"…hey Hinata?" Turning Hinata saw her sister motioning for her to come to
her. Letting out a strangled sigh Hinata walked closer.
"Yes Hanabi what is it?"
Motioning for Hinata to come even closer Hanabi looked around before replying
in a whisper.
"Hinata, is this that Naruto guy you had a crush on for like…forever?"
Hanabi asked in a whisper. Surprised Hinata let out a gasp. 'How many times
do I have to tell her to not talk about that?' Hinata though annoyed.
Glaring at Hanabi, Hinata was about to reply, When her sister decided to
speak.
"So is he??" Hanabi asked slyly.
Blushing Hinata let her glare soften as she let her mind wandered to Naruto.
"Yes, yes that is the same guy I'm always going on about. But hush, I
told you not to talk about that. Besides I can't even remember telling you I
had a crush. All I know is that one day you just up and asked me if I liked
Uzumaki Naruto." Hinata replied embarrassed and a little annoyed at her sister
for bringing up this topic, while 'said person' was so close.
Getting a mischievous look in her eye, Hanabi snickered.
"Well sister dear, as to how I found out…you remember the day you and mom
had sake to celebrate your Chunin promotion. Well afterwards I asked you
everything I could think of about your personal life. I know so much that at
anytime if I wanted to I could spew your deepest darkest secrets to the entire
clan. Like how you, secretly though about sleeping with our dear cousin Neji
at one time." Hanabi whispered as she sniggered at the thought of Hinata and
Neji together in a bed. Then taking on a more stoic face Hanabi continued like
she hadn't done anything.
"Oh and to how I figured out that the young man laying on your other bed
might have been him, well who else could have supposedly eaten an entire
fireball and still be able to move around not even a day later. I was there
the day he beat our cousin in the Chunin exams remember." Turning bright
scarlet Hinata was getting ready to beat the living daylights out of her
younger sister when a voice spoke up from behind her.
"Where's the bathroom?"
Startled Hinata turned and saw Naruto leaning on the doorframe into the
living room. Blushing Hinata looked away.
"Down the hall last door on the right" She replied hiding the embarrassment
on her face. 'How much did you hear Naruto?' Hinata thought, as Naruto
nodded.
"Thanks Hinata" Naruto replied as he turned to leave. Suddenly Naruto felt an
eerie presence descend into the room. Both Hinata and Hanabi who seemed so
alive and chipper a few moments ago, suddenly seemed weak and without energy,
as Hinata stumbled and crashed to the floor.
Startled Naruto dashed forward and caught Hanabi as she too began to fall.
Laying Hanabi out beside Hinata Naruto felt an odd presence in the room.
'That's weird, just a few moments ago they we talking and making noise.
Now there…and WHY the HELL do I smell cat. Hinata doesn't own one…'
Naruto thought as he sniffed the air around himself.
Following the new scent Naruto came towards the only other person who
didn't seemed to be affected by the smell. Walking directly towards the
secret keeper, Naruto looked stricken. Over the kids head was one word
scrawled in flames. It read '''Kestral'. Shocked Naruto stared at the
name burning above the child's head.
'Kestral…I though…" Naruto began before quickly jumping into his own
mindscape. Walking towards the cage in the center of the room, Naruto banged
loudly on the side of the bars.
"Hey! Stupid fox, when we were travelling with the old hermit, did we ever
run into anything by the name Kestral?" Naruto asked as he stepped away from
the bars of the cage. Grumpily, Kyubi slinked forwards until it was face to
face with him.
"Kit I have no idea. If we did then they sure as hell aren't important
enough to remember." The fox commented with a snort. Turning the Kyubi was
preparing to slink back away when Naruto, suddenly shouted. Out.
"Kestral! It was the name of that female cat demon that was chasing me
around screaming that it wanted to have your kits Kyubi." Naruto replied
hiding the smile now etched across his face from view. Kyubi spun around
completely and looked daggers at Naruto.
"Kit if she followed us HERE then…what do we do? If you remember
correctly, it took two weeks of solid running to get away from her last
time." Kyubi commented startled at the idea of having to play cat and mouse
all over again with the female feline. Silently agreeing with the Kyubi Naruto
shook his head in an affirmative, before turning and leaving his mindscape.
