In which Naruto plays cat's cradle.
O-O-O-O-O
Lying on the bed in his new accommodations, Utakata closed his eyes, trying to forcibly slow his heart rate and let sleep take him. He took deep breaths, tossing and turning in bed. Nothing happened.
With a groan, he opened his eyes, staring up at the darkness above him. He gritted his teeth. Defeated, he swept his legs over the side of the bed, stood up, and walked toward the tiny window in his temporary room. He looked out at the trees that surrounded the tower at the center of Training Area 44- the aptly-named Forest of Death.
Utakata sighed, placing his forehead down on the windowsill. He had been a fool.
It doesn't matter the country. A shinobi is a shinobi.
The day after the first stage, his students had woken up early to prepare for the next stage. Following an early lunch, they had gone to Training Area 44. As their teacher, Utakata had stayed behind, waiting for further instructions from Konoha.
At the time, he had expected the second stage to be a walk in the park for his students. After all, peace-loving Konoha would never put their genin in grave danger, right?
The short-haired woman named Anko had dashed his hopes with a sledgehammer.
Hours after his students had set out, the remaining jounin had gone to the tower at the center of Training Area 44. There, they had been told the full details of the second stage- giant blood-sucking slugs and all.
It had taken all of Utakata's self-restraint not to scream. How else was he supposed to feel about his students trying to survive in a place called the Forest of Death? With a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, Utakata and the remaining jounin instructors settled down to wait for news of their students' success- or failure.
The longer he waited, the more he worried. Less than forty-eight hours were left and he had yet to hear any news, positive or negative.
I thought Konoha was overprotective, but it's not true. It's been three days already. Why have I heard nothing from them?
With a sigh, Utakata turned his attention to the clock hanging above the door of his room. It was almost twenty minutes past three in the morning.
He groaned, rubbing at his temples, and then walked back to the bed and sat on the edge. Ever since arriving at the tower, Utakata had been perpetually restless, unable to get more than a few brief moments to sleep.
Any time he closed his eyes, thoughts of his students failing, thoughts of his students in pain, or thoughts of even worse came to mind. The images never left his brain for long. Alone, he spent his days and nights pacing in the room Konoha had provided, agonizing like a widow waiting for her husband to return from war.
He massaged his temples and collapsed atop the bed. After three days of waiting, he was not going to get any sleep until his students returned safe and unharmed. At that point, it was useless to try.
He placed his arms down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. There was a small gecko crawling next to the lone lightbulb. He doubted that it was spying on him, but in a shinobi village it was impossible to tell.
He watched the creature crawl around the ceiling, moving closer to the residual heat in the lightbulb. I wish I were a gecko. Then my life would be less troublesome.
A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.
"Utakata-sensei?" a deep voice called out.
"Yes?" Utakata sat up, pinching the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache incoming.
"We have news about your team."
Utakata bolted out of bed and ran toward the door. He was ready to open it when he remembered the importance of appearances. Taking a deep breath, he unclenched his hands and opened the door, forcing his face into a calm mask.
"News?" Utakata repeated, his expression neutral. "What sort of news?"
The man in front of him was tall, a beard on his face and a cigarette on his lips. He nodded. "They arrived at the tower a few minutes ago."
Utakata copied his nod, feeling his stomach turn over in fear. Kimimaro, Kasumi, and Haku might have arrived, but the man had said nothing of their condition. Were they injured? Maimed? On the brink of death?
"May I see them?" he asked, his voice struggling to stay clear.
The Konoha shinobi grunted in assent. Without saying anything, he walked away, gesturing for Utakata to follow behind him. Together, they headed to the stairs and began to descend, walking slower than Utakata would have liked. After what felt like hours, they arrived at the large entry area, pushing a door open.
Inside the entrance, his students stood together, their backs turned against the door, talking to one another. Their heads spun around once they heard the door open behind them.
"Utakata-sensei!" the children said at the same time, their faces brightening up at his presence.
