Disclaimer: I don't own naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto.
The author of the cover image is indy-riquez from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.
Chapter 13: New Acquaintances
Kurotsuchi stood nervously in front of the door to Naruto's apartment, just like she had been doing so for the last five minutes. It was still morning as she had woken up early in hopes of meeting with the blond before he left to start his day. Last night she had resolved to apologize to the Jinchuuriki for her lousy behavior towards him the day before, but apologizing wasn't exactly her strongest suit and, because of that, she was unsure of how to go about it. She could just say a simple 'I'm sorry' but even that would be difficult enough for her and she figured it wouldn't cut it. She decided that she might as well do it quickly and be done with it, that way at least the awkward moment wouldn't be too long. So she took a deep breath to gather her confidence as she brought up her fist to knock on the door, but before she did, the door opened to reveal a weary Naruto still wearing his pajamas.
Naruto's sleepy eyes widened in surprise when he saw the girl standing on his doorstep. ''Kurotsuchi? I didn't know you were here...'' Said Naruto before rubbing his face with a free hand to try to remove his drowsiness.
Kurotsuchi froze in place momentarily at the unexpected appearance of the boy and as a result, she only managed to stammer a response. ''I-I was just..hmmm...I just wanted to see what you were up to?''Said the girl with uncertainty and she berated herself mentally for the stupid comment.
Naruto blinked slowly in confusion. Yesterday the girl had told him to not bother her ever again and now she just passing by to see what he was doing? ''Well...I just woke up and was about to water my plants, is all.'' Said the blond as he lifted a watering can with his hand.
Kurotsuchi raised an eyebrow at that before glancing to the small pots with flowers that were beside the door that she had never paid attention until now. ''I didn't know you were into gardening.'' Commented the Kunoichi.
''I used to be more invested in it before I left as I couldn't really do it when I was traveling with Ero-Sennin.'' Explained the blond as he scratched the back of his head. ''I was expecting to find them all dried up by now but is good to see that Kakashi-Sensei actually took care of them while i was away.''
''I see..'' Kurotsuchi was at a loss for words, she didn't expect Naruto to be in such a hobby. It just seemed too calming of an activity for the energetic boy, but it was okay she supposed, having a tranquil hobby could be good for anyone, especially Naruto.
Then they just stood there silently without knowing what to say, until finally, Naruto cleared his throat to get rid of the uncomfortable silence.
''So...you want to come in, maybe?'' Asked the blond with politeness.
Kurotsuchi remembered what she came here for and her nerves returned once again. ''Sure...'' Replied the girl as Naruto held the door open for her to come in.
As she entered, Kurotsuchi could sense the ANBU watching over her shift their position to have a better view inside the apartment from the window, but she couldn't blame them for distrusting her around Naruto after the scene she made the day before and especially after she got her sword back. Once inside in Naruto's home, she glanced around the small place and she noted that the blond's apartment was even smaller than hers; it was a single room with a door that lead to the bathroom and another one to a small kitchen. She could see an unmade bed and scattered clothes just beside the entrance door, and there was a simple cabinet on the opposite wall. All in all, it wasn't very spacious at all.
Naruto soon joined her after he closed the door and he stood awkwardly on the door of the kitchen. ''You want anything to eat? though I just have instant ramen right now.'' Offered Naruto with uncertainty as he still found the girl's visit unusual.
Kurotsuchi rolled her eyes at the selection of food. ''Of course you would only have ramen.'' Said the girl with a small smirk.
Naruto pouted at the jab to his love for ramen. ''We just recently came back, I haven't bought any groceries yet.'' Informed the annoyed blond.
Kurotsuchi bit her lip with a frown, feeling guilty at her own thoughtless disregard for the boy's hospitality. After all she came here to apologize to the blond not to make him feel worse. ''Nice going, Kurotsuchi'' Thought the girl sarcastically. She was really trying to act nice to the guy, but she was so used to antagonizing him that she found it hard to be civil.
''I-I mean it's okay, I'm not hungry.'' Said the Iwa shinobi despite actually being starving. ''I just came here to talk anyway.''
Naruto tilted his head in wonder. ''About what?''
She looked away embarrassed as she grabbed her forearm with her other hand, unable to look him in the eye. ''Do you mind if I sit down?'' Asked the girl tentatively.
''Sure, go ahead.'' Answered Naruto with the same uncertain expression.
Kurotsuchi nodded appreciatively and promptly sat down on the edge of the blond's bed. She then stayed quiet as she thought of what to say to the boy and Naruto just stood there leaning on his wall feeling awkward at the uncomfortable silence. So when the girl did speak up, Naruto couldn't help but give a small startled jump.
''Look Naruto, About yesterday, I... I just wanted to say that...'' The girl tried to explain, as she nervously twiddled her thumbs trying to bring herself to say the words.
Naruto's look saddened as he guessed on what the girl came to say to him. ''It's okay, I know what you are trying to say.'' Said the boy with melancholy.
''You do?'' Asked the girl with a hopeful look and feeling relieved momentarily for not having to outright say she was sorry.
''You don't have to tell me again, I know I should just leave you alone.'' Elaborated the blond with the same sad look.
''What?'' Asked the puzzled Kurotsuchi with an alarmed look as she realized that the blond got the wrong idea.
''You hate me, I get it. So I'll try no not bother you anymore.'' Continued the blond.
''That wasn't what I was gonna-''
''It's my fault for not listening to you, I didn't mean to be annoying.'' Naruto inadvertently cut off the girl.
''Look, that was-''
''I just acted without thinking, I know.'' the blond interrupted again.
''Would you let me-''
''Even when-''
''Shut the fuck up, you moron!'' Shouted an angry Kurotsuchi as she sat up and made Naruto shrink with fear of her sudden outburst. ''I'm trying to apologize, god damn it! And you aren't making it any easier!'' Reprimanded the irate Kunoichi.
''Alright you don't have to yell! I'm...wait, you want to apologize?'' Asked the confused Jincuuriki.
''That's what I've been trying to say if your big mouth would just let me!'' Said Kurotsuchi in exasperation.
''But...I don't get it. You were so angry yesterday. I thought you didn't want to have anything to do with me anymore.'' Reasoned the boy.
The pink eyed girl sighed to try and regain her composture before explaining herself. ''Look, I was angry( ''And scared'' the girl added mentally) and I kind of took it all on you, and it wasn't fair.''As she explained herself, her guilt had returned full force and in shame was avoiding eye contact with the blond again.
Naruto was wide-eyed and at a loss for words. He hadn't expected the girl to apologize to him in a million years, but he just decided to go with it and after a moment he soon gave her a warm grin. ''Don't worry about it, it's all good!'' Said Naruto cheerfully, accepting her apology. Now he felt glad that his original guess on the girl's character hadn't been wrong after all.
Kurotsuchi felt relieved hearing Naruto forgive her, but considering his good nature it wasn't that surprising.
''So, what do you say? friends?'' Asked the blond tentatively with his trademark grin.
''Don't get the wrong idea. I said I was sorry that I treated you so harshly, I didn't say we were friends.'' clarified the girl with a serious face which earned her a disappointed look from the young Jinchuuriki, but she soon smirked to add something else. ''But I guess I can try to get along at the very least.''
