From the Yondaime Story Arc:
Valor and Harmony
Chapter 3: Respect
He was in awe of the moment.
As he opened his eyes, the brightness and vividness of the scene before him brought tears to his eyes. In the distance in all directions, he could see towering trees, strong and beautiful. Yet, from the sun in his eyes, he could tell that the clearing he sat in was vast. Before him—indeed, all around him—lay a brilliant field full of flowers. Deep, red roses…blue and yellow tulips, purple lilacs, golden sunflowers, small white daffodils…distributed among the wonderful green grass. The wind tossed the grass about with a gentile breeze, ruffling the man's hair. He smiled. It reminded him of them all.
The moment got the better of him as a sly smile crossed his face, and soon the man was rolling across the gentle hills, staining his white shirt…as he came to a stop, back flat against the ground, a stunningly-beautiful woman looked down at him from above…holding a very familiar looking boy…the man smiled again as the child reached out his hand towards him…
Suddenly, the wind went away, and everything was dark.
Slowly, confusion washed away and he realized what had happened. What a shame…it was such a beautiful dream. Sitting up slowly in his bed, he reached behind him to scratch his gray hair, and then carefully slid out of the bed and into his sandals. A moment later he walked into the kitchen, preparing to fix himself a cup of tea.
The house was dark, yet he moved as if he had no trouble seeing in the darkness…indeed, he didn't have trouble seeing at all. Getting up at 4 in the morning every day for many, many years had the adverse effect of making his night vision quite clear. Even in old age, he had no trouble…
That dream, he thought, his analytical side not letting him drop it. It reminds me of the people. The elderly trees in the background, watching over everything…and the vividly different children, each with a different smell and beauty…yes…they are very much like a field of flowers.
His daydream…if you could even call it day yet, was suddenly interrupted. A heavy pounding on his front door startled him, and slowly he made his way to the front. "Be patient…or you'll wake the neighbors," he joked.
As he opened the door, he heard the reply… "You mean the guards? They SHOULD be awake, don't you think?"
The grey-haired man raised an eyebrow. The fellow on the other side of the door was clad in the garb of a ninja prepared for combat…a large green, sleeveless vest covered his shoulders, and long navy blue fleece sleeves covered the warrior's folded arms. On the right shoulder of the sleeves lay an insignia…a red spiral, outlined in black.
Eyes wide in surprise, the old man tilted his head up a bit and looked the ninja in the face…noting his spiky blond hair. "Yondaime-dono?"
Before him stood the one known as Arashi, once a young prodigy of the hidden ninja village of Konoha, and now its specially handpicked 4th leader. Arashi nodded. "I know you're probably wondering what brought me here so early…Sarutobi-dono."
It was not often in recent times that the 3rd Hokage…the one who had done said handpicking…was visited by anyone…especially in the early morning hours. During his time leading the village, even his guards knew that he enjoyed spending this time alone, reflecting on life, or training by himself. So, as Arashi expected, it was quite a surprise to him to be visited this early. I haven't even had my tea yet…
It suddenly dawned on him that he had a special guest, and he was not treating him specially. "That can wait. Come inside, and get some coffee."
"So, what does bring you here, Arashi?"
Sarutobi made his way over to his seat near the small coffee table, handing the 4th Hokage a cup of freshly brewed coffee. He himself was having tea…he didn't need more caffeine. As he took a sip and began to savor the flavor and warmth, Saru quickly diverted his attention back to Arashi at the sound of the young man's voice.
"Today, it begins. It's time for my team to be tested."
The old man opened his mouth in surprise for a moment. "I see…that would explain the combat gear. Not that you need it…"
"I'd rather be safe than sorry. After all, I do have to deal with Kakashi-kun."
"Hmm…" Sarutobi nodded, recognizing what he meant. In his youth, Saru remembered, he had underestimated his team in their survival tests…the result was the beginning of the legend of the 3 Konoha sennin…known to most simply as "the Sannin". "Yes. I agree that it's best to be careful. Don't underestimate the others either."
