Welcome to the next chapter!
joharasbel; Thanks!
SaltOLLIEVER; Thank you very much!
ShadowUzumaki55; Yeah, it seems that the Akatsuki has some varying thoughts about Ryouta now. Sasori could have some stuff to think about when it comes to Ryouta. Yeah, the likes of Izumi and Itachi are proud of him, Deidara is going to have some fun stuff going on. Glad you liked the moments he had with his friends. Danzo is always up to no good haha.
Silver crow; Thanks. He will. Yeah, the Akatsuki had some interesting reactions. Well, lets see what happens between them, Kabuto himself thought about how Danzo is along with how he sacrificed him in the past, and Danzo himself sees them as pawns for him to use, so not exactly an ideal partnership with neither side trusting the other, but necessary for both parties for the time being. Well, he would keep his powers to himself as much as possible, he wouldn't spread the information out to enemies, he would want some surprises up his sleeve. Considering how Sasori likes making puppets out of people, lets see what he thinks of Ryouta's power. I am sure Itachi would be aware of his prowess in a fight. Their Sensei will be revealed this chapter. Their power will be shown as they grow and how others see it. Yeah, Tsunade and Jiraiya did in their own way. Mikoto said what she thought was best. Karin did yeah. Naruko surely did~ We shall see how it goes with Asuma. Fu could do yeah. Jugo, Mangetsu and Suigetsu will appear in shippuden, in some roles that might be unexpected. Ryouta could travel to those caves during the time skip. I can't say, but I have an arc set up in replacement of the bridge arc that will have some surprises. Danzo is tricky to fight with his Izanagi, but Ryouta is also quite smart and skilled, so a fight between them is going to be fun to do. Satsuki will be Ryouta's first, Hinata will have her time later like everyone will.
Guest 1; Yeah, Danzo is quite desperate right now, and will do whatever it takes for him to gain an advantage. Thanks very much!
shephawk; Yeah, he warned her about that as they discussed it for a while, wanting her to be as safe as possible.
Skull Flame; He does yeah. Guren is going to be doing a few things as the story goes on~ Tsunade surely did yeah~
Phantom Reader; Yeah, they have become aware of how dangerous they could be, even not Orochimaru level yet, they wont let their guard down. That about the Sensei shall be answered this chapter. Tobi does, Zetsu does, but the others don't know about it. I could see Sasori wanting to go after Ryouta for that reason. Izumi and Itachi definitely would be pissed about that yeah. He does yeah, he deserves sometime to relax after everything that has happened. Yeah, it is a shame that it seemed not much was learned during the time skip compared to some others, so yeah, Naruko will learn some more stuff. If needed, Ryouta would become the Hokage. Naruko will eventually realize, and she might already begin seeing the roots of that coming to fruition very soon. Yeah, everyone is going to be getting some new stuff to work with throughout the time skip. Danzo seems to want them for the time being, Kabuto and Guren seem to want to live for the time being so have little choice, but will keep trying to support, and strengthen themselves. Yeah, Danzo is in denial alright~ Yeah, there will be more relaxation here. Between the time skip, yeah Ryouta would have met more people. I have seen Assassination Classroom a few years ago, it was pretty good.
Giant's Shadow; I can't say about him yet, but yeah I do have a good place for when she is going to awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan. Thanks for the suggestion!
Guest 2; Thanks for the suggestions.
TheGreatGodzilla; For the time being they are with Danzo, we shall see how long that lasts. I can't say about Itachi one way or the other yet, spoilers. Yes, Ryouta is aware of that. Tsunade was kidding, she didn't name him the Sixth Hokage, but she did say she would do if she thought it would be for the best.
Hinata fan; He will have some as the story advances. Lets see how it plays out with Danzo and the others.. Yeah, many people know about him now.
Guest 3; Yeah, that would be good for them, thanks for the suggestions.
Guest 4; Thanks!
With those reviews out of the way, its time to start the chapter!
The sands affection!
After Naruko had left for the day, Ryouta didn't know what she was going to be doing, it seemed that she was excited as ever, so he didn't say anything, he had gotten himself some breakfast since it was early, when he saw at the door, a number of letters had arrived, more than he would expect.
So he gathered the letters, and began reading the ones for himself.
He could see that they were letters, from people that had heard about Orochimaru's demise, and were congratulating him for taking him down.
Satsuki happened to come down the stairs, and saw Ryouta reading the letters, so she came over, hugging him from behind around his neck, and looking at the letters, becoming astonished.
"Seems like a lot of people are thankful that he's gone."
Ryouta nods his head in an agreement.
"Yeah, I guess that to a lot of people who had lost loved ones to Orochimaru, this was welcomed news. I'm glad that we could do good things for these people, to lay their loved ones to rest after he did untold things to them. Though I guess news spreads really fast, considering it was only a short time ago since he was actually killed."
Satsuki could understand that very well.
After everything that she had seen, it was quite clear that Ryouta had done a lot of good for those around.
"Yeah, you're right about that. Now all we have to do is get Kabuto and Guren. Speaking of, you're going to see our potential new Sensei today, right?"
"Yeah, the quicker we begin, the faster we can become stronger. Want to come?"
Satsuki nods, but then shakes her head.