Naruto was grinning from ear to ear after hearing her say that. Even if she didn't say they were friends that didn't mean they couldn't become later, right? After all some of his friends started out hating him at first so this wasn't so bad. ''Is good enough for me.'' Replied the boy.
''Emphasis on 'try', mind you.'' Remarked the girl. After all this was Naruto she was talking about, so she was sure that he was bound to irritate her in the future.
''Don't worry, as long as you give me a chance I can show you that being here isn't so bad.'' Exclaimed the outgoing Naruto.
She seriously doubted he could but she was going to humor him, it wasn't like she had anything else to do as long as she was stuck in this shit hole. However she remembered to mention something else. ''By the way, I saw what you did to my sword.'' Said the girl in a somewhat timid voice, once again holding her forearm and avoiding his gaze. For a moment, Naruto was reminded of Hinata by her behaviour.
''You did?'' Said Naruto, glad that Jiraiya had managed to deliver the scroll to the girl. ''What did you think about it? You like it?'' Asked the blond.
Kurotsuchi gently nodded, still not meeting his eyes. ''That sword is very important to me, so what you did means a lot. It was a nice gesture.'' Finished the girl with a small genuine grin and a slight blush.
Naruto responded with a gentle smile of his own. ''You are welcome.''
Now that the reconciliation was out of the way, the conversation went silent, and once again they stood awkwardly before each other until Naruto cleared his throat to break said silence before it dragged for too long.
''Well, seeing as I don't have much food here, what do you say about going for something to eat?'' Suggested the blond.
Kurotsuchi thought about it for a moment but in the end her hunger won, after all she hadn't eaten anything for a few days now. She guessed that the medics had been giving her vitamins to nourish her when she was unconscious, but it wasn't the same as actually eating. ''Seems good to me, but maybe you could give me a tour of the village first?'' Asked the girl, since now that she thought about it, she was in urgent need of some new garments, as the only change of clothes she had were the ones she was currently wearing , and since she had been using the same outfit for weeks it was really starting to get worn down, not to mention it was starting to smell. Even if she had washed it a few times there was only so much you could do if it was the only thing you wore.
Naruto was delighted to see the girl show some interest in his home, so he was all up for showing her around. ''No problem! I'll put on some clothes and we'll go right away, dattebayo!'' Said the blond before grabbing grabbing some clothes from his closet and rushing into the bathroom to dress privately.
After that, a few minutes later Naruto, Kurotsuchi (and the ANBU guarding her) were wandering Konoha's marketplace with the eager blond giving his comment on each store or building to Kurotsuchi.
''...And in that place, you can buy furniture, though I never bother too much with those things. But I've heard it's a good place.'' Said Naruto as he finished yet another explanation of a random locale.
''Very thrilling.'' Said Kurotsuchi with disinterest, barely paying any mind to the blond's comments as she searched for a clothing store while he ran his mouth. However, she was being distracted by the glares people sent their way. She guessed that the hateful stares were for Naruto since she had refrained from wearing her Iwa headband to not risk people refusing to sell her, though sooner or later it would become common knowledge who she was and in due time it wouldn't matter if she had her forehead protector or not. She supposed that Naruto learned to ignore them, but she wasn't surprised at all by this since she knew perfectly well how Jinchuuriki were usually treated even in their villages. She herself hadn't been fond of Han or Roshi as she had been conditioned since childhood to be wary of them, so she wondered how Naruto managed to be so cheerful and carefree in face of such mistreatment. That was the reason Han and Roshi were kept away and isolated from the rest of the village since they couldn't stand the people's hate, in fact, that was almost always the reason when Jinchuuriki were kept away from everyone, heck, she heard that the Ichibi Jinchuuriki used to be a psycho before he became Kazekage.
But despite that, soon enough she spotted a place that seemed to sell Ninja clothes, so she grabbed Naruto by the sleeve of his jacket to make him stop.
''Whats up? Did anything catch your eye?'' Asked Naruto wondering why the girl decided to stop.
''I want to go there.'' Replied the girl as she pointed at the store.
Naruto glanced curiously to the clothing store and nodded in approval. ''I don't see why not, let's go!'' Said the blond as he led the way, after all, he was gonna be paying for the girl's expenses as Tsunade had ordered.
When they entered, Kurotsuchi could see a wide array of clothes for Shinobi but she could only see Konoha's uniforms mostly, not surprising considering where she was but it would make finding clothes harder. Nevertheless, she managed to find garments just like the ones she used to wear, or at least close enough that the difference would be minimal. she wasn't one for flashy outfits anyway, as simple taste meant efficiency and as a Shinobi that was much more important than fashion. So in the end, she just settled for getting a bout a dozen changes of her usual attire and left it at that. After she bought her new clothes, she promptly sealed them in a scroll before putting it away on her weapons pouch which was empty save for the scroll containing her sword as all her weapons were taken away when she had been imprisoned.
When they exited the store, it was already afternoon, and by now Kurotsuchi's hunger had gotten even worse since they didn't get breakfast in the end.
''I think now we should go for your original idea and get some food, don't you think?'' Asked Kurotsuchi to the Jinchuuriki.
''you are right, I'm starving myself.'' Said the blond with a thoughtful look as he pondered on a good place to go right now. ''I know, how about...''
''Don't say we should get ramen.'' Berated the girl preemptively.
''I wasn't gonna say that!'' Said Naruto in indignation. ''Seriously, I eat other things besides ramen, you know?''
''I'll believe it when I see it.'' Said the Kunoichi in doubt. ''So what do you have in mind?'' Inquired the prodigy.
''I remember you mentioned that you liked barbecue, right? Because I know a good place nearby that sells just that!'' Replied Naruto.
Kurotsuchi raised an eyebrow at that, she didn't expect the blond to remember that. She herself had forgotten that she had mentioned it to him. ''In that case, what are we waiting for? I don't think that it can compare to the food in Iwa but whatever, beggars can't be choosers.''
Naruto then quickly took Kurotsuchi to a rather big restaurant named Yakiniku Q, which in Kurotsuchi's opinion looked pretty nice. It was of a sizable size and didn't seem like a cheap place, all in all, it surprised the girl that Naruto even went there.
''It actually looks half decent. I didn't expect you to frequent a place like this.'' Commented the girl curiously.
''To be honest, I don't come here that often. I only know about it because sometimes I accompany Ino, Chouji, and Shikamaru.'' Explained the blond.
Kurotsuchi nodded in understanding. That made sense, she supposed the blond would just rather stick to his precious ramen if he could help it.
''Naruto! Over here!''
And speaking of the devil, Both teenagers glanced to the source of the voice to find Ino along with Team Ten calling out to the blond, and this time, even Asuma was present.
''What a coincidence! I was wondering if I would see you guys here!'' Exclaimed the blond to his approaching friends.
''Glad to see you so soon after you ditched us so suddenly the last time.'' Berated the Yamanaka.
''I don't think that was Naruto's fault, Ino.'' Chouji defended the blond all the while munching on some chips like always.
''Good to see you again safe and sound, kid. Considering what happened to you.'' Said Asuma in greeting to the boy. Asuma was a tall man with black spiky hair and beard. He wore the usual Konoha uniform with the sole modification of having a white sash in his waist with the symbol of the twelve guardian ninja.
''Is weird to see you here without us having invited you beforehand.'' Added Shikamaru in his usual lazy manner.
