Chapter 29- Let It Go Day
Neji finally returned for some good clean holiday fun. Not by choice, mind you. But once he started going on missions again, yet was still claiming he was far too injured to celebrate holidays with the gang, Gai used the old, "If you don't come you shall be a genin forever!" Needless to say, Neji started showing up again.
"And what EXCELLENT timing!" Kurenai exclaimed when she observed the entire Team Gai… INCLUDING NEJI… approaching.
"Yes…" said Asuma, once again stroking his beard. (Come now, if you had such a strokable beard, surely you would stroke it all the time. And, for all you folks with strokable beards, you know what we're talking about.) "I must admit that we came pretty close to designing this entire holiday entirely for Neji!"
"When are you going to tell us what the celebration is?" Naruto asked. "Is it made up like Story Day?"
"We didn't make up Story Day." Said Kakashi. "It was real."
"That's not true." Said Sasuke AS IF HE KNEW.
But then again, it's not like Kakashi responded… so maybe he DID know.
"So we will now tell you what the holiday is!" announced Gai. "It is officially July 12th, which means we must celebrate…" he paused for the dramatic effect. "LET IT GO DAY!"
"That just offends me that you would say you designed this holiday entirely around me then!" said Neji. And he really did sound legitimately offended!
"Well, you have to admit Neji, it really is time for you to just let it go." Said Kurenai as she maneuvered herself in front of Hinata… JUST IN CASE.
"Now we would like you all to think of something that you would like to just 'let go' on Let it Go Day." Said Asuma. "And then we'll all just… let it go."
"Wait." Said Gai quickly. "Let it go as in stop harping on it, not let it all go in a fit of rage."
"Oh yes." Said Asuma. "That is important."
"Should we think of this as somewhat of a New Year's Resolution?" Kiba questioned as he politely raised his hand.
"No, you silly boy." Said Kakashi. "It's not New Year's."
Kiba frowned. "Well duh." He said.
"ANYWAY." Said Gai, clapping his hands. "Let's go around the circle and ask everyone individually what they wish to let go."
"Starting with Shino!" Kurenai announced.
Everyone paused.
"Why Shino?" said Asuma with a raised eyebrow.
"Why not Shino?" said Kurenai.
"Cause he's…Shino." Asuma replied.
"I'm standing right here." Said Shino.
"Okay, Shino." Said Kurenai. "What are you going to let go?"
"I'm thinking a certain ridiculously unrealistic grudge Shino has on one resident of the Sand Village." Kiba said.
Shino thought for a moment. "What?"
"You know." Said Kiba. Shino shook his head, so Kiba sighed. "You know how that guy from the Sand Village backed out of the Chuunin Exam so you never got to show off your skills to the Hokage and therefore you didn't become a chuunin and you like to blame him for your misfortunes and have been actively seeking him out to make his life more miserable?"
Shino looked confused at first, then slowly began to nod. "Ah yes." He said, a slightly look of satisfaction on his face.
"So it's settled!" Kurenai said happily. "Shino will let go of his grudge against Kankuro for backing out of the tournament!"
"No." said Shino.
"What?" said everyone.
"I will never forgive or forget or 'let go' of that." Shino said as a shadow covered half his face.
"…Okay…" said everyone even though it seemed as though Shino had just recently forgotten about the grudge.
"Instead, I will let go of the potential grudge I was going to hold against Asuma for insulting me to my face about one minute ago." Shino decided.
Asuma came pretty close to shouting "WTF!" but he held back at the last minute because he didn't need Shino having a grudge against him. The last thing he wanted was to be attacked by bugs while he was minding his own business for something so silly.
"Okay then, let's move on to Kiba." Said Kurenai since she's the MC of her team. Not MC Hammer, but that would be awesome if Kurenai was MC Hammer. Then again, it would probably just be stupid… yeah… never mind…
"Akamaru and I have mutually and telepathically came to the decision that we're forgiving each other for any inconveniences we have ever imposed our one another!" Kiba announced proudly.
Akamaru barked in what sounded like agreement.
"Akamaru, geez." Said Kiba. "We said ALL."
Bark.
"ALL, Akamaru!" Kiba said, sounding angry. "That was over a year ago! Can't you just let it go? It's Let It Go Day after all! I can't believe you can't even let it go on Let It Go Day!"
"Kiba…stop arguing with your dog…" said Kurenai, trying to calm the young one.
"NO!" said Kiba. "I officially take back that declaration that I'm forgiving Akamaru and now I'm giving him the silent treatment!"
Akamaru barked.
"Oh yeah?" said Kiba. "Well I said it first!"
Akamaru barked in response.
"I AM giving you the silent treatment! I just had to make my point first!"
With that, Kiba crossed his arms and turned away from Akamaru with his nose pointed up in the air.
