"Jiraiya, tied up to the post again, eh?" Young Tsunade crossed her arms in front of her chest, smirking mockingly. "You are such a LOSER, you know that?" Their sensei, Sir Sarutobi, had them compete with each other again in a one-on-one race for the bells in his hand. Their other teammate had earlier won already, so the race was down to the two of them.

And he lost.

Dammit, he lost against Tsunade-hime, the biggest, most detestable pest in the whole wide world.

The young Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "Heh! Your chest was distracting me…" He smirked back at his outraged teammate. "The perennial lack of it."

"YOU PERVERTED OAF!!!" The girl angrily attacked the boy bound against the wooden post. The boy avoided her assaults frantically.

"Why are you attacking me when you know I can't defend myself!" he finally cried after she delivered a three-hit combo against his stomach.

She paused, and then realizing what he said, relented. She stepped back and eyed him critically. "So how do you suggest that we fight?"

The boy's eyes twinkled mischievously. "Through wits."

"Eh?"

"Get a twig that you can draw with."

Despite herself, she did as told. The next thing she knew, she was drawing two islands and gathering eight pebbles.

"There are eight people living in an island when they got shipwrecked: the Father, the Mother, the Master, a Dragon, and two sons and two daughters. Lately though, the food is getting scarce, and they need to cross to the next island if they want to survive. Aside from that, a huge storm is brewing, and is threatening to submerge the whole island where they live in if they do not leave…"

After Jiraiya finished narrating the problem, Tsunade sat down on the ground and pondered on the dilemma.

"You know, Tsunade-hime, maybe you should get me out of this post first before you forget—"

"Shut up!" snapped the girl. "I'm not going to stop until I solve the puzzle!"

Jiraiya groaned. "Gah…why do I have a sinking feeling that I'm going to get tied here for a very long, LONG time…"

……………….

Chapter Twenty-seven

One whole day without electricity is detrimental to one's health. =.=;;

Nweiz, chapter dedication: Tetsu: ur dose of ShikaIno. Enjoy!

Message Time:

White Witch: Sige na ngaaaa! Antayin ko na lng kung kelan ka ule makakapag-drawing. Email me pag meron ka na, okies? Tsaka sino c Ganma-sensei?

Kawaii-gurl 11: I have a friendster account. Locate Syao Chan there :D

Joekool: To answer ur questions: a) His crush would end when he starts to see Hinata differently b) I myself do not know how many more chapters would TFTP have -.-;; I just type what comes in my mind everyday, and try to relate them to what I have written before. Gomen if it dragged THIS long ehehe. Certainly less than 40! n-n

Eibitsu: Mistletoe? Probably…[wicked grin at Neji's way]

Fooliet: I share the pain of having a slow PC hehe. I don't really mind if you guys don't review. I look forward to them because I get to chat and get personal with those who take time to read my work n-n (which explains why Message Time is longer than my most paragraphs…the convenience of not having to go Y! Mail hehe). As long as you guys enjoy the plot, I'll write. And thanks for reading, Foo-chan! No need to apologize! Ehehe

Refin: "Onee-chan, whatever you do is fine, and I'll always protect you!!" Man…THAT WAS HEARTWARMINGLY CUTE!!! It's too bad that I can't think of anyone to pair caring Lee with. (points to lack of female characters in Naruto)

[receives the bulaklak] Hehe, Salamat Refin-chan!!! (Salamat is Thank You)

Nutty Scribbler: Yay, NejiTen convert! Wahoooo!!! And the fandom is one man stronger now. Takari-san, the one who originally taught me NejiTen back when the only team I recognize is Team 7 and Team 8, must be sooooo proud! n-n

h4t5uh4ru: Hehe, glad u liked the NejiTen kahit na isang eksena lng :D. And yep, I already replied. Salamat uleee! Sori na-late, hayup na brown-out eh.

Fireblazie: Okies, send mo na ung article. Lagay ko na!!! Tsaka gawa ka pa sana wallpapers and icons!!! TY!!!

