Best Friend's Brother 6
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters used aside from my OC
Beep Beep Beep
The alarm blared loudly throughout the room much to the annoyance of the young blonde boy who groaned as he rolled out of his bed and onto the floor with a loud thud.
"Ugh five more minutes" the teen said tiredly reaching up to his nightstand to feel around for his phone, which he was then able to knock off and drop onto his head. "Ow!" the boy exclaimed angrily sitting up and rubbing the new sore spot on his head, before looking at his phone.
'Why the hell did I set an alarm for so early on a Saturday?" the boy mused as he pressed snooze on his phone and crawled back into the comforting warmth of his bed.
He sighed in relief as he could feel his eyelids grow heavier and he could feel himself start to drift back to sleep, until a sudden thought crossed his mind.
'Why did I set an alarm?' the thought haunted him, before certain memories raced through his mind, making the young man sit up abruptly with wide eyes.
"That's great because I was wondering if you wanted to hang out on Saturday, so I could show you around Konoha." Naruto said.
"That would be great" Natsumi said letting a smile cross her face, much to the pleasant surprise of Naruto as he quickly turned to look at her almost in disbelief.
"Natsumi!" the blonde exclaimed rushing out of bed, as he ran to the bathroom to take a quick shower and prepare to get ready for the day.
...
Meanwhile Natsumi slept peacefully in her bed, curled into a small ball wrapped in her large white comforter, the black haired beauty dreamed pleasantly.
It was just another day at Konoha High as Natsumi made her way through the bustling halls, but to where she was going, the dark haired girl had no idea.
"Would you hurry up? We're going to be late" she heard a familiar voice say, bring her to an abrupt halt as she tried to focus on the source.
"Sasuke?" she asked unsure as she couldn't find him in the crowd.
"You're so annoying, hurry up" he said in an annoyed tone, that only confirmed the girl's guess.
'That's definitely him' the girl thought trying to follow the direction that he'd called her but found that the more that she pushed, the harder it was to get through the crowd.
"Excuse me!" the dark haired girl called out trying to make her way through the heard only to accomplish nothing. "Hey Sasuke wait up!" she called as she could now see him through the many students, but the Uchiha gave no response. In fact even though he stood completely still, he seemed to be getting even further away.
'What the hell?" the teen girl thought as a look of confusion crossed her face.
Then the voices started.
"That's the new girl."
"Who does she think she is?" various voices chorused around Natsumi much to her discomfort as she felt the many eyes of the unknown individuals fall onto her figure.
"Hurry up" she heard Sasuke's voice cut through the crowd, giving her a new found drive as she started to push her way through the many bodies, yet even with the progress she was making she still wasn't getting any closer to the Uchiha that was up ahead.
"Hey Sasuke!" she called for her dark haired friend only to receive silence as her voice was drowned out by the now louder voices of those surrounding her.
"She's an attention seeker"
"She did all of this on purpose"
"These were her intentions from the beginning to get popular"
"It's all an act"
"What?" Natsumi asked furrowing her brows as she continued to push through the masses. "That's not true" she said, prompting the volume of the crowd to increase as she went through.
"What a bitch"
"To think she'd use Sasuke like that"
"Or Naruto"
"Don't forget about Kabuto"
"With how comfortable she is with so many guys, she must be a real slut"
"That Sai really thought she was uncomfortable, when she was using him for attention too"
"It's not like that" Natsumi retorted coming to a halt as the voices continued. "Stop it!" she called out, but to her surprise there was no sound escaping her mouth as the voices drowned out her own voice.
"Everything's about Natsumi"
"Things were better before she came to this school"
"Things were better for everyone before she came"
"Especially her parents"
"W-What?" Natsumi asked meekly, finding her voice as she now looked around looking for the source of the comment that struck a sensitive nerve with her.
"If you were never born, they wouldn't have had to stay together so long" she heard another voice say from up ahead, making her stiffen.
"N-no" the girl said beginning to push through the crowd again.
"They've been unhappy from the very beginning and it's all because of you" the hurtful voice said again making Natsumi's eyes water.
"Stop" Natsumi pleaded trying to wipe the tears with her sleeve.
"Why? It's true" the voice said making the girl's chest tighten.
"You're wrong!" Natsumi shot back seeing the end of the crowd as she pushed through the last few people.
"But I'm not and you know it" the voice said as Natsumi finally broke through and rapidly looked around for the source.
"Who do you think you are?" Natsumi called out as she turned her head to where she thought the voice was and froze.
"I'm you" the voice said as Natsumi stared at what was indeed herself.
"I told you we were late, now hurry" Sasuke said now taking hold of the copy's hand.
"Sasuke, stop! That's not me!" Natsumi tried to call out, only to find her voice was once again mute, in fact her entire being felt as if it were fading into a void of obscurity, leaving the dark haired girl with a feeling of emptiness as she watched her doppelganger continue down the hall with Sasuke before turning to give her a last devious smirk.
"Why so you can ruin him like everything else?" the doppelganger asked in a cocky tone.
...
"No!" Natsumi screamed sitting up in her bed abruptly.
Looking around slowly, she released a sigh of relief as she could feel her rapid heart rate decrease. Bringing her hands to her face, she was shocked to feel the slickness of the warm tears that ran off her cheeks.
"Jeez" the girl said with a huff as she allowed herself to fall back into her bed and stare blankly at the white ceiling above her.
'It was just a dream' she tried to reason mentally. 'It's a bad dream because of all the stress from starting at a new school' she thought taking another deep breath.
"I'm fine" Natsumi said aloud, when the ringing of her phone interrupted her thoughts.
Reaching over to the small bedside table, she immediately sighed in relief seeing the contact ID of Naruto light up her screen.
"Hello" she answered, hoping not to sound shaken.
"Hey Natsumi I'm sorry I slept in but I'll be by your place soon" Naruto said from the other end of the line, surprising the young girl as she removed her phone from her ear to check the time.
"It's fine Naruto it still seems early" Natsumi said placing the phone back to her ear and hearing shuffling. "Naruto? What are you doing?" she asked curious to the noise.
"I just got out of the shower and I'm getting dressed now" Naruto explained with the sound of hopping being heard through the line.
