Do You Hate Me?
Title subject to change, rating PG13 to be on the safe side.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, I do own the plot of this story (for as far as there is one) and the extra characters I may or may not add.
Response to reviews at the bottom, be sure to read the A/N's.
Chapter 14 – Laying the Foundation - Part II
"What took you guys so long?!" Was the loud berating greeting the five Genins received as they finally stepped in the office where the Fifth Hokage resided, after going past several guards who didn't seem too pleased to see them all there.
"Hey Obaa-chan!" Naruto grinned and waved his hand cheerily at Tsunade.
The three Sand siblings and Kumiko however, had more respect for the woman and bowed politely.
Tsunade's narrowed her eyes dangerously, trying to ignore the vein that had started to throb on her forehead. "Don't 'hey obaa-chan' me kiddo! Your other teammate has been waiting with me for over half an hour now!" She said angrily and pointed at Sakura who stood slack-jawed and ogling at the disrespect Naruto had shown.
"Go easy on them, Tsunade-hime." A deep baritone voice suddenly rumbled from behind Naruto. "I'm sure they have a valid excuse."
"Ero-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed as he spun around to see who had spoken. His eyes alighted on a tall figure leaning comfortably against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. "What are you doing here?!"
The figure scowled immediately. "My name is Jiraiya you brat!" He said and glared at the blonde boy before his expression softened. "I'm glad to see you too, Naruto"
"Heh." Naruto grinned and placed his hands behind his head and relaxed in a casual stance. "But what are you doing here, pervy-sennin?" He asked again suspiciously as he stared at Jiraiya with only one half-opened eye.
'Hmm, straight to business, eh, Naruto?' The white-haired man thought, a small smile curving the corner of his lips as he scrutinized the blonde Genin. 'He sure has changed, I at least expected a bit of bragging…'
"Well?" Naruto inquired impatiently, ignoring the various stares he received from everyone else in the room.
"That…" He started, and smiled broadly. "…is no business of yours."
Everyone who was listening with rapt attention, very nearly face-faulted at these words before they heard Naruto snort.
"Yeah fine, whatever." Naruto said, too used to the fact that Jiraiya never shared a lot with him when it came to the things he did in his own time and shifted closer to Temari, who was watching all this with a bemused expression.
"Oho! Who are you!" Jiraiya suddenly yelled as he took notice of Temari and Kumiko with rather lecherous eyes and rubbed his hands together excitedly. "My, aren't you a couple of pretty girls!"
'What am I? Chopped liver?!' Inner-Sakura screeched inside Sakura's head, drowning out any and all disgust at the words that the pink-haired girl was feeling at the chauvinistic comment.
It seemed the tall white-haired man was the only one who didn't feel the deadly vibrations emanating from the trembling females in the room, as he still stared at Temari and Kumiko in a rather perverse fashion…
Kankuro didn't know what to do. On the one hand, he liked seeing Kumiko getting all riled up like this, but on the other, he really didn't like this old geezer hitting so obviously on his sister. It seemed that Naruto didn't either, if the teeth-gnashing and rapid clenching and unclenching of his fists were any indication.
Already forming plans on how to deal with the current situation, he jumped when a calm, deep voice broke evenly through the tense and crackling atmosphere.
"What do you want from us?" Gaara asked, forestalling the horrible beating the large sennin was undoubtedly going to receive from all the females in the room.
Lowering herself back in her chair after standing up moments ago with the intention of beating the stuffing out of her old teammate, Tsunade spoke up in forced calm after a small cough.
"Oh. Right. Well I called the six of you here, because I have some news for you..." And paused for a moment, fidgeting with the papers on her desk, trying to find the proper words for what she was going to say next.
"What news, Hokage-sama?" Sakura asked politely.
Jiraiya turned slightly, meeting the worried golden-brown orbs and raising a white eyebrow, nodding slightly. Tsunade nodded in return and took in a deep breath to steady herself. "I'm going to send the six of you on a mission."
There was a momentary stunned silence, before…
"What?" Sakura cried out, balling her hands into fists. "But we haven't had much time to get used to one another yet!"
"Be silent girl." Tsunade snapped. "A week from now…" She began but was interrupted at the sight of a quivering Naruto, his head lowered, hands also balled into fists…
She blinked, wondering what was wrong with Naruto… 'What the hell…?'
The occupants of the room all turned to the blonde boy when they suddenly staggered backwards under the sheer force of his excited outburst.
"A mission?! YES!" He yelled triumphantly, pumping his fists high into the air and whooping around the room, all the while ignoring the popping eyes and twitching eyebrows. "What kind of mission is it, B-rank? A-rank? S-RANK?!"
"Shut up!" Jiraiya roared and effectively silenced Naruto by whacking him hard on the head with a fist.
"Ow! You old pervert! What did you do that for?!" He whined and rubbed the sore spot on his head. "Ah man, that's gonna leave a large bump you bastard!"
"What did you say to me?!" The white-haired sennin yelled, square-jawed, glaring daggers at the blonde boy with round eyes who returned it just as quickly.
"You heard me, bastard!"
"Ahum!" Tsunade coughed, reducing the glaring session to a pouting match as they stood back to back with their arms crossed angrily in front of their chests.
She gave them a final glare, torn between irritation and amusement; even though this was certainly amusing to watch, business had to be attended to.
"As I was saying…" She began, refocusing everyone's attention to herself. "A week from now, the six of you will have a mission. It will be B-rank, bordering on A-rank, so this will be no simple task. Seeing that Baki didn't come with you three…" She said, motioning towards the Sand-siblings who nodded in return. "…Only Hatake Kakashi will join the six of you. I won't lie to you, this will be a difficult mission. I advise all of you to train hard this week." She trailed off and stared at Naruto. "Naruto-kun, Kakashi and Kumiko will help you while Kumiko will also try and improve herself." Tsunade continued, and then focused her gaze on Sakura who was chewing her bottom lip as if she was fighting some internal struggle. "Sakura, I've heard that you've been training with Rock Lee, correct?"