Usagi-mun: I feel for Mercury-san. I can stand cockroaches, I can live with lizards, I adore spiders, and I don't mind snakes. But never frogs. [faints] Their skin terrifies me, and the way they leap…[shivers] And oh yeah, I didn't pass the klutz stage…I live through it every single day :p

buta-chan and Takari-san. Buta-chan, u can call me Ate Syao like all my imoutou-tachi do, dakedo, I feel so damn old [whimper]. Hehe, don't mind me. I'm just freaking out because my debut is drawing nearer and nearer each day, and I'm not yet ready to grow old. Not yet! :p Tsaka nga pla, the reflexes of Naruto there was partly influenced by the movie. Hehe, u got me there! [a shameless Peter Parker with Glasses fanatic). Oh, btw, Takari, once I finish my NaruHina downloads section, I can give you another good reason to visit the site (n-n)…NejiTen! Days ago, I surfed the net and found some screenshots and fanarts of the couple, so I decided that after Himitsu Desu main site finishes, I'll do one page for them. Watch out for that!

………………………………………..

"Yoroshii! Nothing like a great ramen bowl to energize! Woo, I feel good!" Naruto stretched happily as he and Hinata walked out of the ramen house. He turned to her excitedly. "Whadd'ya think? Is the ramen good, or is the ramen GOOD?"

"D-Delicious," she stammered. She knew that as a growing boy, Naruto needed all the nourishment he could get. But she never knew how much until she witnessed him finish all eighteen super duper ultra-electromagnetic ramen bowls in one sitting. She secretly noted to herself that she would learn how to cook delicious noodles so that it would be her Christmas gift for him.

"It's too early to go back to the court. Why don't we go around the town?" he offered. "I still have some money left."

"M-Money?"

"Hai! The kingdom gave me and Sir Kakashi some subsidy while we are training. I barely touched mine, so instead of letting the money rot away, why don't we just enjoy ourselves with it?" he said, grinning. "Hmm…let's see…" He snapped his fingers. "Hai! I know!"

"Hmm?" she looked at him expectantly.

"Have you been to the winter carnival?"

Hinata slowly shook her head.

"Yoroshii! Let's go!" He pulled her again excitedly.

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"Lady Ino, wait! We have to inform your father that you are going to leave the palace—" Choji struggled to run after the pissed off court lady. "Lady Ino, pleaseee! Slow down, I'm tired!"

"Don't follow me!" she screamed. I'll show you, Nara Shikamaru. No one refuses Lady Yamanaka Ino, not even you!

"Lady Ino!!!"

But the girl had already boarded the royal carriage. For a moment, she was stumped as to where to locate her former butler. She decided to try the old hut where Shika's father used to live.

Choji arrived in the garage just as the coach rode away, and the assistant could only shake his head, sighing. "Man…all my efforts to run after her… maybe I should start taking my diet seriously…" His hand reached for the ever-handy chocolate bar on his pocket. He bit on it, nodding his head solemnly. "Yeah, I mean, if I don't watch my weight, I might encounter serious health problems." Another bite from the candy bar. "Goodbye spaghetti, goodbye fried chicken, goodbye Hershey's® chocolate…" He looked down at the bar on his hand. His eyes shook, and then turned resolute.

"Goodbye diet!" And he gloriously finished his favorite chocolate.

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The white-haired old man entered the casino as Tsunade's face turned sour. Sakura could only watch as he eyed the puzzle with much amusement. What's with this guy?

"I just forgot a part of the solution!" said the medical specialist indignantly. "I can solve this one!"

"Hontou ne?" The man looked even more entertained. "That's exactly what you told me when I first gave you the puzzle. I can never forget that, you know? I was tied to the post for almost forty-eight hours as you burned time to solve it—"

"Damare!" she hissed.

"I thought I had to have my legs and arms amputated because I was so numb. I nearly forgot that I had fingers and toenails!"

"Kusu yo, Frog Face!" Tsunade straightened. "What are you doing here all of a sudden?"

"Let's just say that I grew curious." The old man shrugged. "It was the second time that I encountered people from the Leaf kingdom looking for you. I thought you borrowed money from them again and they're hunting you already. I thought I was going to see you publicly hanged, but looking at these faces, I realize that I am going to be deprived of that pleasure."

The woman had only one word for him. "Asshole."

"You were the one who made this puzzle?" Sakura couldn't resist asking.

This made the man look her way. He grinned and straightened his jacket. "Yes, young beautiful miss. I am Jiraiya, by the way, also a resident of the Leaf Kingdom."

Tsunade came up with another word for her teammate. Two, actually. "Cradle snatcher."

 "Ohohoho, Tsunade-hime, you jest!" The old man laughed. "You should know me more than anyone else!"

"Which is exactly the basis of that opinion," said the woman dryly.

He ignored her. "Anyway, all of you want to solve the puzzle, am I right?"

Lee nodded. "But we also want the medicine—"

His words were buried by the chorus of gamblers' voices. "Solve it!!!"

