Disclaimer – See chapter one, I mean really, if I owned any of this (Aside from Drakus) would I really be living in a basement…
Journeys: Shadow of the Leaf
Chapter 9
Why did she ever agree to work today?
It was just do damned boring this time of year, no holidays, less birthdays, even the prime growing season was starting to come to a close. Granted, she wanted the money, but still, there had to be better ways…
It was still a month before her birthday maybe she could wait…
A rather sly smile formed on her face.
Why wait, when she could find some hapless boy to get some things for her…
Suddenly, Ino Yamanaka wasn't bored anymore, but what boy could she lure in? At fourteen, she was convinced that she was the most beautiful kunoichi of her age.
It didn't hurt her opinion any to see the boys in class all drool over here. Well, all but three, but what did they know…one always slept, one had the emotional range of a rock, and the other…well he was forgiven. Every girl in the class was after him.
*Sigh* 'Sauske….'
Before her imagination could get too involved in a fantasy she spotted a shock of pink hair moving past the store window and had to stifle a groan. She didn't have the patience to deal with Sakura today…
Beyond her annoyance however, was the sense of loss, it had all started that night so long ago, when they went to Naruto's party…how it went so bad was simple, Sakura's mother. She had been livid that her 'little angel' had been gone when she came into her room that morning, or so she was told. It wasn't that that had annoyed the platinum blond, it was the simple fact that she had claimed that Naruto, or in her words, 'the beast' had kidnapped her little girl and had corrupted her somehow.
That was in the days after the party. The way Sakura kept acting every time Naruto would come back was the only real reason that she remembered it all so well, she was four after all. Things only got worse when Naruto and his dad had come back for Anko's graduation, Naruto had found Sakura and herself in the park and had tried to play, only to have Sakura yell at him for getting her in trouble then dragging her away from the saddened boy. Before he had completely faded from her sight she had seen him rubbing at his eyes, even she didn't think it was fair…
She had been less than happy with her best friend for that incident, and much to her sorrow, that was not the last event that would drive the wedge between the two. Naruto had apparently insisted to his dad that they come back once a year, and like clockwork, one month after his birthday they would come, that's not to say they would never hear from the duo, they had been good about sending letters to them, for her, it was like an odd flip-book. You could see his handwriting improve, you could see in the pictures that were sent how he would change. Then three years ago, after they showed up in a flurry of activity, it had all stopped, no letters, no visits.
She'd asked her dad about it, and he told her that apparently something had happened to Anko, that she was found by them and was hurt, her master, Orochimaru, nowhere to be found, it seems he had abandoned her. Ino had gone with Tenten and Lee to check on the woman and was surprised, she didn't really look hurt, but she did look different. Tenten had been the one to find out, Lee and herself had gone back to her parents shop to get some flowers when Anko had woken up for a moment, and had scared Tenten to death. Apparently she didn't have any memory of the girl, indeed, almost all her memories from her childhood were simply gone. She didn't remember her parents, her relatives, nothing but her name and some of her jutsu.
She and Lee had come back to hear the yelling, the bangs of things being thrown and Tenten scrambling out of the room, tears streaming down her cheeks. Anko had been a hero to her, a strong ninja, an attractive woman at that, smart, fun, she was everything she wanted to be, just like Tsunade. Now she didn't know her, and was violent when she tried to insist that they were friends.
It was heartbreaking for the young girl, but not as much as it was for Naruto.
For Naruto, she was more like his big sister, even more than Ayame, as the ramen waitress was usually confined to working at the stand, where Anko would go to play and train with him, when she wasn't stalk-following Drakus around the town, trying to convince him to train her. That was the next problem, apparently the only thing she DID remember, was an intense fear of the man, almost on an instinctual level, she herself had seen it happen, the second the man had stepped into the hospital Anko had tensed, and every floor he traversed to get to her seemed to make the young woman more and more terrified. She'd never seen anything like it, and later had to ask her father about it.