The pink-haired Kunoichi nodded her affirmative and stuck her chin slightly upwards proudly.
Tsunade smiled. "Well, I've also arranged for someone to help you. I have no doubt you'll learn the new Jutsu she's going to teach you quickly. Her name is Shizune, she has been my companion for many years and she is very capable."
"Yes Hokage-sama." Sakura said and bowed, just barely able to hide her excitement. Training with Rock Lee was all well and good, but she was really curious about what this new Jutsu could be.
Her mind still reeling over the fact that she was going to have to do a mission so quickly after moving into this village, Kumiko asked the only question she could think of. "Excuse me, Hokage-sama. But…"
Tsunade held up her hand to silence her and then spoke up softly. "Don't worry Kumiko. Even when I say it's difficult, I have faith in the abilities of each and everyone one of you. I know that you might be a bit apprehensive about this since you have just arrived at this village, but I trust you." When she received a small smile and nod from the former Hidden Moon Kunoichi, Tsunade continued. "Now, Kakashi will have all the details and will brief you when the appropriate time arrives."
When she looked around and asked if anyone had any further questions, no-one spoke up and she dismissed them, warning them to start training immediately. After seeing Naruto clumsily grasp Temari's hand to walk out of the office together after the rest of the group had left, she chuckled softly. 'Looks like you finally found someone just for you, Naruto-kun…' She thought happily until Jiraiya walked up to her and squeezed her shoulder with one of his very large calloused hands.
His dark eyes crinkled as the sennin smiled broadly. "He's one lucky kid, isn't he, Tsunade? A little strange that he's with that girl though."
"Yeah…"
"But you still didn't tell them everything…" He rumbled and removed his hand to step towards one of the windows to stare out over the village.
"I couldn't. They have to find it out for themselves." She sighed and placed her forehead in her hands wearily.
"I know…" Jiraiya said and closed his eyes in deep thought. "But Naruto is special, and you know why. I just hope he doesn't get hurt…"
"You told me earlier that you wanted to teach him something, care to tell me what it is and why you didn't tell that to him immediately?" Tsunade asked as she turned to her fellow legendary ninja, who unlike her, didn't hide his aging body with Genjutsu.
"Nope, it's a secret. Let's just say that it's something I haven't been able to pull off myself, and I'm hoping he will." He answered with a grin.
"Ah come on, tell me!" She whined. As Jiraiya very well knew, Tsunade really hated it when people kept things from her and he took great pleasure in torturing her like this.
"Nope." He said again and winked cheekily. "You'll just have to wait."
A few seconds later, the guards outside turned to each other with their eyebrows raised. They were sure they heard a man screaming something along the lines of; "Get away from me you old bat!" But for some reason they decided it was better not to interfere with the strange happenings that took place behind the door they were stationed in front of.
After having said goodbye to Sakura, Kankuro and Gaara, Naruto and Temari hung back outside of the Hokage tower along with Kumiko, who quite honestly, didn't know what to do and kept staring at the ground with a slight blush on her cheeks as Naruto and Temari tried to part ways so they could start training.
"I'll go back home as soon as I can ok?" Naruto murmured, his voice muffled as her soft lips kept pressing softly, adoringly on his own, her fingers playfully clutching his, refusing to let go.
The boy chuckled, blushing, and grinned when he finally pushed the girl slightly away from him by the shoulders.
Temari looked at him with a flushed expression and smiled. "Okay."
Sapphire eyes locked into emerald ones lovingly until Temari pursed her lips as if to stop from giggling, and swiftly spun around, breaking the moment, and ran away quickly to catch up to her brothers waving a quick goodbye at the two that she left behind.
Something strange caught at her heart as she watched the slender figure of the boy waving cheerily back, his golden hair glowing as brightly as the light in those summer-sky eyes…'Oh, what's wrong with me…' She mused. She really didn't know why Naruto affected her so strongly, but inside she knew that she loved this beautiful, new and wonderful lightness within her…
Eager blue eyes watched her disappear, and the boy started slightly at a little giggle beside him.
"You really like her don't you?" Kumiko asked teasingly, snapping Naruto out of his happy daze.
The blonde boy grinned foxily and stuck his hands in the pockets of his khakis nonchalantly. "Yep, hehehe, she's great."
A companionable silence fell on the two of them as Naruto just kept on grinning happily at nothing in particular and Kumiko sat down, folding her hands in her lap and glanced around at the people that walked past them.
"So uhm…" She started hesitantly. "When is Kakashi-sensei meeting us, Naruto-san?"
The young Genin was about to reply that he quite honestly had no idea, until a cloud of smoke erupted in between them, making Naruto jump back in surprise and Kumiko squeak loudly.
"Yo!" A cheery voice greeted them.
Clutching his heart with his left hand, Naruto pointed at the dispersing smoke with his right accusingly. "Aargh! Don't scare us like that, Kakashi-sensei!"
The silver-haired Jounin chuckled and rubbed his neck while waving his other hand in front of him apologetically. "Sorry Naruto, Kumiko."
Brushing off the dirt and dust from her black pants and light-blue jacket, Kumiko glared at her sensei. "You're going to pay!" She proclaimed angrily and something in the tone of her voice did indeed warn the Jounin that she wasn't kidding.
Kakashi chuckled again, though rather warily. "So … are you ready for some training?"
At the mention of training, Naruto forgot everything that had happened and jumped wildly into the air. "Yeah! Let's go!!!" And immediately ran off, leaving Kumiko and Kakashi to look at each other for a moment before they followed him swiftly.
Running after what seemed a mile, Naruto had finally stopped and they found themselves at the field where Team Seven had gotten together the day before.
Not wasting any time, Kakashi quickly clapped his hands together and turned to Kumiko. "Kumiko, would you please train on your own for a little while? I need to talk to Naruto for a moment." He said and motioned towards the blonde boy who was already kicking and punching imaginary foes, the thought of creating a few Kage Bunshins, so he could spar against those instead, never occurring to him.