"Alright!" Jiraiya stretched and knelt down by the puzzle, deliberately paying no attention to the lethal glare from the proud gambler lady. "Now watch closely, everyone."

"The Master will take the dragon to the next island, and then row back alone. He then fetches a sister and takes it to the next island, where he fetches his dragon. The two returns. Mother will ride the boat next with the other sister, and after taking her there, she would return alone. Back in the shipwrecked island, Mother would get Father, and he would leave her there. Father returns and stays in the island. Master and Dragon take the boat to the island, where they would swap places with Mother. She would row back and get Father, and he would take her back to the new island. He returns and fetches the brother, and together, they join the others in the new island." Jiraiya took the Master peg. "Now Master and Dragon would use the boat again and head back to the island to get the remaining brother. He would leave the Dragon there as he takes the boy to his family in the other island, and then return for him later."

Everyone watched as the green peg took the orange peg from the other island and joined the others who were in the new island already.

"Oooh," said the kibitzers.

"So this is the condition you give others just so you can provide them with your medical assistance." Jiraiya shook his head. "You've got some nerve, when you yourself can't solve it!"

"Silence!" barked the woman.

"I wonder…did the boy solve it?"

"Boy?" asked Lee. "There were other people who came here before us?"

Tsunade massaged her temples. "Yes, but don't remind me. That lad gave me one whopping hell of a headache!"

"Really?" Jiraiya chuckled. "I think the brat looks really cute…he reminds me of my greatest student…"

"W-What does the boy look like?" asked Sakura doubtfully.

"Yellow hair, scratched cheeks, infectious grin…" began the man.

"…and an IQ equivalent to the combined brains of a battalion of golems," finished the medical woman, rolling her eyes.

"Uzumaki…Naruto?!" whispered the court lady in disbelief. The IQ was too much of a give-away.

"Then that means, he got the medicine," said Lee. "Ergo, Hinata-san is safe!!!"

When the medicine woman nodded, it took all of the court lady's poise not to collapse in relief.

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"Last one!" Naruto posed, and then threw the ball with all his might. It slammed perfectly against the last of the remaining toy soldier figurines on the moving stand. He could hear Hinata's gasp of amazement, and the applause of other people behind him. He scratched his nose with his finger, chuckling. "Hehe, they don't know that I perfected this after my long and hard shuriken trainings with Sir Kakashi," he told himself happily.

"OK, boy, here's your prize!" The awed man handed him a bag of candies, which he immediately took with much eagerness. "Thank you, man!"

However, his success with the ball stand didn't translate to that of the fish-catching booth.

"GAH!" Naruto threw away the seventh catcher down the floor, groaning. He eyed the swimming fishes determinedly. "I'll get you little fishies EVEN IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!!!" He quickly did his Ninjutsu technique, but was stopped by the old man running the booth.

"Uh-uh, lad! I know you're a shinobi, but don't use your techniques here!" He placed his hands on his waist. "Are you not ashamed of your girlfriend here?"

"Nani?" He followed the man's gaze. Hinata was bent down by the water, her face creased in a delicate frown as she concentrated on finding the pattern of the movements of the goldfishes. Then with one graceful turn of her wrist, she was able to scoop one fish out.

"Whoaaaa! That was so cool!" Naruto praised.

She turned to him, flustered. "N-Naruto-kun!" Once more, her panic left her wits unsettled. She nearly lost her grip on the plastic bag holding her caught fishes. "A-Arigatou…" She couldn't raise her eyes to meet his, but no words could express her happiness when he complimented her.

"Your concentration's great! If I had even a fraction of that, then Sir Iruka wouldn't have as much wrinkles on his forehead as he has now!"

"I-It's not too hard, N-Naruto-kun…I-I…I know you can do it," she stammered.

"Yeah, I guess." He scratched the back of his head. "Let's try another booth!" He turned to the man watching them. "Hey, bear in mind this day, old man. I, Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage of this kingdom, shall return here someday and defeat those evil fishes. Mark my words!"

"Sure, Kid!" The booth proprietor could only grin in amusement.

"Let's go, Hinata!" He led her away from the crowd. "I think I'm hungry again…"

She immediately checked the candy bag. "You still have one lollipop left--" Her eyes then caught the sign of the fortuneteller's booth.

Naruto sensed that her attention was caught by something. He followed her gaze. "Eh? Fortune-telling?" He slowly grinned. "This would be interesting. Come on, let's have our fortunes told."

