Disclaimer: See first chapter.
Chapter 4:
It was nearly four weeks later before Naruto finally returned to Hakoniwa Academy and its surrounding land. Ignoring the sputtering guard at his post after flashing a pass Maguro gave that essentially said he could enter whenever, the blond started towards a certain area of the school. The moment he touched down on academy soil he made his trek towards the rundown building that was technically his newest home outside of Konoha. In barely no time at all the shinobi was past the vegetation-strewn walls and into the lobby, moving upwards towards the room he only slept in for a single night before deciding to go out and see what Japan had to offer.
Moving back into the spartan settings, Naruto dropped to the floor and slung the massive scroll off his shoulders. Sitting cross-legged with the item in his lap he unrolled past Fukasaku's summoning array, only to eventually hear the squeak of rubber soles against the tiles outside. Naturally his landlord would have some way of knowing when there was somebody else inside; probably something to do with the camera situation Maguro used to stalk his bombshell of a sister. Or maybe the guy heard him come inside and stomp through the building without announcing himself. Either way he felt the presence stop in his doorway and stare into the back of his head until he finally turned his upper body to look.
"Well, well. I was beginning to wonder if you had gotten lost."
Naruto merely grinned sheepishly before going back to fiddling with his scroll. "I did for a little while. Then once I started figuring out the topography, using the school as the middle point, it made things a lot easier."
"And that took you around four whole weeks?"
"No. Well, yes? I wasn't really paying attention to that. I went sightseeing. Tourist attractions. Things like that." A small smoke trail erupted in front of the blond's body, revealing a few small wads of cash. "I also found the old exchange point and had my money turned into yen. I could even pay for another few months now before needing to find more."
"I see." Maguro remarked as there was another crack of smoke and he watched as something turned into nothing and vice versa; where before there was just a section of his ridiculously large scroll, once the odd appearance of gas started then something would just pop into existence. How convenient, and more than likely yet another facet of Uzumaki's abnormal normalcy.
"Here. Souvenirs." the ninja crowed before tossing something at the taller male. The object smacked into his hand, fingers automatically closing around the thin package as red eyes zeroed in on it. Opening the tan envelop allowed two chopsticks to slide into his palm before Maguro went starry eyed in joy. They were both predominantly blue with chibi Medaka's painted along its length. A perfect addition to his continuously growing collection, and even opening the door on a new venue that the big brother could Medaka-nize.
"Thank you Naruto-san. You didn't have to get me anything but the thought is appreciated."
The jinchuriki shrugged an arm before straightening in his seat and pointing over his shoulder. "Once they knew what your sister looked like it was easy for the guy to make custom sticks..." The toad summoner straightened to some extent. "I nearly had to punch the guy painting those things for you. He spent more time staring at the picture of your sister I borrowed from your freak room than actually working so...yeah."
"You did what?"
A slight rustle of cloth and Naruto placed the simple full body photograph of Kurokami Medaka standing tall in her black uniform back into his hands. "You've got a billion of them and it's not like you'd miss one."
"They are all catalogued and processed by very specific guidelines! Removing a hard copy will mess everything up and cause hours of work to put them all back in order!" Maguro looked as if somebody was about to be choked. Luckily(?) he relaxed just enough to bite his lip and fix the blond with a heavy stare. "When did you even steal this? Were you aware you would be ordering custom sticks and in need of a model before you left?"
"Nope. I just rushed back and got it when I needed to. You're acting like it's surprising that a ninja snuck in and took something without raising any alarms."
Maguro felt his eyelids become heavy from the blank expression threatening to overtake his face. "A ninja...in those clothes...riiiiiight."
Spinning on his ass Naruto threw a miffed finger in the other male's face. "I'll have you know that I'd lead the village ANBU on daily chases back when I was younger and they could never even get close to catching me! I was a master at evasion and stealth at thirteen!" Which was sort of true. Had the Uzumaki actually trained continuously in those fields he could have truly become a professional, instead of simply using what he knew to pull a prank and then run away. His anomalous luck played more a part in his success than actual skill. Because if it were really true and he was just that good...then the ANBU were all actually terrible shinobi who couldn't protect their inner territory from one annoying kid in bright clothing.
"That would probably have some weight behind it if I actually understood what an ANBU was."
The supervisor of Ghost Babel took a moment to digest the information as Naruto just gave him the stink eye and rerolled his scroll, still brooding over the disruption of his amazing collection before he slipped both the chopsticks and picture into his pocket for later fixing. A few seconds of silence passed before Konoha's powerhouse stood up and dusted his pants off. "So anyways, I'm gonna go see your sister and her friends. I found some crap for them too and I should probably go apologize for leaving first without saying goodbye."
The boy left after a quick muttered goodbye to Maguro, leaving the Abnormal to stew in the silence. A thought crossed his mind and the crimson-eyed boy nodded to himself before heading off to his sanctuary to add some security maintenance; if the blond jinchuriki could waltz back in unannounced and take one of the teen's prized possessions then what was stopping someone else from doing the same? Because this was still a school building the front doors had to remain unlocked during proper hours and any stray or delinquent looking for a place to skip might decide his current home was just the spot. Nothing of the sort had happened before since there was a reputation about the place...
But if it could happen once then it could happen again.
With that paranoid thought in mind he scurried off, not even once believing it was possible that no one else wanted to or even cared about pilfering his treasure.