''And who is your friend by the way?'' Inquired Ino with a smile as she looked over Kurotsuchi. ''I don't think I've seen you before.'' Said the mind reader to the Iwa girl.
''I'm new around here.'' Kurotsuchi said plainly. She didn't particularly enjoy the way Naruto's friends were eying her suspiciously but she chose not to comment on it.
''Shikamaru, I feel like I've seen her somewhere before.'' Whispered Chouji into the ear of his best friend.
''I feel the same way.'' The genius responded back. He actually had an idea of who she could be. He remembered when Kakashi rushed by the village gates when he came back the other day carrying someone, and despite just barely seeing the person it was enough that he could see the resemblance. Besides, Sakura had told them that they brought an Iwa Kunoichi with them, so it was likely that this girl was the same person even if he couldn't be sure right now. Also, he could barely catch a glimpse of an ANBU hiding in a tree which only made his suspicions stronger.
On the other hand, Asuma was openly staring at the girl with distrust. As an elite Jounin, he had already been informed of the girl and he was going to do what any Shinobi worth their headbands do and be wary around a potential enemy.
Naruto noticed the way Asuma was looking at the Iwa Kunoichi, which made the rest of Team Ten get looks of wonder on their faces because of their teacher's weird behavior, so the Jinchuuriki decided to try something.
''Hey guys, can I talk to you for a minute?'' Asked the blond to his comrades with nervousness at the uncomfortable atmosphere. ''I'll be right back, Kurotsuchi. This will be quick.'' Assured the blond to the girl.
Kurotsuchi just nodded stoically as she had a pretty good guess already on what Naruto was going to discuss with his friends.
All of Team Ten, with the exception of Asuma, got further confused by Naruto's attitude but complied with his request nonetheless.
Once they got out of hearing range from Kurotsuchi, Ino finally talked. ''What's up Naruto? Why did you need to talk to us away from your friend?'' Asked the Yamanaka.
''Please guys, I wanted to ask you to make an effort to get along with Kurotsuchi, okay?'' Pleaded the blond with his hands clapped together in front of him.
''Why do you even need to ask?'' Inquired a confused Chouji. He didn't see a reason why Naruto had to talk to them to convince them to be nice to the girl, I mean wasn't that the common thing to do if you were being polite?
''Because she is an enemy.'' Said Shikamaru with seriousness, which caught the astonished attention of everyone present. ''I am right isn't it, Asuma?'' Said the Shadow user to his Sensei.
Asuma glanced at Shikamaru with surprise. ''So he already managed to deduce it. You are as clever as ever, Shikamaru.'' thought the man before looking at the wide-eyed faces of his other two students. ''Shikamaru is correct, not only is the girl from Iwa, an enemy nation, but she is was also part of the unit sent to capture Naruto here and kill Jiraiya-Sama. In fact, she and her friends are the reason Naruto went missing a while ago.'' Explained the man sternly.
''She was one of them?'' Asked Chouji still dumbfounded. He didn't think the girl looked like a bad person but looks could be deceiving, especially among ninja.
''She did what!?'' Screeched Ino before turning to Naruto. ''If that's the case, why are you defending her?! Don't you see that is dangerous to have someone like that walking around?!'' Said the alarmed girl.
Naruto lifted his hands in front of him in a placatory manner. ''Come on guys, she isn't that bad. If you get to know her I'm sure you'll like her.'' Assured the Jinchuuriki.
''Like hell she isn't! She almost killed you!'' Said the still enraged Ino.
''Ino is right, Naruto.'' Said Shikamaru with the same stern face. ''Trusting someone like her isn't smart.''
Naruto looked deflated to hear his old friends bash the girl, but he still attempted to reason with them. ''Guys, I know it it doesn't look good, and yes, she did something bad to me, terrible even.'' The blond started to explain before he glanced at the ground sadly as he elaborated. ''But she has helped me before and I got to know her better, and I realized that she is a good girl at that has just made some mistakes. She was going to be imprisoned actually, but I managed to convince Tsunade-Baachan not to.'' Naruto saw that their friends had toughtful looks, which meant that they were considering it, so he continued. ''But even then, now she is captive in our village with not a single friend besides me and a lot of people here would gladly watch her die just because of who she is when she doesn't deserve it. Please guys, as a friend I only ask you to give it a shot.''
By the time Naruto finished, the looks of Team Ten had softened considerably, they still looked wary but at least they didn't look outright hostile anymore and they all where debating on what to do about this situation.
Chouji didn't know what to think. Now that he knew that the girl tried to kill one of his friends that made it harder for him to trust her, but on the other hand, he also knew that as Shinobi they sometimes were ordered to do unsavory things for the sake of a mission. So maybe, the girl was put into a similar situation and now she regretted it? Anyway, there was no way to tell unless they gave her a chance. ''Well, she doesn't seem so bad, and considering that you were the one she wronged, if you are willing to forgive her then I guess I can give her the benefit of the doubt.'' Said Chouji to Naruto with a smile.
''Thank you, Chouji.'' Replied Naruto with a grateful smile of his own.
Ino gave a deep sigh before she gave her opinion. ''Well, it wouldn't be the first time you befriend someone that used to want you dead, and it turned out fine in the past, so I guess I can give this a shot too.'' Said a grinning Ino.
''Thanks a lot to you too, Ino. I mean it.'' Said Naruto with the same gratitude.
''Don't mention it. Besides, having more girl friends is always good, right?'' Replied Ino with a wink.
''And what about you, Shikamaru?'' Said Naruto to the lazy genius and everyone else turned to look expectantly at the Nara.
Shikamaru thought on the issue at hand for a moment longer, when he finally also gave a resigned sigh. ''I guess I can at least try to evaluate her character before writing her off completely.
Naruto gave all his friends a heartwarming smile. ''Everyone, this means a lot to me and I'm sure to Kurotsuchi too. You'll see she is a good girl.''
''Okay, since my students seem no not have a problem with it, then I'll try to not be so harsh on her.'' Reassured Asuma.
''Awesome! What do you guys think about eating together, then?'' Said the eager blond.
''I don't see why not, right guys?'' Asked Asuma to the trio, and seeing that none refused, it was practically an agreement.
Now that everything was settled, they all returned to the restaurant's entrance to find Kurotsuchi leaning on the wall with her arms crossed waiting for them.
''You done?'' Asked the girl tentatively.
''Yep, all good.'' Replied the Jinchuuriki in excitement. ''By the way, my friends will be joining us so I hope you don't mind''
Kurotsuchi internally groaned, she didn't feel compelled to socialize with any of Konoha's inhabitants. Naruto she could tolerate since she was already used to doing it and didn't have a choice by this point, but she wasn't interested in getting to know his friends. However, she wasn't in any position to be rejecting such invitations So she just decided to comply. ''Sure, no problem.'' Said the girl unenthusiastically.
So with that, everyone made their way together inside the restaurant and found a nice table that accommodated everyone. The tables were short and close to the ground and one had to sit on small cushions on the floor to use as seats. So everyone sat down, and after quickly ordering a large portion of meat, they now sat cooking the small pieces to their own liking with Naruto telling stories of his training to his friends.
''...And that's how I made the Odama Rasengan. You should see Ero-Sennin's training, he is a slave driver, I tell you.'' Said Naruto as he finished another one of his tales.
