Chapter 4 – A Dog's Eye View
What a great day.
My master's probably looking for me by now.
It figures. Of course, he'd be looking for me. That's why I sort of ran away. But it's for a good cause, I swear!
People are taking glances at me though; they're probably wondering why I'm not with Kiba right now. I wish I could tell them but I can't. Whatever I say comes out in mere barks. Only Kiba understands my language.
Oh, there. I just spotted that girl again. Her name is Mitsuki, if what I heard was correct. She's a swordsman too if I'm not mistaken. Well, I'm sure of that since right now I can see her cleaning out her katana.
Geez, if Kiba made her any madder, he could've been her victim.
I began to approach her, "Bark, bark!"
The girl lowered her head to look at me, "Huh? Oh you're that kid's dog, Akamaru, aren't you?" she looked at me questioningly.
I merely panted, which probably signifies a 'yes' to humans.
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with your owner?"
I really couldn't answer her. Man, I wish I could speak the human language.
I watched her finish her drink as she set it aside, "Do you want to come with me to practice?" she asked me.
"Bark! Bark!"
"I'll take that as a yes, then," Mitsuki smiled at me, turning the other direction. I followed her along the road until we reached a clearing in the forest area. I have got to admit, I was quickly shocked that she already has found a good training spot in a day. To add to the surprise, the jounin, Hayate, whom Kiba and I saw outside the Hokage's office, stood at the center of the clearing.
"I'm ready, Hayate-sensei," Mitsuki said to him.
Sensei? That probably is the reason why he was in the office with her and Tsunade-sama. The Hokage appointed him, perhaps.
"The Inuzaka kid's dog, what's he doing here?" Hayate looked at me, coughing.
What was I doing here? She asked me to come with her.
"He's in my care for a while," she patted my soft fur.
Then the practice session started. It was like watching some sort of action movie with all her swift katana moves. The blade moved gracefully in circle motions.
"Good. There's this fighting style I'll show you, it's called the Mikadzuki no Mai," he performed for her the style he was talking about. In other words, the Dance of the Crescent Moon. The technique creates multiple bunshins to confuse the opponent as to while the real one attacks swiftly from the opponent's blindspot. As to its name, it works better at night. Well anyway, Kiba told me about it so that was how I knew.
After he was done. Mitsuki attempted the supposedly hard to master fighting style. The trick was positioning the bunshins carefully in order for the opponent's confusion to be dealt with. Again, another series of sword movements were done.
"Ahh!" she grasped her arm.
"You okay?" Hayate asked her, she removed her hand to see a slightly thick layer of blood coming out, "It's not the techniques forming that's hard, it's the fighting style's stances and positions," he continued between more coughs.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she gave a little frown, 'one more time…' she had that determined look on her face. And in another second, more graceful moves were made as if she were dancing with her sword. It was like a waltz. Or a movie, the only thing missing was some drinks and popcorn for a happy viewing.
"Nicely done," Hayate congratulated her, "I didn't think you'd get it done so quickly."
"How was that, Akamaru?" Mitsuki grinned at me.
I barked and yipped at her in approval.
She was a nice girl once you got to know her better. I don't know what Kiba was ranting about. She might be rough at first, but she is friendly.
Oh wait, I just remembered. Where is Kiba, anyway? He'd probably be scowling through Mitsuki's whole training if he was here.
But seriously, I could tell that they look like a really perfect couple. Comparing the both of them, it would be an extreme difference, though. Well, Mitsuki's quiet, while Kiba on the other hand, is uh… how should I put it? Loud. Yeah, very loud.
But then again, they say opposites attract, don't they?
True, Kiba's also had gotten minor crushes before namely Ino, Sakura and even Hinata. But seriously, none of them really click that much with him. I have a sixth sense about these kinds of things. I am his dog, after all.
Well, since I am. I could say he's coming to look for me now. In fact he'll be here in 5…
4…
3…
2…
1…
"Akamaru, where are you?"
See? What did I tell you? No, but wait, that voice… that isn't Kiba… that voice is much higher… it's…
"Naruto?" Hayate called out, startled at the yellow-haired genin. Kiba must have asked him to help find me.
