Strange situations.
Action and reaction: we can decide the action, but we can only imagine the reaction.
With only a slight delay, Naruto and the rest of his troupe had left the village, on their way to the Land of Iron to intercept Tsunade at the meeting of the Kages. At the pace they were going, it would take them three days at the most, unless anything held them back.
Just outside the walls of the village, Mitzuru and Tsushika had covered their faces with masks similar to Kakashi's, as well as reattach the hoods to their cloaks so that they hung over their eyes and nose, which would have left only their mouth and chin visible were they not covered by the masks.
Naruto started curiously at them. Surely they had no idea where they were going with all that stuff blocking their vision!
"How can you guys see so well?" he finally broke down and asked. "I mean, I can't even see your eyes."
"These hoods were created over a hundred years ago by a craftsman of a small village in the farthest expanses of the Land of Wind," Tsushika explained. "Many of the inhabitants of this village were ex-shinobi who had at one time or another dismissed themselves from service, seeking a more peaceful way of life. However, some of the more vengeful villages sought after these ex-shinobi for revenge, forcing them to cover their faces at all times, lest they be discovered. They are still a popular item to purchase from this village, though not for what once was their true purpose. Instead, they are highly useful in crossing the biting winds of the desert, and are used by all manner of tourist, merchant, and shinobi alike. However, there are whispers of mysterious bands of independent shinobi who continue to wear these hoods as a symbol of their past, carrying out their missions as elusively as ghosts."
Naruto felt a shiver run up his spine. He hated ghosts. But still, they sounded useful enough since he was very much aware himself of how annoying the wind and sand could be. "How come we don't see an ninja in Suna wear them anymore?" he asked. "If they're so useful, why don't they just make it part of their standard outfit?"
Mitzuru jumped into the conversation "An old law in Suna prohibits their use, as back then it was used to discern between traitors and those loyal to the village. The law has fallen out of use nowadays, but it seems they never bothered to repeal it."
"Man, imagine how cool I would look with one of my jumpsuits if they had a hood like that!" Naruto drooled over the very idea, imagining himself as the mysterious hooded ninja, bringer of swift death to all who challenged his hooded coolness.
Of course, he was imagining this jumpsuit with an ample amount of orange in it, so more than likely he was the only one who could put 'orange' and 'cool' in the same sentence. As it turns out, it was on Ino's mind as well, but for a very different reason.
"You have got to be kidding me!" she exclaimed. "You do remember that one of the main jobs of a ninja is to remain unnoticed?"
Naruto pouted. "Oh c'mon, orange is an inconspicuous color, right? It's one of the coolest, most inconspicuous colors out there!"
"Maybe when it's the middle of the summer and you're looking to make a fashion statement, but not for a shinobi! You'd be noticed in seconds!"
"Oh, and what about you, Miss I'm-practically-wearing-nothing-at-all-as-it-is? I thought a ninja was supposed to protect his body, not show it off to any guy willing to be a pervert!"
Ino looked offended. "There's nothing wrong with looking sexy, Naruto. Besides, who needs armor when they can't even get close to you? You're the one to talk about 'perverts', by the way…"
"But I'm going to be the Hokage someday!" Naruto insisted. "People have to know who I am, so that I can strike fear and respect in their hearts!"
And for all the boneheaded-logic Naruto must have used to get to this point, Ino had to admit that he was making some sense. Being recognized, especially when you possessed the abilities that Naruto did, could save you from a fight on plenty of occasions.
Thankfully, Naruto had already forgot about their little spat, and had turned back to badgering Tsushika.
"So why wear the masks too?" he asked curiously.
"Our identities must be kept a secret. Better to cover our faces entirely than hope we simply don't run into anyone along the way."
"But I thought everyone's memory of you was sealed away? Wouldn't that, you know, help?"
"That was only for our village, Naruto," Ino butted in. "The rest of the world could still more than likely know who they are, and if they realize that they've been gone for so many years and are all of sudden going to see the Hokage, that's sure as hell going to send up some red flags."
Tsushika admired the girl's quick mind. "Exactly. We had, and still do I suppose, quite the reputation even outside the Land of Fire, so much so that before our mission we had to fake our own deaths. It would be a problem were someone to recognize us and begin to question our identities, especially since we're en route to see the Hokage, and traveling with a hero of the war."
It was enough to occupy Naruto's mind, and so for a while they were gifted with silence as they got further and further away from the village.