"You don't have to rush" Natsumi said standing to stretch. "Be careful jumping around Naruto, if you're still wet from your shower then you might-" Natsumi continued before being cut off by the loud sound of an abrupt crash from the other line.
"... fall" Natsumi said finishing her previous sentence with a sigh as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Are you alright?" she asked.
"I'm fine" Naruto replied back into the phone in an obviously fake tone, that made Natsumi roll her eyes as she walked over to gather clothes to wear after she would get out of the shower.
"Sure" the girl replied in an unamused tone as she started to shift through her clothing to select something for the day.
"I- I'll head over in a bit" Naruto said with a light chuckle earning a hum as a response. "Ok I'll text you when I'm there" he said before, Natsumi offered another simple hum before hanging up.
She quickly made her way out of her room to the bathroom to prepare, hoping Naruto would give her enough time to get ready. The young girl turned on the water, allowing the water to run onto her face to wake herself more before continuing with her normal routine. Afterwards she returned to her room with her towel wrapped securely around her body as she looked over her choice of clothes for the day.
'A dress seems too formal' she thought critically, holding up the article of clothing before deciding to hang it back up with a frustrated sigh as she looked through for something else and much to her alarm hearing her phone ding. As she checked the message she was on edge seeing that Naruto had arrived and was currently waiting outside. So she hastily dressed, ultimately deciding on a simple outfit.
...
The blonde yawned loudly as he leaned against the side of the front door.
Not long after he heard a rushing to the door making him stand back as he assumed the door was being unlocked. Upon its opening he was met with the sight of a very rushed looking Natsumi, bringing a smile to his face as he looked over her appearance. Her black hair pulled into a simple ponytail with her bangs still falling just above her brown hues. She wore a white t-shirt, a large oversized grey cardigan over top with a faded pair of blue skinny jeans, and a pair of black shoes.
"Hey Natsumi you look nice" Naruto complimented with a warm smile, as Natsumi returned the gesture and took a moment to take in his appearance as well.
He wore a an orange zip up hoodie undone and exposing a white shirt underneath with an odd swirling design in black, along with a pair of dark blue jeans and black high tops.
"Good morning Naruto" Natsumi greeted the young man with a smile. "I like you're shirt" she complimented the boy pointing to the shirt, making him look down before nodding in agreement.
"Oh thanks I forgot what I was wearing" he said with a light laugh as he ran a hand through his blonde tuft of hair.
"What's the design?" Natsumi asked curiously, taking a step closer to examine it.
"Oh well you see it's a sealing mark" Naruto explained intriguing the young girl as she looked up to him curiously. "It's an ancient seal that's been in my father's family for generations, so I put it on a shirt" he continued with a smile as he pulled his hoodie to the side to further expose the shirt to Natsumi who nodded in understanding before looking back to it again.
"That's so cool" she praised "So you put this on the shirt from hand?" she asked turning her head to look over the pattern.
"Yup" Naruto replied with a bashful chuckle escaping him.
"Cool" Natsumi commented standing upright again before turning back around to lock her door with her key. "So where to first?" she asked as she spun back to face her blonde friend.
"To Ichiraku Ramen!" Naruto exclaimed placing an arm around Natsumi's shoulders while pointing forward triumphantly with his other hand.
"Ramen this early?" she asked raising a brow.
"Of course there's no better way to start the day" Naruto said excitedly as the teens walked away from Natsumi's house. "Besides we haven't had breakfast yet" the blonde stated before a large growl emitted from both teens, making him laugh before taking hold of Natsumi's hand and excitedly pulling the young girl forward.
...
"Naruto slow down!" Natsumi said loudly as she tried to pull her arm back from the hyperactive blonde, but failed. The pair had long left the neighborhood area and had entered the main street that held many local food shacks.
"Come on Natsumi it's not much further!" Naruto said encouragingly as he pointed to a small shop with the banner hung above the entrance.
"Hey Old Man!" Naruto greeted the shop owner happily as the teens made their way into the ramen shop. Natsumi saw he was an older heavy set man wearing a white shirt with a hat.
"Naruto it's good to see you" the older man said turning away from his stove to greet the blonde boy, and letting a pleasantly surprised smile cross his features as his eyes fell upon the young dark haired girl, that Naruto was leading in.
"This is Natsumi, she's new" Naruto introduced the dark haired girl, as he released his hold on her hand and the teens sat in the stools at the counter, smiling at the man.
"Oh a new friend?" the man said smiling and earning a grin while the blonde boy nodded happily. Meanwhile Natsumi had offered a kind smile as well, while shaking out her arm that felt like Naruto nearly pulled out of its socket.
"Order whatever you want Natsumi" Naruto suddenly said turning to the girl with a smile. "It's all on me" the boy said proudly with another smile, as Natsumi nodded in understanding, before hearing a light chuckle escape from the shop owner.
"On a date Naruto? That's so grown up of you" the man commented with a playful smile that made the blonde blush in embarrassment.
"What? No way" Naruto said bashfully waving off the comment as he too laughed. "I just want her to have a good first experience with the best ramen ever" the blonde continued.
"What's a better experience than the best ramen ever?" the man asked with another laugh.
"Dad you should let Naruto enjoy his friend's company" a young lady with light brown hair and a white uniform said popping up from behind the counter, surprising Natsumi.
"We're only having fun" the older man said with a smile.
"Hey Ayame, this is my friend Natsumi, she just moved to Konoha this week" Naruto said waving at the young woman before motioning towards Natsumi.
When the young lady turned, she smiled warmly at the teen girl, making her feel welcome. Overall the entire atmosphere of this small ramen shop made Natsumi feel comfortable, especially with the kindness from the father and daughter workers.
"I think I'll have a Miso Pork Ramen!" the blonde announced excitedly.
"That sounds good, I think I'll have that too" Natsumi said observing the way Naruto jumped as he ordered.
"Make that two!" Naruto said with a large smile as he held up two fingers and the man, who Natsumi assumed to be Ichiraku smiled and nodded in understanding before turning around to prepare the meals.
"So do you come here often?" Natsumi asked curiously.