"Would love to, but I'm gonna go and see Mom first, then Kakashi has called a meeting with us all. Probably to discuss what's going on with missions and such. Though I hope we don't have a mission out of the village until Mom is fine."
Ryouta gave a soft smile on his face, and lightly placed his hand against her face, stroking a single time.
"Yeah, I don't know what's happening with missions yet either beyond having a week off according to Anko-sensei, after that I expect we shall be busy haha. That means though I get to spend more time with everyone~"
Ryouta was glad for the time, he was able to have some fun with the others, after everything that has been going on lately.
Satsuki nods, and lays a kiss on his lips, before pulling away and sitting down on his right thigh.
"True, though not today with me. Got a lot of stuff to do."
"Me too, besides checking in with our possible future Sensei, there's a few things I wanna do and people I want to see. Such as Gaara-san, and the others, I heard that they're leaving the village today to go back to their own."
"They did come through in a pinch, say goodbye from me as well."
"Sure!"
Ryouta was glad that Satsuki had said it, seeing as she was becoming even more social than she ever had been beforehand.
After leaving home, he thought about going to see the Sand Ninja before they would have to leave. However, it seemed that he had other things to deal with that day, as when he left home, he became acutely aware that someone was watching him.
Though he sensed no malice or anything of the sort.
So he casually walked along the street, with the follower coming right behind him, slipping in and out of the shadows.
Ryouta was amused by such a sight, and kept going along the path that he was needing to go down, and then when he came to a turn, he went towards the right, and goes down a path that was relatively cut off from others.
The follower hid behind a wall, and looked towards Ryouta, using a special vision to see through most obstructions.
"Alright future Sensei, lets see if you're still ready to teach me..."
The follower opened their palm, and began running across the ground as silently as possible.
Getting to Ryouta, the followers palm went towards Ryouta, and hit him…
No, it didn't.
The followers palm went right through Ryouta's body as if he wasn't there, like he was a ghost.
"Eeeeeeeeh!? Where...but you're right there...wait, you're not?! But your image...aaah, an after image!"
"Didn't seem to work out for you, right Hanabi-san?"
Hanabi was suddenly brought into the air, and turned around to see Ryouta looking towards her, Hanabi looked down to see snakes were underneath her feet, so they matched heights with one another.
Hanabi showed a sheepish smile as Ryouta patted her head.
"So, what are you doing Hanabi-san? You shouldn't attack people when they've only just come out of the hospital."
"Ehehe, I'm sorry future Sensei, but I wished to see what you were doing and if the rumours about Orochimaru are true."
"They are true, he is deceased."
"And you took him down, right!?" She began, getting more excited by the moment, and when he confirmed it, she became even more hyper. "I can't believe it! You actually did?! Yes, my Sensei is going to be so amazing~"
It seemed that she was in good spirits, and he didn't wish to bring her down, but he didn't want her to get her hopes up, and once more was going to explain something to her.
"Slow down, there is no guarantee that I'd be your Sensei, you know?"
"But, you're a Jonin now, and it makes the most sense to me. My Byakugan, being trained by a Sharingan wielder, its very soon anyway that I will become a Genin. I'll become the Genin of your dreams, Sensei. I'll show you all of my skills! And how I can grow under you as well! Besides, I may be able to convince Tsunade-sama anyway~"
Ryouta raised a brow, he didn't know how she'd do something like that.
"And what's this plan of yours to convince her?"
Hanabi slyly moved her hand to his back, and began patting said back, with Ryouta even more confused.
"Sensei, Sensei, Sensei, do not worry. I have a full proof plan to have this become a reality. Tsunade-sama will be surprised by the time that I've finished my plan."
"You aren't going to try and bribe her or something, are you?"
"No, of course not Sensei~" Though she said that sweetly, she sweated ever so slightly, looking ever so nervous, telling Ryouta that was something she did consider. "I have my ways and means. Speaking of, look at this." Hanabi took out two kunai, and threw them into the air. "I have been practising that technique you showed me, and keep watching Sensei!"
Ryouta did as she asked, and watched the kunai bounce off one another, and one of the kunai came flying right back to Hanabi, despite throwing it away from her, and she caught it between her fingers, impressing Ryouta a good deal.
"That was good Hanabi-san, you've gotten better."
Hanabi placed her hands together, and showed a cute smile on her face.
"So, am I ready for the next lesson?!"
"Hmmm, well, it seems that you're beginning to get the use of Ninja tools down and how to have them bend to what you desire...alright, I think that you could be ready for the next step."
Hanabi did a cheer.
"Yes, I can't wait for the next lesson to begin! By the way, is it true that big sister was able to take down one of those Sound guys by herself?"
"Yes, that's right, she was able to blitz an opponent and used her Gentle Fist very well, I also heard that she took to protecting a good few people. Speaking of, where is your sister anyway?"
"Ooh, probably making a love card for you~"
"Love card?"
Hanabi's face dropped, and she immediately stopped her words.
"W-What, no I didn't mean that! I meant something else! Like a friend card! Not a love card at all! Please don't say anything to big sister! She will become embarrassed! You don't want to embarrass her, right?!"
Ryouta chuckled, shaking his head.
"No, I don't want to do that. I wont mention anything."
