First impressions are very important. In fact, first impressions can be the whole determining factor in starting a relationship. Anything less than impressed and it would instantly be a tough road.
Now the maximum effect to achieve a first impression can be done a number of ways. But here's the biggest main point for the single ninja...
-The flashy entrance!
Use something awe-inspiring, breath-taking and generally all-round explosive when introducing yourself! The male happens to be a shinobi and should have a vast array of skills to take advantage of!
Then follow it up with ninja talk! Types of weapons preferred, blood limits, techniques... ANYTHING!
REMEMBER! First impressions are VERY important!
"Hmm..." Naruto had paused to consider the chapter and take a sip of his milk. However, a mere glance at the clock had him spray that milk all over the table.
"I'M LATE!"
DISCLAIMER: In Soviet Russia, you own Naruto. Over here, Naruto owns you.
Single Ninja on the Town
By Arkhe
Chapter 1 : Impressions
Subtitle - Hinata's Prerogative
"Yo."
Sakura was going to point her finger at her teacher and proclaim him late when she felt that something was odd. The sun hadn't reached the apex it normally was when Kakashi usually arrived. So she glanced at her watch.
"You're..." She halted unbelievingly.
"You're..." She tried again.
Kakashi gave a wave of his hand in a gesture for her to continue and then returned to politely waiting patiently.
"You're on time!" She remarked, unable to believe her own words.
Sasuke even sat up, unbelievingly.
"Relatively on time!" The pink-haired genin corrected herself.
The statement rang true! Team 7's eternally late jounin teacher had been (nearly) on time for once! Only this euphoric realisation did not become a cause for celebration when Kakashi only found two-thirds of his team present.
"Where's Naruto?" Kakashi glanced this way and that, an eye searched for a particular painfully bright set of colors ever found on a ninja.
The female rookie scanned around wondering that too.
---
Tap. Tap. Tap.
It was a rhythmic tapping of her foot, otherwise an extension of Sakura's sorely pushed patience.
Tap tap tap
Her brows furrowed just as her scowled deepened. The rhythm had steadily increased.
Taptaptaptap
The tapping was now as incessant as a woodpecker.
Silence.
The calm before the storm.
"WHERE THE HELL IS HE?-!"
Kakashi said nothing, though his visible eye had been trained on a certain location in the distance.
Then there was an incoming blur.
The jounin's hand flashed and had caught 'it' in midair. 'It' happened to be a kunai with a smoke bomb attached. Sakura's eyes had widened at the sight of it, Sasuke raised an eyebrow in curiousity and Kakashi had been unfazed but blinked in virtual interest. Once the smoke started to spread, the teacher tossed the distraction to the ground.
It was probably a ridiculous sight that a crowd of Naruto shadow replications had marched through the smoke with the real Naruto lying spread-eagle on top of them. The only thing missing would have been some fan fare with trumpets and a catchy beat.
The remainder of Team 7 could not find the will to say anything, as the crowd had deposited Naruto safely and soundly before disappearing in their own puffs of smoke. It was at this time that all the smoke dispersed and Naruto posed, catching the sun's rays just right.
"Hey guys!" He exclaimed dramatically, teeth, hair and clothes sparkling under the sun. .
"YOU'RE LATE!"
"As is expected of the dead-last."
"You're later than I am, Naruto."
All sentiments rang out at the same time. Though varied in their volume, it was clear that their amused and annoyed enthusiasm was on the same level.
Naruto gave a disheartened look to Sakura who apparently didn't find his entrance to be a big deal. In fact, she looked downright angry.
He quickly shifted his gaze to the other member of Team 7. Sasuke merely glared, but a hint of an amused smirk lined his face. It wasn't an expression that said 'I'm laughing with you' per se, more alike 'I'm laughing at you'.
Naruto shot a glare back before settling on Kakashi warily. It came as quite the surprise that his teacher had managed to show up early. Well, admittedly earlier than later. Or actually, earlier than himself!
So Naruto did the only thing he could think he could do.
He told the truth.
