==============================
Chapter 13 : Reminders of the Past
==============================
¡§WHAT? YOU KNEW HE WAS BACK THE WHOLE TIME AND YOU DIDN¡¦T TELL ANYONE?¡¨
Shikamaru winced and rubbed his ear gently, attempting to sooth his ringing auditory organ. Now he remembers why he got Chouji earplugs 2 years ago when they first became Genins.
¡§Calm down Ino.¡¨ He grumbled, hand still over the side of his head that was facing her, just in case she broke into another ramble. ¡§Yes, I knew. ONLY because Tsunade-sama sent me to go tell him that his Exam Application was confirmed.¡¨
¡§So then why didn¡¦t you TELL us?¡¨
¡§Well I don¡¦t know.¡¨ Said Shikamaru sarcastically, ¡§maybe because both of them, in one way or another, made me swear on pain of death, NOT to tell anyone. But if I had know you were going to yell at me like this, I probably would have told the whole village anyway.¡¨ He sighed. ¡§How troublesome.¡¨
¡§Oh. Okay, well, just so you know, Naruto invited us over to his hotel room tonight. Here...¡¨ she looked around for a scrap of paper, and when she didn¡¦t find any, she pulled out a pen, grabbed arm, and scribbled the directions onto his wrist. ¡§Come if you want. I gotta go see Chouji. Later!¡¨ she ignored the look of disbelief on his face, and started toward Chouji¡¦s house.
¡§ ¡§Come if you want¡¨?¡¨ Shikamaru chuckled to himself as he lifted his hand up to read what she wrote. ¡§I wouldn¡¦t miss this for the world.¡¨
======================================================================
¡§So THAT¡¦S why you left so suddenly!¡¨
The two of them had gone to Ichiraku, just like all the times before, in the past. Ichiraku was, thankfully, still alive, and both him and Ayane [his daughter], were genuinely happy to see Naruto. It turned out, Naruto didn¡¦t have to pay anything after all. As soon as he walked in, Ichiraku set a bowl out with the works, and insisted that it was on the house.
Iruka glanced at his former student, who was slurping down ramen, just like he had a year ago.
¡§Naruto.¡¨ He said, ¡§Did you know what your leaving did to everybody? For months after that, Shikamaru, Neji, and Kiba couldn¡¦t even look Sasuke in the eye. Team 07 basically fell apart without you. They only got back together when Ino joined the team 2 months ago. From what I¡¦ve seen, they really missed you.¡¨
¡§Oh?¡¨ Naruto said as he motioned for another bowl. ¡§I guess abstinence DOES make the heart grow fonder.¡¨
¡§Naruto! It¡¦s not funny. Besides, where have you and Jiraiya-sama been all this time? And where IS Jiraiya-sama?¡¨
¡§We¡¦ve been all over.¡¨ Naruto said, completing his 5th bowl of ramen and motioning for another. ¡§Sand, stone, rain, grass, lightning, mist, you name it. We¡¦ve been there. Around the world in 2 months. Must be some kind of record.¡¨ He chuckled. ¡§Ero-sen [pervert sennin] decided to stay in the Water Country. Said something about ¡¥summer in the Mist is not something to miss¡¦. He should be coming back to the village as soon as the Mist kunoichis kick him out.¡¨
¡§Where have you been the other 8 months then?¡¨
¡§Getting acquainted with my mom¡¦s side of the family.¡¨ Naruto replied, pointing at the Air forehead protector tied around his arm. ¡§You know, I always wondered why I didn¡¦t have parents. Now I know why. I also know who my real father is. I also know that only a select few people know that I¡¦m his son. You know, don¡¦t you, Iruka-sensei?¡¨
He sighed. ¡§Yes. I know.¡¨
¡§Now that I¡¦ve heard the entire story, I have a new goal. And until I fulfill that goal, I won¡¦t be able to pursue any other dreams. But now, with my cousin¡¦s help, I can achieve that goal.¡¨
¡§What¡¦s that?¡¨
¡§Kill Kyuubi.¡¨
==============================
Iruka looked out the schoolroom window, wishing the day would go by faster. He wanted to go home and just... sleep. Rest. Do something that would help him absorb all the information that Naruto had given him. After they had finished lunch and after Naruto had paid for all 15 bowls of Ramen despite Ichiraku¡¦s weak protests, Naruto had noticed the less than happy expression on Iruka¡¦s face.
Somehow, Naruto had guessed the source of that unhappiness. He had reached into his pocket, and pulled out the Leaf Forehead protector Iruka had given him, almost 3 years before. He had said to him:
¡§Don¡¦t worry. This¡¦ll be back on my head soon. When it goes back on, it¡¦ll stay there, permanently.¡¨ Then, Naruto had disappeared.
Iruka looked at the clock, almost anxiously.
//Only 3 more hours...//
==============================
On his way back to the hotel, Naruto was strolling, minding his own business... when he heard a familiar rustle behind him. He never stopped his walk, but also never failed to notice that the ¡¥rustle¡¦, whatever it was, was following him.
