Last Time:
"How many times is that now?" Hinata asked.
"I lost count after fifteen," Naruto admitted before standing up. He walked over to his shower and applied his desired settings before turning on the water. "Orochimaru is back in town," Naruto informed her. "He was spotted over in the Ninth Ward."
"Are you going to tell Sasuke?" Hinata asked as she watched Naruto step into the water's stream and begin to shower.
"Not right away," Naruto answered. "I need a little more information before I tell Sasuke anything. Ideally, I would like to handle this without Sasuke finding out that Orochimaru was even here, but the chances of that happening are very slim."
Hinata let out a heavy sigh, "Orochimaru, huh? Well, whatever you decide, let me know, okay?"
"Of course," Naruto responded.
Opposites Attract: Chapter 52 – Making Changes
"I wonder why they called us all out all of a sudden," Yamanaka Ino muttered as she anxiously tapped her nails against the tabletop. "It's rare for them to call all three of us together like this."
"Considering the timing, I'm going to assume that they're going to start giving us even more responsibility," Nara Shikamaru mentioned as he continued to scroll through his phone. "You can't act surprised though, especially with the way things have been the last five months. We've practically been doing all the work our parents do."
"He's right you know," Akimichi Chouji chimed in.
Ino let out a heavy sigh, "I guess, but it's too soon, don't you think?"
Shikamaru shrugged, "I doubt we have much of a say in whether it's too soon or not."
"Sorry we're late," Naru Shikaku apologized as he walked up with Akimichi Chouza and Yamanaka Inioichi. They each took a seat and sat across from their own child. "Have you been waiting long?"
"Not really," Shikamaru answered as he locked his phone and tucked it into his pocket.
"Master Chouza, welcome," the waitress spoke excitedly as she approached their table. "And Young Master Chouji, it's a pleasure to see you again. Welcome, welcome."
"Thank you." Chouza greeted her with a smile, "Two bottles of sake, please. And we'll start with the Boar Platter."
"Of course," the waitress bowed slightly before hurrying off.
"Sake and food? What's all this about?" Ino asked.
"Well," Inoichi cleared his throat, "we're not entirely sure where, to begin, but I'm sure you all have noticed your increase involvement with your roles as it comes to your duties as members of this family, and your roles and responsibilities to Whirlwind."
"We're aware," Chouji responded. "Are you going to tell us that it's our turn to take over for you guys? Because if that's the case, then we expected this to come along sooner or later. There's really no need for all of you to look so nervous."
"That's the thing," Shikaku spoke up, "it's the timing that makes us nervous." Shikaku let out a heavy sigh as he rubbed the back of his neck, "You see, Orochimaru was spotted in the Ninth Ward last night, and the information has already been reported to Minato and Kushina. We just left a meeting with Minato, and he thinks it's time that we start to step aside and let you all take hold of the reigns."
"Oh." Ino shared a look with Shikamaru and Chouji. She still remembered the backlash that occurred the first time Orochimaru reappeared almost six months ago, and that in of itself was a big enough hassle on its own. "You're worried about our involvement with the Orochimaru investigation?"
"Orochimaru isn't like the others," Shikaku responded. "He's not like Watanabe Baji or Uzumaki Kyosuke. Both of those men were just desperate to achieve something they no longer had, but when it comes to Orochimaru, he's a different breed of man. He is ruthless, relentless, and a snake."
"He formed Phoenix while still operating with Whirlwind, and no one knew until it was too late," Inoichi informed them. "Whirlwind was almost demolished as a result, but luckily Lord Jiraiya and Lady Tsunade were tenacious enough to stay standing against all the odds."
Chouji leaned back in his seat, "Well, we're already aware of the fact that Orochimaru is desperate to get to Sasuke, so what else is there to worry about?"
"It's because they think he's going after more than just Sasuke," Shikamaru answered. "You think Orochimaru is targeting Whirlwind?"
"It's a possibility," Inoichi answered. "It wouldn't be the first time. He was around when Baji was poking at Whirlwind, and he showed up just after Kyosuke died. It's not illogical to think that Orochimaru is after something else."
Shikamaru sucked his teeth. He was going to speak, but he kept himself from doing so as the waitress returned with two bottles of sake and an assortment of meats and vegetables. After getting some meats and veggies on the grill and the sake poured, Shikamaru looked at Shikaku. "So, if Orochimaru is after Whirlwind, why do you look so bothered? Whirlwind isn't so easily phased by petite yakuzas that we need to be worried. Especially since it's Orochimaru and Phoenix is practically disbanded."
"They're not called Phoenix just because they like the way the name sounds," Chouza argued. "Time and time again, Phoenix has reared its ugly head to poke at either us or one of the other major yakuzas. Whirlwind just so happens to be Phoenix's favorite target because of how large our operation is."
