I do not now, nor have I ever owned Naruto.
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Tsunade blinked blearily at her desk, head drooping closer and closer to it as the sun rose in the picture window behind her as she cursed herself for having Sakura and Hinata meet her so damn early. Paperwork sat forgotten on the side ofr desk, and most of it would remain there, because she knew that a lot of it was simply civilian or shinobi bitching about something they should be able to handle themselves.
A smirk crossed her face as she knew that most of the bitching tiday was about her 'hands mission' prankathon pulled by Naruto, with unsuspected help from his little fanclub, Anko, Kiba, Kotetsu and Izumo, turning it into a contest of sorts.
The winner had been decided at sundown, with Naruto squeaking out a victory, with the Konohamaru Corps and Anko tying for second, Kiba claiming third, with the team of Kotetsu and Izumo coming in last last. The prankers had been privately 'disciplined' by herself to keep up appearances. Anko was probably still bitching that there wasn't enough dango at the private 'punishment' banquet she 'forced' them to attend at the Hokage Mansion.
She'd heard that Ebisu was displeased with the 'honorable grandson' and his friends for their actions yesterday, believing they should have done better and won the prank war (not to mention his bet). Of course, Konohamaru merely used his loss as further proof of the blonde's worthiness as a rival, declaring that he would beat the blonde someday. Kiba, for his part, claimed he would have won had he not still been injured, with Kotetsu and Izumo both showing themselves to be ashamed of their actions... at least publicly. Privately they both couldn't stop laughing and even planning to start another one next month just for the Hell of it.
As for Anko... Well, she didn't give a shit about what anyone thought, merely enjoying the event, and even had a little fun at the end of their banquet with the contest's 'victor'. Poor blonde was probably still traumatized after the purple-haired tokubetsu Jounin rubbed up against his back, making sure to press her barely-concealed chest into his back as she purred lewd, downright obscene things in his ear and gently stroked his whisker marks.
Naruto currently had a 'title belt' bearing the Konoha leaf surrounded by the words 'Konoha's Heavyweight Prankster Champion' on the large gold-painted front plate. How such a belt was so quickly and expertly created was unknown, though it was assumed that Tenten's father, an ex-ninja who used his ninjutsu skills to quickly and efficiently create weapons, did so. Said belt was even now being worn by the proud blonde, whose smile grew as he showed it off to his friends, adding a little good-natured boasting with the visual.
'Maybe I can get a few minutes of sleep before one of them gets here...' Tsunade thought as she absent-mindedly grabbed some of the paperwork and made a make-shift pillow pile to rest her head on.
A smirk crossed her face as she realized 'Hey, all their useless bitching actually HAS some use after all!'
She was fast asleep as soon as her head touched the papers, which softly crinkled as her head rested on them.
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Her walk was slow, deliberate, much different now that the 'Day of Reckoning' as it were was now upon her. Yesterday she'd been so assured of her decision, having gone to sleep believing she was doing the right thing. But now, now that she was actually about to face the precipice and consider diving into the dark abyss, filled with the uncertainties her choice would bring. She was...
She was honestly and truly scared. Terrified of what exactly could be awaiting her at the bottom of that fall. Would it be acceptance, friendship, even... the love she had yearned so long for. Or would it be the same rejection and cold indifference boardering on disdain she'd been given so many times before.
But the thought of those bright, expressive blue orbs of Naruto's giving anything less than complete and unconditional friendship and love seemed... wrong. As if they were wholly incapable of doing such a thing except to his most hated enemies, but even then there would be a shimmer of hope that a more amicable co-existance could be found between Naruto and his enemy.
That was the paradox of the blonde, a boy who'd been shown so much hatred, so much emotional abuse that his being so open and friendly to everyone around him should have been impossible. And yet, he gave his heart to anyone willing to offer him any form of relationship, even if it was merely the same common courtesy of accepting his existance everyone else got instinctually.
"Hey Hinata! What are you doing out so early?" Sakura asked as she jogged up to the beige coat-wearing heiress, falling into step with her as the two walked down the street, grumbling genin teams and workers cleaning up the remains of yesterday's 'Prank War'.
"I-I-I have a meeting wi-with the Hokage..." Hinata replied, and Sakura blinked a few times before asking "You have one too?" At the demure girl's nod, Sakura remembered the question she was asked before leaving the blonde Hokage's office yesterday, and her answer of Hyuuga Hinata.
