And here's Chapter 10. Thanks to all of you who've been reading all my stories, I appreciate your support. BHSD just passed the 100k hit mark and over 400 reviews. I'm pleasantly surprised by that. I hope you enjoy this chapter of BTHD. It's mostly a chap to swing into Naruto and TenTen's relationship. Readers, Reviewers, thank you...So Hot.
CHAPTER TEN
TenTen woke up to an unfamiliar smell in her house. The unfamiliar smell being quite appealing to her nose and making her mouth water. Her first thought was to wonder who in the hell had broken into her house and was cooking her breakfast when she suddenly remembered the blonde she had left passed out on her floor. A smile crossed her face as she stretched the kinks out of her arms and back. The boy wasn't even in a relationship with her twenty-four hours and she already had him trained to cook for her.
She swung her feet to the floor and barely suppressed a shriek when her toes touched the cold wooden floor. Leaping back onto the bed she shuffled back under the covers with a huff. It was too freaking cold and she hated cold floorboards. They were the bane of her morning existence. Poking her head back over the side, she glanced around for a pair of shoes, some socks, anything to provide her bare feet with a necessary buffer. An old pair of pink socks saved the day and she was off to the bathroom for her morning shower.
As the water cascaded down upon her and she washed out her unbunned hair, TenTen thought back to the night before. Even a simple evening with Naruto had been a blast, an experience that she was more than willing to repeat. Sure, she didn't get her make out session at the end to seal the deal, but she already knew what that would have been like. Just without a beat down before hand. She moaned as the warm water melted any tension away from her muscles and turned the spigot off. Time to see what her blonde haired angel had prepared for her.
Unbeknownst to TenTen, that same blonde haired angel was currently chatting it up with a familiar brown haired angel. Sanosuke had woken the boy up before dawn and was currently engaged in a most amusing conversation with said blonde.
"I'm telling you Sanosuke, I think she might be the one."
"Really? Whatever gave you that idea Naruto?"
"She's just so…perfect. I'm completely at ease with her. I'm…happy."
Sanosuke smiled at his young charge. He wouldn't confirm the boy's suspicions, but he'd prod him along to come up with conclusions on his own. It was definitely more fun that way.
"I admit, she is a very interesting girl. Very pretty too. I'm sure that has nothing to do with your decision."
Naruto blushed and continued cooking at the stove. He didn't look back at Sanosuke.
"That's a bonus, I'll admit. But TenTen's better than that. She's a complete package. Everything I've ever wanted in a woman and she throws a hell of a right hook. I think I'm in love…"
"Oh do you now? Are you sure? This isn't another Sakura type of crush?"
Naruto stared at the angel in disgust. How dare he insinuate that!
"Hell no. I actually feel something for TenTen. She's never hit me for something I didn't deserve. She never abuses me verbally for no reason at all. She's actually able to keep my ass in line pretty well. Yeah, I think I'm in love."
Sanosuke smiled at his young charge and felt TenTen getting out of the shower. Thinking it best to disappear before the girl caught him in her house again, he stood and slid the chair he had been sitting in back under the table.
"Well, congratulations if it's real Naruto. I hope the two of you are happy. I have to go now. Good luck."
Before Naruto could reply, the angel disappeared and not more than a few seconds later TenTen emerged from her bedroom. Naruto just stared. He'd never imagined she could look so good in the morning.
TenTen had decided to dress for the day after getting out of her shower. She had no team practice that day and no missions and after that episode with Tsunade yesterday, it was likely that Naruto didn't either. That meant, barring any unforeseen events, she had her brand spanking new boyfriend all to herself for a whole day. Oh happy days! For just one day, she wanted to be seen with him and act like a couple. And damn it, today that was happening come hell or high water.
TenTen was always a natural girl at heart. Sure, she'd won a little makeup to her first chuunin exams to watch Neji beat Naruto, but that had been a long time ago and she'd stopped trying to impress boys. She was just so plain in her looks, why bother? But when Naruto looked at her, she felt like the most beautiful girl on the earth. Every time he saw her it was like he'd never seen her before. It was hard not to be caught up in the way he approached the world each day with childlike wonder.