The young man nodded, and Sarutobi took another sip of his tea. After a moment to swallow, the 3rd raised an eyebrow and asked again. "I'm sure you can handle that, however, so what brings you here?"
As young as the boy was, Arashi bent his head down and took a contemplating gaze at the floor…one which made him look about 40. Sarutobi noticed his wrinkled brow, and suddenly recognized the seriousness that this issue – whatever it was – had fostered. Immediately, he put down his teacup with a clank, and turned his attention fully to Arashi.
Arashi weighed the options quite quickly. There is no reason not to trust Sandaime. And…I need to tell someone, and get this weight off my chest. Slowly, he raised his head, and made eye contact with the focused eyes of his former lord. "Sandaime…I have a huge problem…"
Sandaime responded with a nod, encouraging the boy to go ahead. Arashi licked his lips quickly, then continued on. "Saru-dono…yesterday, I was attacked." He saw the elder man's facial expression change from curiosity to surprise. "I was training on the personal grounds, when a hunter-nin hailing from Hidden Thunder ambushed me."
The 3rd looked carefully at Arashi as the boy continued. Odd…he doesn't seem to be physically wounded…
"Luckily, they underestimated me…they came one successful attack away from possibly injuring me permanently. Instead, I managed to counter and broke 3 or 4 of the fighter's ribs. Then…I prepared a point-blank grand fireball…"
Sandaime frowned. That would mean there's no evidence left…nothing to figure out who did it or why…his analytical brain was already calculating what the problem more than likely was, and how to fix it. But one thing tripped him up…
"How did this hunter-nin get past the ANBU guards without alerting you?"
Arashi chuckled. "We think the same way, Saru…I couldn't figure that out either. I knew I sent you the lazy guards…"
Both of them burst into laughter, and it took a few moments for the somber and serious attitude to return to the 3rd. And yet, it did. Assassination attempts tended to do that.
"So you need help in accessing the situation…about whether the ninja was acting alone…"
Arashi shook his head. "Nope. That's already been figured out. The ninja gave that away when he doubted whether his Hokage was female…"
Sarutobi eyed Arashi in slight confusion. But…Thunder Village doesn't….
Arashi continued. "…or not…"
Sarutobi caught the craftiness. "I see…" A smile crossed his face… the boy had once again reinforced the 3rd's confidence in him. Suddenly, confusion took reign again. "Then…what…?"
Arashi frowned a bit more. "The ninja wasn't even Thunder."
A silent pause. Suddenly, Sarutobi began to get a feeling that this was worse than he thought…
"The ninja was Konoha."
Saru frowned intensely. Betrayal from within was the one thing he never expected to hear that morning. "Who."
Arashi took a big breath, dreading this moment.
"Uzumaki Narashima."
Sarutobi closed his eyes tightly, wrinkles spreading across his brow. This morning has brought sadness with it…I wish I'd stayed dreaming. "Narashima…Arashi-dono…wasn't she your friend?"
Arashi nodded. "Yes…since before I became a ninja. Yet she says she's no spy and I believe her."
Saru paused once more; his next thought had been derailed. "Then…"
Arashi sighed…the story's almost done. "In the battle, she lost nearly all her chakra, and I broke her ribs…I've been taking care of her at my place with Tsunade's help. The issue is, today is the day my team begins their training…and if they succeed…there will be missions after that…"
Sarutobi figured now he knew where this was going. "You're looking for a sitter...have you checked with the Hyuuga? One extra person there wouldn't make much difference…"
Arashi shook his head. "That's because they only tend to the body. Nara's a tough girl…she's not going to let anyone pamper her."
Saru watched as Arashi stood from the table. The boy continued. "What she needs is someone to talk to, so she doesn't go mad with guilt or anything."
