I don't know whether I should be shocked at the fact that Team friggen' Ao was in Konoha, or annoyed that Suigetsu referred to me as the "flat one" again— "Why are you looking at my chest?!"
There isn't even anything worth looking at!
Yet—because I have no idea what to expect once puberty kicks my ass into next week.
I'm mostly hoping for nice legs (because just about everyone seems to have them), so I couldn't care less about what happens in the chest area—so long as I don't end up like Tsunade.
Please don't fuck this up for me, genetics!
Suigetsu and Chōjūrō's third teammate seemed to have his regrets, based on his exasperated expression. "I'm starting to reconsider my decision to join your team for the Chuunin exams. At this point, I don't even care that I'm a twenty-year-old Genin."
"The Chuunin exams?" Oh, don't tell me…
"A-Ah…guess who was able to come?" Chōjūrō smiled somewhat awkwardly. "Sorry if it seems as if we came out of the blue—this is Kiri, by the way."
"He's our temporary third member and a medic-nin," Suigetsu added. "He's also the oldest of our team and still a Genin."
"Yeah, go to hell, Hōzuki," Kiri remarked nonchalantly.
"So your name's Kiri and you're from Kirigakure-ttebayo?" Naruto decided to ask Kiri.
Kiri blinked a few times and made a face. "Yes…that is correct—if you're going to say something about it, then you better keep your mouth close before I shut it for you."
Naruto stayed quiet after that.
"Who're you?" Oh, right…Gaara hasn't met any of these guys—the same could be said about his siblings, Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon.
"These are some guys we met while we were in Kirigakure," Sasuke was quick to reply. "We're not too familiar with Kiri, but we know Chōjūrō and Suigetsu."
"Why were you in Kirigakure?" Kankurō asked.
"I know!" Konohamaru exclaimed. "Jii-chan said they needed to take this missing-nin to get pardoned by the Mizukage!"
"Which is what happened!" I confirmed.
"And because of that, we have more people living with us," Sasuke said.
"Wait…Momochi Zabuza lives with you?" Suigetsu looked at us with wide eyes.
"Haku does, too!" Naruto piped up. "And Sai and Yamato-sensei!"
"Okay, what happened since you last wrote to us?" Temari asked with a stern look in her eye. This was honestly a lot to take in on such a short notice.
"You were rather quiet, even though we sent a letter to you…" A small bead of sweat rolled down the side of Kankurō's face. "Gaara was almost worried that something happened to you."
You know, I expected Kankurō to have grown used to being in Gaara's presence over these five years, but even now, Kankurō still looks anxious around his little brother. The same could be said about Temari, though it's more that she's tense than anything. At least they're not completely afraid of him—in fact, they seem rather concerned about him.
"Well, we have a lot to talk about, so we should go somewhere else…" Preferably, to somewhere where we won't cause a scene, because with Suigetsu around, that is something that's bound to happen.
"I don't think we should take them home—Kakashi might not appreciate having unexpected guests over." Sasuke did make a point. Ever since Sai and Yamato had moved in with us at Casa de Uzumaki, Kakashi's been a little irritated with any more people coming over.
"Let's just go to one of my clan's restaurants—you better not do anything stupid, Suigetsu!" The last thing I want to see is any of my friends getting banned from any of my clan's restaurants…and yes, I consider Suigetsu a friend—a vitriolic friend, but a friend nonetheless.
…
…
Suigetsu had gotten through almost ten containers of jello by the time Gaara, Kankurō, and Temari had heard everything about our mission in Kirigakure. It was during this time that the siblings had gotten well acquainted with Suigetsu, Chōjūrō, and Kiri. Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon had gone their separate ways, saying that they needed to be somewhere else. It was shortly after saying that, that Ebisu came running by, asking if we had seen Konohamaru, before running off in the direction Konohamaru and his friends had gone.
I'm guessing Konohamaru must have been skipping out on his homework or something…
"So you three are the Yondaime Kazekage's kids?" Suigetsu asked as he pointed his spoon at Gaara, Kankurō, and Temari. He grinned afterwards, showing off his sharp, white teeth. "That's cool!"
"Not really…" Gaara remarked. "Tou-san's been rather distant as of lately."
"And just when he finally had time to spend with Gaara…" Temari sighed in dismay.
"He'll probably be back to his usual self after the Chuunin exams are over." Kankurō tried to be a little optimistic. "He's probably just overwhelmed, since the other Kage are coming to Konoha for the exams."
"Wait, what?" Did I hear that right?
"Ah, that's right…the Godaime came with us," Suigetsu added as an afterthought as he opened his eleventh container of jello. "Your Hokage invited Kirigakure in the message you gave to our Mizukage while you were over."
"I don't understand why she went through with it…" Kiri let out a puff of air. "She only brought us along as her representatives, too."
"It's not so bad." Chōjūrō smiled weakly. "Think about it—it's an honor to be chosen to represent Kirigakure."
"Especially since you two are over thirteen and still Genin," Suigetsu said before shoving a spoonful of jello into his mouth.
"Is the pressure to become a Chuunin that high in Kirigakure?" Temari asked.
"Unfortunately, yes…" Chōjūrō frowned. "How is it in Sunagakure?"
"Extremely different…Suna prioritizes on the quality of their shinobi, so Genin can be as old as Kankurō, here, before they can even graduate," Temari explained. "The pressure on our shinobi is to graduate as early as possible to become a Genin."
"Holy shit, that's rough." Wow, Konoha has it freaking easy!
In comparison—that's not to say we don't have our own issues, because we do and they can fucking suck.
"Gaara was this year's youngest graduate, though…" Temari smiled as she reached over to ruffle Gaara's hair, only for her hand to meet sand. "Hmph, killjoy."
