Underlined speech is thought.
Italicized words signify emphasis put on the words or a change in tone. You should be able to figure it out from the choice of words and the character.
Sentences of thought that are completely italicized were spoken by another character.
Italicized sections are songs/chants; whatever you what to call them. When a word is bold, it is being spoken by only Naruto. If it is underlined, it is being spoken by only Hinata. A word with (parentheses) around it is echoed. The numbers of echoes are the same as the number of parentheses pairs. Also, if a parentheses pair is (underlined), it is only Hinata's voice that echoes it. Songs will not use quotation marks like normal speech.
CAPITALIZED SPEECH IS YELLING.
These are … interruptions in …speech caused … by things …like laughing,…crying, thought,.. and…others.
Words-with-dashes-between-them-consistently-signify-when-a-character-is-talking-too-fast-to-understand.
Words with tildes~ after them are spoken for longer~ periods of time.
Bold words are author notes.
(Previously on Edel Raid and Pleasure: After hearing the news, the genin quickly began to pick out who they would pair with. Most stayed with team members. The more out-there teams were Sakura/Lee, Shino/Shikamaru, and Kiba/Kin. On the next day, Hiruzen talked to Hiashi about Naruto and Hinata. Kin griped about how she will have to meet Kiba's family. Lee prepared himself to try and meet Sakura's family the only way he knew how, train.)
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3-21-10
Meeting New People
The sun only just recently broke the village's horizon as Kin walked around in full shinobi gear and a scowl plastered on her face. The few people who were out at that time wisely put a little distance between her and them. "I know that I may have to meet that baka's family, but the longer I can prolong that the better." At the top of a raised area, she noticed an unusual amount of steam. "Is that what I think it is?" She wasted no time getting there as quickly as she could. "They even have hot springs here. Aren't these Konoha people blessed enough?" She let out an angry sigh. "At least it is a way to wash off my scent."
Minutes later, Kin walked into the girls side with a towel wrapped completely around her body. Even though few people were there, it was her first time in a public bath and she had no interest in being exposed to anyone. Kin simply found a spot where she would be as far as possible from the nearest person and dipped her feet into the water. There was a rock conveniently placed behind her that she leaned onto. After just a few more minutes, she found herself relaxing while focusing entirely on the sounds of underground water bubbling up into the spring. She had no trouble blending the occasional distant conversation with the sound … that was until a new voice rang out. "ANKO MITARASHI HAS ARRIVED!"
Most of the women looked away or outright ignored her. Kin looked directly at her. "Why'd it have to be her~ of all people? She's not even bothering to cover herself up." Just before closing her eyes, Kin noticed something on Anko's shoulder. "That's … impossible. Why does she~ of all people have that? Dosu will be very interested in this." Kin stood up and walked the edge of the bath leading to Anko.
Anko also noticed her. "If it isn't one of the genin brats. She's got some serious spunk to just walk up to me like this. I like a girl who doesn't scare easy. Hello maggot."
Kin's eye nearly twitched. "Keep calm. I didn't expect to see you here. That is an interesting tattoo you have there." A number of women that heard gasped, which quickly concerned Kin.
Anko smiled widely. "There are certain lines people who know me know not to cross. Since you don't know me, I'll let that slide just this once."
Kin's face paled as Anko walked by. "It … it really felt like she was going to kill me. If she really got that from Orochimaru-sama, it wasn't a good memory. It's too dangerous to delve into this any further." Just before leaving, Kin heard an unexpected sound. "That sounds like someone writing." She looked around and noticed that not one woman was doing that. She covered one ear to get a better sense of direction. Her eyes widened at another sound. "Now … I am mad."
She walked up to the bamboo walls and pulled out a senbon hidden under her towel. A small bell was attached to the senbon. She regularly began to tap the bell, causing the sound to ring out. After a few seconds, this caught the attention of the other women in the bath. Someone quickly noticed just why Kin was standing over there. "PERVERT~~~!"
Kin smirked and put her senbon away. "Take your time. He shouldn't be able to get very far." The women raced into the changing room. Kin slowly followed them with a strong feeling of accomplishment. When she exited the building fully dressed, that feeling grew with the sound of a man's screams. She let out a long happy sigh. "That was more fun than I ever expected to have here." Kin suddenly remembered why she went there in the first place. "Shimata! I never went in the water. Now I'm sweaty. I have to find somewhere else."
"THERE YOU ARE KIN-SAN!"
She stopped right in the middle of trying to jump away. "Too late."
Naruto's Apartment:
"What-do-I-do?-What-do-I-do?-What-do-I-do~?!" Naruto ruffled his hair in frustration. "Great! Now I have to brush again." After brushing his hair down, Naruto flopped onto his bed and gripped his pillow hard enough to tear into it a bit. "I'm never going to figure this out. I have to be there in less than an hour. I know Hinata-chan told me not to worry, but that only makes me worry more." Naruto could only spend his time fretting about what he should do until he had to leave for the Hyuga compound.
