((Ok, so I still haven't fully planned things out, due mostly to writers block atm, but I figure I've made you guys wait long enough, so I'd go ahead and start the post-time-skip arcs. Thank you to a few of you reviewers, who reminded me to get working again.
Also, it should be noted that if you're expecting a reply to your reviews, please turn on my ability to do so (I'm not entirely sure how to do that, or I'd tell you). Putting questions in what could be an anonymous review or something similar is annoying because I can't answer them, and I refuse to take up that much space replying to reviews at the start of chapters.
I also make a reference to one of my friends and a jutsu he created in this chapter. It amused me, so I decided to include it.
Anyway, enjoy the continuation of DDoW!))
The Changes
"I can't believe I have to do this mission!" exclaimed Hari exasperatedly. He walked alongside Taka and Katame with Shino-sensei trailing a short distance behind them, on their way to their latest B ranked task.
The trio had all grown considerably in the three years since their first chuunin exam. He had grown to nearly six feet, one of the tallest among their graduating class (and he seemed even taller due to his spiked green hair). His lanky frame had gained some muscle, farther emphasized by his tight earthy clothes and the spike still on his shoulder.
"Ha!" laughed Taka, "This is the best mission we've taken yet!" She wasn't nearly as tall as her two partners at only 5' 3", but she had an agile body, somewhat hidden by the loose clothes she wore, that both of the other two lacked. Her bright red hair hung just past her shoulder, where her hitai-ate was wrapped, as it had always been.
Hari snorted. "You would look at it that way," he mumbled irritably. Hoping to find an ally, he turned toward his other teammate. "What do you think of the mission, Katame?"
The blue haired girl just continued to look ahead, her black gi hanging loosely on her slim frame, showing a hint of her fishnet underneath, as she walked on. "I do not see why you feel so emotional over this mission. We are merely retrieving stolen property." It almost seemed like habit now for her to have her hand near the hilt of her wakizashi, which hung on the red sash around her waist.
Taka grinned. "From a pervert!" she exclaimed, pumping a fist. "Maybe we'll get to rough him up some!"
Hari groaned. "But he's a ninja! It feels wrong to be ruining the fun of someone who is so like me."
The redhead rolled her eyes. "Of course you would see it like that. Stupid pervert. You're lucky that Magusa-chan puts up with you." Hari scowled and lashed out with a half-hearted punch. Taka ducked out of the way and backed up to put Shino-sensei between the two of them, sticking her tongue out at the green haired teen. Then, she turned to look at her teacher. "So, how close are we now, Shino-sensei?"
The man looked as stoic as ever in his heavy trench coat as he responded. "He seems to have holed up in a building two blocks ahead."
Hari frowned. "Come to think of it, stealing from an Aburame woman probably wasn't the best idea. They probably keep a female beetle on all of their panties." He shrugged. "I guess the guy does deserve his fate for such carelessness."
Taka smirked in victory. "Exactly! We should give him what he rightfully earned before we turn him in." she paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. "Though, to be fair, getting through Konoha security is a bit of a feat, so he must not be completely incompetent." Hari only nodded.
They stopped talking and approached with relative silence the rest of the way. When they were just outside, Shino motioned for them to split into groups and attack from two different angles. They all nodded, and Katame followed Shino-sensei around back.
Taka and Hari waited until they heard the thud of the back door being thrown open before bursting in themselves. Strewn about the room were women's undergarments, quite clearly the stolen articles. However, they offending ninja already had his hands moving through seals for a jutsu. Taka tried to rush forward and stop him, but she was too late.
"Jimmy no Jutsu!"
Taka stopped, throwing her hands up in front of her face as a gust of wind blew at her from all sides. Yet, it wasn't exactly painful. Instead, when it was over, she felt a little colder than usual but little else. She opened her eyes and found the man standing there with a smirk on his face. It wasn't until she caught movement out of the corner of her eye that she noticed why.
She turned and blushed madly at the sight of her sensei and female teammate in the nude, both looking a tad irritated. Glancing down, she realized that she, too, was naked. When she heard a thud behind her, she couldn't help but look in that direction, only to find Hari, without clothes, unconscious with an enormous nosebleed. She was quickly overwhelmed by the amount of skin around her and soon followed her male teammate into nosebleed induced unconsciousness.
The thief grinned, turning toward the other two team members, only to be shocked to see them not only up but moving toward him in a very controlled manner. He barely had time to trip on one of the panties thrown about the floor before they were on him, tying him up.
The jutsu had apparently completely destroyed all of their clothes because there was no trace of them anywhere. They were all forced to swing by home before they could present their achievement to the Hokage and receive their mission payment. What was worse was that it looked like it was getting ready to rain. Taka had decided to walk home separate from the others so she could vent some of her frustration at her own poor performance (and the realization that she was at least somewhat of a pervert herself) without getting the others involved; that would only lead to pointless arguments. By the time she was dressed once more in her standard clothing, her anger had only festered.