Hanabi looked relieved, as Ryouta let the snakes from underneath her disappear, dropping her to a lower level.
"Great, then, we can begin?"
"I do have some stuff to do today, but I can take an hour to begin showing you the basics."
"Great, then lead the way!"
Ryouta nods his head, and begins teaching Hanabi the essentials about the next stage in her training that she wished to do separate from the Hyuga clan and under him, and he had to admit that she was rather a natural, picking up things quickly.
Spending sometime with Hanabi, eventually he went to go towards Gaara and the others to see what's going on with them.
When he got towards the hotel room that they had been staying in, he went to knock on the door, when Temari came out and said "We're going now." and at first, Ryouta assumed she meant the sand siblings.
But that wasn't the case as she hooked arms with Ryouta, and began dragging him off.
"H-Hey, I thought you had to go?"
"I do, you're coming with me, no arguments now."
Ryouta was perplexed as to what she was doing.
"Eh...okay, where are we going?"
"You shall see. Be patient now."
Ryouta didn't know what this was about, but followed her regardless.
They went towards where the Chunin Exams had gone down, the stadium.
Though it was rather empty at the moment, they were able to go inside, and went towards the giant area that was in the centre of the building. Trees scattered around the round ring of the arena, the ground having been fixed from what damage happened during the Chunin Exams and the resulting conflict with Orochimaru and Suna, Ryouta thought that it was very odd that she decided to bring him there of all places.
"Temari-san, why did you bring me out here?"
Temari pulled out her fan, and turned it towards Ryouta.
"Because we're going to fight!"
Ryouta wasn't expecting that turn of events, and had to question it as he saw that she was gathering winds around her giant fan, she looked rather serious.
"Why?"
"I was robbed of it during the time, this exam, the Chunin Exams. I wished to have a fight against you. But with everything that went down, I wasn't able to do that, so now I wish to rectify that right here and now. Also, to make sure you're worthy of being Gaara's partner!"
The young man was immediately surprised to hear that.
"Being her partner..."
Temari smirked, and released a wave of her fan, shooting a blast of air for Ryouta.
"That's right, lets see if you've got what it takes!"
Ryouta dodged out of the way in a burst of speed, appearing right, so she turned her fan, and shot off another blast of wind.
Like before, Ryouta avoided the attack, but this time he saw that she used the wind to rip out some of the ground, sending it towards Ryouta, who in turn took out a single kunai, and ran his fire chakra through it, cutting through the pieces of the ground, saving him from being hurt by such fast debris.
"You do realize I have only just come out of the hospital, right?"
"What better time? To get you back into the swing of things!"
Temari released several blasts of air for Ryouta, who kept dodging them with precision and fine speed, until he rushed towards her.
She couldn't see him, but saw the dust that was burst up by his feet hitting the ground, so she created a vortex of wind all around her being, preventing Ryouta from getting in close to her.
"Not bad, Temari-san. This is going to be fun."
Ryouta pushed chakra through his legs, and rocketed himself up into the air, going above the tornados limits of height, before he shot forward, and down.
With incredible finesse, he went through the opening, the inside of the tornado, where there was little wind, due to it being all around Temari, therefore she wouldn't have any harmful winds there, which granted him direct access to her.
Temari looked at the young man coming down towards her.
She could see that he was moving faster and faster, falling and keeping his body very steady. He even made sure that he didn't move his body an inch, as she tried to tighten the wind tornado around her as much as humanly possible to try and get him even an inch to drag him into it and save herself.
"I see, so that's what you're trying to do…! Don't worry Ryouta-kun, I'll still have some tricks for you yet!"
Temari turned her fan upwards, and swung it forward, shooting a strong burst of wind towards Ryouta.
She pushed as much chakra as she could, mixing in her already generated tornado, and increased the power even more.
As the winds came to meet him and ripping through the area in incredibly destructive ways, she was shocked to see that they went through him as if he wasn't even there.
What made it even more worrisome for Temari was the fact that Ryouta had moved around such a wide ranged attack, timing his movements, and cutting through what needed to be cut through, diverting the winds ever so slightly around in an area by using his chakra, Temari could see that he had given himself a small path for his body to move through.
"Heh, interesting!"
Temari suspected that Ryouta had used his speed to make it appear as if he was intangible, but the fact he was able to do that while in mid air, it was something that astonished Temari.
So she burst herself away, and flew on her fan as Ryouta came down with his foot, which buried itself into the earth, and blew up a good deal of the ground.
Temari saw the ground fracturing, and that she couldn't see him due to the dust and stone spreading outwards, she wondered if that was deliberate.
"I wont be beaten! Wind Scythe Jutsu!"
Temari released a wide range of winds that cleaved through all of the stone that had been uprooted thanks to Ryouta, discovering that he wasn't even there, so Temari began looking around the area for the young man.
She couldn't see him.
She saw that some of the ground was being moved around, so she attacked from that direction, and tried to predict where he was going to be.
But even then, she knew she hadn't caught him, and that generating a tornado, was pointless for her, it would waste chakra, and wouldn't be good for her personally either, since he had shown to slide through and above her attack, and she could only generate it so high before she would have to stop it.
