Here, one really long ass chapter. Hope it was worth the wait. I have to say, I really enjoyed writing this one (even though I know it is riddled with typos, grammatical WTFs, and just plain forgot to write something). My head is spinning so I hope I get some reviews out of this. Since I lost the first ten chapters when my hard drive crashed and I've been too lazy to look them up, I'm finding it difficult to keep details straight. Fortunately, since this fic was a spoof to begin with, there is nothing a little plaid patch here and a piece of leather there can't fix in the pair of jeans that is this fic.
I appreciate my reviewers and to you guys and gals, I especially hope you enjoy.
Axe Me: What's Love Got To Do With It?
Naruto was quite confused with the events of the previous night (well, technically it could be considered really early morning but that was the last thing on his mind). His current traveling companion had taken him to a strip club for 'food,' which subconsciously he considered a bargain. He could eat and, contrary to the manner in which he chastised his perverted instructors, he had the opportunity to ogle many attractive females. The fact that they were naked was an added plus.
Then there was Hinata. Naruto up until that moment had been very perplexed at his love-life, or lack thereof. Since he could remember, the foolish blond boy had been chasing Sakura's skirt relentlessly and only recently had he decided that his was a wasted effort. She was clearly either still clinging to Sasuke or simply could not bring herself to see Naruto in any other way outside a brotherly teammate (the most likely verdict being both). Without a mark to set his sights on, Naruto wondered aimlessly in love, or lust as his hormones preferred. There simply was not a single girl in Konoha who could rustle the butterflies in his stomach the way Sakura did.
Which led him to believe, if only for a moment, he might in fact be gay. His first kiss had in fact been given to a boy, and as the saying went (or did it?) rivals make the greatest lovers. There were indeed fluttering in his stomach the moment his lips met with Sasuke's but that was most likely a gastrointestinal reflex on his part to vomit. Butterflies were much gentler. Haku of course was the first person he recognized as being more attractive than Sakura and it just so happened that he also had a few assets of his own that no normal female specimen came with. Was he…could he possible be…homosexual?
The idea only played around in the poor boy's head for a grand total of 0.00005 seconds but the impact led him to jump into an icy cold shower and spend the entire following weekend looking at the hardest hetero-porn he could find (it was the first time he was ever thankful for Ero-sennin's secret stash..)
His encounter with Hinata destroyed any doubt of his sexuality (although for a brief moment he panicked over her gender…who could blame him given his experience). Sure, in some ways he still thought she was strange, but there was an appeal to the queerness of her character which gave her a certain charm.
She was actually very attractive, though Naruto could hardly be blamed for not seeing it. The Hyuga girl had covered up almost every inch of her body so that the most pronounced feature was her eyes (and after seeing the same eyes on one Hyuga Neji, it would prove difficult to be drawn to them.) Truth be told she had a knockout figure, which was apparent right before the concert and became irrefutable in her skimpy waitress outfit.
The kiss had felt awkward, it being their first and all, but Naruto could not be blamed for enjoying what he could. Her warm and soft lips against his, the tickling sensation of her breathing, and Naruto felt a something very strange when he realized that Hinata was not pulling away from him. Oh yeah, it was the familiar rustling of butterflies.
"I've got to tell you kid," the voice of Bill interrupted Naruto from his fantasy, "you have got to be the worst traveling buddy I've ever had to walk with."
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.
"We've been walking down this trail for the past four hours and you haven't said a word. You've just been staring foreword with your mouth open and that stupid look on your face."
"Hey!" Naruto snapped at the man, almost completely back to his old self. How was it his fault that he could not keep a certain someone out of his brain? Bill let out a small chuckle and the two remained silent for a little while afterwards. The Bill broke the silence yet again.
"She was pretty cute, wasn't she?" he asked matter-of-factly, not really needing an answer but giving Naruto a chance to give one if he wanted.
"Wh-who?"
"Don't play dumb, kid, it's kind of redundant," he said. The perplexed look on Naruto's face led him to release an exasperated sigh. "I'm talking about that Hinata girl, the one with the eyes."
"Oh," Naruto exclaimed. "Yeah, she was. I guess she always was, but I really didn't pay attention."
"Why not? Cute girls like her don't grow on trees, you know."
Naruto scratched his head bashfully, almost ashamed of his answer. "I sort of liked another girl."
Bill stroked his mustache (oh did I forget to mention that small detail?) as he thought. "Did this other girl like you?"
