I was feeling too lazy to write, so I decided to upload, but I'd like to give you all a few bits of info about where the story is at. As of right now, the document that holds only story content is roughly 46k words (Should be 48k or so by the end of tonight, and perhaps somewhere between 50-52k by next Monday?), so I can start to update more frequently soon. I will likely hold on to most of the chapters and only release them in a somewhat controlled manner, so that when I return to college, I can still upload content to be read when I have a chance (Every 2 weeks is the plan). I will likely not be writing much during that time period, until Thanksgiving or so.
ShulkXMelia23: I sent you a PM just now, so we can talk about specific topics. As for why Tenten and Konan are taking a back seat (and will continue to for this chapter), it's primarily because of where they fit in: Naruto's character in this story is fundamentally that of a loner seeking true connections. Naruto will gain those connections, and they will strengthen him, but he must suffer for a little bit longer in order to reach paradise. I wanted to give you another chapter to read before you leave on your trip, so I hope it's a good one!
alex problematico fuentes: Si disfrutas la venganza, creo que te gustará el final de este capítulo. Además, parece que su nombre se borra en el administrador de documentos debido a que tiene períodos seguidos de más texto, por lo que solo eliminaré los puntos de su nombre cuando responda a usted.
RedFoxx: No worries, and thanks for the catch!
theriku260: I feel rather guilty for causing such a thing on your Pomeranian, but I am also rather happy & amused to see that you haven't denied any of the things I claim to have sent you over PMs. Perhaps the time is right to use my powers of seduction :).
Antex-The Legendary Zoroark: There's a lot of different topics in your reviews, so I'll respond to a few of the things. 1. I'm glad you noticed the team from the Chunin Exams arc. 2. Konan is an Angel in just about everything she does, so I guess so, yeah. 3. I like Ajisai much more when she's alive than as a path of Pein as well. 4. Forced godson bonding time? ;D
Here is the chapter:
Naruto decided to pass by Ichiraku on the way back to his apartment, and thus walked by, seeing Ajisai in the ramen stand, likely waiting for him.
Sighing, Naruto realized that he had more or less wasted the bulk of today. Between waiting for his new sensei and thus neglecting training, learning nothing about water walking from his pervert of a teacher, and having said sensei taken out of commission by someone who rubbed Naruto the wrong way, Naruto resolved to have his conversation with Ajisai have some value.
"Ohayo, Ajisai-san." Ajisai looked over at Naruto, and allowed a very small smile to grace her face.
"Ohayo, Naruto-san." Said Ajisai, as Naruto sat down beside her.
"Have you been to Ichiraku Ramen before?" Ajisai shook her head, as Ayame walked in, hearing the voice of her favorite customer.
"Ooh, Naruto-kun! Are you having your first date? Your girlfriend is so pretty!" Naruto's cheeks reddened, but he laughed good-naturedly. Ajisai was taken aback at Ayame's remarks, and remained silent, unsure of the best way to respond.
"Not quite, Ayame-nee. Believe it or not, Ajisai-san here is a competitor in the Chunin exams! I owe her, and so here we are!" Ayame nodded in understanding.
"Ahh, which would explain why I don't recognize her clothes. Where are you from, Ajisai-chan?" Ajisai looked at Ayame before responding. The young woman was pretty, if rather bland, and she seemed to be kind in a genuine sort of way. If not for the others of Konoha she had fought against, Ajisai would have wondered if being genuine was a key trait of Konoha-nin.
"Amegakure, Ichiraku-san." Said Ajisai, before Naruto asked a question of his own.
"Have you got your ramen, Ajisai-san? If we're going to talk, we may as well have good ramen in the process." Ajisai nodded, before looking at the menu. What kind of ramen would make for a good dinner?
"Shio, please." Said Ajisai, as Naruto ordered his signature Miso with extra Chashu. As their ramen arrived, Ajisai had one question that, while seemingly arbitrary, had value.
"Why is she so familiar with you, Naruto-san? Is she a relative?" Naruto turned towards Ayame before chuckling.
"No, not really, but Ayame-nee and her father are two of my most precious people in Konoha." Naruto paused, and Ajisai saw his expression darken, before returning towards a more neutral/happy expression.
