Notes: Mega apologies for the long delay in updating. Besides working 2+ jobs at a time, a trip to AX and then Japan as a roadie for the Random Ninjas took up all my extra time. It was a blast though, and if you look up "randomninjas" on youtube, you'll see the teaser video showing a bit of the fun I had hanging out with the band and watching their shows this past month. They've got a Japan series of videos on their Tokyo show coming out over the next couple months—the teaser trailer is pretty fun so far . All the while, I've been missing this story very much, so thank you for your patience and your continued reading. All the good feedback and encouraging words from everyone has kept this fanfic alive! SANK U! (btw, this ones a bit longer than usual, too…yay!)
All The Difference 25
"Enter."
Tsunade's voice was firm and authoritative in response to Lluvia's knock on her office door. Lluvia couldn't help but hesitate for a moment before opening the door. She threw Chingis a quick nervous glance to see if he felt the same apprehension, but out of habit he had on his usual blank, lifeless stare that masked whatever it was that could be going on inside of him. There was something about the Hokage that was so full of presence that it drew out of Lluvia a sense of immediate reverence. The Amekage spoke loudly and made big movements as well, but the weight of Tsunade's voice was not a forced strength. Instead, it was like a deep gushing flow of spirit power that seemed to come from a sacred place within her soul.
The Jinchuriki from the Amegakure and Kumogakure had been summoned to the Hokage's office early in the morning. They were not surprised to meet each other at the front steps of the main Konoha office building. Without a word of goodbye, their respective leaders had unceremoniously left right after the end of the battle between the champions of their villages at the Chuunin exams a week before. Lluvia and Chingis had been abandoned by their leaders, left behind at the Konoha village. The two demon carriers had been under close observation, but they made no sudden moves, accepting the hospitality of the people of Konoha politely and without incident. They kept to themselves and to the relief of the Konoha ninjas so far, gave little cause for alarm.
Today, it seemed the Hokage had determined what to do with them. LLuvia was curious to see what the Hokage's verdict was. She wasn't sure herself what she was going to do. The last few days had been solitary and contemplative. Nevertheless, she had come up with no new answers for herself. Though she knew the Amekage and the other Amegakure nin were upset over her failure to achieve total victory, Lluvia also knew that they were glad to have a reason to rid themselves of her. Demons were not welcomed easily anywhere. She truly had no place to go, no one to go home to. She always knew she was utterly alone in this world, but now she felt it more than ever for she didn't have a purpose to live for anymore.
Chingis and Lluvia filed into the office of the Hokage and stood respectfully at attention in front of her desk. Tsunade looked them over and heaved a sigh.
"As you know, your leaders left without a word to us," Tsunade said, not making any attempt to mask the distaste she had for their actions.
"You are welcome to stay here as long as you would like, but given your…abilities, I would ask that you lend them to us in our missions."
"Of course," Lluvia responded without hesitation. Working for room and board was the least she could do, and she was hungry for something to do.
Chingis gave no response. It was as if he had lapsed back into a waking coma. Lluvia threw him a puzzled look at the same time Tsunade looked and him expectantly. Taking his silence as agreement, she continued on.
"Very well then. You understand that since you are not one of our own, I will be assigning you to work with existing teams and you will be under the supervision of Konoha ninjas at all times."
"Understood," Lluvia responded in the affirmative again, this time not bothering to look over at the silent Chingis and assuming to speak for the both of them.
"Good. Now that that's settled…" Tsunade began but a loud voice outside her door interrupted her sentence.
"You should have SEEN me fight Ero Sennin! That old pervert had no chance against me! I was like BAM! And he was like POW! Then I was like GRRRRR!"
Naruto's loud and obnoxious voice came clearly through the door and walls from the hallway outside as if it were only paper thin. The corner of Lluvia's mouth curled up in a partial smile and even the zombie-like Chingis turned to look at the door through which the noisy ninja's voice came.
Tsunade heaved an exasperated sigh.
"Right on time…I guess," the Hokage said hiding her own impulse to smile.
Naruto's voice continued to blabber on loudly, as a timid knock came on the door.
"Enter," Tsunade said again.
