Chapter 2. Sorry about the delay, but I have plenty of college applications to write.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. The creator does, but I forgot his name.
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Restructuring Chapter TwoThe speech concluded, but the panic did not.
Naruto stared, aghast, around him. People were yelling over each other, no longer bothering to whisper in hushed tones, and one could feel the sheer emotion gripping the crowd of Konohans gathered under the bright sun and lazy clouds. He could hear footsteps behind him, and found Shikamaru pacing lazily about.
"Did you hear the speech?" Naruto muttered in apparent agitation. He wasn't sure why he was so distraught; perhaps it was the atmosphere of the crowd that affected him adversely, or perhaps some subconscious implication that unsettled his soul. Shikamaru sighed and put his hands inside his pockets.
"Yea." He answered, putting on that slightly annoyed look that adorned his face so often. The crowd had started dispersing, though only slightly, but it was still incomprehensibly loud. Naruto glanced around, and spotted Ino and Sakura having a heated argument over something.
"How can you be so calm about this? You heard what Tsunade said!" Naruto whispered, as if his statement was an admission of some unwritten crime. Shikamaru sneered at Naruto's obviously distraught state, and pulled his hands out of his pockets to rummage them through his hair.
"My mom would have made me have kids anyway. This isn't a big deal, I don't know why you're so worried…" Shikamaru answered, glancing at the slightly overcast sky. A passing cloud revealed the sun's warm yellow frame, and the light it emitted contrasted heavily with the shadow cast by the crowd's torments. Naruto glanced around again, and his gaze fell on Sakura and Ino's conversation; at that point, it was clear what was agitating him…
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Neji, pragmatist that he was, silently contemplated what Tsunade's speech would mean for both him and his family. The Hyuugas had a stringent policy of marrying inside the clan only, so it was unlikely that any of this would affect him much; yet, it still intrigued him how an entire village could adhere to such rules. Arranged marriages had, for the most part, disappeared several decades ago. However, because males of matrimonial age were so scarce, it was inevitable that children would be paired from birth. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lee looking around him with a pensive expression; then, without notice, a wide grin appeared on his face.
"Don't you see what this means? We'll be swimming in women! They'll be chasing us instead of the other way around! We might even…get laid!" Lee said excitedly. Neji looked at him sarcastically, and put on a mocking smile.
"I'm sure no one will be chasing you in this lifetime, and I assure you, I don't have a problem getting laid," Neji said flatly, emphasizing 'lifetime'. The jab didn't shake Lee from his whimsical attitude, but the martial artist struck back despite his reveries.
"If you didn't have a problem, you would have had a girlfriend by now!" Lee chided. Neji stared at him with well-subdued rage, then spun on one heel and walked off.
"I'm going to train. We still have missions, you know," Neji yelled as he walked out of the crowd. Lee didn't hear him.
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Sakura and Ino, despite the apparent fury in the eyes as they yelled, weren't arguing about anything important. Instead, they bickered over who would marry first. Their discussion had started after the speech had ended, but characteristically of both girls, someone made a pithy comment, and the other responded. Before they knew it, both were yelling at each other.
"Your forehead is too big for someone to marry you! They'll think you're pregnant up there!" Ino shouted viciously, proud at her clever comment. Sakura didn't appear shocked, as Ino had expected, but instead laughed mockingly and fired back.
"Oh, you'll marry first, alright, but after a week, you'll end up dead because your husband thought you were pork!" Sakura shouted with as much exuberance as her best friend. Ino, however, could say nothing any harsher than Sakura's previous statement, and resulted instead to personal attacks.
"You're such a female dog!" she yelled, in slightly more obtrusive words that would, if printed, have eroded the mildness of this narrative, a mildness that has so far been preserved. The two bickered some more.
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Amid this group, there was a significant portion that weren't engaged in neither conversation nor dispute; instead, they were still stunned by what Tsunade's speech entailed. This isn't to say they were unconcerned: on the contrary, they were probably more concerned than their fellow, more exuberant shinobi.
