And here's Chapter 21. Uh...heh heh...I made an oops last chapter and some of you called me on it. Thanks for that. BUT...being a good writer is having the ability to take an unfavorable position and being able to explain it away. Behold, as I take the Ino situation and pull a rabbit out of my hat to explain it away. The key word here is flexibility...and imagination...and spoon. Readers, Reviewers, Thank you...Drinkin' Problem by Rehab.
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
Sakura dragged Naruto off to one side as she saw Ino enter the arena, grinning from ear to ear. Naruto was just confused and asked what it was all about.
"Remember when Ino took you clothes shopping that time before we left?"
"Yeah…"
"Well…once we left, she wouldn't stop talking about how hot you were apparently. Inoichi got tired of her fantasizing about you and decided to…you know…kinda…wipe her memory of your return."
Naruto cocked an eyebrow and turned his head to look at the approaching kunoichi. He leaned in slightly to Sakura.
"Can he really do that?"
"Well…apparently he can't wipe it completely. You never know what could bring the memories back. So…be careful…"
"Why was Ino being attracted to me a bad thing?"
Sakura stared at him incredulously and put her hands on her hips.
"Obviously, you've forgotten mine and Ino's level of fanaticism when it came to hot guys when we were younger. I grew out of mine somewhat, but Ino still has a bad habit of wanting things she can't have. It's a habit her dad is trying to break her of."
"And altering her memory is going to accomplish that?"
"It's better than her blathering about how sculpted your chest is apparently. Tsunade-shishou is the one who made him do it. Ino was starting to bug her with her sighing."
"Uh huh. That's believable I suppose. Is Ino one of your picks?"
Sakura gave him a shy smile.
"Maaayyybeee…"
"So she is. Not worried that doing the nasty won't unlock the pasty?"
"She seriously has no memory of seeing you a year ago Naruto. If I do decide she's the one and she agrees, then by the time her memory unlocks, she won't really care whether or not her memory was blocked."
"I see…oh, Hi Ino!"
Ino blinked as she stood in front of the blonde giant. Sakura hadn't been kidding when she said he was big…and handsome…and sculpted…and…damn…
As Ino's brain was overloading from the idea that Naruto was way hotter than anyone she'd seen in recent years, she kept eyeing him up and down like a piece of meat. The outfit looked good on him. Yet, in the back of her mind, she felt like she'd seen him before this. It didn't bother her too much at the moment. She had hot man-flesh to seduce…
"Naruto?"
The giant grinned down at her and put his hands on his hips.
"The one and only babe."
Ino continued to eye him up and down as she nodded her head, still not able to shake the feeling that all this was very familiar. The sculpted abs, the well-tanned skin, the muscular arms. How in the hell had forehead girl scored this hunk? Why not her? She put on a demure smile and flipped her hair, as she pushed her chest out a little more.
"The one and only indeed. You did quite a bit of growing there, big boy. How about you and I get reacquainted later?"
Naruto looked discreetly over Ino's shoulder to Sakura, who grinned and mouthed some words to him.
'Mess with her.'
Naruto grinned and leaned back against the wall.
"I dunno, Ino. I'm kinda seeing Sakura at the moment. I wouldn't want to make her angry. She's scary when she's angry."
"Aw, she doesn't have to know. It'll be our little secret."
Sakura stood behind the girl, totally unnoticed. She quirked her eyebrow at the dismissal.
'Were the two of us always this oblivious when we were younger?'
Sakura cleared her throat to get the attention of Ino. It wouldn't be any fun if Ino just ignored her as well.
"It's not like I'm not here Ino. Seriously…trying to steal my boyfriend out from under my nose?"
Ino smirked and leaned back against Naruto's chest, rubbing slightly to get a feel for him.
'Why the hell does this feel familiar?'
"I don't know why he's dating you anyway. Why go for your flat chest when he could have this?"
She put her hands under her tits and lifted them for emphasis. What happened next caught her totally off guard. Luckily, they were the only three left in the arena.
Sakura strode forward and put her hands on either side of Ino, effectively pinning her to Naruto. The blonde girl's eyes widened and she fidgeted under Sakura's stare. It was unsettling because the pink haired girl seemed…excited.
Sakura looked up into Naruto's eyes and caught the sparkle in them. Yes, the two of them could have a lot of fun with Ino if the girl was…receptive. She pressed herself up against Ino until she was nose-to-nose with her and whispered in her ear.
