Chapter thirty two- Partners
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
"That's it for the day, kiddies!" Kakashi said, and each of his students shot him a withering glare.
"That mission sucked" Naruto said and the others nodded. "You suck, Hatake-sensei" he added and turned to leave. Kakashi frowned. Unlike his other students, Naruto was the only one who didn't call him Kakashi-sensei.
"The dobe's right" Sasuke said and Naruto glared at him. They had a little stand off, so Sakura stepped in the middle. Kakashi smirked. Just like Rin, he thought.
"Welcome to the world of genin" someone said and they turned to Tenten as she wore a smile on her face.
"Tenten" Naruto said and she chuckled as she moved towards him. She gave him a pat on the shoulder. "You were right" he mumbled and she smirked.
"I'm always right" Tenten said and caught sight of Kakashi. "Well, I'll be" she whispered and Naruto smirked.
"You're one of Gai's, right?" Kakashi asked her and she bowed her head in respect. "How is the maniac? Still shouting about youth?" he added, looking over his orange book. Tenten bristled at it but replied.
"Gai-sensei will never stop" she said, cracking a smile. Kakashi hummed and Tenten caught Sakura openly staring at her. "Oh, I'm Tenten, a friend of Naruto's" she greeted both Sasuke and Sakura. Sakura meekly bowed her head and Sasuke grunted. "You remind me of Neji" she added, mostly to herself.
"Where's Lee?" Naruto asked and Tenten sighed. "With your sensei, huh?" he asked and she nodded.
"Yup, so I thought I could get my promised dango" Tenten said and Naruto chuckled. "Do you mind if I steal him from you all?" she asked the rest. They shook their heads and Tenten walked off. "Come on, you owe me!" she said over her shoulder.
"See ya later" Naruto said to no one in particular and caught up to Tenten. They watched as the two casually talked while they walked.
"Since when did Naruto have friends?" Sakura whispered to herself, and she couldn't help the guilt from reaching her throat.
"Naruto-kun!" Ami happily shouted as they entered the dango store. Riku looked up and shot the boy a smile. She immediately hugged him and he blushed as the people in the store laughed. Some called out the blonde who waved back. "Oh, and you're one of Naruto-kun's friends, right?" she asked, looking at Tenten.
"Yeah, I'm Tenten" she said as Riku approached. Naruto glared at Riku who had a sly grin on his face.
"Don't start, old man" Naruto said and Riku playfully placed his hands in the air, like he was under arrest.
"I don't even know what you're talking about" Riku said and smiled at Tenten who returned the gesture. "I remember you. You were with that green boy, right?" he added and Tenten nodded.
"That's Lee. He's one of my team mates" Tenten said as they were directed to one of the vacant tables.
"You're a shinobi too?" Ami asked and Tenten nodded. "Wow, that's amazing" she added and Tenten just smiled.
"So, what can I get you two youngsters?" Riku asked and Ami took their orders. He gave Naruto a nudge who frowned in turn. "She's pretty, my boy" he added and Tenten arched an eyebrow at them. Naruto spluttered.
"He's just a pervert, don't mind him" Naruto said and Riku laughed. "Old man, could you stop it?" he whispered. That was when he saw Anko, sauntering into the store. "Kami, no" he added and Tenten paled. Anko looked around until she caught sight of them. Her eyes narrowed and there was a smirk on her face. "Damn" he mumbled.
"Ohohohoho~" Anko laughed as she approached them. "What do we have here?" she asked.
"Anko-sensei" Naruto said and she laughed at his appalled expression. "What are you doing here?" he asked with a nervous chuckle.
"Don't mind me, let's talk about you. Who is this?" she asked, with a sweet tone of voice and Tenten bowed her head in respect.
"I'm Tenten, his friend" Tenten said and Anko nodded, with her eyes trained on Tenten's face. "Nice to meet you" she added.
"Oh, the pleasure is all mine, Tenten-chan~" Anko said, and then turned to Naruto. She laughed before she pushed herself beside him, so she could sit. She crossed her legs and placed her hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me you had such a cute girlfriend, gaki?" she asked and Naruto spat out the water he was drinking. She cackled and Naruto turned bright red.
"Anko-sensei!" he shouted with embarrassment etched on his face.
"I'm really sorry about them" Naruto said, as they walked down the street. Tenten just waved at him.
"Don't worry. My family is the same" Tenten said. Naruto shook his head and apologized again. "It's okay, Naruto. Really" she added.
"It still doesn't make me feel better" Naruto said and she just smiled.
"No harm done. See you later?" she asked and he nodded. They waved at each other and he watched her leave. Before he could turn to meet up with Anko-sensei, a large white puff engulfed him as he disappeared from the human world.
"Finally, you're here" the High Elder said when Naruto opened his eyes. Ko waved at him and Chie smiled. Naruto blinked and Takao scowled.
"Ara, where am I?" Naruto asked, looking around the large clearing. "Huh?" he added as he stared at the large crowd of enormous tigers, who were drinking and having a great time, all around him. He was amazed at the size of those cups that were no doubt filled with sake. Loud sounds of drums drew his attention to the front, where a band was playing.
"Welcome again, young summoner" the High Elder said, walking up to him. "If you're wondering how you got here, I reverse summoned you into our plane" he added and Naruto finally stood up.
"Why?" Naruto asked and the Leader frowned but glanced at the High Elder. "I don't like the sound of that" Naruto added.
"You're here for an important rite of our clan" Leader Hisao told him with a toneless voice and Naruto arched an eyebrow. He seemed to hate Naruto even more.
"An important rite?" Naruto repeated and Chie was the one who nodded. "What do you mean?" he asked and without a word, the Leader started walking away.
