Yeaaah boiiii
Hey hey, chapter fourteen is out and I think I did a rather nice job on it actually. Sorry it took me a while to get this out but hey, what can you do. Some crazy shit happened to me over me Easter break, wait for it, wait.... I went out into the woods!
That's right, I was out in the wilderness, and I don't mean the whole holding hands around the campfire while everyone sings little campfire songs. No I mean, trekking through the wilderness for an entire week without any worldly possessions. Yeaaah.... that gave me some chest hair and a lot of it. It was hard and I was with like five other dudes, man I suffered. Out in the wild with only guys... not cool. But on the bright side, while I was out there I took a couple of tests, both written and practical and I aced them so as of now I am a legally certified first-aider. I have a card and every thing; that's going to be a beauty on my college resume.
Anyway, this chapter will be pretty nice and for all those who have been waiting for some interaction between Naruto and the other girls, well your wait is over. Get ready for a little mushy-mushy in this chapter, there will be a certain degree of seriousness as well buuuutttttt mostly some mushy-mushy crap. And maybe even a little chat between the girls.
Hope you all enjoyed your spring breaks I know that I didn't, and I hope that you enjoy this latest installment of Sacred Mark of the Rising Kekkei Genkai!
Enjoy Mutha Fuckas
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Sacred Mark of the Rising Kekkei Genkai
He receives, They accept, She denies
In a brightly lit room, Zabuza stood atop a high platform that overlooked a wide expanse of desolate wasteland. In front of him, nothing but a large window, however behind him was the massive glittering inside of the Saiki's castle. After he had spoken to Zexin of the blond girl who appeared with the Namikaze he was sent here to this room. This was the room where he was supposed to find his inner weapon, find the weapon in which was held inside his very soul. As of now he hated this, for starters the room was way too bright and shiny for his taste and plus sitting here just meditating was horribly boring.
Thick silence enveloped the room, it had been doing that for the past... what? Hour! Every now and then he would break the thickness of the muted room by letting a sigh escape is mouth. Honestly he just couldn't think straight and concentrate on himself for so long, every time he divulged a bit of his inner self a picture of Haku's smiling face would always flash in his mind; it would come quick and fast like a bolt of powerful lighting. And that bolt of memory was always enough to break Zabuza's still state of mind.
To think that he so easily left her in order to obtain power, this so called power that took an interminable time to attain, he pondered on whether or not it was really worth it. But then an image of Marlucia replaced Haku's face. Of course this power was worth it, if Marlucia possessed that much than who knew what he was capable of?
Concentrating Zabuza settled into a lotus style sit and cleared his throat. A shifting behind him alerted him of the presence behind him.
"Are you still having trouble trying to concentrate?" Zexin's voice said from behind him. Zabuza had almost forgotten that Zexin had been with him the entire time, perhaps his words did hold some truth and this power was really worth it.
"Yes, Zexin-sama, I can't seem to concentrate for a long enough time in order to find myself," Zabuza said in a depressed tone, "Will this really allow me to gain access to my true weapon?"
"Of course it will, do you question the veracity of my words?," Zexin responded asked. Zabuza instantly tensed up, although he could not see it, he knew that Zexin had a scowl on his face.
"No," Zabuza said reluctantly. Zexin's tone of voice held a tone of dominance which Zabuza knew he should comply with let he wanted to end up a pile of mulch. Although he wasn't necessarily zealous about having to listen to Zexin's word either. But to save himself from any future diatribes he simply listened to the man."No not at all, I just need more time to concentrate, please allot me more time."
"Fine, however, do not waste anymore time, gather your thoughts and find your inner self." Zabuza released another sigh as he listened to Zexin's footsteps fade away into nothing.
The image flashed again. For know he would let her do what she wished, however, once he had obtained his weapon he would come back for her.
"Haku-chan, I have not forgotten you," Zabuza said before closing his eyes.
----
Larxene woke up feeling the pounding affect of the monstrous headache that kept assaulting her skull. She noticed that she was inside her room. Judging by her location, the battle was already over and seeing as how she was still alive they had won. How disgraceful it was to fall right, quite literally, into Marlucia's cold hands, not only did she berate her self for that but she also berated herself for not being able to do anything about it. She was at that moment in the past, at that frozen bastards mercy.
"Uh, my head," she whined with a glassy rasp. Her muscles were sore, still recuperating from the effects of Marlucia's jutsu. They were hard and stiff, refusing to move another inch, like a mountain of rocks never moving in the distance. When a breeze rolled in from an open window, it sent a chill down her spine and she noticed that her back was bare. As in she had no clothing on, save for a pair of black pants.
On instinct she crossed her arms across her chest in an attempt to shield herself from the unnaturally bitter cold. To her surprise a hand slid up her back and onto her shoulder, causing her to release a sudden squeak.
"Don't sit up, you still haven't completely defrosted," said Naruto's voice as Larxene was pulled back onto the bed. She let out a little gasp when she felt a bit of pain from hitting the soft mattress, a clear indicator that some of her body still wasn't completely warmed up.
"Ow... you prick don't grab me li-," he voice lowered and she withheld her words when Naruto suddenly placed his hand on her head. She shuddered from the contact, although it was sudden it did feel very warm, unusually warm. "W-what are you doing," she asked shakily. Given that her chest was bare at the moment, Naruto had a full view of her cleavage. That knowledge alone sent a wave of heated blood rushing throughout her face, throwing her into a furious blush.
Although she was not the only one who was bare at the moment, Naruto himself had no shirt on his entire upper body was naked, save for the bandages that wrapped around his arms, going diagonally from his right shoulder and across his chest down to his left hip and then finally wrapping around the entirety of his waist. His well muscled chest drew a good reaction from Larxene, her face lighting up.
"It's a basic fire jutsu used to produce only a minuscule output of thermal energy, so it's only used for simple things like producing body heat." Larxene eyed Naruto as he rested his hand on her forehead, gazing directly at him. She had to admit, like this his face did look okay, and the way the light struck his eyes gave them a majestic quality. She then froze when Naruto looked directly at her.
"D-don't' you dare l-look at my c-chest... keep your eyes on me," she said red-faced. Her brow rose as he just chuckled.
"Yes, Lar-sama, I wouldn't dare as to do something so vile." That was obviously a lie, as Naruto had done worst in the past. Hell, he probably had a camera hidden somewhere in the room... this was prime blackmail material.
"That's a lie," she said, "Anyway, where's Haku-chan?" Naruto lifted his hand, Larxene pouted at the absence of warmth when did, and pointed over to a bed next to her where Haku was laying there covered up to her neck with a brown cloth made of what looked like wool. Her chest slowly rose and fell at a gentle pace.
"I just finished warming her up right before you woke up, she's stable right now, she just needs to take a little nap." He placed his hand back on her head, and much to her pleasure left it there for some minutes. During the time, he told her of the outcome of the battle and exactly how Marlucia was killed. She listened attentively, nodding her head every few seconds like a perplexed child.