"Maybe he loves me because I'll do anything for him. Anything. Maybe you'd like to join us for anything one night? We could make an Ino sandwich."
She just barely caught Ino when the girl's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fainted. Sakura smiled at Naruto and handed the girl over into his more capable arms. He sighed as she picked up his swords and placed Samehada on his back and then Kubikiri, watching as they adhered like glue.
"Ready?"
"Yeah, let's take her back to the house till she wakes up. I think she had a bit of sensual overload. You laid it on pretty heavy there."
"Well, I just wanted to see how she'd react. If the small dribble of blood is any indication, she's having some very pleasant dreams."
Naruto looked down as Sakura wiped the blood from Ino's nose and walked out of the building, letting the pinkette lock it behind her. He wanted to get back home as soon as possible. They had a month to prepare for any Oto shenanigans and play around. With a leap, they took off through the forest toward home.
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Ino awoke in a very unfamiliar room. It wasn't any of her friends' homes that she knew of and it was way too lavishly furnished to be anyone she knew. Even her own imagination hadn't concocted a room this beautiful.
She spun round and round, checking out the décor. The bed was huge, more than enough for at least four people and had intricate carvings in the posts. She looked out the window to find it was dark out. She must have been out for quite a while. Deciding that she was in a friendly place at least, she opened the door and stepped out into a hallway.
As she padded down the hallway, she noticed that the house wasn't as big as she thought. It was homey and gave off a vibe of comfort. The more she saw, the more she loved the place.
Her feet suddenly hit a tile floor and she shivered at the cold sensation. She was in a large kitchen with marble countertops and dark stained cabinets. She idly wondered if the owner was a good cook. Seeing another door across the room, she walked through it into a foyer and through it into a dark room. She floundered for a switch and flipped it on.
Ino was by no means jealous of other women. If she wanted, she could have any man in the village she wanted…and several outside the village. But the sight before her made her jealous of her friend.
Sakura lay on top of a reclining Naruto, curled up on his chest snoring lightly. The giant of a man held her protectively as he slept. It was something Ino would have killed for; a guy who didn't just want her body, but her. Sakura was a lucky girl.
She crossed the room and shook the pinkette by the shoulder until she woke up. Sakura looked up bleary eyed and smiled.
"Hey. So you're awake now. Want some coffee or tea?"
"Tea would be nice."
Sakura nodded and slid off of Naruto, beckoning Ino to follow her. The blonde did so dutifully, but not before throwing a longing glance back to the man on the sofa.
Why couldn't she find a man like that?
Sakura put the teapot on the stove and sat down at the table, gesturing for Ino to sit as well. Once they were both seated, Sakura smiled at her friend.
"Why did you faint?"
Suddenly, Ino remembered why she had passed out and the blood rushed to her face. She'd never known Sakura could be so bold. Narrowing her eyes, she glared at the pinkette, receiving a grin.
"Why in the hell did you do that? If someone had seen it…"
"Ah, no one saw us. Besides, you were the one hitting on my man. I figured I'd just hit on you."
"What are you, gay?"
"No…are you? That little nosebleed was suspicious. Having erotic thoughts of me?"
Ino smirked and leaned back in her chair.
"Hardly. I think something of your boyfriend's poked me in the leg."
"Pfft…trust me, if anything of Naruto's would have poked you, you'd have known exactly what it was."
Ino huffed and watched as Sakura got up to get the tea. She accepted a cup graciously and let the hot drink wind its way down her throat. She needed that.
"So…what's it like being with Namikaze Naruto?"
Sakura sat her tea down and smiled.
"It's never boring, that's for sure. And to tell you the truth, I've never been happier. Even when we argue it's never out of malice. Love is an awesome feeling."
Ino sighed and swirled a finger around the rim of her cup, leaning her chin on her hand.
"At least you have someone. It's taken you what…your whole life to finally come to terms with the fact that you loved him?"
"Pretty much. But it was worth it in the end. Don't worry Ino, you'll find someone."
"Easy for you to say. You have someone."
Sakura sighed and took a sip of her tea.
"But before I got him Ino, I nearly lost him forever. You know how long it took me on that trip to get him to open up to me and forgive me completely? Six months. Six months of begging, pleading, fighting, apologizing…all to prove how genuine I was."
Ino nodded and took a deep breath.
"So…it was worth it in the end?"
"Totally."
"How's the sex?"
