: antipathy :
: a strong feeling of dislike towards (someone)
Special thanks to him3hina for the request.
"This is Sadashi Kakushin of the Land of Lakes" Kakashi introduced "He's a funded inventor of Kumogakure"
"Oh hey! You must be really smart then, dattebayo!" Naruto, unprofessional as usual, cheered as he slapped the man's shoulder playfully, "To get a meat head to fund you and all!"
"Yeah..." The man, identified as Kakushin, groaned annoyedly as he lightly glared at the blonde, shuffling a bit further away.
Kakushin is a fair skinned man with matching brown hair and eyes, dressed particularly like a civilian, carrying a large bag with some hanging cords.
"It's a simple mission, escort him back to his home village safely" The Hokage explained.
Shikamaru and Naruto nodded with a chorused "Got it!"
"Good" Kakashi said with a smile behind his mask, "Naruto, you lead"
"W-What?!" Both Shikamaru and Naruto choked out, the Nara in shock, and the Uzumaki with excitement.
"You heard me; you're in charge" The Hatake confirmed.
"YATTA!!! My first mission as a leader!!" Naruto cheered loudly before shaking Shikamaru by his shoulders, "Can you believe it, Shikamaru?!"
"Wha... Huh??" Shikamaru asked again.
Shikamaru takes pride in his brains and leadership skills, he rarely wasn't a leader on missions, only when an older, higher ranking, and more experienced leader comes in. Which, by the way, not Naruto.
"Now, now, Naruto" Kakashi scolded, "Before you get carried away, what do you do?"
"Oh, right!" The blonde nodded before turning to Kakushin, "Hiya! I'm Uzumaki Naruto! And this is Nara Shikamaru. We're going to prepare for the mission! When do you plan to leave?"
"As soon as possible" Kakushin hesitantly answered, not trusting the leadership skill of this hyperactive blonde right before him, "While it's still early in the morning"
"Alright, then!" Naruto nodded with a bright grin, "Meet us at the entrance of this tower in an hour tops! We'll pack up!"
The three soon left the office, the exact same time Shizune let herself in with Tonton in her arms, "Naruto looked like he has an extra bounce to his step, Hokage-sama. Did something happen?"
"I assigned him to be a leader for the first time" Kakashi chuckled, "He's excited, is all"
Naruto excitedly landed by the entrance after jumping from roof to roof less than an hour later, meeting up with his partner and their client.
His head tilted in confusion as he saw Shikamaru send of a messenger hawk, startling Kakushin at the powerful wind it fanned with its wings.
"What's the messenger for?" He asked as he walked up to them.
Shikamaru lazily crossed his arms behind his head and said "Shizune gave us the messenger just now for a last minute addition. Hinata might be coming along"
"Great, sounds like another energetic idiot for the team" Kakushin groaned, and luckily for his dear life, Naruto didn't hear and Shikamaru decided not to snitch.
"So what? We're gonna wait?" The Sadashi continued to complain, "I don't got all day"
"Fine, fine! Geeze!" Naruto groaned back as he pointed at a direction, "Let's stop by the compound and meet Hinata up, it's the direction towards the gate, so it's just a little detour"
Kakushin isn't the most patient person out there, and not the most calm either. He is ready to confront anyone that upsets him, especially when he knows he's of higher authority than the other.
Shinobi or not, he's the client here, he's the one paying them. He has the rights to get mad and complain.
The only reason he agreed to take the detour so that they could snatch up that new member and get back home as soon as possible. He's got a revolutionary invention in his bag, and he doesn't want to disappoint.
As the three rounded the corner, Kakushin immediately noticed a large gate being pushed open by a noticably smaller figure, elbow raised out to provide a platform for the messenger to stand on.
"Oiii! Hinata! You got it!" Naruto loudly cheered out with pure excitement.
The figure turned to them and bowed down, not even walking up to them, waiting for them to come up.
This infuriated Kakushin. They're going on a mission, and there Hinata was just standing around?!
He marched up to the ninja with a scowl, but almost tripped when he heard- "I'm sorry to have kept all of you waiting. I got prepared as fast as possible, but it seems I should've done it with more haste"
As he was two feet away, he realized...
Hinata stood up straight, meeting eyes with her client.
Hinata was not a dude... But a very, very, beautiful woman.