"Ok, Kakashi-sensei." Kumiko nodded, resting her hand on the sheath of her katana and walking away to create a fair distance between the two of them and her so she wouldn't accidentally hurt either of them.
"Oi, Naruto!" The Jounin yelled, waving his right arm to catch the blonde boy's attention.
Stopping mid-kick, Naruto craned his neck to the person yelling his name, overbalanced and fell on his backside. He got up quickly, muttering several curses under his breath and made his way over to his sensei.
'Sometimes I wonder if his stupidity is an act…' Kakashi mused with a mental face-fault. "Ok Naruto." He began cheerfully and clapped a hand on one of the boy's shoulders. "Did you bring the scroll I gave you for your birthday?"
Patting his jacket down franticly, Naruto fished out a scroll when he felt a large bump in one of the many pockets of his black jacket, and presented it to Kakashi.
"Ok, now for the tricky part…" The Jounin said tentatively, one hand reaching up to rub the back of his head, as if wondering how to phrase this… "Have you, uhm… talked to Kyuubi?"
Blue eyes blinked up at him, a mixture of fear and determination flashing across those sapphire orbs… "Yeah, I have…"
Kakashi saw the slightest shift in those eyes, as if something was stirring deep within… He saw the furrow of concentration appearing on the boy's features, indicating that his focus had shifted, that it was now directed at an unseen essence inside him. In an unreachable place… Unreachable for everyone except him…
Frowning as he saw the blue eyes slowly slide closed, Kakashi's only visible eye narrowed in serious contemplation… 'Amazing...' He thought in awe.
'Hey, fur-ball, you still there?'
Was the mental question Naruto shot out through the inky darkness that had settled in the back of his mind, allowing no other thoughts to penetrate his focus. As his subconscious reached the enclosed domain of the terrifying chakra, the boy felt the radiating waves of the ancient frustration, the fury of an immense power contained within the smallest of vessels…
A low, rumbling snarl answered his call…
"Yeah of course I'm still here you stupid human, if I could have left I would have done so a long time ago!" Kyuubi growled, furious that his vessel dared to treat him like this.
The fury swirled again as he felt the belittling scorn, the mocking laugh of the boy…
'Shut up wouldya? It's time to make good on that promise you made.'
But even Naruto, clinging to his boisterous façade, shifted uneasily as he hear that chilling rumbling laugh again, the way it bounced and echoed around the walls of the cage which held the most terrifying monster known to man…
"Is it that time already?" The demon-fox chuckled throatily. "Alright then… Are you ready?"
Despite his resolve to get stronger, Naruto was feeling slightly apprehensive. 'Ready for what?'
"For this!"
All the boy was conscious of was the sadistic growl and then a single heartbeat went by, allowing Naruto the time to wonder what Kyuubi meant by that, before…
Something was rising… Something was coming up at tremendous speed from a place deep within… Swifter, and even deadlier than the eruption of a volcano, this was…
His eyes closed, his lips opened in a silent scream… The scream reverberated around and around his mind, reaching all the dark hidden shadows of his consciousness, even places which he had never been aware of before…
Colours… Flashes of colours, streaks of lightning found targets around every part of his soul…
It terrified him more than anything had done before…
'This…
This can't be… pain…
Never… Never felt anything like this before…
This can't be…'
"Aaah! AAAAH!!!"
Naruto fell on his back, trashing his legs around wildly and clawing at his stomach.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"
It was pain beyond belief. Beyond imagining. It felt like someone had carved his belly open and was shoving red-hot pokers inside it…
The sensation spread in a swirling motion, arms, legs, face. Every single nerve-ending screamed in agony, the screams rising to a feverish pitch which Naruto's voice could not hope to match. His brain felt like it was exploding and dribbling out of his ears and nostrils. No torture could ever match this level of pain.
And then it suddenly…
…stopped.
While Naruto's screams resounded through the clearing, the Jounin had sprung to his side in an instant. Ripping off his head protector and inspecting Naruto's small frame with his now revealed eye, the Sharingan glowing red and spinning like crazy, absorbing the information which was now revealed to him. What he saw would remain with him for life…
Glowing and pulsing brightly than any star, a nova of red chakra was centered in Naruto's stomach…
"Kakashi-sensei! What is wrong with…" A voice suddenly yelled behind the Jounin as Kumiko had made her way back and noticed Naruto's screaming.
Her eyes widened in horror, her voice caught in her throat. "Oh my god… what's wrong with him?!" She managed in a strangled whisper.
Kakashi wanted to answer, but he wasn't exactly sure himself either. But both of them were silenced immediately when Naruto screamed again.
Naruto wanted to end it all. This was just too much pain to bear…
Anything… Anything to get rid of the… The PAIN…
Maybe poking himself in the eyes and driving his fingers through to his brain would be a good idea…
Yeah that sounded really good at the moment to him…
But even before he could reach for his eyes, an otherworldly growl resounded through his mind, calming him slightly. "Hang on kid, don't quit on me now, it's almost over…"
It was about then that Naruto's screams reached a sickening and feverish pitch.
Kumiko was terrified, she wanted to help the boy as he lay on the floor, twitching and flailing madly, his fingers clawing, raking across his face, his body… She had no idea what was going on…
As she made to dart forwards, a deep voice stopped her.
"Kumiko, stay back!"