"Damn, he really is fast, he could be anywhere. I am seeing his aftermath of movement, and he could be moving to anywhere as well. He really is good, I can see why others praise this boy for his speed. His strength as well is something that could be difficult to deal with."
Temari did her best, and released a giant wave of wind. The trees around began losing their leaves thanks to the incredible gale force wind that she released. The ground was being torn up, and the air itself was bending thanks to Temari's attack.
"I hope you enjoy this attack! I've put in a good deal of power for it!"
Temari called out, as trees were uprooted and all fired off into a single direction.
However, what she saw was Ryouta stopping for a few moments, then begin to move through the attacks that she sent. The winds that blew towards him, were very dangerous, but he kept his momentum, and was able to rush towards her, keeping Temari surprised he rushed towards her.
"Damn..."
Temari saw Ryouta get through her gale force winds, and got towards her, so she grabbed her fan, folded it back up so it resembled a club, and swung it for him to try and attack him that way, only for Ryouta to block with a kunai, and pushed her back.
"Have this!"
Ryouta took the kunai and thrusted it towards her.
Temari ground her teeth, seeing the incoming projectile, but then Temari laughed, and said "Okay, that's enough!" seeing as he was going to be able to fight even more, and was gaining the upper hand, she had seen enough.
Ryouta immediately stopped, and pulled back, hopping back to face her, seeing that she was showing a strong smirk on her face.
"Damn, you're so fast, aren't you? Even able to run through my wind attack at the end that was blowing down trees. Then again, I shouldn't expect any different from someone who was known as the Fastest Genin, guess that you'll become known as the Fastest Jonin or something."
Ryouta gave a thankful smile at the compliment and had to in turn compliment her for what she had done.
"It was a strong gale, you're very excellent with Wind Release Temari-san."
Temari showed a smile, and pulled closer towards him.
"Thanks. Though that thinking during our match was top notch, is what was going on when you're dealing with Orochimaru, huh. Outthinking him and such."
Ryouta rubbed the back of his head in a sheepish manner.
"Yeah, it was a crazy time, and he had some tricks up his sleeve."
Temari nods, and pulls even closer.
The young woman looked into the young man's eyes.
"But, I thought it was pretty cool, I heard from others how you defeated Orochimaru, and what you've done for Gaara. You know, before, I never could have spoken to her at all. She was very unapproachable and basically would threaten anyone that would try and speak with her, but lately, she has been asking my advice."
"Your advice on what?"
Temari winked.
"On romance, what else?"
Ryouta was surprised to hear that.
"S-She did?"
Temari confirmed it with a nod of her head, and continued on after a few moments.
"She didn't put it quite like that, but yeah that's what she is doing. She puts it in subtle ways. But, it seems that she is smitten with you. So, you're gonna have to see where that goes. Gaara hasn't ever experienced anything like this before, and she needs someone to help her understand even more."
Ryouta could see that, it would have been very difficult for her to even have such things in her life. He was glad that she could have it now though, and if he was a help in that, then he was happy to be able to provide such things for her.
"Yes...I thought that might be the case, I will do what I can to always help Gaara-san. After everything that she's been through, I can understand why she would be quite disconnected from the world around her."
"Yeah, that's right." Temari leaned closer, and kissed him on the cheek, catching him by surprise. "By the way, I've always liked cute guys that can kick some ass~" Ryouta blinked as Temari got on top of her fan. "Come by and see Gaara before we leave, I'm sure that she'll be happy with you~"
Ryouta didn't say anything, rubbing the place that she had kissed in a slight daze with redness growing on his cheeks, and then turned his eyes up towards her, seeing that she was flying off, but was waving towards him at the same time.
He didn't expect that turn of events, and simply walked away, thinking about what Temari had said.
Later on Ryouta headed towards Gaara once more alone, wondering what they were going to do together.
But as he was doing that, he came across Sakura who was walking through the village.
When she saw him, she paused, and became rather happy and beckoned him over as she continued moving towards him, so he walked towards her, meeting her half way.
"Ryou-kun! There you are! I was looking for you!"
"For me? How come?"
Sakura got towards him fully, and she adopts a small smile on her face.
"I want to tell you something, okay?"
"Sure, what is it?"
Sakura looked around, then turned back to him fully.
"Do you have anytime?"
"Yeah, I've got some time."
"Great! Then lets get some ice cream or something, okay?"
Ryouta didn't have a problem with it, nods and follows after her.
He got them both some ice cream, and they sat down on a bench, leaves blowing in the winds behind them. Some scattered, and fell down towards the pair of them. Sakura placed her fingers and ran them through her hair.
It seemed that Sakura was nervous about something.
"So, what is it you wanted to talk about Sakura-chan?"
Sakura cupped her hands together, and nodded to herself, as if she was confirming something deep inside, before turning to him fully.
"Well, I've been thinking lately, about something."
Hearing that she seemed to be serious about it, Ryouta paid his undivided attention towards her.
"What's that?"
"Everyone, is becoming stronger. You, Satsuki-san and Naruko as well. I've seen that everyone is growing, and I want to become stronger as well. So I've been thinking about it, remembering what Kakashi-sensei said to me, and what you said as well, maybe my talent for chakra control can come in handy."
Ryouta believed that he understood where she was going with this, and if he was right, he was rather happy with her thoughts.
