiraya's rasengan, eh? It took him one second for him to reach me, another to pulse my own chakra into the rasengan to cancel it and grab his hand. And one last second for me to slam him into the ground, my hand still holding onto his hand that was now behind his back and a foot placed on his tail bone.
"Three point one seconds." Shikamaru gawked as he looked between our position and his clock.
"H-how did you nullify his rasengan?" Kiba gawked as I released Naruto from my grip after I hauled him off the ground. He was shocked.
I shrugged, "his chakra only moved unidirectional. As soon as I added my own chakra it dispersed his."
"You were able to think that quickly," Naruto muttered.
"Not really. I've had enough experience in battle and training that my body reacts before my mind half the time." I shrugged as we walked to meet the others on the edge.
"All that training was worth it," Shikamaru smiled as he finally put the stopwatch away after a final look. "You earned the title." I jabbed him in the side with my elbow.
"You're next." I warned.