'So that weird demon cat is back. I wonder where she's hiding
though.' Naruto thought as he began looking about. Suddenly he felt the same
eerie presence he had first felt disappear. Immediately Hinata and Hanabi both
began to regain the energy they seemed to have been sucked dry of a few
moments ago. Jumping to her feet Hinata looked around in confusion.
"Naruto what the hell is going on??" Hinata asked startled to find the
blonde sniffing the air in the room.
"Oh not much, just your basic stalker demon…that's all. Anyways
there's no need for you to worry about it. However I, on the other hand, do
have to worry about it. So Hinata, I thank you for letting me rest for a
proportion after my incident, and after I quickly use the bathroom, I'll be
out of your hair. Though you have to promise me, that neither you, nor your
little sister Hanabi will tell the others of my return just yet. If they
figure it out on their own then props to them, but if I hadn't had to remove
my mask you never would have figured out it was me; so I'm not too worried
about being recognized." Naruto said as he waved to both the young women and
quickly hurried down the hall.
Sighing Hinata looked towards her sister. "Hanabi, that means that you're
not even aloud to mention the fact that you saw Naruto today. I don't want
to upset Naruto-kun anymore then he may already be ok?" Hinata half pleaded
with her younger sister. Nodding Hinabi took on a look of understanding.
"Sure sis, I won't tell anyone. But what are you going to do about the
Secret Keeper??" Hanabi questioned as she pointed to where the ever quiet
boy was standing. Sighing deeply Hinata cupped her head in her hands. 'What
is it that I am GOING to Do with him?' Hinata thought as she surveyed the
younger boy's actions. Sensing nothing Hinata heaved another sigh just as
Naruto re-entered the room.
"Hinata?" Naruto asked uncertainly.
Snapping out of her dreariness, Hinata just about fainted as she heard her
name being spoken. Turning she replied. "Yes Naruto-kun?" In her shy
concealed tone.
Blushing slightly at the kun prefix that she attached to his name, Naruto
looked at her with a mix of perplexity and suspicion.
"Hinata, what were you sighing about. And why the kun all of a sudden?"
Naruto asked skeptically as he looked at his friend's face with suspicion.
Blushing deeply Hinata murmured something Naruto didn't quite catch.
Shrugging Naruto gave up on the topic.
"Alright, well thanks again Hinata. Oh and sorry about almost roasting you
alive with my fire jutsu." Naruto called with a wave as he walked towards
her front door. Then sighing deeply Naruto quickly threw on his shoes and took
off away from Hinata's house leaving her to her thoughts for the moment.
'Alright, it's time I got back to my training.' Naruto thought as he
rushed towards team sevens training ground once more.
However a few minutes later, when Naruto arrived at the training ground he
found it was already populated with another ninja.
'Damnit, why do the gods curse me so much?' Naruto asked himself inwardly
as he recognized the bright pink strands of hair, which were plastered atop of
the person's head. 'Sakura is training here…damned and I was hoping to
get my fire fist combination technique mastered before sun down. If I hadn't
had to go through that whole ordeal with Hinata this never would have
happened…' Naruto cursed inwardly at his misfortune.
Meanwhile, Sakura had noticed another presence appear right outside the
training ground she was in.
'What the hell…I thought I knew everyone's chakra signatures?' Sakura
thought as she sensed a somewhat familiar chakra source. 'It feels so
familiar, but at the same time I can't place it.' Sakura though as she
tried to re-focus on her training. However as she went to strike one of the
training logs, her thoughts leapt to the stranger watching her.; which in turn
made her break her concentration, and miss the log entirely. Driving her fist
into the ground, Sakura was only just able to keep from passing out as she
felt her entire hand crack and snap from the impact.
"OUCH THAT HURT! I'M GONNA KILL WHOEVER IT IS THAT'S MESSING WITH MY
CONCENTRATION!" Sakura screamed as she dashed towards where Naruto was
standing.
Reacting too late to the now furious Sakura, Naruto only had just enough time
to protect his face and…other piece of his body before the enraged Kunoichi
was atop him. Smashing her fist directly into Naruto's chest Sakura let a
bellow of frustration as she saw an unknown person get sent sailing towards
one of the nearby trees.
Spinning wildly Naruto was send twirling threw the air, only to come to an
immediate and most painful stop a few moments later, as he struck a nearby
tree.
"ARGGH!" Naruto cried out as he bounced off the tree and fell flat on his
face on the ground below.