Afterward Naruto took his hand of her head and said, "Okay I'm going to need to go down a bit further." At first she didn't quite know what that meant but when Naruto explained that he would actually have to place his hands over her torso, Larxene didn't seem so enthusiastic about getting 'warmed up'. However she did give him permission, so long as his hands stayed above her skin and not on it.
"Fine, but if I do touch you, you can't really blame me. I mean, you've got a great body." Larxene blushed at that comment and looked to the side, avoiding Naruto's jovial expression. For some reason getting complemented by Naruto made her feel, funny. Her skin tingled from it, well the skin that she could fully feel anyway.
"S-shut up, I don't need you complementing me on my, f-figure," she said but her obviously ephemeral stubbornness to accept his complement faded away when she turned back to him, "T-thanks though." Naruto just chuckled at her embarrassment.
Naruto brought his hand above her chest and for the first time Larxene noticed that Naruto's hand was glowing a pale orange, she registered it only as the source of the heat that warmed her. She shuddered as a warm sensation came upon her, flooding into her body like water flowing into a glass. After a span of seconds she began to regain complete feeling in her arms and legs and no longer did she have that stiff pins and needles sensation in her appendages.
She let out a sigh of content, however she suddenly gasped as she realized that Naruto was staring at her.
"W-what," she asked. Her cheeks flushed and she once again began to blush.
"Oh nothing, just get some rest," He said as he pulled brown woolen sheets up to her neck. "Oh and you're clothing is over there," he said pointing a thumb at a coat rack by the wall. He then stood to walk away, when Larxene's hand shot up and grabbed his forearm.
"Wait! Uh... um."
"What?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.
She could not believe that she was going to say what she was about to say but she didn't want Naruto to leave. She wanted him to stay with her until she was able to fully move about by herself, however she would never let him know that. So for now she just needed to make an excuse to get him to stay.
"Um... I just wanted to say thanks... you know for saving me... and Haku-chan as well!" That was pathetic, how was she going to get him to stay with something like that? He'd probably just say 'sure no problem' and just leave. "A-and since you know, you saved us... and all I just, y-you know wanted to repay... you." Her eyes darted from the floor to Naruto's smirking face. The fact that he was smirking must have meant that he knew that she was up to something.
"And how do you plan on repaying me?," Naruto asked perversely, "After all I did save your life."
"I-I don't really know how, but maybe-..."
"Maybe what," Naruto stated cutting her off.
Now Larxene was getting a bit nervous. "I...uh, I just, thought that I-I should... find s-some way to-..." Through her slurred speech and uncontrollable stammer, Larxene's words came out chopped up, like they had just gone through a blender. She really wasn't expecting, to have such a hard time talking to the boy, in fact when Marlucia had her in his grasp, the image that flashed in her mind right before she thought she had died was Naruto. Not her brother, but Naruto, she couldn't help but be flummoxed over why she saw his face however she had intended to find out. But did it really have to be so hard, why was she stammering like a little girl with a crush? Was it that for the first time her mind was admitting to herself that she had an actual attraction to Naruto, that would explain why she felt so... funny.
Her thoughts about the boy spun around in her head as she continued to sling out outre' pieces of sentences that made no apparent sense whatsoever. This continued on for a second until her eyes were forced open by the sudden warm sensation on her lips and she found herself drawn in.
Before she knew it Naruto had bent down and in an instant their lips made a connection; he had kissed her! At first she was taken by surprise; to date this was her first real kiss that she had ever gotten. At first she tried to fight it but she soon submitted and allowed his tongue to enter and explore, her eyelids closed themselves as did his and she concentrated only on the sweet taste of the intimate osculation. The taste of ramen and something else entered her mouth, a moan escaped her, and she suddenly found it hard to pull away.
That might have been because he now cradled her head in between his palm and forearm.
The kiss continued on for some seconds and before she knew Naruto had pulled away, ending the warm emollient, and placed her head back on her pillow. He smiled down at her; while she was short of breath and tomato red in complexion, and chuckled.
"I'll just take that as my reward, deal?"
Dumbfounded, she nodded, her mouth left open from the lasting effects of Naruto's kiss. If she didn't know better she was have told him that she enjoyed it, more than she was willing to admit; but her facial expression was enough to relay the message over to him. "I-I never, asked you to do that..., what are you trying to do you perv?" she asked her voice lowering into nothing more than a susurrus. (that means a whisper or murmur)
"But you liked it, did you not?" Naruto asked. When she did no respond but merely turned to her side, away from him, he let out a laugh."Ha! I can't believe it, you were so... into the moment! Damn, I'm good! Looks like I was right, you really are just a shy girl at heart, that was barely a kiss and you looked like you were going to faint! Yup, that was definitely my reward... the look on your face was so worth it.
Larxene's hidden expression got even redder when she realized that Naruto wasn't talking about the kiss as his reward, rather he took her facial expression as his reward. "Sh-shut... and just get out!," She yelled flinging her pillow at him, backing him up at the to the door.
"OK, OK, I was just messing with you, but for the record, I enjoyed it as well," he then opened the door and slipped out but before the door fully closed he poked his head back in, "you know had me worried back there, I'm glad you're alright." All he got was a sour grumble in return, which made him chuckle before fully closing the door, leaving a thoroughly winded Larxene to lie in her bed.
'I-I can't believe he just did that! It felt... a little nice while it lasted though,' she thought to herself. Underneath the covers her legs were in constant panic, moving every few seconds in order to help calm herself down. The wool felt hard and itchy against her skin, brushing ever so gently enough to make her legs irritable.
"H-hey how, did it feel?," said a voice across from her, at first she assumed that Naruto had crept back into the room but noticed that it a females voice asking her the question; in other words Haku. She glanced at the girl.
"Wha- what, w-why?" she asked confused.
"Isn't it obvious, because I want to know how it felt before I feel it myself." That comment cause her eyes to widened.
"You like... Naruto?" Larxene asked.
"Y-yeah, I was going to keep it from you because I figured that you l-liked him as well."
"What, you thought that I liked him? Not a chance."
"Of course, by the way you didn't pull away from his kiss, yeah that really convinced me that you can't stand the guy," Haku said teasing Larxene.
"Quiet you, and don't say another word."
"Oh, don't be so pushy, if I were you I'd probably be too shocked to even speak," that comment earned her a giggle from Larxene, "but rest assure it won't happen ever again, because Naruto will be mine." Larxene's eyes widened, she didn't know that Haku could be so... aggressive.
"Whatever, you can have him," Larxene said. She knew that she didn't mean that, not in the least bit, after a kiss like that she was pretty sure that she wanted more, "But, if I ever were to become attracted to that... Namikaze, and I'm not saying that I will, but if I were to then I wouldn't loose to you," Larxene said as she covered her face with her sheet.
Haku just giggled, although she did feel a spear of jealousy lance through her body, she knew that Larxene was in denial and hoped that she would eventually admit to her own feelings. But not too soon, it would get in her way of attaining her prize. With that Haku just turned her back to Larxene and went back to her nap, her mind falling back into the land of dreams and... Naruto.