Naruto found the place just where Hinata told him it would be. It was just as she described too; a large area surrounded by a fancy wall with shingles on top and a fancier gate. It didn't take long for the gate to open after Naruto knocked on it. Walking through the gate didn't help at all with his nervous deposition thanks to the soulless white eyes of the two guards following him every step of the way. Like he was told, he walked through the first building he saw. The next thing he saw was a sight for sore eyes. "Naruto-kun."
Naruto released a tense sigh and smiled. "Hey Hinata-chan. She's a real miracle. Her eyes are nothing like the guys out there. I just hope that her father isn't like that." He suddenly noticed that Hinata was restraining herself from laughing at him. "What's so funny?"
This caused her to laugh a little stronger. "It's y…your hair."
Naruto pouted. "It's not funny. I tried to clean up a bit."
"My daughter is right Naruto-san. You look as if you wore a helmet on your way here. If he wanted to look presentable, he would have worn something other than that orange monstrosity."
Hinata faced Hiashi and bowed. "Good morning Otou-san." Naruto quickly repeated the action.
Hiashi nodded in response. "I know that we have plenty to talk about." He focused on Hinata. "I would like to talk to Naruto-san alone."
Naruto's heart skipped a beat just before turning to Hinata with an unconsciously developed puppy-dog expression. This tore at Hinata as she walked for the opening. "Gomen Naruto-kun."
After a few seconds, Hiashi spoke up. "I have heard that you have been getting very close to my daughter. That is fine for missions, but it becomes my business when this relationship becomes personal. I may be the head of a prestigious clan, but that only means that I have inherited my ancestor's talent for hiding a scandal. I already know all I need to know to hide a body properly." Even though Naruto didn't know him very well, the smile on Hiashi's face seemed uncharacteristic. "I hope that we have come to an understanding."
Naruto nodded shakily. "H-h-hai."
"Good. Now for the matter at hand." Hiashi looked at Naruto seriously. "There is one issue that I cannot ignore, no matter how many times I am reassured that it does not threaten my daughter. It is a matter of ignorance as much as safety." Hiashi took note of Naruto's confused expression. "I am talking about the incident that took place on the day of your birth."
Naruto's eyes widened. "You mean … the Kyubi."
Hiashi nodded. "From what I have heard, you have yet to tell my daughter about that secret. I would have done so myself if it weren't for the Third's Law. It is true that you don't know everything about my daughter, but I can assure you that you already know her best kept secret. It is not fair that you are keeping yours. If you don't tell her soon, I will~, regardless of consequences."
Naruto looked at the floor. "Hai, your right. I just…."
"You are concerned about her reaction, correct." Naruto nodded. "That is one thing you don't have to worry about Naruto-san. If she is anything like Hiromi, my daughter will only need some time to think about it."
Naruto looked up in confusion. "Who's Hiromi?"
Hiashi closed his eyes. "That is something you should ask Hinata later." Hiashi turned to the door Hinata left through. "Follow me." After a few seconds, they met with a very nervous looking Hinata. She automatically stood up from her seat. Hiashi continued walking before turning when he would be able to see both of them. "Outside of the one-to-one talk with Naruto-san, there is a more important reason I wanted to speak with the both of you. Your opponents will be training together often and working hard to keep their abilities secret. Your reactions are very powerful but cannot easily be concealed. Instead, you must find somewhere you are certain prying eyes won't find."
"Were Otou-san?"
Hiashi turned away before smirking. "Follow me." The pair looked at each other in confusion before following Hiashi down the hall.
Naruto was able to get a feeling about how big the compound was just by how long it took for Hiashi to finally stop. The door he stopped at confused Hinata even more. "Otou-san, th-this is your office."
Hiashi simply opened the door and walked through. "Close the door when you enter." Once they did that, he walked to the right corner of the five-by-five meter room and pulled out the tile two spaces to the left.
As he walked down some hidden stairs, Hinata's eyes widened and Naruto's lit up. "Your clan is so~ cool~~ Hinata-chan. You actually have secret underground hideouts and stuff. Why didn't you tell me?"
"I~ didn't know."
"Oh … whatever. Let's see what's down there." Naruto followed after Hiashi. Hinata smiled and followed after Naruto.
It wasn't long before they reached a large underground room. Outside of some shallow perfectly spherical craters and countless torches along the sides, there weren't any notable features to the room. "This is a secret training area created half a century ago. We have a number of jutsu that we would like to stay hidden, so we try to avoid using them publicly as much as possible. This room is designed to look like more rock when using the Byakugan from the outside." He turned to face them. "This is where the both of you will train together."
Naruto began to bounce up and down. "ALRIGHT~! NO WAY WE CAN LOSE WITH AN AWESOME PLACE TO TRAIN LIKE THIS!" He turned to Hinata. "Let's get started Hinata-chan."