"Oh... about what?" Sakura asked, and Hinata replied "I-I don't think I sh-should tell you."
Sakura nodded, but then asked casually "Is it about Naruto and his banishment?" At the stunnned look Hinata was giving her, Sakura knew that was indeed the case. And to be honest, she was surprised that the Hokage took her advice seriously.
Finally, the pale-eyed girl found her voice and asked conspiratorially "Ho-how do you know?"
"Because that's what my meeting is about too." Sakura answered, and Hinata nodded, smiling softly that at least someone on the blonde's team cared about him. Ino, despite being logical, was also a huge gossip, and the tale given to her by the pinkette next to her was quickly making its way through the shinobi circles. Much like civilians, shinobi were generally terrible about gossip. But unlike civilians, gossip with shinobi was passed with the same secrecy that a vital message was, going only to those they could trust with the info.
And at the moment, shinobi opinion of the famed Sharingan-eye Kakashi was at an all-time low, considering the sheer hypocrisy he showed in regards to his own frequently-spouted 'motto', one given by his sensei, the God-like Minato. Furthermore, no matter how old they were, most shinobi revered their Jounin sensei as a deity, a wise and benevolent figure who was to take their students and mold them into the shinobi they were today.
For Kakashi to besmirch such a venerable position in such a way, allowing personal bias to overtake him and cause him to ruin not one, but two future shinobi of Konoha at such a vulenerable stage of their career was considered the very height of idiocy. Which meant, in the eyes of most shinobi, Kakashi didn't need to be doing missions. He needed to be given a box of crayons, some coloring books, and put into a playpen so he couldn't hurt himself or others with his stupidity.
Of course, being the quiet, introverted girl she was, many people felt her a trustworthy person to soothe the gossip itch. So she was quickly informed of Sakura's interaction with Kakashi, but not much else, since while a gossip, Ino knew some things were too personal (and in her case embarrassing) to tell. Thus Hinata didn't know how Sakura took it, but considering that the people who told her didn't speak negatively of the girl, she probably believed her reaction to be as negative as everyone else's.
Entering the large building of the Hokage in silence, they quickly walked up to the office door of their leader, the secretary nodding to them before pushing the call button and speaking "Genins Haruno and Hyuuga are here to speak to you, Hokage-sama."
After several long moments, the speaker came to life with a sleep-heavy reply of "Send'em in."
"Please enter." the woman said, motioning to the wooden door. Looking to one another, both girls nodded and opened the door to their future... and both nearly burst into a fit of laughter. Because sitting behind her desk was Tsunade with a half-asleep look on her face, a pile of papers before her with one sticking to the side of her face.
"Ho-Hokage-sama..." Sakura managed while fighting her giggles, and at the woman's questioning gaze, pointed to the side of her face to indicate the paper stuck there. Blinking blearily several times, the woman reached up and felt the paper stuck to her face. This woke her up quickly, and she removed it before working hastily to somewhat organize her pillow into a stack of papers.
Coughing into her hand, a mild blush on her face, the woman said "Well... You both know why you're here, correct?" At their affirmative nods, the blonde woman nodded as she asked "Remember, that this is going to be very difficult for both of you, and noone will fault you should you decide not to. So, are you willing to aid me in helping Naruto?"
Hinata's previous insecurities flooded her mind, trying to break her fragile grip on her reserve. However, the smiling face of her blonde crush appeared in her mind's eye, reminding her of the person they were banishing. The determined young man, who in spite of his faults, worked hard to better himself and would gladly die to protect the village he loved, even if they would sooner have him dead than do the same for him.
Frowning as she found her resolve, Hinata nodded and spoke in a soft, yet still firm tone "Yes, Hokage-sama."
Watching Hinata, Sakura smiled slightly as she turned to face their leader as she said "Of course, Hokage-sama."
Smiling at the two young women before her, Tsunade folded her hands before her on the desk as she said "Very well, but do not forget this was your decision and you knew the difficulty of it. Now, I want the both of you to pack anything you might find necessary for an extended trip outside the village."
"Why?" Sakura asked, and Tsunade replied "Because you are going to be joining chuunin Uzumaki Naruto during his banishment." Both stared at the brown-eyed woman in stunned silence, their minds trying to decipher what they were just told.
Finally, Hinata's synapses fired off in the right order to allow an intelligent response of "What?"