Sakura choked on her tea slightly and wiped her chin off with a napkin. That was unexpected. She smirked and sat up straighter.
"It's sooo awesome. My first time really hurt, but he was gentle and I got through it quickly. It's amazing how a guy like him can be so loving and then go out and slaughter enemy ninjas the next day."
"Sooo…how big is it?"
"Imagine a fifty-five gallon drum being jammed into the knot-hole of a tree. That's what it's like."
Ino's eyes shot open and she looked back toward the living room.
"You actually take something that big? No shit?"
"No shit."
The blonde looked her friend up and down with an appraising eye and snorted.
"I don't believe it. There's no way he's that big. And if he was, there's no way it would fit in you."
"Trust me it fits. And it feels heavenly."
"I'll believe it when I see it."
Sakura smirked and rested her chin in her hands.
'Maybe…if I can convince you.'
"Ino…am I pretty?"
The blonde swung her neck so hard Sakura thought she'd break it.
"What the hell kind of question is that?"
"A girl question. Now answer."
"…yes, you're pretty."
"If you were a lesbian, would you do me?"
Ino turned blood red and gulped down the rest of her tea.
"Why the hell are you asking me these things?"
"I want to know."
"…this is so wrong."
Ino put her face in her hands and shook her head. She couldn't believe she had been roped into this conversation. Better to get it over with though, than to live with Sakura's constant teasing.
"Yes, if I were a lesbian, I'd do you. BUT, I am not a lesbian, so keep your hands out of my pants."
Sakura frowned slightly and refilled the cups. If Ino was going to be like this, she might be out one more option. Maybe if she pressed just a bit further…
"I want you to do something for me Ino."
Ino peeked through her fingers and sighed.
"What?"
"Kiss me."
The blood drained from the blonde's face and she looked wide-eyed at Sakura.
"What the hell Sakura? Why are you asking me to do these things?"
"I've always wanted to kiss a girl. See what it's like…and you seem like a girl who likes to try new things."
"I. Am. Not. Kissing. You. Period. You've been on Anko's lips and I have no idea where those have been."
Sakura sighed and shook her head. Guess Ino was out of the picture…unless she lost her inhibitions. Time to salvage what she could. Sakura grinned and began to giggle.
"Jeez, Ino. You're too easy to tease. I have Naruto. Why would I need to make out with you?"
Ino let out a breath of relief and held out her glass for more tea.
"Oh, thank Kami. I thought you were serious for a second. You've gotten really good at acting, you know."
'I wasn't acting…that's why it seemed so good.'
The two talked a little while longer until they heard a yawn and turned to see Naruto rubbing his head as he dug through the fridge. Ino gave him another appraising look and sighed. She couldn't have him. Guess she'd have to settle for friends…
"Evening Naruto. Nice place you got."
He looked up and grinned.
"Thanks. Been enjoying yourselves ladies?"
The two nodded and Naruto stood upright, cracking his back.
"Guess I'll start dinner then."
Ino groaned and Naruto turned to her with a quirked eyebrow.
"Something wrong Ino?"
"You're not cooking ramen are you?"
Naruto laughed and continued digging throught the fridge for ingredients.
"Not unless that's what you want. I was actually thinking of something simple, like fish and rice, or a beef stirfry. That ok?"
Ino nodded vigorously and Sakura giggled at her one time rival. She just needed to sit back and enjoy now.
"Sakura, where do you live now? I think your apartment got sold."
Sakura gave her a curious look and turned to Naruto. He had his back turned, chopping up vegetables, but she could tell he was listening.
"I live here now. Where did you think I lived?"
"You live here? In this beautiful house?"
"Uh…yeah?"
Ino squealed and jerked Sakura out of her chair.
"You have to show me everything. This place is so cool!"
As Sakura was dragged out, she called over her shoulder that they'd be back shortly. Naruto just waved over his shoulder lazily. He had a meal to cook.
So…are we hoping that Oto invades?
'Absolutely. If their Kage comes here and they attack, then I can end that farce of a village once and for all.'
That last fight wasn't all that great, you know. If there is another invasion, and I hope there is, then we can go all out. Maybe against a Kage no less.
Can I come out to play?
'Absolutely not.'
…none of you let me do anything.
You've destroyed enough in your lifetime. It's time to let others enjoy a fight.
Yes. Don't be a greedy bastard.
Spoilsports.
'All of you be quiet. I'm trying not to burn the meat.'
