Disclaimer: This work is written without permission, for fan purposes only. Naruto and the Naruto world, belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.
Afterthoughts
Chapter 4.
First day.
Naruto was very pleased with himself, not only was he going on his first mission today, but he would also find Mr. Ukki, a potted plant he had just bought, a new home.
Mr. Ukki was a common house plant that didn't need much care. Naruto had bought it as a present because it seemed like an appropriate thing to do for their new teacher. There were no harm in trying to get on his new teacher's good side either, especially after what Kakashi said when team 7 had first met him in the classroom.
Naruto was on his way towards the agreed meeting place. It was not very impressive, just a little used road, with wooden fences on both sides. It was while he was walking that a thought struck him.
The mood his team had been in yesterday, during the test, had been disappointing. They hadn't really argued, just ignored each other. Kakashi had told them that teamwork was the important thing afterwards, but what if they didn't start helping each other out sooner? Would Kakashi stop training them?
He dismissed the thought immediately. Kaka-sensei wouldn't do that. Not now that he had made up his mind. Even so, Naruto didn't want to disappoint his new sensei, so something needed to be done.
Their relationship with each other needed improvement…Badly. He stopped before the street came into view and carefully looked around the corner.
Sasuke and Sakura were already there, seated on an old pipeline that was held off the ground by blocks of cement along the side of the road.
Sasuke were seated with his back resting against the wooden fence, trying his best to ignore Sakura. The girl in question was trying her best to look cute and adorable as she desperately tried to get the genius' attention.
Naruto could not understand how anyone that was able to just ignore such opportunities could call himself a genius.
He backed himself away from the corner so the two would not see him spying. It seemed that not much had changed between the two, it was sort of saddening.
It reminded him of how they had acted while waiting for Kakashi to arrive for the introduction. The wait had been a slow and painfully dull situation. He shuddered at the thought of just sitting there like statues, waiting for the tardy sensei. He was now absolutely positive that although boredom would not kill you, if you got a high enough dosage you might wish it could.
There was no doubt about it. This team, His team, needed his help. The old Hokage had probably seen this and decided that if the team was to survive the trials ahead, they needed his influence.
A fire lit itself in his eyes at the thought of the opportunity. He was going to transform this team into the most optimistic, good natured and fun loving team imaginable! That would show just how much he deserved to be Hokage.
The new goal was clear, but he needed a battle plan. Sasuke seemed to be as social as a rock and Sakura was dangerous when he disrupted her in front of Sasuke. That meant that he needed to tread careful with how he approached the problem.
He sat himself down on the ground and placed Mr. Ukki beside him. He folded his arms over his chest and scowled in concentration. He needed to think it all through methodically, like Iruka-sensei had told them during his classes.
First of all, he needed to get Sakura to stop pummelling him on a regular basis. That meant that he either had to stop acting like himself, which was out of the question, or she needed to get Sasuke's attention.
That was the second problem. Sasuke had shown about as much romantic sense as that of Mr. Ukki and was only half as charming in Naruto's opinion. His interest in Sakura was minimal at best and there had only been a few times where he actually talked to her.
The last time he remembered was the conversation that he overheard on the training grounds, which made him shudder involuntarily. It was bad enough being overlooked by people deliberately, but to have been actually made as though he wasn't there was an absolute horror.
He brushed the memories away and tried to focus on when he has seen his two team-mates talking. Before the incident during the bell test would be during recess, the day before. He remembered them talking, when he spotted them during the lunch break. Sakura had actually talked to him afterwards, even though briefly.
How had that happened? He remembered that he had tried talking to Sasuke whilst he was eating lunch, but they had hardly said anything at all.
Even so, Sakura had somehow gotten the Uchiha talking after that and that had been enough to not only change her attitude for the better, she was actually polite towards him when she left. Granted, he didn't deserve to be beaten then as he was now old enough to understand that girls didn't find worms as 'cool' as he once had. Whatever they had talked about had to be the key; he should try to ask her about it.
Before that though, he needed her to know that he was on her side about Sasuke.
The mental picture of him, urging them to hold hands didn't feel right. He pictured himself in Sasuke's shoes, with Sasuke, as the super funny friend, complimenting Sakura and telling them what an adorable couple they would make. The scene made him scowl. Not only did the scenario feel wrong, it made him look like a creepy person. He needed to conceal what he was doing somehow.
A stray thought of his sensei's book caught his attention. At once, the sketch of a prank started to form on its own and he could not keep a grin of mischief off his face.
No point in rushing things after all. He could be both sneaky and subtle about it, not to mention have some fun with them as well. In the meantime, he was going to bring forth a whole new level of 'uncomfortable situations' on the two…and they would thank him for it…well, they would eventually. Hopefully.
On second thought, it would be for the best if they didn't find out it was him at all.
///////////
Sakura was trying her best to get the attention of her long time crush. It was not an easy job mind you; he was just as talkative now as he had been back in the academy.
However, she was not about to give up. The god's had seen fit to put her on the same team as the handsome Uchiha and she would be damned if she wasted this opportunity.
Leaning forward in what she deemed as a just cute enough way, she fluttered her eyelashes towards the object of her affection. "Do you want to get some ice-cream with me after the mission Sasuke-kun?" she tried in her 'sweet' voice.
There was no reaction.
Smiling shyly and leaning closer, she was about to try again as a voice startled her.
"What have we here?" said the lazy voice of their sensei.
Sakura nearly jumped when he appeared crouching on the fence above them.
Sakura was outraged by his tardiness and a little bit disappointed that she would no longer be alone with Sasuke, but she had the good grace not to shout at her superiors.
Instead, she just fixed a glare at the Jônin and said as serious as she could, "You're late."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow and looked up at the sky. "Yes, apparently I am," he said without any trace of regret.
He looked back down at the two genin. "But it seem that I am not the last to arrive," he added with a happy smile. "Where is the noisy one?"
Sakura blinked as her irritation faded. She had nearly forgotten that Naruto was on their team. She had not seen him since they left him tied to the pole the day before. 'Maybe he didn't manage to get himself loose…'
Before she had time to think any further, the Jônin jumped off the fence and seated himself between the pair without asking. Only quick reflexes saved her from having the grown man landing on her lap.
"Ah, that's better. I guess we just have to wait for him," said Kakashi, stating the obvious, as he pulled out his book and started reading.
Being separated from Sasuke was pushed to the back of her mind by their sensei's conduct. It was not so much that he nearly sat on her; it was the fact that he wedged himself between herself and Sasuke, which were not sitting very far apart at the time. Was it socially acceptable for a grown man, a teacher, to be this close to a newly graduated kunoichi?
She could not see Sasuke's reaction and that bothered her. He was a genius, so he would probably know what to do.
"Ah, to be young again," Kakashi mumbled to himself and started to giggle.
Something in his voice made Sakura want to move away from him, but she was leaning on one of the cement blocks that held the pipe off ground. If she moved around it, she might offend their new teacher. He did seem to have some serious mood swings, as they had witnessed the day before.
