Beta by: Cyrro. Thank you again dear.
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14. Battlefield.
Jiraiya stared down at Naruto and she stared right back, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Hiruzen sweat dropped.The scene had been continuing for over half an hour by that time, and as amusing the situation was, it was also very disappointing.
"Please let me train you," Jiraiya pleaded for what seemed like the hundredth time that morning.
Naruto, with more determination, shook her head. Pervs are bad, Yugao said so, and warned about them when Naruto was little. She was not going to disregard that statement from her only female team mate, ever. Though any old pervert couldn't do a damn thing to her, she still took caution.
'You are dirty perverted sage. Not gonna happen,' she signed with glare.
"Please Naruto," Jiraiya pleaded with bolts of tears falling from his eyes.
Hiruzen sweat dropped again. How a mere child was able to bring a legendary sanin to his knees and make him cry was beyond him.
Jiraiya looked helplessly at the Hokage who gave him the look which clearly says, 'You are on your own'. Traitor! Jiraiya came here with the sole purpose to train her. It was all planned out until a few hours ago. He would train her to be the best there is, tell her she was like a granddaughter to him, fulfil the prophecy and enjoy the last of his days with beautiful women and fame. But Naruto refused to even talk to him, let alone to be trained by him. He looked at Iruka, wo was sitting beside the Hokage, outright ignoring him, pretending to read a scroll. He really needed to figure out how to get on Naruto's goodside. How that Iruka brat was able to do it was a mystery.
Suddenly a light bulb went over his head. He slyly grinned on his mind as he carefully chose his next words. "It's a shame that you don't want to train with me. I was going to have at least one meal with you in Ichiraku everyday," There, he said it! Naruto's eyes widened slightly which didn't go missed by any one of the three elders in room.
"And that was going to be my treat too," Jiraiya added quickly. He could see Naruto's hesitation as clear as day now.
Hiruzen quietly watched Jiraiya bribing Naruto with ramen. If she was anything like her mother, she was going to agree with Jiraiya . Ramen was always a weak point for her mother and by the looks of it, Naruto was just like Kushina in that matter. He sighed and finally decided that it was time to intervene on this ridiculously long conversation.
"Naruto, you can always keep an eye on him and if he dares tries anything on a village woman, you have my permission to knock him out," remarks the old Hokage casually.
Jiraiya gave him a horrified glance. WHAT!!His research will be dead with Kushina's daughter around. Oh God have mercy on him!
Naruto, for her part, liked the idea quite much. Yes definately, she could do that and also get ramen, for free! Now that was great.
She eagerly nodded her head, and Hiruzen watched as a legendary Sanin was made miserable by a kid below the age of 13.
Iruka shook his head but quickly waved little Naruto good bye when she dragged Jiraiya out of Hokage office.
Line break...
Punch. Block. Jump. Left turn. Punch. Kick. Right block. Repeat.
Such was the scene one could see in Uchiha training ground one this morning. Two black haired brothers were sparing, but to an on-looker, it would look like they were performing the beautiful art of dancing, that was how graceful their movements were.
Sasuke jumped back and blocked Itachi's kunai. Before he could attack again he found himself at receiving end of another kunai. Damn, Itachi was always so fast!
"Yield," Sasuke called out and backed down.
"You did well, little brother," Itachi said playfully, and flicked hisforehead. Sasuke huffed holding his hand over his forehead. Some things never change. Deepdown, Sasuke was grateful that this never changed. But that didn't mean he would let Itachi win every time. His flawless brother must have some weakness. But for now Sasuke wondered how to ask the question which was on his mind since the beginning of the chunin exam.
"Sasuke what ever it is, you can ask it," Itachi said. Sasuke jumped with surprise. His old brother was not even looking at him, but he could still tell what he was thinking. Was Itachi a mind reader now?
"No, I am not a mind reader Sasuke," Itachi said in anamused voice.
Sasuke glared at him. Itachi thought it was funny? Well Itachi will definitely regret making fun of him. Sasuke controlled his voice as much as possible and said, "Were you Naruto's team mate in ANBU?"
Itachi visibly tensed and half turned towards him, "Sasuke you know I cannot answer that."
Sasuke nodded but his next question was what threw Itachi under the bus, "Okay. But when was it that you fell for Naruto?" He asked, his expression remaining the face of pure innocence.
Sasuke saw with utter surprise that his flawless older brother turned towards himwith a hint of light pink on his cheeks.
It must be the end of the universe if Itachi freaking Uchiha was blushing!
"I don't know what you are talking about," said Itachi, carefully trying to control his expression. Damn girl! Naruto was not even present, but she could still get more emotional response from Sasuke's older brother than all of his family combined! Talk about unfair lives.
Sasuke smirked. This was pure fun. Where was a camera when you need one, or Sai for that matter? His best friend was able to embarrass anyone, anytime. "Just for your information, I approve of your choice. She is amazingly beautiful, and not to mention strong. She will be a good addition to Uchiha family."
By this time Itachi was completely speechless. When the heck did his cute little brother turn into this evil cunning teenager?