Once they had placed a great deal of distance between themselves and the village, they traveled roughly in the shape of a diamond or rectangle. Ino took point, while Tsushika and Mitzuru followed behind her and Naruto after them, acting as the rear guard. After some goading, Naruto had finally shut his mouth for safety's sake, and they traveled on in silence. Ino repeatedly reached out with her sensory abilities to check for any unknown presence, but there was nothing else in the forest besides the animals that inhabited it.
After a good deal of traveling, they arrived at a small village used as a rest stop along the road, and decided to stop for a bit to take a break and stretch their legs. A tavern/inn enticed Naruto in particular, as inviting smells wafted outside and straight into his nostrils.
He took an experimental sniff. What's that? Could it be? He sniffed again. Yes…yes, it just might be!
Oh, happy day! There was ramen here!
And their lunch was decided on immediately, regardless of what anyone else actually wanted. Naruto practically dragged them inside, settling down at the first open table he could find. A waitress arrived a few minutes later asking for their order, and without batting an eye, Naruto ordered four bowls at once.
"Oh, are you treating your guests?" the waitress asked with a smile. How sweet of this young man!
"Actually, those bowls are for me. All of them."
The woman's smile disappeared.
Tsushika and Mitzuru ordered some combination of meat and vegetables, Ino asked for a small salad so as not to break from her diet, and a very flustered waitress hurried off to ring them up. After she came back a few minutes later, Naruto didn't even bother waiting for her to set everyone else's food down before he started wolfing down the mammoth portion.
"You have the manners of Akamaru, you know that right?" Ino complained, trying to act like she didn't know him while she gingerly started on her own meal.
Naruto jolted up to say something back, but he noticed Tsushika quietly laughing to herself. She did that a lot, and Naruto was starting to notice.
"Hey, whuh do yoo shmile all thuh time?" he asked with his mouth full.
Tsushika laughed again. "You remind me so much of Kushina, Naruto. She ate with as much gusto as you do! She even had her own passion for ramen, I'll have you know!"
Naruto's eyes sparkled with pride. "Really!?" he asked, gulping it down. "What was her favorite flavor?"
"Miso and Pork, by the tons of it! Back when it opened, Ichiraku could have thrived had they only allowed her as a customer! It was a wonder she stayed so fit the way she did!"
Ino's ear twitched. Perhaps there was a secret to eating ramen that she was unaware of? After all, Naruto never seemed to gain any weight, did he?
As if Naruto couldn't get any happier. "Really? Miso and Pork is my favorite too! I guess it runs in the family!" He thumbed his nose, positively beaming with pride.
"Now if only manners did…" Ino remarked. Naruto glared at her, but she wasn't paying attention, too focused on finding out everything she could about this mysterious ramen diet.
"Tsushika, do you have any pictures of Naruto's mom you could show us? I'm curious to see what she looks like." Nosy was a better way to describe how she was feeling, but when did that ever stop her?
"Of course I do!" Tsushika replied. "I kept several photos with me during my absence to keep me company."
Naruto was ecstatic. Tsunade had regretfully informed him that no photos of Kushina nor Minato survived Pain's invasion, but clearly that was no longer the case.
She pulled out a small leather-bound book, and flipped through it, before turning it around for Naruto and Ino to see. "This was when I was first promoted to jōnin."
Despite its age, the photo was in excellent condition. Naruto's mom was giving the camera toothy, happy grin, hugging Tsushika close to her with her left arm, who was showing off her new jōnin attire and had the same toothy smile of her older sister.
Naruto stared at the face of his mother in awe. He always relished the opportunity to see his mother, and Ino was finding herself genuinely amazed as well.
"She beautiful!" she exclaimed. "It looks like it was taken yesterday, what with how good the two of you look!" Hey, flattery never hurt anybody, right? Besides, Tsushika seemed to love the attention.
"Ohh stop it, you!" Tsushika replied, blushing. "I was only 15 when this photo was taken, and Kushina was 23."
"Do you…do you think I could get a copy made of this after we get back to the village?" Naruto asked sincerely. "It is a picture of my mom, after all."
Tsushika smiled warmly. "Of course, Naruto, I would happy to show you all of the pictures with Nee-chan and—" She was kept from finishing her sentence with a quick jab in the gut from Mitzuru's elbow. In her reminiscing, Tsushika had referred to Kushina as her sister, and if Naruto was paying attention, he could make the connection himself.
"Nee-chan?" Naruto repeated, slowly digesting the information. The shadow of suspicion hovered over his features, and Ino had to come up with something fast.
