Author Comments: I know I originally planned to update this weekly, but due to the fact that I'm still in school (and a rather prestigious one at that) I rarely have the fabled thing called "free time." I cannot guarantee that my updates will have less time in between, but I shall try.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, so stop rubbing it in already!
Chapter 3:
The Loki of KonohakagureThe next morning in Konohakagure began as many do, with the sun reaching out with tentative arms to peek over the horizon and check to see if it was safe from the stern gaze of its lunar counterpart. Once it found the coast clear it steadily rose into the air, and like a child gleefully doing something it knew it shouldn't, began to cast its rays into the window panes of unsuspecting villagers, and into the face of one particular fox ninja.
Hesitant eyelids split to reveal the azure orbs beneath, glazed over with sleep. Immediately they closed and his brow furrowed, the bright light eliciting a quiet curse from the shinobi as he scrubbed furiously at his eyes with the back of his arm. The second attempt at waking up bared eyes far more alert and hinting of a steel gray in annoyance as he rose and pushed the heavy quilt he had been sleeping under away from himself. With almost feline grace he stood and stretched his arms above his head, rotating his shoulder blades until there was an audible popping sound, and sighing in content he relaxed and let his arms fall to his side. Clothed in only his pants, as he no longer bothered with pajamas (not caring enough to make the "troublesome" transaction of changing cloths when the ones he had on were perfectly fine- at least in his bone weary mind after many tiring missions) he set off to walking to his kitchen, sending one last withering glare to the blazing eye beyond his window.
The gaze of the sun behind him showed that it was less than impressed.
Now alone in his tiled kitchen at 5 am, Naruto padded over to the splintering counter and thoughtfully placed his hand upon its surface. Kakashi had stated that the group was to meet at the front gates of Konoha in roughly an hour, but knowing their former sensei it would likely be noon before he himself showed up. Naruto felt a sweat-drop form and slide down his temple, for though he wasn't really adverse to waiting in particular, he didn't want to sit around for six hours with nothing to do but watch Sakura flutter her eyelashes at the ever stoic Sasuke...
Suddenly he glanced up in surprise as a bolt of inspiration crashed into his skull, splitting his face into a slowly gathering, evil grin. "Naruto the Trickster" had been dormant for far too long, and now given the opportunity to unleash the Loki of Konohakagure upon its inhabitants the fox ninja couldn't resist. He would have to act quickly if he wanted to catch his intended victim at exactly the right time, so he set about collecting what he needed for the morning while laying out a fast breakfast for himself. He then went back through the creaking hallway and into the bathroom, snatching the small container of hair dye, half-used from his more recent escapades, before going into his bedroom. The shinobi then went about the tedious task of strapping on the various knives and weapons of his profession, being sure to restock his supply of whatnots into his leg-pouch as he absentmindedly flung on the black tank top he generally wore beneath the orange jacket. He didn't bother with a shower as he had taken one the night prior, and likewise decided to forgo donning the blinding jacket in favor of coming back for it later.
Now comfortably clothed in sandals, shirt, and headband, Naruto returned to the small living room, smirking as he tossed the small jar of hair dye up and caught it repeatedly. Briefly he passed into the kitchen, catching with his free hand the slightly overdone toast as it burst free of the metal confines of the toaster, and placing a corner of the bread into his mouth to brace between his teeth as he grabbed his pack and flung it over his shoulder. His jacket he could do without, but his backpack was a priority, and to be on the safe side he brought it with him, containing what he had stored away for the mission the day before in case the scarecrow decided to be spontaneous.
The soft 'click' of the door latch, followed by an answering click as Naruto inserted his key and turned, broke the easy silence of the early morning. Not bothering to step lightly down the stairway, as not even the greasy landlord to his apartment dared to live in the same building as the 'demon', Naruto let his feet connect loudly with the cement. Not that it bothered him much to be living alone, for he could technically do whatever he wanted without having to try and sneak past any annoying neighbors. And with that he chuckled, if a bit maniacally, and cheerfully followed the pathway out of the complex and to the center of Konoha, the suspicious sound of a sigh and clacking nails fluttering at the back of his mind. The fox ninja mentally stuck his tongue out at his inmate. The fox himself just rolled his eyes.
- - - - - -
It didn't take long to reach his destination. In the early hours of the morning the majority of the village was off of the streets, leaving the air thick with a sleepy stillness. The fox ninja didn't mind the quiet, as it was so rare that he could venture into a normally heavily populated area without receiving the Look. Trash-littered sidewalks had given way to clean streets that nearly seemed swept, and the graffiti covered walls were appearing less and less often. Everything seemed so... pristine. Coming from the gutters, Naruto always felt dirty and scruffy in this part of town.