Ino let out a heavy sigh, "So? You think Orochimaru is targeting Whirlwind. What's the but?"
Shikaku reached into his satchel and held out a tablet for Shikamaru. Shikamaru took ahold of it and woke up the screen. He entered the passcode, and along with Chouji and Ino, they looked over the images on the screen, "But you think it's not just Phoenix that's targeting Whirlwind."
"That's Enomoto Fuyushi," Ino said aloud. As Shikamaru continued to swipe through photos, she recognized more and more faces, "He's rallying them together?"
"Seems that way," Inoichi responded. "For as long as we've been doing this, none of those people have ever interacted with one another. It wasn't until recent weeks that they've begun to speak to one another, and though we were sure it was to negotiate their own disputes, we have reason to believe that it was to discuss working together to agitate Whirlwind."
"But, why?" Chouji asked.
"Because an agitated and thinly spread Whirlwind means we're left open to attacks by more established and powerful yakuzas like Phoenix," Shikamaru answered. "I'm sure you already told Lord Minato this, what did he have to say?"
"He's worried," Shikaku answered. "In our database, there are still about twenty or so yakuzas left operating in the city in their own little neighborhoods. We've already begun to do a more thorough investigation into each of their affairs, so it'll be another day or two before we receive any concrete information."
Ino took the tablet from Shikamaru and continued looking through the photos, "I suppose I don't blame them for rallying behind Orochimaru. It's no secret that he almost managed to destroy Whirlwind when it wasn't even truly Whirlwind, but I suppose the idea of go against Lord Jiraiya and Lady Tsunade is enough to have him idolized in the eyes of people like them. However, it's still a nuisance."
"So you're concerned about us taking over, because you're still not sure how big of a deal this is," Chouji claimed as he pulled a few pieces of meat onto his plate.
"I guess I understand the worry you all are feeling," Shikamaru mentioned. "However, it was bound to happen sooner or later, and with Naruto close to becoming the next Leader of Whirlwind, it's only a matter of time before we have to take over your positions. Naruto's not going to want to run around with a bunch of old timers in his inner circle."
"Hey," Shikaku narrowed his eyes at Shikamaru, "have some respect for your elders."
"I'll always have respect for you," Shikamaru assured him, "but you can't worry about whether or not an assignment is too big for us forever."
"He's right," Ino chimed in. "You have nothing to worry about. You all trained us as best as you could, and we learned everything we possibly could from you. Now it's time for us to get practical, don't you think?"
"Even if you say that we're still going to worry," Inoichi assured Ino. "It's a condition we suffer from as parents. You'll understand when you have kids of your own."
Shikamaru picked up a pair of chopsticks and gathered together some grilled vegetables, "In the meantime, thank you for your worry, but I can assure you that we'll be just fine. And when things aren't fine, we'll keep working until they are."
"All right," Chouza spoke up as he scraped some meat onto his plate, "enough of this talk. We have a mountain of meat and veggies here, and they're not going to eat themselves. If you're going to flap your chops, use them to eat this food. Right, Shikaku? Inoichi?"
Inoichi sighed, "Don't you ever get tired of eating?"
"Never!" Chouza declared.
Ino giggled as Shikaku let out a heavy sigh and gathered some veggies onto his own plate. She nudged Shikamaru, and he nudged her in return. He placed a few pieces of meat onto her plate for her before getting some for himself.
As they ate, they chatted about anything but business with Whirlwind. It was nice to disconnect from their reality, even if it was for just a little while. After dinner, Shikaku, Inoichi, and Chouza climbed into separate cars and headed home to their wives.
"You have to admit though Shikamaru, that this is happening sooner than we expected," Chouji said aloud as the three of them sat together on a sidewalk bench and watched as the city carried on around them.
Shikamaru lit a cigarette and let out a cloud of smoke, "I'll admit that. But I suppose we have to be ready whenever Naruto is ready, and from the sound of things, he'll be taking over soon enough."
"Maybe in another year or so," Ino mentioned and both Shikamaru and Chouji nodded in agreement. "It's still hard to believe that Naruto's going to take on such an important role. Especially considering how he used to be when we were kids."
Shikamaru chuckled, "Yeah. But Naruto always seemed to have a broad understanding of things when we were kids. I'm just glad he's shaped up to be the person he is today."
"He's still a knucklehead sometimes though," Ino admitted.
Shikamaru shrugged, "I can't argue with that."
Chouji chuckled. He heard Shikamaru's phone ring and watched as Shikamaru patted around for his phone before finally finding it, "Who is it?"
"It's Kiba." Shikamaru took another drag of his cigarette before answer, "What's going on, Kiba?"