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Ino squealed with delight as they went from room to room. The house was riveting. She couldn't get enough of the simplistic architecture. She loved the antique furniture and all of the little heirlooms that gave the place its charm.
But she absolutely adored the onsen…and had begged Sakura to let her use it, since it was sure to be free of perverts. Sakura had smirked and said it was all right.
"The only thing is that that's a family onsen and Tsunade-shishou and Shizune use it almost every morning."
"That doesn't sound too bad."
"Naruto usually joins them."
"Tsunade-sama actually lets him bathe with her? And she doesn't kill him?"
"Well, it is Naruto's onsen. And the two have seen each other naked before. Last time we were all in it, we were all naked."
"You were all naked?"
Sakura shrugged and grinned impishly.
"Naruto doesn't have much use for modesty. He's proud of his body and has every right to be. He's a magnificent specimen…and he's all mine."
Ino nodded and sniffed the air.
"What is that wonderful smell?"
"I believe that is stirfry. Come on, let's go in."
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The night passed with small talk and jokes. Naruto and Sakura invited Ino to stay over for the night and she graciously accepted. Spending the night in that big, soft bed sounded lovely…until she found out that was their bedroom. And after that earlier conversation, joke or not, she wasn't sleeping with Sakura.
As Ino dozed off, Sakura sat up talking to Naruto.
"What's your test going to be like?"
"Not telling. It's a secret."
"Aw come on. That's bullshit."
"Language young lady. If I tell you, you're likely to blab it to Ino and then it'll be all over Konoha."
Sakura whacked him with a pillow and crossed her arms.
"I most certainly would not tell Ino."
"Mhm. And I suppose you weren't trying to get her to agree to a little game either were you?"
"…you heard that?"
"Every word."
"When did you wake up?"
"When you rolled off of me and kneed me in the junk."
Sakura leaned up against him and he wrapped his arm around her. She rubbed her nose against his shoulder and closed her eyes.
"I'm sorry. I'll be more careful next time."
"I'm sure."
Naruto could feel her beginning to nod off and pulled her down so that she lay on her pillow. Soon, he heard her light snoring and sat back up, looking out the window at the full moon. He grinned.
"Soon, you pervy siblings, soon. I'll get my little revenge on all of you. Only a month to plan it now…"
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The month flew by quickly. Naruto had several plans drawn up on how to best get his revenge, but none stuck out as truly humiliating. It wouldn't do to embarrass the Kazekage in public, but behind closed doors…well, he'd figure something out. Kankurou was an easy one. Naruto would get him later.
Sakura had said that she had plans for Temari and Naruto left it at that. It wouldn't be fair if he were the only one getting revenge after all. So he left Sakura to her own devices. The girl could be quite devious if she wanted.
Ino had made it a point to come and visit whenever she could, which was quite often, considering Naruto's house was out of the way for his fellow blonde. He remembered the morning Ino had walked in on him, Sakura, Tsunade, and Shizune in the onsen. That had been a morning to remember.
Ino walked through the house wearing only her robe. Sakura had said all she had to do was just come over and let herself in if she wanted to bathe. Now, here she stood. All she had to do was slide the door back. Just…slide the door back…
Naruto sat with his arms against the side of the onsen, enjoying the heat. The girls were engaged in mindless chatter and he was happy with the moment of peace. He caught Shizune glancing at him and winked. She smiled shyly and answered whatever question Sakura had asked her. It had been kind of awkward the first few times she came over, since she wouldn't even look him in the eye.
Now Naruto was still shy around certain people, but Shizune wasn't one of them. He saw her as an older sister and her unwillingness to look at him bugged him. For cripe's sake, she'd given him physicals before. She'd seen everything he had before his first excursion. But she couldn't even look him in the eye…and Sakura and Tsunade knew that eventually, he would do something drastic.
One day, he just couldn't take it anymore and had stood up, his waist above water.
"For Kami's sake, Shizune, look at me! It's just me."
The woman turned blood red and covered her eyes with her hands.
"Yes, I know it's you Naruto, but you're naked. I have a problem with that."
She heard him growl and next thing she knew her hands were thrown aside and she was picked up in a bear hug, flush against his body, and was held there for several seconds. With her face heating up like a sun, she couldn't help but notice that he was very warm…and very, very naked.
She was unceremoniously dumped back into the water and came to the surface just in time to catch Naruto's ding-dong eye level as he stood before her. He had his hands on his hips and an exasperated note to his voice.