Cursing under her breath, she took the long way home after reporting the successful mission and ended up kicking more than a few lamp posts along the way, only barely making sure not to kick hard enough to injure herself or the post. It was as her temper was finally calming a bit that she came across some people she recognized sitting at the base of a tree, a pair that had become a familiar sight amongst their age group. Taking a deep breath and deciding it was safe to talk to people now, she walked up to them.
"Hey, Tounyo-kun, Rei-chan!"
Rei gave no reply, but Tounyo looked up from his book and smiled. "Hey, Taka-chan, how's it going?" The boy had grown a substantial amount in the last three years. He was no longer a stick but had actual muscle on his bones. His blond hair had grown out just a tad, but it was still distinctly him. Yet, despite these changes, his calm teal eyes had remained the same.
Taka responded by grumbling under her breath. Tounyo chuckled lightly. "Not so good, huh?" Taka merely shook her head. Tounyo stood up, stretching as he did so. "My team finished our mission early yesterday, so we got today off. After nearly a month-long assignment, I'd say we deserve it." He glanced over at where Rei was curled up, sleeping, against the trunk of the tree. "Her team finished this morning, but it was apparently a tough mission. Hitayio lost a lot of blood and Hotaru fractured her arm. Both are in the hospital but should be released within a day." He gazed down at her affectionately. "She's been exhausted all day, so I've let her sleep."
Taka felt a twinge of jealousy but quickly squashed it. He was just a friend.
Besides, even Taka had to admit that the girl was attractive. At 5'9", she was a bit tall for a woman, and her long, fit legs were emphasized by her black pants. The fishnet and bandanna-like tank-top covered her torso, leaving pale skin showing up to her shoulders. It was no surprise that she garnered attention from a large portion of the male population when she walked past.
Tounyo glanced up at the sky. "Guess we should head inside now, though. Don't want to get wet." He lightly kicked Rei in the back, calling her name. The girl stirred but didn't awaken. Sighing, he bent down and shook her shoulder. "Come on, Rei, I know you don't want to get rained on."
The cat nin's head rolled to the side so that she was looking up, and her eyes slowly opened. She stared up at his face as she blinked into wakefulness. He gave her an amused grin. "Awake enough to head inside?" Rei blinked a couple more times, still staring at Tounyo, before rolling onto her stomach. The male blonde rose to his feet as Rei stretched in a very cat-like manner. He watched her with a half grin as she sleepily rose to her feet.
The trio began walking down the street in the general direction of Taka's house. Rei was only barely paying attention to the conversation, too exhausted for her mind to properly keep up. Tounyo realized this and paid only enough attention to her to keep her from running into anything as he talked to Taka.
"So, you excited about Koukatsu's birthday party next week?"
Taka pursed her lips. She had almost forgotten about that. "Yeah, somewhat. Not sure I want to be around that many people though."
Tounyo gave her a grin. "Heh, I can certainly understand that. They must've invited a hundred people to attend it. It's a good thing they have the whole Uchiha district to accommodate everyone." As he spoke, he grabbed Rei by the elbow and directed her around a pole, as her eyes had closed. As he did so, she twitched and opened her eyes again, shaking her head in an attempt to wake up.
Taka gave a light chuckle. "Well, they are certainly wealthy enough to splurge on crap like this. I mean, they received the whole Uchiha fortune. I don't think they CAN run out of money."
The boy snorted. "True that." He looked like he was about to continue, but rain suddenly began pouring all around them. Rei yelped, wide awake now, and darted inside the nearest store, the other two following close behind. A few seconds later, Masaru, in all his fully grown panther glory, hopped down from a nearby roof and joined them inside.
Rei sat down on the ground in a corner of the store, whimpering, as more people continued to trickle out of the downpour. Tounyo walked over and knelt down beside her and put a hand on her shoulder, both of the wet from their short time outside. "You alright?"
The cat nin whimpered. "I hate the rain."
The blonde gave her a weak smile. "I know." He glanced out the window next to him with a slight frown. "I hadn't thought it was supposed to rain today…"
Taka stepped up beside him with a look of irritation on her face. "Yeah, me either."
Both of them missed to suspicious look that crossed Rei's face as they stared out the window.
Taru lay in a clearing just outside of the village, looking up at the sky as it slowly began to cloud over. Her blond hair was splayed about her head in a lazy fashion. Her body had matured significantly in the last three years, though it was only ever hinted at with the loose clothing she wore. Still, as she stared lazily at the shifting sky, it was clear that little had changed about her personality.
On her right laid Rokudenashi, their hands resting lightly against each other's palms. He had grown relatively tall and lanky, but he clearly had an aura of intelligence about him. His black hair was pulled up above his head in a ponytail. Overall, he appeared more the wise general than the soldier. He looked into the sky with a relaxed expression, clearly enjoying himself.
On Taru's left sat Hana, her former kitten, with her head resting on her paws, almost asleep. She was definitely not a kitten any longer, as she was nearly the size of Taru and made of almost pure muscle.