---
The sounds of crickets swarmed in through the open window of the kitchen. Kakashi sat in a chair at a wooden table, across from him sat Sasuke and Sakura. He was positioned in a low slouch, like that of a sloth as he clung to the table for support. The arm he had injured while fighting Zabuza was now wrapped up in clean and newly applied bandage, held up by a sling; swinging like the body of boa constrictor in a tree every time he moved.
Outside the luminescent tails of fireflies danced passed the window, piercing through the darkness in beautiful displays of pale orange light.
Every few seconds, he would glance down and scratch the garbed appendage for it irritated him to have it strung up like this. And seeing as how his two pupils kept glancing at it, sneaking in nervous glances every now and then, he was even more aware of his present injury.
For the past fifteen minutes he devoted his time to trying to explain to Sasuke and Sakura the outcome of the battle, while keeping certain things about the encounter strictly esoteric of course. Although it was rather hard trying to explain to the two how they beat Zabuza without mentioning anything about Marlucia, but then again Kakashi was a pretty good liar... when he wanted to be, and they would believe anything he said to them either way.
While he spoke they both payed close attention, taking in every bit of information as it were scraps of food and they were dying loners, especially Sasuke. The young Uchiha leaned far off the edge of his seat, absorbing every word that Kakashi uttered; he especially paid attention whenever Naruto's name was mentioned which led Kakashi to think that the reason the boy paid so much attention was so that he could gather new information on Naruto. Honestly, Sasuke wasted too much time paying attention to Naruto, unless he actually trained himself he would never surpass Naruto when it came to skill. Although it must have been a furious blow to his pride when he learned that he had been left in the dust by the boy who was dead last in the class.
The crickets still chirped as Kakashi's tale was coming to an end, on his last word he said, "And so that's pretty much what happened, any more questions?"
Sasuke sprung up, "Actually yeah, about that Hunter-Nin that you brought back, that was the same one who attacked you and stopped you from killing Zabuza back then, right?" Kakashi nodded. "OK, so why are we keeping him here with us?," Sasuke said with narrowed eyes, Sakura who had been following her crush just nodded, also wanting an explanation.
Kakashi just sighed, he knew that he would have to tell them eventually, he just didn't want to. Then a thought showed itself in its mind, and Kakashi concluded that he would not have to be the one to explain things. Of course this thought of his meant that Naruto would have to come up with a reasonable explanation, if he was lucky the blonde would be able to think of something, however if things took a turn for the worst and Naruto could not think of a good excuse then, it would all come back to him.
"Oh, you'll have to ask Naruto that of course," Kakashi said. Sasuke's eyes narrowed even more until the point of becoming little slits.
"Then where is Naruto?"
"Upstairs, tending to Larxene and our hunter-nin friend," Kakashi replied.
"No I'm not, I'm right here,"said Naruto's voice. The Jounin and two Genin flicked their heads to see Naruto standing at the staircase, his entire upper body encase in a mess of bandages. He walked over and leaned against the wall next to them. "Is there a reason why my name is being used?," he asked folding his arms. He noticed Sasuke's needle point glare at the boy, and simply waved to him which only seemed to get the Uchiha to intensify his glare. Sakura on the other hand... well, just looked love-struck... as usual, not even bothering to glance away from her raven-haired pretty boy.
That was when Kakashi turned around in his chair. "Naruto, care to tell these two why we have fully healed our hunter nin friend upstairs?" His face hidden from the two behind, Kakashi gave Naruto an apologetic eye smile, one that looked compatible with a shoulder shrug. His silent glance somehow relayed over to Naruto as an indication that he was saying 'ill make it up to you'.
'Man, so you want me to explain thing, because you didn't want them to pester you, how unlike a Jounin. Lucky for you I have an actual reason.' Honestly, Kakashi could be one lazy bastard when he felt like it, Naruto just so happened to get caught up in the middle of it. Now all eyes were on him, lying in wait for his reason for helping an enemy.
As Naruto prepared to open his mouth, he was cut off by Sasuke. "This better be a good reason, teme."
"Oh trust me, this reason is good enough, dobe," Naruto replied smoothly much to Sasuke's displeasure. This drew Kakashi in closer, how Naruto could come up with an excuse so quickly was beyond him, however, he was eager to hear what strange or unbelievable excuse the blonde had to offer. "The only reason why I healed her was because-"
"Her? The hunter nin is a girl?," Sakura said, actually taking her eyes away from Sasuke. It seems as if that statement alone was enough to break her from her reverie. Sasuke himself also showed a sign of blatant disbelief with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes Sakura she's a girl, I know it's such a hard concept to grasp," Naruto said lacing his voice with some sarcasm, he was surprised at how Sakura did not pick it, or at least that's what he surmised out of her only nodding in accordance to his words. "Anyway, like I was saying the only reason that we have healed her and kept her with us is because she helped us defeat Zabuza."
"Well I could have told you that," Sasuke said while leaning on the wooden table, "Kakashi already told us of how she aided you during the battle." Sasuke stopped when Naruto raised his hand.
"Let me finish" he stated. "Not only did she help us but, she will also be accompanying us back to Konoha where she will be established as an official Nin of the the village." After Naruto's ridiculously bold claim silence ensued, between the the four nobody spoke. For a moment there was a brief pause and a seaside breeze flew in pushing Naruto's unruly hair off to the side. At first Naruto really hadn't thought of the matter as such a big deal, however, after seeing the reactions of his three comrades, he began to have second guesses on just how serious of an issue he was bringing up.
"Naruto, what?" Kakashi's voice broke the silence like a rock through a window, he could tell by the upward angle of the Jounin's eye that he was serious now. He could not believe what Naruto had just said, he knew that letting Naruto explain things was taking a risk. However, it seemed that Naruto's excuse was indeed not spurious and his words were true; he truly intended to bring Haku back with him.
"Yeah, that's right, she's coming with us back to Konoha, I said it."
"You do realize that because of her association with Zabuza she is marked as a nuke-nin in the bingo book, and that if you were to bring her back--which by the way is dangerous for all of us--she would be hunted down and confined to prison the instant word got out that she was in Konoha. Oh, and I hope you don't plan to present her to the Hokage, that's giving her a one-way ticket straight to jail."
"Do not fret Kakashi" Naruto said easily, "There will be no need for any of that, for she will be protected, they both will."
"By who, who could possibly protect-..." then Kakashi paused, registering exactly what Naruto had just said, his chin fell and his gaze met the floor only to rise back up again and meet Naruto's unwavering eyes,"-you just said they both will, who are they?" Kakashi asked suddenly.
"When I say they I mean that I intend to bring back both Haku and Larxene." This caused Kakashi's eye to widen. Sasuke glanced and the back of his sensei's head and then back to Naruto, he knew of Larxene but Haku... the only thing he could conclude by that was that Haku was the name of Zabuza's subordinate and judging by the look on Sakura's face, it seemed as if she had made the connection as well.