"There, see? Nothing to be afraid or ashamed of. I'm naked, you're naked, and nobody got boinked or saw anything they haven't seen before. Jeez, women are funny."
He crossed the water to sit back by Sakura, who had an amused look on her face as she watched Shizune try to come back to her senses. Tsunade had a speculative look on her visage.
"Damn, I should have acted shy the first time. At least then I would have got to feel his…"
She stopped when she heard a growl from Sakura.
"Shishou, I'd stop while I was ahead if I were you."
Tsunade grinned and leaned back.
"Aw come on. Just one little grope?"
"Absolutely not."
"…brat…"
Silence fell over them for a few minutes until Shizune suddenly came out of her stupor, shrieking and pointing at Sakura.
"HOW IN THE HELL DID THAT THING EVER FIT INTO YOU? HE COULD HAMMER NAILS WITH THAT…THAT THING!
Yup, never a dull moment in the Namikaze household…
Ino had had a similar moment like Shizune except she had walked up behind Naruto and peered over the side to see his ding-a-ling in the water and promptly passed out. It had been as big as Sakura said. Naruto had sighed and closed the girl's robe so she wouldn't feel exposed when she woke up. Too bad she didn't have a thing for Sakura…she had a bombshell body…
Currently, Naruto stood in the middle of an arena, waiting for the rest of the hopefuls to show up. He looked up to the Kage box and saw Gaara making his way over. He narrowed his eyes and chuckled darkly, scaring some of the genin behind him. It was already agreed upon that this proctor was more insane than the crazy snake lady.
As Gaara sat down in his chair, with his siblings flanking him, the sun was suddenly blocked out by a figure crouching on the balcony. The Kazekage cocked an eyebrow and his lips twitched in a slight smirk.
"Namikaze Naruto. Such a pleasant surprise."
"Likewise, Sabaku no Gaara. Here to enjoy the destruction of some genins' hopes and dreams?"
The red head nodded.
"I'd also like to partake in some fighting if a certain village is stupid enough to try anything again."
Naruto nodded and got a serious look on his face, leaning forward until his lips were by Gaara's ear.
"…I know about the bet and I'm coming for you."
If Gaara had been normal he would have been sweating bullets at that moment. He settled instead for slight disgruntlement.
"So you know? So what?"
Naruto grinned and pointed at Gaara, then at Kankurou.
"You two are going to be my bitches, some time, some place. You'll never see it coming. Tell me, do you know why I was called the Prankster King of Konoha when I was younger?"
The two siblings shook their heads.
"It's because I rarely ever got caught. They knew I did it, but had no proof. You two better watch your backs."
He grinned at Temari and disappeared, reappearing behind her and slipping his arms around her waist, drawing her back against him. He leaned down and whispered huskily into her ear.
"Sakura has plans for you and I've been told not to touch without permission. Doesn't mean I don't want to though. So…all those times you peeped on me…think I'm big enough for you?"
Naruto had learned from Jiraiya that mind games on a woman who desired you could produce great results. Offer to give them what they want subtly but never offer it at all and you'd have them eating out of the palm of your hand. Her brothers didn't notice, but Naruto felt her grinding against his crotch slightly, obviously desperate for contact. The poor girl…maybe Sakura could convince her…He grinned again and blew into her ear, making her shudder…and become very wet.
"Just remember Temari-chan, certain things can always work out in a person's favor if they want something bad enough."
He let her go and she nearly fell without his support. She caught the back of Gaara's chair and breathed somewhat heavily. That had been intense…and all he had done was whisper to her and hold her waist. Perhaps she was pent up...
"Something wrong Temari?"
She looked at Gaara and smiled shakily.
"No brother, nothing at all."
Gaara eyed her suspiciously, but turned back to face Tsunade, who had an apologetic look on her face.
"If it's any consolation, he has me by the shorthairs as well. He found some old pictures in Jiraiya's things and he's blackmailing me with them."
Gaara raised his eyebrow a fraction of an inch.
"What could he possibly have on you?"
"I was young and stupid at one time too, you know."
"…you were young?"
Tsunade growled and turned her head away with a jerk. She could hear the snickering of Anko and Sakura as they made their way to stand behind her, instead of off to the side.
"Watch your mouth brat. I might be older now, but I can still take you to the woodshed."
