With this happy thought, Naruto made his way to the one definite haven he had in Konoha, The raman stand.
Once inside Naruto sat down in his favorite spot.
"OY! OLD MAN! two beef two prawn and a Miso raman please, Extra Large of course!"
Now the Raman man was a bit surprised to see Naruto. He, like everyone in the village had believed that Naruto was dead. And Tsunade had yet to tell the public he was miraculasly back among the living. Even though he had been to the wake, he had continued to assume that the Re-awakening was some kind of bad joke… until now anyway.
"Whatever you want kiddo" Sliently however he was quite happy. Thrilled even,
YES! My best customer is BACK!
While Naruto was waiting for his raman to finish, Sakura and Ino walked in and sat down, they had picked a table a couple of feet to the left of where Naruto was currently sitting. The waitress came but neither of the girls were very hungry, they both ordered drinks only.While Ino chatted happily, Sakura let her eyes wander. She had felt that there was something out of place when she walked in, but she just couldn't put her finger on it. It was then that she noticed the Newcomer in Naruto's favorite spot. He had Redish-blonde hair (a trait that Had been ignored by Tsunade, Hinata, and the raman man, and that Naruto hadn't noticed yet.) and was wearing a white shirt that was a little to tight for him, it showed nothing, but suggested everything. Especially when he shifted in his seat, and his muscles temporally strained agenst the fabric.
"Hey Ino? INO."
"Whats up Sakura, why are you staring over my shoulder, and why are we whispering?"
"Take a quick peek at that guy behind you."
Ino abliged, and when she turned back her face was slightly flushed
"Now even YOU can't deny that you'd like to get to know HIM better, any Idea who he is?"
Sakura thought for a moment,
"I can't place him, but he seems familiar somehow… it's like knowing a song but not being able to put the words to it."
"You should go introduce yourself, Even your (and her voice took on a poisioness tint) Precious Sasuke-kun isn't that well muscled. The best part is (her voice brightened, and she squirmed a little) That's not Bulk muscle like body builders, that's TONE. He WORKED to get those, not just lifted weights!"
Sakura gave Ino an odd look,
"And how would you know that?"
"I told you that I've been off that Bast… errr Sasuke for a while, after a time you get an eye for things like that."
"I doubt he's my type, besides, I'm Sasuke's. (she added under her breath) and I always will be."
Ino heard but Ignored it.
"Ya know, you should Invite him over. A new Ninja to the area shouldn't be sitting alone."
Sakura gave Ino a level look, Ino Continued in an exasperated tone,
"Consider it Practice, besides, I um…."
Ino's face started turning red
"I'm not exactly sure that I could um…"
Sakura caught the drift of the conversation
"INO you have a CRUSH on him! You don't even know him yet!"
Ino only managed to blush, and sakura, chuckeling, stood up to invite the stranger to join them.
As Naruto was just taking his leave from the hospital, the fates were conspiring, oddly enough they, for once, worked in Naruto's favor.
"YOU'LL NEVER GET HIM FROM ME! DESERT SANDSTORM!"
"You WISH you had him bitch! He'll be mine until the day I die! BLADE SHOWER
After the dust settled, both of the women stood facing each other, both were a bit dusty, and both had numoreous scratches, but both Seemed defiant until…
"Alright Temori, I've thrown everything I have at you." Ten-ten bowed her head "I guess I'm just not a good enough shinob.."
then she struck, fifteen kuni, a half dozen shuriken, and even a pair of throwing scythes were all in the air. Temori who had assumed that Ten-ten was finally beaten had dropped her guard. Not much, because when she saw the attack she quickly brought up her fan to parry, but Enough that two kuni got through. One grazing each of her shoulders.
"Heh, That's a kill count for me Temori, if I had been aiming to kill that would have been one through each eye."
Temori glared at ten-ten,
"Be glad we're not aiming to kill, or I'd have had your arm in three pieces two attacks ago."
"ya, thankfully that was only a tenth scale attack you tossed at me."
Both of the girls sat down for a quick breather, they had been practicing since Naruto's funeral. Both had seen the Sick joke someone had played, and both had vowed revenge, they were practicing to be certain they hadn't lost their edge.