Utakata felt the blood drain from his face. Kasumi stood at the center of the room, her green dress stained red and her right eye bandaged.
Forgetting about the presence of the Konoha ninja, he ran to her, panic racing through his veins.
"Kasumi!" he shouted her name, grabbing her shoulders and crouching down in front of her. "What's-"
He let out a sigh of relief. Apart from the bandages covering her eye, she looked unharmed, if perhaps a bit tired. She stared at him in a combination of surprise and disbelief.
"Sensei?" Kasumi didn't bother to pull back from Utakata's grip. "What are you-" She gulped before glancing down at her own dress and smiling. "Oh, right. I forgot. Sorry, sensei."
Relief replacing the panic in his veins, Utakata turned his attention to the two boys of their team. Up close, they looked as unharmed as he had hoped.
"Well, I couldn't help it," Utakata grumbled. "Imagine if Kimimaro or Haku had been shown up covered in blood instead."
Kasumi giggled, although her amusement seemed forced. "It's not my blood, sensei."
Utakata huffed and crossed his arms in front of his chest, standing up to his full height. "I can see that now," he muttered before turning his attention to Kimimaro and Haku. "And are you two okay?"
The two boys nodded, suppressing yawns.
"We kept getting attacked," Kimimaro complained, trying to rub away the sleep in his eyes.
"They thought we would be easy prey," Haku added, a sad smile on his face. "We proved them wrong often enough, though."
At those words, Kasumi flinched and looked down at her feet, her hands grasping onto the fabric of her dress. Based on the large stain on her clothes, Utakata already had a good idea of what had happened. He made a mental note to talk about it later once they were alone.
Utakata sighed before placing a hand on top of Kimimaro's head, making the boy look down at the ground. "Well, it's almost four in the morning. Now that we're all inside the tower, you're safe. I guess we should go to bed."
Exhausted, the three children nodded and hummed in affirmation. With only a smile, Utakata turned his attention to the man that had brought him news of his students.
The Konoha shinobi nodded, his expression inscrutable before turning around and leaving. "I will show you to your accommodations for the rest of the second stage."
Yawning and rubbing at their eyes, Kasumi, Kimimaro, and Haku followed behind Utakata. In silence, the Konoha shinobi led the way toward their room. Together, they walked up a set of stairs and down a hallway. They said nothing until the Konoha man opened a door that led into a dorm room.
It was even smaller than Utakata's basic accommodations on the upper floors of the tower.
Opposite the door was a small window that looked out to the forest. Two narrow bunk beds were placed close to the walls. From a glance Utakata could tell the mattresses would be lumpy and uncomfortable. Other than the beds, three cheap wooden chairs acted as the only other furnishings. Partially hidden behind one of the bunk beds was a door that led to the bathroom.
Well, it's not as nice as our hotel suite, that's for sure.
"This will be your room for the remaining two days," the other man explained, his attention focused on the three children. "Your jounin-sensei will be able to guide you around the facilities." With a final nod, the man left, closing the door behind him and leaving Utakata's team together alone at last.
Utakata breathed a sigh of relief, staring down at his students. His body felt lighter and he was unable to keep his face from breaking out into a smile. "I'm guessing you three want to sleep now."
His question was met with tired nods and yawns.
"I'd like to take a shower first, though," Kasumi admitted. "I'm... not sure if it's a good idea to get into bed like this." She glanced at the crest of blood staining her dress.
"I understand. There should be a bathroom at the end of the room." He headed toward the corner of the room, opening a door that was half-hidden behind one of the bunk beds and glancing inside. "They only have cleansing powder thought. Do you need me to bring any toiletries for you?"
Kasumi shook her head, eyes staring straight ahead in front of her. "I'm fine, sensei. I just..." she swallowed. "Need to rinse off."