Opening the door was Hinata with a crowd of young Konoha ninjas filing in behind her: Tenten, Neji, Rock Lee, Kiba with a growing Akamaru, Shino, Chouji, Ino, Shikamaru, Sakura and even a newly- recovered Sasuke just released from the hospital the day before. Behind them came all the sensei: Iruka, Kurenai, Asuma, Gai, and Kakashi.
"OY! TSUNADE-OBA-CHAN! I was just telling them about a battle I had with Ero Sennin! That old pervert had no chance against me! I was like BAM! And he was like POW! Then I was like GRRRRR!"
Naruto went on as Chingis and Lluvia moved aside to make way for the newcomers.
"Naruto," Tsunade said impatiently trying to cut through Naruto's boastful story.
"And then I was like RAWR! And he was like…" Naruto continued one without respite. Everyone else was all ready standing at attention waiting for Tsunade to speak.
"NA-RU-TO," Tsunade said loudly with emphasis on each syllable.
"Huh? Yeah?" Naruto finally stopped and made note of someone else speaking.
"We have some business to attend to," Tsuande said with added exasperation.
"Oh yeah, okay, I'll tell you more about it later," Naruto said, adjusting his forehead protector and oblivious overall to how loud and annoying his presence was.
The medium sized office seemed rather small now that it was filled with so many people.
Tsunade cleared her throat and looked into the expectant faces of all the young Konoha nin in the room. She nodded at the sensei and they all came and took position by her desk. Each picked up a package wrapped in brown paper and tied up with string from a stack on her desk, then turned to stand in front of their respective teams. Iruka stood next to Tsunade beaming with pride.
"After much deliberation, your sensei, the council, and I have decided to grant you the title of Konoha Chuunin with all the rights and responsibilities of that title. Congratulations."
Tsunade and the sensei stood with proud smiles. For a moment, the youth stood there in silence. They had figured that some of them would get Chuunin this time, but all of them?
In the awkward silence, one hand raised.
"Yes, Shikamaru," Tsunade acknowledged.
"Does this mean I'll have less work to do?" Shikamaru said in his usual lazy voice.
A vein pulsed on Tsunade's temple.
"NO."
"Mendokuse (troublesome)," Shikamaru muttered loudly to himself.
The vein on Tsunade's temple pulsed larger and her face had a look of great irritation. She looked like she was about the throw something.
"But Hokage-sama, Chou-ji and I didn't even make it into the finals…" Ino blurted out in disbelief.
Neji's team gave each other disbelieving looks. They, too, had not made the finals this time around.
Tsunade cleared her throat again, trying to shake off the irritation she felt at both Naruto and Shikamaru at that moment.
"The title of Chuunin is not a title for a winning ninja, it is the title of a matured ninja. A winning ninja is not necessarily a mature ninja. During this exam, all of you have not only demonstrated your skills and abilities as ninjas, you've shown tactical and leadership capabilities. More than anything, you showed concern for your comrades and unity in your friendship. These are the true cornerstones of Konoha, the basis upon which my grandfather built this village. It is why Konoha is what it is today—the most powerful ninja village in the world. You have proven yourself worthy of representing that ideal."
The sensei opened the brown paper packages to reveal brand new Chuunin vests.
"YATTA! (WOOT!)" Naruto yelled with a jump and a punch up into the air. Underestimating his new height, though, his victorious fist punched right into the Hokage's office ceiling, creating a fresh new hole.
"Hahaha, ooops, gomen, hahaha," Naruto laughed a little nervously as he shook the debris off of his hand. His friends and teachers laughed lightheartedly as a book from Tsunade's desk collided with Naruto's head without warning.
They all put on their new vests, their faces beaming with pride. Naruto, who was rubbing the spot where Tsunade had hit him with a book, couldn't hide how pleased he was with himself at that moment. His face was plastered with his characteristically wide and toothy grin.
The vests fit well on each of them. As Iruka-sensei looked a the image of them all standing side-by-side sporting the new coming-of-age symbols, he distinctly felt the passage of time mingled in with the gushing flow of pride that he felt rising in his chest.
"Congratulations again," Tsunade said with a happy smile despite herself, "and now, on to other business."
The newly promoted ninjas, even Naruto, stood respectably at attention, awaiting their first orders as Chuunin. Shikamaru rolled his eyes.
"Lluvia of the Amegakure and Chingis of the Kumogakure have been relieved of their villages. They no longer have a village to call home."