Hinata blinked. "A-Ah…"

"Aren't you curious about what the future has for you?" he asked.

"Ah…er…"

But he had already pulled her into the booth.

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"You can wait for me here." Ino stepped down from the coach, not waiting for the footman anymore to assist her. She marched towards the hut, her eyes burning. "Nara Shikamaru, you should have known better than to make someone like me mad! Now you'll really get it from me—" She froze when she saw a pair of slippers on the doorstep. Her forehead creased. Ever since Shikamaru's father died and her own father adopted him as his protégée, she knew that no one from his relatives ever checked on the boy anymore.

Furthermore, Shika was not sociable, and his circle of friends was limited to her and Choji.

Thus, whose women's pair slippers is this?

She quietly entered the hut. To the left was the small receiving room for guests. She knew that Shika would be here, lying down on the floor and gazing at the ceiling. Knowing him, he would find it too troublesome to head for the garden and lie down there to get fresh air.

But she was stunned to see Shikamaru seated on the chair, his erect back facing her. She couldn't see his face, but she could clearly, CLEARLY see the face of his guest.

A girl.

Suddenly, anger scorched her heart. How dare he refuses to come back to the palace just so he could entertain a girl! A girl that isn't me, for crying out loud!

She leaned behind the door and decided to listen to their conversation.

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Hatake Kakashi looked down at the unconscious body of the Prince Uchiha as he made their way back to the kingdom. His mind retraced what happened just hours ago.

Yakushi Kabuto received him at the entrance of the cave. "We had been waiting for a representative of the Leaf to drop by. I'm glad that it's you."

His forehead creased. "Where is Sasuke?"

"The Master has decided that the boy should return to the Leaf kingdom. He said that he shouldn't hurry because the moonless night will soon come. Two more nights, Sir Hatake Kakashi. His victory shall be sweeter that way." The spy smiled. "I personally would want to see how you would all act now. The battle plan has been executed, and everyone in our plan is in place. All we would have to do is wait."

Kakashi's face turned grim. "So the devil serpent is in there, am I right?"

To this, the fellow nodded cheerfully. "But even with your best strength right now, Copy Ninja, you will not last."

"I see."

"You will face him soon, but not now." Kabuto gestured to the prince seated unconsciously some feet away from them. "Until then, you have time to resist against our forces. There would be more challenge for Master Orochimaru this way, you know." He bowed and entered the cave again.

Kakashi deliberated on the situation, and then decided to head for the prince. Kabuto was right, of course. He would just die in vain if he foolishly challenges the devil serpent now.

And his first duty as a Starlet was to look after the crown prince of the kingdom.

A man who runs away could still fight again.

Kakashi returned to the present when he was greeted by some soldiers wearing the Leaf forehead protector, standing guard by the gates of the Leaf kingdom. They greeted him courteously when they saw the Starlet signature vest he was wearing.

He grinned back. "Hmm…new faces? So you guys are the ones who replaced the Mist spies, right? You're from the Sand, am I right?"

The men looked stunned as the Starlet entered the kingdom gates, whistling.

"You guys, you better go back to your teachers and have them teach you how to be convincing spies, alright?" he told them before heading for the palace.

The invasion had begun.

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Shikamaru gazed at the girl before him, sipping on her tea calmly. She was wearing the Sound forehead protector proudly.

"You didn't come here just to drink, right?" he asked. Earlier this morning after the Leaf palace convoy left his house, a cloaked figure approached him, asking for a cup of tea. He told her wryly that if she wanted tea, then she would have to make it herself. She soon revealed that she was more than a thirsty passer-by.

She smiled. "I could have gone to the palace noodle house if I wanted tea. Your brand is not my usual."

"My brand is the cheapest," he said calmly.

"No arguments about that." She set down the cup. "Nara Shikamaru, number one political strategist in the whole continent. You were behind some of the most powerful, most moving speeches of the very successful Leaf court Lord Yamanaka."

"You read my biography then. I didn't know I was that notorious."

"Your brains deserve much more than that, Nara Shikamaru." She crossed her legs. "Master wants to meet you. He knows about your incredible brain, the power of your brilliant mind. You will be very helpful when the Sound conquers the Leaf."

Shika groaned. "I hate politics. I'm not interested."

The Sound nin blinked, and then laughed. "Ah, you must have not heard me. Sound will--"

"Leaf will collapse." He shrugged. "I don't really give a damn, as long as the price of that tea doesn't go up."