Hinata presently stood under a tree, but had listened intently to Tsunade's every word. Her mind already was running wild with fantasies, and by instinct, she held her arms close to her, in front of her chest, and bit one of her nails lightly. A few years ago, this action would have drawn a curious, perhaps mildly pitiful response; who wouldn't feel sorry for a twelve year old girl, significantly smaller than her peers in every sense of the expression, who stared at a crowd as if wishing to be within it? The action was the same, perhaps, but the actor had changed significantly. Her hair had grown out and was tied in a spectacular braid that shone vibrantly in the summer sun. Taller, heavier, and more refined, her every action elicited indescribable grace that beckoned notice. On top of this, her face has grown more angular and distinguished, and her eyes shone brightly despite the faint Hyuuga pupils. An onlooker that witnessed her physical appearance change during these six years would liken it to the metamorphosis of a small, bothersome caterpillar into the most wondrous of butterflies. Unfortunately, she was the same Hinata inside, shy and unconfident. Though her adeptness at the shinobi arts had increased tremendously, she still saw herself as weak in the eyes of her peers, and perhaps this self-depreciation is what was stopping her from striding into the crowd, and through sheer impulse, satisfy her unsettled heart.
To be brief, she looked very sexy under that tree.
It was not surprising, therefore, that a young man with black hair and an average height and build (characteristics generic to Konohan men), walked up to her, intent of striking conversation. By this age, she was far from oblivious to advances for the rougher sex, but as usual, stammered and glanced around shyly.
"Who would have thought something like this was the cause of all the commotion?" he said, with a slight, inviting smile. He was not the suavest of men, granted, but neither was he repulsive; however, talking to Hinata was a feat for the patient.
"It's pretty strange, I guess…" She answered after a time, glancing away and answering with a tiny voice. The youth paid no mind to her reluctance, and continued.
"I suppose it can't be helped, what with the damage those Lightning bastards did to our village," he spoke evenly, though his voice hinted agitation when the subject turned to the Lightning village, "you know, they tried to hide near my house when we fought them back, but ran when I almost impaled one of them with a kitchen knife." He said with a slight smile. It was clear he wanted to impress her with his tales of heroism, and oblivious as he was that she was a chuunin, continued to describe his tumultuous battle with an inexperienced (and exhausted) Lightning genin. Hinata listened attentively, more out of courtesy than interest, and her silence hinted the young man to stop talking.
"I'm sorry, I'm rambling. Let me get to the point. I'm sure you love this village as much as I do, and I don't want to see it die. It's our duty to save it, and together, you and me, we can make a difference. I think," he whispered passionately, "we should start seeing each other."
Hinata was embarrassed, to say the least, and mouthed a few 'umms' while looking away completely. Her reaction could have been interpreted as shyness and not rejection, and the young man probably saw it as the former. He waited patiently for her response.
An arm slid across Hinata's shoulders, and pulled her to a furry, yet surprisingly warm, chest.
"Are you ready to go, baby?" Kiba whispered affectionately, pulling Hinata closer to him. She looked around with confusion, and nodded abruptly. Kiba turned to stare at the wide-eyed young man, and bared his canines threateningly.
"Who the hell are you?" Kiba demanded with raucous spite. The young man looked first at her, then at him, and back again a few times, stunned. Perhaps the thought of having such a strikingly beautiful girl snatched from under his fingers with so little warning disheveled him; whatever it was, he was speechless.
"Get lost!" Kiba roared threateningly. The young man turned to flee, but was met by a small white dog that glowered at him with the threatening intensity of the most rabid of pitbulls. He got the message quickly and ran in a panic.
Kiba let go of Hinata promptly and smile from ear to ear. His ruse had worked perfectly, and vibrantly content with himself, he petted Hinata's head and walked away coolly. Akamaru followed.
"Keep yourself out of trouble, I won't always be around to save you!" he yelled back exuberantly. She smiled warmly at him and waved.
"Thanks, Kiba!"
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And through all this, there was one soul who, though forgotten, was quickly agitated. There was anxiety in his eyes, but with it wanton determination and a burning fire. Like a rushing train, his gaze darted from one member of the crowd to the other, and not even the perspiration dripping from his already sweat-logged bandana could distract him. His hand migrated to his pocket, and out came his weapon of choice, ready to strike its intended target with unmitigated strength.