Tsunade's words struck a chord of empathy in the young Konoha nin, and a few of them turned to look at Chingis and Lluvia who stood at opposite corners of the room looking rather isolated from everyone else and from each other. The impact of Tsunade's words hit deepest in Naruto, though, and his response was not to turn to look at the abandoned ninja. Instead he looked the Hokage straight in the eye with one of the most intense stares Tsunade has ever experienced from this particular bright eyed ninja. He was both staring into her eyes and looking straight through them. It was as if he were focused on every word that came out of her mouth and lost in a distant, painful memory all at the same time. Hinata gave him a concerned look.
"In response to the actions of their leaders, I have offered to allow Chingis and Lluvia stay on the condition that they assist with missions."
Tsunade watched with amusement as Naruto's intense, almost angry stare turned into a wide smile.
"ALL RIGHT TSUNADE-OBA-CHAN!" he yelled out with another jump and punch to the ceiling, making another hole alongside the one he had created earlier.
Tsunade covered her face with a flustered hand. Iruka-sensei winced along with everyone else in the room.
"Oops…" Naruto said with a hint of timidity.
"Naruto, why are you so clumsy?" Ino exclaimed in exasperation, and everyone broke into laughter.
"Hehehehe…" Naruto laughed with one hand behind his head.
Lluvia bit her lip to keep from laughing out loud. She realized at that moment that she might just like it here in Konoha, at least for the time being. She looked over at Chingis who, instead of his usual lifeless stare, was looking over at the back of the yellow-haired ninja with the faintest sign of emotion in his eyes. Lluvia smiled—almost affectionately. She turned her attention back to the Hokage.
"Your first mission as a group team is to get to know Lluvia and Chingis and help them acclimate to life in Konoha. Report here tomorrow morning for your next missions. Chingis, Lluvia, that applies to the two of you, too. That is all."
With that, Tsunade waved them away with her hand.
"Hokage-sama," the young ninja said respectfully as they bowed and left the room.
Naruto however, waved a hand and said in an all too informal tone, "Ja matane (See you later), Tsunade O-ba-chan!"
She waved a shooing hand at him. As they filed out of the room, she called out to one of them.
"Sasuke, please stay behind for a moment."
Sasuke turned first to look at the Hokage, then looked back at Sakura who was only a step ahead of him. She couldn't help but give him a pained look. Since the incident at the Chuunin exam finals, she hadn't left his side. He gave her a reassuring smile.
"I'll catch up."
Sakura nodded reluctantly as she turned and stepped out the door. Sasuke closed the door behind her and turned to the Hokage.
"Sasuke, I am glad to see that you have recovered well from the incident. How are you feeling?"
"A little confused, but otherwise I feel fine."
"Confused?" Tsunade tilted her head in curiosity and concern.
"Yes."
"About what?" Tsunade pressed on.
"Well, I can't quite remember how I was able to overcome Orochimaru."
"Oh? Hm, that was exactly what I wanted to ask you about," Tsunade admitted.
"Sakura said that I said something about everyone helping me to remember, I guess to remember who I am. But at the point I felt my mind returning to me and his consciousness being wiped out, and the moment right before that…I guess I can't explain how I did it. Maybe it was will power that did it…but there seems to be something more to the picture."
Tsunade looked at Sasuke with a deep thoughtful eye.
"I may be a foremost expert at medical ninjitsu, but the truth is Orochimaru had far surpassed me in some aspects of this field. That is how he was able to develop this particular forbidden jutsu, this ability to transfer his consciousness into another person's mind."
Tsunade leaned back in her chair and picked up a manila folder full of papers for Sasuke to see.
"As you know, Sakura's been monitoring you at the hospital, and she said you've allowed her to examine your mind long before the Chuunin exams even began. I've asked her to send me reports on your neural well-being during your stay at the hospital. She says you've been better than ever."
"Really?" Sasuke said with genuine surprise.
"I guess I'm just surprised that you could experience something like that and be left unharmed. It's almost like you're in better health than before."
"Do you think…?" Sasuke said with the beginnings of a furrowed brow forming. He even hesitated in saying that maybe Orochimaru wasn't totally gone from his mind. Even the thought of it repulsed him so.
"No," Tsunade said, easily reading his mind, "I think he's really gone now."
