The sun shone down in torrents, if that was even possible, upon the citizens of Konoha. It was hot, as in the whole town was one big oven on its highest temperature kind of hot. Air conditioners seemed to be blowing hot breeze rather than cooling the air and some unfortunate people developed heat strokes.
Naruto and Iruka were shirtless and pantless, and sitting in front of the open refrigerator which did nothing cool their burning bodies down. Naruto had an ice bag in his boxers and Iruka would have tried it too if he didn't fear for his nuts. He didn't want them freezing- his nerves were not made of steel like his psuedo son's.
"The sun is trying to melt us!" Naruto exclaimed. Iruka took a bottle of iced water and shut the fridge, earning complaints from the blond when he did so. His complaints were stopped by the familiar tone of a ramen advertisement jingle- his ringtone- and he picked the call. "Did the sun melt your brain Sascake?! Why are you calling me?!" He asked the caller incredulously.
Sasuke hung up.
"Ah?!" Naruto stared at the screen of his phone in confusion until it lit up again with a text this time.
The teme :
That was Itachi. We're going to the beach and inviting people.
The bastard didn't even ask properly but yes, he was going to go of course!
Yh tnx 4 asking teme .
He sent a quick text back to his friend whom he was sure didn't take the time to read the message. Sasuke could not be blamed though, he didn't know how to read text speech. It was beneath him to learn how.
Anyway, Naruto had a huge grin stretching his lips because "WE'RE GOING TO THE BEACH!"
-
Sasuke blanched.
"Dobe, tell me why EVERYBODY is here?"
The Uchihas got to the meeting point where they would pick the people they invited up only to be met with almost everyone from their class, even teachers!
"I thought we were inviting people?!" Naruto defended himself while Sasuke face palmed.
"Maa maa, the more the merrier, right?" Kakashi grinned under his mask. "And besides we are co-sponsoring this trip, don't hog the cool sea water." He gestured to the teachers behind him. Iruka, Gai, Asuma, Kurenai, Yamato and Anko were there.
"Don't forget me too." A new voice added and everybody gaped.
"Principal Tsunade?!" They all shouted.
"I'm not your principal for today. What are we waiting for people, an invitation?! Come on let's get this party started!" Tsunade cheered and everybody cheered along. Itachi shrugged to Sasuke who was looking lost.
Xxx melody xxX
"BEAAAAACHHH!"
Naruto, Kiba and Lee screamed as they ran down the sandy shore in excitement with Akamaru not far off in front of them.
"Who said it was a good idea to bring kids to a beach?" Nagato asked nobody in particular but Itachi took the liberty to answer.
"The same person who brought those kids along." The raven gestured to Deidara, Yahiko, Hidan and Tobi who were running up and down screaming 'BEACH!' too.
"That was you." Sasori deadpanned.
"Oh."
Shikamaru was a man of simplicity. All he needed were his sunshades, blanket, sunscreen and a good spot. He dragged all the items needed to a spot not too far from a beach shelter and set up camp in the building's shadow. He fell asleep not too long after applying some sunscreen.
Kiba, Naruto and Haku hovered above the sleeping boy with utter incredulity written all over their faces. Who the hell came to a beach to sleep?!
"Let's make a fort around him."
"Let's make him a mermaid."
"Let's bury him underground."
Naruto, Kiba and Haku said at the same time. The boys looked at the brunet, faces pale with horror when they realised that he was serious about burying Shikamaru. 'S-scary...' They thought.
Meanwhile the girls were busy rubbing sunscreen on for one another other at the car before they jumped out to play. Unlike the boys, well most of them, they were very careful with applying their sun lotion to avoid sunburns.
"I'm surprised Hyuga-san allowed you to come, Hina-Hina." Yukata mused as she rubbed on Hinata's back. She knew how strict Hiashi was and with how things were going with the family recently, she thought that the Hyuga head would most definitely not allow his children to come to the beach.
"Father is out on a business trip. Hanabi has our back should anything happen." Hinata responded shyly. Her hands were covering up her bikini top because she was too timid to show her chest.
"Wah you guys are so close, you Hyugas. I wish I had a little sister but I think I prefer it when Deidara-nii babies me. Hehe." Ino, unlike Hinata, flaunted her purple bikini and pearly skin to everybody that had eyes to see.
Sakura was next to Ino in a green two piece set that showed off her curves, but she couldn't help but be envious of the voluptuous girls in their friend group, especially Hinata. She wished she could transplant their boobs unto her chest. Life was so unfair!!!