An arm was flung across her chest, barring her path. She glanced upwards fearfully at the tall Jounin, at the silent terror in his eyes, the contained horror and… A quiet understanding…
His jaw tense, Kakashi's thoughts whirled frantically, his heart ached for his student. He desperately wanted to do something, but he knew that it wasn't his position to help… 'Whatever he's going through, it's something beyond our reach… Beyond any help we can give… And I also know that it's vitally important… Naruto…'
And yet, though he tried to assure himself by that thought, nothing – nothing could have prepared him for what happened next…
The Jounin almost felt his heart pause in its furious thundering momentarily at the sight that greeted him…
The boy's slender body was twisted in a painfully tense, inflexible position, spread-eagled…
Violent trembling seemed to start and stop… Start and stop… His mouth was twisted in a silent scream, all colour drained completely from his face, his features were caught in a fierce grip, a snapping tension that seemed to tear him apart…
Something was happening, something so terrible, so awful they couldn't even begin to…
But the living nightmare took on a more frightening reality all of a sudden…
The boy's eyes snapped open…
But it wasn't the beautiful bright blue that they'd been used to for so long…
Because suddenly they realized that what they were seeing was that shifting of something deep within him… A giant menace had come to life… What had previously been invisible had taken form… Had taken substance…
And it had chosen those eyes… It had chosen those innocent glowing orbs to make its demonic, fiendish presence known…
Because no longer were they the bright summer skies…
They were intense… Deep… The colour of the raw, savage, most primal emotion known to mankind…
The colour of anger…
Of raging and rising fury…
…Red…
Suddenly that ancient fury seemed to flicker from that place somewhere deep within… Just like the light of a candle is brightest before it fades, so this evil glow was as well…
The Jounin and the girl could only watch in horror, numbly, helplessly as the painful tension within the boy's body slowly calmed…
But they never saw the return of his blue orbs… Though the blood red had faded… It had left something behind…
As the flickering died away, his eyes closed in terrible weariness and his body turned slack…
All Naruto remembered after the torment he had gone through, was his seemingly weightless body being picked up by a tall man with silver-hair, and though the man's mouth was hidden behind a mask, the blonde boy was sure he was shouting something at him.
Smiling faintly, Naruto let out a weary sigh and let the darkness take him.
"Kid…" Kyuubi growled, pacing impatiently behind the towering gate within Naruto's psyche as he looked down at the slumped form of Naruto, sleeping peacefully just out of reach.
'…'
"Kid!" The demon repeated, an angry tone becoming apparent when the blonde boy didn't answer the first time.
'Mmmf.' Was the slurred reply.
"Wake up already you pink flesh bag!" Kyuubi roared, about ready to disembowel the blonde youth.
Naruto was jolted awake and jumped up, immediately reaching for his eyes to rub them with the back of his hands. 'What! What is it?!' He yelled, annoyed due to being woken up so abruptly.
"It's time that you wake up…" Kyuubi trailed off and wrapped its nine tails around its giant body. "Remember the promise you made, I will collect your debt in the near future… Now… Open your eyes…" The giant fox finished and sent out a burst of chakra.
Automatically flinging his arms in front of himself protectively, Naruto was surprised that the chakra, which had taken the form of a thick red haze, didn't feel threatening in the slightest for some odd reason, unlike the first time Kyuubi had done so.
But Naruto had no time to ponder about this though, as the almost tangible haze swirled around him like a vortex, and forced him out of this inner prison…
He felt like he was floating, being carried on a gentle breeze until a sinking feeling settled in the pit of his stomach and with the sudden realization he knew he was back in control of his body, and lying on something… Soft… And something was lying on top of him…?
Stirring only slightly, he cracked his eyelids open only to scrunch them closed immediately as a blast of sunshine hit him squarely in the eyes. Now slightly more carefully, he re-opened his eyelids and squinted, taking in his surroundings.
'Why… Why am I back in my room?' He mused as he saw the various posters and scrolls adorning the opposite wall and noticed his various pieces of clothing strewn across his only chair, desk and of course, on the floor…
When Naruto tried to shift his body to sit upright, he again noticed that something was lying on top of him. He peered down and immediately a goofy grin framed his features.
'Temari…'
The sparse sunlight that beamed through his only window made her sandy-coloured hair shine, her four normally neatly tied pigtails were slightly undone, no doubt that had occurred during her sleep, but Naruto thought it only made her seem even more beautiful. Her almond shaped emerald eyes were closed and every now and again her nose would scrunch up cutely, almost making Naruto chuckle.
But as she lay there next to him on top of his blanket, her head on his chest and left arm wrapped around his midsection, he couldn't allow himself to make any sound at all. He really didn't want to disturb this angelic vision, he was sure it would be nothing short of blasphemy.
He let himself sigh contently, causing Temari's head to bob up and down slightly before closing his eyes again. This was just perfect…
"I know you're awake, Naruto-kun…"
'Damn.'
Naruto opened his eyes regretfully, damning himself for waking her up. He really wanted to lie here just a little bit longer…
He let his eyes shift downwards yet again to look at Temari, only to find her staring up at him with a worried expression.
"How did you know…?" He started but was interrupted by the girl who was still holding him tightly.
"That you were awake?" She finished for him and received a nod from Naruto in conformation. Temari mock-scowled and batted him on his left arm with her free hand, still refusing to let him go. "Well I am a Kunoichi you know."
Naruto grinned. "Yep, and a damn good one too."
"I'm glad you think so, otherwise I'd have to prove it to you." Temari grinned at him wickedly.
"No thanks, I've seen you in the Chuunin exams remember? And no doubt you've become even better. I really don't want to fight against you, Temari-chan." He said and freed his arms from beneath his blanket to wrap them around Temari's shoulders.
A comfortable silence fell as Temari put her head on his chest again and tightened her arms around him. After what seemed like a few minutes, she spoke up again. "I was really worried you know…"
"About what?" Naruto asked. "About yesterday?"
Temari's head snapped back up and looked at him with open-mouthed. "Yesterday?" She asked in return. "That wasn't yesterday."
"It wasn't?" The blonde boy inquired, confusion clearly written on his face. "But I…"
"Your sensei, Kakashi, brought you home a week ago, Naruto-kun."
"A week?!" Naruto exclaimed and seated himself upright, throwing off Temari in the process who tried hard not to glare at him. "But what about the mission! And what about…"
Any further ramblings were stopped however when Temari placed a finger gently on Naruto's lips. She shifted herself into a sitting position next to the blonde boy and explained. "You were asleep for a whole week, the rest of us have been training when we could but when Kakashi went to Hokage-sama, she postponed the mission for another week. I've tried training but…" She trailed off and blushed slightly. "I've spent more time here than actually allowing myself to train though…"
"Really?" Naruto asked, feeling like something inside him was filling him with warmth he couldn't deny and stared lovingly into Temari's emerald eyes.