"That is what you have agreed to. To join him during his exile and make sure that he has friends during this, the most difficult time in his life. Like stated, to say this won't be easy is an understatement, so do either of you wish to back out. This will be your last chance, for after you leave this office, you are bound to a mission given by the Hokage. So, do you wish to decline?" Tsunade asked, carefully studying the two girls, who'd become stone still in thought.
Finally, as one they answered "No."
Smiling, Tsunade said "Thank you both. And congratulations."
"Fo-for what?" Sakura asked, and pulling a pair of Chuunin vests from her desk, she laid them before the two girls, fighting not to laugh at their dumbstruck faces as she said "For your promotions to the rank of Chuunin by order of the Hokage. Naruto has been too, and will be given his vest later. As for you two, I suggest you pack them away while still in the village. Seeing you both in those vests would raise suspicions we don't need at this stage in our plans."
"O-of course, Hokage-sama!" Hinata said, taking it and holding it as if it would turn to dust if she handled it with anything less than the utmost care. Beside her, Sakura was still staring at the vest, her fingers gently running over the fabric, as if trying to imprint the texture of the vest to memory.
Smiling, Tsunade said "Hurry along and pack. I made sure he'd be leaving soon, and you don't want him to get a head start on you."
Both nodded, carefully sealed away their vests in a scroll, and left the office as fast as possible without running. Watching them leave, she took hold of the scroll with her official orders and quickly made a few edits.
I, Senjuu Tsunade, Godaime Hokage, do hereby pardon myself, my first apprentice Shizune, my second apprentice Hinata, Jiraiya's apprentice Uzumaki Naruto, clan head Inuzuka Tsume, and my third apprentice Haruno Sakura of all crimes against Konohagakure no Sato and Hi no Kuni. Also, I do hearby release them from any and all obligations or duties to Konohagakure no Sato past, present, or future, including from the shinobi ranks of Konohagakure no Sato, with all current ranks and titles, to move about freely around the country of Hi no Kuni. However, should they choose to do so, they reserve the right to rejoin the ranks of Konoha shinobi should such an offer be made.
I, Senjuu Tsunade, Godaime Hokage, do hereby promote Haruno Sakura to the rank of Chuunin and take her on as my third apprentice, effective immediately.
Rolling it back up, she carefully sealed it and set it aside. Reaching into her desk, she pulled out a bottle of sake and a small dish. Pouring herself some, she lifted it into the air, said "To the continued fortuitous fruition of my plans!", tilted the ceramic dish back, and drained it of its contents before pouring herself a second cup.
As she downed the second cup, her door opened and Tsume walked in, took one look at Tsunade's current activity, and smirked as she asked "You do realize doing that alone makes you an alchoholic, right?"
"Well then, why don't you join me so I'm just a drunk." Tsunade said with a smirk as she quickly brought out a second dish, and the Inuzuka matriarch sat before her, watching as the buxom blonde poured a cup for her.
"So, how did it go with your clan?" Tsunade asked, and downing her sake, Tsume replied "They understand. In fact, most of them want to come with me, feeling that the Council's blatant disrespect shows them to be some of the most disloyal mongrels ever seen and unworthy of serving alongside. I convinced them not to do so just yet, but they still aren't happy with the traitorous acts of the council against the village 'Alpha'."
"And did you tell Hana and Kiba about your more 'personal' reasons?" Tsunade asked, and Tsume nodded as she said "Hana expressed the fact she'd begun sniffing around the blonde, and Kiba... Well..."
"Well what?" Tsunade asked, and Tsume replied "He went into convulsions and almost swallowed his own tongue." Tsunade spit her fourth cup of sake into the air as she burst into a fit of laughter.
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Ino yawned as she sat up in bed, blinking the sleep from her eyes as her covers pooled around her waist, stretching her arms. Shoving the blankets away, she turned and hung her feet over the edge of her bed, feet slipping into a pair of fluffy white bunny slippers. Wiggling her toes in them with a small smile, she stood and stretched her limbs, listening to the satisfied pops of joints after being disused for so long.
Rubbing at an eye, she walked out of her bedroom and down the stairs to the living room, where her father sat reading the paper... and Naruto sat on the couch, smiling somewhat somberly as he saw her.
"Na-Naruto?" Ino asked, not believing her eyes, and the blonde waved as he replied "Hey Ino-chan! I like your pajamas!"
Ino looked down at her pajamas, which consisted of a light purple baby tee with smiling cartoon kitten on the front, deep purple pajama pants, and her bunny slippers. When out and about, she was about trendy and sexy, trying to get the attention of Sasuke with her looks and budding body, which caused most boys to melt into puddles of goo. But for bed, the order of business was comfort, not style.