''I know what you mean, Asuma-Sensei might not work us hard all the time, but when he does I can barely move for a few days.'' Said Chouji before he swallowed a half cooked piece of meat.
''Very interesting and all that Naruto, but I believe we haven't been properly introduced to your friend yet.'' Said Ino as she looked to the Iwa girl and attempted to break the ice with her. Ino being Ino, she couldn't help but be curious about Naruto's new female friend, even if she was from Iwa.
''You are right!'' Said a startled Naruto when he realized that he had yet to introduce them. ''Kurotsuchi, these are my friends, the members of Team Ten.'' Said the blond as he got Kurotsuchi's attention who just glanced at him giving him an attentive look.
''This lazy guy right here is Shikamaru.'' Said Naruto as he pointed at the Nara.
''Hi.'' Said Shikamaru plainly, seemingly not caring about being called lazy.
''He is Chouji.'' Said Naruto as he also pointed at his chubby friend.
''Yo.'' Responded Chouji with a wave before he put yet another piece of meat in his mouth.
''And I'm Yamanaka Ino, nice to meet you!'' Said Ino cheerfully, preferring to introduce herself personally.
''Right...and finally we have Asuma-Sensei!'' Finished Naruto as he presented the leader of Team Ten.
''A pleasure.'' Responded the man with a serious face and a lit cigarette in his mouth.
''I'm Kurotsuchi.'' Said the girl with little emotion as she cooked a few pieces of meat herself as she showed no interest in the interaction.
Asuma and Shikamaru narrowed their eyes at the girl's disrespect while Chouji just continued to eat casually and Ino didn't seem to mind.
Naruto was starting to sweat due to his nerves as Kurotsuchi wasn't even making an effort to give a good impression, and he knew that the girl would benefit greatly from having some friends in Konoha if she was going to stay for a while. Not to mention, that if his friends didn't like her it could cause tensions with him later down the road as he had to be around the girl.
''So, Kurotsuchi what's your age? You look around the same age as us.'' Said Ino curiously, still attempting to strike a conversation with the girl.
''I'm seventeen. I'll turn eighteen soon'' Answered Kurotsuchi as she grabbed a few pieces of meat to put on her plate.
''Really?! That's great! We are all fifteen ourselves, so we aren't that far apart! Well, with the exception of Asuma-Sensei of course, he is getting old.'' Joked the platinum blonde.
''Hey, I'm still quiet young, you know.'' Said Asuma defensively.
''Yeah, whatever.'' Said Ino brushing off Asuma's comment. ''And by the way, what is your rank? We turned Chunin a while ago and you seem like a capable person.'' Ino asked curiously, and the question even got Asuma and Shikamaru's attention as it would be useful to know how strong the girl was should she end up being dangerous.
Kurotsuchi actually looked at Ino this time and saw the expectant faces of the rest of her team. She had a good idea of why they were so interested in knowing something like that but she still answered truthfully. ''I'm a Jounin.'' Said Kurotsuchi, seeing no reason to lie since it was better that they knew she was strong to make them wary of messing with her.
''Wow, Jounin already?'' Asked Chouji with shock.
Asuma and Shikamaru didn't react surprised at all, mainly because Asuma was already informed of her rank when he was told about the girl and Shikamaru had already guessed that the girl had to be good if she had been part of the squad sent to fight Jiraiya.
''Impressive!'' Said the dumbfounded Ino. ''We all had a rough time even getting to Chunin so you must be very skilled.'' Complimented the Yamanaka.
''Uhh...thanks, I guess.'' Said Kurotsuchi with uncertainty at how to act towards the friendly girl.
''In fact, the only Jounin around our age is Neji, but besides him everyone else is Chunin.'' Informed Ino before getting a thoughtful look. ''But come to think of it, Naruto, aren't you still a Genin?'' Asked Ino as she addressed the now embarrassed Jinchuuriki.
Kurotsuchi looked at the blond sitting beside her with a look of amazement, for the first time showing some emotion since she met up with Team Ten. ''What?! You are still a Genin!?''
Naruto blushed with shame at being put on the spot. ''Hey, is not my fault! I didn't get to take the exam since I was away with Ero-Sennin?!'' Said Naruto trying to explain himself as Ino wondered if she should have brought that up.
Kurotsuchi stared silently at the blond for a moment before she burst into laughter. ''Hahahahahaha! You are still a Genin! hahaha!'' Said the hysterical girl with a finger pointing at Naruto, with tears in her eyes.
''Knock it off, is not that big of a deal!'' Said Naruto in indignation as his voice was muffled by her laugh. Of course, the girl was going to use any excuse she could find to make fun of him and was precisely because of this that he didn't mention his rank earlier to her.
Kurotsuchi continued to laugh without caring about what the blond said. However, she wasn't just laughing to make fun of the boy, but also because she went through so much trouble for a Genin. Iwa had sent an entire battalion to ensure the capture of the Kyuubi just to fail miserably and got most of them killed, and resulted in a chain of events that left her imprisoned with the biggest enemies of her home, and all that for a Genin! So right now she didn't know if she was laughing at Naruto or at herself, probably more of the latter.
Meanwhile, Team Ten stared in wonder and confusion at the weird interaction between Naruto and his supposed new friend. For them, it was weird seeing how she behaved with him considering how vehemently Naruto had spoken on her behalf when he convinced them to give her a chance, but Naruto always had a knack for befriending weird people and having even more weird relationships with them.
After a couple of minutes, Kurotsuchi's laughter finally died off. ''Oh man, I needed a good laugh.'' Said the girl as she wiped off a tear from her eye.
''You do have to admit is pretty funny, though.'' Said Ino to Naruto trying to keep the mood light.
''Glad to see that you are having fun at my expense.'' Said Naruto with annoyance.
''Don't be so touchy my little Genin. Is all in good fun.'' Said Kurotsuchi cheekily.
''You don't have to worry, we always make fun of Naruto once in a while.'' Said Ino with a grin.
''Gee, thanks.'' Said the orange-loving ninja with a deadpan expression.
''We heard that you are from Iwa.'' Said Shikamaru as he addressed Kurotsuchi, testing the water to see more of the girl's character.
''I am. You have a problem with that?'' Said Kurotsuchi with narrowed eyes.
''Just making sure I'm well informed. I personally don't mind where you are from.'' Said the Nara with a shrug.
''I think it's pretty cool.'' Added Chouji. ''I have never talked with someone from there before.''
''Right?!'' Ino agreed with Chouji. ''I bet you have all kinds of awesome stories about it since we are unfamiliar with the place!'' Suggested the Yamanaka.
Kurotsuchi just kept her glare and stayed silent as she ate. She thought they were delusional if they expected that she was going to say anything about her home to a bunch of enemy ninja.
''Just drop it, Ino. It's obvious that she is not comfortable talking about it.'' Asuma scolded his female student.
''Aww, come on. I'm really curious.'' Complained the Yamanaka before turning to Kurotsuchi again. ''Are there any cute boys in Iwa?'' Ino insisted on her questions.