She dug through the closet until she found a pair of black pants that could hide a few kunai, yet still hugged her figure. Those were thrown on quickly and she began to rummage again for a shirt that would flatter her. She growled as she dug deeper and still found nothing. Everything she owned that wasn't ninja issue was pink. Why, oh why did she have to be in love with that color? Her eyes brightened when she found something she hadn't worn forever.
The shirt was still brand new looking, since she'd only worn it once. It was white, with a dragon serpentining around the midsection. She'd ripped the neckline when she bought it and had nearly thrown it out until she looked in a mirror and saw how well it highlighted her chest. It showed just enough to be enticing while maintaining a decent amount of modesty. She grinned maliciously as she put it on. No way would he be able to keep his eyes off her now.
Her ensemble was nearly complete. Now she just needed to add a few accessories to highlight her wardrobe and whammo! She'd have the boy drooling like an idiot. TenTen was always a girl who lived on the cutting edge of things, so it was no surprise when she dug out an oversized belt with tiny kunai embedded into it. She never got to wear the thing, since it wasn't functional, but today was a special occasion. She wrapped it around her waist and found her heeled shoes. Perfect. Now for the final pieces…
TenTen had always loved having her hair in buns. It was her calling card, her signature. It made her stand out. Where in the hell were those things when she needed them? Finally, with a cry of victory, she dug out some of her most prized possessions. A pair of tortoise shell senbon needle style hairpins said to have belonged to her mother, who was a powerful kunoichi. TenTen had never met her, but she said a silent prayer, thanking the woman for her precious heirloom. If TenTen ever went broke, she'd starve before selling those hairpins. She meticulously stuck them into her buns and moved them back and forth to find the perfect position.
Standing before her full-length mirror, she struck a pose with one hand behind her head and one on her hip. Drop. Dead. Gorgeous. If this look didn't turn heads today, nothing would. And it was all for one guy. The smell of food hit her nostrils again and she opened the door to head to the kitchen.
'Here I come blondie.'
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Naruto had watched as Sanosuke disappeared and, while miffed at the angel, had become used to his sudden departures. He still wanted to learn how to do that though damn it! He heard the pitter patter of footsteps and turned to see TenTen in all her glory. The way she was dressed was…sublime. And she wasn't even in expensive clothes. There was just something about the bun haired girl that made him giddy. He watched as TenTen stared at him and began to giggle, making him tilt his head in confusion.
"You'd better watch the stove Naruto. You're going to burn breakfast."
He turned back to the stovetop and yelped when he saw that his eggs were in danger of being overcooked. He quickly took them off and put them on a plate before turning to butter some toast for them. TenTen took a seat at her table and watched as he moved around the kitchen, preparing breakfast for her. She smiled at that thought. He was preparing breakfast for her. He sat a plate down in front of her and she eyed it warily. She appreciated the gesture, but Naruto wasn't known for his cooking skills. She cut her eyes to see his anxious look and sighed inwardly. Picking up her fork, she took the plunge.
It wasn't bad by any means, but it wasn't the best thing she'd ever eaten either. It was more like field grub, just tasty enough to be passable and not cause you to grimace. She swallowed her bit of food and smiled at him.
"You'll do, but I'm going to have to teach you how to cook something other than eggs and toast."
His sigh of relief nearly made her laugh. It was refreshing to have someone wanting to impress her, even if it was just making breakfast for her. She heard the clink of his fork as he began to eat and scooped up some more herself. There was no more talk as the two shoveled the food down their gullets. Once the meal was all gone, Naruto picked up the plates and moved to the sink. TenTen looked after him in surprise.
'Breakfast and does the dishes? Thank you Kami!'
"Hey Naruto? Are you free today?"
He paused for a little bit, before resuming washing the plates.
"Yeah I think so. Why, you got something planned?"
"I just wanted to spend the day with you. After all, if we're a couple now, we need to spend as much time together as possible."