"If I'm being honest I'm here almost every other day after school" Naruto said with an awkward smile as he casually scratched the back of his neck, and Natsumi nodded in understanding.
"How long have you been coming here?" the young girl asked, making a look of contemplation cross Naruto's features as the boy thought about his answer.
"Forever really" the blonde responded after a while with a light laugh, as Natsumi once again nodded in response.
"That's cool so I'm guessing ramen is your favorite" Natsumi stated, earning an earnest smile from the teen boy beside her.
"Of course!" Naruto laughed happily, making a smile cross Natsumi's face at his happy go lucky attitude.
"Hn" the girl said before turning away from the young man to let her let her eyes wonder the business more, taking in the long counter with the various stools and the kitchen behind the counter.
"Hey Natsumi I actually have a question" Naruto suddenly said, catching the attention of the dark haired girl, making her turn her head back to face him with a curious expression on her features as she rose her brows.
"Yes?" Natsumi asked looking over the blonde who now wore a somewhat serious expression.
"How did you like working with Sasuke on that presentation?" he asked, shifting his gaze slightly away from Natsumi's brown hues.
"It was alright, why?" the girl asked leaning forward to catch sight of Naruto's blue eyes.
"I'm only asking because I know Sasuke isn't the easiest the get along with" Naruto explained further intriguing the young girl. "But even so you two did really well on your presentation" Naruto continued, making Natsumi grow weary.
"Uh thanks" Natsumi said with confusion evident as she waited for the blonde to finish his thought.
"The thing is Sasuke can be a little ... cold at times so ..." the blonde started again before drifting off in thought as if to figure how he would word his next statement.
"So?" Natsumi asked trying to encourage the blonde who currently had his brows furrowed in deep thought.
"If he isn't always the greatest friend to you, you can always count on me to beat him into shape for you" Naruto said letting a smile return to his features as his gaze met the concerned brown eyes of Natsumi as she flashed back to her nightmare from before.
"To think she'd use Sasuke like that"
The line rang through from her dream, making a far off look cross Natsumi's face as she stared blankly at the counter in front of her.
'Sasuke's my friend' she thought trying to push the memory of the dream to the back of her mind.
"You alright Natsumi?" Naruto asked furrowing his brows in concern as he noticed the grim look overcome the young girl.
"Y-yeah" she replied dismissively waving a hand.
"You can tell me what's bothering you, you know?" Naruto said offering the young girl a comforting look, which put her at ease.
"I just had this stupid dream" she stated letting her eyes shift to the right uncomfortably, while Naruto looked at her, urging her to continue. "It was weird" she said holding up her hands.
"Oh yeah what about?" he asked, making the girl release a sigh as she knew Naruto's concern wouldn't let him simply drop the subject.
"I was at school and I was trying to catch up with Sasuke in the hallway, but no matter how hard I tried I wasn't making any progress ... It's like I was stuck" Natsumi explained wearily as she contemplated going into greater detail with Naruto, after all some of the things said were still a little too personal for her to tell her blonde friend.
"No matter what you do or how hard you try to push yourself it's not enough to catch up to Sasuke" Naruto reiterated, catching Natsumi's attention as she looked at him curiously.
"Yeah exactly" she agreed surprised at his response.
"I've had the same dream Natsumi" Naruto said honestly.
'I doubt it' the teen girl thought.
"Sometimes being around him can make you feel like you're not enough, but as long as you keep pushing you'll get there" the blonde continued with an encouraging smile as he looked at Natsumi.
"Hn" she replied simply, obviously disappointed by the direction Naruto's analysis had gone as her eyes shifted away from his gaze.
"So what else happened?" Naruto asked curiously.
"The people in the hall started saying all these terrible things" Natsumi explained, intriguing the boy next to her. "At first they were just repeating gossip from school but then they said the worst things like I was an attention seeker or I was using you guys for popularity" the girl went on shifting uncomfortably as she continued, unknowingly making the blonde boy beside clench his fists in anger.
"Who said those things?" Naruto said with the anger evident in his voice, which surprised Natsumi as she looked at him in confusion.
"It was just a dream" Natsumi said thinking back to the crowd.
"Natsumi I've heard those rumors" Naruto admitted making Natsumi's chest clench and her stomach drop.
"You what?" she asked in disbelief as her brows rose.
"I heard those rumors at school that you only fight with Sasuke and hang out with me to get attention, but none of that is true" Naruto said, surprising Natsumi as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Whoever is making all that up, is just jealous because I know you and I know you're not that kind of person" Naruto said making a smile cross Natsumi's face as looked over her blonde friend with a new found appreciation.
"T-Thank you" she said.
"And when I find who's been spreading those nasty lies I'm going to tear them a new one! Believe it!" Naruto exclaimed with a clenched fist, before Natsumi removed his other hand from her shoulder with a laugh.
"I don't need you getting into any trouble because of me" the girl said, imagining the rumors Naruto would start if he lashed out to try and protect her.
"Hey I never go back on my word!" Naruto said loudly making Natsumi roll her eyes, before he offered her one of his signature smiles, making a small smile cross the girl's face as well.
"Order up!" Ayame, the shop keeper's daughter, announced happily as she set the two steaming bowls of ramen down in front of the teenage customers.
The two immediately silenced themselves as they went to work on the meals placed before them, and making the old man smile hearing nothing but the sound of the two eating. It didn't take long for Naruto to finish the first bowl, and soon ordered more. By the end of their meal Natsumi had only eaten one bowl, whereas Naruto had surprised the girl by polishing off about four bowls that he had stacked in front of him proudly.
'He sure does love ramen' Natsumi thought looking over the satisfied smile the boy had as he breathed out with a smile on his face and his hands placed on his stomach.
"The check please!" Naruto stated loudly before being handed the bill by the owner, and his brows rising in surprise.
"Everything alright?" Natsumi asked leaning over to look at the bill the blonde held in his hand.
"Hey old man, it doesn't look like you charged me for all five bowls" Naruto said as he scratched his head in confusion while holding up the bill.
"I gave you a discount since you were on a date" Ichiraku replied stacking a few dishes on top of one another to be taken to the back to wash.
