DISCLAIMER: "Naruto" is not mine; the only thing that
I own of this story is its storyline and the new characters presented.
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Yon: Pinnacle
"You're going down, Hatake Kakashi, that I promise you," Hiroshi thought viciously, a malevolent smirk appeared on his face. Kakashi was casually staring at Hiroshi, and the boy was - in return - doing the same. Tension built in the air, hastily rising to its pinnacle. The team could feel it in the atmosphere. Naruto decided to dispel the anxiety of the moment.
"Kakashi-sensei, can we get something to eat at
Ichiraku Ramen? My stomach is making noises." A sharp growl erupted from the boy's bowels.
Kakashi stood, sparing one last fleeting look at Hiroshi, and promptly turned and faced Naruto. "Yes, Naruto. Ichiraku Ramen it is; any objections?" Kakashi glanced around. Seeing the distant faces of his students, he shrugged and motioned them to follow him. They nodded, and began to converse.
"You have no business on our team," the raven-haired boy said frigidly, directing the accusation toward Hiroshi.
"Excuse me, but heed my advice: I don't listen to stupidity, and at the moment that is that only thing coming out of your mouth, so please speak to me when you have something intelligible to say," Hiroshi retorted, his hands in his pockets and his mouth gnawing on a long blade of grass that he had spotted earlier.
"Hn."
"Sasuke just got BURNED, ooh," Naruto declared happily, feeling better about himself as the comment left his lips.
"Shut up, dobe," Sasuke barked.
"You!"
"How about all of you learn how to hold your tongues," Kakashi interrupted smoothly, his voice flawless and unyielding.
They had walked for only a fraction of an hour, and already they had managed to develop a vocal bout amongst themselves. A rather familiar-looking structure came into view and at the site of the building the stomachs of all the shinobi began to growl hungrily. The wooden lath above the shop was a sign that they had arrived.The carving on the wood was elaborate, spelling out thewords "Ichiraku Ramen," the plank suspended by thin wire. The dent etched into the wall still lay there as if nothing had happened. Hiroshi smiled to himself, remembering the girl that worked there and what had happened last time he had stopped in.
Everyone found a seat, settling onto the fine cushions. Kakashi absentmindedly reached a hand out for the bell, ringing it a few times.
"I'll be there in a second. Patience." A small voice sounded from behind the closed door. Everyone groaned.
A couple of minutes passed before the door swung open, making the hole in the wall only deeper as it had had added force this time around. The young woman came through the doorway, wearing a large grin on her face and eyes that curved blissfully to a rounded point.
"Good evening."
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Hokage Tower: Tsunade's Office
Tsunade's stomach growled loudly, her hand rubbing it to soothe its loathing. After her conference with Hiroshi, she had had time to think about whether or not she would accept his presence in the village of Konoha. She had previously summoned for Jiraiya so she could talk to the man about Hiroshi's acceptance and maybe several extra ideas.
"Hokage-sama?" a familiar voice inquired respectively from behind the closed door.
"Yes, Arashi-san?"
"The man who you have summoned forth has just arrived, Hokage-sama," Arashi responded, easing off his loincloth from behind the door.
"Let him in," she commanded calmly.
"Yes, Hokage-sama." A muffled creak echoed around the room as the door opened, exposing her visitor. Tsunade's eyes curved up into arcs, a gentle smile evident on her face. She folded her hands together, setting them on her desk.
"Hello, old friend," Tsunade greeted him rather happily,
hoping her insult had been under the radar.
"What do you want?" he snorted, getting right to the
point.
"Feisty, aren't we?" she cooed. "Anyway, there is a new
shinobi who has set his foot upon our soil. As far as
I can see, he poses no threat and until Kakashi gives a negative report, in my mind, he has the potential to become a very strong ally."
"He flirted with you," the Toad Sannin stated dryly.
"I didn't say that."
"I can read you like one of my bo-" He stopped. "Like a very educational book."
"So you can," she said, trailing off. "Anyhow, what is your opinion?"
Jiraiya looked out the window, taking a deep breath, a sigh of contentment. The sun cast a shadow of the window frame on the floor and forced the lines of darkness to creep onto the walls of the room. A faint breeze flowing from the window blew a strand of hair into Tsunade's eyes, which she briskly removed from her face.
"I'd say let the kid stay here. He might have important information about our enemies, such as the Sound village, or maybe knowledge of new technology. You can always exile him from this place, and it is evident you've taken a liking to the man, or boy, whichever it is. He is on your alert list," the white-haired man explained.
Tsunade felt blood rushing to her face as he made the comment and desperately positioned a strewn piece of paper in a way the Jiraiya could not see her face, pretending to read it. Jiraiya arched an inquisitive eyebrow.
"Thou art wise, my friend; I will heed your advice," she complimented.
"I thank you, but I must be going."
She set down the paper, as the blush had already ceased, and looked at the man before speaking. "You may leave."
He smiled and casually walked out the door, one hand in his pocket. "Peace, Granny," he said, waving a hand without turning to face her.