Kakashi giggled again and Sakura noticed a blush on his cheek, right over the mask. It was then she noticed the book he was reading and was mortified.
It was marked as adult literature! He was reading porn in front of them! In the open! Giggling!
She was about to move away out of principle when the Jônin suddenly heaved an arm around her shoulder, holding the book right under her nose. "Look at this!" he exclaimed in a high pitched and excited voice.
Sakura screamed and shielded her eyes from the content. He was showing her something in an adult themed book! That was illegal!
"They were alone in the room. Only the light from the street outside illuminated their sweaty…" Kakashi read out loud.
"GET IT AWAY FROM ME! GET IT AWAY!" yelled Sakura desperately, trying her best to push the Jônin away.
Luckily for her, Kakashi got the message and released her. It did not take long at all for him to start giggling to himself again.
Sakura got out off her seat so quickly that one would think she used a Kawarimi no jutsu and forgotten the piece of wood in haste, and pressed herself flat against the fence on the other side of the street.
Kakashi didn't seem bothered by her reaction as he just turned a page to continue reading.
Even in her shocked state she noticed that Sasuke had managed to move himself a few feet away from the reading shinobi and his stoic facial features held an unusual hint of apprehension.
Kakashi didn't seem to even register either of them and just sat there, reading. What kind of responsible adult was he?
"He was lost in her eyes. They held a longing, a lust that had been neglected for…" the Jônin suddenly started reading out loud again with the same high-pitched girlish voice as before.
Sakura's hands clamped over her ears in an effort to keep Kakashi's words out. It was probably not the most graceful solution, but it did the trick.
She could not hear what he was saying, but she noticed that Sasuke's cheeks started to grow red as a blush manifested.
Suddenly, Kakashi stopped reading and lowered his book. His face became sad and he looked up at the sky. He sighed heavily and looked from Sasuke to Sakura. "All those missed chances…"
Sakura was not over what he had done just moments ago, that was impossible, but somehow, the mood had changed. She was careful when she lowered her arms, ready to bring them back into play at the slightest hint of anything perverted.
"You two don't know how lucky you are," Kakashi went on. He looked over at Sasuke with sad eyes. "I was just like you, you know."
Sasuke's eyebrow raised itself half an inch as his blush retreated off his face. To Sakura, it was clear that something of what Kakashi had said meant something to the genius. What that was, eluded her.
Sakura didn't like the way their sensei was changing so fast and so often. She was therefore rather cautious when the Jônin got up on his feet and walked slowly to the middle of the road. He stopped right in between them and looked from the one to the other, as if he was trying to decide on something.
He settled his eye on Sasuke and spoke in a firm voice. "You are wasting your existence the way you are now."
Sakura watched how Kakashi's words hardened Sasuke's eyes. Suddenly she became seriously worried that her crush would charge the Jônin again, like he did the day before. Her fear was unfounded however, as the Uchiha calmed himself with a deep breath and settled for a defiant glare.
Kakashi didn't seem to care about Sasuke's reaction and just continued talking. "Being in the position you are in! Having the opportunities that you have! You are steadily destroying yourself more then you realize!"
Sasuke's jaw tightened, as did his fists. Sakura didn't like where this was going at all. Was their new sensei intentionally trying to make her Sasuke-kun mad?
The Jônin's next words though, hit her with the effect of a cold shower. "Don't you know that there will only be less and less girls as you grow older?!"
There was complete silence. Sakura could not believe what she just heard. From the way Sasuke's eyes suddenly looked lost, she would judge that he felt the same.
"There are girls around you all day, just asking for a little attention! How can you ever expect to grow if you don't take any interest in what is offered to you?" The Jônin continued, not noticing the shocked reaction of his students. "Love is the ultimate adventure that only the most foolish choose to ignore! How can you call yourself a genius if you don't even know that much?"
Sakura could only stare. Was the pervert lecturing Sasuke about love? The man who read porn out loud to minors without a second thought? The thought was ludicrous, but even so, there he was, trying lecture the hottest genin in the village about what love was.
Kakashi held out his book towards Sasuke in shaky hands. "Before you know it, the girls will be gone!" he shouted in a desperate voice. "They will have moved on and left you behind! There will be no more girls around you and you won't even know how to ask them out because you never did!"
Sakura was now really scared. Was the Jônin having a nervous breakdown? Why was he talking about girls in the first place?
Sasuke looked just as uncomfortable. He actually had his hands out of his pocket and was trying to edge away. Kakashi was walking slowly towards the retreating genin, still holding the book out in front of him for Sasuke to see.
"In the end you will turn to the only thing that remind you of what you once had!" he was now pointing at the book. "It will intrigue and welcome you! It will swallow you whole! In the end, it is the only thing you know!"
Kakashi's eye had gone all teary and his voice raw and emotional. "Be aware of this Sasuke! You may end up just like me!"
Sasuke seemed almost frightened at the prospect. Sakura didn't know if it was Kakashi's words or the way he was acting that frightened him, as both things were scaring her. Why was their sensei being so mean to Sasuke? Why did he have to talk to him about girls? Sasuke was supposed to be hers!
A chuckle from above caught the trio's attention.
Sitting on the fence above Sasuke, was Kakashi. The one that was shouting at Sasuke suddenly seemed both nervous and uncomfortable. A moment of silence followed, and then the dots connected.
Sakura exploded, "NARUTO!"
The nervous Kakashi visibly paled and without a word, bolted down the street in a full out sprint, cradling the book to his chest, as if it was vital that it should not come to harm.
Sakura let automatic reflexes kick in. After years of exposure to the class clown, she and several of her love rivals had developed a reflex to chase down Naruto whenever there was something he did that annoyed them. It was a trait she also shared with several chuunin and ANBU around the village.
An amused Kakashi looked on with interest as two of his students disappeared around a corner at an impressive speed. This teaching position was looking more and more promising every day.
He noted out of the corner of his eye that Sasuke shifted his position a little to hide a frown behind his t-shirt's high collar. It would seem that even the genius was fooled by Naruto's Henge, however he was determined not to let it show.
"So, what did I miss?" inquired the Jônin as he pulled out his own book to catch up on his reading while he had the chance.
Sasuke unconsciously edged away from Kakashi but didn't answer with anything more than a grunt.
Kakashi was not surprised and let it drop. He had only caught the end of Naruto's prank, but what he had seen hit too close for comfort. That was why he had decided to intervene when he did. Without anything more to add or ask about, they just sat there in silence.
Luckily, they did not have to wait for it to become even more uncomfortable since Naruto appeared around a different corner, still fleeing from a raging Sakura.
He had reverted back to his own appearance and looked more scared now than he had before. Apparently, he had picked up some sort of plant in his path and was now holding on to it for dear life. Sakura was only a second behind and closing.
As it was, she managed to trip the fleeing prankster almost right in front of the two spectators and proceeded to pound away her frustration. The violent display surprised Kakashi a little, but he did not intervene. Similar situations had occurred often during his childhood…usually towards others.