Tenten wore a burgundy bikini top on a pair of beach shorts. She was going to play sports throughout with Lee anyway so there was no need for flamboyant beach outfits. Maybe she would learn how to surf!
Temari boldly flaunted her sexy one piece bikini like it was nobody's business. She had a nice body and she was not afraid to show it.
Karui's bikini set was the same colour of her hair and it suited her dark skin beautifully. The only problem was the chest thingny. Nature...nature was unjust.
Tamaki wore a short beach gown above a cute one piece swimsuit. She was here to relax from all the cello practice she had throughout the summer, get a tan and maybe swim.
Matsuri, like Tamaki, was here to relax. None of those beach stuff for her. A simple brown one piece was good enough beach material for her. Yukata was also relaxing, mostly, like her best friends but she liked to play so it was most likely that she would be in the water. Her baby pink one piece suited her well.
Karin spent hours at the mall pondering on which swim suit would best attract Sasuke's attention to her. She, Ino and Sakura were in a competition for the dreamy, dark teen. Whoever's swimsuit caught his attention the longest was the winner and Karin had her victory in the bag with hers.
Nothing beats a woman in a red, sexy bikini after all. She allowed herself a cruel chuckle. Muah ha ha ha! Sasuke was hers!
Konan was in a pretty purple set. She looked stunning, like an angel in that bikini. Yahiko-senpai was going to fall in love over again when he saw her.
Izumi was with the girls too. She instantly became their idol when she stripped into her black bikini set that protruded her perfectly proportioned shape. She was beautiful! Itachi-senpai was a very lucky man.
"What the hell are taking them so long?!" Kiba complained loudly. He had been waiting for the girls' emergence for hours! The teachers had long arrived at the beach and if it wasn't so creepy to leer at older women, he would have passed out from a nose bleed like Jiraiya-sensei.
If the older women were this hot, girls their age would be hotter! He. Wanted. To. See!
"I know! This is so frustrating!" Naruto yelled from beside him. He had taken a recent liking to Sakura since the joint study session. He didn't know how it happened but Naruto was beginning to develop a crush on the rosette. Aside from Sakura though, it would be nice to see what his classmates hid underneath their uniforms.
"And they say they don't spend hours dressing up..." Suigetsu sighed dejectedly. Hey, we know he loves his sword collection above anything but he is also a perfectly healthy teenage boy. He's allowed to want to see his classmates in anything other than their uniforms!
The girls emerged just at that moment and the boys' jaws dropped. One word, two actually, nose bleed. They. Were. Hot!
"What are you morons doing?" Sasuke's monotonous voice partially brought them out of their trance. All three were sitting like beggars on the sand, staring intently as some of the girls played in the water.
"Committing this heavenly sight into memory." Kiba answered robotically, eyes never leaving the girls. Hinata covered her top with a jacket- disappointing- but her legs made up for the sight. Sakura was flat up there but her backside had a nice view. Ino was perfect in proportion, a goddess of beauty. Temari was busy dragging Shikamaru across the sand but those curves...deadly hot! And Izumi... Wow. Just... Wow! She was the best.
Somewhere across the beach Itachi suddenly jolted up, startling Deidara who was disturbing him like always. He was shouting something about a sand castle contest or some childish stuff- Itachi didn't care. Someone was looking at his girlfriend!
"Yeaaaahhh..." Naruto sighed dreamily as he watched the harem displayed before him. God was good.
"Committing what? The girls? Aren't girls everywhere?" And the bastard ruined the mood.
The look Kiba, Suigetsu and Naruto shot him was enough to kill him alive (no shit ) literally. Girls flocked him because he was popular and rich so he would never understand the importance of this moment.
Meanwhile Deidara, Kisame and Tobi were trying their best possible to hold Itachi down. The guy was livid! How dare those impudent first years leer at his girlfriend?! He would kill them- no! He would slowly torture them until they were dead!
"Calm- flying fuck-" Deidara yelped when Itachi hit him in his struggle. "Calm- calm- down! Calm down un!"
"Don't kill them! Don't kill them!" Tobi chanted.
"Hold him! Hold him!" Kisame screamed.
Just then two random beach goers passed and one wolf whistled at Deidara. "Man she's hot!" He said to his friend.
"She's flat though." The other replied.
"Heh it's okay. I like perky boobs."
Now it was everybody's turn to hold Deidara down. He was a man dammit, he was freaking SHIRTLESS! Oh somebody was blowing up! Somebody needed to be blown up!