It looked as if she was about to nod, but to his horror, her eyes widened and recoiled.
She clutched her sweater tightly with one hand and used the other to point at his face. "N-Naruto-kun…"
'What the…' He mentally questioned himself, wondering if he had done something wrong, and if he had, what it was exactly.
The hand pointing at his face wavering slightly, Temari took in a sharp breath. "Naruto-kun… Y-your eyes…"
Immediately Naruto's hands went up to his face, as if to grope what his girlfriend was pointing at. "What's wrong with my eyes?" He asked. "They feel fine."
Naruto wanted to ask if she was making fun of him, but that idea quickly got squashed when he saw that the shock on the Kunoichi's face was genuine. When she got up and quickly and dashed out of his room he called out to her, afraid that she would leave him for something he really didn't know anything about, but he needn't have bothered as she returned just as quickly, carrying a small plain mirror in her hands.
Walking uncertainly towards Naruto, she handed it to him and sat down on the other side of his futon, now eyeing him with disbelief.
'What the hell is going on?' Naruto wondered as he warily lifted the mirror to eye-level and see what had upset Temari so much. When he saw what she had seen, he nearly dropped the mirror in shock …
Red…
Sapphire… Ruby…
His eyes, once a pure sky-blue, were now flecked with a crimson red - creating an unnerving mosaic of sapphire and ruby. But what really scared him the most was that after peering what seemed like an eternity into his own eyes, he could have sworn that his pupils turned into slits, just like they did when he drew on Kyuubi's power during a fight. But when he blinked, they were round like they were before.
Shaking his head, he decided that he must have been imagining things. He stared wordlessly at Temari for a few moments, who stared back, her shock apparently replaced by something else. And now he definitely knew he was imagining things, because it actually looked like she was amazed by his new eyes.
Staring at his reflection once again, he had to admit though, that the intricate pattern of the blue and red was kind of… Cool… But he wasn't too sure. After all, it wasn't every day that you woke up and you found yourself with a new set of eyes.
His musings were interrupted however when Temari placed both of her hands on his cheeks. Dropping the mirror in his lap, he gazed into the emerald eyes of the girl that held his heart.
"It's… him isn't it?" She asked.
Naruto didn't need to ask whom she meant by him, and nodded dumbly. "Yeah…"
She nodded in return and swiftly moved forwards, covering his lips with her own, her fingers softly and lightly brushing over his eyelids…
The blonde boy wondered for a moment what she was doing, until he felt a gentle caress over his eyes. Startled, he opened them to see her drawing back, a gentle tinge on her cheeks, her emerald eyes shining, and something… Something warm glowing within them…
"I don't care if you've got new eyes, I love you all the same." She said, and gave him that special smile, reserved just for him.
Lost for words, Naruto darted forward, kissed her and then grabbed her in a fierce embrace, unwilling to let go. "Thank you." He said thickly and nuzzled her slender neck.
Gently he felt her soft hands pressing his shoulders back, and then felt the softness of his pillows underneath him. His eyes locked with her sparkling emerald green, watching her as she lay down beside him.
The time to face the world would come soon, but for the moment, neither wanted anything more than the other's company…
A few hours later, when the two youths were finally able to pry themselves away from each other, Naruto figured it was time to face the proverbial music. Before they left though, he had almost attempted to hide his new eyes through Genjutsu, but Temari had stopped him by simply placing a hand on his arm and shaking her head.
Still, he was afraid. He knew that someday he was going to have to tell his friends about Kyuubi, but between the choices of sooner or later, he would rather choose the latter option. The transformation of his eyes just made it seem like the eventual confession would come too soon, and he didn't know if he would be ready for it.
Taking a deep breath and receiving a comforting squeeze from Temari, they left the house together and went to look for his sensei and Kumiko.
'No sense in wasting any time.' He thought.
While others might have been bedridden for months on end after the excruciating pain, Naruto had experienced, he managed to be up and about after a mere week. In fact, he felt absolutely great. He knew that Kyuubi had granted him power, but he felt like he could take on the world, and then some…
As they walked towards the training-field where the incident had happened a week ago, Naruto couldn't help but notice one thing. Particularly when he kept stealing glances at the girl next to him, who returned them just as quickly with a warm smile. The glances kept following each other more rapidly though when it suddenly hit them.
They were equally tall.
Just a week before, Temari had to bend her head slightly downwards to kiss the blonde Genin, but now… The Kunoichi had heard of growth-spurts, but this was ridiculous.
"Naruto-kun, you've become taller…" She said, stating the very obvious.
Scratching his head, Naruto could only nod his head in response. "Y-yeah…" He managed to utter before another thing hit him. If he had grown like this… That meant…
"Whoohoo!" He shouted happily, startling Temari. "I'm not short anymore!"
Temari laughed merrily, Naruto really did see the best in the changes he went through. "Yes Naruto-kun, you're not short anymore."
Naruto halted his outburst momentarily and turned to the girl walking next to him. He nodded vigorously while grinning broadly all the while. "Oh man, this is so cool!" He said. "Just wait until Kakashi-sensei sees me, he'll flip!"
Her eyes crinkling, Temari just smiled and listened to the things Naruto was going to be able to do with his new height and the people he was going to impress. In no time at all however, they reached the training-field and heard the several shouts being sent back and forth until suddenly, they saw a gigantic ball of lightning being shot towards one of the figures using the field.
"What's that?!" Naruto gasped in awe, his euphoria about his newly attained height completely forgotten.
As Temari watched the ball of crackling silvery-white energy bounce thrice, scorching the grass every time it hit the ground, hit the figure, she gulped. "I don't know…" She whispered as the figure was blasted backwards with a loud grunt and impacted the ground with a painful thud. A second later though, the figure disappeared in cloud of smoke, revealing a very heavily charred log instead.