"I don't like being touched when I'm eating…" Gaara simply said as he continued eating his lunch, which consisted of his favorite food—salted tongue and gizzard.
"Heehee, you're just like Kurama when anyone gets near him while he's eating-ttebayo." Naruto grinned widely.
"Kurama…?" Gaara made a face.
"Oh, right—we finally named the fox kits that we saved while we were in Wave," Sasuke explained.
The most we managed to do before we left for Kirigakure was send a letter to Gaara explaining what happened during our supposed C-rank mission. We couldn't exactly tell him everything, since Kakashi said we had to keep hush-hush about a few things, like Zabuza and Haku living with us and the C-rank mission to Kirigakure. Though, now that everything is settled, it's quite fine to say it all!
Well, everything except for the fact that Utakata is a jinchuuriki—Mei made us promise not to say anything since it could put Utakata in danger. I'm guessing the Sandaime must have told her about the incident that happened on Shisui's sixteenth birthday… I'm just throwing shots in the dark, but I can at least assume that Mei is probably aware that Naruto is a jinchuuriki like Utakata, but chose to say nothing about it.
"Whoa! Look at the menu for this place!" Well, someone sounds rather excited and—oh my god, are those freaking Kumo-nin?!
What the ever-loving crap is going on?!
Wait…that's right—Kankurō said that the other Kage were coming to Konoha, which means that the Raikage is also here…
Are these guys taking the Chuunin exams?
It's honestly as good of a guess that I can make at this point in time. I don't recognize any of their faces and it's a complete understatement to say that we have long since passed typical canon events.
"What're you gonna get, Omoi?" A red-haired girl with dark, brown skin looked up from her menu at one of her teammates.
"I dunno, Karui…" A white-haired boy with a similar skin-tone as the red-haired girl looked rather cautious over the menu in his hands.
"Just pick something hot!" a pale-skinned, blond-haired male suggested to his teammate.
"That's easy for you to say, Atsui…" The white-haired boy, Omoi, sighed. "What if I pick something that I want, only for me to change my mind when it finally gets here? Then the chef will get annoyed and decide to kick us out of the restaurant."
I shouldn't be listening in on this, but this is just so interesting… You know, this is going to get hella awkward when the Hyuuga come across the Kumo-nin, like…remember what happened almost ten years ago…
OH SHIT—NEJI!
"Fucking hell!" Suigetsu swore loudly when I suddenly stood up in my seat.
"Guys!" I looked at everyone with a very anxious expression. "We cannot let anyone in the Hyuuga clan see them."
"Who're them—are those Kumo-nin?" Sasuke's eyes widened.
"Didn't you hear what we said before?" Kankurō seemed to be questioning our listening skills. "The other Kage are here and they came with their own team representing their hidden village."
"Doesn't that mean Iwagakure is here-ttebayo?" Naruto might have said the obvious, but his obvious comment brought up a point.
Doesn't Iwa have like this hardcore grudge against Namikaze Minato or is that just fanon? Fanon or not, I'm not taking any fucking chances because the last thing we need is Naruto finding out about his actual parentage before he is ready! Like no, that will just put Naruto in a situation where the enemies his father has made over the time come after him—that shit tends to happen when you're a shinobi! I am totally not exaggerating…
It's the reason why we're not supposed to expose our parentage or go into the specifics when outside of our own village. As nice as my father is, Chōza has made a handful of his own enemies over the years, alongside Ino and Shikamaru's fathers. I'm really dreading the day where someone asks me if I'm related to Akimichi Chōza—like, please no!
"Guys, I think we need to bring back Team Blast From The Past." At this point, I don't care if things will get awkward if I get spotted by a member of the Nohara clan! Worst case scenario, I get told off for disrespecting Nohara Rin's memory—which should not be a problem, so long as I don't do anything stupid…yeah, that's a problem, but fuck it! "Like, now."
"Team Blast From The Past?" Temari questioned.
"Kakashi-sensei let us borrow his and his friends' clothes from when they were our age-ttebayo!" Naruto replied. "Heehee, a lot of people got a huge shock when they thought I was the actual Uchiha Obito."
"Really?" Kankurō arched his brow.
"Yeah, there are a lot of people with guilty consciences around…I need to find out what was going on for Obito." Sasuke had a serious expression on his face. "Kakashi said he was a lot like Naruto—right down to the whole 'I'm gonna be the next Hokage' and so on."
"Is that so…?" Gaara seemed rather interested in Obito now.
"Though, Obito seems to be quite popular amongst the little old ladies who he had helped," I remarked, almost as an afterthought. "I wonder if he was ever late because of his helpful nature."
I'm just thinking out loud, but I think I shouldn't have because Sasuke looked as though he had seen a ghost.
"Oh fuck—I think I found out Kakashi's reasons for making up those excuses whenever he's late…" Sasuke almost seemed horrified. "It's a coping mechanism."
"How many coping mechanisms does he even have, dattebayo?" Naruto scratched the side of his head in confusion.
"As much as it takes to get over the death of his teammates," I replied. "And considering how much Naruto looks like a blond, blue-eyed version of Obito, I don't think Sensei'll ever forget."
Not while Sasuke looks like the Ghost of Christmas Past…oh, god—I still can't get over the fact that I'm technically the Rin expy.
…
Holy shit, is that why Kakashi acts so damn protective over me?! Well, then again, he's known us since his ANBU days as Hound and he's like a father to us, his Genin. Still, the thought he might see Rin in me is a little unsettling. Like—do I even want to know what was going on through his head when he saw me wearing her clothes?
It just makes me extremely glad that I ain't the medic-nin of this team, just no—fuck no!
"So can we go to your house now?" Suigetsu asked with a grin on his face. He probably wanted to see Zabuza and try to steal the guy's sword.