//They¡¦ve gotten better.// he thought, //back then, if they¡¦d been this good, I probably wouldn¡¦t have noticed them. But now...// He sighed.
¡§Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon. You guys can come out now.¡¨
Behind him, the rock that actually resembled a rock, and only had one hole in it, flipped over, and revealed the Konohamaru Squad. They didn¡¦t change a lot. Perhaps the only thing that WAS that the goggles had been replaced with-
¡§NARUTO-NIICHAN! YOU¡¦RE BACK!¡¨ yelled Konohamaru, latching himself onto Naruto¡¦s waist. ¡§They said you had left the village forever, but you didn¡¦t, did you?¡¨
He grinned. ¡§Course not. Congratulations on becoming Genins, guys.¡¨ The three of them patted their headbands proudly.
¡§So... how have you three been? And who¡¦s your instructor?¡¨
==============================
¡§How long were you planning on talking to them?¡¨ Akito complained. ¡§If we hadn¡¦t come along, you¡¦d probably still be talking.¡¨
¡§True, true.¡¨
Naruto and Konohamaru had talked for about two hours. Then, Akito and Kai had came along from eating lunch, and the former dragged Naruto away. Correction. First, the former and Konohamaru had gotten into a rather heated argument in which the conversation consisted of:
¡§He¡¦s MY Naruto-niichan.¡¨
¡§No he¡¦s MINE!¡¨
THEN the former dragged Naruto away.
¡§Jealous, Aki-chan?¡¨
He glared at his sister, the only person in the world who could get away with calling him ¡¥Aki-Chan¡¦.
¡§NO.¡¨
¡§Yes you are.¡¨
¡§No I¡¦m not.¡¨
¡§Sure you¡¦re not.¡¨
¡§Yes I- SHUT UP!!¡¨
Kai turned her head away, but Naruto could have sworn that he heard her vaguely cough out ¡§Sucker¡¨ under her breath.
He sighed to himself, wondering if he¡¦d ever be able to survive the next month with the two of them at each other¡¦s throats. //I love these two,// he thought //but one day, I swear, I¡¦m gonna knock their heads against a wall or something.//
==============================
Meanwhile, almost immediately after Ino had left, Sakura and Sasuke headed for the bridge.
What remained of the original Team 07 had to have a meeting.
==============================
A/N: Hmm. Not THAT BAD of a chapter, eh?
OH YES! And there are some people I want to address. Thank you all my reviewers! Every single one is so encouraging and helpful. Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU!
-Yume
Chapter 13 : Reminders of the Past
==============================
¡§WHAT? YOU KNEW HE WAS BACK THE WHOLE TIME AND YOU DIDN¡¦T TELL ANYONE?¡¨
Shikamaru winced and rubbed his ear gently, attempting to sooth his ringing auditory organ. Now he remembers why he got Chouji earplugs 2 years ago when they first became Genins.
¡§Calm down Ino.¡¨ He grumbled, hand still over the side of his head that was facing her, just in case she broke into another ramble. ¡§Yes, I knew. ONLY because Tsunade-sama sent me to go tell him that his Exam Application was confirmed.¡¨
¡§So then why didn¡¦t you TELL us?¡¨
¡§Well I don¡¦t know.¡¨ Said Shikamaru sarcastically, ¡§maybe because both of them, in one way or another, made me swear on pain of death, NOT to tell anyone. But if I had know you were going to yell at me like this, I probably would have told the whole village anyway.¡¨ He sighed. ¡§How troublesome.¡¨
¡§Oh. Okay, well, just so you know, Naruto invited us over to his hotel room tonight. Here...¡¨ she looked around for a scrap of paper, and when she didn¡¦t find any, she pulled out a pen, grabbed arm, and scribbled the directions onto his wrist. ¡§Come if you want. I gotta go see Chouji. Later!¡¨ she ignored the look of disbelief on his face, and started toward Chouji¡¦s house.
¡§ ¡§Come if you want¡¨?¡¨ Shikamaru chuckled to himself as he lifted his hand up to read what she wrote. ¡§I wouldn¡¦t miss this for the world.¡¨
======================================================================
¡§So THAT¡¦S why you left so suddenly!¡¨
The two of them had gone to Ichiraku, just like all the times before, in the past. Ichiraku was, thankfully, still alive, and both him and Ayane [his daughter], were genuinely happy to see Naruto. It turned out, Naruto didn¡¦t have to pay anything after all. As soon as he walked in, Ichiraku set a bowl out with the works, and insisted that it was on the house.
Iruka glanced at his former student, who was slurping down ramen, just like he had a year ago.