Without saying anything else, she walked past Utakata, entering the tiny bathroom and locking the door behind her. Utakata frowned to himself. Based on the comments from his students, he already had a good idea of what had happened in the Forest of Death. Kimimaro and Haku had both taken human lives before, even if the boys had never given him the full details. Kasumi, as far as he knew, had never killed anyone.
It's hard for all of us. He vowed to talk to her about it later. For the moment, she needed to rest.
Utakata turned his attention to the two other children. They stood by the door, swaying and trying not to yawn, waiting for Utakata's instructions.
"I guess you two are going to sleep now?"
The boys seemed to consider the question before glancing down at themselves. With matching sighs, they shook their heads.
"I think I need to take a shower too, sensei," Haku said, sounding uncharacteristically annoyed. "Three days of living in the wilderness is not a good way of staying clean."
At his side, Kimimaro nodded in agreement, covering his mouth with a hand when he yawned. "I wish I could take a bath." He pouted, looking more childish than Utakata could remember for a long time.
Utakata snorted. Don't I know that feeling?
"You can clean up in my room," Utakata offered the boy before turning his attention to Haku. "And you, Haku? Want to wash up in my room?"
Haku shook his head. "I need to change the bandages on Kasumi's eye," he said. "So I'll wait for her to finish before cleaning up myself."
Utakata frowned and hummed to himself. "I noticed that. Is it a serious cut? She didn't seem bothered by it."
Haku considered his question for a few seconds before answering. "It's not a debilitating injury," he began. "It's just a flesh wound. Although I'm sure it will leave a scar." He bit his lip. "But I'm a little worried about her mental state," he admitted.
"I am too. She's... more quiet than usual," Kimimaro added, a frown on his face as he began to play with the sleeve of his yukata.
Utakata hummed to himself. "I will discuss the situation with her later," he vowed. "For now, I want you three to get some rest. We will talk more tomorrow."
"Yes. Thank you, sensei." Haku bowed his head down. He moved past Kimimaro and Utakata to sit on a chair next to the bunk beds. Yawning, he leaned his head against the wall, staring up at the ceiling.
Utakata grabbed onto Kimimaro's shoulder and led him out. "Well, make sure to take care of yourself, Haku. You're more than just our medic."
Haku replied with a faint smile as Utakata walked out, pushing Kimimaro in front of him and closing the door behind them. The two of them found the stairs in silence and took them to Utakata's room.
"The shower's over there." Utakata pointed toward a door at the corner of his room. "Do you need anything?"
Suppressing a yawn, Kimimaro shook his head. "No. I think I'll be fine, sensei. Thank you."
Without saying anything else, the boy headed toward the bathroom and closed it behind him. A few seconds later, Utakata heard the tell-tale sound of the shower faucet.
With no one to see him, he let out a deep sigh before sitting down on the edge of the bed.
They're safe. That's all that matters. Overwhelmed, he placed his face inside the palms of his hands, holding back tears of relief.
He rubbed at his eyes, a yawn forming at the back of his throat. After three days of restlessness, the lack of sleep was catching up to him. He suspected that he would be dead to the world for the next twenty-four hours or so.
Finally at peace, he closed his eyes and listened to the comforting sound of the shower running in the other room.
Kimimaro was there. Exhausted and worn, but alive and safe. That was all that mattered.
The sound of flowing water disappeared and Utakata's attention returned to the present. He stood up, stretching his arms over his head.
"Sensei?" Kimimaro's unsure voice called out from inside the bathroom.
"What is it?" Utakata rubbed at his eyes, trying to force himself to stay awake until Kimimaro returned to his room.
"I forgot to bring a change of clothes," the boy admitted, sounding embarrassed.
Utakata hummed to himself. He reached into one of the pockets on his jounin vest, taking out a small sealing scroll. "Is it okay if I come in, Kimimaro?" he asked.
"It's fine, sensei."
Utakata stepped inside. Kimimaro stood in front of the small sink, wrapped in a towel and trying to dry his hair with one of the cheap rags Utakata had been provided.
