Chapter 2 – Friends Meet Over Ramen Bowls
The members of Team Seven where all in different states of shock. Sure, Naruto had been gaining a reputation of the most surprising ninja ever. Hell, even Kakashi had admitted back in the Land of Waves, but they never thought that they would see Naruto fling himself into the arms of some unknown girl, call her 'nee-chan,' and then proceed to cry his eyes out while still in the arms of Said girl; nor did they expect her reaction when she promptly punched him in the head and then kicked him away.
Kakashi was surprised and slightly amused. Sasuke had simply raised an eyebrow at the newcomer. Sakura was shocked into silence and her mouth hanging open.
The newcomer, who was named "Umi nee-chan" by Naruto, looked up and seemed to realize that there were in fact other people, laughed sheepishly and scratch the back of her head that reminded them all of a very Naruto-ish move.
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Well damn…. I've been strolling through the village for three hours and still no sign of Naruto, where the hell is he? Umi thought to herself as she walked past another shop, this one seemed to be selling dango… and was that lady wearing nothing but fish net? Wait she had one of those head band thingamajigs, did that mean she was a ninja? Didn't Naruto want to become a ninja? Maybe she has some information on Naruto. Well might as well give it a shot She mused.
"Oi, you, Fish-net Lady do you know where Uzumaki Naruto is?"
"Who the hell are you calling "Fish net lady" you damn brat!" yelled the dango eating lady.
"Would you like it better if I called you "Dango Lady" instead?"
"Hell no! My name's Mitarashi Anko, and if you don't beat it soon it'll be the last name you ever hear! Now scat you god-damn brat."
"No, not until you tell me where Uzumaki Naruto is!"
"I'm not telling you a damn thing, now leave." This left Umi with only one option left, for all she knows every ninja could be just as crazy or worse than this one, so it came down to her only option… bribe the information out of her.
"If I buy you twenty sticks of dango will you tell me about Uzumaki Naruto?" Umi watched as 'the crazy fish net, dango eating lady' as she dubbed her, struggle with herself before she started drooling and got her answer.
"Make it thirty, and we got a deal." Umi quickly nodded and then said, "I won't buy them until after you tell me where Uzumaki Naruto is."
"What? Oh hell no, you're going to buy me the dango first and then I'll tell you, I don't want you running off as soon as I tell you where he's at." Umi snorted.
"Well I don't want you running off as soon as I buy the dango and besides you're a ninja and if you couldn't catch me who's a civilian then you're one terrible ninja."
"You got a point there…. Fine I'll tell you. Right now he's probably waiting at the bridge in the west side of Konoha. If he's not there then he's probably at training grounds thirteen or Ichiraku's. Now go buy me my dango." She snapped. Umi rolled her eyes before she went and bought the thirty dango she had promised.
After wandering around for about three hours heading in the general west area, Umi found herself completely lost. Swearing to herself she stomped trough a few bushes trying to vent her frustration on the nearby vegetation when she heard the sound of running water. Knowing that it could possibly mean a river, which meant a bridge, she hastened her pace and found herself standing in front of a wide but shallow river, not sure which way the bridge is she decided to follow it up stream where another hour later she found the bridge, but no Naruto. Umi let out a very frustrated scream when she then noticed a very clear path that was coming from the direction she had come from.
Umi sighed. Well if he wasn't here then he was at this training ground place, it took Umi all of three minutes to figure out that she didn't have a clue where that was, when she did she screamed again and then proceeded to punch the nearest tree again and again and again………
After getting thoroughly beaten by the tree (don't ask how) she started her trek to find Naruto again. Kuso I swear when I do find Naruto I'm going out to beat the living shit of him. After another hour and a half, she realized that it was now around two in the afternoon and she had still not seen Naruto and she hadn't eaten anything, Kuso, kuso, kuso, kuso, kuso, damn it Naruto when I find you I am soooo going to make you pay my lunch tab…. With her thoughts growing ever darker she yet out a frustrated sigh before yelling out, "Does anyone know where Uzumaki Naruto is?" She didn't expect to get an answer, so imagine her when she was tackled to the ground by the very same person who had been the cause of all her troubles to begin with, when said person smell strongly of sweat and dirt, was incredibly dirty, and sobbing all over you. So she acted without thinking and before she realized what had happened, her fist was to his head and she was kicking him away, it was then that she realized that there were other people watching and realized that said people were ninjas and probably his team mates as well. Oh shit, well Naruto won't let them kill me before we finish our promise right? nervous she raised her hand and scratch the back of her head, a habit she picked up from Naruto.
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Sasuke was surprised, very surprised, not that he let it show though. Here was his team mate, his rival, flinging himself into the arms of an unknown girl bawling his eyes out only to get punched in the head and kicked to the side by the very same girl. He watched as the girl looked up at them and then laughed nervously while scratching the back of her head in a very Naruto-ish way before coughing and turning to look at them fully.