Naruto sat and seemed to be contemplating her words but the longer he said nothing, the more irritated she got. He could see her puffing her cheeks out in frustration and it amused him greatly, but he knew better than to keep her waiting.
"Of course TenTen. We'll go as soon as you're ready."
He stopped talking when she sniffed the air and scrunched her nose. Suddenly, feeling very self-conscious, Naruto sniffed his clothing and grinned at her sheepishly. It wasn't his fault he didn't go home after their little tussle.
"We're not going anywhere before you go home and shower and put on some decent clothing."
"My clothing's decent…"
"Something that doesn't smell like ass. Get going and then come back and get me."
"All right then. Want some company while I'm gone? Suichi is pretty good at Go."
TenTen shrugged and watched as the little toad poofed into existence.
What the hell? Where am I? Oh boss! Ooo, and the hotty's here too. Whatcha call me for?
TenTen blushed at being called a hotty and Naruto grinned at her. She really was cute.
"I want you to entertain TenTen while I go home and get changed. Play a game of Go with her or something."
The little toad grinned up at him and immediately covered his nose.
Bloody hell! Something smells like ass…TenTen tried to stifle her giggles as Naruto gritted his teeth.
"Stupid freaking frog! I don't smell like ass."
I'm a toad! And I never said you specifically…"Naruto, you better get going. It's not polite to keep a lady waiting."
Naruto left grumbling about summons and how they shouldn't be able to talk back. Once he was gone Suichi turned to TenTen and held out his webbed hand. She smiled and unwrapped a caramel. The little toad savored the flavor and smacked its lips.
Thanks hot stuff. You're boyfriend's too uptight, you know that?TenTen set up the game board and motioned for him to pick his color. The frog chose black and the two settled in for a game.
"Yeah, he's a little wound tight, but that's only because of the situation he's in now. Trust me, you didn't want to see him like he was yesterday."
That bad huh?"He tore up a training ground with those chains of his like it was paper. He's pretty upset about having to stay with Team 7."
Can't say I blame him. I've heard from the old man and GamaKichi that his team sucks ass as far as treating him right goes. And coming from Kichi, that means a lot. He's one of the most laid back toads I've ever met. Doesn't let much get to him.
"Yeah I know. Sakura and Kakashi are something else. I hope everything works out for him."
The little toad chuckled and placed a stone on the board.
He has you don't he? That should be enough.
She grinned at the toad but said nothing.
'Yeah, that should be enough.'
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It didn't take long for Naruto to come back, but by that time TenTen and Suichi were into their game and didn't want to be interrupted. He settled on sitting behind her on the couch and massaging her shoulders, making the girl's head bob back and forth as she relaxed and her strategy went out the window. The little toad smirked and went in for his end move.
Match. I win.
TenTen just sat there, blissfully ignorant of her surroundings.
"Mmmmhmmmm."
Suichi frowned and scoffed at the couple.
All right, I can take a hint. I'll see you two later. I expect more than just one piece of candy next time.
Naruto grunted at Suichi and TenTen just hummed happily. She could really care less at the moment. When he took his hands away, she groaned with discontent and turned to face him. She was pleased to see that he was wearing black baggy pants and a sleeveless white shirt, which to her delight sported a Chinese theme. Her brow furrowed when she saw the chain was still there though.
"Can't you leave those things here for today? I just want a day with you without the chain on your arms."
He scratched his head and grinned sheepishly at her.
"I don't know how to put this…I can't get rid of it. The best I can do is make it leave my body, but it won't go further than ten feet. And it would be really freaky to have a chain following behind us like a snake."
TenTen shuddered at that thought. Naruto was already reviled enough. He didn't need the stigma that he was a magician now on him too.
"Can you at least make it leave your arms?"
He nodded and she watched as the chain unwrapped itself from his arm and settled around his waist. It didn't look bad, but it was still a far cry from normal.
"That'll have to do I suppose. So, shall we go?"