Kurotsuchi raised an eyebrow at that. Cute boys? Really? That was what the girl was interested in knowing about her home? She guessed that Ino's priorities as a Kunoichi had to be skewed. Besides, she couldn't really think of any boy back home that caught her attention, and even if she were to find them attractive, most boys in her village were either intimidated by her tomboy mannerisms or her relation to the Tsuchikage; or conversely they tried to woo her thinking they could get benefits due to her status and the possibility of her being next in line for the Tsuchikage's position. Not to mention that the last time she was interested in someone was when she was just a child and had a crush on some asshole that ended up deserting her village to become a mad bomber. So all in all, checking out 'cute' boys wasn't something she found productive or worthwhile.
Shikamaru rolled his eyes. It was just like Ino to go around being nosy.
''Ino, I'm with Asuma-Sensei here, you should not be asking things she doesn't want to answer.'' Said Chouji when he noticed the displeased face Kurotsuchi was making at Ino's insistent inquires.
''Hey, I'm just trying to get to know her better.'' Ino excused her behavior.
''You could find a way to make it less annoying, though.'' Said Shikamaru with boredom.
''Nobody asked you Shikamaru!'' Ino berated the shadow user.
Kurotsuchi had had enough and loudly slammed her chopsticks on her plate which got Team Ten's attention and they went silent as they looked at her, and even Naruto stopped paying attention to the dispute to look at Kurotsuchi just as surprised.
The pink-eyed girl sighed before she started speaking. ''You don't have to keep trying to get along with me. I know perfectly well that Naruto convinced you to be friendly, am I right?'' Asked the girl and the silence of everyone present was the sole answer she needed. ''You probably don't like me and that's fine, I don't expect you to, and frankly I don't care. I only expect you to not bother me and I will do the same, okay?'' Said Kurotsuchi as she looked intently at the serious faces of the silent Team Ten. ''It was nice to meet you.'' Finished the girl as she stood up and left the table before she approached the exit of the restaurant.
Naruto looked at her retreating form, too stunned that he didn't react for a moment, but as soon as he did, he got a look of panic, as he too, stood up hastily. ''Hey wait a minute, Kurotsuchi!'' Shouted Naruto at the girl as he started rushing to catch up with her, but halfway through he came back to leave some money on the table. ''Sorry guys, I gotta go! It was good seeing you!'' Was the last thing Naruto said to Team Ten as he also exited the restaurant.
Asuma, Chouji, Shikamaru, and Ino stared speechless at the two empty spaces that Naruto and Kurotsuchi left as they replayed on their heads what just happened.
''See what you did, Ino?'' Shikamaru scolded his teammate.
''Me?! I didn't do anything wrong! Is not my fault the new girl has an attitude problem!'' The indignant Ino defended herself.
''In a way it couldn't be helped, she is being forced to coexist with people she considers enemies after all.'' Said Asuma calmly. ''But it is true that she could use a change in her conduct is she is to be living here.'' Said the older man with a sigh.
''Exactly, that's what I mean!'' Exclaimed Ino, loudly. ''I get it that she doesn't want to be here but if she doesn't have a choice she should at least try to make the best of it, right?''
''I don't know, she may be rough around the edges but I think is too early to tell how she is'' Said Chouji still debating on what he thought of the girl.
''Well, I guess that we are done here for now, so I'll just take my leave.'' Said Shikamaru as he also stood up from the table.
''Going to see Temari-San again, I take it?'' Teased Ino with a smirk.
''Not of your business where I'm going, woman.'' Said Shikamaru with a blush. He did intend to go see Temari since she was returning to Sunagakure the next day, but he wished Ino wasn't butting into his affairs.
Ino continued to smirk knowingly. She just loved to screw with the Nara, in all honestly she thought it was cute that Shikamaru was interested in Temari, and the fact that they were from separate villages just made it all the more interesting to her as in her opinion it made it more romantic to have two people love each other despite the cultural differences. As she though about that, she widened her eyes when a thought crossed her mind that she had never considered, and turned to look at the direction Naruto and Kurotsuchi had left. ''wait! could it be possible that...nah. That is way too far-fetched.'' The idea was endearing but there was no way it would ever happen. Right?
-Streets of Konoha-
''Kurotsuchi, wait!'' Said Naruto upset as he finally caught up to the girl on the street.
Kurotsuchi just gave a side glance to the blond as if nothing was wrong. ''You are slow, idiot. And stop making a fuss, will ya?''
Naruto looked at her severely. ''I'm in my right to make a fuss! What was that back there!? They were just trying to get to know you, you didn't have to make a scene like that!''
However Kurotsuchi just continued to stare impassively at the blond. ''They are your friends Naruto, not mine. And as I said back there, I have no interest in being friends with Konoha ninja, even more so if they probably dislike me just the same.''
''Is not that simple! They can be your friends, too!'' Insisted the Jinchuuriki. ''Your stay here would be much more comfortable for you if you would just let yourself have some more people to get along with!''
''I may be interested in the future if I'm desperate enough, but right now I would rather be alone, well as alone as I can be anyway.'' Said the girl plainly as she started walking away again. ''But at least I did manage to eat properly so not everything was bad. Maybe now we could continue with the tour?'' Suggested the Kunoichi as she glanced back to her guide.
Naruto looked at her and gave a resigned sigh. ''Fine. I'll show you the rest of the village.'' He decided to drop the topic as he knew that Kurotsuchi wasn't going to listen to him, she was stubborn like that.
After a couple of hours Naruto had already shown Kurotsuchi most of the locales in the marketplace, so he decided to make a quick stop to the Ninja Academy.
''And this is the Academy! Here is where I graduated to become an awesome ninja!'' Said Naruto as he pointed to the place.
Kurotsuchi looked at the building, unimpressed. It was just a standard large building painted white and red with the Konoha and Land of Fire symbols above the entrance. Aside from the building, she noted a single swing in a tree in front of said Academy.
''So, what do you think? Pretty cool, uh?'' Asked Naruto expectantly to the girl.
''Is alright, I guess.'' Kurotsuchi plainly answered.
As they were looking at the building Naruto suddenly got an alarmed look on his face. ''Oh crap, I completely forgot I haven't seen Iruka-Sensei!'' Said the Blond with severity.
''Who is that? Your Academy teacher or something?'' Asked the girl with curiosity.
''Yea, he was my best teacher at the academy, and even now and then we always make sure to get together to catch up.'' Explained Naruto before he grabbed Kurotsuchi's forearm and ran towards the building. ''Come, let's see if Iruka-sensei is there right now!''
''What did I tell you before about letting me walk by myself!?'' Complained the Kunoichi as she was being dragged by the blond.
As they made their way through the halls of the Academy, Naruto finally stopped at a certain classroom door and knocked on it. The place was mostly deserted since classes ended over a couple hours ago, so Naruto doubted Iruka would be busy.
''Stop doing that!'' Said Kurotsuchi as she brusquely freed her arm from Naruto's hold. ''Don't go doing thoughtless things like that, Idiot! I don't even know if I'm allowed to be here without your Hokage ripping me a new one.'' She was pretty sure that the Academy wasn't off limits, as long as she didn't go through the archives or spied on the curriculum or something like that, but she didn't want to risk it.
''We won't be here for long, so I'm sure there won't be a problem.'' Said Naruto trying to reassure the tomboy.
Before Kurotsuchi could talk back to Naruto, the door opened to reveal the surprised face of Umino Iruka. ''Naruto? My god, how have you grown!'' Said the man as he smiled warmly at his little brother figure. Iruka was a man with brown hair and dark eyes, he kept his hair in a spiky ponytail and he had a scar running along the bridge of his nose.