"Something worth saying is that I don't have any family, at least none that I know of. When I was younger, I lived in the orphanage system. One day, I walked out to play in one of Konoha's summer storms," Said Naruto, gesturing to imaginary warm rain, the strange but exciting smell of ozone permeating his nose through his memory, "and one of the orphanage staff pretended he didn't know me when I asked to come back in. What happened after that was nothing short of a miracle, Ajisai-san. Nothing short of it." Ajisai looked at Naruto, curious what hope Naruto saw.
"Out of nowhere, Teuchi-san, Ayame's father, offered to let me inside, and gave me a bowl of ramen. When I told him I didn't have any money, he told me that it was already paid for, and that's when I met her." Said Naruto. Ajisai wanted to ask who, but silently waited.
"I remember it like it was only yesterday – she was taller than me, but I was also so young… She looked cold and uncaring, but she gave me ramen, and because of her, I met the Ichiraku family. I only met her two more times, you know. Once before she left, and once when things were… not good." Said Naruto, and Ajisai knew that she wouldn't be privy to any of those stories. Outside, Jiraiya was also listening, although he was hidden.
"Who was she?" Asked Ajisai. Ayame looked over.
"You know, I think she had a soft spot for you, Naruto-kun." Naruto shook his head, but Ayame continued.
"You were really young, so you probably didn't notice it as well as I did, but she was paying attention to you the entire time, even when you thought she wasn't listening. Of course, you could almost consider her a guardian angel, couldn't you?" Naruto nodded sagely, grunting ever so slightly.
"Yeah. I think you were pretty close when you asked if she was a Tenshi, Ayame-nee." Meanwhile, Ajisai was compartmentalizing what Naruto was saying. Tenshi-sama, in Konoha? Saving the village Jinchuriki? Jiraiya was listening close, and wondered if this woman was the one who taught Naruto the Ame and Uzu techniques.
"No kidding?" Naruto laughed.
"Well, think about it this way, Ayame-nee. She saved my life three times." He held up three fingers, and counted them off. "Once, by putting me into contact with you. I still remember the fact that I stayed that night with you two, and Teuchi-ojisan was the one who walked me to the Hokage's office to help deal with my housing, not even mentioning all the bowls you gave me when times were hard." Ajisai could start to understand why Tenshi's view of Konoha citizens was less harsh than many of the other higher-ups of both Ame and the Rebellion.
"The second time was when she met me again before she left. She gave me hope, and proved that how I met you all wasn't just a fever dream." Ayame snorted softly. Naruto didn't get sick, ever.
"The third is because the last time I saw her in person, she saved my life." Ayame looked over in interest, and Ajisai's interest hadn't wavered ever since she pieced together who this woman was. For the Ame genin, this was eye-opening, hearing about a new story of her idol, and seeing witnesses to it. For Jiraiya, this provided a whole host of questions and opportunities to get information.
"Really? What kind of danger were you in, Naruto-kun?" Asked Ayame, a hard expression entering her eye. While one part promised hostility to whoever or whatever would endanger the Uzumaki, it also promised pain to the boy who didn't come to his older sister for help. Naruto saw the expression and deduced what it roughly meant, and gave a placating expression to her.
"Please don't worry about it, Ayame-nee. It was a time when you guys were super busy, Jiji was busy, and Iruka-sensei was busy. Plus, I wasn't even hurt, I was just saved from what could've been a bad situation." While a decent portion of this was outright lies, Naruto was desperate to minimize the truth, both because of the risk of incurring Ayame's wrath, and the risk of saying too much. While Naruto was confident that he wasn't being listened to by unwanted ears, he was still a shinobi, and something about the atmosphere felt a little bit off.
Ajisai stared at Naruto again, and Naruto was slightly uncomfortable with her purple eyes fixing on him for so long, although he couldn't quite piece together the reason. Sitting next to her, while she sat in the seat his sensei sat in all those years ago brought up some emotions within him. Some were pleasant, some were reverent, borderline religious, and others still raised up from the abandoned child within, who merely wanted attention and didn't know what mistake caused his abandonment by said sensei. The part he repressed deep inside was his fear – what if she had died? What if he could never see her again?