"When the Sound kingdom comes into power here, you can get more than that cheap tea. You can have brewed—"

"I told you, I'm happy with my tea flavor."

Silence.

"Are you sure?" The girl crossed her arms. "If you will not side with us, then you will be our enemy."

"Don't paint it black and white. I don't want to get myself into another complication. This is the life for me." He stretched lazily. "If you go on with the conquering things of yours, then good luck. Just don't inflate the prices of tea and biscuits."

"You're not interested, eh?" She got up. "I know when to admit my defeat. Thanks for the drink."

"Hypocrite. You just trashed the brand of my tea minutes ago."

"Just something to ponder on, Nara Shikamaru." She eyed him, smiling coyly. "You used to work for Lord Yamanaka. Wouldn't it break your heart if his great office you worked so hard to build silently with him falls into dust?"

Shika shrugged. "It was good while it lasted."

"Hmm. I would like to personally drag the face of that Yamanaka brat down the ground when I see her." The eyes of the Sound nin danced happily. "Lady Yamanaka Ino, the flower of the Yamanaka clan. I would play with Haruno Sakura next."

"You seem to hate them. You have a thing for Prince Sasuke too?"

The nin looked startled.

"Gah, women." He rolled his eyes.

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.

.

Ino's hold on the doorknob was trembling. "Damn you, Shikamaru…I hate you…I HATE YOU…" she whispered angrily.

He didn't even sound concerned about the Yamanaka office. He didn't even sound worried when her name came up.

"And he told me he loves me? Damn you, Nara Shikamaru…DAMN YOU…"

For the first time in her life, she felt the need to cry and become violent.

Never did she feel any close to this even in the countless times that Uchiha Sasuke rejected her.

She was mad…so damn mad. At Shikamaru, at the flirtatious Sound nin, and at everyone else for that matter.

And she hated herself the most, because she was stupid enough to believe that she would always be Shika's number one priority. She led herself to believe that if he sees her, he would immediately melt and beg for her forgiveness for even thinking of refusing to obey her father's decree and return to the palace.

She relied too much on her faith that Nara Shikamaru would never let her down.

The most hurting fact though was she believed him when he said he loves her.

She was so stupid.

So damn stupid.

She shakingly stepped back and headed back to the royal coach sadly, cursing herself while doing so.

Because the tears won't stop flowing.

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"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Haruno Sakura looked at the medical specialist uncertainly. "The kingdom war will begin soon, and Kabuto-sensei may not be able to handle the clinic all by himself."

Tsunade shook her head firmly. "I have left the Kingdom Leaf years ago with no intention of coming back anymore. Please respect my wishes."

She nodded slowly. "I-I see…o-of course." She bowed anyway. "Thank you for giving us the medicine…and for giving Naruto too. My friend should be safe now."

"I'm sure, or the gardener would commit suicide," said the medicine woman, her mind on the boy who painstakingly made the medicine for nights without sleeping upon learning about Hyuuga Hinata's situation.

"Eh?" The Leaf people's faces were drawn into blank.

"Nothing." The woman gestured to the coach. "Lady Haruno, you owe me one."

She smiled. "You can drop by the kingdom anytime and I'll reward you accordingly."

"Heh. Just drop by here and we'll play poker."

"I don't know how to play poker."

Jiraiya and the other gamblers snickered. "Perfect. Lucky sucker."

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The Sound nin looked outside the window, hearing the sound of the royal coach leaving. Her specialty jutsu enabled her to screen the sound of the carriage so he wouldn't know that someone had eavesdropped on their conversation. She placed her cloak back. "If you ever change your mind before the kingdom war starts formally, you can drop by the Sound kingdom."

"Stubborn, aren't you?" Shika rolled his eyes.

"Master will not take 'no' for an answer. He'll find a way to make you see things his way," she promised. When she received a blank look, she continued. "You aren't as invincible as you think, Nara Shikamaru. Each one of us has his own weaknesses. Yours happens to be something as stupid as secret love."

Shika froze.

"Don't underestimate our spies. Their eyes are everywhere." With that, she left his hut.

His fists clenched. "Shit…she's in danger…" And despite his earlier resolve to avoid the court lady at all cost and force himself to get over his feelings for her, he couldn't stop his damn heart from worrying.

"Damn…of all the men in the world, why did it have to be me who should be this attuned to her?" He rubbed the back of his head.

He had no choice.

He had to come back and warn the Yamanaka family about this.

And Ino…

Yes, he had to protect her too.

……………………….

To be continued