"You have no self-control," Kiri stated.
"Just try not to get into any trouble…" Chōjūrō was looking rather anxious. "Ao-sensei will get mad at us…"
"Not to mention, you'll give Kirigakure a bad name," Kiri added.
"Pressure on, Hōzuki?" I smirked at Suigetsu.
Suigetsu scowled at me. "Fuck off! You have no idea!"
Oh crap, I didn't mean it like that—I'll just shut up, now…
…
…
You know, I don't think I'll ever be able to get over the fact that I can fit into Rin's clothing. Sasuke just looks so used to wearing Young Kakashi's clothes, and Naruto doesn't have a care in the world in Obito's clothes—especially with his fox kits scampering all over the place. Gaara was getting well acquainted with the kits, Temari was resisting the urge to squeal, and Kankurō was just scowling at Kurama, who was currently tugging on the leg of his pants. Kiri was rather indifferent to the entire situation, while Chōjūrō seemed nervous—probably because Suigetsu refused to stay still. As long as Suigetsu didn't break anything, all was good.
In order to get Kakashi to lend us the clothes, we had to generate a laundry day in which we had nothing to wear. Kakashi did arch his brow at me, since I actually had a home with extra clothes. Eventually, he caved in and just told us to ask him next time.
I would have expected Kakashi to appear a little irritated, but he wasn't. Instead, he seems rather content to see us in these clothes. It probably gives him some comfort or something.
"Here's to hoping I don't get told off by a Nohara…" I'd rather that not happen.
"Hey, where's Zabuza?" Suigetsu, please tell me you didn't just spend the entire time you have been here looking for Zabuza…please. "Is he even here?"
Oh god dammit…though, Suigetsu does bring up a good point. "Sensei! Where is Zabuza?"
"Taking special classes to learn the way of Konohagakure Jounin," Kakashi answered as he made his way down the stairs.
"Are they seriously considering him as an instructor?" Sasuke asked.
"With how Haku turned out, Zabuza's a viable candidate for becoming an instructor." Kakashi walked right by us and plopped down onto the sofa. It was there that he then pulled out his Icha Icha Paradise from his jacket and started reading.
"You seem calm," Gaara remarked.
"Hello to you too, Gaara." While it wasn't that evident, Kakashi did seem happy to see Gaara and his siblings again. "Have you been sleeping well?"
Gaara didn't respond, but the expression on his face spoke for him. He looked so terrified—as did Temari and Kankurō. Though, the two were quite quick to speak for their little brother.
"He hasn't gotten much sleep because of the upcoming Chuunin exams," Kankurō began.
"Stress can do that to you, and since we're the children of the Kazekage, there is a lot of pressure on us…" Temari frowned.
"I see…" I could tell that Kakashi wasn't convinced, but he played it off as though he had been. "Well, Jiraiya should be arriving soon for the Chuunin exams. Oh, and the Sandaime requested our presence for an event this evening. Something about Konohamaru…"
Sasuke made a face. "Are you serious?"
"Motherfucker!" I thought we were done with these missions!
"Babysitting again?" Temari questioned.
"It seems like it-ttebayo." Naruto sighed.
"At least it's just Konohamaru…" Who really doesn't need a babysitter since he has Ebisu…I'm guessing Ebisu requested vacation time or something?
"By the way, I nominated you three for the Chuunin exams," Kakashi finally said as he held up three pieces of paper with his free hand. He didn't even look at us, his gaze still focused on his book. This was something he would regret because without any warning, Naruto jumped Kakashi.
Naruto was grinning from ear to ear, his arms wrapped around Kakashi's neck as he loudly exclaimed, "Kakashi-sensei! I love you, dattebayo!"
Kakashi's eyes were wide, his body stiff and his arms hesitant to even touch Naruto. Kakashi was never really one for spontaneous physical affection and considering how sudden Naruto had been, I'm guessing Kakashi had barely repressed his reflexes. "Hey, stop…let go of me…"
"O-Oh, sorry-ttebayo…" Naruto released Kakashi after that, making sure to give the poor Jounin his space.
Kakashi stayed still for a moment before relaxing. He sighed in relief and held out the applications in his hand to us. "It's just a nomination—whether you take the exam is up to you. Just make sure to sign the papers and turn them in at Room 301 by 4 PM tomorrow."
"That reminds me…we ought to get going." Kiri looked at Suigetsu and Chōjūrō. "Ao-sensei is probably waiting for us at the inn with our applications."
"Ah, that's right!" Chōjūrō nodded his head.
Suigetsu scowled. "Uurgh, I was hoping you two would forget…"
"Look, Hōzuki—Zabuza isn't here, and the only reason we even left the inn was because you wanted to see these three again." Kiri huffed. "You know, you could have just waited until tomorrow when we're turning in our applications for that, but I guess you're too impatient for that. So now that you've had enough time to catch up for the time being, we need to get going. I don't know about you, but I don't like being yelled at by Ao-sensei. C'mon, Chōjūrō—let's go."
Kiri didn't say another word after that and started making his way to the door. Chōjūrō looked nervously at his teammate before turning to us.
"S-Sorry…Kiri is under a lot of pressure to become a Chuunin," Chōjūrō explained. "Well...all of us are, but Kiri is the oldest out of all of us and…he's gotten a lot of ridicule for still being a Genin at his age. Suigetsu's not really helping, either…"
"I'll stop picking on him when it stops being funny." Suigetsu crossed his arms.
"W-Well…" Chōjūrō rubbed the back of his head. "We need to leave, so…bye, I guess."
Chōjūrō waved at us before going in the same direction Kiri had gone to leave the house. Now it was just Suigetsu who was left behind. He seemed annoyed at first, but then his eyes started to glisten with tears.