The sudden screech of wood against wood caused Sakura to wince as Kakashi suddenly stood from his chair, there he barked, "Naruto, what are you thinking, we can't take her with us, she's just as dangerous as Haku is. I understand that up until now we have considered them as comrades but if we enter Konoha with those two we cannot consider them as such any longer. Seeing as how they both are not accepted kunoichi of any village--and they have no business with Konoha--they will be treated as intruders the instant they set foot through the main gate."
Kakashi, Sakura and Sasuke all shared a confused expression as a chuckle escaped Naruto's lips. "Kakashi, a fickle one you are indeed, tell me do you consider them to be the enemy?" Kakashi stood straight.
"That is not the point, Naruto, The Law of Hi no Kuni clearly states that if not brought into any hidden village as a prisoner, a ninja labeled as "missing" should not be allowed to enter said village. If said Nin were to enter the village with the aid of a person of persons of that specific village then the person shall be captured and taken into confinement along with their accomplice." Kakashi spoke with a still and plain tone, as if he was some computer reciting back the law with robotic precision. "Larxene does not have a village and Haku is a nuke Nin, therefore they won't be allowed to enter Konoha as easily as you would presume and if you somehow get them both inside, eventually you will be found out and taken into custody along with them, so unless you want to go to jail I suggest that you refrain from taking them inside our village, this for not only for their sake but for yours as well."
This time Naruto scoffed and walked over toward an open window, leaning out for a span of some seconds until he turned around and look Kakashi dead in the eye. Both Sakura and Sasuke had fallen back in the discussion, not even daring to utter a word. They did not understand the complications of the Law of the land and judging by Naruto's silence, neither did he, it would be better for him to just back away and comply with Kakashi. However this was Naruto they were talking about, he was persistence incarnate, the very essence of the word so they would not be surprised if Naruto had come up with some counterclaim to battle Kakashi's argument.
"Kakashi, don't take me for a fool, I am well aware of what the law of Hi no Kuni states, I am neither ignorant nor unwitting."
"Then you understand why you cannot take them with you, it'd be better for you to have them wait here and consult with the Hokage until you come on an agreement and then when you have solved the matter come back-- with the permission of the Sandaime of course--and bring them to Konoha with you." Kakashi glared at his student; coming up with such an unreasonable request, he began to wonder what even drove him to think of such a plan.
"Kakashi, you and I both know that they cannot stay here, the dangers that come with being a missing nin and unknown nin outside of a hidden village are far too great and on top of that you also are aware of the more darker forces that are at work here as well." That comment caused Sasuke to eye Naruto suspiciously.
'Darker forces, what is he talking about?'
"Yes."Kakashi replied
"Then the only thing I can do is take them with me." Naruto said coolly. "And seeing as how you have bought up the law, let me counter what you have stated, the law does say that I am not allowed to bring them with me unless as prisoners, but you have overlooked something else that the Law states. Kakashi, have you not forgotten who it is that I am?" Naruto said letting a laugh escape him, "The law of Hi no Kuni also states that anyone resident to any village is not allowed to harm a person who is part of a clan to that same village as well." He paused for a moment, bringing back the previous silence then said, "Are you making the connection Kakashi? I can protect them."
'Who the hell are the Namikaze?'
"What are you getting at, Naruto? How can you possibly protect them?"
"Simple, by inducting them into a clan that belongs to Konoha. Remember Kakashi-sensei my name is Namikaze Naruto, It is not so much as me who will protect them as it is the Namikaze name that will be their aegis. It was my plan all along to bring them in as subordinates to the Namikaze clan and seeing as how I am the last remaining Namikaze, that makes me clan head, by default if I must specify how. Therefore as head of the clan I am allowed to make anyone whom I see fit to become one, a part of the Namikaze clan, whether or not it be by blood or by something as menial as a clan subordinate."
Kakashi's eye widened, his student had this as his plan all along. Everything was as he had just said, if that was so then Larxene and Haku could be allowed to enter Konohagakure no Sato without a problem. In truth Naruto had in fact used the law to protect them from... the law, a Loophole in other words. Although a bit underhanded, Kakashi felt a strong sense of pride for his pupil's cunning, who knew that Naruto could be so clever?
Naruto felt his shoulders relax as he heard a sigh from behind Kakashi's mask. It seems as if his sensei had finally seen the veracity of his words and complied. Naruto, suddenly became giddy, bouncing on his toes in wait for his sensei to admit
"Alright Naruto, you win... if what you just said was true then yeah, they can come." The corners of Kakashi's mask folded and he smiled, watching Naruto pump his fist up. "But you know Naruto, if you weren't a Namikaze you wouldn't be able to do this."
The Naruto chuckled, "Kakashi-sensei, if I were not a Namikaze then none of this would have even happened and there would be no need for me to do this." He then turned around to lean outside the window. Kakashi had brought up a good point; if reality had chosen a different path for him and he was not Namikaze, but plain old Uzumaki Naruto, would he be doing what he was now? Surely the answer was no, if not for his heritage, none of the things that had just transpired would ever come to past, he wouldn't have met Larxene, nor would he have met Haku, everything would be different. That Naruto knew was as clear as the most transparent crystal ever to be held by a man, however, he was glad... he liked his life just the way it is.
Rearing his head back like a startled horse Naruto asked Kakashi, "So we leave in the morning... correct?" When Kakashi nodded he simply turned back toward the outside, admiring the random shimmers that were firefly tails gamboling in the dark.
"Tomorrow at five 'o clock, before we leave, I want all of us to meet in the sitting room, though." Kakashi's voice pulled Naruto back away from the lights and he turned his head yet again.
"OK, I'll make sure I'm there."
"No Naruto... I want all of us to meet, and that includes our two new clan subordinates," Kakashi said.
"Fine, we'll all be there," Naruto said, turning back with a smile on his face.
However the blonde nor Kakashi saw the way Sasuke eyed the back of Naruto's head.
'Namikaze, I know I've heard the name. Naruto I knew you were hiding something and I intend to find out the instant we get back to Konoha.' Sasuke's gaze did not waver, he watched Naruto for the entire time that he stood at the window and all the way up until he left up into his room, to retire for the night.
As his back collided with the soft mattress underneath him, Naruto released a content sigh, surrounding his head with the soft encasement of his pillow. The pale moonlight beamed down on his head, and Naruto stared into the ceiling, allowing the milky light to flow over his head.
If Larxene and Haku were to be admitted into Konoha by the means at which he set then his status as a Namikaze would have to be exposed to the public, if not, then it would be kept behind closed doors, only allowed to be known by the most trustworthy of ears. It was a risky method for getting them in the village, but for now it was the only thing that he had. The worst-case scenario would be that his heritage would be given out to the public and the end result would be not only having more glares pointed at him, but Larxene and Haku would also be subject to the treatment of the villagers.
"What have I gotten us into?" he said before sighing; his eyes failed to keep themselves open, and he muttered before fatigue took over him and carried him off in the land of dreams.