"Yeah, like a nickname! You call Tsunade-sama 'Granny', and Tsushika calls Kushina 'Nee-chan'! It's just a pet name, right?"
"Those two did always act like sisters!" Mitzuru added in, hoping Naruto would buy it.
Was there ever any doubt that he wouldn't?
"And if you liked that picture," Tsushika said, hoping to move on before it was too late, "let me show you this one! It was taken the night before we left for our mission, before we left the village for all this time."
In the picture, from left to right, were Minato, Kushina, Tsushika, and Shiku, all wearing brightly-colored yukatas for what looked like a festival going on behind them. Minato was wearing yellow with red flames, Kushina red with white spirals, Tsushika white with red spirals, and Shiku was wearing a dark blue yukata with a vibrant azure thunderbolt edging the bottom and the sleeves.
Naruto loved this photo even more. Seeing his parents so happy and carefree with smiles on their faces brought an immense joy to his heart. Even though it was just a picture, he felt like he was closer to his parents than ever before. But then, something in the back of the photo caught his eye, and his face contorted in surprise.
"Is it just me…" he began, "Or is that Mitzuru holding Kakashi-sensei's hand in the background?"
Mitzuru snatched the photo away almost instantaneously, blushing bright red. "Of course not! You're eyes need to be checked!"
Naruto grinned slyly. "Liar. That was Kakashi-sensei and you, and you know it! Gee, I never knew Kakashi-sensei had a girlfriend. I can't wait to tell Sakura-chan!"
Tsushika began to laugh, but Mitzuru looked anything but amused. "That h-happened a l-l-long time ago! I didn't have anyone to go with so he offered, n-nothing more! This is none of your business, anyway! Now, eat up before your food gets cold!" She began to scarf down the rest of her lunch with surprising speed, but that only served to make Tsushika, and now Ino and Naruto, laugh even harder, much to Mitzuru's embarrassment.
After they had paid for the meal and gathered their things, the four headed back onto the road. With their bellies full, they were able to quicken their pace, which also made attacks from bandits less likely. It would take two more days to reach their destination should they be granted to continue at that pace.
But around 7 p.m., Ino suddenly held her hand up, the signal that she had felt something nearby. Normally, it turned out to be just an animal of some sort, but this was a large group, and Ino preferred to be cautious.
She spied a bird soaring above them, and after relating to Tsushika instructions to take care of her body while she was absent, she quickly transferred her consciousness to that of the bird's, and flew in the direction of the disturbance.
She landed on an exposed branch at the tops of one of the taller trees, and was surprised by what she saw. A group of over twenty people sat on either side of the road, which had been blocked off by the trunk of another of the massive trees. More than likely they were bandits, trying to take advantage of travelers who sought to go around the obstacle.
Ino flew back to tell the others, landing nearby before returning to her own body.
"Well? What did you see?" Tsushika asked in a hushed tone.
"Bandits, around twenty by the looks of them," Ino replied. "From the look of their clothing, I'd say they were from the Land of Frost."
"That's a long ways away from home," Mitzuru commented.
"It's actually not that unusual," Ino informed her and Tsushika. "During the war, the lands of Frost and Hot Water were a battlefield for opposing forces, and many of the bandits left home to avoid stopping a shinobi convoy on accident. We would have hoped that they would go back home after the fighting was done, but many have stayed behind, citing 'reparations for the war." Ino spat on the ground; clearly this fact did not amuse her. "As if it was our fault the war was started…"
"So what do we do then?" Naruto asked, getting impatient. "Can we go over and kick their asses, or what?"
"I don't think any high-level missing-nin would be grouped together so poorly, so chances are they are in fact just a bunch of bandits."
Naruto could hear the concern in her voice. "But…?"
"But, Kakashi-sensei ordered us to avoid any fights if we could. At the same time, leaving them there could be very bad for travelers passing through. I'm kind of torn…"
"No need to worry," Mitzuru reassured her. "I know what to do, so just follow my lead."
She sounded confident, and Tsushika didn't seem the slightest bit worried, so Ino decided to let Mitzuru handle this one. They marched forward as any normal travelers would, and just as expected, most of the bandits made themselves known on either side of the fallen tree once they had gotten close.
One of the men, a large, burly man of forty, stepped forward. His head was unneatly shaved, while his chin was covered with thick facial hair. Multiple scars crisscrossed over his chest, and coupled with the cocky grin he was flashing, it was clear he fancied himself the leader of this little band of marauders.