She tapped a pen on her table rhythmically as she thought.
"It's possible that his jutsu could not sustain itself indefinitely. It might have gotten weaker with each successive transfer."
Then Sasuke recalled something.
"Before he overtook my mind, he did say he would leave more of my consciousness intact than his previous hosts, because he wanted to obtain a forbidden technique of the Sharingan," Sasuke offered.
"Hmm, the Mangekyo Sharingan, I know," Tsunade responded, "I thought that might be one of his motives. Your brother has made the technique widely known. I've treated victims to that forbidden jutsu a number of times, thanks to him."
Sasuke couldn't help be feel that old pang of hate and anger rise again in his chest at the mention of the pain his brother had inflicted upon others. He shook his head in disgust, then looked up at Tsunade who had a furrowed brow and a pensive look on her face, as if she were trying to figure out a puzzle that had stumped her.
"What is it?" Sasuke asked.
"I'm sure the special condition of Orochimaru allowing some of your consciousness to remain did help, but I think there's just more to the story of how you overcame a powerful ninja like him."
Tsunade covered her mouth in thought, then lifted it and asked him again,
"You sure you don't remember how it happened? What you did?"
Sasuke looked down at the floor thoughtfully, as if the answer lay plainly there for him to see.
"All I remember…is that it was clear to me at the moment when he was going to kill Sakura right in front of my face, it was crystal clear to me what I needed to do to beat him. But I can't remember what it was, I just did it, somehow, and the next thing I knew all my memories were rushing back to me, and I was regaining control of my mind."
Tsunade tapped her pen on the table some more.
"Hm," she said again with the voice of a seasoned scholar genuinely puzzled by a new question, "…interesting."
"What's interesting?" Sasuke couldn't help asking.
"I'm not sure yet. I have an idea, but I'll have to study the issue closer."
Tsunade stood up from her chair and stretched her arms and legs.
"If my hunch is right, we may be able to develop a counter jutsu to many psychological and neurological forbidden techniques used by people like Orochimaru."
"…and Itachi," Sasuke added, speaking out loud in realization with his eyes widening with hope. He didn't dare imagine the fury he would be in if Itachi ever attacked Sakura with the torture he had suffered at his brother's hand when he was a child. He could sympathize with how Naruto must have felt when Hinata was hurt so badly by Itachi.
"Yes, and with possible applications across the board for ninjitsu training," Tsunade smiled. Sasuke's mouth curled up in a smile. His brother was the source of all of the trauma in Sasuke's life. A bruise, a cut, even a broken rib could heal much better and faster than the sort of harm Itachi had inflicted upon him and many other victims. Finally, there was hope of a way to truly fight his brother at his own game.
"That'll be all for today. Let me know if you remember anything else," Tsunade said in dismissal.
"Yes, Hokage-sama," Sasuke said with a newfound respect for his village's leader.
Sasuke walked into Mimi's family restaurant and immediately he was bathed in the aromatic air filled with the smells of BBQ freshly sizzling on the grills of each table. His stomach growled loudly in response, but it was drowned out by the loud group of ninjas occupying the largest table in the place. They were all sporting the same brand new Chuunin vest that Sasuke himself was also wearing. It was a celebratory luncheon.
"Irasshaimasen (Welcome)! You came just in time! I just served the food! On the house today! Omedetou (Congratulations) on your promotion!" Mimi's bubbly voice came through the cacophony of the busy restaurant.
"Hi Mimi, thanks," Sasuke said with a friendly smile and headed towards the table spilling over with his noisy friends.
When they spotted him, there was an outburst of welcomes from everyone. Sasuke laughed at how rambunctious they were as a group. He held a hand up in hello to his comrades, then noticed that Lluvia and Chingis were among them, and nodded in greeting towards them. He noticed that Chingis was at head of the table, and he had his chair scooted a bit away from the table, as if he were trying to stay as far away from everyone as possible while still sitting at that particular table.
Lluvia sat next to Chingis, and Naruto across from her with Hinata on the other side. It looked as if Naruto and Lluvia purposely sat by Chingis to blockade him from the rest of the group.
Sasuke took his seat next to Sakura who sat on the other side of Lluvia.
"What did the Hokage have to say?" Sakura wasted no time in asking her question with earnest while other conversations at their table continued on.