The random beach goers ran away when they realised their error when Deidara started raving.
"Calm down- fuck!" Itachi cursed when Deidara hit his face in his struggle to get out of his grip. "Calm down dammit!"
"Senpai, don't kill him! Don't kill him!" Tobi screamed at the top of his voice.
"Hold him! Sit on him!" Kisame yelled.
Kiba, Naruto and Suigetsu might have escaped Itachi's judgement but they forgot about Kankuro and Neji's existence until they heard bones cracking behind them. Their faces paled in horror when they turned and saw the protective brothers warming up just to beat them.
"You're staring at my sister. I will remove those eyes!" Neji promised darkly.
"I would make good string puppets with your dried skins today." Kankuro was just as dark, if not darker, as Neji was.
"Oh shit. I forgot that Neji has big brother senses!" Kiba yelped as he scrambled to his feet.
Naruto was not too far behind in escaping untimely death. That bastard Suigetsu had ditched them the moment he saw Neji and Kankuro.
"Mercy! Mercy!"
"I'd feed your eyes to the fishes!"
"Save meeeee!"
"I'd rip your body apart with my bare hands!
"EEEIIIKKK!"
Gaara was at a secluded side of the beach building a sand castle for himself. It was literally a sand castle with how well he made the architectural details. He just needed to add a few finishing touches when, unfortunately for him, Kiba and Naruto bombarded themselves and their stupidity into his perfect castle.
For the first time in a while, the Red Devil emerged.
"Dumb and Dumber!" Gaara yelled their nicknames. "I'd kill you!"
"Oh darn, not Gaara too!" Kiba panicked.
"Yikes! Gaara please forgive us!" Naruto screamed in horror.
Unfortunately for them (and fortunately for Gaara whose P.E skills sucks), they were caught and pounded into smithereens.
"OIII! COME HAVE SOME WATERMELONS!"
Kurenai sensei called everyone over for a cold and sweet lunch after which everyone decided to play chicken in the water. They took the warnings their teachers gave to heart and played until Naruto discovered that Gaara wasn't in the water.
"Hey Gaara, come enjoy the water!" He yelled his friend over but the other shook his head, avoiding the waves on the shore like they were the plague.
"Just leave him alone Dobe, he's done with your foolishness." Sasuke drawled boredly. Naruto chose not to take offense to that statement because Sasuke was just too full of sass to begin to get annoyed with. So instead he waded out of the water.
"Nothing like that! You're coming into the water whether you like it or not."
"No." Gaara took a step backwards.
"Yes." Naruto took a threatening step forwards.
"No." Another step backwards.
"Yes." Another step forwards.
"NO!" Gaara, for the first time in his life, yelped and scurried off like there was no tomorrow. Too bad Naruto was faster than he was and apparently stronger than he looked because he lifted Gaara up quite easily. Either that or Gaara really needed to up his appetite.
"Naruto stop, I'm serious!"
But Naruto was already jumping into the water. "Cowabunga!"
"EEEK!"
Everywhere was deathly silent as Gaara scampered out of the sea water a shivering mess. He hated being inside too much water at once; he was a desert boy for crying out loud! But no. Naruto couldn't get that into his stupid brain and his siblings were watching! Family is gold, what a load of bull crap! He would never talk to his siblings again!
"Did Gaara just..." Kankuro started. He really didn't know of his brother's apprehension towards water. Like a cat.
"...scream?" Naruto was in a daze. Gaara screamed. Screamed!
"That was kinda cute." Matsuri pondered. It actually was very cute, she decided.
"KAKASHI-SENPAI!"
Yamato's unmistakable voice broke the spell that was cast upon the students. They turned to his direction to see what was wrong and instantly started laughing. Yamato's face was splattered with paint and Kakashi was denying all accusations.
Gai was trying to mediate the fight when a water balloon flew from nowhere and hit him in the face, splattering orange paint all over his body.
"See?!" Kakashi yelled indignantly.
"Hey!" Anko screamed as she got splattered too but she was able to catch the culprit. It turned out to be Iruka.
"Aaah?!" The teachers yelled in surprise.
"You got paint on my swim suit. Say your last prayers, dolphin!" Anko started warming up to beat her colleague up.
"Wait wait, surely you don't want to commit murder on a beach!" Iruka tried convincing the woman to change her mind but Anko was not satisfied until she made him a walking colour pallette.