"Not really," Naruto replied as if ashamed of the fact. "We were in a group of three and she liked the other guy."
"Let me guess, the two of you were rivals, right?"
"How did you know?"
"Just a hunch," he said with a know-it-all grin. "It's not uncommon that in groups, people tend to compete with one another. You being a ninja, I would assume that the two of you challenged each other in a number of ways to see who was better."
"Yeah," Naruto nodded in affirmation, "at least I was. Things always seemed to come easy for him and I always had to do my best just to keep up."
"Did he like this girl?"
"He always seemed like he didn't care. It really pissed me off that he could just turn down Sakura like it was nothing." He paused for a couple of seconds before adding in a low growl, "That bastard."
"I see," Bill said, scratching at his mustache once again. "Is it possible that you were using this Sakura girl as a way to beat your teammate?"
"Of course not!" Naruto's face was flushed red as he answered. "I really liked her!"
"Then what exactly did you like?"
"Well, she's kind, and confident, and strong," The blond teen said.
"Is that it? Anyone can pick a few flattering words to describe someone, but that's rarely how a person really is. A friend of mine once described his wife as this caring woman and I believed him until I met her. The first thing she did when my friend introduced us was spit on his face for bringing an unwelcome guest. It surprised the hell out of me that she would do it right in front of me, but my friend had convinced himself that she was his ideal girl."
Naruto thought for a moment and saw the truth about what he said. Sakura was generally a kind person but she could be very violent at times (he had firsthand experience with that). She was strong in terms of brute strength but even he had to admit that within their three-man team she did have trouble keeping up. She also appeared very defeated when she was unable to keep Sasuke in the village. Sakura may have appeared confident at times, but there were instances where she seemed very frail. There was nothing bad about the 'real' Haruno Sakura, so why was it that Naruto needed to describe her in such a way other than the truth to 'like' her.
Then he remembered…
"There was this one time when we first became a group. I was pretending to be Sasuke so that I could get close to Sakura. Everything about her at that time seemed to be glowing and I remembered that that was the moment I decided I really liked her. I remember my heart was beating really fast when she was about to kiss me, but I-" Naruto was interrupted when Bill's fist smacked him on the head. "What was that for!"
"What you did was pretty stupid," he said in a stern voice. "Of course she would seem that way if she thought she was talking to the boy she liked. And of course you'd feel excited about being kissed by a girl. The point is none of that was meant for you. You could really hurt someone doing what you did and it's a good thing she never found out."
"How do you know she never found out?"
"You're alive and in one piece."
"Oh."
"I'm not saying your feelings were insincere, just a little misguided. It's obvious you and her are on friendly terms and you may have had a real crush on her, but that was probably all it was going to be. Still, didn't you think it was odd?"
"Think what was odd?" Naruto asked, wishing to any higher power that would hear him that this man would stop asking stupid questions and just say what was on his mind.
"That your white-eyed friend was glowing whenever she looked at you."
It did not occur to Naruto until that moment that Hinata had been acting in the same way that Sakura had when he was pretending to be Sasuke. The only real difference was that Naruto had still been Naruto at the time. Could it be that Hinata actually like him?
He did not get much time to think it over as Bill motioned to a clearing in the forest. Just beyond the opening was a village that seemed to be in the middle of preparing for something big. Even from their current distance, the sounds of workers diligently going about their business, as well as the shouts from the surveyors giving out orders could be heard. Whatever was going to happen here seemed big.
There was no formal border to speak of; no guards to halt the pair's entrance into the village. This did not mean that their arrival went unnoticed.
"Hey everyone," one of three woman carrying a large banner shouted. "Lord Okayama is back!"
"LORD!" Naruto shrieked as he turned to Bill with a surprised look.
The older man just smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "Did I forget to mention that that I was one of the village chiefs? I could have sworn I told you. Allow me to reintroduce myself. I'm Bill Okayama, one of three village chiefs in this peaceful village. I hope it doesn't come as too much of a shock but it makes sense if you think about it."
"How!"
"Well," he said, "how else would I be able to set up something like this?"
"I just assumed you were loaded!"
"Hmmm," he hmmm-ed. "I guess I am."
Meanwhile, In That Same Village…
Shino was actually glad that Mika, his older girlfriend, decided it was time to leave the house for a while. A friend of hers had told her about a contest for a legendary guitar from Konoha and she thought it might interest Shino being a ninja from said village. Shino was overjoyed for sex and thought it was the greatest activity one could participate in, but he was beginning to forget about the world outside Mika's lovely room.