"But I told you we weren't on a date" Naruto said further confused.
"Do you want to be charged the full price?" the man asked, making an awkward laugh escape Naruto as he pulled out his frog shaped wallet.
"N-No it's fine thank you" Naruto said with a smile as he took out the money to cover the food the pair had eaten and handed to Ayame, who simply smiled to the pair.
Not long after the teens said their goodbyes to the father and daughter before departing into the busy streets of Konoha.
...
"That was great" Natsumi exclaimed as the teens walked through the streets. "Thanks Naruto" she said offering the boy a grateful smile, which he returned happily.
"I told you it was the best" the boy said happily with a closed eyed smile crossing his face.
"Hn" the girl said nodding. "So where to next?" she asked looking to the various shops they passed.
"I was thinking the park so we could walk off the food then maybe the arcade when it starts getting warmer" he explained, earning another nod from Natsumi as the pair continued on.
Eventually the teenagers had arrived at the destination of the park. It was a massive grassy area surrounded by semi tall hedges of bushes, with the opening having a large path way leading to a playground at the center where a few small children were already playing, then with several smaller sidewalks separating into various directions of the park.
"Wow" Natsumi commented as the two entered and began to make their way down one of the sidewalks.
"Yeah it's a nice day" Naruto said leaning his head upwards as he folded his hands behind his head in a relaxed manner.
"Hn" Natsumi replied in agreement as her eyes wandered over the area revealing more grass, a few trees and some bushes.
'This park is huge' she thought as the teens continued on. 'And nice' she thought observing how well kept it was, with the grass showing no signs of yellow spots and there seemed to be not even a single leaf on the ground. It was peaceful as the pair walked on with Naruto eventually breaking the silent bliss as he began to recant a tale of one of his many adventures to Natsumi.
...
While listening to the blonde boy, Natsumi thought she heard fast approaching steps but ignored it as she refocused her attention on Naruto who seemed oblivious as he talked on.
"I was able to get almost all the way up to the top of the tree too. At the end of the night, Sasuke had to help me make it home. It was actually really funny but at the time I was so tired it felt like I could sleep for like two days you kno- OW!" Naruto spoke before having the wind knocked out of him as he was taken down to the ground by a huge white dog.
"Naruto are you ok?" Natsumi asked alarmed by the sudden interruption that made her eyes widen as she watched the dog, that was roughly the size of Naruto, pin him down as it started to lick the blondes face.
"Naruto I thought that was you" Kiba suddenly said catching Natsumi's attention as she turned to see him approach.
Kiba wore a blank grey t-shirt underneath a black jacket with white stripes on the sleeves, black joggers, and a pair of black shoes. He walked up with a smug look across his face with his typical smirk which displayed his canine like teeth and his hands in the pockets of his jackets casually.
"I should've known it was you Kiba!" Naruto shouted from beneath the large dog as Kiba turned his attention to Natsumi.
"Hey Natsumi what are you doing here?" he asked with a smile, while Naruto continued to scream from under Akamaru.
"Hey Kiba" Natsumi greeted awkwardly smiling as she scratched the back of her head. "Naruto offered to show me around Konoha today since I'm still pretty new to the town" she went on, making Kiba raise his brows in interest.
"Oh really? I could've done that" the brunette said taking a step towards Natsumi, who uncomfortably shifted her gaze toward the dog on top of Naruto. Noticing the path of Natsumi's gaze, Kiba smiled.
"Oh yeah!" he exclaimed before whistling, making the animal jump back from Naruto and return to Kiba's side obediently. "This is Akamaru" Kiba said proudly presenting the dog to the girl who was still in shock at the large stature the animal held.
"He's really big" Natsumi commented looking at dog that stood beside the boy, before returning her gaze to Naruto's angry form that was now rising from the ground.
"Yeah I've had him for what feels like forever" Kiba went on, before surprising Natsumi as he reached out to take hold of her hand and brought it forward to his companion. Akamaru sniffed for a second before licking the girl's hand, and making a smile cross her face. "Akamaru this is Natsumi" Kiba introduced.
"He's so cute" Natsumi stated stepping toward Akamaru and beginning to pet him, much to the dismay of Naruto who shot Kiba a dirty look.
"Yeah when he's not knocking people over" Naruto said angrily, earning a glare from Kiba.
"Maybe you should watch where you're going" Kiba said crossing his arms, as Naruto glared back.
"Maybe someone should be on a leash" Naruto said annoyed.
"Akamaru doesn't need a leash he's perfectly trained" Kiba shot back.
"I wasn't talking about Akamaru!" Naruto yelled back, as both boys took a step toward one another aggressively.
"Well this was fun!" Natsumi said suddenly as she stood between the two young men, with hands on either side of her rose to stop them from continuing.
"Do you have something to say Uzamaki?" Kiba asked angrily.
"No!" Natsumi shouted turning fully to face the brunette with both her hands placed on his chest to stop his approach to the blonde. "Because we have to be going to the arcade now" she exclaimed before turning her head to look back at the blonde, who's look of anger soon faded.
"Oh yeah I'm taking Natsumi to the arcade!" Naruto said smugly as he shot Kiba a cocky smile when Natsumi turned her head back to face the brunette.
"The arcade?" Kiba asked letting his brows rise in disbelief. "No way, that sounds awesome" he said, earning a childish laugh from Naruto. "I think I'll come too" he said with a large smile, making Naruto's laugh cease as his face now had a look of horror.
"You know it's really supposed to be just Natsumi and me." Naruto said in an annoyed tone, but before Kiba could retort, he was silenced by the sound of his phone ringing.
"Hello ... Oh hey mom ... What? No I'm walking Akamaru right now... Well yeah I was going to go to the arcade with some friends- but mom ... yeah I get it" the brunette spoke into his device before releasing a heavy sigh. "I'm going to have to run home with Akamaru really quick, but I can meet you guys there as soon as I'm done" the boy said turning to Naruto and Natsumi.
"Sounds great" Natsumi said as the teens started to make their way back down the sidewalk to the entrance of the park, with an excited Kiba, a semi annoyed Natsumi, and a very dejected Naruto, while Akamaru followed behind.