"Sorry ladies, but a toll has recently been established on this road, and I'm afraid it's time to collect. Hand over any valuables you may have over to us, and we might just let you live." He and his companions burst into laughter, completely unaware of who they had just stopped on the road. Naruto almost laughed with them, the situation was so funny to him.
Mitzuru wordlessly stepped forward, reaching for her bag. The bandits were under the impression that they were getting what they wanted, but she suddenly pulled her hood back to reveal her Sharingan blaring at them. All of the bandits immediately froze, and their laughter ceased.
"The nature of kindness does not extend to scum and common thugs," she said with distaste, glaring at them. The ice in her voice made Naruto and Ino happy they were on the other side of the confrontation.
Suddenly, the leader of the bandits, as well as all of his men, dropped their weapons to the ground. They turned around, and walked up to the tree blocking Mitzuru and the others' path. Their muscles bulging, they lifted the massive trunk into the air, and slowly moved it to the side of the road, clearing it.
Ino was amazed. "Mitzuru, did you—"
"After the road is clear, they will be heading straight for the village where they will surrender to the first shinobi they see." Mitzuru's Sharingan faded away as the bandits shambled on down the road. "There, they will confess their crimes, and only then will the genjutsu dissolve away."
Naruto whistled in amazement. "Wow, that was really cool! That will sure come in handy in the future, won't it!"
"I would have preferred killing them," Mitzuru answered coldly. "Trash who prey on the weak and innocent shouldn't be allowed to live out their lives in prison. Had Kakashi not asked us to avoid any bloodshed, I would have had them kill one another to spare us the trouble."
'Remind me not to make fun of her being Kakashi-sensei's girlfriend anymore…' Naruto thought to himself, wiping the sweat away from his brow. Why did women have to be so scary?
Back at the Leaf village, Toraku had woken up early to visit the same training camp where he had had his little 'spar' with Naruto the previous night. Something had been tearing at his mind all night, and he hoped to look for any clues that might help him discover how Naruto was able to combine elemental-natured chakra with the perfect rotation of the Rasengan. How did Naruto succeed when he himself failed time and time again? He had seen Naruto perform the technique with the aid of two clones, but Toraku was sure he could perfect the technique with only one.
Summoning more than enough to get him started, Toraku immediately split his clones into pairs, attempting to form the Rasengan with the added elemental chakra.
The time flew by, and even though it was now noon, and the clearing was filled with craters and cracks in the earth, Toraku had barely made any progress. He decided to use even more clones to help him along, but quickly realized that the feat was much more difficult than he thought, and after an hour he collapsed onto the ground gasping for air.
Maybe a short break would help.
"Good morning!" Kakashi yelled, suddenly appearing standing above him. Toraku shrieked in surprise, and then groaned in pain when it hurt his sides.
"What—do you—want?" Toraku asked in between breaths, trying to calm his nerves.
"I was curious," Kakashi replied. "How did you come to be aware of this training technique? I don't think Naruto had the time to tell you last night, did he?"
Toraku shook his head. "I've used this method since I could make a clone. The tigers taught me that if you use shadow clones, you can—"
"I'm aware of the benefits of the training already," Kakashi interrupted. "The point is I was under the impression that I had discovered this 'loophole', though it's understandable that someone who's spent nearly their entire life training was bound to have thought of a more efficient way of doing so." He kind of kicked at the ground, his pride having been stung a little.
Toraku eyed him curiously. This was the man who taught Naruto over the years, right? "It's Kakashi, isn't it? What can I do for you?"
Kakashi smiled from underneath his mask, reaching for his pack. "I'm here to give you your first official Leaf forehead protector. I also need to put you on file, which requires things like basic strengths and weaknesses, as well as your element affinity. But from what I could see, you seem to be a wind-style just like Naruto is."
He held out the headband for Toraku to take. He accepted it graciously, and stared at the metal plate sitting in his palm. He had a village now, with people he could call his own. He smiled, and until he could think of where he wanted it, tucked the headband away.
Kakashi was holding out a slip of paper, offering it to Toraku. "This should show us what affinity you have in terms of the five elements. Just divert a small amount of chakra into this slip of paper, and it should do the rest."
Toraku laughed, with a strange expression on his face; it was the same look Shiku had given him earlier when Kakashi had asked for his son's elemental affinity. According to Shiku, Kakashi would 'prefer finding out for himself'.
Toraku did as he was asked, and let some of his chakra flow through the tips of his fingers. The paper began to glow very brightly, before splitting in two, with one half setting aflame, and the other half wrinkling and crumpling in on itself.