"Kakashi-senpai!" Yamato yelled again when he was hit once more but this time, with a cold water balloon.
"What? It wasn't me- oof!" Kakashi defended himself. Just as he was talking, a balloon splashed his face.
"Liar! Eternal rival, I see through your schemes but I shall not let you prevail!" Gai, who was hiding his own water balloons, declared war on the silveret who finally revealed his hidden balloons.
"This is war."
And that was how the senseis roped everyone into playing police and thieves with water balloons. Yamato kindly sat out of it but Iruka liked to throw balloons at him and watch as the poor man yelled at the universe. Juugo, who was minding his own business and watching crabs burrow into the ground, was caught in the cross fire when Haku decided to hide behind him.
Even principal Tsunade was not left out. She led the cops while Iruka and Kakashi led the band of thieves. It was obvious that the cops would win when Tsunade took the lead. At the end of the day, everyone was...colourful.
After this they would resume in heat but hey, they had their fun for today.
Xxx melody xxX
"Sleeping bag, check. Soap bag, check. Summer clothes and practice clothes, check. Pillow cause I can't sleep without my pillow (that one Kakashi body pillow), check. Instant ramen cups, check–!" Naruto's absent minded mumbling was cut short by Iruka's stern voice.
"Naruto, I told you that ramen is contraband!" The tan man rummaged through his ward's orange and black suitcase for the ramen cups he was sure to find there.
"Ack! Iruka-sensei, you can't do this to me." Naruto pleaded as his sensei fished out five cups unceremoniously hidden underneath his clothes. "I can't survive a day without ramen, you can't take her away from me!"
"I -told -you -that -they -are not- allowed!" Iruka's words came out as a grunt for Naruto had latched on his leg, not letting go even when he was dragged across the floor to the kitchen. "One of these days, you would start growing ramen on your head. Look, it's already yellow!"
The man scolded as he slammed the cabinet shut after replacing the ramen in it. He then turned to Naruto who was still sobbing at his feet, hands akimbo and a stern look on his face.
"Naruto, I know that you have more ramen inside that suitcase."
Naruto jolted. His blue eyes immediately shifted away from Iruka's gaze which ascertained the man that he was correct. "W-what are you talking a-about?!" He was such a bad liar. The teacher rolled his internal eyes.
"Naruto." Iruka called sternly.
"Fine!" The blond threw in the towel and trudged all the way back to the living room where his suitcase was. He removed ten instant ramen packs from it and handed them over sulkily to Iruka whose jaw was on the ground because– he just searched that suitcase for crying out loud!
"I hope there are no more contrabands there."
"Hmph." Naruto childishly scoffed and turned his head away defiantly with a pout on his lips. Iruka-sensei, anti-ramen jerk.
"Silent treatment huh? How old are you anyway?" The scarred teacher just laughed and went to return the ramen packs to their place in the kitchen. Two can play at Naruto's game. If he wanted to ignore Iruka, he's got the younger one beat at that.
The M.T was the calm before the storm, Iruka and Naruto had to remember that. After this school retreat Naruto was going to hold a press conference to lure out Mizuki. There was a 50% chance that Mizuki would show face after Naruto's conference. There was also a high risk of the boy getting hurt from the encounter.
Iruka's grip tightened on the noodle packs he was holding. He was going to protect Naruto at all costs. Not only him but Kakashi, Tsunade and Jiraiya were also going to protect Naruto and find out who the person that hired Nana Mizuki to assassinate his parents was.
Xxx melody xxX
Naruto was one of the first people to arrive at the school for the musical training camp because of Iruka. He didn't tell the man goodbye for obvious reasons but he was so sure that Iruka would cave in and surprise him with a cup of ramen or at least tell him goodbye. It came as a shocker when Iruka did neither and just went back home. Ouch.
Everyone had to wait at the lawn until they were all around for roll call before settling in so Naruto dropped his suitcase somewhere random and started looking for who to disturb. Before he did though, three middle school kids ran up to him with a video cam.
"Wah, it really is Namikaze!" One of them, a brunet wearing a long dark blue scarf that matched with the colour of his eyes, spoke. Naruto wasn't sure whether it was awe in his voice tone or horror. He could only hope for the former but it was unlikely, wasn't it?
"Hmm? What do you kids want from me?" The blond asked cautiously. None of them were looking at him with hateful eyes but he wasn't so sure. Almost everyone that met him for the first time hated him for the murder he didn't commit. They could be no different.