"I can't wait to play that zombie game" Kiba said enthusiastically as the group reached the entrance to the park.
"So you forgot you were meeting with me to hang out?" a monotone voice stated from off to the side, catching the attention of the teens, as they turned to see Shino standing there.
He wore a huge green jacket that was zipped all the way up with the hood on, only exposing his usual sunglasses, while he wore a pair of black pants with black shoes. He stood with his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his jacket and a dark depressed aura surrounding him as the teens looked at him.
"Shino!" Kiba exclaimed looking over his friend. "My bad I forgot" Kiba said awkwardly scratching the back of his head, which made the young man release a sigh of annoyance.
"I'm always forgotten" Shino said unhappily.
"Some friend you are" Naruto commented, bumping Kiba with his elbow.
"Would you shut up Naruto?" Kiba asked irritant.
"And you always forget my name" Shino said bluntly to the blonde, making him shrink back.
"Oh come on Shino, you can't still be upset about that" Naruto said offering an awkward smile that was met with no reply from the boy.
"Hi Shino" Natsumi said, waving awkwardly at the young man as both Kiba and Naruto were surprisingly quiet. Immediately she caught his attention.
"Hello Natsumi" he replied.
"We were heading over to the arcade if you wanted to come?" Natsumi offered shocking Naruto and Kiba as Shino nodded in agreement, before he and Natsumi started to walk a head.
"Hey wait a minute I was supposed to be the one showing Natsumi around, you know?" Naruto said running after the pair.
"Wait guys I still have to run home!" Kiba yelled after the pair. "Don't forget about me!" he called, making only Shino stop and turn.
"You mean like you forgot about me?" Shino asked, making Kiba stiffen.
"Uh I-I'll just catch up later" Kiba called back, before Shino walked off with Natsumi and Naruto. The brunette released a heavy sigh looking over to Akamaru. "Let's make this fast buddy" he said as his dog barked in agreement, before both took off in a run toward his home.
...
"So Naruto what have you showed Natsumi so far?" Shino asked as the teens walked.
"Ichiraku Ramen and the park" Naruto replied as he walked his hands folded behind his head.
"That's it?" Shino asked in disbelief. "Not the library? Or city hall? Or stores? Just the Ramen shop and park?" he continued as Naruto narrowed his eyes at him.
"Yeah so?" the blonde asked defensively.
"You haven't bothered showing her anything useful" Shino stated striking a nerve with the blonde.
"It's not like the tour was over yet" Naruto exclaimed in an annoyed tone.
"Do you even know where the library is?" Shino asked, making Naruto stop abruptly.
"Shut up will ya?" Naruto said turning around to face Shino, as a pink blush crossed his face in embarrassment.
"I guess it's a good thing you ran into me then" Shino stated shaking his head disapprovingly at the angry blonde. "I'll show you where the important things are" Shino said walking alongside Natsumi, who couldn't help but let a light giggle escape as she had watched the boys.
"Sounds good to me" the girl commented, as Naruto ran after to catch up to the pair.
With that having been established, Shino had taken the liberty of insisting that the group take the long way, in order for him to give the young girl a proper tour. It started off at the city hall, where the town leader more commonly known as the Hokage resided. Next was the Hospital, where they had one of the leading volunteer programs started by their very own Principal Tsunade. Then the shopping district of Konoha, which varied in its selection of shops that even, included Ino's family flower shop. Finally the library which was only second largest compared to the City Hall.
"Wow" Natsumi stated looking up at the building with the massive stairs leading up to the entrance.
"Yes it's very impressive" Shino commented with his hands in his pockets.
"No it's very boring, it's a library, there's nothing but books" Naruto complained, agitated at how Shino had managed to highjack the entire tour.
"Isn't that the point?" a calm voice said, catching the attention of the group, as they turned to the source and saw it was none other than Sai who approached the pair with his arms full of art supplies.
'It just had to be this guy' Naruto thought glaring at the pale boy who had his usual smile.
"You really aren't that smart to figure something so simple out, then again it's not like much is expected from you anyways" Sai went on as he stood beside the blonde.
Sai was dressed in a dark grey turtle neck long sleeve with black pants and black shoes. Naruto could feel himself grit his teeth at the young man.
"What did you say?" Naruto asked angrily.
"I knew you weren't the smartest, but I didn't know you were hard of hearing too" Sai commented with his signature closed eyed smile, that further infuriated Naruto.
"Why you" Naruto said clenching his fists as he took a step toward the pale boy, only to be stopped as Shino placed an arm in front of him.
"Would you calm down?" Shino asked slightly annoyed at the blonde's temper. "You shouldn't be so eager to make a scene, especially in front of Natsumi"
"I'm going to teach this guy a lesson" Naruto said angrily ignoring Shino's comment as he tried to move the young man's arm.
"What lesson could you possibly teach me?" Sai asked.
"Hi Sai" Natsumi said waving at the dark haired teen, who only now noticed her.
"Natsumi? Hello there" he said politely as he walked off from Naruto.
"What are you doing here?" Natsumi asked curiously observing the supplies Sai held in his arms being: a large canvas, a sketch book, and a few graphite pencils.
"I like to use the desks here for sketching" Sai replied turning the canvas around to show to the young girl, as well as the other curious eyes of the group.
"Oh wow that's so cool" Natsumi complimented the piece, earning a nod of agreement from Shino before Naruto spoke.
"It's nothing special" Naruto commented folding his arms dismissively.
"Just like what's between your legs" Sai said back smoothly, making the teens burst into laughter as Naruto was about to lunge at the pale boy.
"I should've known that entire racket was from you Naruto" Shikamaru's voice said as he approached the scene with his hands in his pockets and Choji at his side, stopping Naruto's actions as the group turned to the pair.
"Shikamaru, Choji" Naruto said in greeting to the boys while Natsumi and Shino simply waved at the pair.
Shikamaru wore a pair of black pants, a green plaid button up and black high tops, while Choji wore grey sweat pants, a red long sleeve shirt, and a pair of white shoes.
"What are you guys doing here?" Naruto asked curiously.
"My old man wanted us to help him at work today, so he sent us here to drop off this report" Shikamaru replied holding up an envelope, as the group nodded in understanding.