"Sakura-chan, you want to learn under Tsunade-san, right?"
That is what he guessed, based on what he had heard from Tsunade herself, how Sakura was taking an interest in Medical Jutsu, and how she and Tsunade were able to get on rather well during the time that Sakura had been asked by Ryouta to help him with the tasks he wished for her to do when he was going towards Orochimaru.
Sakura poked her fingers together in a shy manner, but then nods in a determined manner.
"Yeah...I don't want to fall behind anymore. Because of what happened with you Ryou-kun...how Mikoto-san was put into danger...I want to be able to do more. I want to become stronger. I want to support my team, and also fight on the front lines as well. To show that I can fight with you all, and to not slow you all down, to put these skills I have to better use."
Ryouta understood perfectly how she was feeling.
He was also glad that she decided this, he could see it being perfect for her.
"With your chakra control, you could truly learn how to do Tsunade-sans super strength technique, and Medical Ninjutsu, especially with how smart you are, you could put it into really good practice, and become even more amazing Sakura-chan. I'm sure you'd pick it up rather well, and make a fighting style that would suit you the best."
Sakura blushed lightly, and turned towards Ryouta.
"Ryou-kun, thank you very much. I can see that I have strength, because you've always been supporting me. I don't know what else is going to come in the future, that you're going to be facing the unknown now, right? I mean, there will be other Ninja out there, wont there? Like...the one you're going after."
"If you mean Sugaru, then yes I want to go after him. But I wouldn't abandon the village, to attain my goals. So you don't have to worry~"
Sakura giggled.
"Even if you didn't tell me in that Genjutsu, I knew that you never would abandon the village anyway. I was concerned when it was all happening. I wish I could have done more in that time, its why I want to become even stronger now."
Ryouta rested a hand on her own, Sakura blushed as his fingers wrapped around her own, something that she absolutely adored.
"You did do a lot during that time, Tsunade-san told me how much you helped organize, and piece together what was needed. Thanks to you, everyone was able to come together, and destroy Orochimaru and a good chunk of his forces."
Sakura gave a thankful smile towards Ryouta.
"I am glad that I could help, but I still wish to do even more, so watch out Ryou-kun! By the time I've finished my training with Tsunade-sama, I am going to be showing you my strength! That is if she accepts me of course~"
Ryouta gave a strong smile at her determination.
"If that's how it is, then I can't wait to see it Sakura-chan, and I wouldn't worry, I am sure that Tsunade-san would take you on as an apprentice once she sees your talent already. Though, I do have something I want to say."
Ryouta suddenly said, surprising Sakura.
"What is it Ryou-kun?"
Ryouta squeezed her hand, and caused Sakura to flush at the gaze he gave her.
"Thank you, for what you did during the Orochimaru business. I know I asked for a lot..."
"No, no! Not at all! I'm glad to be of help! Besides, Orochimaru is gone now, and there isn't anything to worry about him right?"
"Seems to be yeah~"
Ryouta lightly smiled, and spent sometime together with Sakura, discussing about her new training and how strong she was going to become, something that Ryouta thought was something to be quite admired.
A small time later, Ryouta eventually made it towards Gaara, and knocked on the door.
When the door was opened, he saw that it was Pakura, who gave a quizzing look over the young man.
"I am surprised, happily so, but what are you doing here? I thought you'd have a lot to do now, considering I have been hearing the praise you have received, and how many wish to meet with you."
"Actually, Tsunade-san has given me the time off, and told me to relax. So, I wished to relax, and see how you all are doing before you leave. I also came to see Gaara-san, Temari-san mentioned that she wished to see me, and I also wish to see her and thank her for helping out with Orochimaru and his group. Is she here?"
Pakura nods her head a single time.
"I'm sorry, Gaara just stepped out with Temari, not entirely sure why. But she did say if you did come by, to keep you here until she came back. So, why not come in until she comes back?"
Ryouta thanked her, and did just that, walking inside.
He sat down on one of the couches, and looked towards Pakura, who poured some tea.
Sitting down opposite him, Ryouta sat in mostly silence, waiting for the young woman to speak, as it seemed that she wished to do that.
"I am glad that you did come today, because I did want to thank you for what you did against Orochimaru."
"Pakura-san, you don't have to thank me..."
Ryouta tried to reassure her, but Pakura gave a consoling smile.
"I do. Because, he took Maki away from me, he killed her, and used me, and Suna. He did so much to our villages, pitting us against one another, and now, he gets to suffer the same as he made everyone else suffer. I usually don't think like that when fighting enemies, but the way he toyed with everyone's lives, and how he killed countless people for his own goals and sakes, I am sure you've heard this a good deal, but thank you for avenging Maki."
Hearing her sincere words, Ryouta could see that it had meant the world to Pakura.
It was very understandable, after everything that happened with Maki and Pakura, how he had used Pakura, and what happened with Gaara, among other things, it was quite clear that it was something that Pakura felt very passionate about.
"Your words are very sweet. I am glad to be able to do that for others, many had suffered through him. Though Pakura-san, I'm sure that wherever Maki-san is now...she is smiling on you."
Pakura gave a humble smile on her lips, and walked towards Ryouta.
Sitting down beside him, she leaned close, and gently laid a small kiss on his cheek, catching him off guard.