Gaara nodded and the approach of the OtoKage caught his eye as the man wound his way through the stadium toward the Kage box. He saw Sakura approaching Temari out of the corner of his eye and wondered what the Slug Sannin was up to.
Temari was wary. She knew that the two she had been spying on were vindictive if they wanted to be and Naruto could pull cruel pranks. She shivered with slight fear as Sakura sidled up beside her and placed a hand over her ear.
"I have a proposition for you. You've seen Naruto and I naked…how would you like a shot at him?"
Temari froze and her mind raced. What kind of trick was this? Sakura saw the confused look on the girl's face and leaned in again.
"It's no trick. You can have him for one night. The only concession…"
She left a pause so Temari could think of what it might be and whispered again.
"…is that I'm going to be there, and I get to play as well."
The two male Sand siblings watched as Temari's face turned blood red and she became stiff as a statue. Sakura ran her hand down Temari's back and whispered into her ear.
"If you agree, then come to our house after the exams are over. If you don't agree…well…let's say the alternative isn't quite as pleasant."
The pinkette reached her hand down quickly and squeezed Temari's butt, making the girl squeak loudly and invent a new shade of red, before cheekily bouncing back over to stand behind Tsunade. All eyes were on her until the OtoKage appeared in the box. The man tipped his hat to the other two Kages and sat down in his chair, flanked by two jounin.
"Hokage-dono, Kazekage-dono, it is good to see you both."
Tsunade nodded in his direction, as did Gaara. The other two Sand siblings and the two Sannin glared in the man's direction. It didn't affect the Kazekage as his attention was directed to the arena.
"I…was not aware that the Toad Sannin would be in attendance at the tournament."
"It's not just the Toad Sannin. The Slug and Snake are here as well."
The OtoKage had a slight frown on his face as he turned his full attention back to the arena and sighed.
"At least the tournaments should be interesting this year."
His fellow Kages could only agree.
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Naruto told the genin to stand still and listen as Tsunade gave her speech to the crowd and then listened as they roared their approval when he was given the green light to start the festivities. The giant turned to the genin and smirked.
"All right kiddies. The two who are supposed to fight, stay down here. The rest go to the upper balcony. Let's see now…you're from Kiri and you're from Oto…what to do, what to do?"
The Kiri genin shuffled his feet.
"Um…Proctor, I think we're supposed to fight each other."
Naruto glanced down at the genin and grinned.
"Yeah, you are. But things happen to change situations. Hang on while I explain to the crowd."
Naruto turned and spoke to the crowd in a booming voice.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Chuunin Exams. Now usually, we have a one on one fight between the genin, but to me…that's boring and predictable. So, this year, I'm going to spice things up by throwing variables into the matches to make it more exciting."
He turned to the two genin and held out his hands.
"Give me all your weapons. All of them. Don't make me shake you down."
The two genin, though confused, complied with his wishes and handed over their weapons. Naruto chuckled darkly and spoke again.
"In the world of shinobis, you don't always have your weapons. Sometimes you have to improvise with what you can and use what you must. Now, this simulation is to show that a true ninja can use even the most unortodox of weapons."
He reached in his pocket and handed a small silver object to each genin, and watched with amusement as their eyes went wide. The Oto genin blinked and looked up.
"You can't be serious."
"As a heart-attack."
"You expect us to fight using…"
Naruto's grin threatened to stretch across the arena floor.
"Spoons. Yes, I expect you to fight using spoons. And your fight starts…NOW!"
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The four in heaven all laughed heartily at their favorite blonde's antics. Sarutobi wiped a tear from his eye and looked at Minato.
"In all my years of holding those tournaments, I never once thought to make them use battle simulations with unorthodox methods and weapons."
Minato nodded his head and grinned.
"Yup, my boy's a genius. I can't wait till he gets up here. Oh, the jokes we could pull..."
Jiraiya turned to Kushina.
"You know, something like that deserves a battle cry. Something catchy…something simple."
Kushina whipped two spoons from behind her and handed one to Jiriaya before thrusting hers into the air.
"SPOON!"
"Spoon?"
"SPOON!"
Jiriaya laughed and thrust his into the air as well, clinking it against hers. They cried out as one.
"SPOON!"
Minato buried his face in his hands as Sarutobi patted him on the back.
"See? This is why we never took them places…"
Heh heh, the tournament takes off next time, I came up with a plausible explanation for my mistake, and if you don't get the spoon reference...you suck. Till next time, hope you enjoyed yourself.