Ino rested her head on Shikamaru's shoulder in an attempt to hear Kiba, but the city was too noisy for her to hear anything.
"Yeah, we're not doing anything," Shikamaru answered. "All right, we'll see you soon." Shikamaru hung up and flicked some ashes onto the sidewalk, "It looks like Kiba's getting people together to play some pool."
"Down at Yahiko's Place?" Ino asked.
Shikamaru nodded, "Kiba said that he realized that none of us really got to hang out together this summer because of all the drama with all these minor yakuzas popping up and trying to pick a fight with Whirlwind. He said we should at least hang out once before classes start up on Monday."
"I guess I can't blame him for wanting to hang out," Ino muttered. "Let's get going then."
The walk to Yahiko's Place wasn't far from where Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji had dinner with their fathers. When they arrived, Kiba was already in the middle of a game with Shino. Scattered around the bar, many of members of Whirlwind lounged around the bar.
At the bar, Yahiko cleaned glasses and chatted with Naruto, Sasuke, and Nagato. Sitting together at a table where Lee and Neji, and in one of the plush sitting areas sat Sakura, Hinata, and Tenten. Over by the darts was Itachi, Hidan, Kakuzu, and Deidara were in the middle of a heated competition while Sasori watched and kept score.
"Ah, there they are," Kiba announced as spotted the three fo them in the doorway.
"Hey." Shikamaru waved over to Kiba before making his way to the bar. He did a quick handshake with Naruto and Sasuke before taking a seat beside Sasuke, "So, did Kiba call you at the last minute?"
"Hinata and I were already here visiting Yahiko when he came running in after us," Naruto answered.
"And even though I told Kiba no multiple times, I still ended up with a bar full of people during my break period," Yahiko said loudly enough for Kiba to hear. "But, I guess it's fine. Things have been pretty dull around here ever since Yukito was born."
"How's he doing?" Naruto asked.
"He's great," Yahiko lit up. He carefully put the glass he was cleaning away on its appropriate rack before scrambling for his phone. He leaned against the counter and began to swipe through pictures of his son, "Yukito-kun is very photogenic. Konan says I take too many pictures, but I don't think I have enough pictures."
"Tell them how many SD cards you've gone through since Yukito was born," Nagato said.
"It hasn't been that many," Yahiko whined.
"How many has it been?" Sasuke asked.
"Twenty," Nagato answered. "And they've all been sixty-four gigabytes."
"You have more than enough pictures of Yukito-kun," Naruto assured Yahiko. "If you keep this up, you'll get sick of taking pictures by the time you have another kid."
"Nonsense," Yahiko argued.
"You don't think I've told him that time and time again?"
"Konan!" Yahiko exclaimed as he hopped over the bar and greeted her. He affectionately kissed her cheek before slipping Yukito from her arms, "And there's my little man." Yukito was the spitting image of Yahiko except that he had Konan's amber eyes.
"Hi, Konan." Nagato smiled at her from his seat.
"Hi, Nagato." Konan gave him a quick peck on the cheek before taking a seat beside him, "I figured I'd bring Yukito out for a little while."
"Well, I'm sure he missed Yahiko," Nagato commented as he watched Yukito giggle and squeal as Yahiko hugged and kissed him. "We've missed you around here."
"I've missed it too," Konan admitted. "Jiraiya and Tsunade have already expressed their interest in babysitting Yukito, so on those nights, I can come in and work a little bit."
"Sounds good," Nagato admitted.
"Let me see him," Naruto requested as he took Yukito from Yahiko. He chuckled as Yukito started to grab at the whisker markings on his cheeks, "Hi. You wanna pull on my whiskers, huh?"
From across the room, Hinata watched as Naruto interacted with Yukito. She enjoyed the sight of Naruto with a baby in his arms, and for the briefest second, she thought of the possibility of Naruto holding a child of their own. Her face immediately flushed red at the thought, and the girls around her noticed.
"What's going on with you, Hinata?" Ino asked. Before Hinata could look away, Ino followed her gaze and saw Naruto holding Yukito. It didn't take long for Ino to understand the situation and a sly smirk formed on her lips, "Don't you think it's a little soon for the two of you to be having kids?"
"It's not like that," Hinata whined. "I was just thinking of the possibility."
"Leave her alone, Ino," Sakura whined as she playfully nudged her.
"Okay, okay." Ino put her hands up in defense and giggled when Hinata puffed her cheeks out a little.
As Kiba had hoped, everyone got the relax for a few hours. They played pool, drank from the bar, and because Yahiko was in a much better mood with Yukito around, they were able to eat. Yukito was passed around from uncle to uncle, each of them fawning over him until Nagato claimed him in the end.