"Ha ha ha…. Um, well, my name's Umiko, who the hell are you?" She asked.
"Hatake Kakashi, Naruto's teacher." Kakashi said as he flipped another page in his book
"Haruno Sakura, his team mate." Sakura added after getting over her shock.
"Uchiha Sasuke." That was all she needed to know.
"Ano…Umiko-san, why did Naruto call you nee-chan? And why where you looking for him?" Sakura asked, secretly both Kakashi and Sasuke wanted to know but just didn't want to ask.
"Oh… um well… that's kind of…… it's a himitsu…." She floundered while looking toward Naruto, who was just getting up, for help. If Sasuke wasn't interested before, he was now as was Sakura and Kakashi.
"Well Um...It's okay if you don't want to tell us, but can you tell us why Naruto started crying when he saw you?" Sakura asked annoyed with the answer she had gotten.
"Um… no idea really…" she trailed off looking just as confused as the rest of team seven was. Before
anyone could ask her anything else Naruto jumped up and started yelling.
"What the hell do you mean you have no idea? Do you know what I felt when you suddenly disappeared after we made… our….promise….."Now Naruto was blushing beet red and so was Umiko when she suddenly slapped him on the arm.
"Baka, you weren't supposed to tell them."She hissed to him, trying and failing to hide her embarrassment. Umiko-san how long have you been here?" Sakura asked trying to ease the tension that they had placed themselves into. This question seemed to be the wrong one to ask when Umiko suddenly turned red again and promptly started to smack Naruto on the head again and again and again.
"Itai! What the hell! Why the hell are you hitting me?" Naruto yelled as he tried to avoid Umiko oncoming hands.
"Because of you, Baka, I've been wondering around the village for hours looking for you and I haven't had anything eat yet!" She snapped at him.
"That wasn't my fault! I bet that you just got lost. In fact, I'd bet that you were even given directions and still got lost."
"Nani! Oh you are so gonna get it!"
"Maa maa, now why don't we all calm down and get something to eat okay?" Kakashi intervened not wanting to piss off Naruto old friend ever more.
"After all, it is lunch now, so let's go somewhere to eat, well since Umiko just got here, let's yet her pick, ne?"
"Okay fine……. Hey Naruto is Ichiraku's still open?"
"Hell yeah it is!"
"Really? Great I haven't had any decent ramen since I left Konoha, let's go there right now!"
Great Sasuke thought another ramen fanatic. He simply rolled his eyes and followed his team and the strange new girl down a very familiar path. Soon the doors to Ichiraku's were standing in front of them and Naruto as usual barged right in.
"Hey Teuchi ji-san, give me three bowls of pork ramen!"
"Yeah, and give me three bowls of my special spicy chicken ramen!"
"Oh, is that you Umiko?" Teuchi replied with shock almost dropping the bowl in his hands.
"You better believe it old man. I hope you still know how to make my ramen."
"Of course I do! Hey Ayame, bring out the red pepper, hot sauce, and that other special pepper!"
"Eh? We only use that for Umiko-chan's order papa." Ayame said while gathering the ingredients.
"Hiya Ayame-chan, did you forget the sound of my voice?" Umiko piped up. Ayame let out a small
shriek that was both surprised and happy before hastening to follow her father's orders.
"What would the rest of you like to have?" Teuchi asked with a broad grin. Kakashi ordered a bowl of shrimp ramen, Sakura got some beef, while Sasuke got vegetable ramen. Sasuke looked over to the Umiko and decided that even though she wasn't a ninja she obviously had training of some kind, if the lean muscles she had was anything to go by. He also decided that she wasn't anybody of interest besides her relationship to Naruto and dismissed her in favor of thinking up new strategies to beat his brother with.
About three minutes later their ramen had arrived and everyone but Naruto was staring at Umiko's order. It was a steamy bowl of glowing red broth, noodles, and pieces of chicken, and that was it. There was no vegetable; no other topping besides the chicken and it was glowing! They could practically taste the red pepper from where they were sitting.
"Umm….. Are you really going to eat that?" Sakura asked.
"Of course! I wouldn't have ordered it otherwise, I love spicy food!" Umiko said happily as she hurriedly broke apart her chopsticks and rubbed them together. So much to the ninja present horror she dug into her food with as much enthusiasm as Naruto did.
About half way through their (Naruto and Umiko, everyone else had already finished) meal, Sakura asked the question that had been on all of their minds since Umiko had shown up. "Sooo…. How do you know Naruto?" Umiko stopped eating and looked at Naruto who had stopped as well before sighing.
"That is a long story."
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Translations:
Kuso= damn it
Ano= umm, said when someone has nothing left to say and is trying to fill space
Himitsu= secret
Itai= ouch
Baka= idiot
Nani= what
Ji-san= sort of like uncle