"I was reading a book and lost track of time." He explained to his team, scratching the back of his head in an embarrassed fashion.
"LIAR!"
"Idiot."
"I totally understand where you're coming from."
This time, the replies weren't so simultaneous.
Sakura adapted a heated stare and Sasuke only gave a passing look at their teacher. However, the moment of distaste gave way and both genin shifted their attention back on Naruto again.
Sakura folded her arms, disbelieving of the blond boy's admission. "I'd believe that from anyone but you! I bet you went and gorged on ramen!" She accused, searching for tell-tale signs of her guesses (like miso on his breath).
"Nah, he's telling the truth." The cycloptic jounin defended his student. "It happens to me all the time."
Then all of his students gave him the evil eye and Kakashi wished he DIDN'T do what he just did.
"Uhhh... That is, not when I have to be here... With my team..." He poorly attempted to cover his slip-up.
"We have a mission!" He declared, pointing towards the horizon and starting on his trek, narrowly avoiding his team's combined wrath.
---
Sakura eyes shifted to the corner of her vision, as she watched the dark-haired boy methodically and efficiently pull weeds out of the garden. A light blush lit her face as she sighed wistfully, mind somewhere pondering on some very important things...
'Uchiha Sakura'; oh, how she loved the sound of that. Though 'Haruno Sasuke' also had a nice ring to it...
Nice 'ring' to it! Ha! She sighed dreamily again.
A shadow then covered her vision and she'd looked up to see a Naruto standing with his hands on his hips, grinning a storm. She was going to berate him for his lack of work ethic, when suddenly his stomach suddenly exploded and another Naruto appeared by spear-diving through the former.
-BLAMF!-
"SAKURA-CHAN!"
"GAH!"
Completely taken by surprise, Sakura recoiled back and landed hard on her behind. Naruto winced at her reaction. He was hoping to get another lick at a first impression, so he intended to surprise her.
Oh, he'd surprised her alright.
"IDIOT!" Sakura shouted as she bore down on him.
-WHAM!-
---
The rest of the day had Sakura mark as one of the worst days in her life. On some ridiculous notion, Naruto had sprung surprise after surprise on her all day and each time she'd flailed and ended up in a ridiculously compromised manner -like stumbling into nearby bushes or falling into the stream...
...however she didn't mind the one where she'd jumped straight into Sasuke's arms. Though he'd dropped her immediately when he'd realised the situation.
In fact, Naruto had surprised her so much, that by mid-day, she'd become immune to his stupid attempts and she'd cut out the middle-man entirely by, instead of panicking, throwing a punch his way every time he appeared.
After the 8th or so punch, Naruto backed off -finally learning the lesson that Sakura would probably be long past the 'introducing stage' of their relationship and that he should just read and put into practise the next chapter tomorrow...
Or whenever he healed...
Or whenever she stopped punching him on sight...
The blond genin rubs his cheek painfully at the thought, when he unintentionally catches a hint of movement from behind him.
"Hinata?"
And it was indeed so.
Since the academy, one Hyuuga Hinata had looked up to the courage and perseverance at any task that she'd seen Uzumaki Naruto throw himself in. However, because of circumstance involving both her timid nature and their mutual social-standing, she'd only admire him from afar. This behaviour continued and even now, the present day, Hinata's still in awe at the blond boy's dedication.
Today however, caught her attention as she'd witnessed the various mishaps her blond idol happened to deal with. Feeling sorry for the Uzumaki, the Hyuuga heiress took it upon herself to present her idol with a salve that would help with the 'fruits' of his labour of the current afternoon. However, her reserved and shy nature had stopped her from approaching him... Atleast up until she got caught.
The aforementioned timid girl gave a little 'eep' at his catching her in the act of following him. Her feet acted on their own and froze up, leaving the girl completely open to the blond boy's sights. She could only look away, terribly embarrassed at being caught openly staring and errr... stalking. In a friendly sense.
"Hey Hinata-chan!" He greeted her once he'd jogged up to her.
"H-hi Naruto-kun..." She stammered.