No one answered his knock on the Student Council door so the ensuing few moments standing in meditation to search for energy signatures caused a few passing students to think he had drifted off into incredibly deep thought. Luckily there was no need for any nature chakra; the next building over was swarming in unnecessary amounts of negativity. Naruto believed he hit the jackpot after knocking the second time, the sounds of familiar loud voices and wordless shouts occasionally sifting through the thick wooden barrier as they waited for a reply. It lurched against its hinges before swiftly opening with the person holding the handle causing the ninja to grimace in disdain. Tall, blond, and viciously handsome, the newest initiate into Medaka's committee stood before the boy in nothing but a tight pair of revealing swim trunks with the rest of his sporty figure on display without so much as a second thought.
Akune Kouki had yet to actually meet Naruto but he had heard about the mystery man from the others he accompanied day after day. The description of eye-popping clothing easily led him to believe the person before him was quite possibly the purplenette's pet project leaning towards the responsibility of a proper education. But there was a chance he could be wrong and that the boy with the headband and odd ensemble had proper business with the student representatives and their responsibilities to the public body.
"Hello. Is there something the Student Council can help you with today?"
"Yeah. You could put some pants on for one thing." Naruto said dryly. Akune looked down at his state of undress before chuckling ruefully.
"Oh yes, sorry about that. We're currently entertaining a student's very fickle request for an art model-"
"Where've you been young man!?"
One minute Kouki was speaking and the next a solid weight slammed into his hip to cut him off midway, body lurching out of the doorframe due to a small blue blur shouting like a scolding parent. Mere seconds after Akune had fallen to his knees from a cheap kidney shot, something had grabbed the sage by his jacket and whipped him forward straight into the room.
The others within stared at the spectacle: the Secretary groaning in pain as he clutched his side and a familiar mop of yellow spikes sliding forward into the Student Council room by way of his nose. Silence followed the squeaky face plant as Naruto came to a halt with his large scroll flipping over his shoulders; pulling his head off the ground and snorting back blood dripping from injured nostrils, the non-student wondered if it was from the facial injury or because there were three half-naked girls in the room.
There was a girl he never met before with neck length black hair and bangs held back by a clip, wearing a one-piece swimsuit with attached leggings cut off at the thighs which tightly hugged her athletically muscled/petite figure. Isahaya Isagi, as he would later on learn. Next to her was good ol' Nabeshima whose grin had widened both from seeing the comical entrance as well as the fact Naruto had finally returned. The King of Foul Play had stopped by Ghost Babel a few times since her first visit and each time there had been no sighting of the non-genius. She herself had on a glossy red two-piece with the top half of her judo gi hanging off her thin shoulders alongside the sparring belt tied at the level of her belly button.
Then of course there was Medaka; a white bikini with blue trim enhancing her already impressive figure.
Oh yeah, and Zenkichi was off in the corner wearing the same disturbing thing as Akune. But Naruto didn't exactly care about that. Making sure his nose hadn't been broken by wiggling the cartilage, the blond lifted his head higher only to meet with the superhuman Abnormal's remarkable under-cleavage. Shaking his head for no particular reason other than he should have expected something like this the Uzumaki rose to his feet. "Why is it every time I see you there's like a fifty-fifty chance you're gonna be half naked?" he asked while brushing off his long sleeves.
Medaka just graced him with a satisfied smirk that cracked through the disbelief she'd been feeling for awhile now. After the day she had been having it was refreshing for someone absent from her life to return at such a dire moment. It showed; Naruto could see the way her smile didn't quite reach her eyes and there was an air of desperation hanging about the room. Nekomi and the other girl were the same way, and to a lesser extent with the boys. Considering there were two other people involved in whatever shenanigans were taking place in the room the shinobi could hazard a guess that one of them was the main culprit.
He wanted to completely blame Shiranui Hansode. Just knowing her even the little amount he did, there was a large possibly the underdeveloped loli in the academy-issued swimsuit with doughnut ring floatie around her waist was highly responsible for breaking everyone's spirit. Plus she was the one who attacked the pair of blonds in her hyperactive frenzy. Currently staring him down with her hands on her hips (sort of) and upper body leaning forward, the tone of worry used beforehand clearly didn't go with the jesting look upon her wide-eyed face. It was just a Shiranui thing to do on her 'quest' to mess with people. Or in this case...give her a motive to tease Naruto.
She hadn't been worried one bit by his disappearance. However for a bit it made the freshman wonder if her machinations behind getting the shinobi to hang around Hakoniwa had fallen through. But since Medaka wasn't one to showcase such an emotion that left it up to her, filling in for the capacity that her family was meant to fill. It was the reason why Hansode ate so much...and acted so silly...because a certain someone's growth as an individual was so pathetic she needed somebody else to do it for her.
But it wasn't that big of a deal. Acting as a double was the basis behind the Shiranui Village existing in the first place.
By then the ninja was already being dragged over to the center of the room. "Well since you're here now anyways come check out my painting! I still don't really know what's going on but I somehow beat out the big booby girls!" Shiranui remarked as she pushed Naruto behind the last person who was far too busy working over a paint canvas like it owed him money...which probably wouldn't have been too violent since the kid didn't seem to have an ounce of muscle. Yuubaru Kizashi's limbs moved passionately, barely any paint splashing onto the smock over his uniform as the masterful strokes put the finishing touches on the picture. A final flick of his hand moved the medium-length black hair away from his brown eyes to allow him the perfect unobstructed view.
"It is done!" Kizashi cried, staring at the work of art in undisguised appreciation as the rest of the group crowded around for a look. The bustier girls immediately migrated to the nearby wall, bent over in self loathing because after everything they went through, their feminine pride in their looks, appeal, and figures had taken a major hit that day. Told they weren't necessary after baring their skin in swimwear...and then said they couldn't compare to somebody like Shiranui. Even perfectly perfect Medaka.