Naruto stood and pulled her up with him. She stared at him warily until he pulled her in for a kiss and she melted against him. Her eyes were closed, but he kept his open and smirked when he felt her trying to deepen it. He pulled away and she pouted and crossed her arms. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her.
"Now, now Ten-chan. Don't pout. As cute as you look right now, it doesn't become you and we need to get going."
TenTen turned and looked at him.
'Ten-chan huh? I like it.'
"Well then, let's go."
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They spent the whole day just enjoying themselves, getting a bite to eat, letting themselves just wander. Surprisingly, they didn't run into any of their fellow ninja until just before dinner. Sakura saw them and turned her head, while still keeping an eye on Naruto. The rest were curious, having heard of the couple's burgeoning relationship. Kiba, of course, opened his mouth first.
"Oi Naruto. What the hell's with you and TenTen? You two a thing now?"
Naruto threw an arm around TenTen's shoulder and grinned at his animalistic friend.
"Yep, sure are dog boy. You jealous?"
"Nah, I've got all I can handle. Besides, plain girls aren't my thing."
Kiba had not been around much since Naruto had gained his new toys, but he became quickly acquainted with them when the chain around Naruto's waist unwound itself and hung in the air in front of the canine lover's face. He stared at the thing and watched as it moved back and forth like a cobra about to strike. Suddenly, it fell and wrapped itself back around Naruto's waist.
"Sorry about that. When I get upset, I push chakra into it unconsciously and it seems to have a mind of its own. My bad. But you shouldn't talk about Ten-chan that way. She's not plain, she's beautiful."
It seemed that everyone suddenly noticed how TenTen was dressed and they all gave an appraising eye. To her credit, she held up under the scrutiny very well, although a reassuring squeeze of the hand from Naruto helped things along tremendously. She noticed the look in Neji's eye as he scanned over her and smirked in her mind.
'See what you missed out on asshole? Now, it's all Naruto's.'
Ino, never one to miss out on a chance to tease her cohorts, decided they were ripe for the picking. But first…she had to ask about the new Naruto.
"Hey Naruto, what's with the new look and everything? And what the hell is up with that chain?"
Naruto grinned at TenTen and waved her back. She just rolled her eyes and leaned against a wall.
"Fine then. But hurry up, I'm getting hungry."
"Yes ma'am, Miss TenTen, ma'am."
"Don't be a smartass."
Naruto just smirked at her over his shoulder and forced chakra into the chains, as they crawled back onto his arms. The group watched in awe as this happened but Neji and Lee watched with caution. They knew what those chains could do. The group watched as Naruto crossed his arms and the chains came to life. Neji and Lee, knowing what was coming, began to step back, only to stop when the chains rubbed together, making that horrible screeching noise. Naruto chuckled and everyone turned to look at him.
"I hope you all have good reflexes because these things are unforgiving. And trust me when I say, they'll hurt you."
Neji kept an eye on the undulating things and spoke up.
"Might I ask why you say chain in a plural sense Naruto? There's only one after all."
Naruto shrugged and grinned back at the group as one end made a quick jab at Kiba.
"Because when the chain does this it seems like both ends have a mind of their own. They don't attack in unison; they attack as a tandem with different goals. It's just easier on my mind to use a plural form for the word."
"…ok."
"Now then, I believe you all need to…DODGE!"
The chains flew at the group, scattering them all. Neji and Lee flipped out of the way and up onto a rooftop. Lee might be willing to train with those things, but only when he was warmed up and knew he could dodge them. The others began to flip and run around. Kiba and Hinata fared the best out of those left, able to dodge with the best flexibility. Shikamaru and Chouji bowed out early, leaning against a wall and trying not to attract attention. Shino seemed to simply melt into a shower of kikai bugs and he was soon found on the rooftop beside Neji and Lee.
Naruto was having so much fun watching his friends jump around like little kids on crack. He heard TenTen giggling behind him and the melodic sound made him smile. Deciding he'd had enough fun for the day, he scooped up the two biggest instigators, Ino and Sakura, and held them upside down by their ankles. Ino thought the whole thing was pretty cool, but Sakura was not amused.