It had also been a while since the last time Mika set foot outside her secluded house and into a public setting. The eyes from the all the perverted men and curious adolescent boys gawking at her made her feel exposed, but to her surprise many of the more devious men (the ones with wandering hands) found themselves writhing in pain on the ground. When she saw the small trail of insects leaving the fallen bodies, she smiled at her slightly shorter man and wrapped her arm in his.
Things were going smoothly until they accidentally bumped into two men as they turned a corner.
"Why the hell can't you watch where you're going!" Mika was surprised that the angry raven-haired boy (who seemed to be the same age as Shino) seemed more upset with his companion than with those he had bumped into.
"Well if someone would just shut the hell up once in a while I might have an easier time paying attention!"
"It's not my fault you have no idea where you're going!" the boy shouted angrily. "I swear when I find that dobe-"
Shino took this opportunity to interrupt. "…" (What about Naruto?)
The two young men finally turned to acknowledge the voice addressing them, and the eyes of the boy with cockatoo haircut went wide. "Shino!" he shouted with familiarity. "What the hell are you doing here!"
"…" (I was just walking around with this lovely lady when we bumped into you.)
Sasuke stared at the girl indifferently and then turned back to Shino. "And who exactly is she?"
"…" (Well, she's my girlfriend.)
This time Sasuke lost all composure. The stranger next to him was equally dumbfounded because the same thought was running through his head as he and Sasuke shouted simultaneously.
"She's your WHAT!"
"…" (Shut up. Now what were you saying about Naruto? And where is Sakura? She should be with you.)
"Sakura transferred the jutsu to this asshole," Sasuke gestured towards the young adult next to him.
"I'm Antonio," he bowed politely to the couple but stepped forward to whisper to the Mika. "Isn't he a little young for you?"
Antonio, and Sasuke as a result of the special jutsu, was on the floor patting and scratching himself all over. Shino may have been a patient shinobi but he was rather vengeful. Mika on the other hand only hugged her hubby's arm tighter.
"He may be young but he's a lot better than most of the men I've met. If he's this good now then I guess I have a lot to look forward to in a few years," she said with a blush.
Several disturbing mental images entered Sasuke's head and he heard a voice screaming in his head, No! Insect boy beat us to it! It's not fair! Both thoughts led him to concentrate on the pain of the insect stings rather than the conversation.
"…" (If you want them to stop Uchiha, you better tell me what Naruto has to do with you being here.)
"Only if you promise not to talk about the details of your relationship with her. I don't think I could live through it." Shino agreed with a cocky smile on his face, though no one could see it through the high collar of his jacket. "Alright, I heard that Naruto was going to be competing in a contest for the Fourth's guitar. That's why I'm here."
Shino was a little surprise by the news but he released the two as promised. Sasuke was just glad that Shino was going to keep his mouth shut about his conquest.
"So this scrawny kid is actually a good lay," Antonio said as he examined Shino. "I didn't mean any disrespect; I was just a little surprised. She's quite a catch."
"…" (Damn straight.)
"I think I'm the one that lucked out," Mika added. "I had no idea I could bend that way."
If Sasuke had a knife, he would have stabbed himself. He didn't know what bothered him more: That Shino had sex before him or that his partner was being so forward about their little adventure. Shino noticed the look on the Uchiha's face and spoke to him privately.
"…" (What are you so depressed about? You've had plenty of chances to get laid. Don't get mad at me because I took advantage of mine.)
"I'm not depressed, it's just," Sasuke could not find the words to express what he wanted to say. Instead he unintentionally blurted out, "What's it like?"
"…" (Let me see if I can put it in words you can understand. Imagine taking a kuai and then repeatedly stabbing your brother over and over again, each time hearing him scream in pain, until he's finally dead. Then two minutes later you get to kill him all over again in a different yet equally painful way.)
The look in Sasuke's eyes widened in wonder and a single thought crossed his mind in a childlike voice.
I want to have sex.
Some Important Looking Village Building…
Naruto was sitting in a lounge with nine other people, most in possession of a guitar. Bill, or Lord Okayama as the villagers called him, had stepped into an office to take care of a few village matters before he addressed the participants of his little game. There were two girls in this competition, which didn't really surprise Naruto except that they were becoming incredibly friendly with one another. Naruto was about to ignore it when they started making out. This instantly caught the attention of everyone in the room.