"Kawarimi…" Naruto breathed. "That was Kakashi-sensei, so that means that Kumiko-san used that technique?!"
Temari swore. 'Shit, she's a lightning user? My wind techniques are nearly useless against those!' Even though she knew that she would probably never have to fight Kumiko, Temari couldn't help but be annoyed. Her jealousy wouldn't accept a potential rival who could steal her boyfriend from her, to be stronger than her. No matter what the cost, she would be stronger.
She was snapped out of her reverie however, when Naruto spoke up again. "Come on, let's go." He said, and dragged Temari with him towards Kumiko, who was currently scanning her surroundings, obviously trying to found out where her sensei had gone.
The white-haired girl quickly spotted them though, and returned her blade, which she was still holding warily in her hands as if to fend off any incoming attacks, to her sheath with a sharp snap.
"Naruto-san! Temari-san!" She called out, waving energetically at them with one hand and brushing several rebellious strands of her hair out of her eyes with the other. "Kakashi-sensei, he's back!"
A small explosion and a cloud of lazy grey smoke announced the arrival of her teacher. "Yo." He said simply, staring at the boy with a lazy eye, then turned to Kumiko, who was now standing next to him. "Kumiko, what was that technique?"
"Yeah! It was awesome!" Naruto interjected eagerly.
Kumiko had the grace to blush after hearing the praise and explained. "It's Kyuuden no Jutsu (Ball Lightning), it was… Is… A technique from my clan."
"Cool!" The blonde Genin exclaimed and threw his hands forward to grasp Kumiko's delicate hands. "Can you teach me that technique?" He pleaded, jutting out his lower lip and stared at her with watery eyes.
Seeing and sensing an almost palpable aura of killer-intent surround Temari as she watched her boyfriend fraternize with her so freely, Kumiko quickly retracted her hands and stared at the ground. "I'm afraid I can't, Naruto-san. It's a technique developed by my clan, it would be wrong to teach it to other people."
Looking put-out for only a moment, Naruto quickly recovered and nodded in understanding. He grinned and placed an arm around Temari's shoulders instead. "It's ok, Kumiko-san."
"Naruto…" Kakashi suddenly said, his only visibly eye turned deathly serious. "What's happened to you?"
"Huh? What do you…" Naruto began until realization on what his sensei meant suddenly dawned on him. "Oh this?" He said, pointing at his eyes and hovering an outstretched hand between the top of his and Temari's head.
Only receiving a nod of acknowledgement and a raised eyebrow from his teammate, he continued. "I don't know… I think it has something to do with you know what in the you know where…" He said, displaying an uncommon amount of intelligence in keeping his secret from the white-haired girl, and shot a knowing look at the tall Jounin.
This comment only caused Kumiko's other eyebrow to shoot up as well, now both in danger of disappearing into her hairline completely. 'What are they talking about?' She wondered, though now taking a closer look at Naruto, she did indeed see there was something different about him. He seemed taller and… His eyes… They were almost… Hypnotic…
Shaking her head to clear her mind of these thoughts, she glanced sideways at her sensei and noticed him staring his now only male student squarely in the eyes.
"Naruto… Have there been any other… Side effects?" Kakashi asked gravely, not even the slightest hint of humour apparent in his voice.
Tapping his chin for a few moments and then looking at Temari as if to confirm some unspoken words, he shook his head. "No, I feel fine. Actually… I feel great!" He grinned and stuck his hands into the air to support his words.
Kakashi looked at him doubtfully, but dropped the subject nonetheless. They had work to do, and even if Naruto had undergone some significant change, the Hokage had given him specific orders not to waste any time and start his training immediately. When questioned about her orders, she had simply raised a hand to silence him and then summarily dismissed him. Faced with no other option other than to obey her, Kakashi had walked silently out of her office and started training with his new student until Naruto was able to join them again.
Yesterday however, he had checked on Sakura and was pleased to see her working so hard to become a better Kunoichi. Maybe Sasuke's betrayal did have one good effect after all…
"So, when are we starting?" Naruto asked suddenly, craning his head every which way, already scouting the area and obviously eager to get started.
Temari smiled when she looked at him but narrowed her eyes dangerously as she shifted her gaze at Kumiko. "Yes, when are you going to start again?"
Clearing his throat uneasily and watching Kumiko take up a sudden interest in her feet, Kakashi nodded sagely. "We'll begin immediately. Naruto, do you still remember the hand seals?"
"Yeah, of course I do."
"Ok, that's the easy part." Kakashi said and then held up one finger to capture everyone's attention. "Now when you focus your chakra, envision it gathering in your hand, make it take the shape that you want and hold it there."
"Oh! Like the Rasengan, right?" Naruto nodded.
"Yes, partly. But with the Rasengan you just need to hold the spherical shape… I'm not saying it isn't difficult to do." Kakashi said quickly, seeing the look of outrage form on his student's face. "This is just different, it's a lower level technique but it still requires a massive amount of concentration, it might just blow up in your face if you don't succeed."
"Oh…" Naruto added quietly and frowned.
Taking this moment to address the two other girls, Kakashi turned to them with a small smile hidden behind his mask. "Temari, if you wouldn't mind, would you spar with Kumiko a little bit while I help Naruto perform this technique?"
Snapping her head upwards in shock and surprise, Kumiko squeaked when she saw the wolfish grin and blazing emerald eyes directed her way.
"It would be my… Pleasure…"
'Oh crap…' Kumiko thought and followed the other girl soundlessly as she stalked away from the other two. There was no doubt in her mind that Temari really wanted to fight her, but her only concern was, would she forget that this would be just a sparring session? '…man, I'm so screwed…'
"Now, Naruto, let's give it a go, shall we?" Kakashi suggested and closed his only visible eye in a happy crinkle.
"Aw jeez, Ino, why drag me into all of this?" Shikamaru whined as he his arm was yet in another vice-like grip from said girl.
