The Dragon Dilemma
I don't own Naruto and Zoids
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"Talking"
'Thoughts'
/-- Scene change
)-()-( Different point of view
?-? Flash back
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Chapter 13
He did wonder what Kakashi had been doing over the last three days, just before they left. He wonders if Kakashi finally got serious about searching for more Zoids for Hidden Leaf, but he did wonder just how Kakashi planned for those Zoids to journey back to Hidden Leaf without alerting Sakura and him. He sighs and tries to think of something else as they walk down the road, back to Fire Country.
Shadow left with the Liger after he told the Organoid about the Kyuubi being sealed within him. He hopes that Shadow will be able to find a hiding spot for the Liger that's close to Hidden Leaf. He didn't want anyone else other then Shadow and him piloting the white Zoid. Not only was the cat type Zoid a stepping stone, but also the Zoid he wishes to use as he makes his way as a Zoid pilot. He grins as he remembers the test run he had once they had found the Zoid. He truly wishes to repeat that and more.
He blinks as he notices that Sakura wasn't at his side, he looks behind him and finds that Sakura seems to be thinking about something and she seems sad. Knowing that neither of the other members of their cell were going to notice Sakura, he slows up and asks once Sakura is by his side, "You want to talk about it?" Sakura seems startled and then smiles sheepishly. Sakura looks sad and asks, "Do you think I'm in the way?" He blinks at this comment and replies, "Who told you that? Wait, never mind. Look Sakura, you're hearts in the right place, but you do have habits that aren't helping you become a better ninja." Sakura looks surprise and asks, "What habits are you talking about?" He smiles slightly at the tone and says, "You're dieting, is a major one."
Sakura's eyes flash dangerously, but he continues. "You don't need to worry about getting plumped if you train hard and often." Sakura growls for about a few seconds before she says, "Sasuke doesn't like fat or muscle girls." He snorts and counters, "You know, I don't believe any of you fan girls ever got a full sentence out of Sasuke. And if that's true, then you truly don't know what Sasuke's looking for in a girl, right?" The look on Sakura's face proves him right.
"Why don't you ask Sasuke about what he likes in a girl?" Sakura asks. He chuckles at that and Sakura asks in a sharp tone, "What's so funny?" "You really believe that Sasuke's as hooked up on girls like you are on boys? For one thing, think about his ambition of killing that guy." He says after he calms down enough to speak with a straight face. "He also wants to revive his clan!" Sakura says a bit loudly. He sighs and looks over at the back of the preteen that they're currently talking about. "So how, I think he wants his revenge first and then do that, if he's still alive." He says the last part softly.
Sakure rounds on him by saying, "Sasuke will kill that guy with ease! He's a genius!" He rolls his eyes and asks, "If the guy can kill Sasuke's whole clan, who by the way most likely have activated their bloodline limit, what are the chances that Sasuke, who hasn't activated it, would be able to kill the guy?" He watches as Sakura begins to process this and within two minutes, he watches as Sakura's eyes widen as she realises that he's got a really good point.
He decides to steer the conversation back on course. "If you want Sasuke to pay attention to you, you'd have to become a better ninja and be able to do things that he himself can't do. If you can do something and he can't, he'll have to sit up and pay attention to you. And don't give me that look, Sasuke will always look at those that he considers strong opponents and ignore those that aren't. That's why he talks to me, he knows that in my own way, I'm stronger then him." He informs her. Sakura gives him a dirty look, then begins to think about what he told her.
They continue walking side by side, he glances ahead and notices that Kakashi was looking over his should and seems to be giving him an approving look. He blinks as Kakashi turns away, he wonders if Kakashi had been overhearing their conversation. He sighs and decides that it probably doesn't matter in the long run.
/----
They arrived at the gate after a week of walking. They're mission had been a success and they were going to have a few days off, well that's what Kakashi hinted at as he giggled at something he head been reading. Kakashi giggles once more, which just causes him and the others to sigh. He did have to admit, it was kind of unnerving for a grown man to giggle like a little girl. They shared looks as they walk up to the open gate.
Finally their teacher puts the book away as they stop before the guards. The guards then motion for them to continue on their way once Kakashi shows them the passports. After walking for about ten minutes, Kakashi turns to them and says, "Dismissed and we'll meet up again in four days, so enjoy your holiday." Then Kakashi vanishes in a swirl of leaves.
"See you around." He says as he walks towards one of the seedier parts of the village. He hears Sakura shout out a good bye as he walks away. He just waved his right hand in the air for a few seconds, letting her know that he heard. Though it takes him a while to make it to his apartment by this route then if he had taken the direct route, he just didn't want to deal with the glares he'd receive if he walked straight to his apartment.