Kakashi looked at Toraku, and Toraku looked back at him. As Kakashi was trying to work through just what the hell happened, he suddenly remembered a conversation he had had with his teacher a long time ago.
"Minato-sensei, can I ask you something about chakra?" said a younger Kakashi.
Minato Namikaze, who was at the time only the teacher of Kakashi and Konoha's Yellow Flash, closed the book he was reading in the shade of a tree, at training camp number eight.
"Of course, Kakashi." Minato replied, smiling at his student. "Ask away, and I'll do my best to answer."
"Yours and your brother's chakra are a different color from everybody else's," Kakashi said bluntly. "Even looking at it with the Sharingan, I can tell it isn't any of the basic elements. Do you have a kekkei gankai that nobody is aware of?"
Minato chuckled. "So you found me out, did you? Sharp as always…"
He set his book down. "It isn't a secret that the Namikaze clan possessed a kekkei gankai; we've had it for quite some time now."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "How come I've never seen it?"
"It's something that doesn't fully awaken in all but a select few people," Minato explained. "Many clan members have awakened it to some degree, but it's not guaranteed to everyone. There are those without these abilities, but they can have children who possess the skills, and vice versa. It's all very complex and random, so I tend not to worry myself with it."
"So why does it have a different color from other chakra?" Kakashi pressed.
"Due to its properties, it flows faster than normal, and as such gives the possessor faster reflexes. It's been said that in its complete form, the speed is near-instantaneous, but even if someone were to possess this ability, their body wouldn't be able to handle the stress of that speed. It was out of fear of these abilities that our clan was forced out of our homeland about eighty years ago."
"Homeland?" Kakashi repeated. "Where's homeland?"
Minato smiled, and ruffled Kakashi's hair up. "Maybe that's a story for another time."
"My chakra is the Light element," Toraku explained. "It's a combination of Fire, Wind, and Lightning, so I guess I have four? I was never the best at understanding everything about it and no one could ever really explain it to me."
Kakashi shook his head in amazement. "And here I thought that that element had been all but wiped out. I guess you learn something new every day, huh?"
Toraku's face darkened. "I've been trying to replicate that technique Naruto used last night all morning, and I haven't had any luck whatsoever. This Light thing seems more like a curse than a gift, if it's this hard to perfect a technique that Naruto was so easily able to master."
"I'm sure you'll get it eventually." Kakashi neglected to tell him how much trouble Naruto had when he first attempted the technique, deciding that Toraku would be better spurred on under the impression that Naruto mastered the technique without much effort.
"Yeah, but Naruto didn't have to spend nearly every waking hour of his life from when he learned to walk training and trying to survive…" Toraku then muttered something underneath his breath, too quiet for Kakashi to hear.
Kakashi actually felt a little frustrated with the boy. He had spent his entire life away from the village, yes, but he was assuming Naruto had a much easier childhood than him, and Kakashi couldn't help but want to fix that. But before he could, they were loudly interrupted.
"WHAT A BREATHTAKING DISPLAY OF YOUTH! TO SEE ANOTHER YOUNG SHINOBI TRAIN HARD FILLS MY HEART WITH BURNING PASSION!"
Kakashi and Toraku turned around to see Team Guy having arrived at the training ground, minus their namesake. Lee was standing in front of his two teammates, eyes sparkling as he admired from afar. Neji and Tenten, however, didn't seem nearly as impressed.
"Good morning, you three," Kakashi said with a wave.
"It's 'good afternoon' at this point, Kakashi-sensei," Neji pointed out, raising his eyes to look at the sun. "But yes, I hope your day is going well."
He turned his eyes to Toraku. "I'm afraid we'll have to interrupt your training. My team and I planned to use this training ground for the rest of the afternoon, and we will be making quite the mess."
Toraku raised an eyebrow, taking a good look at the three of them. The one who had just spoken seemed like anything but a cheerful fellow, the polar opposite to the bowl-cut with the green tights. The girl looked pleasant enough, but there was a look in her eye that dared him to call her 'girly', or anything like it.
"It's nice to meet you. My name is Toraku." He held out his hand for the Hyūga jōnin to accept, who looked surprised, and then embarrassed.
"Forgive my manners. I am Neji Hyūga, and these are my teammates, Rock Lee and Tenten."
Tenten smiled, while Lee burst into his 'nice guy' pose, with glittering teeth and shimmering eyes.
Kakashi stepped forward, "Toraku is new to the village, and wasn't aware of the system used for training areas. From today he is considered a fellow shinobi of the village, but has not had the time to learn what needs to be learned. I can't think of a better team to show him the ropes than you three!" There was a hint of mischief in Kakashi's eye, one that did not go unnoticed by interested parties.