And so, Chouji, sweating profusely, stuffed the potato chip in his mouth with pig-like gluttony. Though most of the village was in a panic over the latest news, Chouji, ever the optimist, was in the greatest of moods. This latest turn of events meant that finding a wife would be easier than ever, and this was an especially important piece of information that would likely change the course of the fat kid's future.
The Akamichi clan had renounced arranged marriage not too long ago, and as a result, Chouji's mother and father declared that they would not find him a spouse, but only give their blessings and attend the ceremonies. For the average teenager, this was divine intervention; for Chouji, it was satanic withdrawal. Chouji, and most Akamichis, have always had trouble alluring women because of their small, stocky stature. Sure, Chouji was rash and a bit animalistic when he ate, but otherwise he was a charismatic and kind boy; unfortunately, no amount of charisma or kindness can offset the hundreds of pounds he carried around for the sake of his ninja discipline. The choice, therefore, was simple: lose weight, get girls, and abandon the shinobi life, or gain weight, continue the shinobi training, and die a virgin. Such was his indubitable fate, or so he thought. Thanks to this man shortage, Chouji became a valuable commodity, and life couldn't get much better.
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The village was extremely busy over the next few months. Rebuilding had begun extensively on the charred part of the village, with not just paid workers but volunteers sheding their sweat and blood of the sake of their village. It was a marvel of human communion, if not a bit communist, and overall, spirits were high. Talk of marriage (and to a significantly lesser extent, love) was all aflourish, for marriage was now not only a significant social and romantic endeavor, but an assurance of financial security as well. Though some of the pragmatism bordered on avarice, many of the poorer residents of the village used both the salary from reconstruction work and the stipend from each newborn child to substantially alleviate their financial strain. Most ignored that they would be bringing prostitution to a new height (one must question whether having kids for money is very far from having sex for money), but for the most part, the citizens adhered to the warnings given by the Hokage: to steer clear of frivolity and harlotry.
The man shortage had another positive impact. Young girls and their mothers, eager to quickly find husbands while the good ones were still around, invested heavily in dresses, makeup, and other such beauty products with the hope of attracting a young man with stunningly good looks, and so the consumer economy of the Village Hidden in the Leaf skyrocketed for a time.
But enough about these facts and figures. Our protagonists, each in their own strange ways, had love (and to a lesser extent, marriage) on their minds; the man shortage just gave them an excuse to express it. Let us not forget, however, that our protagonists bordered on eighteen at the oldest (Hyuuga Neji occupying this slot), and since very young, focused only on shinobi life and training. As a result, their skills with women, or more importantly, their skills with anything not related to seals or techniques, was subpar.
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This description could not describe Uzumaki Naruto anymore precisely. Staring at the ramen swirling in his bowl, Naruto bowed his head sadly at the Ichiruka Ramen Stop. It was sunset on a windy September afternoon, and though it wasn't cold, the frequent gusts combined with the disappearing sun gave the village a gloomy feeling that accentuated the falling thermostats.
"What's his problem?" the brown-haired woman, a long time employee of the small stand, asked the manager with concern. Naruto had eaten at their mini-restaurant since he was very young, and by now, she saw him more as a brother than a customer.
The manager shrugged as he chopped some garlic. He was as concerned as she was, but was far too busy to give a damn, let alone help, and with that continued to chop vegetables. The brown-haired employee looks at Naruto tenderly, but the shinobi didn't notice, too busy moping.
"What's the matter?" she asked softly. He hadn't noticed that she was addressing him, so didn't answer at first. It took him a second to register the question.
"Oh…it's nothing, I guess…" he answered with equal faintness. This wasn't the overly hyperactive Naruto she knew, so it was obvious his answer wasn't true.
"You can talk to me, you know," she added, prodding him on. Naruto sighed and stretched widely, yawning a bit near the end of his stretch. The sun had fallen a bit further behind the horizon.
"Well…there's this girl, right," he started, choosing his words carefully, another uncharacteristic thing to do, "and old lady Tsunade talked about the population, and well…" he said. The brown-haired employee waiting for more, but it was clear she wouldn't get any more out of him. She was pretty sure of what the rest of the story was, though.
"Have you talked to her recently?" she asked, with some cheer in her voice. Naruto sunk lower in her chair.