Naruto remembered Jiraiya calling it a forbidden fruit any man would be lucky enough to take a bite out of.
No shit.
One girl had short hair with a blue streak running down the front of her face. She turned to the crowd and gave them the finger. She then continued to passionately lock lips with her long haired partner. Not wanting to rub them the wrong way (though every other guy in the room was hoping to get the chance) Naruto decided to practice a little before they had to go on stage. Taking out his guitar, he tuned his instrument and strummed a few chords looking for inspiration.
He thought of Hinata and their first kiss. Without even thinking about it the chords he strummed became a heartfelt riff which conveyed to everyone in the room the same feeling he had at that moment when their lips met. Just as his insides felt like they were melting at that time, so too did the insides of everyone in the room. The other girl, the one with long brown hair that was tied back into a ponytail, let out a soft moan as she listened to the blonde's solo. The short haired girl's cold demeanor also seemed to melt with the notes of his song. The male competitors, though seemingly indifferent, were beginning to feel the pressure.
When he finished, Naruto had a satisfied look on his face and was a little surprised to find that he was in a room full of people. He was so engrossed in his music that he forgot where he was. The short haired girl with the blue streak grabbed the hand of the other girl and slowly led her to Naruto.
"Hey that song was incredible," she said with a wink. She stepped behind the girl with long hair and wrapped her arms around her delicate waistline. "Mitsu and I haven't heard anything that hot in a long time. Makes me feel all warm and tingly inside."
"You're welcome," Naruto replied nervously.
"We were just wondering," she paused to nibble the ear of the girl named Mitsu who let out another deep moan, "if you'd like to join us in the other room for a little quickie. Competitions like these are pretty nerve racking and a little stress relief goes a long way."
Naruto nearly fell off the couch. His first reaction would have been to grab the two girls and carry them simultaneously into the said room. Then he remembered what his song had been about and what he had felt as he played. How could he hope to explore, at the very least discover, his feelings for Hinata if he just jumped into something like that with complete strangers.
Seeing the boy's hesitation, the short haired girl decided to through more wood in the fire hoping to smoke the fox out. The short haired girl was well proportioned and had a sex appeal different from what Naruto was used to. If Naruto had to describe it, her appeal was a cross between Anko's sadistic yet seductive nature and Ten-Ten's tomboyish attitude. She was well proportioned with a decent chest size and the fullest lips he had ever seen. The way she licked them sent chills down Naruto's spine.
Mitsu on the other hand was a feminine beauty that was always turned on. Her moaning and trembling had less to do with the short haired girl's advances (though they did not go unappreciated) and more to do with her lack of an off switch. Her chest was slightly bigger than her partner's, but she remained very sensitive in that area. Naruto was finding first hand just how sensitive.
With both hands, shorthair girl began to trace circles over the thin shirt covering Mitsu's chest. Mitsu gasped at the titillating sensation as her nipples hardened, becoming visible through the fabric. Something else was becoming hard and visible, but Naruto made sure to hide the one instrument with another, placing his guitar to cover his shame. Unfortunately, the long haired girl knew all to well what he was hiding. "Come on," she said, "We'll be more than worth it. If you're good we may even call you back for more."
Don't be a fool, kid, said the Kyubi. Two mates are always better than one.
But what about Hinata?
She is an attractive human but these two are beyond comparison. If you do not take their offer, there will be trouble between us.
Naruto gave it some thought before coming to his decision. "I'm afraid I'll have to pass," The Kyubi may have had a point, but it was hardly something Naruto could support. "The song I played was about how I feel for a girl I'm close to. I wouldn't be able to look at her with a straight face if I did something like that."
You ungrateful idiot!
The shorthaired girl was stunned, to say the least, but she kept her composure. "Suite yourself kid," she said calmly. "We were just bored and looking for something to do, but that kind of kills the mood. My name's Yuko by the way. If you change your mind feel free to let us know."
As they walked away, Yuko made a point to sway her ass seductively from side to side to catch the blonde boy's attention. It worked like a charm, leaving a part of Naruto regretting his decision. The Kyubi, however, was furious.
Explain yourself kid!
I couldn't just throw away what I might have with Hinata. No one's looked at me the way she does.
There were two females looking at you just a minute ago!
They were horny. It's not the same. Besides, aren't we competing against them for this legendary guitar of the Fourth?