Looking at it now, he concluded that he had been lucky to adopt his goofy attitude later in life and didn't have to go through all the apparent side effects like Naruto was experiencing.
"…Don't you think that is a bit much Sakura?" Kakashi carefully asked after another minute.
Sakura hesitantly stopped hitting Naruto and moved away. She still seemed embarrassed, but it was impossible to say if it was from what Naruto did or if it was from her own violent actions.
Strangely enough, Naruto did not seem all that bothered. He looked like he was in pain, after such a beating it would be strange if he wasn't, but he displayed no anger or resentment at all as he slowly got to his feet.
He carefully lifted the plant, that had by some miracle survived the ordeal and held it out to Kakashi with a bright smile. "This is for you sensei."
Kakashi was a little surprised, as it was not that normal to give presents to your sensei anymore. He was careful not to let his surprise show though, so he just stared at the boy for a moment, privately wondering what he should do.
The moment dragged on into a really uncomfortable silence. It wasn't until Naruto started sweating out of nervousness did Kakashi react. The Jônin suddenly smiled brightly and accepted the gift he was offered as if there was never a pause in the first place. "Why, thank you Naruto-kun. This is a pleasant surprise."
Naruto handed Mr. Ukki over to Kakashi with a relieved sigh.
//////////
Sarutobi was working on, in his opinion, one of the least interesting and yet also one of the most important duties he had as Hokage, mission assigning.
In his years as the village leader, he had come to dislike this task. It was one thing to assign every mission he had used most of the morning preparing, but to having to listen to genin grumble and complain about it was also taxing.
Today however, there was one genin that he was looking forward to meet and that genin was standing right in front of him. The boy was dressed in much the same clothes as he was a couple of days ago, although he was a bit dustier now than the last time he saw him. The dirt on his clothes actually made him look more like himself, than when they were clean.
He was standing there with a bright smile, but his team was looking a little bit…uncomfortable. It was hardly unusual for genin to be a bit apprehensive on their first day as a working ninja, but Sarutobi couldn't help but notice that they seemed more uncomfortable around each other than anything else.
It seemed as if the girl was trying to avoid the gaze of the young Uchiha. This was unusual because it was known to him that she had always tried to get his attention at the academy. Then again, this change in behaviour was not that strange, rocks and bumps were to be expected in the emotional road of the young.
Uchiha Sasuke's behaviour was also slightly off, but it was of much greater interest to the Hokage. The young boy was consciously avoiding eye contact, as he normally did, however there was much more visible effort than usual. It was as if he was desperately trying to suppress a need to look at the others from the corner of his eye, as if he wanted to confirm something, yet he didn't dare to look out of fear that the others would see him take an interest.
Sarutobi didn't show it, but inwardly he was smiling from ear to ear. Sasuke's behaviour was exactly what he had always hoped for. He was actually acting his own age and if he were not much mistaken, he was seeing him take interest in somethingmore than just being an avenger. For the boy's sake, he could only hope.
"Team seven reporting," announced Kakashi casually, snapping a grateful Sarutobi back to reality. The Jônin didn't seem uncomfortable at all, if anything, he looked even happier than he had the day before when he confirmed that he had actually let a team pass his test.
His reaction to Kakashi's words must have been obvious, because Naruto happily chipped in "Getting old ojisan? When are you going to leave me in charge?"
The comment only served to reassure Sarutobi and he almost chuckled at the boy's comment. It was exactly what he would expect from Naruto in this situation and the reassurance made his worry fade into obscurity. He also had to suppress a smirk as he picked up the assigned mission scroll. He could already imagine how quickly Naruto's smug smile would disappear once he knew what his mission would be.
"Here's your mission Kakashi-san," he said as he handed the scroll over to the masked Jônin, pointedly ignoring Naruto's comment.
Kakashi opened the seal on the spot as he would usually do. Some would find his action disrespectful, but Sarutobi knew that Kakashi never meant anything by it.
"Hmm, looks like we got lucky," he said as he re-rolled the scroll.
"Really!" Naruto asked excitedly.
A small smile crept onto Sarutobi's lips. Kakashi seemed to have gotten the same idea.
"Yes, we are to escort and guard a group of very important tracking specialists as they do their business," Kakashi answered with mock seriousness.
Naruto's excitement was rather impressive. Mouth open in a silent cheer, arms trembling with excitement and his eyes looked as if he had just spotted the biggest bowl of ramen in the world. It looked like he was about to go into shock from joy as he barely managed to keep himself silent. That was, until Kakashi revealed the true nature of the mission.
With an exited voice and a bright smile he turned towards his assembled genins and said, "We're going to walk the shinobi dogs!"
There was a moment of silence.
"Walking dogs?" Naruto asked in disbelief. He had thought shinobi lived exiting lives, fighting and spying and such. Now they were ordered to walk some dogs? "Why would ninja be hired to walk dogs!?"
Sarutobi stopped himself from smiling at Naruto's reaction. He should have been quietly disappointed at how immature Naruto was handling the news about D-rank missions, but after last night's letter from Jiraiya, it was almost a relief.
Before the elderly Hokage had time to answer, Haruno Sakura hit Naruto hard on the head. "Quiet! Show some respect!"
Kakashi gave the Hokage an apologetic smile and placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, stopping whatever protest Naruto cared to offer.
"Yes, walking dogs. It is very important work Naruto," Sarutobi patiently explained. "Their kennels need cleaning and there is another team that will be handling that task…but if you would rather have that assignment, I don't think there would be any trouble." the elderly man added as innocently as he could.
It was fun to see Naruto go pale at the thought. Kakashi also seemed to have some difficulty not laughing at his genin's obvious horror. Kakashi composed himself before saying anything though. "Well, walking the dogs sound's fine to me."
He lazily, but firmly directed Naruto out the door to start the mission. Sakura and Sasuke both bowed respectfully before following their teacher and team-mate out the door.
Sarutobi kept his eye on the door as it closed. His encounter with Naruto had not answered any questions, which should have bother him, but then again, it had not raised any either. Even if seeing the blond had not answered anything, it had eased his worries. There was nothing wrong with him that he could see and the tension of worry that had plagued him all night eased. Indeed, the Hokage had been so relieved that it was not until a polite cough brought him back to his senses that he remembered where he was.
Yuuhi Kurenai stood before him with her team, "Team eight reporting, Hokage-sama," she reported as if nothing had happened. Only a slight movement of her jaw betrayed her curiousness over finding the Hokage in such a detached state. As good a genjutsu mistress as she was, she still possessed a curious habit of biting the inside of her mouth when there were something she wanted to know. A trait that had made her Anko's best friend and she was constantly being invited to play cards with her. The poor woman probably had no idea.
Sarutobi smiled at the newly promoted Jônin. He was embarrassed from being caught spacing out like that, but years in the job had made him an expert on excuses. "Just the caffeine losing its effect Kurenai-chan," Sarutobi reassured her in his grandfatherly voice that got him out of almost any trouble, except with his wife.