"Ha-hayate-san… nani?" Naruto gave a widened-eyes, dumbstruck expression, dropping his jaw exaggeratedly upon looking at them. Unfortunately, the girl and her sensei were in an awkward position at that time. To be precise, the jounin had his arm wrapped around the girl's chest from the back. The scene of them had already brought devious little thoughts to Naruto's already infected brain, completely unaware of the fact that Hayate was merely holding her katana from the side, trying to counter the attack Mitsuki was currently practicing on.
Naruto tried choking out some words, "Uh… okay. I-I'll pretend I didn't see that. I'll be going now…" he whisked sideward avoiding any further matters. But I didn't think he could. He really just couldn't get out without saying the "P" word. But then, he couldn't call a jounin instructor that especially since he has a sickness despite it is what I've seen he calls his sensei, Kakashi all the time.
"P-p-… p-pervert!" he finally blurted out but then regretted it upon eyeing the look on Hayate's face, "Uh did I say pervert? No! I didn't say pervert! I said uh… perfect! I meant to say perfect. You have perfect coordination Hayate-san! I-I'll be seeing you!" he left quickly, even forgetting that I was here too.
"O-okay…" the jounin rolled his eyes, secretly blushing –yep, he blushed- and not wanting anything to pass around about him doing anything else but teaching techniques to his students.
Mitsuki looked like she didn't even care even though she probably knew what he meant.
In a few seconds, Naruto though came back quickly without saying a word and hurriedly picked me up off the ground, running back out of the clearing until I could barely see the two.
"Kiba! Kiba! I've got 'em!" Naruto cried out as I saw my owner far in front of us with a somewhat worried look on his face.
"Akamaru, where have you been? Don't do that again, ok. I was scared sick!" he crouched and bent down to pick me up as I scurried towards him.
It wasn't like I'd get lost or anything. The fact that I wasn't with him, worried him since we were always together. Always.
"Bark bark!" I tried reasoning out to him through my barks. He could understand me, of course. I simply told him I felt like going on an adventure, which was not exactly a lie coz I did go on one, didn't I?
"Adventure? What adventure? Just don't do that again, clear?" he demanded from me. Gee, talk about overprotective.
"Bark!" that meant a 'yes' though I have my paws crossed.
Naruto then looked like he was about to burst then and there, "Kiba, I've gotta tell you something!"
"What?"
Whoa. He wouldn't wanna hear about this. It's just so messed up.
"You remember the chuunin exam last, last year, right?"
"If this was about how you beat me Naruto-"
"No! Not that, remember the battle's intructor, Hayate-san?"
"Oh yeah, that guy," I could tell Kiba was thinking about when he saw him at the Hokage's office, "What about him?"
"Well," Naruto began, "He… he's a pervert!"
"Huh? Could you explain yourself? I don't get you…" Kiba seemed obviously clueless to what he was talking about.
"That new girl, right? I don't know what her name is but-"
Kiba interrupted him, suggesting the name, "It's Mitsuki."
"What?"
"Mitsuki's her name," he added.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever! Anyway, Hayate-san was playing with her. You know, stuff that perverts do…" Naruto looked like he was even willing to state some examples.
Kiba was looking bewildered at the time, "What? That's freaky and impossible, not to mention weird! Where'd you see that?"
"It's true, I swear! A while ago in the place where I got your dog."
I do have a name, you know. I don't like being referred to as 'the dog'.
Kiba turned to me, I felt like I was gonna get in trouble, "Akamaru, you were there? Was what Naruto said, true?"
Technically, no. I began to explain it to him, again in barks.
"Oh, I see…." he laughed as soon as I was done explaining it to him.
Naruto looked left out, apparently not being able to understand my doggie words of wisdom.
"What he means, Naruto," Kiba began to further elaborate, "Hayate-san and Mitsuki-san were only practicing, stupid."
"Practicing perverted actions?"
"No! Training."
Naruto still wouldn't be convinced though, he gave a skeptic look, "Uh-huh… You're just saying that Kiba, coz you wanna get in good with the girl…"
"Baka! What the hell are you thinking?"
"Nothing, nothing…" Naruto smirked at him slyly.
They went on arguing. But me? I wasn't gonna stand here watching them. I'm heading home. Mmm… I smell raw steak…