According to him, it was probably an aftereffect of whatever it was Orochimaru had done to her, and that Drakus and Naruto had shown up at the wrong time and had been imprinted in her psyche as something associated with that event.
Sometimes her dad was too smart for his own good…now if only he could help keep the forehead away from her…
The ringing of the door forced her mind back to the present, why did she have to be the one working today!?
Sakura's day had been going great!
First she got to go shopping for some new clothes for the academy as a reward for acing the last test. Then she and her mother went to her favorite dumpling stand for lunch, where she ran into Sauske and got to talk to him for a little…well….she talked, she just took his dumplings and left.
Indeed, her day was going great, the only hiccup was the fact she had to go to her rival's shop in order to get some flowers. Her mother had told her that they would be visiting the Kyuubi victim's memorial stone later on, so they would get some flowers for her father. The sound of the bell announcing her arrival annoyed her, she had been hoping to sneak up on the blond and annoy her with her good fortune with Sauske.
Ah well, now she would just get to do it to her face that much sooner.
"Hey Ino-pig."
"Forehead…"
Sakura took a brief lap of the store, not sparing the blond a look before she completed her circuit. She already knew what she would be getting; now it was time to twist the knife.
"You know it's such a nice day out pig, maybe you should go out for a wallow, you know, pretty up a little for a guy." While there was no real reaction, Sakura reveled in the slight twitch of her eyebrow before she tucked an unseen strand of hair behind her ear.
"Well, you are right about one thing, even covered in mud I'd be able to get any guy I wanted. What about you, forehead? Find a blind guy yet? He'd be the only one that could handle the glare from that head of yours." Much like Sakura a moment ago, she loved her former friend's twitch.
Sakrua's hands came to clasp behind her back as she leaned toward the blond a bit, "Oh, I don't know, I think I already found a man, Sauske-kun and I just finished a lllooovvveeeelllyyy lunch at my favorite dumpling stand. How about you Ino, had any nice weeds lately?"
Ino's eyes hardened as she tried to will Sakura to burst into flames. This pink haired tart had been on a date with HER Sauske-kun!? No! Never! She let a rater unladylike snort filter through the air as she tossed her ponytail, more of a reflex really, like the style's namesake she wanted to be rid of this little fly, "Whatever Sakura, I'm sure he just walked away without saying a word to you, after all, why would he want to be seen with someone who has the figure of a plank of wood. Now what do you want, I have a business here to run."
Sakura was seething through clenched teeth, she was right on the first count, no matter what she or her mother said to the hard haired teen he just walked away, not sparing a glance for the two women. Before Sakura could make a comeback however there was the sound of a clearing throat from behind the pinkette, causing both to look up in surprise, they had apparently been so caught up with one another they didn't even hear the bell.
"Forgive me for interrupting, but I would like to buy some flowers…"
The voice was deep, but seemed to hold an underlying playfulness to it, in some ways it was like a wispy sigh, in others a rumbling purr, regardless, it made the two girls shiver slightly, if that was what this man's voice sounded like when he was just talking normally, what would he sound like in the heat of the moment? Slowly the duo made to look at the man behind Sakura and had to stifle their gasps.
He was tall! Huge! While the duo knew one man taller, one who was a giant even compared to this man, he was still massive to them, the tops of their heads just coming to the crest of his shoulder. The pair were speechless as their eyes roamed, in Ino's case hungrily, over his features. Long, rust-blond hair pulled into a high ponytail, almost a topknot in a way, to come like a spiky waterfall about his head. Strange blue eyes sweeping over the two with a look of confusion as to why they would look at him like this, although Ino noted that they seemed to dull slightly when they came to rest on Sakura, seems the boy had good taste.
"If there is a problem I can come back later…"
Ino was around the counter so fast you would think she was on fire and this man had the only source of water in the world, "No, no! No problem at all, welcome to Yamanaka Floral, how may I be of service today?"