"D-Don't leave me behind!" Suigetsu followed his teammates out of the house after that.
…
"Are they always like that?" Kankurō turned to Sasuke, Naruto, and I for an answer.
I shrugged. "Who knows?"
"Still, they do bring up a point…" Temari hesitated to continue when Gaara looked at her. "U-Um…Gaara, remember what Baki-sensei told us?"
Gaara frowned. "Return as soon as possible after giving Naruto my gift…"
"I'm sure Baki-sensei doesn't need to know how long it took us to do that." Kankurō laughed. "Hey, cheer up, otouto."
"We'll be seeing them again tomorrow," Temari reassured Gaara. "They're not going anywhere."
"Apart from the Academy to turn in our applications," Sasuke added.
"But otherwise, we'll be here, dattebayo!" Naruto grinned widely. "If you need to go, then you can go! We don't want you guys to get in trouble or anything."
"Do you need a hug?" That always seems to cheer Gaara up.
Gaara looked at me for a minute before nodding his head. He then walked up to me and slowly wrapped his arms around me in an embrace. Not long after, I returned Gaara's embrace and it was there that I realized that Gaara was crying.
"I really missed you…" Gaara sniffed as he looked at me with the most heart-wrenching expression on his face.
My heart practically throbbed from hearing Gaara say that. "Aww, Gaara…c'mon, guys! Group hug?"
Naruto didn't waste any time and latched his arms around Gaara. Sasuke was much calmer about it, but it was quite evident that he felt the same way.
"Welcome back, Gaara…" Sasuke finally said it.
"Hanabi-chan will be happy to see that you're here-ttebayo!" Naruto exclaimed.
Gaara cried even harder after hearing that. After all, it was Hanabi's words of, "Miss you…" that had made Gaara cry almost five years ago.
When I looked at Temari and Kankurō, I wasn't that surprised to see them as anxious as ever. I knew something was up and the fact that Kakashi mentioned Jiraiya's name could mean only one thing…
Gaara's "sleeping problems" had returned. It was rather sobering…knowing something you couldn't really tell anyone about. I tried not to think too much about it, as it would only eat away at me, but really—when it came to Gaara, I was just concerned. A week from now, shortly before Kiba's thirteenth birthday, the first part of the Chuunin exams was going to begin. Along with that, a chain of events was set out to play and as far as I can tell, with Gaara's instability making its return, there was a good chance that Shukaku was going to make his appearance.
I just hope that Jiraiya will be able to fix this before that happens…
…
…
When Kakashi had told us the Sandaime had requested our presence because of Konohamaru, I wasn't expecting to see Ebisu running after Konohamaru, shortly after we were allowed inside the Hokage Residence. Like, what the hell—why were we needed if Ebisu is here?!
"Konohamaru refused to come along with me, unless you three were there," the Sandaime explained to us as we continued to watch Ebisu chase after Konohamaru. "Now that you're here…Konohamaru, look who's here!"
Konohamaru stopped in his tracks, almost causing Ebisu to crash into him. Of course, Konohamaru was at least smart enough to move out of the way before that happened. As for Ebisu, his face was currently getting well acquainted with the floor. Konohamaru laughed at the scene before turning his attention away from Ebisu. Upon seeing us, he grinned widely and ran toward us.
"Big Boss!" Konohamaru exclaimed.
I started snickering when Naruto looked at me with an annoyed expression on his face.
"Why are you still Big Boss?" Naruto huffed.
"I thought you always wanted to be an older brother?" Sasuke smirked.
Naruto scowled. "I did, but…why is she still Big Boss-ttebayo?!"
"Because she is still your leader," Kakashi piped up. "Now stop sulking, Naruto…it's unbecoming of a Genin."
"So I've noticed the return of Team Minato…" The Sandaime seemed rather amused with our outfits, which we still haven't changed out of just yet.
"You let your Genin borrow clothes once, and they'll want to borrow clothes again." As much as he tried to sound annoyed, Kakashi seemed happy. "It's not so bad…I hope you don't mind, but we brought the kits."
As if on cue, the nine fox kits jumped out of the basket Naruto was carrying in his hands. They were still small enough to fit in the basket, though keeping them inside was a rather difficult task. Thankfully, they weren't as difficult as they had been a month ago, with their curiosity and need to be independent. Since Naruto had started training the fox kits about a month ago, the kits had learned to stay by his side…or at least, everyone but Kurama did.
Kurama liked to wander off and cause trouble…I'm sure this is karma, but hell—it was still worth it.
"Try to make sure they don't cause too much trouble," the Sandaime told Naruto. "We have guests over."
"Guests?" Sasuke said questioningly.
…
A few minutes later, after the Sandaime had brought us to a room, we found out who exactly were his guests…and let me tell you, I was totally not expecting them to be the Mizukage, Kazekage, Raikage, and Tsuchikage. And guess what?
They weren't alone—oh, no.
"Bee, stop staring at the Mizukage!" That was definitely the Yondaime Raikage yelling at a certain Hachibi jinchuuriki, who was staring at Mei, who seemed to be enjoying the attention.
"C'mon bro, I got a pick-up line to go!" And there went Bee, rapping as usual. "Last Mizukage was a guy, now we have a hot lady that's super fly!"
"Bee-san, as a Jounin, you should be more aware of your current surroundings." Mei smiled in amusement as she placed her hand on top of the pink-eyed, hazel-gray-haired boy sitting to her right at the table. The boy appeared not that much older than twelve or thirteen. He seemed to be somewhat annoyed with the manner Mei was treating him—almost as though he had been a child. "Take for example, the fact that the Yondaime Mizukage is sitting right next to me."