"I-I uh..." He was lost for words... He wasn't prepared for this!
The feminine kunoichi pushed her arm up to the sky and let the messenger fly back to the Hokage's mansion, the powerful wind from its majestic wings blowing her long and silky hair back, flowing like silk in the air.
He was breath taken, he wanted to reach out and touch her, make sure she was real.
As he got closer, he read the proud sign at the top of the gates she came out from. 'Hyūga'.
"My name is Hyūga Hinata" She said with a heart warming smile, "You must be Sadashi-san. We promise to keep you safe"
Hyūga Hinata. A name as beautiful as her self.
"Hey, sorry to hit you up so soon" Naruto said as he apologetically scratched the back of his head, "You had to rush and everything, Hinata"
"A-Ah, don't worry about me, Naruto-kun. I don't mind" Hinata cutely said as she tucked her hair behind her ear, blushing as she looked up at him, "B-Besides... I, um... I'm really happy I could be part of Naruto-kun's team on his first leading mission"
Shikamaru suddenly sighed, realizing the situation Kakashi had put him in. "He can't be serious..."
"You know, Hokage-sama" Shizune said in an exasperated tone, "It may still be too soon to try out this team"
"Whaaat?" Kakashi casually dismissed, "It's never too soon. Besides! The sooner they learn to work together as a functional team, the easier it will be for them in the future"
"But still, you're doing this out of your 'hunches'..." She argued back, "We still aren't surely sure that Naruto would actually take Shikamaru as his advisor and if Hinata would actually become first lady"
"It's less probable that he won't" He shrugged, "That kid may be an idiot, but he sure as heck knows what he has and doesn't want to lose"
That was exactly the situation.
Naruto had dealt with multiple assholes in his life, heck! The fox living in him is literally the biggest one! And his bestfriend might even be on par!
But this guy...
"What's up with him?!" Naruto thought as he glared at the man behind him, constantly chattering, "He won't shut up!"
Oh, how the tables had turned.
Shikamaru noticed Naruto's agitation, it's been going on for a while now ever since they started their journey.
He turned his head and looked at Kakushin and Hinata.
Kakushin had been telling stories about days in labs, business trips, his thoughts, everything. And Hinata had been lending her ear the entire time.
Oh, how bad Naruto wanted to interrupt! He still haven't asked Hinata if she ate breakfast! What if she hasn't eaten yet because of the rush! And he still wanted to tell her about these kids outside his apartment greeting him good morning!
He would! He would if he could! He couldn't because-
"Naruto-kun... It's rude to interrupt people when they're in a conversation..."
Hinata's voice echoed in his mind, remembering how bad it felt to disappoint her and receive a scolding from her.
"Why won't he shut up already?!" Naruto thought as his eye twitched.
He can't even join in the conversation! They were talking about circuits!
"Yes, I've seen some with my dojutsu before... I can tell if one is different is malfunctioning" "Wow! You're so cool! Then you'll understand how much of a hassle a single wire is! There was this damn wire connecting the main system to the generator-"
"Ohhh, look at me, I'm Kakushin and I'm such a smart ass" Naruto mocked in his seal, before getting shoved down in the water, "Hey!"
"Shut up" Kurama groaned as he rolled over, the blonde immediately jumped up and rolled his eyes, "I know, right?! The asshole won't give Hinata a break, geeze!"
Shikamaru sighed, "This team's a disaster..."
"About Naruto and his team..." "You're still worried about that?" Kakashi groaned.
"Well, of course!" Shizune said, "Shikamaru's not used on not being leader, and he feels responsible. Naruto's not the person who separates his personal life with his job. Hinata's not assertive enough to actually keep these two down"
"They'll figure it out" Kakashi waved off.
"We're making great time, we should be there in two days. We should stay and camp here, tonight!" Naruto announced as he closed the map with a proud look, before feeling a tad insecure and turn to Hinata like a lost puppy, "I mean... If that's okay"
Hinata giggled and said, "Not me, Naruto-kun. Ask our client"
"Oh, right" The blonde tisked before giving Kakushin the stink eye, "Him."
"Got a problem?" Kakushin hissed as he returned the glare.
Not wanting to be hurting a civilian, Naruto simply tisked before walking off, throwing a bag of tent down.