"I take it you haven't seen her?" Naruto shook his head, his expression turning decidedly sadder.
"No. Maybe one day I'll see her again, if I'm lucky. I don't even know her name." Naruto sighed, and Ajisai could see the boy go through a mental reset of sorts.
"Oh well. Let's get onto some more pleasant topics, I suppose. I have a lot of stories to tell, I guess. Anything that you'd like to know?" With that, Ajisai asked about a series of questions – Naruto's life growing up, his hobbies, habits, and his dreams.
"Maybe I'll become Hokage." Said Naruto, but it wasn't nearly as ardently as he would have proclaimed it years ago. Ajisai laughed.
"Maybe? Those are some interesting assumptions you've got, Naruto-san." Naruto turned towards Ajisai, inwardly happy. This was the first time he had been able to make his dinner partner laugh outwardly.
"Really? What are your dreams then, Ajisai-san?" Naruto responded, a wry grin on his face.
Over the minutes they talked, as they finished their first bowls and had their second, and then a drink of hot, aromatic tea, Ajisai had gradually become more emotional towards him – showing more visible emotion in her responses, asking questions inquisitively, and responding more frequently.
It seemed that as their conversation dragged on, Ajisai was becoming comparable socially to others of her age group, rather than an emotionless copy of Tenshi-sensei, assuming that was who she was emulating most of the time.
"Well, I suppose it's getting late, Ajisai-san. I don't want to get you in trouble with your team for staying out too late." Said Naruto, and Ajisai nodded, only then realizing how long she had been there. It felt like minutes of talking, but in reality, nearly two hours had gone by. As that day had been rather slow for Ichiraku's, Ayame packed up the cooking supplies, while listening into their conversations.
Ayame hadn't really seen Naruto with friends before – his 'friends' in the academy were merely other boys he skipped class with, and the people who he did visit with were often adults, people doing what they could to give connections and time to a young boy with no family. This felt like the start of a good, healthy friendship.
As Ajisai made to pay for her ramen and tea, Naruto gestured for her to stop, before paying for both of their meals.
"Don't worry about it, Ajisai-san. I'll walk you back to wherever your team is staying, too. That way, if they try to get you in trouble, I can take the blame." Ajisai was about to retort, not only because she could pay for herself and walk on her own, but also because she wasn't petty enough to shift blame onto someone else. Still, she bit her tongue. Such outbursts were not for the subordinates of Tenshi-sama. Thus, she allowed him to do walk her back as well, and as he wished her a good night and fruitful training, she saw him start to walk back to his apartment.
Inside, she saw Fuyo, Suiren, and Tenshi-sama. The first was lazily looking around the room, and turned, waving to Ajisai. The second was sitting in a corner, presumably waiting for her teammate too. Tenshi-sama's expression was unreadable.
"Tenshi-sama." Said Ajisai, closing the door and kneeling before her angel.
"How was your meeting with Naruto, Ajisai? Was it fruitful?" Ajisai hesitated, but then nodded, before asking a question.
"May I ask about something he told me, Tenshi-sama?" Konan nodded.
"He mentioned a woman who saved him three times, emotionally controlled," Here, Ajisai was modifying the words so that the nuance would be more positive, "and like an angel. Was he talking about you, Tenshi-sama?" Konan allowed a very small smile to appear.
"Naruto and the woman at Ramen Ichiraku were not lying to you. I never told you the specifics behind how I got to know my oldest student, but now you know the story, more or less." Ajisai wanted to ask so many questions now – how did she save Naruto's life? Why was Naruto unsure about her? Why didn't he say she was his sensei? How did she know who was at the ramen place with them? With a pointed look from Konan, Ajisai fessed up her questions.
"Ajisai, you have to understand the reality of my life – I am a commander and kunoichi in a war for my home, not only Naruto's sensei. You of all people realize the state of the war." Ajisai understood clearly – their side, the rebellion, was winning, but they were in a crucial state – had they not been as careful, and not got the small advantages across many battles, Hanzo wouldn't be holed up in his tower, using his subordinates of subordinates as emissaries and commanders in battle.