It took a moment of thought for Saru to word his question properly. "Why do you think I'm close enough to her to supply that conversation? I know her on paper…and from you."
Arashi smiled and replied…"Whether you know her doesn't matter…it's whether you know me."
This time, Sarutobi read beneath the lines well. "Sou ka…sou ka…tell me more."
It was hopeless…no matter how she tried she couldn't ignore it. There would be no going back to sleep.
Uzumaki Narashima cursed her own idiocy for not closing the blinds to her place last night. Yet, as she drowsily opened her eyes toward the rising sun, she soon remembered that her bedroom didn't have a window facing east. A nagging pain around her waist (along with the feel of the leather couch beneath her) reminded her of the situation…Arashi's place…
Nara sighed for a moment, attempting to piece together what limited information she could gather. The house was silent…meaning Arashi wasn't home. Based on the positioning of the sun, she'd guess it was around 10 in the morning. As the beginning of a deep yawn washed over her, she was quite surprised by just how stiff her body felt.
She couldn't quite properly yawn…her wrappings were really tight. Once that involuntary action passed, however, another voluntary action threatened to become involuntary. Oh great…her typical morning pattern would end up quite modified today, it seemed. Nara's face twisted in alert and concern as she wondered how exactly…she'd get to the bathroom…when yesterday she'd barely been able to sit up at all…
Slowly, and with no small amount of pain, she rolled herself closer to the edge of the couch. Even that took a lot out of her, she noticed, and she took a moment's rest. Maybe it's because I just woke up, she thought, but I feel so drained…unfortunately, her bladder reminded her, she didn't have all day.
Lacking other options, she rolled herself off the couch and onto the floor, being careful to extend her arms and shield her ribs from the impact. She landed in a military style push-up position, with her arms bent and her body nearly touching the ground. After a moment's thought (and another desperate reminder from her bladder), she attempted to perform a push up, but her arms quivered and gave out, leaving her flat faced on the floor. She yelled in surprise before face faulting onto the carpet.
She grimaced…now she had multiple pains once more…making every effort to ignore them all, she focused instead on her bladder's incessant demands. Using her hands and her feet as best she could, she dragged herself across the carpet, gasping and grunting aloud at the pain it caused her. Yet, she slowly got the hang of it and began to gain speed. Still, she was quickly learning how often she used her torso muscles…Darn that boy…leaving me here alone…if I pee myself I'll kill him…and who in the hell tied these wrappings?
Nara had made it about half way to the bathroom door when she heard a footstep on the carpet behind her. Making half an effort to crane her neck in the intruder's direction, she spotted the black goatee, and the crinkled eyes that looked almost art-like. An authoritative voice boomed towards her.
"What in the world are you doing?"
She continued to inch her way across the floor…"Bath…room…"
Admittedly, she hadn't really cared who the fellow was…he was just a hindrance no matter who he might be. Yet, when she heard the man giggle, she really raised an eyebrow. "I see…I see…let me help." A moment later, the man leaned down and scooped her up. Wrapping her right arm around his own neck, the man steadied her body.
Tilting her head towards the fellow that had just lifted her from the floor and placed her feet on ground, she spotted the exact man she expected: Sandaime Hokage Sarutobi. The two took slow steps towards the restroom in silence.
A few minutes later, a fairly weakened Nara sat on the couch-turned-bed, her wrappings loosened just enough for her to bend a bit as necessary, and a large bowl of ramen in front of her. Her back was pinned against a stack of pillows so that she could sit up just a bit to eat. Not too far away in the kitchen, Sarutobi stood, washing a bowl while watching her. He chuckled…"It seems Arashi was right about you being tough. Not many would have been able to drag themselves across the floor through the pain like that. " With a grab of his goatee and a slight tug of curiosity, he continued, "A scary man, that one…he also predicted when you'd get up."
She frowned. "It's not hard to predict when the sun hits the eyes of someone sitting on the couch when it's your house you're doing the predicting for."