Sasuke took his time teasing Itachi, then proceeds to leave the training field. Before Itachi could recover Sasuke again turned to him, " Oh and brother, I put dibs on becoming you and Naruto's kids' god father. Not Sai and definitely not Kakashi, that guy is a perv."
By the time he finished saying that, Sasuke was out of the field. The last part though it sent his brother into shock, it was the truth. Sasuke secretly liked children, and he could not help imagining how cute and adorable his elder brother's kids would be. Yep!Definitely a good decision to be their godfather.
Line break..
Gaara opened his eyes and saw darkness. He tried to move but felt his body tightly bound to a chair. Where was he and how did he get here? The last thing he remembered was coming home after a meeting with the Third Hokage. What happened?
Suddenly, he heard the distinct sound of a door opening, and the next moment the room was flooded with light. He closed his eyes against the bright light and opened them slowly after a while. What Gaara saw made his blood boil. Orochimaru stood in front of him with his infamous smile on his face.
"Kukuku...I see you are awake Gaara dear," the Sanin said.
"What do you want?" Gaara asked through gritted teeth. He was bound tightly and all he wanted was to jump up and tear the Sanin apart.
"Oh, dear Gaara, I want you cooperation-"
"I will never cooperate with you. What ever it is, my answer is no," Gaara answered, interrupting the snake Sanin.
"Oh, but I was not expecting to compromise. You are going to release your beast during the final round and destroy the Hidden Leaf, and you are going to do it whether you want to or not," Orochimaru said with a strange glow in his golden eyes.
Before Gaara could comprehend what was happening, he felt a sharp sting on his left shoulder and darkness came upon him again.
The last thing he remembered was Orochimaru releasing him from his bounds.
The next time Gaara woke he was walking. Gaara felt his legs carry him towards the arena and he felt him sit down on a seat in the viewing stands. But it all happened involuntarily, he couldn't move his body the way he wanted. He saw people starting to fillup the seats and the guards taking their assigned places. He tried to elicit any response from his body that would let him alert any one of the Leaf ninjas about his condition, but it was to no avail. He knew the moment the seal was placed on his body that he was a ticking time bomb. Now it was just a matter of time before he exploded. His eyes could see everything, and his ears were functional, but all Gaara could do was listen and watch.
And this was how his eyes met with hers. Naruto was standing across from Gaara at the end of the arena hall, looking right at him. He momentarily felt lost in those eyes, those deep blue eyes which never failed to make every one around thier owner feel safe and happy. But the girl before him was a different person: not his Naruto, he had to remind himself of that, yet again. She looked blank, but he could tell she was confused and may be a bit concerned. He desperately wanted to talk to her and tell her how much danger they were in. Shukaku might not be how he used to be, but the beast was not in control of himself either. The seal was throbbing painfully, reminding Gaara of how he couldn't move.
Gaara's eye-contact with Naruto broke as her team mate Sai came to talk to her. Gaara saw the matches begin with Kiba and Neji taking their places in arena. He didn't know how this match was going to end, but he was sure that soon enough he would lose all control over his mind as well. He could only pray that Naruto would defeat him again. Ironically, Gaara came here to protect her, but she was the one doing all the protecting.
Line break...
Shikamaru was a very simple guy. All he wanted was to make chunin or jonin with all his limbs attached to his body. Marry a girl, not terribly ugly and not very beautiful, have two kids: a girl and a boy. He wanted to retire after his kids become proper shinobi and spend rest of his life watching the clouds, playing Shogi and die before his wife. But the damned universe was against him. His most terrible problem in life was centred around one single word: women. His father had told him that only a woman can make you complete, and a better person, but he did not see it. All they ever did was get angry all the time, and every time he found himself facing them it usually ended with him doing something he rather would not.
But what he was doing right then took the cake over everything he was forced to do involving the fairer sex. He was trying to holdback a half-transformed jinchuriki. Yes, you heard correctly. He blamed everything on that blonde who could not talk yet apparently had way too many secrets.
How he ended up in this situation? Well let's do a quick recap of what happened since he forfeited his match against another blond troublesome girl. It seemed his rotten luck was particularly rotten around blonds, specifically girls.
So he forfeited, and he was happy with that. What he was not happy with was the nagging his even more troublesome blond team mate was going to give him. What a drag. He had just found a seat when it happened. By 'it' he meant a huge explosion and a blast of genjutsu. He just couldn't get a break.
The next thing Shikamaru saw was the Hokage fighting thebKazekage. A purple box appeared out of no where and trapped an old white-haired man with a very suspicious, gender-confused person with black hair. This was getting too completed for his tastes, and he decided that he would sleep through it, or at least pretend he was asleep. But his luck was oh so bad today. He was literally kicked up by that Kuranai senei his sensei was in love with. Asuma could not have chosen a better girl, couldbhe?Next, Shikamaru received a command from that silver haired sensei to follow Naruto who seemed to like to chasing danger. Moreover, Shikamaru received a summon from Kakashi to accompany him. The summon, Pakkun, had weird observation within his paws.
Shikamaru chased Naruto down quickly, but that only made everything worse. He found her crouching behind a bush, looking intensely at the enemy in front of her.