A wave of relief rushed through Utakata one more time upon seeing the boy. Was it possible to keep him safe for the rest of his life? He's alive. He's... good.
"Here's a sealing scroll. I packed a few extra clothes just in case." Utakata handed over the gift.
"Thank you, sensei." Kimimaro took the offer and left the bathroom. He placed the scroll atop the bed, opening it and pulsing chakra when he got to the right seal. With a puff of smoke, a clean set of clothes appeared atop the bed.
Without saying anything else, the boy began to dress, shivering at the temperature. Utakata turned away to give him as much privacy as possible.
He stared through the window out at the aptly named Forest of Death.
How close had Utakata's students been to dying? How many times had they seen death in the face? What had they done to survive?
Utakata crossed his arms over his chest, hands clenched into fists. "How many times were you attacked, Kimimaro?" He heard rustling as the boy pulled on his clothes.
"I'm not sure, sensei. We lost count after the tenth attack."
"You... you got attacked that many times?" He swallowed.
"I think they thought we would be easy targets because we're the youngest team." Utakata heard Kimimaro yawn. "But they usually backed off when we defended ourselves. We-" The boy's sentence was interrupted by another yawn.
The sound of rustling clothes ended and Utakata turned around to look at his student once again. Kimimaro stood next to his bed, dressed in a clean yukata. Despite standing, the boy's head was nodding, on the cusp of falling asleep at any second. Exhausted, he used the cheap towel to try and dry his hair.
A strange feeling passed through Utakata's body. Without thinking, he walked toward Kimimaro, wrapping his arms around him in a hug. If anything had been different, their casual lunch before the second stage would have been the last time they would have each other alive.
"S-sensei?" Kimimaro hesitated for a second before returning Utakata's embrace with a hug of his own. "What is it?"
Utakata shook his head. "Nothing. I'm..." he swallowed. Perhaps the lack of sleep was affecting his brain because Yugito's words dashed through his mind.
Tell him you love him. He could almost imagine Yugito's exasperated face as she bossed him around.
He shook his head to rid himself of the mental image. "I'm glad you're safe. Kasumi and Haku, too."
"Y-you are, sensei?" Kimimaro's question sounded too incredulous for his taste. "You... were worried about me?"
Does he think I don't care about him?
"Yeah, I really was," he confessed. "If anything had happened to you, I... I don't know what I would have done. I... I..." he swallowed again, feeling his face heat up. "I really am glad you made it out safe and sound."
I'm a coward. Three words and I can't even say them.
Unaware of Utakata's inner turmoil, Kimimaro tightened his hug. "Thank you, sensei," he whispered into his vest.
Utakata grunted. "You don't have to thank me." He gulped, Yugito's words refusing to leave his brain. Still, he could not say them out loud.
He ran a hand through Kimimaro's hair, the touch making the boy's grip on his midsection tighten. He wished he could have Kimimaro in his line of sight for the rest of his life. He never wanted to worry about his safety so much ever again.
Still, he had to let go eventually, so he loosened his grip, running his fingers through his hair one last time before disconnecting.
"Sleep well, Kimimaro. We'll talk more tomorrow."
With the hug ended, Kimimaro gaped up at him, eyes open wide. His mouth opened, as if to speak, but no sound came out. Finally, with a blush on his face, he looked down at his feet and nodded.
"Good night, sensei."
Glancing back once, he left Utakata's room and headed toward his own, closing the door behind him. Utakata stared at the place where the boy had disappeared. After three days, the ball of anxiety eased enough for him to smile and mean it.
With a sigh, he collapsed on the bed, asleep before his head hit the pillow.
O-O-O-O-O
Naruto glared at the string entwined around Fuu's fingers. With a frown, he pinched the corners where the string intersected. He glanced at Fuu for confirmation.
"Like this?" he asked.