Naruto returned the man's smile at seeing his old teacher again. ''Good to see you too, Iru-Ahh!''
Naruto was interrupted as the man embraced him in a tight hug not unlike the one Tsunade had given him earlier but this one wasn't as strong. ''I'm glad to see you safe, Naruto. I heard that you were attacked by a squad of Iwa Shinobi and you went missing as a result.'' Said the man as he embraced his little brother figure before he stepped back to smile at his former student. ''I was informed that you were back, but I couldn't find you when I went to look for you, so I'm glad that you came to find me instead.''
Naruto smiled brightly at his former teacher and gave him a thumbs up. ''Don't worry, Iruka-Sensei. It takes more than that to put me down, dattebayo!''
Meanwhile, Kurotsuchi despite feeling happy for the blond to be reunited with someone that was obvious very close to him, she couldn't help but being nervous and on edge around the man after hearing him mention her previous attempt on the blond's life.
Iruka was happy to see that the boy's outgoing attitude hadn't changed in the years he was away. ''And I see you made a new friend. Hi there, nice to meet you. I'm Umino Iruka, and you are?'' Said the man as he finally noticed Kurotsuchi standing behind Naruto.
''I'm Kurotsuchi.'' Said the pink eyed girl with reservation.
''She is new in the village so I'm showing her around!'' Said the blond cheerfully, oblivious to the girl's discomfort.
''Oh, is that so?'' Asked Iruka, glad that Naruto was making new friends, and with a girl no less. ''Then, I hope you enjoy your stay in Konoha, miss. Where are you from if you don't mind me asking?'' Asked Iruka cordially.
Kurotsuchi looked warily at the man before answering. ''I-I'm from Iwagakure.''
At the information, Iruka couldn't help but frown for a second before he forced a smile. ''Really? That is quiet unusual. Is not every day that we get people from there.'' Said the teacher with suspicion.
''And she is a Kunoichi too!'' Said Naruto eagerly.
Kurotsuchi shot Naruto a glare as he was inadvertently just making things worse. Even if she didn't care for making friends with Naruto's acquaintances that also didn't mean that she wanted them actively after her head.
Iruka narrowed his eyes at the information. Had the girl been a civilian then even if it was weird for her to move to Konoha it wasn't impossible, but a Shinobi from Iwa would never come willingly. ''So, how did you guys meet?'' Asked the Chunin inquisitively.
After Iruka asked that particular question, did Naruto realize the problem about telling Iruka. Telling his friends was one thing since even if they didn't agree with him regarding Kurotsuchi they had no option but to just roll with it. Iruka was a different matter since he could be a little bit overprotective and Naruto could end up with the man all up in his hair if he knew that he was going to be spending most of his days alongside a former enemy.
''Y-you see Iruka-Sensei, emmm...'' Stammered Naruto as he tried to word it in a way that didn't sound so bad.
''I was part of that 'Iwa squad' sent to capture him.'' Said the girl, earning her an upset look from Naruto as if asking her what was she doing. She supposed that it was better to just go out and say it outright because Naruto had done such poor job so far of breaking the ice, so she guessed there was no going around this topic.
Iruka had an unreadable expression on his face upon hearing that the girl was one of Naruto's attackers. He knew that the girl being in the village walking around and not behind bars somehow had to be Naruto's doing as the blond always tended to get himself into these bizarre situations. But having an enemy Kunoichi around, especially one that already tried to kill the boy, was just too much for the Chunin. ''I see...''
The serious look Iruka was giving the girl made Naruto nervous. ''Sooo, I guess I'll see you later, Iruka-Sensei. I still have a lot of places to show Kurotsuchi.'' Said the Genin to break the tense air around them, deciding it would be better if he came to see Iruka later by himself. So Naruto turned around and prepared to leave with Kurotsuchi in tow.
''Wait, Naruto.'' Said Iruka in alarm which made the duo halt. ''Maybe it would be a good idea for me to accompany you, you know so I can help you with the sight seeing.'' Suggested the man hastily.
''Don't worry about it, Iruka-Sensei. I got this'' Said Naruto with a nervous smile to convince the Chunin to let him be.
''Are you sure? It wouldn't be a problem, you know? I'm pretty much finished already with my tasks so I have some free time.'' Insisted the teacher.
Kurotsuchi frowned, once again feeling uncomfortable. It was pretty obvious that the man didn't trust her around the blond and he wanted to keep an eye on her himself if he was able to.
However, Iruka still persisted. ''I insist. After all, it's been a while since...''
''Sorry, Iruka-Sensei. Gotta go!'' Naruto interrupted Iruka as he quickly took hold of Kurotsuchi's arm again and rushed for the exit to keep the man from responding back.
Once outside ,Naruto gave a sigh of relief. ''Sorry about that, Iruka-Sensei can be a bit overbearing at times.'' Said the Jinchuuriki with an apologetic smile.
''I can see that.'' Said Kurotsuchi dryly as she glanced back to the Academy to spot an ANBU entering through one of the windows. She deduced that Iruka had gotten the attention of one of the ANBU keeping tabs on her to ask him to tighten their watch or something like that.
''But why did you have to tell him that!?'' berated the blond remembering the rash way the girl had informed the man of who she was.
''You wanted me to lie?'' Asked Kurotsuchi.
''No! But you didn't have to say it like that!'' Naruto scolded her.
Kurotsuchi just shrugged off the boy's concerns.''Whatever. What's done is done.'' Even if the way she informed the man wasn't optimal, she still preferred to know up front that the man was up in her case rather than have him know later about her and she would have been ignorant of the fact that Iruka was keeping tabs on her, at least this way she was sure.
Naruto couldn't help but glare at the girl as this was yet again another interaction with his friends that she messed up.
''Oh come on, don't look at me like that. Besides, we still have much left to see so we better keep going.'' Said the girl casually as she resumed walking.
Naruto wasn't too happy about the girl ignoring his concerns just like that but decided to just drop it. ''Fine.''
Naruto walked silently beside the girl as he pondered on his two fruitless encounters with his friends. He could admit that he was a bit miffed towards the girl as she didn't seem to be putting much effort into being sociable and didn't seem to care on top of it. So needles to say, he was frustrated as he felt that his efforts to help Kurotsuchi were being undermined by the very same girl he was putting so much effort into helping.
Kurotsuchi gave the silent Jinchuuriki a side glance and wondered if she was being unfair to the boy. She didn't want to seem unappreciative of the things the blond had been doing for her lately, but she just couldn't help it; she had been brought up hating Konoha and all it stood for, so she couldn't just start being best friends with its citizens just like that. No, it wasn't that simple to ignore years of conditioning. Even so, she couldn't help but feel a bit guilty.
But despite the setbacks they experienced, they continued their way through the village, and much of the rest of the day consisted of Naruto showing more locales to Kurotsuchi. He showed her a few more stores, some parks, the location of some clan compounds, etc. Now as one of the last stops, Naruto showed the girl some of the training grounds.
''And this is one of the training grounds I sometimes used with my team. In fact, here is where I passed my exam to become a Genin.'' Said Naruto with pride to the girl as they both walked through the pasture of the training field.