Ino turned her head impatiently and glared at him, Shikamaru could have sworn he heard her growl. "Because! And I told you, call me Ino-chan." She hissed, twisting his arm slightly to punctuate her point.
'Because? What the hell kind of answer is that?' Shikamaru questioned in his mind, trying hard not to wince from the pain the girl, who had stuck to him like glue for a whole week now, had caused him. "I still don't see why you want to spy on them…"
Twisting his arm even further, Ino smirked when Shikamaru dropped to his knees with a grunt, grabbing his shoulder in an effort to not let it get dislocated. "It's not spying, Shika-kun." She said in an overly sweet voice, which was lost on the black-haired youth as he motioned franticly that Ino should let him go.
When she did, but only after a few more seconds, he stood up and scowled while rubbing the spot where she had gripped him so ferociously. He really wanted to rant and rave about the way she was treating him. How could she just be terribly sweet to him one minute and then turn into an evil witch the next? But like many things, Shikamaru decided that it was too troublesome and asked her another question instead.
"If it's not spying, then what is it?"
"We're just going to see how they are doing…" She explained with a sigh.
"From the bushes?" Shikamaru added.
"Yes." She confirmed with a quick nod. "Now you're getting it."
Looking up at the sky, Shikamaru really wished he was one of the clouds now and could get away from the blonde girl's mad scheming. But alas, that wish was shattered, trampled and then spit on several times when Ino grabbed his arm again and dragged him off to their original objective; Naruto and Temari.
Yes, Naruto and Temari.
Ever since Ino had found out about them, she had been plotting like crazy and had been ferreting around for information, though she was careful not to let anyone else know. Well, aside from Shikamaru, of course. Due to some sadistic twist of fate, he had been ambushed a week ago and had been forced into helping Ino.
Which he definitely didn't want to do…
'Why me?' Was the question that rang through his mind lately, more often than he cared for.
"We're almost there." Ino suddenly said excitedly and tugged on Shikamaru's arm a little harder.
Resigning himself to his 'mission', because after all, it would be too troublesome if he tried to resist since he wouldn't be able to win against Ino, he switched off his mind. He didn't know how long they had been walking but suddenly he found himself bumping against the back of the girl that had been man-handling him for the past few hours.
"Hey, what are you doing?!" He demanded, rubbing his now painful nose before his attention was drawn to something else. He did not even notice Ino's mouth hanging half-open and her hand raised to point at somewhere in front of them.
With a loud scream, Kumiko found herself being blown backwards into a massive tree by another heavy gust of wind.
This sparring session was going the wrong way fast, no it had already gone wrong. As she had feared, her opponent had taken it too far. She was bleeding and her new training-attire was only hanging together on little scraps of cloth and loose threads. 'That outfit cost me a lot of money too!' She thought angrily.
Even though her body was feeling sore and not even doubting that tomorrow she would be a colourful collection of scabs, bruises and cuts, Kumiko didn't want to give up. It was preposterous that Temari wanted to hurt her like this. Being jealous was one thing, but this was really going too far.
When she saw Temari readying her fully opened fan again, the white-haired Kunoichi scrambled to her feet and hid behind the tree, muttering a silent prayer for it being there so she could shelter.
'One… Two… Three'
"Ninpou: Dai Kamaitachi!" (Cyclone Blade)
There it was…
Gripping her head and pinning her knees to her chest as tightly as she could, she braced for the impact of the technique the murderous Sand-nin was sending her way. A sudden sharp howling alerted her to the incoming attack and made Kumiko quiver as she tried to make herself even smaller.
Loud cracks and snaps were heard as the aerial blades tried to cut through the thick trunk of the tree but only managed to remove several large branches from the now leafless crown instead. Wind along with several chunks of dirt whipped around the trunk, gashing her cheeks and causing her dirt and woodchip infested hair to flutter wildly forwards.
Several thuds all around her notified her of the impact the branches had made and the girl cracked one eye carefully open, scanning her surroundings, trying to see if Temari might have actually swerved around in an arc to attack her from another angle. Not seeing anything threatening though, she breathed a sigh of relief and stood up, not even bothering to pat the dirt from her ruined clothes.
Her shoulders pressed against the sturdy tree trunk, Kumiko's intent silvery eyes peered cautiously around the trunk…
She blinked in surprise, then scowled slightly when she saw Temari's slender figure a short distance away, one hand resting lightly on her hip, the fingers of her other hand curled around her folded up fan.
But the thing that pissed Kumiko off the most was that triumphant, sneering smirk on Temari's face.
'Who is she trying to impress…' Kumiko thought angrily, seething to herself. '…stupid psychotic bitch.'
"Come on, Kumiko-chan!" Temari called out mockingly, intentionally belittling Kumiko. "Don't tell me you're giving up already!"
Gritting her teeth, the white-haired girl stepped away from the now ravaged tree. "Of course I'm not, Temari-chan." She shouted back, returning the painfully obvious insult as she gripped her beautifully ornamented katana tightly.
Temari narrowed her eyes to barely visible slits and gripped her fan tighter, her arm tensing then a swift flick of the wrist, and the giant fan had spread to the San no Hoshi (Third Star). "Oh well, you had your time to give up." She growled.
Raising the blade in front of her, Kumiko's eyes narrowed, a little tense smile touching her lips. "Bring it on."
Her features straining in obvious concentration, Temari jerked her fan backwards to gather enough momentum as she unleashed one of her most powerful attacks.
She smirked as she saw her opponent leap forwards, bringing the katana above her head with both of her hands …
'It's of no use, you're still too far away to stop it.' She thought.
"Ninpou…" She began and watched Kumiko jump upwards, her clothes fluttering behind her as her body tried to defy gravity…
"Dai…" Temari continued and followed the white-haired girl with her eyes, her legs shifting to compensate for the changing angle her attack had to take.
"KAMAITACHI!!!" She roared, unleashing the full fury of her attack only to have her eyes widen in horror as Kumiko unleashed her own.