"Oh that sounds really boring" Naruto commented folding his hands behind his head.
"It must not be a task for the short minded" Sai commented entering the encounter as the blonde turned to him angrily.
"I'm going to kill him" Naruto yelled jumping at the boy, only to be stopped as Shikamaru and Choji took hold of his arms on either side of him.
"Leave it to Naruto to be at the center of problem" Sakura's voice said catching the teen's attention as the group turned to see the pinkette approach with Ino. The two girls wore white uniform dresses and carried stacks of large books.
"Sakura" Naruto said in greeting as he shook off Shikamaru and Choji and a smile crossed his face at the sight of the girl, much to Natsumi's annoyance as she thought back to how Sasuke said the blonde had a crush on the pink haired girl.
'What an idiot' Natsumi thought looking at the dopey look Naruto wore on his face as he stared at the girl.
"Oh hey Sai, what do you have there?" Sakura asked turning her attention away from the blonde as she noticed the canvas Sai held.
"Oh that's so pretty" Ino complimented.
"Yes it's very nice" Sakura said in praise, making Naruto scoff.
"Wow we don't even get acknowledged, some friends" Shikamaru stated, earning a nod of agreement from Choji, as Natsumi turned to Shino half expecting an 'I'm used to it'.
"What is it?" Shino asked noticing Natsumi's gaze, which she quickly reverted in response.
"Nothing" she responded, now catching the eyes of the two girls, who then gave each other knowing looks.
"So Naruto what are you up to?" Sakura asked gaining back the blonde's attention.
"Oh we're going to head to the arcade" the blonde said with a smile. "Do you want to come Sakura?" he asked nervously scratching the back of his neck as a light blush crossed his face.
"Hey if you're inviting the girl's then we'll come too" Choji now said cutting in.
"Sounds like a good way to get out of helping my dad" Shikamaru agreed catching Naruto's attention as he turned to the boys.
"I was talking to Sakura" Naruto said dejectedly, before returning his glance to the pink haired girl.
"You know we'd love to" Sakura said with a smile as she glanced at Ino.
"Oh but we have to return these books to the library from the hospital" Ino said glancing to Sakura again.
"I didn't know you joined Tsunade's volunteer program at the hospital" Shikamaru said looking to Ino with a look of confusion.
"Of course, I couldn't let Sakura have the better resume out of the two of us" the blonde girl replied, making Shikamaru rolls his eyes at her response.
'They're awfully competitive' Natsumi mentally noted.
"You know Naruto if you could help us with these books then we'd be more than happy to come with you" Sakura said, making the blonde boy perk up as he immediately rushed to take the stacks she and Ino held.
'She played him' Natsumi thought shaking her head at Naruto for being taken advantage of, as he made his way into the building with the two girls.
"What are you all up to?" Sai then asked turning to the remaining teens.
"Showing Natsumi around Konoha" Shino replied to Sai before recanting the morning's events.
"That sounds nice. Like what friends do" Sai said. "Why wasn't I invited? I thought we were friends Natsumi" Sai continued with his unchanging smile still plastered on his face.
'Didn't take Sai to be the petty type' Natsumi thought looking at the young man.
"No one was supposed to be invited" Naruto said returning with the girls. "It was just supposed to be Natsumi and me" he said putting emphasize on the end as he turned to look around the group of five that had joined.
"The reason I'm here is because Natsumi invited me since Kiba forgot about me" Shino said bluntly, making the group look at him awkwardly.
"I wanted to come so we could get barbeque later" Choji said opening a bag of chips, as the group now looked at him awkwardly.
"I mentioned before it'll be a good way out of helping my old man at City Hall today, but then again you guys are so dramatic ... What a drag" Shikamaru said shrugging his shoulders casually.
"Well if we're being honest we thought if Naruto was going somewhere, Sasuke might show up later" Sakura admitted as both she and Ino looked downward guiltily.
There were no more words as the teens looked to one another, waiting for someone to break the silence.
"Wow it is super awkward now" Natsumi commented, catching the groups' attention.
"Like I said before there's always drama with these guys" Shikamaru stated nonchalantly as he released a deep breath.
"Anyways why don't we head over to the arcade now?" Natsumi asked turning to look at Naruto.
"Yeah I guess we should" the blonde said as the group started to leave the front of the library, before Sakura stopped and turned to Sai.
"You know if you want, you can come with us" the pinkette offered.
"No thanks I'd prefer the quiet of the library than being around fake friends" Sai said letting his smile fall from his face.
"Wait what?" Sakura asked perplexed by the change in his mood.
"Naruto might be an idiot but I'm not, I saw the way you and Ino treated Natsumi because of Sasuke and if I'm being honest it's almost as despicable as how you take advantage of Naruto's crush on you to get closer to Sasuke." Sai explained, making Sakura's eyes widen.
"I don't know what you're talking about you can't compare Natsumi to Naruto" Sakura said.
"Why not? You treat them both according to how they can affect your relationship with Sasuke, the only difference is you're ruder to Natsumi than Naruto" Sai said bluntly.
"That doesn't make me a fake friend" Sakura said obviously upset at the young man's words.
"Natsumi and Naruto are both Sasuke's friends, yet you treat them differently, so you are being fake because otherwise you'd treat them the same" Sai said striking a nerve with the pink haired girl. "Just something for you to think about Sakura, but have fun tonight with your 'friends'" Sai said before walking past Sakura to the library's entrance, and leaving the pink haired teen with her thoughts.
...
The group continued on for a while before Ino noticed Sakura's absence. The blonde girl immediately offered to wait alone, but Shikamaru and Choji protested and went back to search with her while Naruto, Natsumi, and Shino continued on.
"Sakura texted me" Naruto suddenly exclaimed, making the teens stop again as he read. "It looks like her and Ino are going to stop at their houses to change, then they're going to meet us with Shikamaru and Choji at the arcade later" Naruto surmised, before the teens continued on again.
It wasn't long before the teens arrived at the location, where a very upset Kiba paced out front angrily.
"Where have you guys been?" he asked crossing his arms. "Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for you?" he said irritated.