The group as a whole just seemed to be enjoying the time off that they had together.
However, as the clouds started to shift more quickly, darkening, Taru and Hana both shivered. Rokuden tilted his head and gave her a questioning look. She frowned and stood up, lightly pulling him with her. "There was something unusual about that weather change…" she muttered to him as Hana stood as well, ears perked and alert for trouble.
Rokuden put his nose against her neck affectionately. "Should we inform Hokage-sama?"
Taru shook her head. "The Inuzuka would have felt it too. If it is something worth concerning the Hokage over, they can tell her. They would have a better sense for this type of thing than I would." She turned back toward the village. "We should, however, get back, cause it's going to rain very shortly. Rokuden only nodded and the trio started heading home.
None of them were happy when the rain started falling heavily just as they reached the gate.
Hitayio stared out the window of his hospital room, watching the rain fall outside. His red hair was still just as long, down to his waist, with hints of black at the bangs. Kizui had often teased that it was girly, but Hitayio liked his hair; it was just a tad difficult to make sure it didn't get in the way. Besides, the looks he got from some of the civilian girls were worth it. Though, his unique clothing, black with a distinct crimson wing design on the back, may have had something to do with that, too. Too bad at this point both were only emphasizing his pale complexion. Losing a lot of blood did not make him look good.
He glanced over at Hotaru. She had become beautiful in the past three years. Her red tank-top emphasized her lithe build spectacularly. Even if she was a tad on the short side, the black, knee-length shorts she wore exposed a substantial amount of leg. The leather choker she always wore around her neck only serve to attract more attention, just like her light purple hair pulled back in a braid. With the way she looked, you would think she would be arrogant, but she was always on the verge of confidence and insecurity. Hitayio would never understand why. Even the cast around her arm hardly diminished her splendor.
The red haired boy motioned outside. "At least we're not missing much here, stuck in the hospital."
Hotaru gave him a weak smile. "True." Clearly, her injury was worse than his, as she still seemed to be in slight pain. He gave her a sympathetic look before turning to look back outside. Maybe it would be best if he let her rest.
Unfortunately, this possibility was interrupted not a minute later when the door burst inward. In strode a tall and lanky figure, his shoulder-length white hair covering his face. Hitayio quickly recognized the loose clothes and belt lined with numerous kunai. When the figure raised what looked suspiciously like a rocket launcher from the ground to brace it on his shoulder, Hitayio's eyes widened.
"No! Don't!"
The figure ignored him and proceeded to pull the trigger. A mass of brightly colored, rainbow liquid blasted from the object, covering almost the entire room in its goop. Hitayio, in his weakened state had been unable to dodge and was also covered in the stuff. He glanced to the side and saw that Hotaru was blinking owlishly, her body covered in it as well, apparently having been too stunned to move out of the way.
The figure burst out laughing. "I got you with my rainbow jizz!" he declared, only barely able to get it out between laughs.
Hitayio only glared at him, wiping the stuff off of his face. "I hate you, Kizui…so much…"
Hari grinned as he snuck up on a young woman in the rain, using all of his considerable stealth skills. The woman wore a blue tank-top and darker blue pants. Her platinum blond hair came down to her shoulders. The real "Wow!" factor came from her nearly perfect body, even looking at her from behind as Hari was right now. Yet, here in Konoha, the most notable factor was the Kiri hitai-ate that hung around her neck.
Luckily, he had become used to this beauty a long time ago, and it didn't affect him nearly as much as it used to. Instead, as he approached, he had to resist the urge to snicker. He approached as silently as he could, making sure to keep concentration for his camouflage jutsu up. When he was finally close enough, he grabbed her by the hips. She yelped and took a step away.
"Gotcha, Magusa-chan!"
She finally calmer herself, and turned to glare at him. The two had been unofficially seeing each other for nearly a year, ever since she had convinced Mist that she should be the liaison with Konoha. They hadn't actually done anything yet, largely because Hari couldn't build up the guts to truly go for it, but everyone could see it was there.
"You'll pay for that," she stated with finality.
Hari only stuck his tongue out at her. The girl gave a sigh and turned to look at the sky, raining down on them. This made Hari become concerned. He took a comforting step closer. "You alright, Magusa-chan?"
She gave him a weak smile. "I'm fine, Hari-kun."
The boy clearly didn't believe her, but decided to let the matter drop for now anyway. Instead, he motioned her toward a nearby building, her apartment while here in Konoha. "I know you're from Mist and like the water a lot, but maybe we should go inside out of the rain." He gave her a teasing grin.
She gave a teasing smirk right back. "Aw, is the poor doggy soaked and in need of a place to stay?"
Hari gave a growl, not unlike the animal she had just called him, then, reached for her, only half-trying to actually grab her. She stepped back out of the way and started jogging toward her apartment, giggling. Hari snarled and started after her, not really trying but enjoying the game anyway.
When they reached the door, Magusa held it open for him to duck inside. She paused outside a moment, staring at the sky.
She definitely recognized that chakra.