He arrives and sighs as he finds his door open. He shakes his head as he finds a huge mess within. He snorts as he studies it. He then heads down the stairs and to the manager's office. Checking to see if it's locked, he then rummages around in his back and finds some lock picks he packed. He picks the lock and opens the door. He glances around at the paper work and soon finds the safe. He gets it open and takes everything that's within and then walks out of the office; he locks the door and heads to the roof.
He had this kind of trouble before and the last time this happened was when he was nine. He had the Hokage's approve to deal with this as he sees fit if it ever happened again, he wonders if the manager forgot about that warning. He grins as he considers just how the man will react once he finds out that the safe's been broken into.
It was about an hour when he hears the manger's voice yell out, "I've been robbed!" He then checks the time, counting down the minutes before he would confront the man. He watches the front door for when the manager comes out and waits for help to arrive. Within two minutes of watching, the man comes out. He slips down the side of the building with ease.
"You will clean my apartment or put me in a new one." He says once he stands behind the man. The man whirls on him in rage, but pales as the manager finds him whirling a kunai on a finger. "It's your problem, not mine if your apartment gets broken into." The man says once he recovers. "That's how you interrupt it, but I believe the Hokage would agree that it's your job to ensure that every apartment under your care is safe and sound. Therefore, you'll fix this problem or I'll turn the papers over to the Third. I'm sure he'll be interested in what's written on these pages." He says and once he notices the man's reactions, he kind of wishes he had read them while he had been waiting.
The man growls, "Let's see what the council has to say about that!" He smiles sweetly and his hands go through the Henge jutsu with ease. A puff of smoke surrounds him and once cleared, he appears to be the man. "Not if you don't report it." He says and he punches takes the man out with a single punch. He carries the heavy body into the bushes that surround the front grounds and then waits for someone to arrive.
Soon someone did and he gruffly tells them that he found them and the 'punk' that took them. After a few questions were answered, the guy walks away; he had noticed the emblem on the man's jacket. A puff sounds out as he cancels the jutsu. He walks towards the Hokage Tower, knowing that he better report to the Hokage that something's up with the council. He wonders briefly if he'll be allowed to keep all that money that he found within the safe.
'If it's not one thing, it's always another.' He thinks as he takes the direct route, ignoring the people that were glaring at him as he walks. He wonders if he shouldn't have done a Henge, but squashes that thought. He will not live his whole life under some mask.
Once he reaches the tower, he walks past the guards and straight towards the Third's office. He tones out the voices of disapproval as he continues towards his goal. He grins a bit as he walks into the waiting room. There isn't anyone behind the desk, so he just walks pass the chunin guard. "You can't go in there!" The chunin shouts as he opens the door. "What seems to be the problem?" The old man behind the desk asks. "This 'person' just barraged in without an appointment." The chunin says in out rage. "You said that if I had something important to say to you, that I'm welcome anytime. So here I am." He says as the Third looks at him. "Thank you for your concern, Masaru." The Third says to the chunin.
He waits until the man leaves before taking out the shrunken documents and money he took from the safe. He places them on the desk and cancels the jutsu over them. "What all this?" The Third asks as he picks up one of the sheets of paper. "It's what was in my ex-manager's safe." He says as he sits down. Hokage rises an eyebrow at the title he gave the man who owned the building he had been living at. "What happened?" The old man asks with a sigh. "Simple. When I came back, my apartment was broken into and was a huge mess. I headed to the office to confront the man, but sadly, the man was gone. So I pick the lock and broken into the safe. Once I had this stuff in hand, I headed to the roof to wait the man's return."
He pauses to calm himself, he hadn't been angry when he found his apartment a ruin, but the emotion finally arrived and he didn't want to take it out on the Third, the man was the closest man to a grandfather he ever had and knew that the old man didn't deserve to be a target of his rage. Once he felt he had more control over his emotions, he continued. "About an hour later, he returned and found that the safe had been broken into. He called someone and came outside to wait for them. I came up behind him and told him that he either cleans up my apartment or gets me a new one. I threaten to give these," He waves his hand at the documents on the desk, "to you. He then said something along the lines about the council and I used Henge to take his form and punched him knocked him out. I hide body in the bushes and when someone arrived, I lied about what happened and then walked here to give these to you." He nods his head at the sheets of paper.
The Third's eyes widen and then the old man studies the documents with more interest. "So you don't have any place to spend the night?" The Third asks. He sighs and says, "Might just camp it out, you know, stay out of sight for the next few days." The Hokage sighs and nods. "Just contact me if you need anything." The old man says. He pauses and as he gets up, "I don't suppose some of that money could be… miss placed?" The Third smiles at that.
To be continued …