"Stop!" As per Hiashi's command, the two froze. "Now isn't the time. Hinata, go over there." Hiashi pointed to the right of the stairs. "Naruto-san, there." He pointed to the left of the stairs. He waited for them to reach their positions. "Now you can react."
Naruto scowled. "What's that about?!" He started walking towards Hinata. "Make up your mind."
"NARUTO-KUN!"
In his ramblings, Naruto didn't notice Hiashi right in front of him. The next thing Naruto knew, he was rolling across the ground while clutching his stomach. "What hit me?"
Hiashi stood where Naruto was with his palm held out. "It was foolish of you to assume that I will let you react. If you can successfully react, you complete this part of your training."
In Sakura's Residential home:
The sound of someone knocking on the door echoed through the building. "I'LL GET IT~." Sakura reached the door and paused just before opening it. "I really~ hope he at least change his hair and clothes."
She was disappointed when she opened the door and Lee looked no different from the last time she saw him. Before she could say anything, he bowed. "I apologize Sakura-chan. I thought about your request and decided that if I meet your parents, I must show them who I really am."
Sakura rubbed the side of her head. "Oh~, is this your new friend?" Sakura's head quickly turned to her mother. If one had to say, Sakura's looks defiantly came from her mother. Her clothes were even the same as Sakura's with the absence of anything shinobi related, any design and being a much lighter shade.
Lee automatically bowed at seeing her. "Good day Haruno-kaa-san."
She laughed into her hand. "My~, what a polite boy. I'd really like it if you call me by my name, Tsubaki."
Lee bowed again. "I understand Tsubaki-san."
She smiled. "Now then, should I make something for you?"
"No need Kaa-san. Lee-kun and I are going out to train." Sakura quickly left out of the door with Lee bowing once more before following her.
Tsubaki only smiled. "That Lee-kun looks weird, but he's a nice boy. I'll have something waiting when they get back."
"So how will we train Sakura-chan? Will we work on our stamina by running around the village ten to twenty times? Will we work on our attacks by hitting the posts a few thousand times? Maybe we should spar for a few hours to build up our over-all skills."
All through Lee's rant, Sakura's jaw dropped. "What have I gotten myself into?"
After just a minute of walking through the streets in thought, Lee finally broke her out of it. "Who is your friend here Sakura-chan?"
Sakura looked up then left to Lee. She then looked to the other direction. "Took you long enough. I saw you with your head down and this freak of nature so I was wondering how bad your depression was."
"HEY! Lee-kun isn't that bad."
Lee froze in place. "Not~ that~ bad~!"
"What are you two up too?"
"We are training for the Chunin Exams."
"So it's training. I'd be worried about you if it were something else."
"Excuse me." Both of them turned back to face Lee. "I am Rock Lee. What is your name?"
"Sagesumi." She turned back to Sakura and they continued walking. "How about I help you two? I can't imagine this guy being that strong."
"He's actually real strong. I saw him pull out a massive tree root right out of the ground. I would have been in real trouble if he didn't help."
Sagesumi looked at Lee with a skeptical expression. "If you say so~. He looks a little scrawny for something like that."
Just before his eyes lit up with flames, Sagesumi turned her back to Lee. "I'll show her what a genius of hard work can really do." As soon as they reached an open training area, Lee faced Sagesumi directly. "I'd like to spar with you if you please."
Sagesumi narrowed her eyes. "You sure you want to do that kid. You should try picking on someone your own size."
Lee narrowed his round eyes. "Your height is not that much of an advantage."
"Whatever." She turned to Sakura. "I'm going to hold off helping you train for the moment. This guy is starting to get me riled up." She took on a stance with her left side forwards and her right side at the ready.
Lee took on a stance with his legs together, his left arm behind his back, and his right hand in a come-hither position. After a few moments, Lee moved first and attacked. He jumped and rotated. "Leaf Whirlwind!"
Sagesumi ducked under the first kick and backed away from the second. Just after he landed, she pushed forward with her left and then right leg to slam her right knee into Lee's stomach. She followed with a quick right hook. She grabbed his arm with her left hand and prepared to throw him over her head. She suddenly found herself unable to lift him into the air, which threw her off balance. She leapt away to regain her balance. "What was that? That guy's too scrawny to weigh that much. There has to be some trick to it."
She watched Lee stand up and retake his stance. "You are very skilled Sagesumi-san. It will be a pleasure to train with you."
"He acts like my hits didn't even affect him. He's as tough as he is weird looking."
Back at the gates of the Hyuga Compound:
A man with long white hair, tattered clothes, and a bruised face walked up to the compound. "Today has not been my day. I barely had time to settle into my researching before I started feeling weird. Those women attacked me without mercy and ripped up my notes. To top it off, the old man sent me off to see Hiashi the instant I show my face. This better be as good as he tried to make it out to be."
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And this concludes yet another chapter of my story. I can't imagine having any more fun writing for Lee and Sakura, but there is plenty to be had with the other characters of this chapter. I plan on putting a good deal of emotion in the next one.
Next Chapter: Revelations.