----
In the morning the mist rolled in, thick and gray, blocking the horizon from view. The sounds of waves gently caressing the sand in a steady rhythmic pattern filled the air; one violent crash caused Naruto's ear to twitch, effectively serving as his alarm clock for the day. How odd was it that he just so happened to have a room near the edge of the water?
Slowly he rose, his muscles stiff and hard like unbreakable wood. His feet touched the ground quietly as he got up and left the room, his footsteps barely heard as he glided over to the room Larxene and Haku slept in. He glanced at the door then quickly went to the bathroom in order to complete his morning rituals, and ate a quick cup of instant ramen and came back.
Seeing as how they were leaving so early in the morning, he would have to make sure that they were both ready to depart. Previously, after the battle Naruto had taken them both under his hand and spent hours sitting over them both, carefully returning their bodies' to their original states. And considering the level of the jutsu he used to warm them up, he was surprised that he was able to heal them both in only a span of a couple hours .
The door cracked open, every so quietly and Naruto poked his head inside the girls' room. There he saw on one bed the crudely contorted and disfigured lump that was Larxene hidden underneath a mass of sheets, a few feet past her on the other bed was Haku laying with only her head sticking out. The sheets clung tightly to her body, outlining her growing curves and her hair, flung fully out and thrown out behind her head and onto the bad in wild diverging strands
Tip-toeing in, Naruto first walked up to Larxene's bed, where he then slipped his finger underneath the covers and slid them down to they were just past the girls neck. There he paused for a moment, gazing at her sleeping visage. She looked innocent, unaware, and in his mind a tad bit cute... too bad he would have to break that blissful little state of hers.
He then made his way into the middle of the room and extended his arms out toward both girls, which he then used to give them both a very violent shaking.
"Wake up!" He shouted, causing the both of them to jump out of their covers while sharing the same shocked expression.
It seems that, as if on impulse, Larxene had clung to her covers when she jerked up, however Haku had not, leaving the brown-haired girl with rosy cheeks before she finally tucked her covers underneath her chin.
"What, what are you doing here so early in the morning?" Larxene asked, clearly ticked off.
"Hurry up, both of you, me and my team will be leaving pretty soon... change, wash up, you know but while you're changing I have something to tell you both. And don't worry I'll be turned around while you guys change, I won't peek." He turned around, placing his back to them both out of respect, it most likely would not go well with them if he were to watch them change.
"Good, you better turn your back, pervert..." Larxene muttered causing Naruto to smile, he had expected something like that from Larxene. However what he didn't expect was what came out of Haku's mouth.
Gripping her covers tightly, Haku swallowed hard, Larxene was already farther ahead with Naruto then she was and if she wanted any attention from the boy then she would have to do something drastic. "Uh, um... I don't really mind you watching... me while I change... you know seeing as how... you've already seen, me... exposed before." Haku instantly dropped her gaze to the floor, her cheeks burning like hot coals lying underneath a blacksmith's trough. Larxene gave her a surprised slack-jawed glance as Naruto merely raised an eyebrow in fascination. She knew exactly what Haku was trying to do, however, Naruto seemed to be a bit too interested, she surmised it solely on how he switched body positions when Haku spoke. His zealousness angered her and she cast a hard glare at Haku, who had just begun to stand and fetch her clothing.
"OK, why not, if you're comfortable and I-..." Naruto then froze when he felt the vicious spike in Larxene's KI, most of which was aimed at him, "-Uh, as a matter of fact, never mind I'll just tell you both standing here the way I am now."
"Good" Larxene said before getting up to change, glaring once more at Haku who scowled, visibly showing her displeasure.
"Alright so as I was saying, there was something that I wished to speak with you about, but first before that I want to ask you both this question, the same question that I asked you both before." He paused, taking the time to stretch his bandaged torso. "On our way back to the Hidden Leaf village, will you two be accompanying me?" The question hung in the air for a quick second until Haku chirped, "Yes!" The girl then realized how loud she had actually responded to the question and quickly retreated back to her task of dressing herself, worried that she had come off as a bit overzealous. Although her alacrity had been made apparent through her outburst, she did not want Naruto to think that she was as eager to join him as her voice had made apparent, be as it may, she was that eager though.
"Good, we've got one, how about the other?" Naruto said, feeling ridiculously relaxed after hearing that Haku wanted to come with him. At first he wondered what they would say, but after what occurred yesterday, he was pretty sure that they would accept. His eyes then darted to his left, the side he assumed Larxene was on, "And what of you, Larxene, have I proved myself to you enough to make you finally agree to come back with me?"
At first there was a long pause and Naruto heard nothing. Haku glanced at the blond girl, although she did not want her to attain Naruto first, their recent bond caused her to show some displeasure in Larxene's diffidence. She wouldn't be able to go on easily knowing that she had let Larxene make such a bad decision when she could have stopped it; and although Haku was sure that Larxene wanted to say yes more than anything at the moment, she too sure that her pride would allow her to say so.
However, that would not be a problem, pride or not, Larxene was coming back to Konoha. In a teasing manner, Haku stuck her fingers up preforming several anbu signals and directing them at Larxene.
It translated out as:'Say yes'. At the subtle hand motions, Larxene raised an eyebrow and she responded.
'Give me a reason to'
'love'
A brief pause.
'No'
'Fine, then he's all mine for taking, bye', this actually caused Larxene to visibly scowl and the blond showed her protest by glaring at her.
"Are you going to answer?" Naruto's voice cut through the silence that they had created like a knife through butter.
"Yes, I-I'll come with you... only because I can't stay here, it would put Tsunami-san and her family into too much danger if the Saiki were to find me here."
Naruto only smiled at that, they all knew that was not the real reason why she accepted, however, Naruto just decided to leave the matter untouched... or perhaps he could bring it up later, after they were in Konoha of course. "OK, I'm glad you finally made up your mind Lar-chan, it would suck if you didn't come back with us. Anyway, we will be leaving soon... so hurry up and get changed and meet everyone downstairs in the sitting room." There a brief ruffle of clothing and the sound of a zipper sliding could be heard, like bizarre insect calling its kin. Naruto turned to see both Haku and Larxene fully dressed.
"Good, now hurry and come down," Naruto then left the room, closing the door just as quietly as he had opened it.
Instantly Larxene turned to Haku.
"What the hell was that, what did you say my reason was for agreeing to go?"
"Simple, I said it was love... I can clearly see through it, you secretly love him." Larxene gasped in outrage, folding her arms and turning her head to the side. Her cheeks gained bright pink tinge to them.
"I-I do not love that Namikaze...," then her voice crawled down the hill of volume, becoming nothing more than a low mummur, "what about you, do you love him?" Her eyes darted back and forth from Haku's face to a nearby wall.
"Yes," Haku stated simply her pithy response shocking Larxene.
"What?"
"Well, OK love is a bit too strong a word to use, however, I really do like him, and," Haku stuck out her hand extending a finger at Larxene, so do you! So stop denying it and just accept your feelings, OK?"