Crossing her arms over her chest, she smiled as she realized that she made even comfortable look damn sexy.
"So, what brings ya to my house so early Naruto?" Ino asked as she joined them in the living room, and the blonde grinned sheepishly as he replied "A favor... A rather personal one."
Without even looking she knew her father was listening, and taking a seat next to the blonde Uzumaki, she smiled as she asked "What kind of favor?"
"Well, you probably don't know, but I've been... well... errr..." Naruto muttered, and Ino finished "You've been banished."
"Wha? How?" Naruto asked, and Ino said "I'm a shinobi, I have my sources." She obviously enjoyed the look of awe being given to her by the whisker-cheeked blonde beside her.
"I told her."
"DADDY!" Ino cried, trying her damnest to glare holes through the newspaper he was looking at, and Naruto managed to hide his snickering behind his hands, shoulders shaking ever so slightly.
"Anyways!" Ino said, rounding on the blonde, giving him a look that stopped his snickering as she asked "What is this personal favor you need of me?"
"Well... as you know, I'm being banished, and I need you to look after someone for me." Naruto said, and at this, Ino raised an eyebrow as she asked "Who? Sakura?" A thought crossed her mind, and the pale blonde smirked as she added "Or is it Hinata?"
"NO!... No." Naruto replied, and continued "It's actually a dear old friend of mine... My only friend before Team 7, actually." Reaching into his pocket, he retrieved a scroll, which recieved a curious look from Ino, and with a nip of his thumb, he dragged it across one of the seals on the scroll. In a burst of smoke, an orange stuffed fox sat on the paper. It was missing a black button-like eye, and its orange fur was threadbare in some places, with other places covered in striped, poka-dotted, or solid color patches. One of the large ears drooped down, and its fuzzy white-tipped orange tail seemed to be new, having been replaced, a blue bandana with a crudely-made hitai-ate on it hung around the fox's neck completed its appearance.
"This is Chuu, and I would bring him with me, but he's very loyal and loves Konoha, so he doesn't want to leave. We'll miss each other, but I can't bare to force him to come with me. So I was hoping you could look after him for me while I'm gone." Naruto said, unconsciously stroking the toy's head.
"Why me? Why not Sakura, Hinata, or anyone else?" Ino asked, and Naruto looked away as he said "Well, I would, but he doesn't feel safe or comfortable around Hinata-chan's family, and I think Fuu would get jealous if Sakura-chan brought Chuu home."
"You know about Fuu?" Ino asked, and Naruto nodded as he said "Yeah, during the second part of the Chuunin exam. She was feeling scared, so I decided that it might help if we talked. During our talk she told me about Fuu, but was embarrassed afterwards, so I told her about Chuu."
Looking hopefully to the Yamanaka heiress, Naruto asked "So, will you take care of Chuu while I'm away?"
Giving him a reassuring smile, Ino nodded and said "Of course!"
"Thanks!" Naruto said with a relieved smile of his own, and said "If you need to talk or feeling lonely or something, you can speak to Chuu. He's a pretty good listener, and he's always willing to lend a comforting back to cry on. Just make sure that he gets ramen at least once a day. He tends to get cranky when he doesn't."
"Well, he sounds like a great friend." Ino said, and Naruto answered "Yeah, he is." Taking hold of the fox plushy, he lifted it up and turned it so they were eye to eye.
"Chuu, this is it. Might be a while before we see each other again, so I want you to be good for Ino-chan." Naruto said, and listening to something only he could hear, he gave the fox a stern look as he said "No, I don't believe that Ino-chan would appreciate your perverted sense of humor very much, so I don't want you to be telling those kinds of jokes around her."
Listening to nothing, the blonde's eyes glistened as he said "Yeah, I'm gonna miss you too, Chuu. Don't forget about me while I'm away, OK?" Hugging the fox doll, Naruto sniffed and sat the fox before Ino, wiping his eyes on the back of his sleeve.
"Well, I need to be going." Naruto said, rising off the couch as he said "Thanks again, Ino."
Watching the blonde exit the house, she heard her father turned the paper. But when she wasn't looking, he'd peak around or over the newspaper, watching her study the fox plush carefully.
Through his secret surveillance, he saw his daughter pick up the stuffed fox and say "Well Chuu, I guess I should show you to your new room." Returning to his newspaper and actually reading it, Inoichi chuckled as he heard his daughter scold "No! You can NOT sleep in my panty drawer, ero-kitsune!"