"Put me down Naruto, now."
Naruto's smile slipped a bit as he looked at her.
"I don't believe you're in any position to demand anything from me. I'm the one in control at the moment."
"I don't care. Put me down before I make you."
Naruto's eyes turned to slits and it seemed to everyone present that the temperature dropped several degrees. Ino, being closest to ground zero, tried to run damage control.
"Now guys, don't be like that. Sakura, it was all in good fun."
Neither was listening though and as the chains sat Ino down, she scooted over to TenTen, figuring that was the safest place to be.
"TenTen, shouldn't you do something?"
"Like what?"
"Like stop them. They could hurt each other."
TenTen looked at Ino like she had grown another head and scoffed.
"Anything that pink haired bitch gets will be too good for her. This confrontation has been a long time coming. I just wish it didn't have to happen on one of our only free days off today. I really just wanted to relax. Although…watching Naruto beat the shit out of Sakura is a close second."
Ino grimaced in horror when she heard that and turned back to see Naruto's face become darker by the second. It was like watching him evolve to a level of pissed off that could never and should never be reached. Sakura hadn't let up with her little diatribe and she could see Naruto's lip twitching, the fang behind it visibly growing larger. She'd heard tell of Naruto's talk with the Hokage and the overly frightening way he had left. Out of the blue, a calm, eerie voice rang out over the area.
"Haruno, shut up."
The nine watching ninja all stared in shock at the blonde before them. His voice hadn't raised a bit, but the way he spoke was like a knife's edge, sharp and to the point. Ino saw that TenTen shuddered when she heard her boyfriend's voice. It wasn't a pleasant thing.
"I am tired of you believing that you hold some form of power over me. I am stuck with you and Hatake for the time being, but I will not subject myself to being your punching bag or his whipping boy anymore. I thought I made this abundantly clear when we came back from our last mission. The Uchiha is lost to us and the two of you need to realize that. I'm tired of chasing shadows. Now, I follow my own path."
Despite the fact that Sakura was a smart person, she had a streak of stubbornness in her that rivaled Naruto's and the years she had spent bullying him didn't help her disposition either.
"Who in the hell do you think you are? We're a team Naruto, and that means we do what Kakashi-sensei tells us to do. You don't have a say in the matter."
Her breath hitched when the chain holding her ankles shook her violently and she found herself face to face with her blonde teammate. Everyone held their breath as Naruto bared his fangs. His eyes gave off a terrible glint and the silver seemed to shine.
"I will do what the Hokage orders me to do Haruno, not Hatake. I am sick of playing these little games because of the Uchiha and I will brook no further discussion on this subject. Know that if I ever come across him, I will kill him and send him to final judgment. I know what my role is here, but do you know yours?"
Ino had been telling Sakura to shut up in her mind, over and over, but the girl just wouldn't be quiet and Naruto was getting more and more pissed by the second.
"I know you're being an asshole. I know you wanted to rescue Sasuke as much as Kakashi and me did just a few months ago and now you say you don't care. That's bullshit. What happened to the Naruto who wanted to help his friends?"
The iciness of his voice brought a chill down everyone's spine and TenTen swore to herself if this went on any longer, she'd step in.
"That bastard has tried to kill me on numerous occasions and I, for one, am sick of dying to bring him back. For Kami's sake Haruno, he basically did kill me that last mission. I died and met Kami. What does that say huh? Do you think Sasuke cares about us? Tell me, I want to know."
"He's just messed up in the head because of that seal. He needs our help to come back home."
"He needs to be cleansed through death. That seal can't be removed and the true power behind it is that a person has to want the power from the seal. They have to want to be Orochimaru's little sex toy. And Sasuke wanted the power, he wanted the abilities it gave him, and he wanted to be Orochimaru's penis sheathe at night. Plain and simple. No two ways about it."