Kurenai only nodded in reply, but her smile told him that she accepted his explanation, probably as an excuse for getting old.
//////////////
After the mission was done:
The genin were dirty and tired after reporting their mission result at the Hokage tower. The Hokage had not been there, but even a genin would have been able to stamp the mission as approved by the client, so the chuunin behind the desk had managed it with ease.
Kakashi was walking a step behind them, reading his novel. It was strange that he did not get mad at Naruto at all during the mission. He had nearly gotten them to fail when he had let the dog do almost anything it wanted. This was involuntary on Naruto's part, as the dog was both large and strong enough to drag him protesting through mud, sand and over several fences throughout the village.
"Well, this has been an eventful day. We will meet at same time and place tomorrow, okay?" Kakashi said suddenly, snapping the genins out of their own little worlds.
Naruto turned around to protest, but he was already gone. "Crap! I thought we were supposed to train now!" he whined.
Sakura made an annoyed sigh at the energy Naruto showed. She was tired and dirty, and that was a prime concern when you were supposed to charm someone with your stunning beauty.
"Stop complaining Naruto. Kakashi-sensei probably thinks we should take it easy after the mission…and you were dead beat a moment ago," she told him, but Naruto was too fired up to listen to reason.
"But I'm ready to train now! I mean, that dog did most of the dragging anyway, so why would I be tired?"
The image of Naruto being dragged around the street by the large dog, struggling hard to get it to stop and change direction, came to mind. It had seemed like a fairly exhausting job to her, but Naruto was like a little annoying brat, bundles of energy that only served to make him even more annoying.
"Fine, be that way," she sighed and shook her head.
"If we're done, I'm going home," Sasuke stated suddenly and started to walk off in another direction.
Naruto, getting a new idea, shouted after him. "Hey teme, do you want to train?"
Sasuke stopped for a minute and looked over his shoulder. "Why would I want to train with someone like you?"
Naruto frowned, that was an insult, and as always he felt his temper flare. Shaking it off, he responded "Why wouldn't you?"
It was better than the last answer he had given, it didn't even sound that childish. Never mind that it was actually just another question.
Sasuke didn't respond. He just grunted, shook his head and walked away.
Sakura looked unsure of what to do for a second, but as always, she defended Sasuke with a passion. "He doesn't want to train with you because he doesn't need to train. Sasuke-kun is the best."
With that, she jogged after the Uchiha, and Naruto could hear her give her own suggestions about what they could do. "Hey Sasuke-kun? Do you want to get some ice cream with me?"
He missed Sasuke's reply, but he must have said something, because Sakura kept following him asking him something else that he didn't hear.
It was not very pleasant to have both team-mates walk out on him, but he was still unable to be mad at them. Sasuke and Sakura may have been unfriendly towards him, but so was the rest of the village. Not to mention, this was only their first day, they would warm up eventually.
Personally, Naruto could not even fathom what she saw in Sasuke…then again…he could not really say why he didn't hate him anymore either. The teme probably had high charisma or some other unfair advantage for getting people to like him. He toyed with the idea of asking what his secret was, but that would be really pathetic. In any case, he had more important things to think about.
Kakashi had left them way too early, and Naruto wanted to train. He could, of course, go home and train on his own like he always did, but that was no fun…and since the other two didn't want to train with him, he decided that he needed to find Kakashi.
How he would go about it was another matter. The Jônin hadn't left any clue to where he lived or what he did when he wasn't with them. It was annoying to realize how little he really knew about their new sensei and even worse to find out how little he actually had said about himself when they were introduced.
Thinking back, there was only one thing he had told about himself, other than his name and how little he wanted them to know. He had said, "…I have lots of hobbies…" and that was a clue if ever there was one. Maybe it was a test, like the day before, when they had left him tied to the pole?
Naruto could not help but grin at his own insight. This was probably how geniuses thought all the time. Now all he needed to do was to find out what Kakashi's hobbies really were and he would have tracked him down.
What would a white haired, masked man do on his time off? Many weird images materialized in Naruto's mind. He saw Kakashi taking dancing lessons, skipping rope, reading poems, dressing up as a clown, and so on. The possibilities were endless.
After a short debate with himself, he decided to start with the most popular pastimes he could think of. Looking for their sensei in the theatre groups would just have to wait. The thought of Kakashi on stage with makeup and/or a clown costume would have been fun to see, but probably not likely.
Grownups liked different things, and Kakashi didn't seem like much of a sportsman, so he headed for the few places in the village where one would be able to gamble. With that mask on, he would be one hell of a card player.
/////////
Much searching later, Naruto was back where he started. He had taken a tour of nearly every pastime activity in the village, looking for his sensei. He had visited every hobby-shop, gambling den, public park, theatre and bookstore in Konoha…and the only place that Kakashi seemed to visit was a bookstore…an adult bookstore.
What was even worse, they didn't know where the man lived or where he would be. The frustration of the hunt had taken its toll on Naruto in the form of growing irritation and a strange longing to set fire to the book Kakashi had been reading. He was also exhausted after running around half the village, only to finally realize that he could have used clones to search the different areas at the same time.
All because Kakashi had neglected to tell them how they could contact him. It was rude of him to not tell anything about himself, but it was even worse that what he had said was a lie.
He didn't have lots of hobbies, he had just one, and that was only for people over eighteen. What sort of person didn't do anything else then read porn on his time off?
Another realisation came to mind. Kakashi was not reading on his time off, he was reading when he should be working! Naruto scowled. Their sensei was a serious pervert. In other words, he was probably a genius like himself.
What would a genius do in this situation? The only thing he could think of was to ask questions. The only problem was that he had already done that…and not one shop keeper had known anything about the Cyclops ninja.
After a few agonizing minutes trying to come up with something intelligent to do in his hunt, he only came up with one possibility of finding him.
Naruto smiled. There was at least one person in the village that was better than Kakashi at being a ninja, even if he were an old goat…and he would probably like an excuse to escape the paperwork for a little while.
With a new idea formed, he took off towards the Hokage tower as fast as his legs were able to carry him.
////////////
Sarutobi was seated by a large canvas in his study, trying to focus on a new design for a chakra conducting seal. However, today he was fighting a losing battle. The form of the seal seemed all wrong on the canvas before him, and his attention always seemed to drift back onto the letter that he had placed aside for later reading.
The boy seemed perfectly normal this morning, but still, there seemed like something was different. After another carefully placed line on the canvas he sighed at his own thoughts. At least he seemed to be happy with his new team, something that eased the uncertainty to some extent.
It had been a long time since Sarutobi had been so impatient and worried about anything, like he was at the moment. It was the knowledge that the answer was so close that got to him. If it had been more elusive and not right under his nose, he would have been much quicker to accept the fact that he needed to be patient about it.