Not being very good at small-talk himself, nor being the type to do so, he jumped straight to the point as his approach to everything.
"What're you doing here?" He asked, completely taking their coincidental meeting at face-value.
"Erm..." Hinata flustered, before her hand reached into her thigh holster and rummaged for a particular object she had in mind..
"I saw Sakura h-hitting you pretty often today..." She stammered, retrieving a small jar and offering it to the orange-clad boy.
Naruto recognised the salve immediately from during the chuunin preliminaries, took it graciously and began applying it liberally to his arms and face.
"Hey thanks, Hinata-chan! This stuff works wonders!" He laughed appreciatingly.
The white-eyed girl gave a small smile and mumbled a 'your welcome'. When he'd finished and handed the jar back to her, she finally went to ask what had been bothering her.
"Umm... Sakura-san seems pretty u-upset with you today. Did something happen?" She asked.
Naruto chuckled and waved her off. "Nah, I've just been trying to get Sakura-chan to notice and like me!"
"O-oh?"
"Yeah, she's noticed me alright! But I think I need to work on the liking part, eh?"
"I-I see..."
To Naruto, there was a companionable silence, as his thoughts flit on Sakura and various hearts and a bubbly backdrop filled his mind.
To Hinata, she'd felt like the world upped and died.
Being more knowledgeable on social etiquette, the Hyuuga-heiress attempts to politely continue the conversation from the silence it had lapsed into. "Are you going to t-try a-again soon, then?"
"Yeah! Nothing keeps me down, Hinata!"
"Your determination is admirable." She whispers, her head held low as she's saddened at the prospect.
"You should always keep your goals in your sights, Hinata!" Naruto suddenly states.
She looks up alarmed, but he's still smiling at her with his oblivious expression. Her next choice of words are far beyond being regal or lady-like for a person of her stature.
"Huh...?"
"I said you should always keep sight of your goals, Hinata! Never give up on what you do! If you believe it enough, you will get there! I know I'll be Hokage someday and I'll always strive to that day!"
Hinata released a breath she didn't know she was holding and looked on him with doe-like eyes.
"If you believe it enough, you'll get there..." She murmured under her breath, repeating what Naruto just said.
She'd taken his words to heart. The logic behind the words held true! All she had to do was just ask him if maybe she could be a person special to him! Naruto was a kind boy and surely he'd give her a chance! She couldn't lose Naruto to Sakura if she didn't have Naruto in the first place!
Whilst Hinata worked on the courage to ask the blond boy out, Naruto was wondering why in the world the shy girl had suddenly zoned out on him. He'd got up to invading her personal space and waving a hand in front of her face, when her own hand had suddenly flew up in a determined fist.
"Yikes!" He yelped, backing up.
"Naruto-kun!" Hinata stated determinedly, looking towards the shocked boy, completely missing the events just prior to now.
"Y-yeah, Hinata?"
And now the hurdle...
"A-are y-you going to be f-f-f..."
It was like pushing a boulder larger than yourself up a vertical slope.
"F-f-f-f-f-f..." She stammered like a failing lawnmower. No, more graceful than that; a garden sprinkler.
"What is it, Hinata? What is it girl?" Naruto jumped up and down concerned.
"F-f-f-f-f-f..." She looped, still unable to get around the word.
"Fierce? Fired up? Flaccid? (Hinata blushed at that one) Frog? Am I a frog? Did Hanabi fall down the well again?" Though if ever asked why he said that last one, he wouldn't know for the life of him.
"F-f-f-f-f..." She shook her head at his questions, still trying to get around this word. Though her mind was screaming 'FREE, the word is FREE!', but it just wasn't exiting her tongue -as if it was stuck dealing with customs trying to explain those odd prescription tablets.
"I know this word!" Naruto exclaimed punching his open palm, though he'd actually completely lost the point. "It's that bastard, Neji, isn't it!-? He went and fu-"
Hinata's eyes widened and her word finally came out. "FREE! F-free this W-Wednesday...?"