It was quite the low blow.
Especially since the picture only had a passing resemblance to the small teen. It had her hair and eyes, sure, but the body type was more along the lines of Ms. Kurokami to which Yuubaru explained the bluenette was chosen because his purist artistic senses screamed that she had the peak potential for becoming anything. Instead of just copying what was already there, she let his imagination run wild. The others would make fine paintings...but their 'potential' was already on a set course. Hansode's childlike build forecasted what could be, and the painter took that and ran with it to complete his entry for the Beach Goddess contest.
Profusely thanking the energetic student he paid her 500 yen for using her likeness and swiftly left the premises. Isahaya-senpai staggered out after him to try and work through her fragile emotions with an intense bout of running. Both Naruto and Zenkichi felt a hand on their shoulder as Nabeshima walked up behind them, her usual smile and closed eyes straining at the edges. "I'm still like, hot right?" she asked for any sort of ego boost before walking out as well.
"So...may I ask where you have been?" Medaka demanded with her hands at her waist now that the club business for the day was over, still pouting petulantly due to Shiranui taking all the glory for the request. None of them expected for the blond to leave for nearly a month straight. In return Naruto merely pulled his 'backpack' off and sat down. All that remained inside of the unused classroom were the three members of the Student Council as well as the blue-haired menace, who gathered around the powerful sage as he once again unfurled his cumbersome scroll and spread it past a large intricate seal none of them could decipher...mostly.
"Like I told your brother-" Naruto began as he started to unseal items, much to the surprise of most of them. "-I went sightseeing around Japan. There's a lot of cool stuff that reminds me of home. Plus I picked up some souvenirs...though I wasted a bunch of my money traveling around. But hey, it was worth it."
Shiranui was given a bunch of candy. She was already halfway done with the huge bulging bag by the time the ninja had turned towards the next person in line. Zenkichi was given a set of blue and green Maneki-neko feline statues, seeing as they had those out here in this country just like back home. He didn't really know what to get the boy so he figured the superstition about these cats' specific colors bringing fortune in academics would aid the student in the long run. And Medaka? She was gifted a plain white paper fan similar to the ones she seemed to adore, except for the sole exception of the red Uzumaki swirl dead center once it unfolded. As he explained to the curvaceous purplenette, if she was gonna keep flashing fans whenever they talked then he would rather it be one he enjoyed looking at. Just like with what he gave her elder brother, if you were willing to pay then some establishments were more than keen to make custom stock.
Naruto didn't have anything for Kouki but then again he just met the guy.
Still, even after thanking the blond for the gifts that were unnecessary but graciously accepted, Medaka proceeded to gently chastise the shinobi for skipping out on so much time that could have been spent studying in school. Naruto retorted by whapping her on the head with her present and then leaving to go take a shower. Staring in deadpan at the offending present Medaka eventually fell back into her depression when Shiranui grabbed her clothes to go change, whistling jauntily as the midget skipped her way out of the room. It just seemed like the proper time to go home; at first she showed up to trick Hitoyoshi into going with her to get food (and make him pay for it) but enough time had already been wasted posing as a model. Plus she got one over on the Princess so enough good things had happened to momentarily satiate her.
A clothes-clad Zenkichi had to help his best friend back to the clubroom after she lazily pulled on her uniform lest her gloom keep her from walking properly. Seeing as he was now the last person left, Akune quickly threw on his pants and jacket same as the others did before closing the classroom door and rushing after his love interest and that other idiot. It had been a very hectic day. But when you worked under Kurokami Medaka...this kind of thing was commonplace.
Especially at the end of the week when Shiranui herself stopped by Ghost Babel with an exciting bit of news for the blond-haired superhero.
"Here we go! This is gonna be good!" Naruto exclaimed loudly, rubbing his hands together as he walked towards the pool building that following Sunday. He was dressed in a simple pair of orange swim trunks down to his knees and a blue button up shirt left completely open. Not even close to his usual attire but there was going to be a fair amount of swimming and for once the blond was doing it for leisure. A body of water as big as a miniature lake built on private property for use at any time; why the hell didn't they have pools back home?
Two others walked behind Naruto as they left the confines of Ghost Babel, more interested in looking around the expansive and exquisite grounds of Hakoniwa Academy than listening to the sage's declarations. One was slightly shorter than the ninja, with cropped pink hair and bright emerald eyes standing out against her snowy white skin and darker green diamond marking upon her forehead. Naruto's teammate Haruno Sakura only had a minor idea of what was going on but it sounded easy enough. He was going to enter a competition being held at a school, swimming was involved, and there was a cash prize. The jinchuriki also needed to form a team to be eligible in participating…so it wasn't a surprise he traveled all the way back to Konoha through the outpost portal/embassy building that used some special time/space ninjutsu to link Japan and their hidden continent to ask his former crush for aid.
It also wasn't too much of a stretch of the imagination that his second helper was Sai, the former ROOT operative and replacement member of Team 7. Although their relationship was incredibly rocky in the beginning, Naruto now trusted the ink-user with his life and vice-versa. Like all the other ninja under Danzo's command he was mentally conditioned to live without emotions clouding his judgment, making him a warrior who completed missions with a high rate of success but at the loss of character development that all humans needed. The time spent interacting with such expressive people as the blond and pinkette had helped him loosen up somewhat…although the black-haired boy with chalk-white skin and dull black eyes still struggled with understanding how regular people normally got along.