She nodded, beaming at him. "Yup! And now you transfer the string to your hands."
With a gulp, Naruto moved the string over to his own fingers. To his amazement, it formed a new pattern of crisscrossing lines.
"Hey! That's really cool, ya know!" Naruto pulled his hands farther apart, making the string taut.
"Takumi-sensei told me how to do it," Fuu explained, her hands free. "He said it's a game called cat's cradle."
"Can I try?" Gaara asked, crawling to sit closer to Naruto. His eyes glittered in excitement as he stared at the string pattern in Naruto's hands.
Naruto nodded. "Yeah! But I don't know how."
Fuu moved to Gaara's side, guiding his hands. "Use your pinky fingers and pull the string here and here." She pointed at two different places where the string intersected.
Frowning in concentration, Gaara followed her instructions. A few seconds later, a completely new pattern adorned Gaara's hands.
"Takumi-sensei said it's good training for hand seals," Fuu explained. "He said it was mandatory training at the Academy before I joined."
"Makes sense," Gaara muttered, staring down at the pattern in his hands. "I only use seals for a few techniques though. The sand usually moves on its own."
"Yeah and- Utakata nii-san!" Before Fuu had a chance to say anything else, she bolted up, a grin on her face as she stared over Naruto's shoulder. She ran toward the new arrival.
"Nii-san?" Game forgotten, Naruto stood up, a grin already on his face as he followed behind Fuu, Gaara close at his heels.
None of them had seen Utakata since New Year's, but that was not unusual. The older shinobi had responsibilities and missions that meant they could only join the Room at certain times. For instance, Naruto had only seen Han, Roshi, and Yagura in passing the last few days.
"Fuu, Gaara, Naruto." Utakata greeted them with a lazy wave. He took an involuntary step back when Fuu jumped up and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Naruto followed her lead, grabbing onto Utakata by the midsection as Gaara tried to wrap his small body around all three of them.
"Kids, it's only been ten days since we saw each other," Utakata whined. Despite his complaints, he didn't break away from their embrace.
Fuu giggled. "I'm still glad to see you, nii-san."
Utakata's face softened and he placed a hand atop Fuu's head. "I'm glad to see you, too, Fuu."
"Are you gonna play with us, nii-san?" Naruto asked. "Gaara just got here so he can stay with us for one more hour, ya know." While Utakata complained about playing with them, Naruto could tell he enjoyed their time together.
Utakata sighed and shook his head. "No, I have something more important to talk about."
"Important?" Fuu repeated.
The three children tensed, expecting bad news. But to Naruto's relief, Utakata only seemed faintly embarrassed about something. He scratched the back of his neck before turning his attention down, focusing on Naruto.
"The truth is that I'm in Konoha right now," the man admitted.
"Konoha?" Fuu, Gaara, and Naruto shouted at the same time.
Naruto gaped up at Utakata, who had an uncertain frown on his face.
The older jinchuuriki nodded. "I've... actually been in Konoha since the new year," he confessed, an uncertain smile on his face.
"Since the new year?" Naruto repeated. He took a step back and glared up at the man. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
Utakata shrugged. "I had a few more pressing matters to attend to," he explained. "My team is currently taking the chuunin exams in Konoha. That took precedence."
"Chuunin exams?" Naruto tilted his head to the side. He was sure he had heard of that before. Perhaps from Han or Roshi.
"There are chuunin exams in Konoha?" Fuu's eyes glittered in excitement.
One of Utakata's eyebrows rose at Fuu's tone but he said nothing about it. "Yes. Though I don't think that's something you need to think about for now."
Fuu shrugged. "If you say so, nii-san."
Utakata shook his head, obviously disbelieving but not wanting to say anything. "Anyway, since I had to focus on my team, I didn't have time to meet up with you." He scratched the back of his neck. "But now that I know that they're advancing to the final stage and we will stay in Konoha for one more month..." He trailed off.