He tried again to focus on the seal. The shape would be simple, like a narrowing funnel, with several chakra channels leading from the user, who would focus and concentrate the chakra, so it could be more easily applied during precise surgery.
He was about to apply another section when he heard a familiar voice from the hallway.
"Let me in, I need to ask Ojisan about something!"
There was a muffled response that he could not hear clearly, as the chuunin at the door didn't feel the need to shout like the newcomer. Not long after that the door opened and a face that matched the voice appeared.
"Hey Ojisan!" called a red faced Naruto as he entered the room. He was breathing heavily and the dust on his sandals indicated that he had been either shuffling his feet along the ground, or he had done a fair share of fast, sharp turns around the dusty village roads.
Sarutobi could not stop the smile that crept upon his face when he heard Naruto address him in his familiar way. "Hello Naruto-kun, what is it you want to ask me?"
A bewildered expression appeared on Naruto's face. "Huh? How did you know I wanted to ask you about something?"
'Seems pretty ordinary so far' Sarutobi thought as he shook his head at Naruto's reaction. "The door is not that thick."
"What does the door have to do with anything?" inquired Naruto, still clueless.
Sarutobi shook his head again, happy that Naruto acted so like himself. "You were a little loud."
"I was?"
"Yes, but that is alright," sighed the Hokage. "Was there anything you wanted?" Sarutobi noted that Naruto's breathing was back to normal; as if he just forgot that he had been tired a moment ago. The boy had an amazing endurance…it was one of Naruto's most impressive and useful abilities that would serve him well as a shinobi.
It took Naruto a second before remembering his reason for being there. "I'm trying to find Kaka-sensei! He ran away before he could help us practise!"
'He's trying to find Kakashi? Is that all?' "He wasn't at his home?"
"I don't know where he lives."
'He doesn't know where his sensei lives?' thought Sarutobi a little surprised. It was important that student's could reach their master if they needed to. "Didn't he tell you where to get hold of him?"
"No, he said it was none of our business," complained Naruto, "The only thing he told us was that he has a lot of hobbies!"
'Kakashi has hobbies?' This was the first time Sarutobi had ever heard anything about Kakashi having anything productive to do outside work. "What hobbies does he have?"
Naruto frowned, "None specific. He just said he had a lot of hobbies."
'Ah, that explains it' the elderly Hokage thought with a sigh. "Let me guess…you ran all over town looking for hobbies he could have had didn't you?"
"Yeah, how did you know?"
"An educated guess…" Sarutobi responded calmly, though mentally he added, 'You looked about ready pass out when you arrived.'
"Oh…do you know where he is?"
Sarutobi leaned backwards to straighten his spine as he thought it over. "If I'm not mistaken, he should be at the training field about now, the one you used yesterday."
Another puzzled expression appeared on Naruto's face. "Huh? Why would he train without us?"
"It is where he goes to think," Sarutobi answered patiently.
"Why?"
Sarutobi was not sure how he should explain it, or even if it was his place to do so. After a pause he decided that Naruto needed to find the answer for himself. "Did he tell you about the stone?"
"Yeah…oh," Naruto's expression turned from a growing frown to sad understanding in an instant. Sarutobi was impressed that Naruto had understood as fast as he did. Naruto may have been the focus of much anger and resentment in the village, but he had never experienced loss of life before. It pleased the old Hokage that the boy was able to see the significance of lost comrades that fast. Kakashi must really have driven that point home during the test.
"Don't feel bad for something that happened that long ago Naruto. It is better to let people live in the 'now' then to remind them of past tragedies," the old Hokage said kindly to bring Naruto out of the gloomy mood he had fallen into.
Naruto seemed a little hesitant, but he nodded and tried to smile. "Ok…so he'll be there?"
Seeing that Naruto was about ready to bold out the door towards the training field, Sarutobi decided that he would no longer beat around the bush and asked him bluntly, "Yes, but before you go, how are you feeling?"
Naruto looked surprised at the question, 'Huh? He hasn't asked me that since I moved into my apartment'. "I'm fine."
Sarutobi felt as if he was disgracing everything a shinobi stood for with his blunt question, but he needed to know for sure "Nothing out of the ordinary?"
Like Sarutobi had guessed, Naruto seemed more interested in getting to the training field then he was in the direction the conversation was going and he just answered "Nothing I can think about."
Sarutobi knew that he had taken the wrong approach when questioning the boy. He had no idea he was being questioned of course, even if it was obvious, and probably thought it was just an old man's concerns. The trouble was that he was impatient to get out training and would probably just shrug of anything that could be bothering him in his haste of getting out.
"I'm glad," Sarutobi said in his grandfatherly voice and nodded to Naruto, silently answering the boy's equally silent plea to get going. The subtle answer was not lost on the blond and he took off with a huge grin on his face.
Sarutobi sat and stared at the door where the boy had departed. That was the second time that day when Naruto had failed to provide any answers at all. But even so, the fact that other than the clothes and the way he had fastened his hitai-ite around his neck and not on his head, he had yet to raise a single question.
It occurred to him that there was the possibility of Jiraiya's letter might have been misleading in some way. Maybe the self-proclaimed super pervert had done a mistake when typing the letter, possible trying for some new fancy style.
It was nothing solid, but the thought enabled Sarutobi to brush the worries over Naruto away as a simple writing error. It wasn't completely convincing, but it was enough to make the elderly Hokage feel foolish…but happy.
/////////
"I….I finally…finally found you!" shouted Naruto with his last breath as he staggered onto the training field from the day before. His frantic search had worn him out even before he had thought to ask the Hokage. His direct dash to the training ground had all but left him breathless.
Kakashi was standing in front of the memorial stone, where Mr. Ukki was placed, and didn't seem at all surprised by Naruto's appearance.
In truth, he was very surprised, but as before he did not let it show. The following silence was luckily lost on Naruto who was busy trying to regain his breath.
"You…you left too soon, Kaka-sensei!" Naruto managed to gasped when he was sure that talking would not make him pass out.
"I did?" Kakashi asked as innocently as he could.
"Yeah, we didn't train."
Kakashi was silent for a few moments before responding. "We didn't?" Kakashi was not really in the mood to start training. He had actually hoped that their first mission would wear the children down enough so he could have a quiet evening in peace.
"No, we didn't!"
"Are you sure?"
Naruto found his sensei's answers annoying and didn't even attempt to hide the tone of his voice. "…Yes. I'm sure"
Kakashi had no visible reaction for about five seconds and just looked at Naruto with the same half-interested expression. It usually helped make people feel stupid, as if they had missed something important. It was the expression Kakashi used when he was thinking of excuses.
"What have you done today?" he finally asked in the same innocent voice as before.
Naruto huffed in annoyance. "What kind of question is that?"
"An easy one I hope," Kakashi answered without a trace of sarcasm.
A few seconds glaring followed until Naruto gave up and sighed in defeat. He then proceeded to summarise his day. After all, if he started to answer his sensei's questions, maybe he would get some answers in return. "…I tried to help my team-mates by breaking the ice, we did a really boring mission and then I had to run all over village looking for you."