"She was just curious as to how I beat Orochimaru," Sasuke answered.
"So how did you beat him, Sasuke?" Naruto asked with genuine curiosity.
"That's the thing, I'm not quite sure. But the Hokage is really interested in it. She says we might be able to develop a new jutsu or something if we understood it better," Sasuke shared.
"Oh?" Naruto's ears perked up.
"Yes, a jutsu that could possibly counter Itachi's psychological torture techniques," Sasuke added.
"Really?" Naruto said, his eyes wide with interest.
"Ah," Sasuke affirmed with a smile.
Naruto looked down at the bowl and chopsticks he held in his hand, suddenly deep in thought.
"Here," Hinata said placing some newly cooked BBQ onto the rice that was overflowing Naruto's rice bowl.
Naruto stared at the piece of juicy meat that Hinata had just put care into cooking for him. Then, without a word of thanks, he shoveled the tasty morsel with a generous helping of rice into his mouth. Hinata was soon busy minding the next pieces of cooking food, but was well aware of the exchange between Sasuke and Naruto and guessed easily what was now on Naruto's mind.
"Hm, yeah, she's been asking me a lot of questions about you in the last few days," Sakura further confirmed.
"Itachi? Uchiha Itachi?" Lluvia's voice interrupted their thoughts.
"Yes, you know him?" Sasuke inquired with curiosity.
"He was supposed to be my next target after the Chuunin exams," Lluvia answered simply.
"Next target?" Sakura asked.
"Yes, part of the Amekage's plan to further build the reputation of the Amegakure. He figures if we start to take down S-Class criminals, the mission assignments would flood to our village and Amegakure can become wealthy and powerful," Lluvia explained.
"Hmph, you can't build a whole village on the back of a single talented ninja. No offense, Lluvia, you're pretty awesome, but your ex-leader's logic is flawed," Naruto spat out in an unexpected bout of insightful commentary. Sakura and Sasuke stared at him for a moment a bit surprised at their usually dimwitted teammate.
"No offense taken. Actually, I agree with your observation," Lluvia concurred, "but I was all they had to rely on because of my special abilities derived from the demon I carry inside my body."
As she finished her sentence, Lluvia did something that had Hinata, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura watching her actions with interest. She picked up some meat she had been cooking on the grill and placed it on the mound of rice that sat untouched by the reticent Chingis who still sat quietly in his chair at a distance. His eyes stared blankly at the edge of the table.
Lluvia made no notice of Chingis' lack of response and continued talking.
"What sorts of missions do you get here at Konohagakure?" Lluvia inquired.
"All kinds. From walking dogs to fighting bad guys," Sakura said.
"Yeah, but no more pet-sitting for me! I'm a Chuunin!" Naruto said, huffing and puffing and swelling his chest out with pride.
"Great, now you can screw up on more important missions," Sakura criticized with a roll of her eyes.
"Hey, it's the important missions that I screw up less on, so now that I have more important missions, that means I'll be screwing up less," Naruto reasoned pointing the tip of his rice spotted chopsticks at Sakura with emphasis.
Sakura's brow furrowed as she looked at her teammate with squinted eyes and tried to process Naruto's strangely cogent logic. Sasuke and Hinata chuckled in amusement. Lluvia smiled as well.
As the pleasant conversations continued on throughout the meal, Lluvia continued to place piece after piece of food on Chingis' untouched bowl. Chingis continued to sit like a lifeless robotic doll in his chair.
When the meal was finished, Lluvia asked for a bento box and carefully emptied the contents of Chingis' bowl into the container and tied it up.
They all stepped outside of the restaurant filling the sunlit streets of Konoha with the sounds of their friendly banter.
"So, what do you two want to see in Konoha?" Kiba asked in a hospitable tone.
"Actually," Lluvia said as she threw a glance at the quiet Chingis who had followed them outside at a distance, "we've been in Konoha for quite some time and have had ample opportunity to explore much of it all ready. I think for the rest of today, we'd like to rest and prepare for our first Konoha mission tomorrow."
"Are you sure?" Sakura asked politely.
"Yes, thank you," Lluvia responded, speaking easily for both herself and Chingis as if she had always been his spokesperson, "You all should do the same. The Chuunin exams have been trying, and I think everyone can do with some rest and relaxation."