She smiled to herself, remembering the days when the three of them were just Chunnin. He would always say "Peace" when departing and she would respond with the same. A tear trickled down her soft check.
"Peace."
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"Good evening," she said merrily. Naruto's face lit up with delight as his anticipation grew. "What may I get you fine young- with the exception of Kakashi-san –citizens today?" she queried, partially muting the middle fraction of her sentence. The delightful grin that was so elegantly positioned on her face remained intact nonetheless.
Kakashi seemed to hear her remark - even through her attempts to quiet the insult, and shot her a withering glance, but the girl seemed unfazed. "I'd like an order of Mizo Pork," Hiroshi announced, looking away, for he was trying to hide his face.
"Same," Sasuke added dryly.
"And, I'd lik-" Sakura began, but was interrupted.
"MIZO PORK FOR ME, PLEASE!" the blonde boy screeched, everyone wincing at the sharp tone that hung in the air. However, the waitress only beamed at the boy and his exhilarant attitude. Sakura sighed and continued.
"Before I was so rudely interrupted," Sakura growled, glaring daggers at Naruto. "I was going to say I would like an order of Mizo Pork, but please drain the fat." The girl finished writing down the orders, nodded respectfully, and disappeared behind the door.
"I wonder what her name is. Seeing as I might have a chance at staying in Konoha, why not have some fun?" the boy asked himself.
They all waited patiently
in silence, their minds wandering the endless street of nothingness, eyes staring blankly into space.
"Hurry! Do you understand?" a stern male voice commanded.
"Yes," a familiar feminine voice responded obediently.
The door swung open and the graceful figure rushing out to serve her customers, four bowls skillfully balanced in her hands. Setting them down without spilling a drop, the woman distributed them accordingly. Reaching into her apron, her delicate hands came forth with four sets of chopsticks, wrapped in thin cloth.
Giving them to her customers, she stole a quick glance at Hiroshi and blood rushed to her face, although in embarrassment she disappeared behind the door once again. The silver-haired boy did not see her blush, only the frantic attempt to serve. "Must be stressful to be in
her shoes," Hiroshi thought hungrily.
They enjoyed their meal and cleaned the bowls until the white of the material shown brightly. During their lunch, Naruto had asked Kakashi why he had not eaten, and the man responded dryly with an "I'm not hungry." After they'd finished, the team and Hiroshi thanked both the cook and the chief for such a delectable meal.
"That was good," Naruto remarked, grinning.
Hiroshi nodded. "Good, indeed."
"Naruto," Sakura asked inquisitively, getting the boy's attention. "Why are you so quiet all of a sudden?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow. He had obviously been musing over the matter for quite some time and was also curious.
"I've been thinking about some stuff, that's all," the
blonde-haired genin replied. The pink-haired girl simply nodded and the rest of the walk was in silence.
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Konoha Training Grounds: With Team 7
The wind blew briskly, the grass swaying in waves upon the ground. It was a nice day and the sun had lightened its load on the group, heat-wise. They reached the gate and strolled into the field. The day had grown slightly darker, but not by too much.
"OK, we're here, Hiroshi. Feel free to tell me whenever you feel lik-"
"I am ready," the silver-haired boy said in a calm and collected voice, interrupting the man from completing his sentence. He was glaring up at the clouds, smelling the air, his nostrils contracting and expanding spontaneously.
Hiroshi turned his attention to Kakashi. "It is going to rain soon. So I suggest we start the sparring now," Hiroshi explained. Kakashi nodded.
"Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke. Move away from this place and observe from afar." Naruto and Sasuke bowed and turned, dashing off down the field soundlessly. Sakura, however, disobediently stayed behind, her hair blowing gently.
"Kaka-sensei, are you OK? I-"
"Go."
"But!"
"Go. Now. I will deal with him," the man assured her, dropping into a low stance.
The pink-haired girl exerted a forced nod and strode back to where her two teammates had found a spot to study the fight from. Hiroshi stood erect, refusing to fall into any stance. His hands were at his sides hanging numbly, his pupils dilating to their fullest size, eyes tightly fixed on the silver-haired man in front of him.
"And so it begins."
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A/N: I couldn't resist the cliff hanger. "understar," you have been a great help and though I cannot express
my full gratitude by saying a simple two-words,・I will say them anyway. Thank you. Anyway, sorry once again for the cliffhanger. The next chapter will be up sometime this week, hopefully. But I am going to be busy with relatives so, you know, blah. The "three" of them referred to Orochimaru, Jiraiya and Tsunade, their team when they were young. Just a little extra info: "San" means three in Japanese and "Nin" is the abbreviation for ninja or shinobi. So "Sannin" means three shinobi. The three shinobi. Whoever may be reading this, have a nice day. I was wondering if
"easing his loincloth" was a little too extreme. I've noticed FanFiction's usually deal with what is said, and not so much of the actual actions (such as Link (for instance) never goes to the bathroom). So I thought I might elaborate on actual action preformed in real life. Please Review!