Which Yagura was most definitely not.
"Man, don't be wild—that's just a child!" Bee seemed unconvinced with Mei's statement.
That comment certainly pissed off Yagura, who seemed to be throwing a silent hissy fit, based on his current expression. Utakata, who was sitting to Mei's left, seemed slightly amused as he blew some bubbles using his pipe.
"I can assure you that this child is an adult." Mei laughed as she patted Yagura on the head. "Isn't that right, Yagura-san?"
"I'm thirty-eight—definitely not a child." Yagura sulked.
"That's right, that's right, little man!" Mei giggled as she barely avoided having her hand swatted away by Yagura.
"Stop patronizing me!" Yagura snapped.
"It's difficult to see you as an adult when you keep acting like a child." I believe that is the Tsuchikage who had just spoken—and this is where my knowledge comes to an end. I don't know shit, now.
Hell, I don't know what I'm even looking at right now—just seeing a four of the five Kage sitting at a large table together with whom I believe to be their guards…with the exception of the Kazekage, who just has his children around him and—fuck, is that really Rasa?!
It was at that moment, that a familiar sound reached my years. It had been too long since I last heard it, but I wasn't exactly pleased to hear it again.
"Oh no…" I just broke the door…
"Ah, so the door-breaker returns!" Kakashi sounded so amused.
And just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, Naruto's fox kits decided to scamper into the room. Naruto loudly called after them and if my door-breaking strength hasn't already done it, then Naruto managed to bring all attention on us. Konohamaru did not help at all when he chased after the kits.
"Well, hello to you, too!" Mei winked at me. "Did you get a new outfit, Chōko-chan?"
"I-I!" I was at a loss for words, my face heating up from the way Mei had looked at me.
I was almost happy that the Kazekage (?) suddenly yelled out in pain when Kurama decided to sink his teeth into his leg.
"Kurama, no!" Naruto was horrified.
The Sandaime looked exasperated. Sasuke was just done, and Kakashi was Kakashi. It honestly just feels like another day in the life of us…with the exception of the sudden introduction of the other Kage and a couple of jinchuuriki…who I know next to nothing about. I really regret not looking into the jinchuuriki before I died, because all I can really recognize, apart from Naruto and Gaara, is Yagura, Utakata, and Bee.
Speaking of Bee— "P-Personal space!"
Bee was literally in front of my face—he is so lucky I'm not armed! Like, seriously lucky.
"If you don't get out of my face, all that'll be left of you is a blank space!" Stay away—did I just fucking rhyme?! Oh god, it's contagious!
"I don't mean to be shady, little glasses-wearing lady," Bee said as he lightly tapped his index finger on one of my lenses. "You have style, and you might be guile, but your personality is kinda vile."
Is he literally assessing me? For what—get that finger out of my face! "Ack!"
Kakashi decided then and there to pull me away from Bee. "Now don't do anything rash, Chōko—certainly don't go biting anyone's hand."
"I wasn't going to bite him…maybe." Okay, I might have considered it—but that was just it.
"Pffft—ahahahaha!" At that moment, Mei burst into a fit of laughter. This caught Yagura and Utakata by surprised as they just stared at their Mizukage with wide-eyes.
The Raikage—Ay, I think his name was—seemed shocked. The blonde-haired woman sitting to his left was absolutely horrified. The Tsuchikage seemed somewhat intrigued with the current situation, while the men sitting to his left and right—a redhead and a really tall man—both seemed confused.
One could only assume the Kazekage was in pain, as Naruto was struggling to pull Kurama off his leg. As this happened, Naruto took the time to say hello to Gaara, who seemed happy to see him again. Meanwhile with Konohamaru, he was gathering up the fox kits, with a little help from Kankurō and Temari.
Bee had the blankest expression on his face, the Sandaime appeared nervous, and Sasuke was just baffled.
"Is there any reason why it would be a bad idea to bite anyone's hand?" Sasuke asked Kakashi, who sighed in exasperation.
I was assuming that Kakashi had just prevented me from accidentally causing any tension between Kumo and Konoha. Or rather, causing any more tension—I really have no idea what the current state of Kumo and Konoha's relationship is. Is there tension or not?
Whatever it is, I was wrong making that assumption…because my actions wouldn't have caused any tension—oh no.
Just when you least expect it!
"Biting the hand of another just so happens to be one way to get married or engaged in Kumogakure," Kakashi explained. "And unlike Kirigakure, age difference isn't that much of a restriction, but there is a limit in how young one could be. For Genin, that would be thirteen."
And guess who just turned thirteen? Yo.
"Oh my god…" I'm starting to regret ever laughing at Kakashi and Zabuza's accidental marriage, now…because I nearly done got myself married!
"Now I see the hype, but you just ain't my type," Bee finally spoke.
What the fuck is this guy talking about?
"The Godaime Mizukage was talking about you before you arrived," the Sandaime explained. "I have you to thank for her participation in the Chuunin exams."
Oh god dammit, now I'll never live this down…
…
So apart from the fact that I nearly got my ass accidentally hitched to Bee, dinner still managed to be awkward because everyone now saw me as the girl who managed to convince the Godaime Mizukage to participate in the Konohagakure Chuunin exams…with the power of flirting!
When did this turn into Dungeons and Dragons?!
It was pretty much the reason why Bee was invading my personal bubble—he wanted to see just who was it that Mei had talked about so favorably. Totally not awkward—oh, as for why everyone was here, the Sandaime invited the Kage and their guards over for this fancy dinner (om nom nom) to commemorate a meeting involving the five Kage that didn't require a visit to the Land of Iron.
As far as anyone could even say, this is a complete first. And with introductions out of the way, I now know people's names…yay!