A deep, rumbling chuckle filled the store, one that was oddly familiar to the blond… "Wow…I think that's the best you've ever greeted me Ino…"
The girl in question arched a carefully sculpted eyebrow, she was certain she had never seen anyone like this man before in her life, she would DEFINETLY remember. The silky-soft looking hair, the beautiful eyes that seems to flow from blood red, through her favorite shades of purples into ocean blue, the broad shoulders and defined physique that make him look like a god of ninja, the deep, almost tattoo like whisker marks on his-
Wait…whisker marks?
"Oh sweet Kami….Naruto?"
Her answer was the same, fox like smirk she had grown so fond of.
"How…When…Look at you!"
Even as his lips parted to answer Ino felt a strong hand at her elbow and looked back to the pinkette in confusion to see her former friend's eyes were like steel, "Ino, I think we should go."
If anything, Ino's gaze was worse than when she thought her rival had had a date with Sauske. With a non-to-gentile jerk of her arm she freed herself and rounded on the girl. "Sakura, I'm only going to say this once. Naruto is my friend. If you don't like that then you need to find a new place to shop for flowers, because I, and I'm certain my family, will not be serving you or your mom ever again."
Sakura's jaw was slack as she looked at the blond before her, her eyes flicking for a moment to the man behind her who was looking at the floor sadly. Her mind ghosted back to the day she had met the boy but shook it away violently, he mother had told her the truth, how could Ino trust that…that THING.
Large hands covered in soft leather came to rest gently on Ino's shoulders, the silvered metal of the rings each finger bore catching in the light as he made to turn Ino slightly, "It's alright Ino, I can come back later."
Ino shot a pleading look to the tall blond before letting out a sigh, "Alright…alright, just take what it is you were wanting then you can pay me later, maybe over some ramen?" He let out a chuckle at how her eyes shown with hope.
"We'll see, I think the old man was going to have a welcome home party for us later on, that may have to be when we get our dinner."
She frowned a bit at the thought of having to share her time with him with others before she cursed herself, this was Naruto, sure he had changed a lot, but she liked Sauske…even if the darker whiskers, pelt and tan made him look like some kind of a barbarian love god…her mind was quick to spin a scenario that she savagely stomped down and locked away behind three inches of metaphorical steel, 'MO! Bad Ino! No dirty thought about your friend!' Naruto made half a dozen swift, purposeful strides to the back of the room and snatched up a bouquet seemingly at random before he gave one last smile and left the store with a half wave.
Naruto was back, and he was a certified hottie! Time to get the rumor mill a'rollin'.
The teen in question bit back a sneeze as he moved down the street, he'd lost sight of Tenten as the crowd had thickened, but her scent was still strong, soy sauce, sweet bean paste and polishing oil, it was a heady combination that seemed to suit her, he only hoped that he could catch up with her before he ended up getting called away.
Rounding another corner he spotted a familiar food stand and smirked, if he was lucky the damn dog would have died in the time he was gone….
All in all, it was a bit surprising how well things went at the stand, it seems that Ayame and Ino weren't the only ones that didn't recognize him, hopefully Tenten and Anko-neechan would though…If Anko would see him at all…
Looking about at the overcrowded street he glanced at the container of sesame dumplings and made his choice, unknown to him not an hour ago his father had leapt similarly over a fence, now he was taking to the rooftops in hopes of keeping the dumplings intact. The familiar rush of chakra flowing into his muscles was welcomed like an old friend, that sudden feeling of invincibility as it permeated every fiber of your body, or the almost serene feeling of it leaching into the world around you.
It was like a drug, one that was naturally a part of you and would never leave, unless you used it, and even then it would fill back up in time.
With a spring in his step he started hopping from rooftop to rooftop, with a bit of luck he would get there in time to see the stores new stock. He smirked as he thought back to Tenten's first year in the academy, apparently when her parents had found out that she wanted to be a ninja they opted to settle down and call in their favors to their distributers. Now the little family were the proud owners of one of the better ninja supply stores in the village, in his mind it was the best, Tenten's mother and father never were mean to him as Tenten had apparently been quite talkative about him over the years, hell, when they found out he was responsible for 'the cutest buns ever' he was their unofficial son.