After he was done, Kakashi broke out his most visible smile "Sounds like a work-out to me…"
"What?"
Having formed a somewhat good excuse, Kakashi proceeded with what he hoped would be a short lecture. "Managing to track me down is not something anyone can do, you should feel proud to have done so."
Naruto was silent for a few seconds as he debated with himself about telling the truth. His sensei was giving him praise for finding him, actually praising him for a job well done. It made him feel both happy and somewhat hollow at the same time. In the end he had to turn to the Hokage for help, so in all honesty, he didn't deserve the praise. On the other hand, he was actually getting recognition from his sensei. It was rare enough at the academy.
In the end though, he had to swallow the urge to take the undeserved praise as the guilt won. "I had to ask Oji-san!"
Kakashi had to pause again as his plans for an easy escape seemed to disappear from under his feet. "You did run all over town though, you must be exhausted. Maybe we should train another time…" he tried hopefully.
Sadly, for Kakashi, Naruto didn't seem the least bit tired anymore and as the characteristic grin spread over the boys face, the Jônin's heart sank. "I'm not tired at all!"
If the movement wouldn't have given him away, Kakashi would have covered his eyes with his hand to hide his coming frown. 'Shoot. Maybe I can give him something he can work on by himself, and then he might leave me alone'.
"Ok, I think I have a good training exercise for you."
"Really!?" Naruto brightened up at once on the mention of 'training exercise'. This was it, his first one on one instructed training regime.
"Yes, for real," responded Kakashi with a smile, he himself congratulating himself for such a good plan.
"What is it?! What is it!?" Naruto asked excitedly. He could almost feel that he was about to learn something for real this time. Probably some cool offensive Jutsu, preferably with explosions.
Kakashi however knew better than that, "Tree climbing."
Naruto's excitement died instantly. "I know how to climb trees!"
Not the least bit surprised by Naruto's negative reaction, Kakashi proceeded with the revelation that usually hit the spot, "Without using your hands?"
Naruto's next reaction caught him by surprise though. Folding his hands over his chest and a disappointed expression Naruto answered him with a simple "Yes."
Kakashi was momentarily lost for words. It was not because the boy said he could do it, but he had counted on his plan working out so he could get back to the important things in life, like reading porn. Trying hard to think of what to do next, he automatically asked "You do?"
"Yes! The closet pervert taught me!"
The Jônin had to blink a little at that. "…Closet pervert?"
"Yes!" answered Naruto, as the question of who the supposed closet pervert would be was lost on him.
A long lost teacher instinct alerted Kakashi to the possibility of Naruto lying to get him to teach him something 'cooler'. After all, the boy had shown good use of deception the day before.
"Can you show me?"
"He's not here!" Naruto answered with a scowl. He was starting to think that his sensei was making fun of him.
Kakashi had to hold back the sigh that every teacher at the academy eventually had developed. "I meant the tree climbing."
The realization finally dawned on Naruto that he actually had to show what he was preaching. His expression was only unsure for half a second before his grin spread itself and radiated confidence "Yeah, sure."
He walked over to a nearby tree, trying desperately not to think of the fact that he had yet to get it completely right. He bought a few more seconds with pointing out what tree he intended to run up, but it was just useless staling. He didn't like to admit it, but he was getting more and more nervous. His new sensei, who had been impressed with him a few minutes ago, was going to observe him. If he failed, would his sensei get angry? Disappointed?
With these thoughts, he ran for the tree. His speed was good and his angle was just like Ebisu had instructed, but when his foot connected the bark split from the pressure of his chakra, but also making his foot stick to the tree, thus making the boy collide with his own knee. The collision nearly knocked the air from Naruto's lungs and he fell rather ungracefully on his butt.
Kakashi watched on with interest and a not too smug expression that said 'I knew it'. "Are you alright?" he asked just to be sure as Naruto crawled back to his feet. "Do you want to try again?"
Kakashi's last sentence stopped every negative thought Naruto had during his failed attempt. His new sensei was not angry or disappointed with his failure. He wanted him to try again.
Naruto responded with a nod and a thumb up, which strangely enough made Kakashi shudder.
With new determination, Naruto rushed at the tree. Chakra flowed through his feet and before he knew it, he was running straight up the trunk as if he had done it all his life. He only stopped when he reached the highest branch that he could stand on. Then he turned and flashed the toothiest grin he had shown since he became a genin. "There! Now you believe me!?"
"Very impressive Naruto-kun," Kakashi said with an approving smile. Silently, he was very impressed. Not many people could do this right after graduation.
"Can you teach me something else?" shouted Naruto as he jumped down onto the ground in front of the Jônin.
'Damn, I promised him. What else can I show him to do on his own?' thought Kakashi as it dawned on him that they had a deal.
He made a show of trying to think of an appropriate exercise. After what seemed like ages to Naruto, he said "Do you know how to smell?"
Naruto looked at Kakashi as if he had just told the worst joke in history. "Of course I know how to smell! I have a nose don't I?"
The Jônin bent down, as if to look closely at Naruto's face. "Yes, it seems to be in the right place," he said before he straightened up and continued, "but do you know how to track by scent?"
Naruto frowned and said "Of course!"
"You do?" Kakashi asked surprised.
"Yeah! You get a dog, give it the scent and follow!"
"Of course, but do you know how to do it without the dog?" Kakashi inquired patiently, silently face palming himself for not seeing Naruto's answer coming.
Naruto's frown changed instantly into curiosity "Huh?"
"I take it that you don't."
Thinking it an insult, Naruto didn't hesitate to protest. "I can! It'll probably take time, but I can do it!"
Kakashi made a mental note that Naruto didn't like to be underestimated. "…what if you didn't have the time?"
Naruto turned his face away in an effort to hide a scowl and muttered under his breath, "Probably wouldn't be able to…"
"What if I showed you how?"
Instantly, Naruto got exited again. Blue eyes, wide in anticipation and a brilliant smile was again on his face. "You would? Kaka-sensei, you're awesome!"
'He practically demanded that I train him a moment ago, now he is surprised that I agreed to?' Kakashi thought a little unsurely. It was getting more and more evident that he didn't know that much about children. This was due to never having been much of one himself. "Sure Naruto-kun."
Kakashi held up a hand to stop Naruto's cheering. "Ok, the first thing you need to do is to channel chakra to your nose…" Kakashi started. Naruto, in his hurry to learn something new didn't wait for Kakashi to finish, as he clapped his hands together to gather his chakra.
Doing that, he didn't hear what Kakashi said next, "…do this carefully, because a too large dosage will damage your nose so you will not be able to smell anything for at least a couple of days."
Naruto didn't hear it, and gathered way too much chakra in his nose while Kakashi explained. Naruto exclaimed "Gah!" as blood suddenly shot out of his nose.
'Reckless! Is he okay?'Kakashi thought as he saw the stream of blood. "Are you alright?"