The Sandaime Tsuchikage was Ōnoki, who was surprisingly shorter than Yagura and yet, did not share a similar child-like appearance. He was also the oldest person in the room and goddamn, I did not think I would ever see someone older than Sarutobi Hiruzen, like holy crap—shinobi life goals of reaching the age of seventy-five, being a Kage, and having children and grandchildren.
Speaking of grandchildren, or rather, grandchild—Ōnoki's granddaughter was on the Genin team representing Iwagakure. His son just so happened to be that team's Jounin instructor.
As for the men who were with Ōnoki, the redhead was Rōshi, whose face was reminding more and more of a monkey's face, and the really tall guy was Han. Han…okay, he creeped me out with his height (the man was huge!), the fact that his face was barely visible, and his eyes just—they could stare into your soul.
Then Han started interacting with Naruto after he had handed the him Kurama. Once again, Kurama was being a little troublemaker, but Han managed to keep the red fox from biting him. Han was rather amicable, if a bit reserved.
The blonde-haired woman with Bee and Ay was named Nii Yugito, a name that sounded familiar to me, but I couldn't exactly figure out why. It was only until Bee revealed that he was a jinchuuriki in a rather blatant manner that it suddenly hit me.
These guards…they were all jinchuuriki. The reason Yugito's name had sounded so familiar is because I came across it while skimming through Bee's page on the Naruto wiki (oh, how I regret not clicking that hyperlink or looking into jinchuuriki in general). I could only count eight, but that was probably because Takigakure wasn't participating in the Chuunin exams. I have no idea what bijuu five of these eight jinchuuriki were containing, but as far as I can tell, something deviated…again.
Of course, there came a bit of a question in regards to Yagura…he was still alive, but does he still have the Sanbi, Isobu? It's a question that really brings a lot of attention to what is happening. For one thing, Tobi already relinquished his hold on Yagura, but considering what the Akatsuki have planned for the nine jinchuuriki…what happened to Isobu? I just…what happened?
This is probably classified information, of which only the Kage should know. Speaking of the Kage or rather, more specifically, the Kazekage…that is not Rasa. No—I just…fuck. I don't know what's going on at all…
…
According to what I'm hearing from Hiruzen, as he stated his reason for inviting the other Kage (as means of establishing official formality or something), it all started when two missing-nin infiltrated Konoha.
Naruto, Sasuke, and I got put in the spotlight for this, as Naruto was referred to the child who was used as means of convincing Uchiha Itachi to leave his village. Sasuke was referred to as the younger brother of Itachi, as well as one of the children involved in the incident, of which has been named the Children's Crusade.
It was called such as the main participants of the incident were children, of who were still only Academy students. And amongst these students, I was known as the leader—the one who took charge when things turned serious. It really was supposed to be a day commemorating what should have been Shisui's sixteenth birthday…but Orochimaru and Sasori changed all of that when they came to take Itachi.
While considered a traitor by many (and through legal definitions), Itachi was not referred to as such, because Hiruzen was of the same mindset as us—that Itachi was a hero. And since it had been Sasori who had left his mark in the form of poison on Hound (of which Sakura contributed greatly to the antidote as such a young age), it was through his involvement in the incident that brought the Kazekage and his children to Konoha.
And from there, something happened…what had originally been a meeting to discuss the Sunagakure missing-nin working alongside Orochimaru turned into something else when Gaara and Naruto made the decision to stay in touch with each other, despite the distance. Upon receiving an explanation from Rasa when Hiruzen had asked about the consistent delivery of messages between Suna and Konoha, Hiruzen thought of an idea.
The idea was to follow Gaara and Naruto's example, by staying in touch with Sunagakure long after whatever business had been conducted. And from there, Hiruzen decided to reach out to the other Kage in Iwagakure, Kumogakure, and Kirigakure.
I could have never guessed on my own accord that something that happened nearly five years ago could lead to something like this—a deviation where the Five Great Shinobi Countries were all present for the Chuunin exams. Sure, it was just the Kage with a single representative team of their choice from their hidden village, but if there's one thing I know about change, it's that this is a start.
And god dammit, it was a huge start. And to think, it all started when Orochimaru kidnapped Naruto…
Oh, and remember how I said he was forever screwed in Konoha, because of his actions and my clan's connections? It doesn't end there—no, it gets better.
The first thing Hiruzen had done when he had finally gotten in contact with the other Kage was tell them of the Children's Crusade. And considering the presence of jinchuuriki in this room, Hiruzen most likely revealed Naruto's status as a jinchuuriki to them. Now what exactly does this information do?
It makes people think…what could happen if that event repeats itself on someone else? No one really wants to find out—especially if jinchuuriki are involved. To hear of such an incident, like the Children's Crusade, leaves an impression that sticks.
And for that reason alone, the Five Great Shinobi Countries are all keeping an eye out for Orochimaru, Sasori, and anyone that could be connected to the two—which could potentially include the Akatsuki, considering their attire. Again, it was all because Orochimaru tried to kidnap Naruto.
It really all leads back to Naruto, because, to be frank, had it been Sasuke who had been used as a bargaining chip instead of Naruto…things probably wouldn't have been the same. To be honest, why did they pick Naruto instead of Sasuke? It doesn't really matter as what happened, happened…and because of what happened, Orochimaru pretty much screwed himself and, quite possibly, the Akatsuki.
I guess you can consider this karma, because it certainly has been a bitch to Orochimaru. While some things have stayed the same, despite the deviations, it's easy to infer that things won't be playing out the same way they had in canon. And from what I can see, that is definitely Orochimaru disguising himself as Rasa.
It definitely showed when Kakashi brought up the fact that I punched Orochimaru in the crotch and the Kazekage was the only one who stayed silent while everyone else laughed. By the by, I might have not been a door-breaker anymore…but I was now a crotch puncher.