Cracking her knuckles menacingly, Sakura advanced towards the man she had
thrown into the tree. Reaching down, she bent over and picked him up by the
throat.
"What the HELL do you think you're DOING?!?!" Sakura bellowed as she
began to shake the person like a ragdoll.
"I was training. NO ONE ever INTERUPTS my training, I thought I told
everyone that the last time I sent Neji to the hospital." Sakura shouted as
she continued to shake the mysterious ninja.
'Damn Sakura-chan still has such a wicked temper. But that strength is new.
I'm not sure I even want to know how she got it, but it reminds me of…nah
she wouldn't have taken an apprentice.' Naruto thought as he coughed up a
little bit of blood into his face guard.
Noticing the trickle of blood sliding down the unknown man's lips Sakura
freaked.
"What…OH MY GOD! I'm so sorry, I guess you are new; otherwise you would
have gathered chakra into your abdomen to protect yourself from the blow.
I'm so sorry; I hope I didn't rupture any of your internal organs with
that hit. Here take off your shirt. I'm a medic nin, so I should be able to
heal you." Sakura cried as she motioned to the unknown ninja to remove his
shirt.
Coming to his senses Naruto shook his head. Getting up, he clutched at his
stomach in pain, but he already knew that the Kyubi was busy repairing
whatever damage his old team mate had done.
"No need. I've been hit by stronger things and still walked away. Oh and
as for interrupting your training….I'm sorry. I was coming here to train
myself." Naruto replied as he staggered a little bit away from Sakura before
collapsing.
"Nonsense! You need medical treatment. Remove your shirt now…that is not
an option." Sakura said as she rushed towards the mysterious nin, already
charging her hands with an ample amount of chakra.
"I told you its fine. I'm just a little dizzy from the hit still that's
all." Naruto insisted as he heaved himself back onto his feet. Swaying
slightly Naruto noticed that Sakura was still advancing.
"I told you it wasn't an option. Now off with the shirt." Sakura
demanded making a grab for the unknown ninja's collar. However she found
herself gripping air. 'Aye? WHAT THE HELL? HE WAS JUST THERE!' Sakura
thought as she began franticly checking about herself. 'Up?…no.
Right?…no. Left?…no. Behind…no. In front?….no. then he's…'
Sakura thought as she checked about herself. Gathering chakra into her fist
she slammed it into the ground below herself. As the earth cracked Sakura
caught a glimpse of a bug-eyed ninja sitting where he had thought he was
safe.
"I found you. Now off with the shirt. Otherwise I'll have no choice but
to beat you to a pulp, and then remove the shirt and heal not only the damage
from the first punch, but also the damage from the beating you will have
received." Sakura said menacingly as she cracked her knuckles.
'Wah! I guess the old bat really did take her as an apprentice. That's
not good. Tsuande-bachan what the hell did you do to my Sakura-chan?' Naruto
thought as he quickly began to run away from the training field.
Sakura who thought she was finally going to get what she wanted was sadly
mistaken. 'Huh?' Sakura thought as the mysterious ninja seemed to just
blink and vanish from before her.
"WHAT THE HELL! WHERE DID THAT PRICK GO NOW!?!?" Sakura screamed as she
began looking about herself franticly. Not spotting the mysterious ninja
anywhere around herself Sakura cursed.
"That ! I was gonna heal him, but now I'm gonna beat the hell out
of him first. That'll teach him to slap my offer away again." Sakura
shouted as she raced towards Konoha.
Sitting up on the highest branch of one of the trees surrounding the training
field Naruto let out a sigh. 'God, I thought she'd never leave.' Naruto
thought to himself as he dropped down back onto the training field's ground.
Looking around himself Naruto whistled at the carnage Sakura's fist had
created. The entire place looked like it had been hit with an earthquake.
Sighing Naruto formed three hand seals and spoke.
"Earth style: Land side no jutsu" He called.
Suddenly the earth around himself began to rumble and shake, All of the
ground that Sakura had broken began to re-locate itself back to its original
area. In seconds the entire training filed looked perfect. 'Got to thank
ero-sensi for teaching me that.' Naruto thought with a chuckle. Then
cracking his fists he created a single clone.
'Well, back to work.' He thought as the clone suddenly let lose a torrent
of water towards himself.