"…local authorities have yet to uncover the slightest clue leading to Gato's whereabouts following his sudden disappearance in last week's storm. His well-known assistants Zori and Waraji are attempting to retain control of Gato Company where possible, but without the missing tycoon at its head, stock is expected to plummet at least fifteen percent. In other news, local fisherman Tazuna continues to be praised for his well-timed rescue of high school student Ami Horuna-"
Jiraiya sighed, turning the television off with a flick of the remote in his hands.
"Fifteen broken ribs, a fractured skull, a dislocated leg, mild arm damage from the elbow down, and… an aching pinkie? It's amazing Gato's alive at all. A fall like this would have killed most ordinary people."
The Sannin frowned for a moment, setting the remote back onto the table before turning to face the pink-haired kunoichi frowning shamefully behind him.
"Well, don't you have anything to say about this, Sakura?" Jiraiya asked, raising a brow at the girl's silence.
Sakura bowed her head, muttering something beneath her breath before sounding out a quick apology.
"I'm sorry, Jiraiya-sama. During the mission I must have lost my head. Granted, I wasn't expecting him to suddenly lash out at me-" she continued, only to be silenced by the Sannin's swift glare. It faded seconds after it appeared.
"Hmph. That's just proof that you need more training. A ninja should always expect the unexpected, no?" Jiraiya scolded her. "Still, I suppose it could be worse. The fact that the asset is still alive means that we can still interrogate him once he wakes up."
"W-While the may be true, Jiraiya-sama…" Sakura mused, her face twitching in mild irritation, "I must ask… was it really necessary for us to keep him here… in our home of all places?"
"It can't be helped." Jiraiya replied. "Besides, it won't be long now. I already requested an Official Interrogation Unit from Konoha when I found out last week, so it's likely they'll show up not too long from now. Until they do however, we'll be stuck babysitting him."
"An Interrogation Unit? Here?" Sakura frowned for a moment. "Is that really necessary, Jiraiya-sama? I mean, as a Sannin you're surely capable of interrogating someone like Gato yourself right?"
The aged sage chuckled, taking a moment to examine Sakura curiously.
"Well, I won't say I couldn't if I wanted to, but if what you've gleamed about this "Sasori" character is true, I'll be busy in Suna territory for quite some time. In fact, I'll probably be gone by the time you and Naruto get back from school. Heh, now that I think about it that means you'll have the house to yourselves for a while." Jiraiya's eyes gleamed mischievously. "You wouldn't be planning on doing anything naughty now are you?"
"N-Naughty?!" Sakura glowered, sweeping her hand out to the side angrily. "What's that supposed to mean?! You think I would… with Naruto?!"
"Well you kids are getting to that age where you want to experiment after all. That being said… you wouldn't mind if you took a few notes for me would you-" Jiraiya trailed off, seeing the terrible visage of an angry Sakura gazing down upon him.
"I see…" the vibrant woman scowled, her hair billowing upward as an aura of hate manifested around her. "So this is what Naruto meant when he called you a perverted sage…."
She clenched her fist.
"N-No. What I mean to say is… no peeking! SHANNAROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Naruto: Path to Kage
Chapter Nine
A Second Team
Naruto awoke to the sound of a great crash. Yawning, he rolled out of bed, walking toward the bathroom across the hall while listening to the pained cries of his godfather downstairs.
"Glad to see he's as lively as ever…" Naruto thought quietly, turning on the sink and splashing cold water across his face.
The chilled sensation was more than enough to snap the boy to his senses, and he flinched for the briefest of seconds before reaching for a towel to dry himself.
"…and here comes the pain…!" he winced, only to feel, nothing.
The blonde blinked in confusion, before hurriedly scrubbing the rest of his face dry and turning to look at himself in the mirror. His eyes widened in surprise at what he saw.
Gone, were his wounds. The pain he'd been feeling ever since his battle with Zabuza… nonexistent. It was as if he'd never been beaten down in the first place.
Granted, much of it had already become phantom pain to begin with, that having healed a majority of his serious injuries after his sudden, unexpected transformation. Still, the lack of chills or stinging sensations came as a relief to the young blonde. So much so, in fact, that he as he leapt in the shower, he never once noticed his pink-haired support entering with the intention of washing the blood off her hands.
"…!"
"?!"
Green eyes met blue in a sudden revelation of hidden emotions. For a moment, the two stared at each other in surprise, neither knowing quite what to say to the other. Of course, it didn't last forever. Sakura was the first to recover from the predicament, her face flushed in embarrassment as she stared at Naruto's near naked form. Luckily for her, the boy had yet to remove his drawers, leaving her only with a good, solid look at the blonde's chest. She resisted the urge to punch him. But only for a moment.