"My name is Konohamaru, kore!" The boy with the scarf introduced enthusiastically.
"I'm Moegi, it's nice to meet you!" A girl whose ginger hair reminded him of traffic cones for a weird reason greeted him with just as much enthusiasm as the first boy.
"And I'm Udon." The boy holding the video cam, a brunet with round nerdy glasses and a runny nose said his hello shyly.
"We are the Junior Reporters Club (JRC)!" All three yelled at the same time they struck a pose.
"Okay- what do you want with me?"
"We want to interview everybody coming for this retreat!" Moegi replied happily.
"And we're starting from you, kore." Konohamaru pointed at him.
"Me? Why?!" Naruto was genuinely confused. They didn't seem afraid of him and they didn't look like they hated him either. They were genuinely amazed...it was kinda scary and flattering at the same time.
"You're cool, that's why." Udon replied and Naruto flushed in embarrassment. He wasn't used to this!
"I'm cool? I mean I AM cool but w-what makes you say so?" The blond couldn't help but ask.
"Moh, you don't allow what others say about you get to you and you make friends with anybody, even Gaara-senpai. And your dancing is so cool, kore! I've seen you dance so many times at dance practice-" As Konohamaru gushed, Naruto's ego rose higher and higher until his head couldn't contain it anymore and burst.
"Bwah ha ha ha! I'm awesome dattebayo. Yosh! I'd do the interview."
"Really?!" The middle schoolers gasped in awe. "Yata!"
It took a while to set the video cam but once it was ready, the interview began. "We're reporting from the summer musical training camp hosted by our beloved school, KSA! I'm Kazamatsuri Moegi," Moegi started off.
"I am Sarutobi Konohamaru and this is the Junior Reporters Club. As we all know, the musical training camp is held every year to finalize all preparations for the Summer Tournaments." Konohamaru continued from where she stopped while Udon was diligently capturing every moment. "We can't wait to see who will carry the trophies home for KSA this year."
"Who can break Itachi-senpai's record of winning the Summer Tournaments five years in a row? Luckily for this set, our senpais are busy preparing for their university entrance examinations so there's less competition for them."
"Anyway we have a guest, kore! He's our boss, Uzumaki Naruto." The camera turned to Naruto who had been waiting impatiently to for his time to shine. A big grin pulled his lips apart as he waved at Udon.
"Yo!"
"I bet you're excited about the Summer Tournaments. What do you have to say about that?"
"My first year of highschool is almost over, how crazy is that?! Of course I'm excited dattebayo. I'll win the dance section and then, the Fire Awards dattebayo!" The blond was happy because he never thought he would ever attend school again. He was dumb, broke, not to mention the alleged murder attached to his name; no school would want to accept him. Not that he wanted to try anyway.
But here he was in KSA; the school of the elites. Even though they started rough because they believed he was a murderer, Naruto made a lot of friends that he could talk to. He might still be a murderer in their eyes but they were not as judge-y as they were before.
He had two best friends that supported him in their own different stoic ways. He had a guardian who sincerely loved and believed him, a scary grandmother that mightn't like to be called one but secretly adored him, a pervy grandfather that might annoy him by taking his pocket money but one that he would never change, and a big brother who might come off as apathetic because he devoted most of his attention on the Uchihas (yes he was bitter about it, sue him!) but cared for him from a distance.
Naruto was happy. His grin stretched his face so wide that everyone that saw him was sure it hurt a lot. But the vulpine bit didn't care as he bounded up and down with Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon, taking videos of everybody.
"This is our lazy dance teacher. I'm surprised he's on time for the M.T but miracles are allowed to happen. Say hi, Kakashi-sensei!"
Kakashi was too engrossed in Icha Icha to give a decent hello. A blush splayed on his cheeks above the navy blue mask on his face, a sign that he was at a particularly steamy part in the literature porn. A half hearted wave was all he gave after the reporters pressured him to before going back to giggling like a creep.
"There's Kurenai-sensei, the beautiful ballet teacher and Asuma-sensei, the strict music teacher and their daughter, Mirai!" Asuma and Kurenai waved while Mirai tried to hog the camera. It was cute.
"There's Gai-sensei, our drama teacher. PS: his classes are energy draining!" Gai gave an enthusiastic speech about how excited he was to be at the youthful M.Ts once again. They said hello to the cooks and janitors even if their responses were cold to Naruto's greeting before heading for his classmates.