"Someone wanted to take the long way" Naruto commented glaring at Shino who wore no expression.
After explaining what had happened the teens entered the establishment. It was one of those buildings that appeared much bigger on the inside than the outside. Yet even though it seemed large it was still dark, with the main lights being from the various games.
The teens had decided to play foosball in teams of two until the others arrived. They started out with Naruto and Natsumi against Kiba and Shino, before alternating teams. Eventually the matches grew dull, especially when Naruto and Kiba were on a team and couldn't stop arguing which took the fun out of the game as Natsumi and Shino stood silently watching. Thankfully the two males were interrupted by the arrival of the rest of the group.
"We're gone for fifteen minutes and you two are each other's throats" Shikamaru said walking over to the table followed by Choji, before Sakura and Ino came shortly after.
Looking over the teen girls, Sakura wore a red spaghetti strap top that flowed out toward the bottom with a pair of black ripped skinny jeans and short black heeled boots with a medal buckle going across the front strap. While Ino wore a purple fitted cropped top that exposed her stomach with a high wasted tight black skirt with buttons going up the side and a pair of black shoes.
"Yeah whatever" Kiba said waving off the comment, while Naruto had suddenly become quiet as he stared dumb founded at Sakura, which made Natsumi roll her eyes upon noticing.
"Y-you look really pretty Sakura" Naruto complimented the pinkette shyly with a blush and smile.
"What else should we play?" Natsumi asked loudly, interrupting Naruto's staring.
"Zombies" Kiba said excitedly, earning a nod from Shino.
"I'm probably just going to take a nap in the chair of one of the racing games" Shikamaru responded dully, as Choji hummed in agreement as he'd stuffed another handful of chips into his mouth.
"We were going to go buy drinks for everyone, if you want to come?" Sakura asked quietly looking down, shocking Natsumi and Ino as both gave the girl looks of surprise.
"Uh Sakura I need to talk to you for a second alone" Ino said with a fake smile as she grabbed Sakura by the forearm forcefully pulling her away as Natsumi could only blink as she watched.
"What is your problem?" Ino asked narrowing her eyes at Sakura in suspicion.
"I- I don't know what you're talking about" Sakura lied shifting her green eyes from Ino's blue ones.
"You've always been such a bad liar Sakura. Now tell me what's going on with you and how little Miss Popular fits into all of this" Ino said holding up a finger to Sakura, who furrowed her brows in frustration before pushing the blonde's hand away.
"Have you ever considered that we might be wrong about her? Maybe it's not all an act and she really doesn't like Sasuke" Sakura replied.
"And maybe she's worked whatever deluded magic she has for the boys onto you. You let her get into your head, into you're huge billboard head" Ino said angrily folding her arms across her chest.
"You know what Ino-Pig, you can say whatever you like but I'd rather try and be her friend for Sasuke's sake than push her away along with him" Sakura scoffed before walking off from Ino in a huff.
...
Meanwhile Natsumi had allowed herself to wonder around observing the various games before the sound of her phone's ringing surprised her. Pulling out the device she was pleasantly surprised to see Hinata's name.
"Hey Hinata" Natsumi answered cheerily.
"Hello Natsumi I was wondering if you had plans this evening because I was hoping you could come to dinner with me and my cousin Neji and his friends" Hinata's light voice came over the line.
"Oh Hinata that sounds great but I'm still at the arcade with Naruto, Shikamaru, Ino, Choji, Kiba, Shino, and Sakura" Natsumi listed.
"Oh I didn't realize it was a group thing" Hinata commented.
"I don't think it was intentional but it's what it turned to" Natsumi said before jumping in surprise as Sakura suddenly appeared in front of her.
"Natsumi is everything alright?" Hinata asked in a concerned tone from the phone as she heard the shuffling of Natsumi almost dropping her phone.
"Oh I'm sorry I was hoping you could help me carry the drinks for everyone" Sakura said with a light smile as she used her thumb to point back at the snack counter.
"Uh yeah sure ..." Natsumi replied nodding to the pink haired teen before placing her phone back to her ear. "Hey Hinata everything's good but I'll call you back in a little while o-"she began to speak to Hinata before her phone was taken out of her hands by Sakura.
"Hello Hinata its Sakura how are you?" the pink haired girl spoke into the phone. "Yeah we're all hanging out at the arcade but I think Naruto mentioned stopping by the old elementary school before we go to dinner. You should come." Sakura offered, alarming Natsumi as she began to walk off with the girl's phone.
"My phone" Natsumi said quietly following the pink haired girl.
"Oh Neji and his friends? I'm sure they would love to come" Sakura continued into the phone, making Natsumi raise a brow as she listened to Sakura set up plans for later. "Ok we'll see you later then but for now we're gonna hangout here for a while but I'll make sure to text you when I tell Naruto ... Ok well bye" Sakura went on before hanging up and handing the device back to a confused Natsumi.
"So?" Natsumi asked as the girls made their way up to the counter.
"We're going to meet with Hinata, Neji, Tenten, and Lee later" Sakura responded as she looked up to the menu.
"Hn" Natsumi replied before Sakura ordered six drinks for the group of teens. There wasn't much said after this while the girls waited. Soon the drinks arrived, taking the drinks and bringing them to their friends. It was then that Sakura had told Naruto about the plans to enlarge the group, which at this point he didn't mind. The teens continued to play the various games, with Natsumi taking notice that Sakura seemed to be lingering around her offering a kind smile, which highly off put her.
"Hey Natsumi come here I want to show you how to play this" Kiba said excitedly waving the young girl over to the shooting game he was at. She slowly made her way over as he inserted more coins to the machine. He quickly explained the basics as she picked up the gun, before standing behind her and wrapping his arms around her to show her how to fire the gun, something that immediately made her stiffen in discomfort at his proximity.
"I can handle it" she said trying to shake off the teen boy, who only laughed before moving.
"I'm just trying to help" he said with a smile as he stepped back and Natsumi scoffed before returning her attention to the screen where the first flock of zombies appeared for her to take aim at. It wasn't the hardest thing; it was actually very enjoyable as it distracted her from the scene behind her.
"You think you're so smooth" Shino commented as he shook his head disapprovingly at Kiba, who simply offered his friend a smirk.