Sakura was dressed in a red sundress with a tote bag over her shoulder filled with a change of clothes, with the brunt of her gear stashed within Naruto's room. Things were rather different outside of the Elemental Nations and ninja were nothing more than movie concepts and things of legend, as she had studied up on using the very limited sources in the Hokage's library, so it wouldn't do to be walking around with dangerous weapons on her person. Sai on the other hand…well, the boy had just put on his normal casual ensemble of a navy blue long-sleeve shirt with a high collar, matching pants, and his regular shinobi sandals. But at least he left his weapons behind like the others.
That was something, right?
"I never knew the lands outside our home were so…advanced. It's a wonder we barely have any communication with them at all." the medic nin said in awe, watching the small metallic blip of what she was told was called an airplane cruising through the sky. Such technology! Wasn't that like the machinery the sky ninja used? If there was time after this she was so totally dropping by a hospital to see what kinds of techniques were performed. Sakura couldn't pass up such an opportunity when the chance was right within reach.
"See? And you'd have missed out if I never decided to use my vacation time for once and thought to travel out here. But it was originally Ero-sennin's idea so…hmmmm…" Naruto stopped and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Eh, whatever. He'd have found a way to turn the trip into something perverted." He may have said those words distastefully but neither of the other Konohagakure ninja missed the distant smile on his lips at the mention of his dear teacher.
"Maybe I should follow your example? I've always been so busy too, what with learning under Tsunade-sama while you were off on your training trip and then all the events after you returned, that I still have my own free days saved up as well. But then again I've taken on a greater workload at the hospital now that the whole deal with the war is over. Once we're done here I should probably get this all sorted out."
Sai just smiled towards the girl; his expressions came more naturally nowadays though sometimes he dropped back into a phony grin when he was in a confusing situation. "I too have never had a vacation. But under Danzo-sama I do not believe that was a part of our itinerary anyways." The pale boy's smile dropped slightly before he blinked. "I am not sure what I would do with any free time regardless."
"You can figure it out after we win this thing! We're here!"
Pumping a fist Naruto turned towards the rest of Team 7 with an aura of confidence, eyes brimming with the assurance that this was in the bag. The same type of guarantee that showed he could do the impossible; something the whiskered kid did rather often. Staring at Sakura and then Sai, the trio nodded as one before the glass doors were thrown open and they all trudged inside.
The change became immediately apparent. The air was moist and cooler than the agreeable temperature outside and it was easy to make out the multitude of voices filling the air. Stepping past another set of doors it was hard for the ninjas not to gape at the view. While the building obviously looked big on the outside, inside it just seemed massive. Nearly all of the floor space was taken up by a massive rectangle cut into the floor and filled to the brim with liquid. That must have been the pool. Bleachers lined both sides, partly filled with contestants as they all talked in their own little groups. A large scoreboard hung from the far wall and there was even an announcer's box built to gain a view over the fifty meter pool.
"Wow."
"Yeah."
Naruto eventually broke from his admiration when fingers snapping in front of his face became too annoying to ignore anymore. It was Zenkichi, sporting a confused frown and a rather tight set of swimwear again. The blond shinobi didn't need that type of memory today. "Yo. I wasn't expecting to see you here Naruto."
"Well I heard there was a big contest today and I'm not one to pass up such things."
"…you do know it's only for school functions right? The Student Council is using this as a fair way to reward the clubs. Whoever wins gets the cash, because way too many groups asked us for funding and there just wasn't enough to go around." This time it was Akune who spoke, having decided to join his fellow council member in greeting the outsiders and also presenting Naruto with another unwanted view of taut fabric. Sakura, always being a sucker for a pretty (male) face despite her professionalism, heated up slightly at the Judo Prince's dashing good looks.
"Then if none of you can beat my team, I guess that means you weren't good enough to earn the money."
The golden-haired pretty boy narrowed his eyes towards Naruto. "I'm sorry but that's not how it works, Naruto-san. Were you a student and a member of a club, any club, then yes I would see no problem with you entering."
"I thought you said everything was taken care of." Sakura mentioned heatedly as the novelty of the second-year wore off, crossing her arms over her small chest in her first sign of annoyance. At least her foot wasn't starting to- oh wait, it was tapping.
Not good.
"I see no problem here." a regal voice interjected while swiftly grabbing everyone's attention. Zenkichi slapped his forehead with a deep sigh, knowing the trouble couldn't be fixed now. Akune had devoted hearts in his eyes as they gazed upon flawless exposed flesh. Naruto blushed slightly but didn't look away. Sakura's scowl could have set a new record. And Sai…well, he was Sai.
"Hey Medaka-chan. So we can join in right?" Naruto's voice was gleeful and it brought a genial smirk to the beautiful freshman's face. Or maybe he sounded that way because her gorgeous figure was stuffed inside yet another skimpy bikini straining against her much developed curves for all to see. Medaka had no proper sense of modesty anyways so showing off this much of her body meant nothing to her.
"No way!" came yet another voice to interject and make itself known.
Okay this was getting ridiculous with the amount of people constantly butting in.
The first was a tall boy with pale skin, dark eyes, slicked-back black hair, a blue singlet swimsuit used for competitions, and even sporting a few small tufts of fuzz on his chin. His smile and face oozed with cockiness, and he had the lean, compact physique to prove how much time he spent in the water. Yakushima Umumichi; senior of Class 11 and the captain of the Swim Team. At his side was another student although significantly tanned compared to the others idling around the pool. Beady eyes and dark blond chin-length hair parted down the center of his scalp enhanced the rather sharp and angry features he possessed. This one wore shorts colored red; the hours of training in the water had also shaped his body for high endurance. It was Tanegashima Sotsu; junior of Class 11 and the vice-captain.