Finally coming to the complex of his newest "victim" Naruto had to stop and take an envious look at his surroundings. The brick of the buildings were a brilliant white and the lawns were carefully manicured, a stark contrast that caused the apartments to glow softly in the early light. He took the time to observe the grass by leaning down and running his hand admiringly over the tiny blades, absorbing the musky scent of loam and morning dew. In his profession he never really got to appreciate the luxury of grass, either running past the wild meadows at break-neck speeds or tearing the helpless plants from the soil while fighting a particularly aggressive opponent. He suppressed the sudden and strange urge to roll in the gentle green (a mental glare is sent to his prisoner) and stood upright, walking at a casual pace to the back of the buildings.
It was here that he planned to unleash his prank up his hapless victim. The water pump and heater was unguarded and easily accessible, and why not? Here you didn't actually need to protect your water from those that would try to take off with it behind your back. Uncapping the lid to the bulky monstrosity, Naruto reflected on what had given him the idea to try this to begin with. He had remembered a while back, when first training as a genin before the chuunin exams, that he had mentioned to Sakura his habit of showering at night rather than the morning. She had responded in her usual snide manner that girls such as herself would never think to do such a thing because one could get sweaty at night, and then where would they be if they couldn't appear beautiful the next morning?
In the same casual air that he had taken on the way over, Naruto tried not to appear too suspicious as he poured the green dye into the opening, or at least he tried not to seem as if he was enjoying himself quite so much. Everything was smooth sailing so far... until the victim's boyfriend caught him.
"... do I even want to know what you're doing?"
The blond ninja glanced behind, his mind momentarily going on overdrive as he wondered how someone could sneak up on him so easily, before he gave out an almost relieved sigh and leaned against the machine. Standing with his perpetual bad posture and high top knot, Shikamaru was gazing at Naruto through bored, half-lidded eyes. A brow arched delicately as dark orbs traced the line from Naruto's vulpine grin to his hand which continued to pour a thin stream into the machine, a grimace following as he caught sight of the label and color of the jar.
"Green, Naruto? Why must you hurt me so? Ino's going to be pissed when she gets out of the shower and she's almost impossible to handle when she gets that way... So troublesome."
"Then why put up with her, if you know she'll be difficult?"
"Because we're going on a date today." Naruto's expression turned to one of amused sympathy, even as he pulled away the jar with the last of the liquid dribbling down, and screwed the lid back on. He didn't bother to ask the other why he was up and about so early, most shinobi were nowadays with that walking paranoia Orichimaru out there, even if Sound hadn't made any hostile movements lately. Especially since Sound hadn't made any movements, because if they weren't acting they were likely plotting.
One may wonder why Naruto had chosen to prank Ino of all people, rather than a more obvious choice like Sakura. Really, it was just self-preservation. If he did it to Sakura then she would know who pranked her, and since he would be traveling with her for the next few days it wouldn't be a healthy decision. With Ino he didn't have to worry about it because he would be far away from the village before she figured it out. Secondly, he didn't want to contend with a righteously angry Rock Lee, should he be nearby as he often is to see them off when they left for missions. The guy was pretty cool with that honor code thing he had going on, but he had a wickedly painful drop-kick when it came to the "woman he loved."
"Well, good luck to ya. I think I hear someone walking around up there. Ta ta!" Giving his little closed-eye fox grin Naruto cheerfully walked away, waving at the lazy genius as he went. Shikamaru followed him with his heavily dilated eyes and a frown, hands in his pockets as he debated whether it would be worth the effort to get revenge on the blond ninja later... Nah, too troublesome.
"AAAARGH! What the HELL!" The scream from the building behind him caused the genius to sigh and shake his head, looking upwards to the clouds to hopefully derive an answer to his problems from the fluffy giants above. No such luck. And so he proceeded with his shuffle-walk to the front of the building to deal with the inevitable storm ahead of him.
TBC
Announcement: This fanfic is brought to you by Waffle Crisps- a part of a balanced breakfast that every ninja needs to do his/her best! Sponsored by Itachi-san, because obsessed, psychopathic bad guys always know the key to victory.
http// www. deviantart. com/ view/ 18520725/ (Not the artist of this, by the way)
I also noticed that some people were having trouble with the link, so I put spaces in it.
Comments: Please review. :) I tried to make this chapter a little longer, and with each successive chapter it will lengthen more. I don't generally get Writer's Block, as I have the story all played out in my head, so rest assure that that won't be a problem. The next chapter will have Naruto and Team 7 out of the village and traveling, so that should also relieve some of you.