"I haven't seen her in a week…I hope she's not avoiding me," he muttered with sadness. It was a pitiful sight, witnessing Uzumaki Naruto staring into a bowl of slowly cooling ramen with lovesick eyes, and the employee couldn't take it anymore.
"Then go see her! Right now! Because you never know, you might wake up tomorrow, and she's gone, or even worse, engaged! Life's too short for you to squander it, Naruto!" She yelled, her speech growing more passionate with each word. The other customers turned to look at her curiously. Naruto looked up at last, his face wearing a slightly pained expression.
"But what if-" he started.
"GO! NOW!" she screamed, irritated. Naruto hopped from his seat and rushed off, if only to avoid that woman's wrath. After all, she worked with hot oil all day; who knew what she could do when enticed.
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Sakura's house wasn't far from there. He was still terribly nervous, but the brown-haired girl had spurred him to action. His feelings towards Sakura hadn't particularly changed over the years; he had always liked her tremendously, but for as long as he could remember, he could suppress his affection for her through immersion in shinobi concerns. Of course, her face always lingered in the depths of his subconscious, but he could ignore it so long as Orochimaru or Lightning spies were around to worry about. Ever since the end of the war, and since Tsunade's speech, a highly sensitive aspect of his personal life suddenly became the most important concern. Granted, Tsunade's speech invoked fantasies of him married to Sakura-chan with dozens of children, the couple living happily ever after, having warm, luscious boy-on-girl action daily (with Sakura being the boy when Naruto was loneliest at night); however, the seventeen-year old boy never gathered the courage to make any advances on her. More specifically, he had begun avoiding her like the plague out of shyness, bringing his fantasies even further out of reach.
He had reached her home unexpectedly. The house was a modest two story home; though not the largest of abodes, Sakura was an only child. As a result, there were often two rooms that were vacant. The outer façade was made of vibrant red brick that give the house an elegant frontal view, and the chimney softly billowed out smoke that was nearly invisible in the now dark night sky. It had become a chilly night, and the fireplace had been lit as a result. The door itself was made of polished mahogany with a brass doorknob, eyepiece, and doorbell. It was nothing special, but to Naruto, it was the door to paradise, and even at the moment of truth, he could not bring himself to cross this final threshold. He took a few slow, deliberate steps, his heart leaping with each footstep on the concrete sidewalk, and soon found himself standing before the door.
Naruto stared at the doorbell for close to ten minutes, unable to move. After a while, he raised his arm slowly to ring the bell. His finger stroked the cold metal. Shutting his eyes, he pushed.
Nothing stirred within the brick house.
"No one's home. Thank goodness, what would have happened if she was home, what would I-" he thought to himself. He was cut off by the front door opening slowly. Standing behind the door, in a silk nightgown, her face smiling vibrantly, was Haruno Sakura herself.
Naruto blinked a few times. Her gown left very little to the imagination (it was slightly too small for her, clinging to her curves fairly tightly), and Naruto was entranced by her sleepwear. Her hair wasn't tied, and so fell awkwardly on her bare shoulders, covered only by the straps of her nightgown; Sakura looked at him for some time while he stared vacantly in her direction, and shifted awkwardly to allay her embarrassment. Both of them stood quiet and avoided each other's gaze. The wind howled, and a cricket began whistling.
"Are you home alone?" Naruto blurted out abruptly. Sakura was shaken out of her reveries, and nodded with some surprise.
"Yea, my parents went to a conference in the Water Country, they won't be back for three days…" she muttered hastily. "Ummm…would you like to come in?" She asked quizzically. Naruto scratched the back of his neck slowly.
"Well, no, not really, see you later!" Naruto said hastily, turning around and thrusting his hands in his pockets. He spun on one heel and started walking away.
Sakura frowned. "Naruto!"
He stopped dead in his tracks and turned back cautiously, his expression still fairly vacant. He wasn't fully facing her, but instead stood, with his body half-turned, waiting for her to continue.
"You've been avoiding me…" she said softly with a pained voice. Naruto turned to look at her, and the two gazed at each other's eyes silently. The cricket kept chirping.
"We need to talk…" Naruto said at last.
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Chapter 2, it's not the greatest, but I'm making this up as I go along, so it's a bit disorganized.