The last of their small group was the one and only girl. Shoulder length brown hair tied back in a ponytail held in place by a thick blue ribbon, purple eyes, unblemished skin and a pretty face although at the moment she looked rather un-amused. The tight blue one piece she wore showed off all her womanly shape and full chest, though they weren't as large as Medaka's. It was the last of the trio, Kikaijima Mogana; freshman of Class 11 and regular member. The Kurokami woman greeted them each accordingly as they walked up which introduced the threesome to those that didn't know.
"If you're not in a club then you can't join!" the blond shouted angrily while pointing a finger at the jinchuriki.
"But there's no rule stating I can't enter." Naruto stated smugly, wide grin stretching his features. Actually there might have been since such a thing sounded legit but when was he ever one to follow the proper guidelines? "I just want the money, that's all."
"It's a school inter-club meet! Of course that means you can't enter!"
"Don't worry about it, Tanegashima-san. It's just another team looking to get beat. Besides…he might want the money, but we want it more." Yakushima said, placing a hand on his tanned teammate's shoulder. The shark-like boy stared at him for a moment before showing off his gleaming pointed teeth. Of course there was no way the Swim Club could lose a competition in the water. Once he, Sotsu, and Mogana aced this contest they'd all be one step closer to fulfilling their shared dream.
The ponytailed brunette and only female swimmer nodded along before turning on her naked heel and walking away. The two male athletes followed their friend, although Tanegashima sneered over his shoulder at his fellow yellow-hair. Naruto just scowled back while making a rude face. It earned him a hard slap on the shoulder from the pinkette, making Naruto frown at her in betrayal and rub at the offending pain. Even without using the Godaime's super strength technique, the chunin doctor still hit pretty damn roughly.
"Ow! What the hell Sakura-chan?"
"Why is it everywhere you go you have to antagonize people?" she scolded harshly with her arms over her chest, leaning forward to stare the ninja down. "And you never said anything about having to actually be enrolled in a school to be a part of this!"
"It's alright…Sakura-san, was it? I am Kurokami Medaka, Student Council President and first-year of Class 13. I've no problem with Second-year Naruto and his group joining the festivities. This is a friendly competition after all and as they say, the more the merrier!"
Sakura nodded slowly but her jade eyes had turned dead staring blandly at those great jiggling balloons hanging off the purplenette's torso. Peeking down at her own insubstantial chest to compare with Medaka, she sighed as feelings of inadequacy washed over her. Now on par with Tsunade of the Sannin, a new medical legend in her own right born on the war battlefield, and yet still Sakura was outmatched in one area she wished to excel. In fact…looking around a fair amount of girls in this place had bigger breasts than she.
Slowly her fingers curled inward as the Haruno's innate temperament began to bubble. If this was actually all some sort of stupid and convoluted prank of Naruto's to pick on the pinkette's insecurities…
Sai shuffled a few steps away from the kunoichi, never once losing that bland smile of his.
"See? Medaka-chan said it's okay!"
"I did say that, but to be clear you are not eligible for the club prize money."
"B-but I need it!" Because he was banking on winning this thing to get a new start on cash he was slowly running out of due to that whirlwind tour of nearly the entire country. Even restocking his wallet at the trade in wouldn't survive for much longer if he kept going out to eat the way he did...
"Have no fear." the Kurokami female set a dainty hand on her hip and stared deeply into the bright blue orbs of his. "I am not one to turn away from somebody in need. If you require money then there is always a solution. Prepare yourself and your team. The competition will be starting shortly and all will be explained then."
With that the superhuman strode off towards an elevated platform with a microphone set wired into it.
"Say Naruto…just out of curiosity, how'd you find out about this anyways?"
The jinchuriki looked over at Hitoyoshi for a moment before reaching down behind his back and raising something into the air. It was small, compact, and seemed to have no problem with Naruto lifting it one-handed. "Hello!" Shiranui greeted loudly, feeling as though she was floating now that she was eye-level with everyone else for once. Her thin arms were held out at her sides and the short bluenette looked as though she were some sort of heavenly figure floating amongst the crowd.
Zenkichi stared at her with a deadpan look. Of course his friend was the reason.
"Hansode here just popped out of nowhere the other day and told me about the contest, and how there was money involved."
"Awww, don't say my name so familiarly!" the petite freshman yelled out, holding cheeks glowing with a phony blush as she squirmed in his grip about four feet in the air. Switching gears Shiranui immediately stopped struggling before grinning wickedly and raising a finger like she was starting a lecture. "But yeah, I thought this would make everything more interesting. Just think about it; mysterious nobodies fighting to prove they're better than any of Hakoniwa's clubs!"
"Nobodies?" Naruto scowled at the child-like female before shaking her back and forth by the collar. Shiranui struggled to kick at him for the rough treatment despite the heavy swaying but her short limbs just couldn't reach. The boy eventually set her down once he felt he got the point across, unable to stop smiling at seeing the bluenette scowling up at him. "Why the hell can't you just stay polite all the time?"
"Anyways!" Hansode said loudly, dismissing the boy and twisting away from the vindictive jinchuriki with her arms over her nonexistent bust. "The competition is about to begin so you all better get ready!" Skipping over towards the stairs, the girl eyed Naruto and his team over her shoulder with a condescending smirk. "Good luck!...you'll need it."
"That girl just can't seem to decide on being mean or nice." Naruto muttered while rubbing the back of his head.
