Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto… I don't own Kakashi either… I wish I owned Kakashi… sigh.

The Princess and the Rogue – His and her fairytale

I love Kakashi – normal

I love Asuma – Kurenai thinking(italics) I love Kurenai – Asuma thinking (bold)

Note #1: Asuma and Kurenai are 16 in this story so Naruto should technically be 2 years old, so let's just say he's about 12 in this story okay?

Note #2: Sorry the chapters are so short; I just can't seem to write long chapters… I'll try and make the next one lengthier.

Chapter 3 – Outside the Wall of Briars

The men stopped at an inn in town. Dusty and weary from riding, they all ordered their ale.

"So Asuma," said one of the men to what appeared to be their leader, "what's so special about this town? There's nothing to do here."

Asuma brushed the dirt away from his bracelet on his right wrist. "Stupid Raidou." he thought. If they had a full-blown discussion of what they, no he, was going to do, the whole inn would know that they were all outlaws ready to go plunder a village if there was something worth stealing. But this time… Asuma gave Raidou a look with his dark brown eyes. He knew what that meant. I'll tell all you guys later. He sighed and lit a cigarette. I didn't know that they were this thick not to notice it. It's huge! Just the challenge…

In their room in the inn…

"So now can you tell us why you brought us here?" Raidou asked exasperatedly. "And don't tell me it has something to do with some challenge you've gotten in your head."

Asuma smiled.

"Actually, it is."

The whole group groaned. Their leader always found some sort of challenge to wrap him into when he wasn't plundering a village. From fighting man-eating rabbits to finding the yellow brick road, Asuma did them all and eventually, he succeeded… the possible ones. But what was so special about this town? Surely they couldn't of ridden for days without end to end up in an useless town to do absolutely nothing!

"SO WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ASUMA-ONIISAN? WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO?" yelled Naruto, the youngest of his crew.

"Well, I'm surprised all of you haven't noticed it when you rode into town." said Asuma.

"What?" they all asked in unison.

"That giant one-hundred foot green wall over there." He pointed to it. "They say that it's called 'The Wall of Briars' and every inch of it is covered in thorny briars so that no one can get in. Nobody knows what's in those walls and nothing's ever come out of the walls. All everyone here knows is that it was built here sixteen years ago."

Naruto was shocked and goggle-eyed. Everyone else was exasperated.

"Don't tell me that you want to climb that thing." grumbled Genma, another one of his men. Everyone else sighed. They all knew that he was going to.

"You'll get yourself killed." said Kakashi, his non-blood brother and the co-leader of the group.

"You say that every time." replied Asuma with a smirk.

Kakashi smiled (but you really couldn't see through his mask, although his eyes were twinkling). He knew Asuma since the age of three and he knew he was always eager to find challenges and how compelled he was to do them no matter how great the risk.

"I want to see what's on the other side of that wall and that's final. So have a small vacation everyone. Kakashi, you're in charge for the next couple of days. Wakarimasuka? (Do you understand?)"

They all nodded. Naruto yelled, "GAMBATE ASUMA-ONIISAN!"

Asuma looked at the green mass he was going to face from the window of the inn. I'll see the treasures it bears inside…

TBC…