Naruto sniffed the air again and cursed softly, she apparently frequented this area quite often, her scent was crisscrossed all over the place, and while he was good in the woods, cities were entirely different monsters, the air never really could get into these places, and as such the smells were oppressive, especially because he was still getting used to these senses. He could smell garbage with bad meat in it in the ally below, and the sewer was apparently having problems on this street as well…thankfully the smell of flowers was overriding most other the other scents so at least it wasn't all bad.
Noticing the direction that the lingering trail was making he smiled and shunted more chakra into his legs, taking the houses two at a time.
It seemed Tenten was going home.
Whoever had planted this forest was sure a sadistic individual.
Everywhere Drakus looked seemed to hold new kinds of deadly flora and fauna, he spotted what looked to be massive venues fly traps, one of which looked to have nabbed its meal, if the hoof jutting out at an odd angle was any indication. Another direction held vines that had thorns adorning the whole of the plant, he saw an odd glint fall from the spines every now and again, it was sure to be poison. As he skirted a copse of giant trees his nostrils flared, there were so many scents here, the sweetness of flowers, the sickness of rotting veg, and the musk of a dozen different kinds of animals. *Sniff* big cats to the north, high in the trees, *sniff* a canine breed to the west, wolves…
But above it all, a stranger scent, one he hadn't picked up for three years, and hoped he would get to meet again, however, he didn't like the underlying scents with it. First smoke, a fire had been going recently, second was the sickening, greasy stench of something…dark, then snakes, and a scent he would hope would never be amongst it again, a woman.
As he pushed through the last grouping of ferns, his wolf pelt being tugged at by unseen thorns he came into a small clearing holding a small tent and a fire pit. Higher up, on some of the branches about half way up some of the massive trees he spotted rustling tanned leather.
"Anko…"
Konan was having a less than pleasant experience as she made her way through the tree tops.
This place was damp.
She hated damp.
It made it so much harder for her to function.
She was hopping at a rather lazy pace through the forest, pausing now and again to make sure that she had not lost sight of her target that was currently picking his way through the floor of the forest with shocking grace for one so large, the only real nose the odd crack of a branch and the rustling of the fur dragging on the brush. Not for the first time she cursed as traveling cloak displaced some of the leaves on the tree she was crouched on. With a flick of slender wrist small leaflets of paper spun a small hammock, catching the offending foliage before they could give away her presence. She was no fool; she knew how keen a nose the two men had, hence why she was so high up at the moment, and keeping a clear gauge on the direction of the wind so she couldn't be picked up, still, some part of her was sure he knew she was there, he seemed far too aware of his surroundings not to be.
Shunting chakra to her ears as she saw his lips move she came to a better vantage point on one of the branches that was woven into the canopy of the clearing. She looked down in surprise to see a woman currently seated on a branch, a purple haired girl who had it pulled up into an odd, peacock like plume, and she looked to be in pain, holding her neck as she bit her lip, doing her best not to cry out into, what she thought, was an empty forest.
This was not her best day ever.
First she had the great honor of returning from an A class assassination mission where the client had…misinformed the Hokage about the target's missing-nin bodyguards…then the elders tried to short her on the pay…Now here she was, in the only place she really felt comfortable, and the damned seal was acting up. First, it was only a dull ache, then, as the day dragged on, it grew. Now she was forced to sit and writhe against what felt molten steel being poured on her neck.
Her vision was blurring, sweat pouring down her body as she whimpered, biting her lip to keep from screaming into the shade of her forest.
She was so consumed with keeping her herself in check she didn't hear the voice calling out to her, but she did feel the branch shudder under the weight of another person joining her on the tree. A blurry eye cracked to see an odd silhouette, the last thing that she saw before the pain overcame everything she knew, before darkness took her.
Definitely not the best day ever.
Naruto was smiling softly to himself as he approached the door, he was wondering how much Tenten had changed, over the years he had four people he would put into the 'friend' category; Ino, Tenten, Lee and Gaara. Of those, he had one best friend, and that was Tenten. His dad had been a bit surprised to hear that, thinking that Gaara would have filled that slot well enough, but to Naruto they were more like brothers, each knew what it was like being…different.