"You are a kind boy after all, I can't wait to see what kind of man you're going to be in the future. Though, I'm certainly sure you're going to be a good man, and probably rather adorably handsome."
Ryouta had a tinge of red at the kind words he received.
"Thank you Pakura-san, I'm glad that everything was able to work out in the end. Thank you for coming, I know that it couldn't have been easy to get there so quickly, so I really do appreciate everything that you and the others did for us, for me."
Pakura waved her hand a single time.
"Not at all, to see Orochimaru go down, I wasn't going to be missing that."
"Indeed...he is gone now, it is a bit strange to say now, he's been in my life for a few months, but it felt like years."
Pakura gave a wide grin.
"I know what you mean, he was like that, having this presence."
Ryouta nods, and went to speak further, when the door opened.
They looked to see Gaara stepping in...with a box of chocolate.
She walked stoically towards Ryouta, and thrusted the chocolates at him.
"Have these."
"Eeh...thank you."
Accepting them, Ryouta placed them on his lap as Gaara watched on with curious eyes.
"Are you going to try them? I picked them especially for you."
Ryouta wondered if this was the advice that Temari mentioned, Gaara seemed to be rather serious.
"Sure, lets see here…"
Ryouta opened the box, and offered some to Pakura, who went to take one, when Gaara looked towards her, so she stopped, thinking Gaara probably only wanted Ryouta to eat them.
So Ryouta took one and placed it against his lips, before putting it into his mouth.
"...Hmmm, they're really good Gaara-san~"
"I am glad that you think so, because I picked them while thinking of you. Now, come with me, I wish to go to another place to discuss things."
"Alright...lets go." Ryouta bowed to Pakura, who smiled. "Thank you for everything Pakura-san, see you soon."
"Not a problem, see you soon."
Ryouta bowed once more, and took off with Gaara.
They ended up on top of the Hokage stone faces, sitting on top of the First Hokage's face, as it was Gaara's choice to do so.
He didn't say a thing, he simply kept quiet for the most part, waiting for whatever Gaara wished to do, what she was going to say.
For a good ten minutes she said nothing.
In fact, he was wondering what she was going to say, if anything.
She seemed to be taking in the scenery all around her.
That was until finally she turned towards him.
"We shall be leaving soon. Though it wasn't my choice, I wished to stay longer, but I also understand that Suna would need us, after the events with the Konoha invasion, and how we lost Ninja, we would need to be there in case."
"Yeah, it would have been cool if you could stay longer. There's much to see in Konoha, but next time, we definitely could come together again, now that Suna and Konoha are allies."
Gaara nods a single time.
"Yes, it is why our relationship will be easier to handle, now that we have an official alliance between us."
"Our relationship? What do you want that to be, Gaara-san?"
Asking that outright, Gaara from before meeting him, wouldn't have said anything, not knowing what to say exactly.
But now, Gaara knew exactly what she wished to say.
Because it was something that had become important.
"Satsuki Uchiha, is your girlfriend, is she not?"
"She is yeah."
Ryouta replied without hesitation.
Gaara looks on with strong eyes, before laying her hand on top of his own.
He flipped his hand, so they managed to hold one another's hand.
"And I have heard, other girls have taken an interest in you, and Satsuki has said that it is fine."
"She has, she seems pretty cool with it, she encourages it as well."
Gaara gave another nod of her head and looked towards the young man's eyes, peering into the soft looking gaze coming right back towards her.
"Yes, you shall develop closer relationships with the other females in your life, I understand quite well."
Ryouta thought that was an interesting way to put it, she wasn't exactly wrong about it.
"Yes, that's right, I guess that I will be."
"Then, we could do the same thing?"
She asked, with a stoic voice, but deep within her eyes, he could tell that's what she wished for. More than her expressions and tone of voice could admit, she wished to have a deeper relationship with Ryouta.
"Yeah, if that's something you desire."
Gaara inclines a single time.
"Yes...since leaving Konoha, I have had many thoughts about you, and Naruko Uzumaki. I wish to deepen my friendship with Naruko, and I wish to explore this romantic feeling I have for you. Temari has told me that it is natural to feel like this, I am unsure of what to do to express these feelings, and she told me that chocolate is a good way to begin conversations."
Ryouta softened the expression in his eyes, and gives a comforting squeeze of her hand.
He pulls closer, and smiles cheerfully in her direction.
"It was a good way, but you don't have to get anything for me. If you want to explore things with me Gaara-san, then we can do that. Whatever it is that you want."
"Good...because I also wish to explore many aspects of a relationship."
Ryouta smiled, continuing to hold onto her hand, as Gaara looked towards him.
Though it was hard to see, Ryouta definitely saw the coloration on her cheeks beginning to turn red.
Gaara then leaned closer, and kissed him on the cheek, something Ryouta returned, and Gaara let out a small, but very happy, breath.
"...I really liked it, I wish to explore even more."
"Okay, we can explore many things~"
Gaara was glad about that, and leaned her head on his shoulder.
As she did, she whispered "This is good to sleep on, you bring me comfort, and warmth." Ryouta recalling how Shukaku hadn't really let her sleep in the past before.