Hinata noticed Lluvia's hand tighten around the bento box of Chingis' food that she held.
"Yes, that's a good idea," Hinata quickly agreed with her usual kind and understanding smile.
Sakura thought this was a great idea. If she had it her way, she would have Sasuke confined to a hospital bed for another week. But she knew he would be restless, and he did need some fresh air. A relaxing stroll in the peaceful Konoha woods would do him some good.
"Okay, well, we'll meet up tomorrow morning for our assignment then?" Naruto said, anxious to get to something he wanted to do.
"Yes, thank you all for your hospitality. We appreciate it," Lluvia said graciously with a bow.
The group broke up into various directions. Lluvia watched as Sakura grabbed Sasuke's hand and began leading him down one street, and then she turned her attention to Naruto who had grabbed Hinata's hand and was literally dragging her down another street. She watched the rest of them disappear, and then turned to the still zombie-like Chingis.
"Come with me," Lluvia said. The silent ex-Kumogakure nin followed without objection.
Hinata allowed herself to be dragged by Naruto halfway across Konoha. He walked a bit ahead of her, and she followed in silence, guessing easily where it was he was dragging her. They came to the front door of the Hokage's office in no time, and Naruto burst in without announcement to find the fifth surrounded by a pile of paper work watched over and assisted dutifully by Shizune.
"Tsunade oba-chan, Hinata's ready to learn that special psychological defense jutsu you told Sasuke about," Naruto announced and pushed Hinata towards Tsunade.
Hinata smiled cheerfully at the 5th. She had read Naruto's mind perfectly and had expected him to say exactly what he had just said.
"It's not ready yet," Tsunade said simply. Out from behind Hinata's cheerful smile poked Naruto's spiky head.
"Huh? When is it going to be ready?" Naruto asked.
"I'm not sure yet."
"Then Hinata's first on the list to be trained right?" Naruto insisted.
"Yes, sure," Tsunade said with a tired wave of her hand.
"Arigatougozaimasu (Thank you very much), Hokage-sama," Hinata said politely and bowed.
When Hinata shut the Hokage's office door behind them, she turned to see Naruto with a pretty pleased smile on his face. She knew more than anyone how worried Naruto has been about the Akatsuki targeting her to get to him.
"Daijoubu (It's okay), Naruto. Watashiwa tsuyoi desu (I'm strong)," Hinata said reassuringly, slipping her hand into his.
"I know, Hinata," Naruto said with a proud smile at his girl and squeezing her hand, then added, "but so is Itachi."
Sasuke and Sakura under a shady overhang of foliage upon soft grass kept cool away from the direct glare of the bright sun. They strolled near the old Uchiha neighborhood.
Inside, Sasuke felt like his soul was a calm pool of fresh water. It was so different from how he felt when he was consumed by vengeance and hate before. Then, he felt like he could see nothing but the hate and frustration. The waters of his soul had been turbulent and the dust was stirred up in a blinding cloud. Now, as he walked serenely in this peaceful moment next to his beloved, he felt as if the sand had settled, and he could look through the clear waters out onto a greater world and understand more of it.
He put an arm around Sakura's shoulders and pulled her closer to him as he walked. The feel of her near him was so comforting. A relaxing river of warmth flowed through his being.
They walked in silence, enjoying being together on another beautiful day.
It has something to do with this…all of this…Sasuke thought to himself in silence. He felt a strength coursing through his veins.
Up on the high walls lining the perimeter of Konoha strolled Lluvia and Chingis. Lluvia lead the way and Chingis continued to follow. They walked in silence. A pleasant breeze swept up the wall and caused Lluvia's high ponytail to wave softly. For a moment, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of the caressing wind against her skin and took a relaxing deep breath. Then she stopped in her tracks and was not surprised to turn around and find that Chingis had stopped a few yards behind her in response.
Lluvia looked over the side of the wall that faced Konoha's village-scape with the vast wilderness of green forest and high mountains behind her on the other side of the wall. She held the bento in her hand up in Chingis' direction.
"Here, there's no one around now. You can eat," Lluvia said. She kept her eyes on the Konoha scenery spread out below them. Without turning to look at him, she felt him take the bento off of her outstretched hand and listened to the barely audible sounds of him opening up the food container. She stood for a bit looking away from him and silently enjoying the weather and scenery so that he could settle into eating his meal comfortably. When she felt he was at ease, she glanced over at him and saw that he was gradually emptying out the bento, the mask covering his face pulled down to reveal his whole countenance.