"We should do as she says though. If we're to take part in this match then we better get organized." Sakura was feeling a bit better after having to endure the presence of Medaka's rockin' bod. There was a female her age it seemed who was flatter than she was! Following Zenkichi's instructions the pinkette moved off towards the nearby female locker room to change. Sai, however, took a more…curious approach. With several swift movements the ex-ROOT stripped off his outerwear in a flash, leaving the incredibly pale shinobi in nothing more than a black speedo.
Naruto really didn't need to see that.
"I find myself growing curious over this 'swimming competition'." Sai said after folding his clothing and placing it on the nearby bleachers next to Naruto's crumpled shirt. No one dared to even go near them. "What exactly will be taking place?"
Akune ran a hand through his long yellow hair, looking towards the other teen. "Oh that's-"
"LISTEN UP EVERYONE! THE COMPETITION IS ABOUT TO START! THERE IS A SAYING: THOSE THAT DON'T EAT, DON'T WORK! BUT HERE WE'RE ALL GOING TO DO THINGS A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY! THOSE WHO WORK CAN GO AHEAD AND EAT! IF YOUR CLUB WANTS THOSE FUNDS THEN GO AHEAD AND WIN THIS THING!"
Medaka's stately tone boomed in over the intercom as she stood atop her platform, hip cocked to the side as she gazed out among the gathered masses. Her body shifted against her will as she made her speech, certain areas bouncing around thanks to gravity and her own motions. And yet, not a one was focused on her figure, instead captured by the purplenette's words while the clubs quietly talked among themselves. Akune had closed his mouth when the president inadvertently cut him off only to shrug and follow Zenkichi towards the woman. As Medaka's fellow council representatives they had also helped set up the event and therefore were required to be at the forefront.
Such as now when Hitoyoshi was handed the microphone and began explaining the rules. Sakura reappeared as the blond freshman revealed how many could participate at a time (three, so lucky for Team Seven they met the requirement) and how boys were obligated to wear swim floaties as a handicap. The medic nin no longer wore her dress, instead now clad within a crimson one-piece. Naruto had a feeling she'd choose red; it was her color, just as sure as he'd always stick with good ol' orange.
"I HOPE YOU ALL GO HOME AND THINK OF HOW MUCH FUN YOU HAD TODAY! WHICH IS WHY I DECIDED TO INCORPORATE THIS THIRD RULE TO LIVEN THINGS UP! WE OF THE STUDENT COUNCIL SHALL BE PARTICIPATING AS WELL, AND WHOEVER IS ABLE TO SCORE HIGHER THAN US, REGARDLESS OF THEIR PLACEMENT, WILL BE REWARDED WITH MONEY DIRECTLY FROM ME! THREE TIMES THE AMOUNT AND NO QUESTIONS ASKED!"
As Medaka finished after having taken the mic back from Zenkichi, the simple mutterings among the participants turned into a full-blown uproar. The red-eyed girl smiled as she looked out among her fellow students, eventually stopping on the curiosities that were Uzumaki Naruto and his group. Despite her relentless propositions and the fact he was still not a student the blond boy still continued to spend time around the school campus. He was a mystery; his conduct towards her was…questionable. Naruto treated Medaka like she was, and quite simply, an average Joe.
He did not kowtow to her or her demands.
Though her amazing senses were aware he held a physical attraction (as was the norm with others) he did not act on it, nor attempt to make her become his through deceit, force, or pretty words.
He talked to her like they had been friends for years despite only having met a little while ago.
Although the busty girl was not exactly used to being seen as a regular human, it was a welcome and perplexing change which she did not fully grasp how to respond to. Even Zenkichi, her closest friend since they were two years old and the person who knew her the best, would always remark on how absolutely superhuman Medaka was compared to those around her. It was even worse whenever he said it because of how well they knew each other. He never meant it maliciously or to make the noble girl feel out of place and she understood that completely…but Hitoyoshi did it to explain to others why the teen was so extraordinary. Medaka's abilities were incredibly abnormal compared to somebody unremarkable. It was all true.
It just was.
Yet Naruto witnessed her astonishing feats and then tolerated them without a fuss. As if Naruto was originally surprised she could do whatever it was before the awe quickly melted away into acknowledgment, like accepting the unnatural as natural was a part of his life. He could do extraordinary things as well like that transformation trick of his. One that Medaka could not copy. The gal had memorized his prep work perfectly: the handsign's faultless alignment down to the barest millimeter, the way his brow ridge and eyes crinkled ever so slightly in concentration, and the ideal form pictured within her organized mind. Yet there was never any change or plumes of smoke that covered her body like it did with the Uzumaki. Despite her track record in flawlessly mimicking anything she saw to the utmost degree...the blond was able to do something she wasn't.
Medaka would now be keeping a closer eye on the whiskered teen. He struck her curiosity…and disagreed with her choices on more than one occasion. A part of her that she didn't normally adhere to wanted to see how strong he might be to possess such strength of will, as well as exactly what type of power he might have been hiding from the masses. Smiling directly towards the blond and his cohorts Medaka placed her fists against her waist with her chin held high. The buxom first-year would definitely be watching Naruto more closely if he held the capacity to say she was wrong.
"Hey. That Medaka girl is grinning at us." Sakura whispered inconspicuously, making all three ninja take a closer look at the purplenette standing proudly upon her stage. Indeed she was, legs spread and hands touching her hips. And staring straight at the three of them like a queen in front of her subjects.
"Awww, I think she's just all excited because she got to explain how we can win money in such a dramatic fashion. No wonder she kept it a secret until now. Makes it all seem more exciting." Naruto added, sure of himself.