"That's my best friend, Sasuke!" Naruto yelled when he saw the dark haired boy rolling his luggage into the school. "He's a teme most of the times but here's a secret." The blond leaned in close to the camera and looked around dramatically for eavesdroppers while Moegi and Konohamaru huddled around him. "I think he likes Hinata! Anyway let's go say hello!"
"Oi dobe!" Sasuke started when Naruto suddenly popped into his vision with a three middle schoolers trailing behind him. "What are you doing?! Get out of my face, Usuratonkachi."
"We're interviewing everybody, kore. How do you feel about this retreat?" Konohamaru asked the dark haired teen who just replied with a grunt ('hn') and stormed into the school.
"He's always in a mood." Naruto tutted, too used to Sasuke's tsundereness to be hurt by any relatively offensive thing the dark haired teen did. "Oh, there's Gaara, my other best friend! Hey Gaara!"
Gaara, who was just arriving with Temari, looked up to see his blond friend rushing towards him like a mad horse with three kids not too far away. What gives? "Naruto..." He said when his friend came to a halt beside him and Temari, all smiles and countless energy.
"We're interviewing everybody, kore. How do you feel about this retreat?" Konohamaru questioned again.
"Yo! Say hi to the camera." Naruto added.
"That's Gaara for you." Naruto deadpanned. He was too used to the redhead's stoicness to actually bother to get him to say something. The reporters got the memo and turned the camera to Temari instead. "This is Temari-senpai, our disciplinary prefect and also Gaara's sister!"
"How do you feel about this retreat, Temari-senpai?" Moegi asked. She admired the dessert blond a lot because she was the kind of woman she wanted to grow up into. She also won the traditional music section of the Summer Tournaments twice in a row. It was a honour interviewing her.
Temari gave a two finger salute to the camera and expressed her optimism boldly. "I'm hyped for the summer tournaments naturally. I'm going to win this thing one more time!" She proclaimed.
"Woooh! I'm on camera?!" Lee yelled when it was his turn.
"Say hello!" Naruto urged.
"OSU! Hello Naruto-kun and the Junior Reporters Club! I look forward to spending an exciting time with my classmates and seniors on this youthful music training! I shall work very hard to win this competition. If I do not win, then I shall walk fifty laps around KSA on my hands! And if I fail to do that, I shall..."
Udon shifted the camera away to another person when Lee went on a full on speech about youthfulness and gruesome exercises.
"Wassup!" Kiba screamed into the video with Akamaru barking next to him. "You bet I'll win the dance competition." He proclaimed with a confident grin.
"Don't be stupid. You can't even beat me." Tenten bragged. She was standing behind Kiba when the Junior Reporters Club and Naruto approached them so she heard and was not slow to refute him.
"Hello!" Yukata, Tamaki and Matsuri greeted nicely.
"We're a lot excited for the competitions!" Matsuri exclaimed.
"I'm a bit nervous though. What if we screw up?" Tamaki voiced her fears.
"You won't screw up dattebayo!" Naruto cheered.
"Yes, and besides the M.T would be lots and lots fun!" Yukata added.
"I am excited for the competitions, that's because I can't sleep without practicing my dance moves." Shino might've calmly said that but true to his words, his hands were trembling in his jacket's pockets.
Naruto on the other hand could never imagine Shino being excited for anything. He just shrugged it off and led the reporters to the next set of people who so happened to be the Hyugas.
Hanabi gave a cheerful speech about how she would practice hard and have fun at the same time while Neji arrogantly proclaimed that the violin section was his to win and Hinata shyly said that she would do her best. Naruto wondered why her face was so red though.
Sakura and Ino arrived together but their interview broke out into one of their incessant arguments when Ino proclaimed that she would dance a duet with Sasuke and win the ballet competition. Not that any of the reporters and Naruto understood why they were fighting anyway.
Haku cheerfully proclaimed that he didn't care about winning or losing, he just wanted to have fun. Shikamaru was forced like always to enter for the competitions but he was going to put effort into singing or mama Yoshino would disown him. Choji was not too confident but he was optimistic.
Karui and Omoi also wanted to have fun but they didn't mind if they won by accident. Darui, their older brother, was not forced like Shikamaru but he wasn't too enthusiastic either. He just wanted to get it over with.
Naruto, Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon finished interviewing everybody after an hour and a half. It was fun hearing everybody's opinions about the M.T. The roll call marked the beginning of the retreat. Nobody was absent or late which was good because from there on out, they were walking into hell.
Thanks for reading! Please leave a review and a heart if you liked the chapter.