"Why did you decide not to kill me?"
The question came out of Lluvia's mouth as she leaned forward some more against the wall, allowing the concrete to hold up some of her weight.
"I tried to, but you are somehow immune to my special abilities," Chingis replied without hesitation.
"I mean after that, at the end of the match. You could have slit my throat easily," Lluvia threw back.
Chingis chewed on another mouthful of food silently for a moment.
"I'm not sure," he finally replied, then added, "Why didn't you kill me when you had the chance?"
"I've never killed anyone before. I didn't plan on breaking my record," Lluvia said with a touch of jest.
Chingis continued to eat on steadily in silence.
"I know you stay aloof from people because you know you may accidentally kill them if they touch you. It must have happened too often before," Lluvia observed.
Chingis' steady pace of eating faltered a bit. Lluvia could tell her words conjured up some bad memories for him.
"I'm sorry. I just wanted to make the point that I don't think you really want to kill people either, even though you have," Lluvia said, a far away look in her eyes.
He looked over at her, his own brown eyes examining hers.
"Why are you here?" he asked bluntly, almost irritably.
Lluvia gave him a slightly puzzled look.
"Because I was left behind here like you were," she answered.
Chingis blinked. That wasn't what he meant, but he left it at that. He turned and looked out at the view of his current home, however temporary it may be.
"The Kazekage and the Sunagakure troops will be leaving today," Tsunade's voice read officially out from under her large Hokage hat.
Team Gai, Team Asuma, and Team Kurenai were off on their respective missions all ready. Only Team Kakashi and the two new additions to the Konoha forces still stood in the Hokage's office awaiting mission assignment.
"Your mission is to escort them to the edge of the Hi no Kuni (Land of Fire). Lluvia and Chingis will be coming with you under your supervision."
As Team Kakashi plus their two temporary members walked down the Konoha streets to meet up with the Sunagakure ninja and the Kazekage at the front gate to the village, Naruto turned around suddenly and held his hand up to his mission team.
"HOLD ON! I have to get something!"
His mission team watched as he ran into a convenient store on the street corner. Five minutes later, he came running out with two gigantic plastic bags of ramen.
"OKAY! I'm ready," he said with a satisfied look on his face.
"Naruto, I know you like ramen, but isn't this going a little overboard?" Sakura said with a raised eyebrow.
"But this is my FAVORITE brand of cup ramen!" Naruto exclaimed.
"Yeah, but this mission is only going to take two days at the most. You'd have to eat a cup ramen every 30 minutes to finish all the ones you have there," Sakura continued.
"NOT a problem!" Naruto threw back.
When they met up with the Sunagakure ninja, Sakura watched as all of the visiting nin gave Naruto strange looks as her sprightly teammate continued to lug both gigantic shopping bags of cup ramen along with him. Sakura rolled her eyes a bit in embarrassment. Naruto, however, had a broad smile across his face the whole time.
They accompanied the Sunagakure troops without incident to the edge of the Hi no Kuni (Land of Fire), and set camp for the evening. In the morning, the escort team would return to Konoha and the Sunagakure would continue on their journey to their home.
"Pssst! Hey! Gaara!"
Gaara was in his private tent, left alone as usual in reverence and fear by his own people. He looked up from his solitude to see a pair of bright blue eyes and spiky yellow hair poking through the front entrance of his tent. Gaara sat in front of a small dining table set up with a meal for one, his long black coat contrasting with the tan colors of the tent fabric surrounding him. The Kazekage hat sat officially upon his head, the flaps that hung off of it covered the sides of his head seemed to isolate him even further from the world.
He watched with amusement as the loud looking ninja came into his tent with two enormous shopping bags and a large plugged bamboo thermos.
"Yes?" Gaara said in his normal, commanding voice.
"SHHHHH!" Naruto motioned for him to keep it down.
Gaara blinked in puzzlement.
"Why?" the Kazekage actually whispered.
"Because!" Naruto hissed, "if you're too loud, the others might hear and they might want some of this ramen!"