"True. True." Sarutobi smiled again. "Still, I find it odd that he'd even bother to figure that out. He could have told me to come at 9 or so…instead he said you'd wake up at 10:20 and not to come too much earlier."
"Hmph. That just shows he kept the blinds open on purpose to be right."
Sarutobi chuckled at her skepticism, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Sou ka…I apologize for not making it here sooner. I might have been able to save you some trouble."
The girl shook her head. "No big deal. Since you're here though…"
Sarutobi nodded. "There is some work I need to do on you…Tsunade wrapped you up like this so that you wouldn't attempt to be bold and hurt yourself further…" He raised a slight eyebrow as he noticed frustration wash over her face at the mention of her current situation, but continued his talk as though nothing had happened. "…but this isn't actually helping you heal any. IF you promise not to be reckless, I can loosen those bandages, and we can do some exercises to help."
Nara made eye contact with him, skeptically scanning his expression for some sign of his motives…the 3rd remained still and calm, and she couldn't read much of anything from his face. Of course, she thought, this is a man who has to give ultimatums to entire villages of shinobi…why did I expect to read him? After a moment, she silently nodded.
Sarutobi held back a chuckle, noticing the look on her face. Oh dear…I wonder if she knows…after all she is good friends with Arashi, and he was trained by Jiraiya. But then again…I just can't see him randomly talking about my…ecchiness…
"Good then. Before we begin, I want you to take one deep breath with the bandages on." She stared at him for a moment, but after a bit more coaxing, she closed her eyes and began to draw in air. Sarutobi watched closely as her chest slowly rose, and struggled against himself to stop the redness in his face from showing…
It wasn't too long into the action, however, that she winced. Saru looked to the bandages, not quite taut around her waist and torso. As I thought…she's having trouble breathing. Tsunade needs to be more careful with her bandage tying…she forgets her own strength. "Ok then…we're going to do some breathing exercises first to help that pain..."
So passed a fairly uneventful morning. Sarutobi had Nara hug a pillow to her chest and take the deepest breaths she could…she needed to exercise her lungs more or else the stagnant air within them from repeated shallow breaths might cause pneumonia. He told her to do that exercise at least 5 minutes every day until she was better. After that, he got some ice and had her keep it on for 10 minutes every hour in order to keep the swelling and pain down.
Sarutobi smiled when she asked him where he learned all these things. "Practice. I've had many broken ribs myself."
After removing the bandaging and checking for the extent of the damage with a steady index finger, Nara winced. Sarutobi frowned. "Excuse me. These old hands are not as steady as they once were."
"When you were younger, were you trained as a medical specialist?"
Sarutobi shook his head as he began to rewrap her bandages. "In my youth, there was no such thing as a medical specialist. Yet, when Nidaime got sick of nursing the wounds of my team personally, he taught us how to care for each other's common injuries. I may not be as good as Tsunade at it, but I did teach her the majority of what she knows. Yet, she used chakra manipulation to further her medical skills beyond my own." Nara nodded…she knew that Orochimaru and Jiraiya were products of the 3rd's talent, but she had never considered the idea that Tsunade might have learned her medical skills from him.
"Incredible…you've trained some amazing ninjas in your time…"
Sarutobi paused for a moment. "I only developed the skills and talents that they already had…it was their drive to keep listening that made them amazing."
The pregnant pause continued, and then Sarutobi went back to wrapping. Nara winced as he slid the bandage beneath her, then wrapped it around her front again. "How do you see talent so well?"
Saru smiled lightly, recognizing the question she asked as well as the one she really wanted to ask. "Well…I don't always. I trained the Sannin for years before I recognized how useful Jiraiya's talents really were and worked with him. Sometimes I notice myself, but often I need help from others to point out how great someone really is." He thought for a moment, then continued. "That's how it was with Arashi."
Immediately, he saw her expression change…he'd definitely piqued her curiosity. "What do you mean? Who'd you ask about him?"