"What feelings, I have no feelings for that Namikaze." Now Haku was perturbed, how stubborn could one person be? She figured that Larxene must have had a mountain of pride, for she just would not admit it, however, now Haku was going to have to resort to drastic measures. She would have to force her to admit it.
"Oh really; then you must really not like him. I don't see how you could not, though. I made the decision in my mind recently, that I like him and I wanted to figure out more about him. He's such a mystery, like a giant puzzle that I want to solve. And not just that, I want to solve everything, I want to know what makes him tick, why he moves with such an air of grace and dominance, why he can be kind yet ruthless a the same time, I want to know all of it. I want to know what he thinks about, what he dreams about, what his drive is... His charm, his vigor, his confidence, it attracts me... I want to see more of it and I'm not afraid to say it. Maybe I do love him, maybe this is just a petty crush, I don't know but all I know is that I want to be near him and if you won't admit that you also want to know all of these things then you're a liar. Just admit it"
Throughout her entire speech, Haku's expression was intrepid, she showed no signs of doubt. Her unwavering deep brown eyes bore right into Larxene, and it made the blonde feel uneasy. Her eyes, two little brown drills, digging in her exploring her, picking at her... she couldn't take it. Why did Haku have to go and give a little speech like that, in all that she said, Larxene found the girls words somewhat familiar, as if those were her words and she just said it for her.
Haku had seen through her facade. Larxene dipped her head down, blushing, but before looking at the ground, she realized that Haku herself was blushing a shade of red and her legs were shaking. Apparently this was just as hard for Haku to say as it was for her to admit, however she still said it. Haku was basically opening up and spilling herself out to Larxene, something Larxene wished that she could do. Unfortunately she could not, she just could not admit it to herself or anyone else.
How could she have fallen for the boy that defeated her, twice, and completely changed her life? She might not even see her brother again because of what happened between them, she just could not let it go and let herself be true to what she truly felt. In a shaky voice Larxene said, "I don't like him."
This caused Haku to frown. "Don't lie to me," she said her voice shaky
"I'm not lying!"
"Yes you are!"
"I'm not!"
"OK," Haku's voice regained its usual calm tone,"fine then if you won't admit it I'll go on without him, I'll just tell him that I do like him. You won't have a problem wi-," She was suddenly cut off when Larxene raised her head, her mouth hung agape.
"No...d-don't!" Larxene said.
"And why not, you don't like him, tell me why I shouldn't, because I have every reason to."
Larxene paused for a moment, her eyes wide. She could see the glimmer of a tear not yet fallen on the rim of her eye, Haku was about to cry and if this kept up so would she. The sight made Larxene say nothing, she only stood silent.
"Fine if you don't have a reason then I'm still going to tell him."
Larxene couldn't take it anymore, the jig was up. A strong sensation tugged the back of her head, getting stronger and building up pressure. What could she do, if she denied, then Haku would confess to Naruto, however in order to stop that she would have to admit that she felt something for him, which was something that she wasn't so sure she could easily do. Two options, both with bad consequences... however, she knew that admitting to Haku's claims would be the one more tolerable. If Haku knew that she liked Naruto then she would keep it a secret from Naruto... right? There was only one way to find out. So she held her hand out, as if to stop Haku from moving.
"No, please... I admit it, I-I like...Naruto. You're right, and I'm wrong for denying it. Everything that you said was true for me too, I want to know his in and outs, his ups and downs, his likes and dislikes. I want to know them all. B-But whenever he's around I feel... weird, there was a hot fuzzy feeling in my stomach and I couldn't admit to what it was until now. But... I can now, I like him... it might even be more, I still have to figure it out," her voice than gained a particular edge, "but in that time while I am sorting out my true feelings... I won't loose to you, we're rivals now and I won't back down!" The blush on her face was like the surface of the sun, hot and flaring giving her cheeks a rosy color.
Haku smiled, "See now was that so hard?"
"Yes, yes it was," Larxene responded in a defeated tone, her eyes looking a little watery. She was taken by surprise when Haku giggled and walked past her to the door.
"Now come one, let's get downstairs and join the others," she said in a happy tone.
"Alright, but... do me a favor? Don't tell Naruto that I said any of this stuff, knowing him he'd hold it over me forever."
"Sure thing." Haku replied, causing Larxene to smile to which she returned it with another smile of her own.
The knob clicked and Haku opened the door then all smiles faded in an instant. And Naruto was standing there in the doorway. "N-naruto... you were?" When he nodded both girls almost fainted, both their expressions were heated and their faces ruby red. "So you heard?"
"Yeah, I came to tell you guys to hurry it up and then I ended up hearing your conversation." There Naruto was standing at the door, with his arms folded and a smile on his face in all his glory. He had just heard their entire conversation, and now he would respond. "Is that how you both truly feel?" Haku nodded slowly, avoiding his gaze and when he looked at Larxene she too looked away but said,"y-yeah." She felt her heart speed up to a manic pace, Naruto heard everything, all of it and now he wouldn't allow her to forget it.
He motioned for her to come over, as well as Haku, now they were all standing in the hallway. Here it comes, the part Larxene was worried about, the part where he laughed and teased them both. However what he did was the complete opposite of what she thought would happen.
Like twin snakes, Naruto's arms wrapped around each of their curvy waists and pulled them in both closer to him, earning him two audible squeaks from the two girls. "If that's how you both felt you should have told me earlier." He said, smiling then turning to Larxene. They began to walk toward down the hall. "You should not have hidden the truth for so long, you could have just told me you know, I wouldn't have laughed...," she then looked at him raised an eyebrow," you're right, I would have, but only a little."
"W-well now that you know, what are you going to do?" She asked, trying to keep her eyes from meeting his. Now they stopped walking.
"This," Larxene felt her chin get pulled by Naruto's fingers as he guided her face up into another kiss. It surprised her, but it felt good, that warm feeling came back into her and replaced all traces of insecurity that previously filled her. It was only until after four seconds did Naruto hear someone clear their throat and he broke the lip-lock, leaving a thoroughly winded Larxene to think and looked over to Haku who was glancing from his face to the floor and back.
"W-what... about...me?"
"Not a problem." Naruto chuckled a bit as he gently palmed the back of Haku's head and brought her in for a kiss as well.
Amazing, by Haku's standards Naruto was an astoundingly good kisser. The osculation lasted for ten seconds, and in the ten seconds almost nothing else mattered. Exploring like a curious animal Naruto's tongue went to work and Haku allowed it entry, she squeaked from the sudden contact, his lips surprisingly soft as where hers on his. It tasted well... unique, like ramen with a hint of something else... was that toothpaste...weird, but fantastic nonetheless. To Haku's displeasure Naruto pulled away, forcing her to lean in even more in order to keep his lips on hers for as long a time possible before they parted.
Once he let go, Haku let herself a shudder, along with a slight giggle. She didn't dare to look back at Naruto, for she did not want him to see how overwhelmed she was by the kiss. She remembered how Larxene was yesterday when he kissed her, and how breathless she was when it happened... really could you blame her for not being able to breath after that?