"NARUTO!"
"Gwuagh!"
Naruto suddenly found himself flying into the hallway, a large whelp swiftly growing atop his head. Weakly, he lifted his arm toward the door weakly, his body shivering in a mixture of fear and sorrow.
"S-Sakura-chan…!" he complained, "W-Why…?!"
Upon hearing his words Sakura's face flushed with embarrassment. Quickly folding her arms, she glanced away from the downed blonde, averting her eyes from his in a failed attempt to keep guilt from welling up in her heart.
"I-It's your own fault!" she said, swiftly kicking the door shut behind her. "You should have locked the door if you were going to take a shower!"
It wasn't his fault, she knew. After all, she was the one who had barged in unannounced in the first place. Still, what did Naruto expect to happen, walking around, showing himself off like that? Again, Sakura blushed at the thought.
"Er, well… I see you've healed well." She said through the door, aiming to draw the conversation away from dangerous territory. "Your wounds… it looked like they're all gone."
"Huh? What…?" Naruto replied, still shocked at the girl's sudden response. Rising back to his feet, he shook his head, making to lean against the wall of the door while Sakura remained inside. "Yeah, I guess. That probably had something to do with it."
"Oh…" Sakura trailed off, not quite knowing how to respond to Naruto's burden. Fortunately, it seemed Naruto had other things on his mind as well.
"By the way, Sakura-chan," he said, eyeing the closed door suspiciously, "what happened to your hands?" he asked.
"Oh, it's not mine!" Sakura laughed reassuringly. "Jiraiya-sama had a few perverted thoughts, so I just needed to set him straight. I made sure not to leave any lasting damage though."
"Not any lasting damage?!" Naruto thought fearfully, "Your hands were blood red though!" Color draining from his face, Naruto attempted to grin cheekily, and quickly turned away from the door again. "Ehehehe… I guess you got him good then, huh Sakura-chan?"
"Yeah." Sakura nodded, still feeling rather uncomfortable. "Still, I can't help but feel a little disappointed. Knowing how long you've lived here with him, I can't help but wonder if some of his habits rubbed off on you."
"Huh?! Me?! N-No way Sakura-chan! I'm not a pervert!" Naruto laughed slowly.
Sighing, Sakura shook her head and turned back to the sink, moving to run cold water along her hands.
"If you say so. Even if you are, it doesn't change the fact that we should be heading to school soon." Sakura mentioned, listening through the wall for any sign of the blonde's response.
"Yeah." It came just as she expected. "I wonder how Sora's doing. I haven't seen him recently…"
Again, Sakura sighed. Of course Naruto would be worried about his friend. Obviously, they'd made sure he wasn't in danger after Zabuza's defeat, but as for any lasting concerns… she shook her head. That's why they had Kiba after all. The tracker ninja was more than skilled enough to report any sudden changes in the boy's psyche. Genjutsu memories weren't a hundred percent foolproof after all.
"I'm sure he's fine." She said, giving Naruto her careful response. "He has you for a friend after all."
"That's what got him in trouble to begin with!" Naruto shouted. "Zabuza was after me! All the people who got hurt here, all the people who are missing. That's all my fault!"
"No. You didn't have anything to do with that." Sakura retorted. "It's Gato who's to blame. He was the one who hired the recent assassins to begin with."
"…I guess… Oh, Sakura-chan, speaking of Gato, is he still chained up in the basement?" Naruto asked.
"Yep." Sakura mused, drying her hands off slowly. "Jiraiya-sama says that an interrogation unit will be by sometime later to deal with him. Until then, he's our problem."
"Huh?! What do you mean "our problem?!"" Naruto shouted. "He could've at least found somewhere else to hold him until then couldn't he?!"
"Maybe…" Sakura sighed, "but if you're going to be Hokage you have to learn responsibility. Maybe Jiraiya-sama thinks having you in charge of him will pound some into you…?"
"I'm plenty responsible." Naruto muttered. "Like pervy-sage is the one to say anything of the sort anyway. Let me guess, he's planning on running off to do some more "investigating" right?" Naruto snorted.
"Yeah." Sakura nodded, her eyes wide in surprise. "That's… pretty accurate, actually. He said he's heading to Suna to look for information on this "Sasori" character I told you about."
"Sasori? Who's that again?" Naruto asked, squinting his eyes in thought.