"Well…okay. I'll tell the whole story. Jiraiya cursed me for years for assigning him a student that was nothing like himself. This kid, he said, was alert to his every action, and was quite annoyed by most of them. The kid was quite serious for his age, and he hated Jiraiya's…"
Nara grabbed Sarutobi's hand and looked at him with a death glare. Startled, the old man looked down at her, and noticed that he'd unconsciously started wrapping the bandage higher, veering his hands towards her chest. Eventually, he drug his eyes up her body, and his eyes locked with hers. "I'm well aware of what Arashi hated about Jiraiya…"
Sarutobi blushed. So it does get out. I better watch myself. Saru coughed, then shook his head and continued. "Anyway, that was the majority of what I'd hear from Jiraiya, so I didn't really know how well the boy was doing until he became a chuunin. At that point, Jiraiya recommended that Arashi get away from him and get trained as a normal chuunin would. He said that Arashi was already ahead of the game, and that I should give him a good B rank mission to lead. Considering a chuunin normally starts with C ranks, this was a surprise…especially since he was telling me the boy should lead the mission. I gave him a strong C rank instead."
"Anyway, I continued to give him missions until he got to the point of showing some real confidence in his decisions, and then Jiraiya decided he wanted the boy back…"
"I remember that…he'd disappear for months…"
"Yes…but I made Jiraiya agree to bring him back so that he could do missions now and again. I trusted Jiraiya's judgment in this category, and I knew the boy would be fine. But, I never really got to see him in action. Even when he took the Jounin exams, I wasn't there…I probably never would have noticed his abilities if not for one thing."
He paused, completing the last of her bandaging and whipping out a pair of scissors to cut the end of the tape he had applied to hold the bandages. Nara waited patiently for approximately 3 seconds and then… "AND?!"
"Well, something I'd been doing for a long time paid off. My entire time as Hokage, I've tried to keep track of everyone, but it's quite difficult. This village is too large for me to personally see everyone's improvement, let alone build a personal relationship with them all. So to a point, I have to rely on the other leaders to pay attention to their followers. Every 2 months or so, I send forms to each of the ANBU Commanders and coordinators, as well as all the Jounin teaching students, and ask them to detail the progress they've seen in those around them. I also ask them if they see anyone who's gone further than expected. I'd even ask the new Jounin after exams 'Is there anyone out there that you're surprised isn't a Jounin yet?' I'd been doing that even when I still had a team to train…and every now and then a name would come up I'd heard nothing of before, so I'd check it out."
Sarutobi looked up to the ceiling in thought. "The weird thing, though…was that all of a sudden I read a wave of them about Arashi. He had just recently joined the ANBU, and that was where the most careful evaluations were being done. I remember that well…Katsuhime Narobo, the newly appointed ANBU Captain, sent word to me directly—separate from the forms even—about this new recruit they had who was very quickly showing talent they had never seen. He mentioned that it wouldn't be long before this guy was an ANBU captain, and that I should get to know him. I looked at the name, and realized this was Jiraiya's student…so I looked over the backlog of info I hadn't really sorted. I had looked at the evaluation leaders had given of him pretty thoroughly at that point, but I suddenly realized I'd never bothered to look at his subordinates' evaluation of him."
Nara looked slightly confused at him. "His subordinates? When did he get a genin team?"
Saru shook his head. "No no…not those type of subordinates…the people who teamed up with him on one time missions where he was the lead…in other words most of his chuunin days. I knew the missions were successes, but I'd never looked into what Jiraiya had taught him, or into his character until I read these things. Peers are an excellent source of information about a good leader."
"Anyway, once I had read so many good things about him from so many different people, my curiosity was too much for me to ignore it. I quickly made an excursion to the ANBU Headquarters and asked for him by name, and had a good chat with him. I eventually confirmed what everyone had said…though young, Arashi is a calm and good-natured man, amazingly good at just about everything he does…I was quite impressed. He was not only a Jiraiya-engineered walking battle tank, but he was quite humble, and he loves his friends greatly."