Though he was completely wrong.
"AND NOW THE FIRST INTER-CLUB SWIM MEET SHALL BEGIN! THE FIRST EVENT IS WATER BASKETBALL!"
"…what is basketball?" Sai asked aloud, earning twin shrugs from his teammates. Luckily there was an announcer up in the box who just so happened to shed light on how the affair would proceed even though she preceded the clarification by saying, 'I don't need to explain the rules'. Weird, but hey! Team Konoha now knew they just had to find twenty balls floating at the bottom of the pool, and they just had to get them in their own personal net in the quickest amount of time. Stepping towards the water, each cluster of three prepared to enter the pool.
It was time.
Shiranui went up the steps while everyone else hopped into the pool, moving to join the lone student nestled within the box bolted to the large room's wall. As she entered the door the shorthaired bluenette came upon another girl both her size and body type, wearing the girl's uniform as she sat at the desk with microphone in hand. Blue eyes rested behind red-rimmed glasses, and purple hair was tied up in twin buns like a certain weapon-user with a large light red ribbon attached to the back of her skull. It was a senior of Class 3 and the one who would be announcing the day's highlights. "My name is Tanzaku Aso and I am the right hand of the communications club! I'll be your announcer today, and with me for analysis is-"
"Shiranui-chan! There's nothing in this world I don't know!" the girl butted in, seeing her moment to pop into the 'conversation'. Hopping over to the empty seat next to Aso she looked out above the sparkling chlorinated water to see all of the competing hopefuls either looking down towards the depths or up towards the announcer's room. The bun-headed girl quickly brought up her relationship with Zenkichi, and learned how they only just met in April of that year when the boy picked up her discarded eraser.
It had only been a few months and yet they were so comfortable with each other? Wow.
"Now Shiranui-san I noticed you were interacting with the mysterious new team I've never seen before. Can you enlighten us as to who they are and where they came from?"
"Why sure! The blond in the orange is Naruto, the girl is Sakura, and the pale one is Sai! Many of you might not know this yet but Naruto's been sticking around school lately despite not being enrolled with a ringing endorsement from Hakoniwa's own chairman. Why? Well I'll leave that for you to find out on your own. But what I can say is that there's more to him than just a dumb face and it's caught the attention of both Kurokami-hime and the judo club's Foul King."
Everyone turned to look at Naruto and he shrugged, although his face was etched into a heavy frown. He did not look dumb! Sakura and Sai though were curious as to how Hansode already knew their names. Was she nearby at any point in time before the ninja sage picked her up and revealed her presence? Not that either could remember. Maybe there was some credit to Shiranui's boast of knowing everything...but the pinkette remained aptly suspicious of the shorter girl's knowledge. Sakura's name was said a few times back during everyone speaking with each other but Sai's was never brought up once. Highly suspicious.
Nekomi winked towards Naruto from across the pool lanes before she turned to speak with Hitoyoshi and Akune. Her expression grew strained though when Medaka reappeared after changing into yet another swimsuit; a halter-top style with a tight bikini bottom to keep any wardrobe malfunctions from happening...but it still had her trademark cleavage cutout. But it was predominantly orange with a thick yellow stripe and that's all that mattered to Konoha's jinchuriki when he caught sight of it.
Nabeshima was just annoyed that Medaka was participating since no matter how handicapped the males of her team were, it didn't matter when the super girl was involved.
As Shiranui proclaimed over the loudspeaker that she believed the basketball team was her choice of winners this round before saying it wasn't going to be as easy as anyone thought, Team Seven had huddled together to try and come up with a plan. There were twenty balls spaced around the bottom of the pool they needed to collect before throwing them into a tall net labeled as their own. As expected their resident genius thought one up on the fly...but Naruto was less than excited to follow it through.
Tanzaku's eager voice piped in through the amplifiers placed about the large room a moment before everyone tensed up to begin. "OH MY, I DIDN'T REALIZE BECAUSE WE WERE SPEAKING BUT IT'S ALMOST TIME TO START! IS EVERYONE READY TO BEGIN?! THEN...ON YOUR MARK! GET SET!...GO!"
The pool immediately descended into anarchy at Aso's declaration. Men and women alike struggled to remain beneath the choppy waves as multiple teams fought to find their targets, the boys having a bit more trouble due to the air bags around their arms fighting to keep them afloat. The size of the area made it difficult to locate the bean bags and soaking in the chlorinated water for so long made them heavier than expected. The shorter and weaker students floundered in their attempts to win while the others did their best to carry their peers.
"HAHAHA! THIS IS GREAT! IT'S SO MUCH FUN SEEING PEOPLE STRUGGLING LIKE THIS!"
Shiranui's comments didn't help much either.
But while everyone else worked for the goal, the ninjas from Konoha had moved into action the moment Aso told them to commence. With absolute effortlessness Sakura grabbed Naruto by the shoulders and lifted him above her head like he was made of clouds. He wiggled in her grip and, in spite of the preparations, still wholeheartedly disagreed with her idea on victory.
"Sakura-chan, why can't Sai-"
"Hold your breath Naruto!"
"But-"
"Oh, and there's a chemical in the water so your eyes might burn a little."
"WHAT?!"