Naruto played a few rounds of pool with Sasuke and Shikamaru before moving onto a card game or two with Kiba, Shino, and Neji. Sakura managed to teach Hinata a few tricks when it came to pool, and by the end of their first game, Hinata was managing on her own. Meanwhile, Tenten played a game of darts with Lee.
"All right, last call!" Yahiko called from behind the bar as he began stacking dirty glasses into a tray.
"Already?" Kiba whined.
"It's getting late," Yahiko admitted. "And I would very much like to go home."
"I guess that's that then." Naruto placed the deck of cards back into their box and handed them off to Nagato. He stood to his feet and stretched, "Hinata, are you ready to go?"
"Yeah." Hinata placed her pool cue back on the wall where she got it and walked over to Naruto. She giggled as Naruto affectionately kissed her cheek before sliding his arm around her waist. "I can't spend the night tonight. I have to be up early tomorrow morning."
"All right." Naruto patted Sasuke's shoulder as they passed.
"Good night," Sasuke called as he stood up and checked his pockets.
"I'm going to need you to babysit on Thursday night, Sasuke," Itachi called from where he sat.
"I'll consider it," Sasuke answered in return as Sakura took hold of his hand.
Itachi sucked his teeth, and Sasuke waved as they headed for the door.
"Young Master," Deidara called, "if you want, we can take Lady Hinata home."
"I got it," Naruto assured them. "Good night, everyone."
"Good night," everyone said in unison and waved as Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke, and Sakura headed out the front door.
Once Hinata and Sakura were home, Naruto and Sasuke made their way back to their apartment building. They chatted about the upcoming quarter, and how they hoped that their supplementary lessons were enough to help them get ahead in their classes.
Naruto admitted that he hoped things would die down a little around Konoha, and he made sure not to mention the recent sighting of Orochimaru.
"Want to go to the gym in the morning?" Sasuke asked as they stepped off the elevator and onto their floor.
"Sure." Naruto felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, and when he pulled it out, he saw a text message from Hinata. "Good night." Naruto headed down the hallway towards his room with his eyes focused on his phone. He was about to enter his keycode when he heard something drop.
When he looked up, he saw Nozomi next door with an array of groceries sprawled out on the floor. He quickly tucked his phone away and walked over to help gather them, "Are you just getting back from grocery shopping?"
"Ah, yeah," Nozomi admitted with a bit of an embarrassed smiled. "I realized I didn't have anything in the fridge for the week, and I won't have time to tomorrow so I figured I might as well go tonight."
Naruto gathered a fair amount of her groceries into his arms, and he nodded towards her door, "I can carry these in for you."
"Oh, you really don't have to," Nozomi argued. "I do appreciate your help though, Naruto-kun."
"It's fine," Naruto assured her.
Nozomi didn't argue with him after that and entered in her keycode. The door unlocked and she quickly flicked on the lights and hurried into the kitchen.
"Pardon the intrusion," Naruto announced as he slipped off his shoes and headed into Nozomi's kitchen. "Now that I think about it, I didn't know anyone lived next door to me. How long have you been here?"
"I've been living here since the school year started," Nozomi answered. "I guess we've never really run into each other."
"Hm, looks like it." Naruto took a quick look around her kitchen before looking at Nozomi, "Well, I'm headed back to my room. Have a good night, Nozomi."
"You too, Naruto-kun," Nozomi responded and waved as he headed out. When the door clicked shut, she let out a heavy sigh of relief and sank onto the floor. "I'm exhausted."
Next door, Naruto held his phone up to his ear while he checked his own fridge, "I just got home. I would've called sooner, but Nozomi needed help taking her groceries into her apartment."
"Nakamura-senpai? Where did you see her?"
"It looks like she's my neighbor," Naruto answered. "I've been wondering for a while now if I had a neighbor, but I guess it was Nozomi all this time. She said she realized she didn't have any food in her fridge, so she did a late night run to the grocery store."
"I see." Hinata rolled over onto her back and stared up at her ceiling. "Can I come over tomorrow?"
"You can always come over," Naruto answered. "Just let me know when you're on your way over, and I'll let you know if I'm here or not. Okaa-chan mentioned something about Otou-san wanting to grab something to eat together at Rustic so I might do that tomorrow."
"It's been a while since I've been to Rustic," Hinata muttered. "Can we go next weekend?"
"Of course." Naruto headed upstairs to his bedroom. "Shouldn't you be going to bed?"
Hinata pouted, "But I wanted to talk to you."
Naruto chuckled, "We'll talk plenty tomorrow. I know you have to get up early and I don't want to be the reason you're sleepy."
"Fine," Hinata whined. "Good night."
"Good night," Naruto responded.
To Be Continued…