TenTen had been calm up to that point but hearing Naruto joke about Sasuke and Orochimaru like that made her giggle. Naruto heard her and kept a straight face but on the inside he was dying laughing. He was starting to get back in a good mood (TenTen seems to have that effect on him) when Sakura opened her mouth again, making Ino groan at her stupidity.
"You're just mad because Sasuke has always been better than you and you can't beat him in a fight. I totally understand Naruto. Why bother to try to bring back someone who you can't beat?"
The air in the immediate area seemed to disappear in a vacuum and Sakura's hands immediately flew to her mouth when she realized what she'd said. No one could see Naruto's eyes with his head hung and his hair limply hanging in front of his blue and silver orbs. All the teens waited for him to blow up, take her head off, kill her, do something. Instead, they were baffled when he threw his head back and began to laugh like he'd lost his damn mind. The chain set Sakura down and she scurried to safety behind Ino, who looked at her with disdain.
TenTen was slightly scared that Naruto had finally snapped and was on the verge of madness. She eased forward slowly and touched his arm. He quieted at her touch and she slipped in front of him, caressing his cheeks with her hands.
"Naruto? Are you ok?"
He raised his eyes to meet hers and she was shocked to see that he was perfectly fine. There before her, was her gentle faced Naruto, the one everyone loved. He smiled at her and wrapped her in a hug.
"I'm perfectly fine Ten-chan. I've just had a revelation of how I'm viewed by some people. That's all. Let's go get something to eat. I'm famished."
TenTen merely nodded and sighed happily when he put his arm around her shoulders. The rest of the group looked on in wonder at how this Naruto took all that in stride and didn't blow up at Sakura. His calm demeanor was twice as scary as his fox transformations. Sakura started to apologize but Ino clapped a hand over her mouth as TenTen and Naruto walked by. Ino whispered in the girl's ear.
"Don't say a damn thing. You've made things bad enough today, don't make it worse."
"What do you mean worse?"
"Just shut up and let things go. Just let it go."
The group watched as Naruto and TenTen faded into the distance. Lee turned to Neji, his normally wide eyes cracked as far as they'd go.
"Neji, my most youthful rival, let us swear never to anger Naruto-kun if we can help it. He is scarier than anything our worst enemies could throw at us."
Neji nodded and looked back to where his friend and teammate had disappeared.
'And I thought Hiashi-sama was horrible on a tear.'
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As TenTen and Naruto sat in the restaurant, she kept looking at the boy in front of her and wondering how the holy terror she'd seen earlier and the kind, gentle boy before her could be the same person.
"Naruto, why did you do that earlier? You were…frightening."
He sighed and reached across the table to take her hand.
"Ten-chan, know that I will never harm you, I will never betray your trust. Sakura and Kakashi are just able to push my buttons. I…I just can't seem to get along with them lately. Maybe I just can't put up with them anymore."
"I think you'll do fine Naruto. Just don't let them bait you like Sakura did. Just do the mission and come back home to me. I'll make it worth your while."
Naruto smiled and thanked the waitress when their food was brought.
"You don't have to entice me Ten-chan. I'll always come back to you."
"Good. So what are we going to do the rest of the night?"
"I don't know. You tell me."
TenTen grinned and leaned in toward him, making Naruto raise an eyebrow and look at her cockeyed.
"Are you going to fall asleep tonight at midnight?"
"I don't think so. Any particular reason why?"
TenTen's grin threatened to split her face.
"Because we got interrupted last night when you passed out and I wanted to fully initiate my new boyfriend in the pleasures of dating the 'Weapons Mistress of Konoha'."
"This isn't going to hurt is it?"
"Oh sweetie, it'll hurt so good…you won't want me to stop."
"I thought we were going to make out, not fight a full scale battle."
She shrugged and batted her eyelashes.
"What's the difference with us? I promise not to cut you too deep."
A small amount of fear found its way into Naruto's eyes as he thought up a compromise.
"Tell you what. You leave the weapons out of this and I'll give you a massage, deal?"
The vigorous nod he received relieved him enough to let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.
'One crisis averted. I'd rather not find out some of her more inventive ways of using kunai. Especially during intimate moments.'