Naruto naively tilted his head to the side. "Am I free this Wednesday?"
Unable to trust her mouth, Hinata nodded mutely.
Naruto tapped his chin and grimaced.
"I dunno Hinata." He hesitated and she started deflating. "I'm not the sort to sell myself, let alone give me around for free..."
If Hinata was the type of girl to slap her forehead, she would have and then some. But being demurely brought up in a very formal household did not afford such small trivialities.
"I-I meant, are y-you doing anything for l-lunch on W-Wednesday?" She asked.
When Naruto opened his mouth to reply, Hinata went on to elaborate.
"Aside from eating, I mean." She added exasperatedly.
Naruto nodded, his eyes flicking to the corner considering it. "Well, aside from lunch, I guess I'm not doing anything..." His tongue lapped his lips unconsciously at the thought of ramen...
Steeling her resolve, Hinata pushed forth the big question.
"Would y-you like-"
"WAIT!" Naruto interrupted, his face dawning with comprehension. "Isn't it this Wednesday when Ichiraku does a Ramen Sale?-?"
"Yes, so w-would y-you l-like to eat t-togethe-" Hinata shakily nodded and attempted to continue.
"If it's this Wednesday, then looks like I'll be busy over at Ichiraku's then. Sorry Hinata." He sheepishly scratched the back of his head whilst apologising.
The pale-eyed girl immediately wilted as her resolved had all been used up. She'd been so close to asking him out.
"Well, looks like I'll just have to help you with your training some other time, eh?" He assumed off-handedly.
Hinata's head picked up at that. Training? Training meant spending time with Naruto...
"How bout Friday, huh? Say at 4?" He asked. "My team training area?"
The stricken Hyuuga-heiress nodded slowly. Training was practically a date as well! This was good!
"Anyways, I gotta get going." Naruto started off in a direction his stomach was pulling.
"Let's do lunch some time!"
---
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, as the spectacle came to a close.
His student had finally started taking his advice and he'd thought the kid was a goner after several times being turned down (though more like; knocked down -literally), however, the number one most surprising ninja had indeed lived up to his name-sake when he'd started speaking with the Hyuuga girl.
Jiraiya scratched his chin contemplating, before he'd retrieved a leather-encased book, opened it to a certain page and started writing.
Single Ninja on the Town - Amendments.
Amended Chapter 1 ... Impressions
Of course, most kunoichi's also appreciate normalcy and should probably not be reminded of their jobs.
Thus the second option should work better.
-The Simple Approach.
Make eye contact, take the initiative and walk over and say 'hi'. Then follow it up with either small-talk and/or an invitation out for coffee.
This bout of normalcy will suffice and thus the simple approach would work far more favourably than a flashy entrance.
After all, who likes a show-off?
Then Jiraiya paused to tap the pen on his chin. An additional note had then struck him.
Additional amendment:
A regular shinobi should never use flashy entrances on a kunoichi that already knows them. It's just plain dumb. (Unless they like that sort of thing)
End of Chapter 1 ... Impressions.
Next up!
Chapter 2 ... Attitude.
Subtitle: Ino in Full Bloom.
Author's Notes:
Well, after a HUGE hiatus on Single Ninja, it's back on track. For some odd reason, I'd mostly gone ahead and written a bit of the final chapter instead of going in order... o.o;
Yeah, I finally thought it was about time I try to wrap this up. I mean, it's not as long as Fox Identity and certainly has 7 set installments in all! Anyway, next chapter should be up soon and its focus will be on Ino (and duh, Sakura) but Hinata will also pop in for a bit.
As for time discontinuities... Ummm... I have a perfectly legitimate reason for that... AMNESIA DUST!
Please, no suggestions on pairings. I've planned this fic out and well... It doesn't really have a pairing. There'll be a hint of a technical pairing at the very end, but that's about it. But please, just accept it just as a humorous take on Naruto and the hijinks he gets involved in.
Anyways, until next time!
Uploaded: October 20th, 2005.
First Revision: February 7th, 2006.
Second Revision: August 3rd, 2006.