"Okay…that being said…" said Kurenai, looking uneasily at her male jounin pals who were all being helpfully silent for now. "Hinata? Do you have any secret grudges that you have to let go of?"
"Um…no…not really…" Hinata stuttered.
Neji muttered something that was hardly audible and barely understandable but any idiot could distinctly hear some sort of mention of the Main House. But that idiot would have to be a REAL idiot if he dared say anything about it.
"Are you sure?" Kurenai pressed persistently.
"Pretty sure." Hinata nodded.
"That's it then!" Kurenai said. "Whose team will be next?"
"MINE!" Asuma shouted. "Shikamaru, you're first!"
There was a slight pause.
"Say…where is Shikamaru, actually?" Asuma said as he glanced briefly around.
"Asuma…" said Kakashi, scratching the back of his head. "I thought we went over this already. Did you say that your team was going on their independent mission today?"
Asuma's mouth hung open for a little while. "WHAT?" he said. "So I've been here this whole time like a moron and my team isn't even here?"
"So it would seem." Gai gestured around to reveal that Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji were all not present.
"Well I feel foolish." Asuma said as he figuratively threw his arms up in the air. "I'm outta here. You guys have fun with Let It Go Day."
"You can't leave." Said Kurenai. "Let It Go Day was YOUR idea! You have to stay here and make sure we continue to impose it on our students!"
"That's not true!" said Asuma. "I have no part in this! As a matter of fact, it wasn't my idea! The three of you got together and decided to celebrate it because Gai has Neji with a grudge against the Main House, Kakashi has Sasuke with a grudge against the world and Kurenai has Shino with a grudge against Kankuro."
"Way to just SAY that Asuma." Said Kakashi as he slapped his forehead.
"So you guys DID make it up!" said Lee as if that was all Asuma said that was of consequence.
"No." said Kurenai. "It's a real holiday. We just decided not to skip over it."
"That is outrageous!" said Neji.
"I agree." Sasuke said with an evil eye.
"Whatever." Said Shino since he didn't really care.
"HA!" laughed Naruto. "Take THAT Sasuke!"
"Take what, Naruto?" Sasuke said.
Naruto fumbled. "Uhh—" he began. "Yeah! You take it!"
"Okay…that makes complete sense…" Sasuke said sarcastically.
"So now that the cat's out of the bag, are you remaining two going to let it go in the spirit of Let It Go Day?" Gai said with too much hope.
"No." said Neji. "Now, because of this entire incident, I now despise the Main House even more, if that's even possible, because I know that somehow this torture as well as the accidents that accumulated on my birthday must somehow be their fault leading to a bigger conspiracy against me!"
"Neji, we already explained to you the situation of what happened on your birthday and honestly it had nothing to do with the Main House." Tenten explained as if she had explained it a hundred times before, which I bet she did.
"I'll just answer with a simple no." Shino said.
"Well, then I guess that's that—" began Kurenai.
"WAIT!" said Naruto. "What about me, Sakura, Lee and Tenten?"
"Yeah!" said Sakura who literally hasn't said anything this entire chapter!
The teachers stared at each other and then at the students.
"Well…we don't really feel like standing around here any longer if our efforts to better the community were foiled…" Kakashi started. "But you guys can still let things go in celebration of Let It Go Day."
"Oh." Said the four mentioned ones.
"But turn that frown upside down!" said Asuma. "Great things are coming! On the 18th we will be celebrating National Celebrate Life Month! So everyone come prepared with the one thing you would do before you die and we will all get together and complete the things on the lists!"
"In addition to Celebration of Life Day, we also have Sasuke's birthday." Gai added, pointing at Sasuke. "Kiba, you are to plan it."
"I'm right on it." Said Kiba, sounding surprisingly enthusiastic.
"So just tell us when you're all set with those plans." Kakashi said.
"Will do." Said Kiba.
Akamaru barked something at Kiba, which was clearly shocking because Kiba looked awfully shocked.
"How dare you, Akamaru!" said Kiba. "Akamaru says that he'd be able to plan Sasuke a better birthday than me!"
No one really knew how to react.
"Well, I'll show you!" said Kiba. "I'll show ALL of you! Sasuke, I'm going to plan you the best birthday party ever and I'm sure whatever Akamaru comes up with will definitely be a flop."
"…Um…" Sasuke managed to finally articulate.
"Okay, I think we all have to pray that Kiba makes up with Akamaru and hope for the best!" said Kurenai. "We'll see you all again on the 18th, so don't forget to brainstorm about what the last thing you'd want to do is!"
"Kurenai…what you just said made very little sense." Kakashi pointed out.
"Well, they know what I'm talking about!" Kurenai argued.
The teachers looked questionably at the students as if they had lingered for more than five seconds.
"What's with you guys?" said Gai.
So the students shook their heads at their teachers and then departed, off to figure out what it is they would do with the opportunity to choose ANYTHING to do before they died.