Shikamaru landed softly beside Naruto, and Pakkun happily climbed onto her lap. Apparently, the pug knew her. Shikamarub took in the situation before him. It was obvious that Naruto was not going to honour him with a response of any sort anytime soon.
Gaara looked still, deadly still. Shikamaru doubted he was even breathing. The only thing which gave the impression that the Sand ninja was alive was the slight jolts coursing through his body. Shikamaru noticed that the jolts coming accordance with the mark spreading over his whole body. That was not good.
"Naruto," he whispered. The girl gave him aside ways glance. She had felt him and the pug following her, but why Kakashi would send them was beyond her.
Shikamaru saw Naruto give him a side glance, and that was all the encouragement he needed to start speaking. "Listen, I think we both know that we are here to stop that thing, whatever it is, from lashing out, and we also know I will not be much help. I don't know much, but I know you have a lot of skill and it's laughable to claim your are agenin. I might not be help but I can certainlybe a distraction and create and opening for you to attack. I know it's a drag, but I am here, so why not try it?"
Naruto looked at him for a moment and then very slowly mouthed, 'Shikamaru Nara, do you have a plan?'
Shikamaru was able to read Naruto's lips easily, and his eyes narrowed for a moment. It was like she knew the Nara clan was known for their strategic minds, it was like she had previously experience of working with them. But how and when? His father was a Jonin commander, and Shikamaru knew if there was a girl, so young in age but so high rank like Naruto, the village would not shut up about her. But he had never heard about her before.The only way for her not to be noticed was if she were undercover and that would mean... realisation dawned on Shikamaru, that girl was not a genin. Shewas a freaking ANBU! Yes, his life officially sucked, and all blonds were troublesome to boot.
Shikamaru would never know, but a certain Nara came to the same decision regarding another very, very fast blond a decade or so ago. History was just repeating a certain part of its self, and Naruto was going to make another loyal friend just like that very, very fast blond Shinobi did.
...and that was how Shikamaru ended up trying to restrain a half transformed tailed beast. Man, what a drag.
Line break...
Gaara could not move. His body had lost all its senses, and he was very quickly losing consciousness. He had no clue how long he would be able to hold up. But he had to try, he was careless: he should have predicted that Orochimaru would do something like this, but he didn't. Now all he could do was buy time. Another jolt of pain passed through Gaara's body, and his knees gave in. As soon as he touched the ground, he felt the small control he had on his body vanish.
Gaara felt light headed as he saw himself transforming rapidly. He was almost done when he saw Naruto again. She was here again. How ironic was that she would always appear when he was in a crisis. Naruto's golden hair flew all around her as she jumped down in front of him. He felt his body trying to move, but he was trapped. How? Oh, Shikamaru was here. Gaara respected the Nara clan the most. They could be lazy but were beyond genius, and that particular Nara was best among the whole clan.
But in that moment, only strength could help them, and the Nara certainly lacked enough chakra. Gaara felt the shadow binding him weaken, and saw Naruto make complex hand signs for a Jutsu. As soon as she was ready, Gaara felt his body throw the Nara away roughly and charge towards the girl. But Naruto was prepared, and Gaara was swallowed by a vortex of water. Wind and water at same time was very tough to maintain, but it was Gaara's weakness. He mentally congratulated the Nara for figuring that out so soon.
But Shukaku was a tailed beast and he was hard to capture. Shukaku made a tailed beast bomband fired it towards Naruto. The girl could not dodge it, and was crushed against a tree. She took a little time to get up, and that time was all Shukaku needed for full transformation. Gaara lost all his senses then.
"Stop me Naruto," was all he thought before it all went blank.
Naruto narrowed her eyes at the beast, and her hand unconsciously touched her stomach. Shukaku the sand spirit was her enemy now. She took a bit of blood from where she was bleeding on her head and called her own help. Gamabunta, the chief of toad summons.
Then the battle began.
Line break...
He felt it, the blow on his head and that was when he woke up. The seal that was placed on him by Orochimaru was long gone. Its purpose was a forceful transformation and it disinitegrated as soon as he transformed. He could imagine how the battle went. His body felt light as he fall, and saw Naruto falling with him. She was hardly conscious. She had to fight those cursed seal monsters before she came to fight him. It was obvious that the fights drained her a lot. Withw hat little strengthh he had left, Gaara sent his sand to capture her before she hit the ground. He saw her look at him with surprise all over her face. In Gaara's past, this was the turning point of his life. Now let this be the turning point of hers.
"I am sorry Naruto. A seal was put on me...I tried to control it, but I couldn't...please forgive me...I will never hurt a friend Naruto..."
He felt his eye lids closing, but before blackness descended on him, he saw realisation dawn on her as she nodded her head slightly. The girl was truly amazing. Tamari and Kankuro will be here soon. This was time to go home.
"Farewell my friend...until we meet again..."
A/N: There might be grammatical and spelling mistakes, as my first language is not english. Sorry in advance for that. If you find any problem please inform me but no flaming guys. My beta did her best but she is human as well and sometimes she can miss as well.
My updates will be slow from here as my studies are increasing and I am having health issues.
Thank you for reading. Please leave a review.