Sakura sighed at the words. "Really Naruto, we went over this already. He's the first major lead we have to Akatsuki, remember? The guy Gato told me about?"
Naruto frowned. "Ah! You mean that bastard! If he shows up around here, I'll definitely have to kick his face in!"
"I'm sure you're not the only one who's thinking that way." Sakura said. "Kiba seems ready for a fight as well."
Naruto smiled cheerfully at the thought of their fanged friend. "I bet! He never really did get to do any good with Zabuza and Haku, huh?"
"That's not true." Sakura disagreed. "He helped quite a bit when we were fighting Haku. He was part of the reason I managed to finish him off like I did. But Zabuza…" she glanced away for a moment, a forlorn looking crossing her face. "Zabuza was tough for all of us."
"…yeah." Naruto agreed after a moment, gripping at one of the many locations where he once bore a wound.
Noting the silence, Sakura quickly finished drying her hands and left the bathroom.
"Naruto? Are you alright?" she asked, stepping outside to glance at the blonde worriedly.
Her words seemed to snap the boy out of his stupor, and he quickly turned his head to glance at the girl in surprise. "Huh?! Oh, yeah Sakura-chan! I'm great! You're all done then?"
Sakura stared at him for several seconds. It didn't take a genius to realize that something was wrong with him, and Sakura knew full well what it was. Still…
"Yeah, it's all yours." She said with a smile, opting to let it go. "Try not to stay in there too long though. A lady needs to take her time after all."
"…Right." Naruto laughed, moving past her back into the bathroom. "Don't worry Sakura-chan. I'll be sure to give you plenty of time to get pretty for your Sasuke-kun."
Sakura flinched at the name. Flushing in embarrassment, she turned on her heel, shouting at Naruto one last time as he closed and locked the door behind him.
"Y-You idiot! That was when we were five!"
-PtK-
"-and then she kicked the door in." Naruto said.
"I did not!" Sakura retorted. "I just… knocked on it a little!"
"Jeez, you two are like an old married couple. Why don't you just get married already?" Kiba groaned. Akamaru yipped in agreement beside him.
"An old married couple?" Sakura asked, "We are not! We just… have a few disagreements sometimes, that's all! Right Naruto?!"
"Heh… marriage huh…?" the blonde mumbled quietly.
"H-Huh…?" Sakura thought. "Naruto…"
"Huh? What was that you were saying Sakura?" Naruto asked. "Oh, right! Everyone bickers sometimes Kiba. I'm sure you and Akamaru fight sometimes to! Does that mean you two should get married?"
Kiba blanched. "Me and… Akamaru? Don't be ridiculous! That's not even funny man!"
"Well then don't joke about me and Naruto like that either." Sakura frowned with a blush. "Not that I mind it…"
"Hey, hey, Sakura-chan, that means you aren't opposed to going out on a date with me, right?" Naruto asked, a sheepish, shit-eating grin forming on his face.
"You…" Sakura grumbled, balling her hands in trembling fury yet again. "Idiot!"
A second later Naruto was yet again sporting an impressive lump on the top of his head. A testament to his own senselessness.
"Ow, Sakura-chan… that really hurt, -tebayo!"
"Hmph, such rowdiness in front of a place of learning, how ignorant."
The sudden voice cut through the chaos, prompting Naruto, Kiba, and Sakura to turn around in confusion. Slowly, a long-haired male of their age passed them by, his clear eyes betraying his emotions.
"Huh?" Kiba was the first to recover. "Who do you think you're callin' ignorant, you sonuva-"
In a flash the long-haired boy had turned, bringing his forearm up toward Kiba's neck. The man's fingers protruded outward, and in less than a second he had knocked Kiba onto the floor.
"What the-?!"
"I wouldn't finish that statement if I were you, mutt." The man replied snidely, earning a growl from Akamaru.
"This guy…!" Naruto thought, his eyes widening at the scene. "He's skilled!"
"Naruto!" Sakura said warningly, her stance changing in an instant.
"Right!" Naruto replied, already well aware of the situation. "Who are you? No ordinary person could put Kiba out like that!"
"Hm." The long-haired male snorted. "It's customary to give your own name before asking another's… Namikaze Naruto."
Naruto and Sakura's eyes widened at that, and they both leapt back, putting distance between them and the mystery man. Kiba too, found it within himself to move, swinging his leg out from his downed position to force the man to backpedal slightly. The Inuzuka swiftly grabbed Akamaru and leapt back beside his comrades.