The Kyubi was silent, meaning Naruto was on to something.
Isn't it possible that they were only pretending to be interested so that they could have an advantage in this game? And since when did the great and powerful demon fox decide that it was okay to be some girls' bitch?
The Kyubi is no one's bitch!
That's right! And you know, Naruto pushed on, if things ever do go anywhere with Hinata and if we ever get that far, I could always teach her Kage-bunshin.
Hmph, I guess you aren't as stupid as you look. In that case make sure she has enough stamina to maintain four clones. You need the exercise.
Naruto was slightly puzzled about what he was getting at but his thoughts were interrupted by a friendly, though somewhat energetic voice.
"I can't believe you actually managed to turn down those two," said a spiky haired guitarist with brown eyes. "Most guys would have given their left testicle for a minute with them. That girl of yours must be pretty special."
"Yeah," Naruto said as his thoughts went back to Hinata. "She is."
"I'm Yuichi by the way," he extended his hand as a friendly gesture. "Nice to meet you rookie."
"My name is Naruto," he said with a growl, not liking the epithet. Fortunately, Yuichi wore a very disarming smile which told Naruto that he meant no disrespect by it. "Do you know those two?"
"You bet," he said excitedly. "The three of us grew up here. I've known those two since we were still in diapers. In fact, the three of us picked up our first guitars on the same day. I wouldn't say we're close but I'm probably the only guy they willingly talk to."
"So have you ever…" Naruto's sentence trailed off, hoping Yuichi understood what he was about to ask.
"That would be a no," he said, sounding disappointed for the first time. "There's only one way to catch their interest and that's with a guitar. I've been playing for as long as I can remember, but I'm not skilled enough yet for them to be interested. I'm a little jealous though. As far as I know, you're the first guy they've ever approached. What's this girl of yours like?"
"Well, we aren't dating or anything, but I get the feeling she might like me. She's always been supporting me from the shadows, whether I noticed it or not. She may not be very strong as a ninja but you just can't help admiring how hard she tries. She's quiete and a bit weird, but there's this side to her that just makes you want to smile. It's hard to describe in words, but if you heard the song then it should be easier to understand."
After saying all of this, Naruto was amazed at how easily the words flowed out of him. It was so different from the way he had described what he liked about Sakura. He didn't have to stretch the truth or lie in order to convince himself of his feelings. Yuichi only closed his eyes and smiled.
"Yeah, I understand completely," he said as he stared at the two girls who had returned to their couch. "Feelings like those are priceless. I hope you get a chance to tell her how you feel."
Naruto caught the look in his eye when he glanced over to spy on the two girls and a sly smile appeared on his face. "Hey, do mind if we play until they get things started? It's pretty boring doing nothing."
"Of course I'll jam!" he shouted, returning to his previous behavior. "That's what we're here for after all."
In a flash, Yuichi had his guitar and mini-amp out. Naruto could not help but notice the artistic design on the guitar body. It was dark blue with a shimmering silver hieroglyphic border, but the most noticeable feature were the two woman painted near the lower left curve. One woman, who had short hair, appeared to be lying with her back near the silver border. The other girl, one with flowing long hair, was nestled within the bosom of the other. Naruto chuckled to himself.
After a few minutes of playing, it became apparent that Yuichi was much more knowledgeable than Naruto of the different genres of guitar styles and their respective sounds. Fortunately, Yuichi was more than willing to share what he knew. The others in the room thought he was an idiot for aiding an opponent, but Yuichi merely scoffed at them. "What's the point of winning without any decent competition," he said.
In the short time they had, Yuichi showed Naruto different scales and harmonies from various styles of music. He played some classical, punk, vintage metal, heavy metal, soul, blues, and anything else he could think of. While he was taking in everything he could, Naruto caught glimpse of the look on Yuko's face. Had she been looking at him, Naruto would have been incredibly uncomfortable but he was relieved to find that she had her eyes on Yuichi. However, when Yuichi turned to see what Naruto was looking at, she quickly turned her head and returned her attention to Mitsu.
Having seen it twice before, that look was unmistakable.
"Alright everyone," came the announcement. "Now that the ten of you are all here and the three village chiefs are finished with their affairs, we'll begin shortly. First, allow me the honor of extending my congratulations to all of you. Out of all the guitarists in this country, it has been decided by trained ears that you ten represent the best there is. You will also be competing for a legendary treasure few have the opportunity to glimpse.