"so, who were we fighting over?" asked Temori
"Dunno, A guy seemed as good a reason as any today."
They both sat in silence for a time, and then…
"Say Temori, are you hungry?"
"Of course not, I could keep this up all…"
Just then Temori's stomach growled at her,
"opps, Heh Heh, well, perhaps a little."
Ino just smiled, although neither would admit it, they were becoming good friends.
"Well then, lets get some raman. There's this shop I've heard of, I never really eat there, but Naruto praised it highly before he…"
Again they lasped into silence, then temori spoke up.
"it was like the sun dimmed a little, when I found out that is."
This was the first time either of them had spoken of… Him.
"I know what you mean" said Ten-ten "I felt as though someone had moved me farther from a source of comfort. I never realized it until he died, but I Looked on him as a friend. If a rather eccentric one"
Temori nodded, and then said.
"Raman. I've never had that, is it good?"
"Not bad on occasion" replied Ten-ten, "but I'd hate to eat it every day."
Twenty minutes later they both walked into the Raman shop, just in time to see Sakura and Ino talking.
Temori raised an eyebrow and cocked her head in the direction of the whispering girls.
"what do you suppose they're up to?"
"No Idea" replied Ten-ten "Shall we find out?"
Temori shrugged, "Why not."
Sakura had just been standing up when the other two girls joined them.
"Temori-chan! Ten-ten-chan! Where did the two of you come from?"
Temori just looked amused at Ino's flustered complexion, Ten-ten however was polite enough to answer.
"We've just got back from training, what about the two of you? What are you whispering about?"
Sakura giggled a little bit before answering.
"Ino here has been admiring a new set of shoulders. Appearently, we have a stranger in town with TONED muscles."
Sakura laughed at that comment, Ino turned a bit more red, and temori suddenly looked interested, Ten-ten on the other hand was lost.
"What do you mean Toned muscles?"
The other three girls took a look at her, and then all four of them burst out laughing.
Naruto was in a bit of a quandary. When he ordered, he had been certain to start with a small appitizer, but somehow the bowls were MUCH bigger than her remembered, and oddly after a few bites of his Beef raman he knew that he'd be hard pressed to eat a second bowl, a third would definately make him ill.
This is odd he thought I remember it takeing MUCH more to fill me up than this…
suddenly he heard laughter coming from behind him, He liked the sound of laughter, that had been why he was such a screw up in school, the only time he heard it was when people were laughing at him. Oddly He was certain that this was NOT the case this time, Interestingly, he felt more free because of that.
"Oy, old man!"
"Yes Naruto-san?"
"Would you kindly take these other bowls of raman to the ladies over there."
The old man found this odd, because normally Naruto would go through twenty extra large bowls of raman for breakfast alone. But then, he had been in the hospital lately, perhaps he was less than well.
"As you wish Naruto-san"
While Naruto and the Raman man were talking the girls were attempting to decide who would ask the stranger to join them.
"I think that I should go." Stated Temori "You leaf girls are to shy to introduce yourselves properly." Besides, ten minutes alone and I'll have this new guy twisted around my pinky finger. NO man of HIS class would miss an opportunity to date a girl with MY fire.
"Definatly not" said ten-ten "This is obviously a Nin of some refinement, look at the way he holds himself, he's probably some lord's son here on business. I'll go talk to him and then bring him back and make introductions" HA ten minutes alone with me and He'll see that the only type of girl to date is one with both refinement AND power.
"I think not." Replied Ino "the two of you are probably thinking of ways to twine yourselves around that poor man. Sakura here is the only one of us that is already attached." At least she believes it. "We should send her as an impartial third party."
The other two girls were about to object when the owner of the shop appeared with four large bowls of raman.
"Complement of the gentleman at the counter ladies."
HDXShadow: well, that was more subtle…
Thanks Crazith & Dragon Man 180: No, Hinata did NOT hear Naruto talking to Kyuubi, the Italics show thought, no matter where they are placed. Naruto doesn't need to vocalize his thoughts to Kyuubi. Hinata woke up and began trying to locate him by sound while he was holding his mental conversation with Kyuubi.
T everyone else: Keep the reviews coming, They are always useful. thanks,
Manatheron.