Nara looked down at her bandages silently for a moment before opening her mouth. "So…he basically gained the approval of every person he ever worked with…"
"That pretty much sums it up. When I gave him ANBU Command, it was reported to me that he was perhaps the most intelligent and alert leader the ANBU could ever ask for, but that he enjoyed being a helper to Katsuhime and had no real desire to become the Captain of the ANBU. That surprised me, but it only made me all the more aware of how great he really was…no ambition or selfish pride was clouding his mind…he thought strictly of the best for the whole. When it became time to choose a new kage, that definitely stuck in my head as an amazing trait. I--"
Nara frowned. "Even with his lack of confidence?"
Sarutobi shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about there…"
Nara looked at him oddly. "He's not humble…he just doesn't believe in himself the way he needs to…he wavers and he's uncertain…"
Saru frowned a bit. "Maybe he lacked confidence at first, but he very quickly learned to trust his own judgment, and he definitely gained confidence as a ninja. He took on missions that I probably would have given no one else the opportunity to lead, other than the Sannin…and he performed them excellently…making solid decisions on the fly, and coordinating ninjas in life-or-death situations without error." Heh…perhaps this lack of self-confidence is ONLY in situations dealing with her…but I'm not going to bring that up…
Sarutobi could talk all day on how awesome the 4th was, he realized, but as he looked back into Narashima's eyes, he noticed something he had not before. She's dejected…did Arashi not tell me the whole story here? He paused, and blinked for a moment, and suddenly it dawned on him. I see…there's more than one issue to this. She may have attacked him because she wasn't sure in his ability to lead, but it had more to do with her lack of confidence in herself…
"You know, the other thing that really amazed me is how he reacted when I asked him who deserves more credit. I honestly expected him to say Jiraiya…"
Nara looked up.
"But…he hardly ever talked to me about anyone other than you."
Confusion crossed her face as she looked into his eyes. "What?"
"I'm serious…he mentioned that he'd never seen you fight seriously yet, but that he knew that if push came to shove you would never falter. It was the strangest evaluation I'd ever gotten…a vote of confidence from a man who had yet to truly see the whole of what he was evaluating. But his confidence in you was that strong. He told me about the stuff you'd done together before, and that he could see where those traits you showed him would make you a great leader someday. He even went as far as to recommend that you stay in the field when I was considering sending you down the ANBU training route."
Nara's cheeks were reddening as she heard Saru speak, and he quickly diverted his eyes as soon as he noticed it. How cute…
"After the Jounin Exams, when I asked him about who he thought should have been a Jounin already, your name came up…he knew you had a cold and were apprehensive about taking it while sick, but he was surprised you hadn't come up before that."
Red.
"He talked to the Jounin in the examinations that tested you, and he didn't leave them alone until they gave their personal opinions of your skills…"
Redder still.
"And then, when I invited him to my office, he dug through the file on himself for a bit, but then asked for your file, and dug up those Jounin's reports and put them in your file…"
Cherry red.
"He told me, 'I'm going to keep speaking on her behalf…because she's probably not going to speak for herself on this issue.'"
Marroon.
Sarutobi chuckled, sneaking a peek back down at her face as it became beet red. "I should apologize…I never really followed up on that entirely, although I did give you tougher missions. At that point, I really didn't have the time to get to know anyone better, but I should have invited you to join us on our little chats." He paused, noticing that she was beet red, and continued with less bravado. "He really saw you as greater than himself…and though that says quite a bit about his humility, it also says a ton about you. I know that he is a great reader of talent…much like Jiraiya. He wouldn't have pushed that hard for just anyone…"
Nara looked up to Saru, tears glistening in her eyes, but no words escaped her lips. Saru smiled down to her. "I'm sorry…I've said too much…but it's all true. He cares about you a lot, and he sees you as his equal."