He lifted the two large bags he carried to indicate what they were full of. Before Gaara could ask another question, Naruto was all ready making himself comfortable at the small dining table opposite the Kazekage. With a bit of distaste in his eyes, he pushed aside the bland looking meal that the Sunagakure ninja had prepared for their leader. In its place, he placed two cup ramen in front of Gaara and two on the table in front of himself. He partially opened the paper cover atop each cup, and then he opened the large bamboo container and began pouring hot water into each cup ramen.
"Okay, so you should open the lid like this. Not all the way, or it won't cook as fast or as well. After three minutes, then you can take the paper lid completely off and stir around the noodles a bit before you eat."
Gaara nodded in understanding, accepting the culinary gift that was being forced upon him. He didn't seem to mind.
They sat for a bit in silence. Then surprisingly, it was Gaara who broke the silence.
"Naruto, why do you want to be Hokage?"
Naruto looked up at first a bit astonished, not having expected such a serious question right before ramen. His mouth scrunched up as he thought about his answer.
"Well, before, I just wanted to be acknowledged. I wanted everyone in the village to know that I'm a great ninja. But now…"
"Do you still want to be Hokage?"
"Definitely. But now, it's different. The villagers, they acknowledge me. Actually they worship me as a hero, which isn't surprising of course, since I'm so strong and all, but anyways, I still want to be Hokage because I want to be a great ninja that protects Konoha."
"Why?"
"Because Konoha is my home."
"Why?"
"Because of my friends, my family, that's what Konoha is to me."
"What if you didn't have them? Would you still protect the village?"
Naruto smiled at Gaara's constant flow of questions. He took Gaara's current inquisitiveness as a good sign.
"I don't know. I think it would have been hard if Iruka sensei hadn't cared for me, if I hadn't made any friends. But you know that girl Lluvia from the Amegakure?"
Gaara nodded, remembering the battle between her and the strange boy from the Kumogakure and the stomping off of their respective leaders when they failed to end their match with a fatality.
"She's the same as us. Everyone called her a monster, everyone hated her. But you know what she said? She said that she wanted to protect the feelings the villagers had for each other, even if they didn't offer any of that care to her."
"Why would she do that when they treated her so poorly?" The usual glint of hate rose in Gaara's eyes as he said these angry words. The symbol of self-love still burned bright and bloody red on his otherwise pale forehead.
"I don't know. What do you think?" Naruto decided to throw Gaara's question back at him.
The anger in Gaara's eyes faded as he tried to understand why a girl who was so forsaken would chose to protect those who hated her. He stared silently at the cup ramen that steamed before him, unable to come up with an answer.
"Is it done yet?" he asked.
"Yup! Dig in!"
They slurped the ramen noodles and drank the flavorful soup hungrily. At the end of the meal, they had eaten 5 cups each, but Naruto had brought so many, it made barely a dent in the two gigantic shopping bags.
"The rest of these are for you to take back," Naruto said with a wide, toothy grin, then added, "But you should hide them or other people will take them from you. You don't have this brand at your village do you?"
Gaara shook his head, not that he had really thoroughly researched the ramen selection in his village.
"Yeah, I thought so, because I've traveled all over, and this is a special brand that's only available in Konoha. I think one day, I'm going to have my own brand of ramen. I'll call it 'Uzumaki Cup Ramen.' Sounds pretty catchy huh?"
The corner of Gaara's mouth curled up ever so slightly in a smile as he nodded his head.
"Next time you come visit, I'll ask Hinata to make you the special Naruto Onigiri (rice ball)! It's really good! Inspired by yours truly!" Naruto pointed a thumb emphatically at himself.
Gaara looked thoughtfully at Naruto as he started raving about other things that Hinata made from medical nin medicine to teriyaki chicken. He wondered what it must be like to be connected to someone the way Naruto was connected to the Hyuuga girl. He had become numb to the dull ache of loneliness in his chest, the pain that he had lived with since birth. He had long since given up the wish to have someone heal it with the sort of love that his uncle Yashamaru had told him about. For the rest of the evening, Gaara listened to Naruto tell him stories about his adventures with Hinata, his teammates, and his friends, all the while resigned to the fact that he himself would never have such fond memories of his own to cherish.
Note: Pack your sandals, goggles, and SPF 100 sunscreen everyone! It's time for a field trip to the Kaze no Kuni (Land of Wind)!