It did bother Haku however that this was the first kiss that Naruto had given her and Larxene had gotten two, at least hers was much longer than the one Naruto had given her.
"Well, I can see that you both liked it, I am as awesome as usual. I think it's time we move on down to the sitting room, everyone is waiting." Naruto spoke in a tone that made it seem as if he did not realize fully what he had just done, he had gone from seductive to nonchalant in a matter of seconds. It was confusing, and now it caused both Haku and Larxene to contemplate on whether or not he really meant something by those two kisses.
Their thoughts carried to two girls as they resumed their walked downstairs, Naruto's arms wrapped around their shoulders this time, both with slight smiles on faces.
Naruto however seemed oblivious to it all, as if he didn't realize a thing, and just kept whistling a sing-song tune down the hall.
----(Downstairs)
Kakashi coddled his injured arm as he sat on one of the couches in the sitting room. He glanced at his two students, Sakura and Sasuke, who were just about finished preparing to leave.
"Are you two, ready?" he asked sternly.
"Yeah, I'm good," Sasuke muttered before slipping his pack onto his back. By the tone of his voice Kakashi could tell that the boy was still a bit groggy from getting up so early. Not only him but Sakura as well; instead of responding the girl only nodded and groaned when he asked if she was prepared.
His fingers tapped the surface of his bandaged arm rapidly moving at a steady pace.
"Hey... Kakashi-sensei...where's.... Naruto?" Sakura asked releasing a yawn. At the moment Sakura asked the question Naruto came walking down the the stairs, his arms wrapped around... both girls?
"Ah...glad that you could... join us, Naruto," Kakashi said, sweat-dropping, "Although, you could have been a bit faster about it." Kakashi cast a quick eye smile at Haku and Larxene who both looked away and blushed, apparently they caught on to what he was insinuating.
"Yeah, yeah," Naruto said releasing his grip on the two girls beside him and walking over to Kakashi, "so what did you want to speak about before we all left?" Haku stood where she was, however, Larxene took a spot leaning on the wall, ignoring the stares she got from Sakura and the glare from Sasuke.
"Well," Kakashi stood up, his full height towering over Naruto, "I want only wanted to bring you all here in order speak with you about what occurred during our time here." He motioned for Sakura and Sasuke to come closer, and once they did he said, "From here on in it only gets more bizarre, what you saw here was only a taste of what's out there in the ninja world. It gets harder, it gets more challenging, the shinobi world is not a world that you should take for granted, and so I bring you all here together to ask something of you," he paused in order to sweep his eye across his students faces, "That you take the job of being a shinobi seriously. When we get back to Konoha, we will begin some special training, I shall not treat you as children anymore, but as adults, for that is what the village legally see you as. So when we get back, no more games...understood?"
When all three of them nodded Kakashi turned his gaze to the two girls at the rear of the room. "And if you two feel like it, once we get you established as certified Kunoichi back in Konoha, you are welcomed to join us... or if you like, I will allow Naruto to branch off from our training sessions in order to train with you two... personally.
When they too nodded Kakashi's serious expression faded away into something a bit more jovial. "Well, then that's it, we're off!" He said.
"Wait what about Tsunami-san and Tazuna, aren't we at least going to say goodbye to them before we go?" Sakura asked, tilting her head to the side.
"No, it's not normal for a ninja to even stay at a civilian's household for shelter, let alone say goodbye, as shinobi we come and go as the wind. Our gratitude, only shown through the results of our work."
Sakura, then tilted her head, cupping her chin. He did have a point, she had never heard of ninja staying at someones house during a mission, however, it did bother her that she would not even get to say goodbye and thank Tsunami for her hospitality, a cold exit but maybe it was necessary to keep the mindset of a ninja set firm in your head. "I guess you're right, but it still feels wrong."
"Sometimes that's what it comes to, well then let's go," Kakashi said as he they all filed out of the main door of the seaside house, leaving the Tazuna household to be left alone in peace."
As they walked along the harbor Haku froze for a quick second, releasing a gasp. When Naruto turned as asked what the problem was she replied with wide eyes, "Oh gosh, I almost forgot... Tomo, she's not here."
"Who's Tomo exactly?" Sakura asked.
"She's my pet falcon."
"Falcon....?" 'Boy Naruto sure is attracted to the weird ones.'
Now that he thought about it, when he saw her in the forest, Haku had a bird on her shoulder and if his memory served, its name.... her name was Tomo. "Oh, the bird... I completely forgot about it, oh well; we can't stop to look for it now," Naruto said shrugging before turning around, causing Haku to go into a worried little chibi form of herself.
"Hey, that's not funny!" she said waving her little chibi arms back and forth. Naruto simply chuckled.
"I'm playing, I'm playing, why not try and call it-"
"Her!"
"-Oh sorry call her, jeez you don't have to yell." Naruto replied.
"I'll call her but I don't see what that would do, she's probably miles away by now," Haku now reverted back to her normal size, no longer holding the appearance of a chibi character. Pursing her lips together while making a small hole in the middle, Haku whistled making a ridiculously loud screech that caused everyone to hold their ears in pain. To them it felt as if the world around them was shaking.
"My Kami, how is she doing that?" Kakashi said, grasping his head with his one free hand, unfortunately for Kakashi he could not seal both of his ears.
"You know, I really don't know...," Naruto said, while digging his fingers into the pits of his ears.
"Dammit, how can one person make such a sound?!" Larxene stated, yelling and trying to drown out the sounds of Haku's screech.
"Oh great idea Naruto, 'just call her', what were you thinking?" That was Sasuke.
"My.....ears... are going to...explode!" Sakura indeed.
After a span of ten seconds Haku ended her ear-piercing whistle, and looked down. Everyone but her was one the ground, either rolling or not moving."Hm? What's up with you guys?" she asked innocently, but her attention was diverted away from everyone else when she heard a muffled screeching in the distance. She faced the direction of the sound and saw the silhouette of a falcon, gliding high above.
"Tomo!" Haku said, feeling a sense of giddiness
"S-See, I told... it would work," Naruto said giving her a shaky thumbs up and asking her to never do that again in his presence. Once she agreed she held out her arm high over her head, bending her forearm at a ninety degree angle. Seconds later Tomo let out another screech, and swooped down at Haku, perching herself on her arm, her sharp talons doing nothing to Haku's padded arm. Haku giggled, giving Tomo a scratch underneath her hooked beak, the bird then let out a lucid squeak at her master's compassion.
"That... is one, loyal bird...," Kakashi said as he got up along with everyone else, shaking it off they all began walking again; Haku walked at the very rear of the group, coddling and petting Tomo, her and the bird's happy sounds filling the air."
Going off of the harbor and through the town and they walked for about twenty minutes before they came they came to the main gate. Along the way through town, Naruto did not that he did not see any of the townspeople at all, it was as if everyone in the little port town just got up and abandoned their homes, even though they were just inside their homes sleeping for it was around five o' clock in the morning. It was like a deserted ghost town, where all who once lived in it had passed away and now were living underneath it. The thought of the towns people sprouting out of the ground like plants, all zombies and ready to feast of their flesh, it was enough to make Naruto shudder. Fortunately the misty streets remained empty.