Nara looked back to him, and shook her head no. "I'm not his equal…he's far beyond me."
Saru replied, his deep voice somehow carrying very softly to her ears… "Based on what he told me of the fight, he doesn't see it that way…nor do I." Nara began to cry whole-heartedly, and Saru continued. "You are a shinobi of Konoha, and indeed one of the greatest within the boundaries of Fire Country. Don't underestimate yourself…no one else does."
Sarutobi couldn't think of much more to say, but Nara's crying eventually calmed down. Sarutobi considered the situation fully. Ironic…it would seem Arashi had more confidence in her than she had in herself…or he had in himself for that matter.
She turned and buried her face into the pillow, wiping her tears, and Sarutobi watched as she lulled into sleep a moment later. I wish I could help her more…but all I can do is tend to her now.
Consciousness hit like an iron over the head…but for some reason Uzumaki Narashima could not seem to open her eyelids. I feel weak…really weak…but why? In response, her brain sent reminders of her injuries, and the past 24 hours of sleeping and crying and talking…and she decided to keep her eyes closed. She could hear the clank of dishes in the distance, and she strained slightly to attempt to hear other things…suddenly, she became aware of her nose…as the smell of shrimp entered…
Sarutobi sat down lightly in the rocking chair he had brought over to the Fourth's place, watching over the sickly girl. He'd just clanked down a bowl of steaming hot shrimp ramen on the table near the sofa where she lay. Arashi told me not to warm it too hot, but I didn't pay attention to how strong his stove was…oh well...it's better hot anyway. Besides…by the time she wakes up…
A low moan suddenly turned into an zombie-like growl as Nara awoke and pulled her self into a sitting position, once again resisting the bandages. The pain from the movement made it very jerky…as though it were being filmed by a video camera that took pictures irregularly…one moment she's here, then suddenly halfway up, then sitting up entirely. Her eyes were wide with intensity as something within her willed her body to ignore the pain. With a slow tilt of her head, she saw the bowl of ramen on the table…and Sarutobi noticed the intense look in her eyes...
Aww crap. "No! Don't!"
Too late. Narashima drew her fangs, jerkily grabbed the bowl of ramen, and robotically turned it nearly upside down, guzzling the hot grub down like a wild animal, and swallowing too quickly for nerves to register pain. Finally, at the last mouthful, her brain caught up with her instincts…"Gork…wha…HA! HOT!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!"
Sarutobi watched in jaw-dropped silence as the girl yelled at the top of her lungs, bolting to her feet and zombie-running her way into the kitchen, disconnectedly turning her head beneath the faucet and running water into her mouth…
A moment later, he heard the water turn off, a body fall, and turned and looked as she drug herself back to the sofa, and climbed up completely on her own. Smoke bellowed from her open mouth, and her face was covered with sweat…Saru shook his head for a moment…
A gruff voice could be heard, half dead…
"Fix another one…same temperature…"
Sarutobi face-faulted out of his seat and onto the floor.
"Hurry…"
"Girl…what are you made of…"
"Jii-san (old man)…hurry…" Nara jerkily turned her head toward him, her teeth looking like jagged wolf fangs...
-sweatdrop-
Oh my goodness it's an update! WHOA!
Yeah I kinda went crazy with school work and friends and stuff, and I didn't have any time to give to this. Admittingly, most of this was written a long time ago, but I had to write some conclusion stuff and clean it up...I still haven't cleaned it up yet but I've got a concert to perform in soon...so I'll go on ahead and post it anyway. Hope there aren't too many typos....or logic gaps cringe and hopefully you like the crack-induced ending that popped into my head randomly an hour or so ago.
Holidays are coming up, and that'll probably mean I'll get back to updating more often...I'll probably continue with V&H more before doing any more of SoaN.
Reviews, as always, are welcome.