Naruto connected the dots. "You're gonna be in Konoha for a whole month?" he shouted, gaping up at the older jinchuuriki.
Utakata nodded. "Yes. I wanted us to meet up. Maybe in a couple of days?"
"In a couple of days?"
"Yeah, in a couple of days." Utakata crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Actually, I saw you once soon after we arrived in Konoha," he confessed. "But I didn't want you to say anything... unfortunate when you saw me."
"You saw Naruto-kun?" Fuu asked. She turned her gaze between Utakata and Naruto, her jaw falling open in amazement.
"Yes. He was with that friend he always talks about. Sasuke. That kid looks like he's got a stick up his butt though."
Naruto giggled. Nii-san's right about that.
"So where are we gonna meet?" Naruto asked. Jumping up and down in place, he grabbed onto one of Utakata's sleeves. Even the mere possibility of meeting the older jinchuuriki was more than he could stand.
"I don't know. It doesn't really matter." Utakata shrugged again. "But there is one thing that is very important." His expression grew serious as he met Naruto in the eye. "We need to practice how you're going to act when we see each other. I don't want either of us to be sent off to Torture and Interrogation if you give a strange reaction."
Naruto shook his head vehemently. "I won't!" he promised. "I just wanna meet you, ya know!"
Utakata hummed to himself, his gaze focused on Naruto. He glanced at Fuu and Gaara next, who had been standing next to Naruto in silent support.
"In that case, we need to practice how you're going to react," he concluded. "Gaara can pretend to be your friend Sasuke while Fuu can pretend to be one of my students."
"Ooh! A pretend game! That sounds fun!" Fuu said. She giggled before turning her attention to Gaara. "Won't that be fun, Gaara-kun?"
At her side, Gaara nodded, his eyes also shining with excitement.
"It's not a game," Utakata muttered, although he didn't seem bothered by her words. He turned his full attention back to Naruto. "I think we should meet at the ramen restaurant you like. One of my students has been wanting to go there for a while."
"Ichiraku Ramen?"
"Yeah, there. That's where I saw you, actually."
Naruto chuckled. "I go there as often as Mama and Sasuke will let me," he admitted. "But I'll make sure to go there in a couple of days, ya know!"
Utakata nodded, satisfied with Naruto's answer. With that agreement in place, the four jinchuuriki spent the next hour in the Room, playing a pretend game together.
O-O-O-O-O
Roshi pulled the lever, praying to whatever deity that might be listening for success. With bated breath, he watched the pachinko balls ricochet off of each other in the machine and fall down. None entered the winning bins.
He cursed under his breath. Fuck. Lost again.
Grimacing, he glanced over at Han sitting next to him. Unlike Roshi, the tall man had won a few rounds, more pachinko balls in his bin than from the beginning.
"How much have you made so far, Han?" he asked, staring at his friend's winnings in jealousy.
Han shrugged, making his armor- worn even inside the casino- clang with the movement. "Just lucky, I guess. How are you holding up? Are you going to make us millionaires?"
Roshi snorted. "Catching that slimy snake would've been easier."
Han huffed, the loss of Orochimaru still a sore spot. "The bastard was slimier than we anticipated."
Roshi sighed before pulling the lever on the pachinko machine a few more times. The metal balls shot out, falling down the machine, few landing in the correct receptacles. His winnings came out in a small number of pachinko balls: a marginal profit.
"Where's Kaito, anyway?" Han asked. A small stream of pachinko balls came out of the machine, his total profit rising slowly but steadily.
Roshi shrugged, his eyes focused on the machine in front of him. "As long as he doesn't lose us a shit-ton of money again, I don't care what he does." He shuddered at the memories.
We can never go back to that town again.
In the last casino they had visited, Roshi had lost them a few hundred ryo playing cho-han, a gambling game with dice. Yagura had mocked him, scoffing when Roshi dared Yagura to make back his winnings. With a smirk, Yagura had taken Roshi's remaining money and joined a group playing the game.