"I'm just being friendly" Kiba said back, making Shino scoff at his friend's actions as he knew fully about Kiba's intentions in showing Natsumi to play.
'He's an idiot if he thinks that it'd be that easy to get her to return his feelings' Shino thought as the boys watched the young girl continue to play the game, yet they weren't the only ones as Sakura too had noticed the exchange and watched with a new smile crossing her features.
Not long after they were done, Naruto had announced that the teens would be setting off, which they did.
...
Soon the group arrived at a large building with a huge sign reading Konoha Elementary with a tall gate surrounding it. Yet this gate wasn't locked, allowing the teens to open it and slip in as they made their way down the large walkway toward the building and around the side to reveal a massive playground with huge tree off to the side with a single swing hung from a branch.
"Wow" Natsumi commented as the teens made their way to the playground.
"Yup this place hasn't changed a bit" Kiba said with a smile as he rested his hands behind his head.
"Hey it's that window we jumped out of when we got in trouble that one time" Choji said pointing over to a large window of the school, making Naruto, Kiba, and Shikamaru laugh at the memory.
"You boys were always such trouble makers" Ino commented.
"At least we didn't look like idiots chasing after Sasuke" Naruto shot back earning encouraging laughs from the boys and a low growl from the blonde girl.
"You all realize this is breaking and entering don't you?" a serious male voice said catching the group's attention.
Turning to the source they were meant with the arrival of Neji, Hinata, Lee, and Tenten. Hinata wore a large white and purple jacket unzipped to reveal a loose light grey top with a pair of black skinny jeans and white shoes. Neji had on a black headband, a white long sleeved shirt, a pair of dark blue jeans, and black shoes. Lee wore a green t-shirt with black sweat pants and white running shoes. Finally Tenten wore a loose pink crop top with high wasted black leggings and a pair of white running shoes.
"Neji" Naruto exclaimed upon seeing the teen boy approach closer with his friends.
"You know you'd be breaking and entering too right?" Kiba asked earning an eye roll from the boy called Neji.
'So he must be Hinata's cousin' Natsumi thought looking over the boy and noting his eyes which were exactly like her friend's.
"Natsumi" Hinata said walking up the dark haired girl with a kind smile.
"Hinata" Natsumi replied returning the gesture before seeing the boy named Neji approach as well.
"This is my cousin Neji" Hinata said motioning to the boy who held out a hand.
"I'm Hinata's friend Natsumi" the dark haired girl said shaking the boy's hand.
"Ah yes she's mentioned you before it's nice to meet you" the boy said stiffly.
'If I hadn't seen him at school, I would've thought he was a lot older' Natsumi thought.
"Likewise" Natsumi replied as the boy released her hand before motioning to the two other teens that'd arrived with him.
'I take PE with Lee and I've definitely seen the girl around campus, but I haven't met them yet' Natsumi thought as the pair said their hellos to the rest of the group before approaching her.
"These are my friends Lee and Tenten" Neji said as the girl offered Natsumi a kind smile.
"I know you!" Lee exclaimed dramatically, surprising Natsumi as she jumped back slightly.
"We take PE together" Natsumi replied with wide eyes before watching Lee's eyes light up.
"Of course!" Lee exclaimed. "You are the one who raced against Sasuke and Naruto on the first day that was an incredible display of youth!" he continued as Natsumi sweat dropped.
"Would you cool it Lee? No one want's to hear about the power of youth on a weekend!" Tenten said pulling the eccentric teen into a head lock, until Neji cleared his throat loudly, immediately silencing them.
"I'm Natsumi Nakamaru" Natsumi said with an awkward wave before taking a step closer to Hinata.
"Natsumi's a new student this year" Hinata said joining the discussion as Tenten and Lee began to question the girl.
Before the teens chatted freely amongst themselves while lounging around the equipment of the playground, before Naruto had suggested an old game of cops and robbers, to which the teens agreed. They quickly split into teams and started, taking off to hide in various locations. The game was nice, lasting a while before the teens decided to get dinner, which Choji was more than happy to suggest barbeque.
...
Once at the restaurant the teens were seated around a very large table. They all openly talked and joked while eating. Yet even with the cheery atmosphere, Natsumi couldn't help but feel uneasy at the way Sakura had been treating her. From the moment they met, Natsumi knew Sakura didn't like her due largely to her friendship with Sasuke, but ever since the arcade the pinkette had been being nicer, as if to extend an olive branch to the dark haired teen girl.
"Hey Natsumi, do you need a refill?" Sakura offered holding up a pitcher of water with a kind smile, to which Natsumi responded with a polite nod. As the pinkette leaned closer with the jug, Natsumi couldn't help but think of Sakura dumping the water all over her. She swallowed hard, pushing the thought to the back of her mind, when Sakura simply filled her cup and smiled to her.
"So Natsumi how did you like your tour of Konoha?" Kiba then asked looking over the teen girl with a smile.
"It was great" she responded with a light smile, before continuing. "Thanks guys" she said looking directly to Naruto and Shino, who nodded with kind smiles, while Kiba couldn't help but glare at the pair.
"Well the day didn't go exactly as planned but I'm glad you liked it Natsumi "Naruto said.
"Earlier you made it seem like such a drag that we tagged along and now look at you" Shikamaru said before sipping his water.
"Yeah Naruto's only happy because now we can all split the bill" Kiba said jokingly as Naruto turned to the boys angrily.
"I was trying to say it all worked out in the end you jerks" the blonde said loudly, making the group burst into laughter.
'It really did work out in the end' Natsumi thought happily looking around to the many smiling faces, 'I just hope things go this smoothly with Sasuke's family' she thought before returning her attention to the teens laughing the night away.
...
A/N: So that was chapter 6! I know it's kind of long and Sasuke isn't in it and Itachi still hasn't been introduced, but I still hope you liked the chapter. I had a lot of fun working on the character development for the others and while my editor likes the Guy and Lee scenes, I personally favor writing the Sai scenes. Anyways feel free to tell me your thoughts so far because honestly the comments make my day, Also Itachi will be introduced in the next chapter, I promise. As always please read and review