The blonde grumbled as he called Shikamaru to help him set Kakushin's tent up, and from afar, he could hear Hinata apologizing on his behalf.
Shikamaru sighed as he finished the tent, seeing that his friend was yet to finish his one task, which was staking down one corner of the tent.
"How troublesome" He thought as he looked at Naruto, beating the stake way too deep down into the ground, then at Hinata, finding entertainment in watching Kakushin try and fail to help her with gathering wood for the fire, "If I were leading, we'd be peaceful in no time"
So, the first day was rough.
Naruto and Kakushin weren't getting along, Hinata can't seem to divide her attention equally, and Shikamaru didn't seem to be liking his position.
But the next day was even worse.
Hinata and Naruto were both happily chatting as they sat on a fallen log, Shikamaru helping Kakushin with preparing.
"You know it!" Naruto laughed "Sakura-chan was super mad about it, too!"
"That's terrible!" Hinata said as she tried to hold back her laughter, making the blonde fake a pout and say "You're judging me too? I don't think it was that ba-"
"Hinata-san, I'm ready to go!" Kakushin cut him off, standing directly in front of Hinata, redirecting her attention to him, "Let's go?"
Naruto's eyes sharpened as he said "Don't you know it's rude to interrupt people in a conversation?"
Kakushin's glare met his, "What are you? Eight?"
"Eighteen" Naruto corrected.
"Seventeen" Shikamaru corrected.
"I'm technically eighteen, Shikamaru!" The blonde whined, and then pointed accusingly at Kakushin and yelled "And you have no right to be insulting me!"
"You shouldn't yell at your client" The Sadashi growled.
The Uzumaki stood up, "Well-!"
"N-Naruto-kun, please" Hinata intervened, standing in between him and the client, "Calm down"
"You're taking his side?!" Naruto asked as he aggressively gestured a hand towards the man behind her, Hinata quickly put her hands together and shook her head, "N-No! I-It's not like that! I-I'm not taking anyone's-"
"Unbelievable!" The Jinchuriki yelled before running his hand through his hair in frustration, giving the client one last glare directly in the eye before marching off, "Great! Just great! Let's just get this fuckin' mission over with-ttebayo!"
Shikamaru looked at Hinata, who was shocked and had her head down, and Kakushin, who was suddenly afraid.
"Hey, hold up!" Shikamaru yelled out to Naruto before patting Kakushin's shoulder, "Don't worry, he won't hurt you"
"R-Right" The Sadashi agreed, still shaken up.
He's agitated quite a handful of shinobis, and none of them have hurt him. But something about this one that terrified him...
And that's when it dawned him.
"Hiya! I'm Uzumaki Naruto!"
That loud and cheerful man was none other than-
"Uzumaki Naruto" He thought, "The strongest ninja on Earth"
He got... The most cheerful... And most powerful man... Mad.
He cautiously looked up at the shinobi marching ahead of them, making sure that Hinata was beside him first and Shikamaru behind.
He heard stories of the legendary man before. His tragedy, his triumphs, his positivity. And most especially... What he brings to those who angers him.
He's heard what happened to Konoha nearly two years ago... When the Akatsuki attacked... And what happened after they have angered Naruto.
Kakushin doesn't want to be on the receiving end. As amazing and interesting his power is... It's still terrifying.
Hinata wasn't sure what she should do. She felt so bad... Suddenly- "Shifting chakra!"
"We're under attack!"
Suddenly, puppets from all directions came in with their jaws dropped open.
Shikamaru quickly formed seals and his shadow expanded below him, trapping the puppets that entered it.
Both Naruto and Hinata quickly jumped out of the shadows and started engaging in combat.
Kakushin watched in awe from behind Shikamaru as Naruto fought hand to hand with puppets, and the puppets suddenly dropping lifeless as Hinata moves behind those.
"Rasengan!"
"8 Trigrams 64 Palms!"
All the puppets were down and broken in no time.
Hinata activated her Byakūgan and spotted cameras around the area, shooting shurikens to break those, before gesturing Naruto to look down.
Naruto activated his Sage Mode and hissed at a certain spot of the clearing.
Kakushin was shocked when Naruto suddenly punched through the ground and pulled out a man before slamming him down harshly, quickly tying the man up.
The man was from the Land of Lakes, too. His headband says so.