"We can take day off and show him around instead of train." Tenten offered, looking for an excuse to avoid the torture that Lee called 'exercise'.
But of course Lee wouldn't hear of it. "The burning spirit of our youth cannot be contained all day, Tenten! If we are not at the peak of our abilities, Guy-sensei is right in saying that we will be unable to defeat the villains of this world!"
Tenten sighed. It was worth a shot. Now the new kid was going to think they were all weird.
"As much as I know you hate to accept it Tenten, Lee is right. Skipping a training session is out of the question."
"Why not let Toraku train with you?" Kakashi asked. Toraku shot Kakashi a suspicious look. Was he trying to leave him here with these three? For what purpose? "And they're friends of Naruto's. After you're done, they can show you around the village!"
Now that sounded nice. If they were friends of Naruto, they couldn't be all bad, could they?
"I am fine with that, if you three are. I wouldn't mind being escorted around by three of Konoha's proud shinobi, especially if one of them is such a beautiful woman. It seems this village possesses great beauty in many of its shinobi."
Tenten blushed out of surprise at the compliment more than flattery. Neji's reaction was not so…positive. He carefully looked Toraku over, trying to discern what he could.
And Lee was…well, Lee.
Kakashi almost laughed from underneath his mask. "Were you talking about Hinata last night, Toraku?" he asked, intentionally only using Hinata's name.
"You mean the girl I almost accidentally killed last night?"
'Would you like a shovel to help with that hole you're digging, Toraku?' Kakashi thought to himself, slapping his forehead with his palm.
The killer intent radiating off of Neji was almost palpable.
"Of course you may train with us," he said in between gritted teeth. "In fact, I insist. We'll have a two-on-two spar; you and Tenten, against Lee and I."
"Woah, hold on Neji," Tenten piped in. "Don't drag me into the middle of this."
"You can take care of yourself just fine, Tenten; don't worry," Neji snapped, before turning back to Toraku. "I just want to see what he's capable of, that's all."
Toraku was starting to feel very uncomfortable with this whole situation. Why did the pale guy look like he wanted to kill him? Why did the guy in the green tights look so excited?
"If you don't mind, I'd like to stay and watch," Kakashi announced, even though he had no intention of leaving if they asked him to. "I have a feeling this will be pretty interesting."
As if the tension wasn't thick enough, Kakashi had to go and set off both Toraku's and Neji's confidence.
"I'd love to," Toraku replied, despite his exhaustion. He certainly didn't want to seem weak in front of friends of Naruto.
Lee punched his fists together. "Glorious! My friends, this will be a battle for the ages! A poem of youth and strength!"
Tenten was merely swearing under her breath, thoroughly pissed off.
"Is there anything I should know about your abilities?" Toraku asked, as he and Tenten walked to the other side of the field. "Things like strengths and weaknesses?"
"I've got a feeling you'll be more interested in what they can do," Tenten said, jabbing her thumb in her teammates' direction.
"It's tempting, but I have to refuse. If they don't know anything about me, it would be unfair for me to know anything about them, right?"
They planned some strategies they could use in the fight and Toraku could use the time to recover a little before the match.
"Lee…" Neji muttered, his voice a low growl. "He's mine."
"Very well, Neji. But I must insist you remember your breathing exercises. Hinata-san worries about you."
Neji ignored him. The moment Kakashi gave a signal for them to start, he was in front of Toraku. He was within range. Toraku reacted with surprising speed, placing his hands together for the Shadow Clone technique, but Neji had gotten the jump on him.
"Eight Trigrams: One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms!"
It was time to put this newcomer back in line.
Author's note
Hello everyone, long time no see!
Will Naruto's team reach the Land of Iron without further troubles?
Will Naruto ever meet a woman who hasn't a scary side?
Will Neji beat the crap out of Toraku and put him back in line?
Will Toraku ever learn when to shut up?
Will these questions ever stop?
The answers to these and other questions in the next chapter! (Except for the answers about Neji and Toraku, for those answers you have to wait more chapters.)
Uff... this is the fifth time I write this note and the result never satisfies me.
I'm in bad mood, so it's better to end it here, before saying something I might regret later.
Thanks to all of you that read this story, and as always special thanks to my dear beta and friend C...
Oh, just one last thing: if you feel like leaving a review, please sign it. I accept the criticism on my fic, but criticize remaining anonymous is not different from throwing a stone and then hide your hand.