¡§Naruto.¡¨ He said, ¡§Did you know what your leaving did to everybody? For months after that, Shikamaru, Neji, and Kiba couldn¡¦t even look Sasuke in the eye. Team 07 basically fell apart without you. They only got back together when Ino joined the team 2 months ago. From what I¡¦ve seen, they really missed you.¡¨
¡§Oh?¡¨ Naruto said as he motioned for another bowl. ¡§I guess abstinence DOES make the heart grow fonder.¡¨
¡§Naruto! It¡¦s not funny. Besides, where have you and Jiraiya-sama been all this time? And where IS Jiraiya-sama?¡¨
¡§We¡¦ve been all over.¡¨ Naruto said, completing his 5th bowl of ramen and motioning for another. ¡§Sand, stone, rain, grass, lightning, mist, you name it. We¡¦ve been there. Around the world in 2 months. Must be some kind of record.¡¨ He chuckled. ¡§Ero-sen [pervert sennin] decided to stay in the Water Country. Said something about ¡¥summer in the Mist is not something to miss¡¦. He should be coming back to the village as soon as the Mist kunoichis kick him out.¡¨
¡§Where have you been the other 8 months then?¡¨
¡§Getting acquainted with my mom¡¦s side of the family.¡¨ Naruto replied, pointing at the Air forehead protector tied around his arm. ¡§You know, I always wondered why I didn¡¦t have parents. Now I know why. I also know who my real father is. I also know that only a select few people know that I¡¦m his son. You know, don¡¦t you, Iruka-sensei?¡¨
He sighed. ¡§Yes. I know.¡¨
¡§Now that I¡¦ve heard the entire story, I have a new goal. And until I fulfill that goal, I won¡¦t be able to pursue any other dreams. But now, with my cousin¡¦s help, I can achieve that goal.¡¨
¡§What¡¦s that?¡¨
¡§Kill Kyuubi.¡¨
==============================
Iruka looked out the schoolroom window, wishing the day would go by faster. He wanted to go home and just... sleep. Rest. Do something that would help him absorb all the information that Naruto had given him. After they had finished lunch and after Naruto had paid for all 15 bowls of Ramen despite Ichiraku¡¦s weak protests, Naruto had noticed the less than happy expression on Iruka¡¦s face.
Somehow, Naruto had guessed the source of that unhappiness. He had reached into his pocket, and pulled out the Leaf Forehead protector Iruka had given him, almost 3 years before. He had said to him:
¡§Don¡¦t worry. This¡¦ll be back on my head soon. When it goes back on, it¡¦ll stay there, permanently.¡¨ Then, Naruto had disappeared.
Iruka looked at the clock, almost anxiously.
//Only 3 more hours...//
==============================
On his way back to the hotel, Naruto was strolling, minding his own business... when he heard a familiar rustle behind him. He never stopped his walk, but also never failed to notice that the ¡¥rustle¡¦, whatever it was, was following him.
//They¡¦ve gotten better.// he thought, //back then, if they¡¦d been this good, I probably wouldn¡¦t have noticed them. But now...// He sighed.
¡§Konohamaru, Moegi, and Udon. You guys can come out now.¡¨
Behind him, the rock that actually resembled a rock, and only had one hole in it, flipped over, and revealed the Konohamaru Squad. They didn¡¦t change a lot. Perhaps the only thing that WAS that the goggles had been replaced with-
¡§NARUTO-NIICHAN! YOU¡¦RE BACK!¡¨ yelled Konohamaru, latching himself onto Naruto¡¦s waist. ¡§They said you had left the village forever, but you didn¡¦t, did you?¡¨
He grinned. ¡§Course not. Congratulations on becoming Genins, guys.¡¨ The three of them patted their headbands proudly.
¡§So... how have you three been? And who¡¦s your instructor?¡¨
==============================
¡§How long were you planning on talking to them?¡¨ Akito complained. ¡§If we hadn¡¦t come along, you¡¦d probably still be talking.¡¨
¡§True, true.¡¨
Naruto and Konohamaru had talked for about two hours. Then, Akito and Kai had came along from eating lunch, and the former dragged Naruto away. Correction. First, the former and Konohamaru had gotten into a rather heated argument in which the conversation consisted of:
¡§He¡¦s MY Naruto-niichan.¡¨
¡§No he¡¦s MINE!¡¨
THEN the former dragged Naruto away.
¡§Jealous, Aki-chan?¡¨
He glared at his sister, the only person in the world who could get away with calling him ¡¥Aki-Chan¡¦.
¡§NO.¡¨
¡§Yes you are.¡¨
¡§No I¡¦m not.¡¨
¡§Sure you¡¦re not.¡¨
¡§Yes I- SHUT UP!!¡¨
Kai turned her head away, but Naruto could have sworn that he heard her vaguely cough out ¡§Sucker¡¨ under her breath.
He sighed to himself, wondering if he¡¦d ever be able to survive the next month with the two of them at each other¡¦s throats. //I love these two,// he thought //but one day, I swear, I¡¦m gonna knock their heads against a wall or something.//
==============================
Meanwhile, almost immediately after Ino had left, Sakura and Sasuke headed for the bridge.
What remained of the original Team 07 had to have a meeting.
==============================
A/N: Hmm. Not THAT BAD of a chapter, eh?
OH YES! And there are some people I want to address. Thank you all my reviewers! Every single one is so encouraging and helpful. Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU!
-Yume