"Didn't hurt a bit!" said Naruto as he tried to sniff the blood back in. "I'll try again and get it right!"
"Didn't you hear me? You won't be able to smell anything for at least a day," Kakashi tried to explain. There was a hint of worry in his voice.
"What are you talking about Kaka-sensei? I can smell just fine," protested Naruto. The bleeding had already stopped.
'What? Is he really able to smell or are he just playing it tough?', "Really?"
Kakashi looked around before picking up a flower a couple of feet away. He held it under Naruto's nose. "Can you sell this?"
Naruto recoiled in disgust and pinched his nose to stop himself from smelling more of it. "Yuck, that smells horrible Kaka-sensei!"
'He is really able to smell it. His sense of smell should be burnt out and would take at least a day to heal properly…is this the work of the fox?' "Sorry, just wanted to be sure."
Naruto frowned and muttered under his breath, "Could have used a better smelling flower…"
Kakashi didn't answer him and just explained again what he needed to do. "Listen, you need to use less chakra to do this. Try raising the amount, slowly."
Naruto tried again, slowly building his chakra level, but his nose started bleeding after only a couple of seconds, "Damn!"
Kakashi regarded Naruto for a few seconds more, and took note that the bleeding stopped almost as soon as it started. "Just continue practising like that ok. We'll see how it is in a few days." With that, he weaved the necessary hand-seals and disappeared in a swirl of leaves.
"Hey, wait!" shouted Naruto, too late to stop his sensei. 'There he goes again. At least he gave me something to do this time.'
/////////////////
It was getting late when Naruto finally started to get some results from his training. The problem was finding the exact amount of chakra needed. Too little didn't do anything other than making his nose close up, too much made his nose bleed. In his trial and error, he switched between smelling nothing at all, to shooting blood out of his nose in a way that reminded him way too much of the Closet pervert's reaction to his Oiroke no Jutsu.
Even so, he was making progress. When he finally managed to hold the right amount of chakra for a short period of time, he noticed how different everything smelled. The water in the river nearby smelled fresh and somewhat mossy. The ground smelled much heavier then he would have imagined and the air carried the distinct aroma of flowers in blossom.
He didn't get a complete picture of anything though, as he only got to experience it a little bit at a time.
There was something he recognised as more people related among the scents though. It was something that felt very familiar, but also very out of place out in the woods.
As he tried channelling his chakra again, he tried to pinpoint what it was he smelt. It was there, but only for a second, before it disappeared. It re-appeared again just as he lost the right amount chakra again and the sensation was lost.
The smell felt both fresh and moist, but it also carried a faint aroma of what he thought to be rice and fish…a lunch or dinner perhaps.
The smell was far too weak to be an open meal though, so a picnic was out of the question. After a couple of more samples of the strange scent he started more about 'why' he smelt whatever it was, and not so much 'what' it was.
It took him a moment to realize that it was someone's breathe. With the realization his eyes shot open and he looked around hurriedly. Was there someone spying on him?
"Is somebody there!?" he yelled and regretted it immediately. He had warned whoever was looking at him that he was on to them.
He waited a couple more seconds, but no reply came. He didn't really think there would be a reply, but he kept himself silent nevertheless. If he were lucky, whoever was spying on him might make a mistake and give away his location.
He waited for about thirty seconds or so, but no sound came. Wanting to locate his spy, he carefully gathered chakra to his nose again and tried to locate the scent. He didn't find it right away, but a short, hurried release of breath gave away his observers general direction.
He turned quickly in the direction he had found and shouted automatically "Aha!" with a confident and cocky grin plastered on his face, as if he were finally allowed to play hide and seek with someone from his class.
A short rustle of leaves was all he really saw of the spy, but it was enough to confirm the direction, so he ran as fast as he could towards the moving bush. There was nothing in the bush in question, as the spy had already fled the scene. However, a trail of disturbed branches marked the direction the spy had fled, so he quickly gave chase, intending to find out who the spy was.
Running as fast as he could, he tried to catch up with the spy, but it was harder then he thought it would be. Even at top speed, it was evident that the spy was getting away. Only the fact that he was moving as fast as he could, allowed Naruto to follow the spy's fading trail. Branches and leaves would stop moving and that would be the end of the chase, so he kept moving as fast as he could.
It was irritating to find out that whoever the spy was, he was far faster then he himself was. As the branches moved less and less, Naruto deducted that the spy was getting away. If the chase had been among the giant trees that dominated much of fire country, there was no doubt in Naruto's mind that the spy would already have lost him.
The chase didn't last all that long either, as he suddenly found himself by the entrance to the village with no sign of the spy. There were no moving branches to follow here, no disturbed leaves. It was a hard thing to do, but Naruto had to admit defeat. Whoever it had been, he had been good.
After a moment, Naruto got a brilliant idea. With a cocky grin, he gathered chakra to his nose once more…and instantly regretted it. His sense of smell was assaulted with a barrage of sensations ranging from sour week old socks to burning sharp smells from the spice merchants' stand inside the gate.
The chakra dispensed itself as he lost focus on maintaining it, but the smells didn't leave. It seemed that they had decided to linger just long enough to get his eyes to water and for his moan of displeasure to be heard by people nearby, which just looked at him with raised eyebrows.
///////////
The spy was half jogging, half running for dear life a few streets away from Naruto's location. She could not believe he had actually spotted her. She had been so careful not to make a sound, not to give any indication of where she was.
Hinata dived into her third crowd, making sure that she didn't disturb anyone who might point her out as the one Naruto was chasing. Now that she was out of immediate danger of being located, she used every evasive manoeuvre she knew to lose him.
How had he seen her?
She crossed one of the villages many bridges and crossed it back again, trying to make it seem as if she had forgotten something and just turned back to get it.
She was fairly certain that Naruto didn't know it was her, so the extra effort to keep it that way was vital. Only after turning a couple of corners did she dare to slow her pace to a fast walk, even though she wanted nothing more than to run as fast as her feet would allow.
What would Naruto think of her if he found out?
She had just done something unforgivable…something that in Konoha was considered a grave insult. To spy on another ninja's training regime without his/her consent was a violation of one of the village's many unwritten rules. It was not illegal, but everyone had the right to train and practice without being observed, to ensure that clan secrets remained secrets.
Her stomach contracted itself painfully in response to her thoughts. She had not only overstepped boundaries of polite conduct, she had betrayed Naruto's trust with her actions. Her index finger went automatically to her lower lip in an effort to calm herself.
Why did she have to do something so stupid? Why did she need to spy on the person she admired?
She slowed her pace, walked into an alley and hid behind a dumpster. Resting her back against the wall whilst hugging her legs up against her body, she felt somewhat safer, even if it was just another childish habit she possessed.
Breathing deeply, she let out a sad whimper that she had denied to do out on the street. She felt ashamed and worthless for what she had been caught doing.
When she decided to seek Naruto out, it was just to find some reassurance, something she always felt when she saw him. It was only a last minute decision, to find some consolation of normality among all the new things in her life as a genin.