Kurotsuchi looked at her surroundings in mild curiosity. Even if the training field technically wasn't anything special, she had to admit that the green foliage of the surrounding trees coupled with the equally as colorful grass and the chirping of the birds, she found the place to be pretty nice actually. In fact, she wouldn't mind coming here to relax once in a while. ''I kinda like this place, it isn't bad at all.'' Said Kurotsuchi with a relaxed smile.
''See? I told you we had cool places in Konoha!'' Said the blond happily.
As much as she didn't want to say anything good about Konoha, Kurotsuchi had to begrudgingly agree that the village had a good scenery at the very least. In Iwa they didn't have these kinds of sights, so she could say that this was definitely one of the better places that Naruto had shown her. Now that she thought about it, a little break from all the walking around seemed like a good idea, so she approached a row of trees on the edge of the clearing and sat down with her back leaning on the trunk as she gave a content sigh. Truth be told, she hadn't completely recovered her energy from all the hardships of the previous days, so resting once in a while like this would do her well.
Naruto watched the girl sitting down against the tree and tilted his head a bit to the side in confusion. ''Is everything all right?'' Asked the blond.
Kurotsuchi nodded calmly before answering. ''I'm just resting for a bit and you should take notes since you can't seem to stay still for more than a few minutes at a time.'' Said the girl as she shifted position and rested an arm on her knee.
''If you want to rest then I think is fine.'' Said Naruto as he scratched the back of his head, before he too, sat leaning in a tree just a couple of feet away from Kurotsuchi.
They both stayed like that silently for a couple minutes just enjoying the serenity of the moment. Well, at least Kurotsuchi did; Naruto wasn't exactly the most patient person around and was already starting to fidget and glanced to the girl beside him just to find her completely calm and relaxed.
''So, did you do this often in Iwa?'' Asked Naruto trying to find any topic to talk about instead of just sitting around doing nothing.
''You mean finding quiet places to rest?'' Asked the girl as she looked over to the boy who answered with a nod. ''Sometimes, not that much actually. But now I wish I had done it more when I could.'' finished the tomboy with a solemn face.
Naruto looked sadly at the girl. He didn't consider that it might be insensible to remind the girl of her home so soon when she was stuck on an enemy Nation. ''I'm sure you'll be able to do it again, so don't worry too much'' Reassured the Genin.
Kurotsuchi scoffed with incredulity at his words. ''You don't have to try and make me feel better, I already resigned to the fact that I will probably spend the rest of my days here.'' Said the short-haired Kunoichi with melancholy.
''Don't be like that, I'll find a way to get you back home. In fact, once I become Hokage I'll make sure you return to Iwa.'' Said Naruto trying to comfort her.
''Yay, I can't wait.'' Replied the girl dryly. If her only hope of seeing her village again was to wait for Naruto to become Hokage she might as well get used to being a prisoner forever.
Naruto frowned, depressed at the girl's conduct. He knew that she wasn't the type to just give up easily like himself, which made the way she behaved a good indicator of how hopeless she felt. ''But you may not have to wait that long, I'll think of something before that.'' Insisted the boy.
''Naruto, I told you already, I appreciate that you are trying to help me I really do, but let's not delude ourselves here; the fact that I'm not rotting in a cell is already a miracle in itself, it would be foolish to expect too much more. So instead, just please let me enjoy this moment of peace.'' Said Kurotsuchi as she closed her eyes to do just that. It was true, moments like this to just clear her mind of worries were rare nowadays. Right now she wasn't in a cell, or in an unfamiliar apartment that she knew wasn't her home, neither was she walking through the streets of an enemy village as the judgmental eyes of their people stared at her in hatred. Right now she was free of all that if only for a limited time.
Naruto stared at the girl a few second more and was about to follow the girl's example when someone else entered the clearing.
''Hello guys, here you are.'' Said the voice of one Hatake Kakashi as he calmly approached the duo.
''Kakashi-Sensei? What are you doing here?'' Asked Naruto to the copy ninja with intrigue.
Kurotsuchi opened her eyes to stare at the cyclops with an annoyed look. ''So much for relaxing.''
''I hope I'm not interrupting, but you don't have to worry, I won't stay long.'' Said the man with his ever laid back tone.
''Is that so?'' Asked Kurotsuchi still sitting at the base of the tree.
Kakashi glanced at the girl, suddenly remembering something. ''Now that I think about it, we were never formally introduced.'' Mentioned the Sharingan user.
''I know who you are, Hatake Kakashi.'' Said the Kunoichi with seriousness. ''You are pretty well-known in Iwa. And you already know who I am anyway, so I fail to see the need for an introduction.''
Kakashi closed his lone eye as he smiled behind his mask. ''Still, I wanted to say nice to meet you.''
''Likewise.'' Said the Pink eyes girl lacking the same friendliness.
''Also, I know that your stay here did not exactly happen in the most favorable of circumstances but I still feel the need to welcome you to Konoha.'' Added the silver-haired man cordially.
However, Kurotsuchi just stared silently at the man with an unreadable expression at his welcoming words.
''No need to be so wary all the time, you know? Think of this as a sort of extended vacation.'' Joked the man good-naturedly, but Kurotsuchi didn't seem at all amused.
Not wanting to risk yet another interaction between the girl and his friends going south again, Naruto decided to cut it short. ''So, what did you want me for, Kakashi-sensei?''
At the blond's question, Kakashi stopped addressing the Kunoichi and looked at the boy instead. ''Oh yea, I almost forgot. Naruto, I wanted to let you know that tomorrow we'll have a team exercise at first hour in the morning.''
''A team exercise?'' Repeated the boy.
Kakashi nodded in affirmation. ''Yea, in this very same training ground in fact. Actually, we were supposed to do this exercise as soon as you got back, but due to recent events, I decided to postpone it until now.''
''And what kind of exercise will be, Kakashi-sensei?'' Inquired the curious Genin.
''You'll have to wait to find out.'' Informed the Jounin before he pulled the new icha icha book that Jiraiya had so kindly given to him. ''Anyway, that's all I had to say. So please, enjoy the rest of your day, I'll be seeing you guys later.'' Finished the copy ninja before he started casually walking away giggling from time to time at the explicit content of the book in his hands.
Kurotsuchi meanwhile, was at a loss for words as she watched the man walk away. ''Did the famous copy ninja Kakashi just pulled a well-known erotica book in front of us and went away giggling like a pervert as if it was nothing?'' And the worst part was that in Iwa they had to be afraid of him.
Now that Kakashi was gone, Naruto gave his attention to the tomboy once more. ''Hey Kurotsuchi, what do you say if we go get some dinner?''
Kurotsuchi sighed at the blond's question. ''Of course, Naruto wouldn't be able to stay still for long periods of time.'' ''Fine'' Said the girl plainly. It was almost evening already so getting some supper didn't seem like a bad idea anyway.
So without further ado, both teenagers got up from their spot and proceeded to walk back into the streets of Konoha, and in just a few minutes they were already in front of Ichiraku ramen.
''Why am I not surprised?'' Thought the girl with a deadpan expression as she stared at the ramen stand.
''I know what you are probably thinking, but I promise you that they make the best ramen in the world!'' Exclaimed the boy when he saw the face the tomboy was making.
''There you are, Boss!''