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Naruto sighed as he walked toward the gates of Konoha for what might be the last time. He'd made sure that visiting Ino to get her to take care of Chuu was the last thing he did as a 'Konoha shinobi'. Now all that was left was to begin his unjust banishment, and he knew that many people would be estatic for this. But a small smile made its way across his face, because he would be able to reveal his masterpiece.
Closing in on the gate, he stopped, blinked his eyes, then began rubbing them. After vigorously rubbing his fist into them, he blinked and looked again, expecting what he saw to be gone. But Tsunade, Shizune, Tonton, Sakura, Hinata, and Kiba's mom were still standing there, all looking to him expectantly.
Blinking, he brough his hands before him in a seal, squeezed his eyes shut, and called out "KAI!" as his chakra flaired. Flairing his chakra again, he slowly opened his eyes, expecting the cruel genjutsu to be gone.
But no, the small group was still there, all of them still watching him.
Scratching his head, Naruto asked "What kind of genjutsu is this?" To which Tsunade rolled her eyes and said "Naruto, trust me, this isn't a genjutsu."
"Bu-but why are you all here?" the blonde asked, and Sakura smiled, wrapping an arm around her teammate's neck as she said "Because we're going to be joining you, you big goof!"
"What! But Sakura-chan, Hinata-chan! You can't just pack up and leave for me!" Naruto cried, before looking to Tsunade as he said "And what about your position as Hokage!? I didn't damn near kill myself to get you to accept just for you to blow it off!" He finally looked to Tsume as he asked "And what about Kiba? How can you just leave your son for a stranger?!"
Tsunade sighed as she said "Naruto, I refuse to simply sit by while those bastards on the Council walk all over me and toss you out like trash. And didn't you say you thought of me as a mother?" At the younger blonde's nod, Tsunade grinned and said "Well, what kind of mother would I be if I let them abuse their authority by unjustly banishing my son and not follow him."
"As for me and Hinata, we both care about you Naruto! We were offered the chance to join you by Tsunade-sama, and we willingly chose to join you. You're one of my closest friends, and I simply refuse to let you go out in the world all alone. You wouldn't last three days without me, you baka." Sakura said, and when Naruto looked at her, she stuck her tongue out at him playfully.
"Bu-but what about Sasuke?" Naruto asked, and the pinkette's smile disappeared for several moments as she thought about the last Uchiha. Finally, she smiled and said "He's home, you succeeded. And besides, I think Sasuke would want me to follow you."
"Re-really? Why?" Naruto asked, and at this her smile fell again as she said "I was a real bitch to you Naruto trying to get in good with Sasuke." At his confused look, Sakura said "But whenever I started being a pill, Sasuke would always defend you. I... well, after you went after him, I was forced to do some serious soul searching, and came to a realization."
"What?" Naruto asked, big blue eyes staring hopefully at her, and she said "You didn't deserve the way I treated you, Naruto. You were always nothing but nice to me, no matter how awful I was to you. And I finally realized that. But when you and Sasuke were brought back, I was..." Tears flooded green eyes, and she swallowed the lump down as she said "I was so scared that you were going to die, just to make me happy. And I would never get to apologize to you, or... or even just thank you..."
Before she could break down, Naruto wrapped his arms around her middle and buried his nose into her neck, tears quickly wetting her collar. Sakura stood shocked by the reaction, and awkwardly patted his back.
Finally, Naruto broke away and giving her a smile, he said "Yo-you don't ha-have to apologize, Sakura... Bu-but thank you anyways."
"You're welcome." Sakura said, her own tears flooding her cheeks. Clapping, Tsunade said "Alright you two, I hate to break up this touching scene, but we really do need to get going before people start waking up and suspicion is aroused. We'll talk more later."
Everyone nodded, and with two members of Team 7 quickly drying their eyes, they exited the large gates of Konoha. When asked hours later by several angry people, both Izumo and Kotetsu claimed they never saw anything.
Which was true, due to the VERY interesting line of ants that happened to be making its way across the road carrying food back home.
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OOC: For people interested, there's a poll on my bio page regarding whether or not I should continue my other story, Mugiwara Naruto. Go vote now! And don't worry, Renegades isn't going to be going anywhere! So keep reading and watch where I take this motley crew under Tsunade's command. Trust me, it'll be GOOD!