Thirty minutes later, Han had been forced to carry Yagura out when he refused to stop playing despite losing thousands. Red-faced and ashamed, Han and Roshi had been chased out as Yagura yelled accusations of cheating, barely restrained in Han's grip.
"Don't worry, I only gave him a couple of hundred ryo," Han said. "There's no way he can get into trouble with a couple of hundred ryo."
"I sure hope so," Roshi muttered. "But that man can make the impossible possible." With a final sigh and a shake of his head, he stopped pulling at the lever, exhausted by the thought of continuing. "Well, I might as well go find him. See how he's doing."
Sitting at the tiny chair next to him, Han hummed in thought. "Sure. I'll go cash my winnings and then find you two. I guess it's about time for us to retire for the night anyway."
"Sounds good. Combine it with what I have left." Roshi handed over a bin half-empty with pachinko balls.
Han took the bin without a word, combining Roshi's winnings with his own. "See you in a bit then."
Roshi waved goodbye, already walking away. "See you."
Tired of playing, Roshi began to wander around the casino in the search for Yagura. As he walked, he watched the people, most under the influence of mind-altering substances. They laughed, drank, and gambled, the stakes only increasing as they played their games.
'Gambling is too addicting.' he complained. 'Yagura is getting into it, though. Even if that man is the unluckiest motherfucker I've ever met.'
'I still can't believe that man was a Mizukage.'
'Neither can I.'
'Weren't you three supposed to be looking for one of the Sannin?'
Roshi hummed to himself. 'We keep getting distracted by the shiny lights,' he admitted. 'It's not like we have any leads except for the fact that the legendary Jiraiya and Tsunade apparently like these kinds of places.'
The monkey king scoffed. 'You and your human vices. You should be training instead.'
Roshi had to agree with the bijuu. 'We also need more money and Han is decent at getting us a few extra ryo to spend.'
You need to collect bounties. They're more fun to watch than you humans playing your little games.'
'I'll make sure we hunt for bounties next no matter what Yagura says,' he promised. 'I heard of these two brothers from Kirigakure that are worth a pretty penny.'
'Acceptable.'
With the bijuu satisfied, Roshi wandered through the casino in silence. He froze when he heard a snippet of conversation from some of the patrons.
"That's the worst luck I've ever seen in a person. It's like cheating but in reverse."
"He's lost the last ten rounds and he still keeps trying."
"How is that even possible?"
"He started to gamble without money."
"Yeah! He started to take off his clothes!"
Cold sweat began to drip down Roshi's back. Oh no. That sounds like Yagura.
Roshi broke out into a light jog, a concerned frown on his face. If there was anyone who could get in trouble with a couple of hundred ryo in a casino, it was Yagura. He followed the giggles toward a corner of the casino.
The blood rose to his face when he saw the commotion that so many patrons had been talking about.
In one corner of the room, Yagura was screaming at a casino employee, his pants the only thing keeping his modesty in place. In front of him, the game dealer spoke in a forcibly calm voice, one eye twitching in annoyance. Yagura's loud words had attracted a small crowd, although security personnel had yet to arrive.
"You must have been cheating! There is no possible way that I lost every round!" Yagura pointed an accusatory finger at the man in front of him.
"Sir, as I have told you many times before, no one is cheating. It seems you have encountered a bit of an unlucky streak." The fake smile pasted on the dealer's face made it clear he was at his wit's end. "Also, I am afraid I must end the game now. You have nothing else to gamble with."
Yagura grimaced, looking more annoyed than Roshi could remember. "Wanna bet?" His hands moved toward the waistline of his pants.
Roshi was there before Yagura had unclasped the top button. "Y-Kaito!" he shouted. His face burned with shame and he heard delighted giggles from the onlookers. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"
"Ah, Roshi!" Yagura turned to Roshi, eyes wide with surprise. He turned his attention back to the dealer, who sighed in relief at Roshi's interruption. "I was just trying to make some money, but the dealer kept cheating!"