Time seemed to slow down for Kumiko as she bent backwards slightly, calling on enough energy to pierce to ferocious razor-sharp blades of wind being sent her way, which were eager to let more of her blood flow today.
But she wouldn't allow it. With a graceful arc, she brought the blade overhead again and let loose her attack.
"SHINKEN NO JUTSU!!!" (Divine Sword)
A sudden crack seemed to split the air and emerald eyes blinked in confusion, then widened even further…
From out of nowhere, purple lightning gathered in the sharp piece metal. Static electricity suddenly permeated through the air around the two girls, raising the hairs on their heads and on the back of their necks.
The lightning pulsed and crackled, gathering all along the blade, until Kumiko had the tip of her sword pointed at the Sand-nin… A swift flick of her wrists and the lightning hurtled towards its target…
Ripping through the air, the purple lightning disrupted the wind currents and rendered them harmless as they were before, but it didn't stop.
With a booming bang it impacted the fan Temari was so proud of, simply causing the sturdy black lacquered wood and carefully painted cloth to burn up and explode.
The force of the impact and resulting explosion sent Temari flying much like Kumiko earlier. Twisting strangely beautifully through the air as she spun around like a rag doll only one thought entered Temari's mind before she hit the ground with a painful, loud resounding crash and all turned to black.
'Goddamn lightning-user…'
A/N: Well what can I say… Hopefully this sort of makes up for the month of silence from me, if it doesn't… Well… Sorry?
Regardless, I think this part turned out well, and I had more ideas for it, but it's already over twenty-two pages, which is enough for one chapter, right? So yeah, there's going to be a part three, and they'll go on the mission, I swear!
Everyone who sent me those kind words whether they had to do with my birthday or going back to school, thank you.
Many thanks to refused and Princess-Tsunade for putting up with me and taking their time to go over this chapter, it's really appreciated.
Not much else to say really, so on to the review response!
refused: You dare demand an update from me while you don't update your own? Get busy writing or I'll hurt you. Seriously…
Princess-Tsunade: Bleh, I hope you're happy now. Kumiko won eh? Oh by the way, no I'm not telling you what Akamaru told Kiba, I'll leave that up to everyone's imagination. I'm glad you enjoyed it so far. :P
One Azn Dragon: Your questions have been answered already I think, thanks for the review!
Lek Nufrac: I won't comment about the pairing for Kumiko, that might still be a ways off. But I can tell you that there won't be a Hinata/Sasuke pairing, sorry.
Black Fyre Dragun: You'll just have to wait and see for what Naruto bought for Temari. I hope you didn't punch too many people while waiting for the update… And I'd like to see those pictures you drew, so find a scanner soon eh?
Anime Lance: Well the main problem with the sword play for Kumiko, is that I haven't used a sword, ever… Neither have I seen many movies where it is used the way I described. And I don't have writer's block yet… (knocks on wood) I just have too many ideas that I want to cram into one chapter…
Kuwabaras pupil and I.P.Freely: I can't tell you what's happening next because it would spoil everything now wouldn't it? Thanks for the review!
Max Knight: I try to keep this fic as different as possible from Betrothal, because even though it is extremely awesome, it would suck if I just stole plot ideas and everything.
Raidin: Thanks, and no I'm not underage, I turned twenty, so… Anyway, I'm sad to hear that you won't be able to replace your chapters, they're good already but they can become even more awesome. :)
Pyr00tje: I try my best to avoid errors and stuff but sometimes they slip past me sadly enough… And about learning to use the katana, well I hope it'll be part of the next chapter…
blazer6: Not going to tell you what he bought, but yes the mission will be soon. Next chapter in fact… Hopefully… And yeah, I'll email KaiuRoshi.
inusaiyan: Yeah I'm going to have lots of fun with Naruto trying to loosen up Gaara. Thanks for the review. :)
Omnis Morganis: Like hell I'm making you or anyone else look bad, I just really hope you'll update soon, your story is awesome, I want to read more of it dangit!
Idiosyncrasies: You want me to make my chapters even longer…? Are you crazy? They're quite long enough thank you… :P And I don't know, I'm not commenting on the pairing for Kumiko.
Yondaime-samaKazaraYume: I'm not saying anything about the pairing for Kumiko… And where is the fanart? I want to see it, well if you've drawn anything that is. I'll read your chapter asap and leave a review, I've just been really busy lately, sorry.
Psycho Violinist of Silentwood: Oh I think Sasuke will be in for quite a few shocks when he wakes up, yeah.
stoictimer: More fights are on their way, hope you enjoyed the one in this chapter at any rate.
kashisenshey: No don't commit seppuku! I want you to review more eh? But if you don't want to read, I guess I could always stop updating at all though…
Calophi: That was one of my fears as well, I really don't want a Mary-Sue in my story nor do I want to over-power anyone. I'm glad you liked my OC so far.
gaggingboy: It's here, happy?
SilverMoonlight: Nope, not dead as you can see. And yeah, I know about that update problem everyone seems to be having. It's annoying, I want to read dangit!
ANBU-Naruto: I just might make more, but don't worry, this one isn't finished by a long shot.
Raison: Uhm, well I haven't actually received any I'm afraid. But I do know of a lot. Check my favorite list at least, there are a few there anyway.
ninja wannabee: Uh, no, she won't be a Sasuke fangirl. Thanks for the review!
Kyubi-Naruto, Crutches, clicke, Inferno-Dragonz, Miszy-Anne, arekuruu-inabikari-no-She, TopQuark, Gopu, Sirus183, Ice Dragon XXI, Peradis, nonengel, TimeShifter16, Skuld's Sentaro, Arbil, blaboy: Thank you all so much for the reviews and kind words, hopefully you'll leave another review!
Wow, a lot of reviews for my previous chapter, thanks everyone they really give me the energy to keep writing. I hope I'll receive the same amount for this one since university is already proving to be difficult for as far as the workload is concerned. Thanks again!