If what Konan knew was true, Heiji would be the representative of Amegakure for the final stages of Konoha's chunin exams, and if that didn't speak to Amegakure's weakness, what did?
"And as for how I saved his life, you can understand how I managed to save a boy from a drunk mob intent on killing an innocent boy." Ajisai's eyes widened – she didn't know the circumstances. "As for your other questions, I tend to keep things about my personal life closed off. In fact, you three are the only ones who know about my relation to Naruto."
Ajisai felt her heart clench. In that moment, she could feel her devotion to her Lady growing even greater. Even though Pein was the god of the revolution, Ajisai was not inspired by his bloodshed and cruelty, but by the angel who saved the poor souls caught in crossfire after reaping the fields of Hanzo loyalists.
"As for how I knew, the reasoning is rather simple. I heard the entire conversation, and I wasn't the only one." Said Konan. Ajisai was shocked. "Jiraiya of the Sannin was listening in the entire time. I don't know if Naruto knew, but he certainly did a good job at keeping his persona difficult to read, even if he did use numerous foreign techniques during the Chunin exams." Said Konan, a touch of disapproval at the last remark, mixed in with pride.
"What would you have me do, Tenshi-sama?" Konan pondered.
"As Jiraiya-sensei was listening in to his dinnertime conversations instead of his other hobbies, he must have an interest in the boy outside of his jinchuriki status. Perhaps one day, after his training, you can ask him to have dinner with our team. Fuyo, Suiren." She said, now turning to her other genin.
"Hai, Tenshi-sama?" they responded.
"As Ajisai will both be training for the final round and connecting with Naruto, I expect the two of you to support her in her training, and prepare the watercress salad for our team dinner." While Fuyo and Suiren would normally be relaxed and formal respectively, they were both in awe and terrified at the prospect of making food that their angel would eat, for such an important occasion as seeing her oldest student.
"Hai, Tenshi-sama!" The duo said, and started preparing notes and plans for the meal itself, which would end up going far beyond the initial salad that Konan suggested.
"Thank you. As for you, Ajisai," She said, "continue training hard, and foster your friendship with Naruto. I have high hopes for what he could be one day, and you would do well to become strong when the time comes." Ajisai took her Lady's words to heart, and smiled, happy at her task.
With that, the Angel of Amegakure set in motion another key part of her student's life and development, as, unknown to each other, both sensei and student watched as the sky turned from a clear night sky to a warm summer rain, and smiled.
The next day, Naruto walked back to the hot springs. While he detested Ebisu, he did acknowledge that his strategy of using hot water as a motivator for properly walking on water was useful. Of course, after failing the first couple times, he heard a giggling coming from somewhere in front of him.
Turning, he saw Jiraiya, eyes on binoculars peeping into the women's side of the hot springs. While Naruto was peeved, he didn't get truly peeved until he realized he could hear Tenten's voice on the other side. Perving was one thing. Perving on his old friend was a whole different beast. Perving on his old friend who he might or might not have feelings in some way slightly, possibly, maybe more than platonic manner, whom he couldn't connect with because of his own guilt? Naruto saw red. Growling, he got up from the hot water, before charging at this old man.
Lost in his perversions, Jiraiya didn't register Naruto behind him until he kicked the old man into the women's side of the baths, yelling after him.
"He's been peeping on you, ladies. Beat him black and blue!" Tenten was shocked to hear Naruto's voice, but registered what he was saying, and turned towards Jiraiya.
Several hours later, two people left the hot springs in the pursuit of Naruto. Tenten, who ardently joined in the beating of Jiraiya, wanted to talk to him, and felt that their inability to talk had gone on long enough. Jiraiya, like an undying Edo Tensei, a vengeful ghost, or a nigh-unkillable pervert, was determined to give Naruto the most painful training he would ever experience in his current (and next three or four, for good measure) lives.
But first, he should probably get some medical attention.
The next chapter will either be released on Friday the 27th or Sunday the 29th - it really depends where I'm at with writing. I want to keep a significant buffer for when I go back to college. Here is my question for you all: Where do you feel Ajisai fits in relative to Naruto and Tenten? I already know where she will end up, but I'm not going to spoil it (yet) or change things around, with the exception of adding her as a main character on the fic's 'Properties' tab.