Inhaling deeply, Sakura then proceeded to use her super strength to spike the poor boy like he was a football. "CHAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
The minor explosion displaced a fair amount of liquid into a grand, foamy plume when Naruto was sent straight to the deep bottom to begin his search far faster than any others who were forced to make the journey under their own steam. Bouncing off the underwater tiles, he quickly shook his head and began grabbing any and all of the bean bags he could in the hunt for the ones labeled for the shinobi. His own powerful leg strength pushed him through the water far quicker than anyone else and he either collected or dropped the useless ones back to the floor. Everything was going efficiently until he noticed Medaka swimming just as easily through the thick water like himself. Their eyes met briefly and her smirk spoke volumes. The challenge was set and the purplenette felt an inkling of excitement when the blond's lips curled at the blatant test and raised the bean bags already collected in his hands. The deeper you go underwater, the greater the pressure. But even thought their humongous pool's depth wasn't so vast it still made it difficult to move around in. So it was a surprise when crimson orbs took in the sight of Naruto motoring his limbs in a rush of bubbles and sending the small balls shooting towards the surface like miniature torpedoes...
And into the collective grasp of Sai and Sakura.
"Yes! Keep them coming Naruto!" the Haruno cheered as she started tossing the objects in a soft arc straight into their goal. The painter was on lookout; snatching the missiles and tossing them into the medic's arms for further throwing. Sakura merely had to bounce the bags a few times to get a feel for their weight before sending them on their merry way. No one else had such a plan in mind, or most likely couldn't do the same, and by the looks of it the ninja were in first place.
Until once again Medaka made an appearance for Team Student Council with all twenty of her bean bags held against her chest. Breaching the surface she quickly crushed the collection together into one large basketball-sized sphere and curved it through the open air to the envy of all professional b-ball athletes in existence. In one go she got a perfect score, Zenkichi and Kouki high-fiving each other from their spot at the edge of the pool as Tanzaku yelled her surprise into the microphone. They'd gotten out of the water at the beginning simply to stay out of the Abnormal's way. For something like this it was easier to let her do it all.
"DIDN'T I SAY IT WOULDN'T BE AS EASY AS IT SOUNDS TO WIN?" The little bluenette began munching on a sub sandwich even in the middle of her commentary."NOT BECAUSE OF KUROKAMI, BUT BECAUSE YOU NEED A CERTAIN TECHNIQUE WHICH SHE JUST SO HAPPENED TO USE. BECAUSE OF THEIR COMBINED WEIGHT ALTOGETHER, IT'S SO MUCH EASIER TO THROW ALL THE BALLS AT ONCE INSTEAD OF ONE BY ONE. WITH GRAVITY DOING THE WORK AND A LARGER BALL TO THROW, IT MAKES AIMING SO MUCH EASIER!"
"E-EVEN SO, I'VE NEVER SEEN A PERSON DO IT LIKE THAT BEFORE! PLUS SHE GRABBED ALL TWENTY AT ONCE DESPITE THE WEIGHT YOU MENTIONED BUT YOU WOULD EXPECT NOTHING LESS FROM OUR AMAZING PRESIDENT!"
"WHILE WE'RE AT IT, I'D LIKE TO POINT OUT WHAT NARUTO AND HIS TEAM TRIED. WITH BLONDIE AS THE BLOODHOUND SNIFFING OUT THE BAGS HE SOMEHOW THREW THEM FROM THE VERY BOTTOM OF THE POOL STRAIGHT INTO HIS TEAMMATE'S ARMS. THAT WOULD TAKE AN INSANE AMOUNT OF STRENGTH TO POSSESS WITHOUT THEM LOSING ANY SPEED FROM THE FLOOR TO THE SURFACE, AND ONE AFTER ANOTHER WITHOUT TIRING!" Naruto chose that moment to resurface, hacking and coughing for air as Sakura simultaneously made the last point and brought Team Seven up to a solid twenty. While everyone else attempted to copy Medaka's flair, the pinkette smacked and rubbed Naruto's back to get him to breathe.
"You idiot! Why did you try it in one single breath?! That was incredibly dangerous! It's not like I couldn't just throw you again!"
"Had to...beat...Medaka..."
"Well for your information we tied with her!"
Following his teammate's slender finger towards the score screen it revealed Team Konoha exactly as Sakura supplied. Though they, and a large amount of the groups were all tied for first with twenty points, Kakashi's students had their nameplate right underneath both the Swim Club and Student Council in the order they finished despite the apparent tie.
"Damn!" Naruto exclaimed while slamming his hand against the water. He thought for sure the slender kunoichi's plan would work! Maybe if Sai submerged alongside the jinchuriki...but then Sakura would have been by herself in both catching and throwing...but she could handle it...but then again...
"Don't beat yourself up Naruto. Medaka and those swimmers got lucky. We'll get them in the next events." Sai added calmly in an attempt to cool his friend's temper. "Kakashi-sensei and Yamato's reputations are on the line."
"...yeah. Yeah! You're right Sai! We'll show them how leaf ninja always come out on top!"
Sakura smiled in thanks at the dark-haired boy even as everyone else stared at the Swim Club in shock. It made sense though since all three were quite at home underwater and therefore had three times the eyes to split up and search. But how they won against Medaka of all people was what had the other teams whispering in shock.
Speaking of Hakoniwa's Student Council President, she stalked away from the trio of athletes after scolding them for disregarding their own safety in the quest to be in first. Trying to swim beneath the surface without any air in your lungs was incredibly foolhardy and the buxom teen disliked how readily they put their lives on the line...just to make some cash. Little did Kikaijima, Tanegashima, and Yakushima know but their uncaring attitude over their safety had just brought Medaka's full attention to bear on their squad.
With the first event down and two more to come, Kurokami Medaka would soon show them the error over their lust for money.
The last chapter of this I had previously completed. I know it's still canon pretty much but that will be over soon.
Anyways, read and review please. Let me know what you think.