"Kiba, are you alright?" Naruto asked, sparing his friend a glance before turning back to the unknown assailant.
"Yeah!" Kiba coughed, rubbing at his throat softly. "Bastard caught me off guard is all! Me and Akamaru are ready to go at any time, right boy?!"
Akamaru barked.
"You know Naruto's name, why?!" Sakura asked, glaring at their foe warily.
"Not just his." The long-haired man replied. "You are Haruno Sakura, and the fool is Inuzuka Kiba, the idiot who thought it'd be a good idea to attack the Hokage apparent."
Naruto stepped forward, raising a hand to shield the man's view of Kiba.
"What Kiba did back then doesn't matter anymore! He's a friend, and that's long behind us!" Naruto shouted.
"The foolish words of a foolish child." The man said, veins bulging from the sides of his eyes as he assumed a dominant fighting stance. "I'll show you your mistake right now!"
In a flurry he charged forward, intending on catching the three shinobi before him off guard. Naruto steeled himself. Fortunately, it seemed the man would not succeed in his attempt. He had only just crossed the threshold into the battlefield when two other figures suddenly blocked his path, hindering his pursuit.
"NEJI! That's enough!"
"Yosh! We must not fight our comrades in such a place!"
The long-haired man, Neji, frowned. His stressed veins fading back into his face, he sighed, before turning to face the two figures who'd impeded his movement seconds ago.
"Lee… Tenten… what are you doing here?"
"What do you think? Looking for you, Neji!" the girl of the group, a bun-haired woman of slender size scowled.
"Yes! Your sudden disappearance has been most unyouthful, Neji-san! I though Gai-sensei told us we were to stick together?!" the other boy, Lee, had declared.
Slowly, Naruto lowered his stance.
"Uh, not to intrude or anything, but who are you guys?!"
"Ah, yes! Allow us to introduce yourselves!" Lee said energetically, moving forward before Neji could raise retort. "I am the second Beautiful Beast of Konoha! Rock Lee! My comrades here are Tenten, and Neji Hyuga!"
"Lee… stop giving such information away so easily." Neji scolded, his face sour at the thought.
"Oh lighten up Neji," Tenten proclaimed, slapping the Hyuga on the back, "stop being such a sour puss!"
She turned to the Naruto and the others, raising an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that, Neji can get a little… hotheaded, at times. We'll get out of your hair now, at least until a little later!"
"Hold on! That long-haired freak was about to start a fight, and now you're just gonna run away?! That's not cool, yo!" Kiba snarled, earning a ferocious yip of agreement from Akamaru.
"He's right." Sakura said next. "There's also the fact that something you said confused me! What did you mean when you said you were comrades, and even more than that, I'm pretty sure I've never heard of some "Beautiful Beast" that belongs to our Hidden Village!"
"Ah! Impossible!" Lee shouted suddenly, moving forward at insane speed to glance at Sakura wide-eyed. "How can it be that you know not of the legend of Gai-sensei?!"
"Here we go…" Tenten sighed, raising a palm to her head in frustration.
"He's only the single most powerful Taijutsu user in the village, capable of fighting on par with even the most "hip" of opponents! Have you not heard of the time he defeated the legendary Copy Ninja Kakashi?! Or the time that single-handedly sculpted the side of the Hokage Monument?!"
"Uh… I don't think so." Sakura smiled sheepishly, several beads of sweat pooling down the back of her head from Lee's close proximity.
"NO!" Lee cried, crashing to the floor and rolling about in despair. "This simply cannot be! Please! Allow me to take you on a date so that I may fill you with the many successes and failures of Gai-sensei!"
Sakura was about to refuse, but Tenten beat her to the punch.
Literally.
"That's enough, Lee!" Tenten snarled, beating the boy upside the head with a blunted staff. "You'll scare her off!"
"…his eyebrows…" Naruto murmured quietly, staring at the scene with a rather blank expression.
Tenten sighed.
"Sorry about that. Like I said, my team is a bit… dysfunctional. As for your question, Sakura-san, we called you comrades because like us, you're here on a mission from Konohagakure. Lady Kushina sent us to deal with a certain "old man" who may have information regarding Akatsuki. We were told you'd know who we were talking about?"
"Gato…" Sakura breathed. "But wait a second! If you're here for Gato, then that means, that-!"
Tenten seemed to understand where Sakura was going, and she smiled largely. "Yep! We're Konoha's 255th Interrogation Unit! Nice to meet you!"
Naruto knew that his day was going to start weird, but he certainly had not been expecting that.
-Chapter Nine-
END