Now she had not only dishonoured herself and her clan with her action, she had disgraced her position as a kunoichi on the first day. Worst of all, she did it against the person she admired more than anyone. She hid her face behind her legs as she started to cry silently.
It was all so new. She liked her team; she really did, but with everything so new and with no Naruto to look at for reassurance, it made the day so unfamiliar. She had hoped that seeing him would give her some calm before she got back home at least. She wanted to see his confident smile, showing her that whatever this new life held, it was nothing he could not handle if he tried, and in effect show her that she could do it as well.
She had not counted on Naruto spotting her while he was training. He had never been able to before.
He had just stood there practising how to gather chakra, or so it would seem and then he just tensed up, as if there was something wrong.
It had taken her completely by surprise when he had called out; asking if there was anyone there. She had been so tense then that she had not even dared to move. When he had actually turned towards her and said "Aha!" she had done the only thing she had wanted to do from the moment Naruto had discovered that there were someone watching him. Panic and run.
It was only luck that enabled her to flee.
Less and less tears came out as she thought of the near disaster and a thought made her mood lighten. 'Naruto had been able to detect her…'
A strangely reassuring feeling crept over her. The fact that he had detected her meant that he was getting better. The thought forced a small smile onto her face. Naruto's training was paying off.
'He was getting better.'
Naruto had shown her, unknowingly, that with all the new things that happened, they too would grow with it. Naruto had shown her, his own growth, and that was enough to bring her out of her gloomy mood. She knew that she was looking too much into it, but that wasn't important, the light, warm feelings it brought with it, was.
Hinata didn't know it, but a faint blush crept upon her cheeks at the thought of witnessing the fruit of his labour. It would seem that she got the reassurance she sought after all.
She sat there, silently feeling a weight lift itself from her chest. She was still ashamed over what she had done, but she was sure that Naruto would forgive her. He was an amazingly forgiving person.
She remembered an incident when a couple of the boys in their class had thrown rocks at him during recess, but Naruto had forgiven them the moment Iruka had made them apologise. So when she apologized...
Her thoughts grounded to a halt. Her whole body stiffened in realization.
She had to talk to him…
/////////
Jiraiya scolded himself for not thinking about this before. Omori was ideal when he needed to travel fast and the flying frog did owe him a favour after their last game of cards.
The sun was about to disappear over the horizon as Omori once more used his chakra to propel his body forward. Omori was not very large. He was perhaps large enough for two to ride on his back. He was long and thin, with membranes between his toes and fingers, which he used to 'swim' on the air currents.
"I must admit that I am a little surprised Jiraiya, it is not like you to waste a perfectly good favour on such simple tasks," Omori commented as he adjusted his legs according to the natural air currents.
"Something came up," replied Jiraiya with a shrug, knowing that the lack of an explanation would irk Omori to no end.
Omori kept quiet for a minute or two, until he lost his patience. "What came up?" the amphibian asked with obvious distaste for Jiraiya's teasing.
"Why so curious?" Jiraiya asked back with a smile.
"Don't joke. There are all sorts of rumour's running around the mountain and I want to know what it is you have cooked up this time," Omori responded irritably.
Jiraiya should have guessed. Even summons gossiped and Omori's wife was no different. Hell, if Omori didn't get to know the truth, he would probably go without food for the next month or so.
"What is it you have heard?" Jiraiya inquired as innocently as he could muster. The frog's desperation was not obvious, but now that he knew about it, it was easy to see.
"You know…all sorts of stuff."
Jiraiya was having a hard time containing his smile, "Such as?"
Omori grunted in defeat and started to descend. He would not fly during the night.
He dived down among the trees without slowing down and grabbed hold of one of them as he glided past. From there he just leapt down onto the ground.
Jiraiya got off and placed his backpack up against a convenient tree. He then turned and looked up on Omori with a smug smile.
The frog sighed again and started talking. "There are all sorts of rumours flying around. How you suddenly know the future like the old senken, or that you suddenly found the child of destiny and such. There is even one that says that you and Tsunade are now married with six children, but there is nobody that would believe something like that ever happening."
Jiraiya had an involuntary shudder when he heard the word 'married'. He was still dreaming about having Tsunade falling for him, true, but marriage was something that had never…ever…crossed his mind.
"I am still checking up on all of that, but you can say that there is an element of truth in all of it…except the marriage," he shuddered at the thought of a lifelong relationship.
Omori opened one eye wider than the other, the frog equivalent of raising an eyebrow, silently telling Jiraiya to continue.
"I'm not able to see the future…at least not like the senile oracle, but because of a…complex event…I now know of several things that have yet to happen will happen."
Omori scowled at Jiraiya's answer. "That isn't a very good explanation," he said unhappily.
"Ok, let's just say that I remember doing stuff that I haven't done yet. Is that good enough?"
Omori was quiet for a few seconds before another scowl crept over his face. "Is the marriage between Tsunade-sama and you among this 'stuff'?" he asked accusingly.
"No," Jiraiya stated irritably. The continuously mentioning of marriage had given him a cold sweat and he was starting to feel slightly ill.
"What about this child of destiny thing? Anything I should know about that?"
Jiraiya smiled smugly at the flying frog, "I think I'll tell you the rest tomorrow. Wouldn't want your wife to question you all night now would we?" he said, perfectly aware that it was inevitable anyway.
The frog scowled, but didn't press the matter. He could see that the pervert was enjoying his torment far too much to let tell him what he wanted to know. He made a mental note of some 'unexpected' turbulence that he might meet tomorrow though. "Fine, be that way. But tomorrow, you'll tell me, right?" he grumbled, not sounding too hopeful.
Jiraiya smiled back at the frog. "Sure thing, but it might be a long story and you know how my through starts to dry up when I tell lengthy stories…" he said, not bothering to hide his shameless pursuit of something alcoholic to drink.
"We'll see, tomorrow I might not have anything breakable to carry it in," The frog mumbled just before he took his leave in a puff of smoke.
End
This chapter was Beta-read by Dean Angel (You can probably tell, by the noticeable reduction in spelling errors and the improved flow in the story).
Authors notes:
Omori = Weight. He is a large (larger then a horse) Rhacophorus malabaricus (Malabar Flying Frog. I think it is from somewhere in Asia). I was planning to use Omoi = Heavy, but that was already taken by a canon character.
The Gama-contract: I know that Gama = Toad, but Toad's and Frogs are in the same order (Anura) as most toads. The difference between the two is mostly how they look. Some frogs can be called a toad and some toads can be defined as frogs. Thus the difference is not always clear.
There was no dream this time, as I didn't have anything specific that needed to be touched upon. He did dream, but it contained flying bowls of ramen, so it had nothing to do with a former life.
Senken = ancient sage
Ojisan = grandfather
Mr. Ukki is not an OC (Plant). He is in fact shown on page 2, chapter 16, and top, right corner in the manga.