He was glad that it seemed that she was able to get some more sleep compared to the past when she didn't get to, and if she could gain comfort from him, then he was rather happy to do so for her.
A small time later, Ryouta was heading towards another destination, casually passing several people by as he did so down the long winding streets of Konoha.
He saw that some waved towards him, which he did right back.
Some people he didn't even know were speaking to him, he presumed because of what happened with Orochimaru, the news spread like wildfire.
As he was passing by the Yamanaka shop, he looked through the window, and saw Ino stood there. Her elbows on the desk, and her eyes casually being before her.
It seemed that she wasn't particularly focused upon anything, he wondered what was going on with her, so he went inside of the shop, she didn't take her eyes off of the floor as she addressed him as a customer, in a tone that suggested to Ryouta she had something else on her mind, as if she was a million miles away.
"Welcome to the Yamanaka flower shop...how can I help you?"
"Ino-chan, you okay?"
Ino's eyes widened, and she shot up, standing fully at attention.
Her gaze fixated on his own.
"R-Ryou-kun. W-What are you doing here?"
Ryouta heard a nervous touch to her tone, as he casually approached her.
"Passing by mainly. But I saw you were distracted? Is something wrong?"
Ino waved a hand in front of her face.
"No, I'm fine, really~"
She tried to cover it, but Ryouta could tell she wasn't being truthful, something he did worry about since it seemed Ino was down about something.
"You can tell me if something is going on, maybe I could help?"
Ino offered a cute smile.
"You are sweet, its nothing really, I was thinking back to the fight with Guren."
"Right...Guren. Did she say something to you?"
Ino waved her hands in front of her.
"It wasn't what she said or anything, it was more like, who she was. How she fought, and how strong she was. She is the enemy, but she was capable of holding her own against a number of people. I wish that I could be that strong, you know?"
"Why can't you be that strong?"
Ino ran a finger through her hair.
"To be honest, I keep thinking about what I am going to do now, in my own pursuit of strength. I remember when we talked about it, you know...to do with poisons and what not."
"I remember, is that something you would want to try and go for?"
"I think so, I think it would work well with my clans abilities as well, stun enemies, use my Jutsu, and there we go. I just...I dunno..."
Ryouta believed he understood, he walked closer to the young girl and sat down on the counter, her eyes looked up towards his own in a happy manner as he reached out his hand, she took it, and held onto said hand.
"Shizune-san would be a good person to learn from."
"She would be yeah, she is good with poisons...Ryou-kun, have you heard what Sakura is doing?"
"We talked about it before." He revealed, to her surprise. "She is going to learn from Tsunade-san."
Ino nods a single time, tossing her gaze out of the window, past the flowers decorating the shop.
"She is yeah, it sees Sakura is going to be strong in the future."
"And so can you be, Ino-chan." He said with a soft smile on his face. "Everyone has different strengths after all." Ino couldn't help but smile at that. "Ino-chan, I am sure whatever path you take, it will be the right one for you, and I will always support you, whatever you need Ino-chan."
Ino felt better at his words, and kept contemplating what was going on now, with her gaining new different skills.
She truly was sure that no matter what, Ryouta would always support her.
Ryouta eventually was able to get an audience with a certain someone, after he had been busy with various things.
The young Uchiha now was beginning to plan for the future. For the time being, it seemed everything would be calmer than it had been, at least with Orochimaru gone anyway.
They would be able to have a little relax, but the big battles were just beginning, Ryouta knew that.
Because of what could happen with those after Naruko, Ryouta was determined as ever to make sure that it didn't, and with Kabuto, and Guren still out there, doing things that he didn't even know about, he was sure that this would be the right path for him to take.
He walked into his residence, and bowed when seeing the elder former Hokage Hiruzen, who in turn bowed right back.
"Ryouta-kun, its always a pleasure. Please, sit down. Would you like some tea?"
"No thank you Third-sama, I actually came, because I have a request."
Hiruzen was intrigued, so watched as the young boy sat down.
"What is it my boy?"
Ryouta placed his hands together, peering into the elders eyes.
"I know that you've entered into retirement, officially speaking. But Third-sama...the future of the village, and the future of my eyes..."
"Because you lost light within your eyes, there's some decisions you're weighing up in your mind now, is that correct? What path you need to go down, and what would be best for you in the coming future to put you at the best advantage as you possibly could be in."
Ryouta confirmed it with a nod of his head.
He was glad that Hiruzen understood where he was coming from.
"Yes, that's why, I came here. I can't think of anyone better to train me than you. Actually, I want to request for both Satsuki-chan and I. She would be here, but Kakashi-sensei called her for a team meeting, so she had to go towards that instead."
Hiruzen understood where he was going with this, and couldn't contain the smile growing on his face.
In fact, he was so overjoyed that it displayed on his ageing face.
"My boy, you want me to train with you?"
"Yes...for the future of the village, because of what happened with Orochimaru, and those that could be after Naruko-chan as well..."
"To train with a former Hokage, it is going to be rather interesting to see what you do during that time. To train both Satsuki-san and yourself, it seems that times truly are changing. Alright, I agree to train you both."
Ryouta held relief on his face, being able to learn from Hiruzen was one of the best things he could hope for when it came to people he could train under. The man that taught the Sannin, and the man that was Hokage, being able to gain knowledge from him, being able to become even stronger than ever before, Ryouta was truly thrilled.