"And that required you to take off your clothes?"
"I ran out of money to gamble with."
Roshi pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned. "I think you just have the worst luck of anyone I've ever met, Kaito."
Yagura huffed.
Roshi crossed his arms in front of his chest, giving the shorter man the same glare he used to get Naruto to eat vegetables. "Let's just leave. You caused enough mayhem as it is. Han made us enough for a night or two at an inn. Let's meet up with him."
Yagura opened his mouth as if to argue, but a single look quelled his protests. Pouting like a naughty, reprimanded child he nodded. He glared at the dealer one last time, following after Roshi without a word.
Giggles followed their departure and Roshi had to force himself not to look down at his toes in shame.
"Can you believe he was about to take his pants off?" an older woman said, giggling to herself.
"How far do you think he would have gone to keep playing?" the woman's companion replied.
"Is it possible to have that much bad luck?"
Roshi tried to ignore the amused snickers with no luck. Maybe Han and I should have gone on our own quest instead.
"You're the unluckiest motherfucker I've ever met in my life!" A drunk man with a bottle of beer in one hand yelled out as Roshi and Yagura walked past. Roshi couldn't help but agree.
"Even worse than that blonde chick with the huge tits!" the man's friend added. He took a long swing of beer and swayed in place, looking even drunker than his friend.
"Wait, what? Huge tits? Blonde?" The man's words caught Yagura's attention and he turned to the two men, his concerns about his bad luck forgotten. "Who did you see?"
The two men seemed taken aback by Yagura's sudden interest in them. Their eyes struggled to focus on the short man standing in front of them.
"What's it to you?" the less drunk of the two asked, giving them a suspicious squint.
Yagura shrugged. "We're just looking for a woman and we don't have that much to go on. Except that she's... gifted." He made a vague motion in front of his chest.
Roshi resisted the urge to hide his face in embarrassment. A lead was a lead. What a stupid lead, though.
The drunker of the two friends broke into giggles. "Gifted is an understatement!" he slurred. "Biggest tracts of land I'd ever seen! If you get my drift!"
The first man snorted. "Yeah, but unlike you, the lady didn't take off her shirt." A wistful look entered his eyes.
"What can you tell us about her? What did she look like?" Yagura's voice became pure business. "Do you remember anything else about her?"
The drunker man became pensive, swaying side to side. He started to rub at his chin, trying to recollect the woman.
"Well, she had a pretty face but a diamond thing on her forehead," he began. "Blonde hair in these cute little pigtails."
His friend snorted. "Don't remember the face too well," he admitted. "Our eyes were focused... elsewhere." He giggled to himself before taking another swing of beer.
What do you know? That matches everything we know of the famous Tsunade.
"How long ago did you see her?" Roshi asked. He took a step closer to the two men, his heart beating fast in excitement.
The men's eyes tried to focus on Roshi with limited success.
"Saw her... What? A week ago?" the drunker friend said. "Or maybe two weeks ago? Maybe a month? I can't remember for sure."
His friend sighed. "Just last week. Got kicked out fast enough when she started to lose. Said she was gonna go to Tanzaku Quarters instead."
Tanzaku Quarters? Why is it always that place?
"Tanzaku Quarters?" Yagura repeated. "She has good taste."
Roshi sighed again. Of course Yagura would like that town.
"I don't suppose you remember her name?" Yagura asked.
The drunker man nodded, his leer sending a shudder down Roshi's back. "Yeah, she said her name was Tsunade."
O-O-O-O-O
A/N: Yagura at a casino was more fun to write than it probably should have been.
The "Naruto plays cat's cradle" scene was inspired by a piece of fanart by lnmei on Tumblr. I'm available on Tumblr at waffledogwrites.
Morket is an amazing beta reader and super duper nice.
Next chapter: Sasuke eats ramen.