"Ok stop, Kakashi, we just walked though the middle of the town and I have yet to see a single person." Naruto said, causing everyone to stare at him.
"Well did you take into consideration that it is around five in the morning?" Kakashi replied.
"Yes, yes I know but this is a port town, even if it is five in the morning, there should still be at least someone around, like a merchant or trader...or something."
"Don't think to much of it Naruto, it's probably nothing."
"Fine, whatever but it still seems weird to me." Naruto said
"Oh... uh, hey I think I know why we didn't see anyone," Sakura said extending a finger out in front of them.
"What are you talking abou-," Naruto, along with everyone else, froze. In the distance Naruto could see, through the mist, the myriad of silhouettes that were the townspeople. In the distance they appeared as a mass of shadows but once they were close enough Naruto could begin to see the faces of many people all of them smiling, Naruto could see that standing in front of the entire gathering of people was Tazuna, Tsunami, and Inari.
The old master bridge builder was waving at them. Naruto heard a sound, like a low roar, but when he and the others were closer he realized that this low roar was in fact the villagers' applause. They were all clapping for them!
"Ah, it appears as if you were right, Naruto, something was going on within the villagers. It seems that we will be saying goodbye... and by the looks of it, we'll be saying goodbye to everyone," Kakashi said giving his student one of his famous eye smiles.
Walking up to Tazuna Kakashi said, "What's this Tazuna-san?"
The old man chuckled, "Just a little way to show our appreciation, we thought that since you helped us rid the town of Gato then we should at least let you return home in comfort. Kakashi raised an eyebrow at this. "Let me show you." Tazuna motioned for the crowd of people to make a clear path for the group of shinobi, and like a parting sea, they did. At the end of the makeshift walkway Kakashi could see a large decoratively carved, wagon made of mahogany waiting for them with two brown stallions tied to the front by a thick rope.
Kakashi walked through, the crowd happily accepting the many back slaps and sheers for him, as did Haku and Sakura and Sasuke. Naruto and Larxene were still behind.
"Thank you Tsunami-san for taking me in and showing me your hospitality, I know that I've only been around for a short time... but I'll never forget you." She dipped her head, giving the black-haired woman a curt bow to which she responded with a warm hug. In her ear Tsunami whispered, "Go get him," causing Larxene to gasp and glance back at Naruto with a blush on her face. Reluctant to let go of the embrace Larxene slowly pulled away said thank you and joined the others. Now Naruto was the only one who was still at the front of the crowd.
He towered over Inari's form, looking down on the boy with cold eyes. But suddenly his gaze changed, making the transition to a more warmer expression. What Naruto did next was not what Inari had expected.
Naruto's hand made its way onto Inari's head as he palmed the little boy's cranium. Ruffing up his locks a bit, he said, "You've got a long way to go brat... buuutttt you can still make it."
With an lucid smile Inari smacked Naruto's hand off his head. "As if you could ever tell me that, but my mom and Tazuna told me about how you were going to fight in order to save us, so I guess you can say something." Naruto just chuckled and walked away through the crowd, disappearing from Inari's view.
"Kakashi told me of how you helped fought so hard against Zabuza and his accomplice, You should be proud of what you have done."
"And I am Tazuna-san, oh and I hope that you guys had fun with Gato."
"You bet!" He said throwing his fist in the air. With that Naruto walked ahead and joined the others at the wagon and before he was out of hearing distance Tazuna yelled out, "Oh and you can keep the horses!"
Kakashi gave one last wave to everyone before manning the front seat of the wagon while the others got inside; from within the walls of the wagon the roar of the townspeople was nothing but a low whisper comparable to a waterfall cascading down into the distance.
"Hyah!" Kakashi yelled as he stirred the two horses into a slow trot that soon built up into a moderate gallop, as the rode further away the patter of horse hooves became lower until it reduced itself to nothing.
That was when Tsunami and Inari walked up behind Tazuna.
"They were an interesting bunch, wouldn't you say so?" Tsunami asked Tazuna.
"That they were, they helped us and I am forever grateful. And you know, I think I finally came up with a name for the bridge."
"And what is it gramps," Inari asked tugging on his grandfather's pants.
With a satisfied grin Tazuna yelled it out, "I'll name it the Great Naruto Bridge!" Tazuna rested his hands on his hips, showing his teeth through an enthusiastic grin. It was time for him to get back to finishing that bridge; little did he know, there was a mess waiting for him on the bridge that would make all who had to clean it go insane.
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Damn, I'm done... finally. Ah yes, now how was that? Did that chapter rock or did it totally suck... I need you to tell me your opinions.
And like that, Naruto and co. have left the land of the waves and are returning to Konoha. Of course this means, that some new characters will be introduced and like some of you have so viciously ask me to do so, Hinata will now be joining the story. Yep that's right, finally some Naruto Hinata action, of course that means that she will have to catch up with Larxene and Haku, but hey I can work something out. She might be making her appearance in maybe a chapter or two, along with the fourth harem member, Xion.
What's kind of funny though is that this chapter only took me two days to finish, yeah, and seeing as how I went into this state of what seemed to me like insomnia, I got a lot of writing done in such a small amount of time. I guess that's what happens when you can't go to sleep and have two computers and a laptop at your disposal.
If I must critique myself then I guess I would say that I wish that I could have put more into this chapter, you know what I mean? I actually don't feel so thrilled about this chapter, as wierd as that may sound, but I hope to hear what you guys think about it so don't forget to review.
aLERT!!!!: This is a crucial point for my story, I am currently at a total review count of two hundred and ninety reviews. That means that I am only TEN reviews away from attaining my goal of three hundred plus reviews. As you all know, more reviews means... well more reviews! So what I'm trying to say is that I want you to help me get above three hundred, maybe even three hundred and ten or higher if you guys are feeling generous. Do it or else...... I'll do something... not cool, but bad... yeah I'll do something really bad.
Alrighty then.
Top Five Reviewers:
I.E.T.S. ( I just busted out laughing when I read this)
Reaper INI
Weasal
naruto-namikaze-no-puppet
Chronostorm
Ok, you all know the deal....go on to their profiles, yada yada....their so fucking badass and blah blabbity blah....black people....? wah wait what I just say....uhhh never mind. Seriously follow my advice and check out their profiles, you know many people do not really do this. I hate it when people are all like dam I'm so bored I need a new story to read an what not and all that crap.....see they wouldn't be bored if they knew that going on other people's profile's and looking at their favorite stories and original stories is actually the best way to find a decent worthwhile fanfic. In addition, it gives the person whose profile it is more hits and out reviews so it works out for everyone.
So hurry up and check these guys out
Um yeaaa....I don't think that the guess list will catch on, so you know what? I think I'm gonna scrap that idea.
No more guess list.
Anyway, like I always say,
Read and Review
LATR
Next chapter: Eye of the beholder
GrIm'S sTePpIn OuT!