Both teenagers saw three young Genin emerge from one side of the building. Kurotsuchi noted that one of the boys had brown hair in a bowl cut and wore glasses; the girl had orange hair that she kept in two upward pigtails and her cheeks had a rosy tint; and finally, the last boy and the one who seemed to be the leader, had spiky brown hair and wore a green jacket with a blue scarf around his neck.
''Konohamaru, is that you?'' Asked Naruto in surprise at seeing how much the little boy he knew had grown.
''Sure I am!'' Said the boy with a thumb pointing at himself. ''When we heard that you were back I knew that the only thing I needed to do to meet you was to wait by Ichiraku and sooner or later you would show up!''
''So rude of you, Naruto-Nii to not tell us you were back!'' Said Moegi as Udon nodded agreein with her.
''Heh heh, I'm sorry guys, I've had so much stuff going on that it slipped my mind.'' Said the blond with an apologetic smile as he scratched the back of his head while Kurotsuchi was just glad that they weren't paying attention to her as she was getting tired of introductions by this point.
''No excuses, Boss! Now you leave me no choice but to get you with my new and improved technique!'' Said Konohamaru, and in a puff of smoke, the young Genin transformed into a naked and well-endowed girl leaning towards Naruto with a wink and caressing her legs suggestively.
''Naruto-Sama, what do you think of my new Sexy Jutsu?'' Purred the fake beauty, stunning the Iwa Kunoichi and the rest of the Konohamaru corps.
Kurotsuchi was agape at what she was seeing. She couldn't believe that this little boy was using such a vulgar transformation and had the gal of calling it a Ninja technique. But she was pleasantly surprised at seeing Naruto looking at the shameful display with a stern look on his face.
Konohamaru dropped his transformation as he stood there with a grin that was soon erased when Naruto walked up to him with a serious face and put a hand on his shoulder.
''Konohamaru, I'm not a little kid anymore and neither are you. I don't want you using that Jutsu again, you hear me?'' Said the blond, surprising Kurotsuchi as he for once showed some maturity. ''That technique is obsolete! I'll show you later the new Sexy Jutsu I have created which blows that one out of the water!'' Boasted the Jinchuuriki with pride and not an ounce of shame.
Kurotsuchi was horrified, not only did Naruto approve of that Jutsu but he was the one that taught it to the kid?!
With urgency, Kurotsuchi waved at the purple-haired ANBU that was keeping watch on a nearby tree to caught her attention, and once she got it, the Iwa girl punched her own palm with a fist as she looked directly at the ANBU before she signaled the blond in front of her, effectively asking permission to hit the Jinchuuriki.
The long haired ANBU seemed to think it over for a moment before she nodded in approval, as she was sure that the Hokage wouldn't have a problem with it this one time.
Naruto was busy boasting about his new Sexy Jutsu to Konohamaru when he felt a solid hit connect with the back of his head that sent him face first to meet the ground.
''What the fuck are you doing teaching that shit to kids, you moron!?'' Yelled the enraged girl.
''Hey, you don't have any right to be punching the boss!'' ''Yea!'' Said Konohamaru backed up by his other two friends.
''Easy there, guys! I'm fine. There is no reason to start a fight.'' Said Naruto in appeasement as he got in the middle of the Iwa girl and the Konohamaru corps, he was more worried about the girl getting herself back into a cell than the bump on his head.
''And who is she anyway? I have never seen this girl before.'' Inquired the angry kid.
''Oh right! she is Kurotsuchi!'' Said Naruto with a grin as he introduced the tomboy, happy to find a topic to distract them all from conflict. ''She is new in the village.''
Konohamaru looked with a raised eyebrow at the serious girl before he got a sly grin on his face. ''Oh, I see how it is, boss. You got so awesome that even girls from other villages can't help but fall for your charms. Though, I think you need some work to do on your standards, boss.'' Said Konohamaru as he evaluated Kurotsuchi. He found her to be a bit too androgynous for his taste but whatever floated Naruto's boat he supposed.
The blond Genin's eyes widened in panic as he looked over to the pink-eyed girl to gauge her reaction.
Said girl just stared impassively at Konohamaru before she gave the little boy a pleasant grin. ''What a funny little guy.'' Said the Kunoichi as she walked over to the boy and put a hand on his shoulder. ''You must be so popular with the girls yourself.'' Complimented the Iwa girl still keeping her smile.
''What can I say? I don't like to brag but I may become as popular as the boss someday.'' boasted Konohamaru sheepishly.
''I see. Then I'll give you some advice.'' Said Kurotsuchi as she crouched a bit to be at eye level with the boy.
''What is it?'' Asked Konohamaru curiously, and as soon as he did, the look on Kurotsuchi's face became murderous and the grip of her hand on his shoulder got so tight that it actually hurt.
''If you want to live a long life you better stay away from me. And if you ever insult me again, I'll make sure no one ever finds your body.'' Said the Iwa Kunoichi with a cold tone as she focused all her killing intent on the terrified Konohamaru. ''Now get out of here before you get hurt, little boy.'' Kurotsuchi knew that she would never be able to fulfill her threat or the Hokage would ensure that she never saw the light of day again, but the next best thing was to make Konohamaru shit his pants.
Konohamaru's face paled at the girl's threat and nodded brusquely before he started walking away rapidly. ''Let's go Udon, Moegi! I'll see you later, Naruto-Nii!'' Yelled Konohamaru as he got away.
''Hey Konohamaru-kun, wait!'' Said Moegi before she and Udon started chasing after the scared boy and left Naruto and Kurotsuchi alone once more.
Naruto sighed in relief that things didn't go worse than they did, yes that could have gone better but it also could have gone much worse. ''That Konohamaru always getting himself into trouble.'' commented the blond. ''Anyway, now we can go to Ichiraku!'' Said Naruto with excitement before he noticed that Kurotsuchi was walking away in the opposite direction. ''Uh? Kurotsuchi, what are you doing!?'' The blond yelled at her.
Kurotsuchi stopped for a moment and glanced back to look at the Jinchuuriki. ''I lost my appetite, you can go by yourself. Besides, I don't hang out with perverts.'' Berated the girl before she resumed walking.
''And where are you going?!'' Asked Naruto.
''My apartment.'' Said the girl plainly, and this time without looking back or stopping.
''Please don't be like that! I don't even use that Jutsu that much anymore!'' Naruto tried to make the girl reconsider but to no avail.
The blond sighed in defeat, knowing that Kurotsuchi wasn't going to listen to him, so he just decided to let her be for now. ''So much for a good start'' Thought the blond as he walked towards Ichiraku by himself. Granted, the day didn't go exactly as he had hoped it would but he had faith that tomorrow would be better.
Author's note: Freaking Finally! Oh guys you don't know how frustrating this chapter was to write! And not because I didn't enjoy writing it (Even though it was kind of hard due to the huge numbre of character interaction) But because the chapter had been sitting almost complete in my pc for like four days!
You see, something out of my control happened and I had to work extra hours at work for most of the week, which left me no time to give the finishing touch to the chapter. Don't get me wrong, normally I don't let my hobby for writing make me mad in my day to day routine, but all I needed was a single day of my normal routine and I would have had the chapter up that very same night! It was so frustrating not being able to!
Ahem! Now I feel much better now that I let that out of my chest. So anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
And as always, please review or give me your thoughts if you have the time to spare :)