Feeling oddly nervous his hand hovered over the door, what would she think about his changes…how would she react to the new things he had to tell her, the places he had been to…the lives he had taken.
Taking a deep, steadying breath he finally knocked on the door.
That was a mistake.
Tenten let out a yelp as leather clad knuckles struck her forehead; it wasn't much of a hit, but still…
Tenten had been ecstatic to hear that Naruto was back in town and had taken to the streets to search for him. The rational part of her mind was sure that they would meet up sooner, rather than later, regardless of what she did, but that didn't stop the little ghost in the back of her mind telling her to get it in gear.
All in all, her search had been less that productive, the streets were packed, and while she knew to look for his father, there was no guarantee that they would be together as, more times than not, Naruto would take off to the ramen stand once they got into town, one of the reasons that she went there so much, while they would normally come back every November, like clockwork, that had changed with the Anko incident.
Tenten, Lee, Ino and Kurenai had all done their best to try and help the 'crippled' kunoichi, but the only one that seemed to make any headway was Kurenai, the rest she simply tolerated, but was strangely quiet around. To this day it seemed she had yet to really come back to herself. Each of the girls were ones she was familiar with, but Nauto and Drakus were both people she avoided like the plague. It still hurt to see the look in Naruto's eyes every time he looked at the purple haired kunoichi.
With a shake of her head she brought herself back to the task at hand, she had just gotten home and was feeling a bit…odd, like someone had been following her for the last several minutes, absently she had looked out the window to see the strange mop of hair moving to her house, held firmly in one hand was what looked to be flowers, in the other was an odd box of some form. She watched the strange man for a few moments as he seemed to be hesitating. Letting out a heavy sigh she left her room and headed to the front door, maybe this guy was looking for her father, wouldn't be the first time that he had people over from their traveling days.
Squaring her shoulders she put on a smile and opened the door. Only to be met by dull pain shooting through her skull as she got knocked in the head. At once her training from the academy kicked in and she let herself fall back from the blow, her left foot coming up to kick at the man's chin.
A blow that never landed as his forearm easily blocked it, sending a shot of pain through the top of her foot, it felt as though she had just kicked solid steel! Not to be undone she kept with the movement, turning her kick into a back hand spring and, as she came back to her feet let loose a brace of shrunken. The man's shout of surprise was cut short as the odd fur he worse came up with a flourish, scattering the blades with no trouble at all.
Maybe she should get a cloak, she never thought a bit of fur like that could deflect thrown weapon so easily.
"What the HELL is wrong with you!"
Tenten's hands were already at the small of her back, ready to bring out her kunai when the voice cut through the air. The young teen froze as the cloak was lowered and she was afforded a look at the man before her.
"Naruto?
The blonds' face was a mask of fury as he blocked the kick to his jaw, everything was a blur for a moment as he saw his attacker drop back and whip the blades at him from well out of reach, he'd blocked with his fur as his father had done many times and thanked the wolf once again for saving him. Naruto, as his father before him, had to survive in conditions that no normal man could be expected to survive in, its how he earned his fur, being forced to kill the wolf for food, warmth and to an extent, shelter. He would never question his father's insistence on keeping his fur with him at all times ever again.
After he had called out to the person everything seemed to calm down again, but the damage was done, the little bouquet of flowers had been mangled as he grabbed the edge of his cloak, the small box of dumplings had been upset, probably making the little balls crumble.
Those were his apologies for Tenten!
He was fighting the urge to send chakra into his arms for a royal beating when he noticed the bun hairdo belonging to the girl who was crouched before him, looking at his face in shock. Silently he cursed, he was taking after his dad too much, he needed to control that desire for a fight.
Maybe…
Ok, fighting was fun, it just had its time and place…
Maybe…
Mentally kicking himself he raised the damaged flowers to the girl in front of him and smiled weakly.
"Surprise?"