"Professor Sadashi" The man gritted his teeth.
"You know this guy?" Naruto asked Kakushin, the latter came closer, then nodded and said "Bunraku... He's infamous with his large amounts of puppets and mastery over them"
"Alright, then" The Uzumaki said as he crossed his arms, glaring down at Bunraku, "No use of fighting back, you're no match, dattebayo. Who hired you?"
"No match, eh?" Bunraku chuckled, before suddenly gasping and glaring at Hinata, "You!"
The Hyūga held a stoic face, her Byakūgan flaring, "It's easy to cut chakra strings over and over... You're no match for the Jūken"
Making her way to the man, she knelt down and put her hand on his shoulder.
"I'll ask again, answer now and make it painless for you" Naruto said, "Who hired you?"
"I won't- GAAAAH!!!" Bunraku screamed in pain, "My-my-my arm!!!"
"Who sent you?" Naruto asked again.
"I-I won't spea- ACK- GAHAAA!!" The Lake shinobi screamed once more as Hinata tapped his other shoulder, "Th-The rival company!! Y-Yūbō Tech! Yūbō Tech!"
"Where are the others?" The Uzumaki asked, Bunraku quickly shook his sweaty head and said "I-I'm the only one hired!"
"Alright" Naruto said, Hinata tapping both shoulders again, reopening the chakra points she intentionally turned off painfully, then striking his main chakra point, "He'll be out for three days"
Bunraku dropped, exhausted and unconscious. Naruto can't blame him, he remembers the first time he got shot by a Jūken strike, he could only imagine how painful a direct and well channeled hit would feel like.
Creating three clones, Naruto faced his teammates and said "They'll run ahead and take him to jail, we continue on foot. It seems that we're now clear, dattebayo"
"Right" Shikamaru and Hinata nodded.
Kakushin simply tried to sync with them and walked back to the same formation as earlier.
"Ano... Hinata-san" He called out, then he saw Naruto's shoulders stiffen back, Hinata faced him and asked, "Yes?"
"N-Never mind..." Kakushin changed his mind, "I just wanted to tell you that you were amazing back there... All of you were"
"Ah, thank you"
Shikamaru watched the scene unfold. The two were uneasy. He needs to talk to Naruto.
As night came, and the group settled down again, Shikamaru walked up to Naruto who was helping dispose the remains of what they ate.
"Naruto" He called out, making the blonde look up and ask "Yeah?"
"Let's talk, in private" The Nara prompted, making the Uzumaki look at Hinata, who was on first guard of Kakushin's tent, "I don't want to leave her alone with-"
"Now"
Naruto knew he had to listen to Shikamaru. Ever so hesitantly, he followed his friend farther into the woods as his eyes kept flickering back and forth from his path to the kunoichi that he was slowly leaving.
As they got a good distance away, Shikamaru quickly stopped and crossed his arms, "Alright, Naruto. Drop the bullshit, you're acting very weird and it's becoming an awful lot troublesome"
"Wha-" "Don't deny it" The Nara hissed "You lost your cool first thing in the morning!"
"Don't you think I know that?!" The Uzumaki snapped, "I'm fully aware, Shikamaru! And I ain't denyi-"
"No, no, that's not the weird part is!" Shikamaru pointed out, "You lost your cool on Hinata! I thought you of all people wouldn't do that"
Naruto was taken aback, he glared down at the ground as he clenched his fists, "I-I'm sorry, alright? I feel bad about it, I truly do! But this asshole Kakushin just keeps on pushing my buttons a-and she sided with him!"
"I don't know what you should do about Kakushin, but look, Naruto... We're on a mission, and you're leading it" The Jònin hissed, "So you better keep your shit together until this whole thing ends, then you two can have your little quarrel all you want after. But if you can't put your head on the game because of this bullshit, you better straighten things out with Hinata! This is becoming too troublesome"
Aaaand, to be continued!
IT'S FRIDAY! WELCOME BACK!
Shikamaru's done with the lovers' quarrel haha
Will Shikamaru finally get a good night's sleep? Is Kakushin scared of Naruto? Why does Naruto hate Kakushin so much? Does Hinata know how she's involved in the problem between all of the guys?
Anyway! See'ya guys next week, ciao!
-OrenjiRabenda