"First, let's get to the dojo" the Leader said and Naruto reluctantly followed after him. Ko shyly smiled at him but he didn't greet him from his spot on his mother's back. He noticed the stiff manner of the family and he couldn't help but wonder if something happened. Chie offered him a smile of her own and well, Takao was glowering at him like usual. As they drew farther away from the revelry, his attention was already somewhere else. They walked down another set of mossy, rail less stairs flanked with lanterns and bamboo trees. Unlike his first time there, it was during the day and he couldn't help but be astounded by the peaceful beauty that was the Tora clan's home. His eyes focused on the dojo as they approached and he could see the tension in the trio's form. They, he and the leader, took off their shoes, and bowed before entering. When they were fully inside, the leader turned to him. Without a word yet again, Leader Hisao placed his hand out and a strange pinkish orange flame appeared in it. He gasped and Takao huffed at him. "What is that?!" he asked.
"That flame will help determine who your partner will be" the High Elder said and Naruto shot him a confused look. "Every one of our summoners must have a partner, young Naruto. It is one of our rites, one that binds the summoner and allotted clan member together. As you know, the Okabe family and our clan made a pact, the day the monks discovered our summoning scroll. In accordance to that pact, it stated that for each summoner, only one of our members would be in their service. Therefore Okabe Minoru was partnered with Chie, just like the others before them. And now, you must be given a partner" he said, as Leader Hisao was looking into the fire.
"When you say partner, what do you mean exactly?" Naruto asked, and High Elder seemed to smile at him.
"He or she will become your protector and your comrade. You two will fight as one" the Leader said with a frigid tone, and Naruto snapped his mouth close, as the fire burned brighter. "Aha" he whispered and with that, the flame died.
"So, did you find out who my partner is?" Naruto asked and the leader nodded, though he didn't like the pity in his eyes. "Who is it?" he added.
"Takao" he said, and Naruto's gaped, as said tiger roared out his displeasure.
"What? That can't be right!" Naruto shouted at the Leader who had closed his eyes as Takao kept growling.
"Leader-sama, I can't be partnered with that blonde idiot! He's a human!" Takao shouted and Naruto scowled at him.
"Who are you calling an idiot? And it's not like I want to be partners with you, either!" Naruto shouted at him.
"Oh, yeah?" Takao shouted and Naruto nodded in defiance. "Come over and say that to my face!" he added and ignored his mother as she tried to calm him down.
"That's enough you two" the Leader said with a remorseful voice. He may not like the situation as it was, but he had to respect tradition and his role as the leader. If the flame said that his son was to be Naruto's partner, then he had no choice but to listen and obey. "This is your fate and as members of the Tora clan, you must abide by it" he added with finality. The power behind his words stopped any protests they were going to voice. Takao bowed his head a little but the scowl never left his face. "From today forth, you Takao must be the Yin to Naruto's Yang. You will have to fit together like two pieces of a completed puzzle, each complimenting the other. No one will lead yet the both of you will follow. This is your destiny" he added and Naruto, for one, was confused by the tiger's words.
"Yes, leader-sama" Takao said and Naruto glanced at the tiger. He was surprised that the tiger was so respectful.
"Now, step forward you two" the High Elder said and they both did as instructed. "Before I teach you the secret ways of our clan, there is something that is required from you both" he said, giving them each a level stare. "In order to perform any of our jutsu, your hearts will have to resonate as one" he added and Naruto scratched his head.
"Ano, how is that even possible?" he asked despite himself. Yeah, he had done and seen some strange things in his life, but this? This was beyond anything his mind could understand. The High Elder smiled at him.
"It's simple really. All it means is that you two have to come to understand each other" Chie said and Takao scuffed. Naruto, of course was offended.
"I already understand Takao" Naruto said and everyone in the room looked at him. "He's a snide tiger who hates humans and has a God complex. What else is there to him?" he asked with a sly grin on his face. Takao's claws retracted from his paws, digging into the wooden floor. He was ready to pounce on him.
"Oh, if you know me, then I know you too. You're a stupid human who pretends like he cares about things around him, when in fact, he can't even like his own self" Takao snorted and Naruto clenched his fists. The comment had hit too close to home for his liking.
"Okay, let's stop with the insults now" the Leader Hisao snapped and they turned towards him.
"Especially, since it's time to talk about your first trail as partners" the High Elder said and Naruto arched an eyebrow. "You two must spend time with each other, today" he added.
"What?!" Takao shouted and Naruto frowned. How exactly was Takao supposed to observe Naruto with his huge size? It wasn't like Naruto had told the Hokage about the Tora clan or the fact that he was their new summoner. "Why?" he asked, outrage still thick in his voice.
"Because, my young cub, you two must learn to accept each other, regardless of the baggage you may carry" the High Elder said in place of Leader Hisao before he glanced at them both. Naruto looked at his feet, as his throat closed up a little. Takao wasn't doing any better.
"By spending time with Naruto, you will come to discern how his thinks, his past, his feelings and by extension, his heart. And the same is true for you, Naruto" he added and if it was possible, the two grew paler. For awhile, no one spoke. Neither Takao nor Naruto wanted their lives poked into, but they knew that they could go up against neither the Leader nor the High Elder. In that silence, they were struggling with acceptance and hopelessness of the situation before them. The High Elder was the one to break them out of their thoughts.
"Don't worry everything will be fine" he assured them, but they weren't so sure. Naruto and Takao glanced at each other and for one brief moment, they agreed on one thing for the first time since they met each other. They weren't happy about the arrangement.
Author's notes: Because I haven't updated in awhile, I decided to post two chapters at the same time. Nothing really much to say here.
See ya next time.