God damn, this potato girl status…
"With that audacity of hers, it's a wonder why it took so long for her to appear in our Bingo Book!" Ōnoki laughed.
Ahaha… "What?"
"Ch-Chōko-chan's in…what, dattebayo?!" Naruto was just as baffled as I was.
"The B-Bingo Book?" Sasuke's eyes were wide.
"Cool! Big Boss's in the Bingo Books!" Konohamaru sounded so proud, while I was still trying to process what I had just heard.
"Ōnoki-san…Chōko wasn't supposed to find out." Mei laughed nervously.
"What the hell is going on?!" What the fuck man—what did I do?!
"Maa, it would be best to leave the explaining to me." A small bead of sweat rolled down the side of Kakashi's face.
…
"The Bingo Books…you gotta be fucking kidding me…" Even after I had it explained to me, I still couldn't believe it. Apparently, punching an S-rank missing-nin, who just so happened to be a Sannin, in the crotch at eight-years-old and living to tell the tale was enough to warrant attention from threat-assessing shinobi.
And ever since I've caught their attention, my progress has been closely monitored. By the time I had graduated from the Academy, I had become a potential candidate for the Bingo Books. The mission in Wave Country was pretty much the turning point where I finally made my debut as the Butterfly of Doom.
What the fuck is up with that name?! C'mon—they can do better than that!
"If it makes you feel any better, no one really pays much attention to D-ranks." Oh, you would know, Kakashi!
"Still, a D-rank rookie Genin is something you don't see so often." Kankurō's remarked earned him a slap upside the head from Temari. "Ow!"
"Idiot!" Temari snapped. "You're not helping!"
To clarify, a Genin is considered a rookie for the first year of their shinobi career. It's been almost seven months since graduation—the term applies.
"So how has everyone's day been so far?" Hiruzen decided to change the subject and actually succeeded.
Dinner sure became lively after that, though I still couldn't get over the fact that I made it into the Bingo Books—shinobi life goals? I don't even know…
At least Naruto was having the time of his life, interacting with Bee and the other jinchuuriki (not that he knew there were more jinchuuriki than just Yagura, Utakata, and Bee). Gaara certainly seemed to be having difficulty talking with Bee, but I guess that could be because Gaara was much like Naruto after he had graduated—except worse.
Poor Gaara feels as though he is living a lie when it comes to us—his friends. I'm just counting down the days before the truth comes out. At least now, Naruto can truly sympathize with Gaara…
…
…
Come the next day, Iruka was in for a surprise when Naruto, Sasuke, and I turned in our applications for the Chuunin exams. We probably caught him off-guard with our Team Blast From The Past attire, though, at the same time, he was probably conflicted with the idea that we were going to risk our lives in the Chuunin exams. He sure hesitated to give us the time and location for the first part of the Chuunin exams.
A week from now, the first part of the examination would take place in this same room, with the same deadline as the application process. Any later and we would be immediately disqualified from the examination—application be damned.
"Good luck." Iruka smiled wistfully at us before we left the room.
…
Gaara and his siblings had been waiting for us outside of the Academy for us to finish turning in our applications. Not long after we had joined up with them, Team Ao decided to join our side. Kiri was rather reluctant to even tag along with us—especially with how much of a little shit Suigetsu could be. Chōjūrō was literally the only person keeping Kiri sane at this point.
We continued waiting for the others, taking the time to people-watch so that we could have an idea of who are fellow exam-takers were. Team Kurenai soon joined us, with Team Asuma following right after.
Neji had been quick to separate from his team the instant he and his teammates had turned in their applications and joined up with the rest of us. Of course, Lee being Lee, decided to stick around with us, with Tenten doing the same, as she had nothing else to do.
Team Yamato caught us completely by surprise with their presence and the fact that they had applications to turn in—Yamato had managed to do it. He had succeeded in getting his Genin to participate in the Chuunin exams within a month. Then again, completing eight missions isn't that difficult of a task and considering the type of Genin Yamato had been assigned (Sakura, Sai, and Haku), he was very much aware of their potential.
That aside, we were all very aware that there was quite a lot that we needed to catch up on, as well as people we needed to acquaint ourselves with. Before that even happened, however, Shikamaru decided to bring up an old title of mine for the occasion.
"Where to, Leader?" Shikamaru knew very well what he was doing and I just wished he didn't do it around Suigetsu.
"Leader?" Suigetsu repeated. "Wait—you're telling me the flat one is a leader?"
"I would really appreciate it if you didn't stare at my friend's chest." Neji seemed rather annoyed.
Haku did as well, in his own subtle manner. "Just a friendly reminder that I am still curious."
Suigetsu cowered behind Chōjūrō after hearing Haku's threat. Kiri face palmed at this.
"What happened between those two?" Sakura was perplexed.
"A Yuki and Hōzuki confrontation…" was all Sasuke needed to say for Sakura to understand.
I might have vented about Suigetsu to Sakura…
"So how's the tree doing for you, Sai?" Ino decided to change the subject.
Sai blinked and smiled his usual fake smile. "It is doing quite fine…do I get a sticker?"
"I dunno, are you feeling anything?" When it came to stickers, Sai had really gotten into it. It was kinda cute…and was possibly another sign of his conditioning slowly coming undone. Slowly, but surely, progress was being made.
One day, we shall see the elusive Sai smile. Today is just not that day.
"I feel…anticipation?" Sai seemed so uncertain, but it was the effort that counted. Since he was eager for a sticker, I guess I could indulge him a bit.
Smack!
"Thank you, Meganekko!" And there was that nickname again… At least Sai looked happy.