"Thank you sir, I wont let you down!"
"I am sure you wouldn't. Besides, I am glad that you did come to me."
Ryouta cocked his head.
"How come?"
"It saved me the trip of coming to you instead."
Ryouta believed he understood, it seemed that Hiruzen had similar thoughts to himself.
"I am glad that you've decided to take both of us on sir."
"As am I, my boy. I've watched you grow from a sweet gentle boy, into an older mature boy, but never losing that same sweet and gentleness you held as a child. I am glad, many can lose themselves after everything that you've been experiencing. And what I saw and witnessed during your time with Orochimaru, was simply outstanding, it only goes to prove giving you the rank of Jonin was very well deserved."
Ryouta lightly smiled in a semi shy but gracious manner.
"I just did what I thought would be best for everyone, sir. But thank you."
"Yes, indeed. You thought of what people should go where, how to enact your plans, and how to overcome Orochimaru. Even in his decaying mental state, he still was a rather smart man, and he made measures against you, yet you overcame him with your own intelligence. Shisui, Yukine and Kagami would be so proud of all you've achieved so far."
Ryouta was grateful to hear what Hiruzen had to say, and he thought back on the brief time he met his Mother, and all of the time that he spent with his brother, he didn't have any memories of his Dad, which he did still find regretful, but in the end, he was happy that he was able to keep going, for them.
"I was able to get justice for Mom...for what he did to her, and to the other Hokage as well, what he tried to do to you, and this lovely village of ours. Orochimaru...he truly could have been something more for this village, if he didn't let his ambition and greed get in the way of better judgement."
"I agree, he had talent that he wasted by turning to despicable acts. But now, we don't have to worry about him. The training shall start the day after tomorrow. That way it will give you the chance to say goodbye to Naruko."
Ryouta blinked rapidly.
"Say goodbye? Is she going somewhere?"
Hiruzen this time looked perplexed.
"It seems you haven't heard. Naruko, is going to be leaving with Jiraiya, to train her Tailed Beast, and to grow her into an even stronger Ninja. With the Akatsuki threat on the horizon, we've had discussions about all of this, and we thought that this would be the best, agreeing that he would be able to teach her quite effectively, give her the knowledge to become a stronger Ninja, preparing her for that future."
Ryouta was blown away by the news.
He was happy for her of course.
But the idea of not seeing Naruko everyday, would take an adjustment.
"So she leaves tomorrow..."
"She does, Jiraiya would have talked to her about it by now, I suppose that maybe she hasn't had time to tell you yet."
It was understandable, he hadn't had a chance to see her that day.
"How long does she leave for sir?"
"Between two and three years, we can't be sure when the Akatsuki will strike, but two years for certain is the time that it would take for them to prepare."
"I see...yes, if Jiraiya-san is taking her, then she would learn a good deal from him. Haha, its going to be weird, isn't it sir? Without the loud Naruko-chan always running around in that orange get up that she has, and her yelling about some Shadow Clones, or something like that."
Hiruzen showed a kind grandfatherly smile.
"Yes, it is going to be a strange experience, I've seen her all of her life, so the idea of her not being around anymore will be as you said, rather weird. Though, I am sure that the time will fly, especially with training."
"Yes...I am sure that it will. Still, sir...I'm going to miss her."
Ryouta revealed with a half smile.
He was really happy for her, and he wished her all of the best, but he did think he was going to miss her a good deal. He hoped that through this, she would gain more power, and come closer to her dream of becoming the Hokage.
Hiruzen showed a sentimental smile on his face, matching the kind one on Ryouta's own.
"I will as well. She could truly be a prankster and cause some mischief for the village...but, she is our hyperactive Ninja, one that I am very proud of."
"Yes...I am very proud of her too. She has come along way, and I am sure she can become even more amazing in the future. Though, she is going to freak when she hears that she can't have Ichiraku's ramen for two to three years~"
Ryouta chuckled, as Hiruzen shared in the same chuckle.
"Yes, I am sure that she would do. We will have to eat more in her absence."
"Hahaha, yes you're right sir~"
The pair laughed together, and shared their thoughts about various topics, including that of Naruko herself.
Thinking about Naruko going, Ryouta truly was sure it was going to be a happy event, as he knew it would give her the ability to gain more power, to train her body and to help with her Tailed Beast, and he couldn't wait to see the results of her training either.
Now all he had to do, was say goodbye to her.
End chapter!
So this chapter had Ryouta spend some quality time with the likes of Hanabi, Temari challenging him to a short match, for some personal reasons, some to do with Gaara, some to do with herself to see his capabilities up close and personal. Gaara seems to be trying to get closer with Ryouta very well. Pakura also had the chance to thank him for avenging Maki by taking down Orochimaru, and also encouraged both Sakura and Ino, while also going to Hiruzen for some training, then at the end found out about Naruko going on her trip with Jiraiya.
Well, until next time, thanks for reading!
Ryouta; Satsuki, Sakura, Naruko, Hinata, Gaara (fem), Ino, Haku (fem), Kurotsuchi, Karin, Konan, Mei, Anko, Samui, Hanabi, Mabui, Temari, Pakura, Fu,