"What's wrong, Neji?" Tenten suddenly asked.
"It's nothing," Neji insisted.
"Does it have to do with Chōko-san giving Sai-san a sticker?" Lee nearly got a palm strike to the face for asking that question.
"Neji-nii-sama used to get stickers from Chōko-chan, in case you didn't know," Hinata decided to explain.
"I used to get stickers, too—right, Akamaru?" Kiba grinned as Akamaru barked back in response. "I almost feel jealous that Sai's getting 'em, but…it's for a good cause, right?"
"Naruto-kun has mentioned that Zabuza-san locks him in a room with Sai-san occasionally, in hopes of Sai-san learning from Naruto-kun." Shino adjusted his glasses. "Apparently, Sai-san has problems with his emotions."
"You mean lack thereof," Chōji corrected before stuffing a handful of potato chips in his mouth.
"Heehee, it's been a while since all of us were together-ttebayo!" Naruto laughed. "Hey, hey—let's go see Hanabi-chan! Would you like that, Gaara?"
Gaara blinked a few times and smiled. "I would like that."
"To be honest, Hanabi is probably the only brat I don't hate," Kankurō said out loud as if he wanted to make a point.
"Huh, that's a first." Temari seemed amused.
And I was just content to see nothing much has really changed—well, apart from the recent addition to this circle of friends. Kiri ended up getting dragged along with us—whether he wanted to or not. Suigetsu had already accepted his position, with Chōjūrō being as compliant as ever. Sai was someone who would most definitely benefit from this experience and Haku…he seemed content.
"I actually feel wanted," is what Haku told me when I had commented on his expression. "It's a nice feeling."
It took every bit of will power to keep myself from crying after hearing Haku say that. Feels—stop…not now!
"So I guess we're heading to the Hyuuga compound…" I looked at Hinata and Neji for a confirmation of some sort.
"Otou-sama might not approve of strangers, but…" Hinata trailed off.
"I am sure he will make exceptions," Neji finished for his cousin. He seemed slightly irritated at this, but it was probably because he was looking at Haku.
I don't think I'll ever understand what is going on between Haku and Neji, but for now, to the Hyuuga compound we go!
…
When Hinata brought Hanabi into the room all of us were in, it took Hanabi a couple of seconds to register that people she had met when she was much younger had returned. It was Gaara who Hanabi had embraced first.
"Gaa!" At seven-years-old, Hanabi was no longer the same girl she had been five years ago. That still didn't keep her from deliberately keeping childish traits that her father pretended to hate. "Missed you!"
And just like that, Gaara started crying again—because Hanabi remembered.
…
…
…
A/N So deviantart user babavang made a thing, and the link to it is on my profile. Do take the time to check it out, for it is cute! ^^
Seeing as I'm updating, here's where I tell you I have my laptop back! It was just a battery issue, so yeah… Anyways, do you all remember what happened almost twenty chapters ago? Ahahaha, yeah—this is the result of that!
Things are different and yet, the same risks still exist. Whatever was helping Gaara sleep all those years ago is starting to wear off. With that, brings back his issues with Shukaku.
Orochimaru has effectively fucked up when he decided to pick Naruto over Sasuke, who would have been a less consequential choice (in the long-run), but alas, that was not to be. Now you have an Orochimaru with shaky plans for the Konoha Crush—oh, a bit of a heads up…Rasa was of a different mindset than he was in canon, so his death…a result of Orochimaru deciding to take matters into his hand since manipulation wasn't working.
And let me just say…Rasa and Gaara had been in the progress of mending their distant relationship. Make what you will of that. Oh, and a huge thank you to ChibiFoxAI—she's the reason Zabuza is locking Sai in a room with Naruto and has been a huge help when it comes to Bee and a lot of other things. I would be really lost without her. Oh, and Team Blast From The Past will end up being a thing, come these Chuunin exams, because Chōko doesn't know the difference between fanon and canon and she really doesn't want to risk it, anyways.
In case anyone is wondering about who the hell is Kiri, well he's a Kirigakure medic-nin who I decided to use as Team Ao's third Genin because I didn't want to make an OC and Utakata is anything but a Genin—he's a Chuunin, at least. But yeah, Kiri is an actual Naruto character—just look it up.
Also, if you thought Ninja-Vegas—I mean, Kirigakure was strange, then you definitely haven't seen what Kumogakure has up its sleeve. Let me just say…in contrast to Kiri, Kumo is the village with violent marriage/engagement customs. I'd go into Iwa, but there isn't much to say just yet…and Suna is something I'd rather keep under wraps for as long as I can.
And in case anyone needs to know, I updated the poll yet again—this time, you guys have up to SEVEN selections, so do have fun with the latest edition of the shipping game! Oh, and before I forget, you know how Kiba and Shino lost their first kiss together on a C-rank mission? That C-rank mission happened to be the one in one of those filler flashback episodes in Shippuden—the one where Sasuke and Naruto got stuck to each other. So filler does exist to some extent—it's just that different characters will be experiencing them all, so they aren't Team Kakashi exclusive, so do keep that in mind.
Oh, and Meganekko translates to glasses-wearing girl, which is the nickname Sai gave Chōko. Do keep in mind, that Meganekko has been used various times to describe Chōko—it's just that I use the term Meganekko in regards to Sai to show that it is indeed a nickname.
Shout out goes to Beckiiee for being reviewer #580 and Ryu Kitsune Bard84 for being reviewer #590! An honorable mention goes to Rivum, who has mentioned me in their fic, Kunoichi in Training (do take the time to check it out), and The Almighty Pyro, who is definitely having fun with shipping!
So as far as anyone can see, this is going to be one hell of a Chuunin exams! Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, because things are just getting started! So until next time, everyone! KD out! XD