"The next item on the docket is the elimination of two of you. Because this competition has been arranged as a tournament, only eight will be able to move on to the first of three rounds. You will be judged by the village chiefs themselves from start to finish, so please put your best foot foreword.
"Uzumaki Naruto and Sanzaku Yuichi, because the two of you were the only ones actually playing your instruments during the wait, it has been decided that you will automatically advance."
"That's bullshit!" came one of the guitarists who had been waiting patiently. "How the hell does jamming for a few minutes give them the right to move on!"
"The Fourth Hokage was not a man who would sit around idly waiting for something to happen. Since you are competing for his instrument, it is expected that you live up to his standards, if only for the duration of this competition. Naruto and Yuichi used their extra time to hone their skills further while the rest of you sat by waiting for us to tell you what to do. If you think that this decision is unfair, then show us with your skill."
The angry man took his seat scowled at the competitor in front of him.
"Now then, the first man to be examined will be Satoshi Shuya," the announcer said. A cocky young man with blue hair stepped forward.
"That's me. I just need you guys to hook me up with an instrument. I left mine at the hotel."
"Well, if that is the case then I'm afraid to say that you have been automatically eliminated."
"What?"
"If you don't have the sense to bring your own guitar to something this important then you have no right to hold the prize let alone the chance to win it. If you do not leave immediately I will have the guards escort you out." Satoshi Shuya wisely left.
One by one, the seven remaining guitarists went into the chiefs' office to play for two minutes at a time. It was unsure what the requirements were, so everyone went in assuming they were supposed to play what the old men wanted to hear. When everyone was finished, the announcer once again addressed everyone and revealed that a Nanamura Koji had been eliminated. Unfortunately, he had played a piece that was not his own thinking the judges were looking for quality over originality.
The next step was to separate the competitors into their individual slots on the tournament bracket. Drawing names out of a box, it was decided that in the first round of eliminations, Naruto would be up against the jack-ass from before (the one pissed that he had been advanced), Yuichi would be competing against Mitsu, then two other guys he hadn't noticed until then, and finally Yuko's match. If Naruto managed to win this first round, he would either be facing the hyper Yuichi or the voluptuous Mitsu.
Needless to say, Naruto was getting excited.
Somewhere in a Crowded Audience…
Sasuke was irritated by his situation. To begin with, he was being led around by Antonio. In some ways this was a relief since it did not involve him being pummeled every ten minutes for things he did or did not do. However, Antonio was making conversation with Shino's new lady friend and it was not a topic he cared to listen to. Unfortunately, Antonio was being a dick about the distance he was allowed to travel.
"So how exactly did your first night together go?" he had asked, leaving Sasuke covering his ears and making sounds to drown out the details. What really bothered him was when Antonio and Shino began exchanging tips and suggestions as to how to keep the sex interesting. It was not so much that he found it offensive, but the whining voice in his head was becoming unbearable.
There was a commotion coming from the people behind them that caught their attention. Something in Sasuke told him it would be best not to turn around, but the proud Uchiha listens to no one, not even himself. As he turned, he heard a great many people clear out of the way. His eyes immediately saw why. There, in the center of the newly formed space, was a completely naked Sakura wearing nothing more than a bongo, hanging from her neck by a leather strap, and a smile. However, the curve of her lips did little to deceive Sasuke as to how truly pissed she was.
Even the untrained civilians around her could feel the deadly aura surrounding her.
"There you are Sasuke," she said in an agitated tone. "I've been looking everywhere for you two."
"S-Sakura," her teammate stammered. "Why are you naked?"
"Oh," she began, a vein throbbing in her forehead. "The last part of my lessons involved me burning my clothes before playing every drum imaginable. It was actually fun until it ended and I got thrown out onto the street in the nude. I tried going to your house Antonio but apparently Sara left to visit relatives and took all her clothes and yours for some reason."
"Is it laundry day already?" Antonio said nervously, "It must have slipped my mind."
"I couldn't ask anyone in your village so I decided to get here as fast as I could, hoping the two of you would be somewhere near an entrance waiting for me. I guess I was asking too much. In the end I said to hell with it and swore to kill the first person to make a pass at me."
Mika looked through one of the bags Shino was carrying for her and pulled out a pair of panties (they were black with a skull on the front) and a really large t-shirt. She handed them to Sakura with an admiring smile. Sakura thanked her and after quickly getting dressed asked who she was.
"I'm his girlfriend," she said as she hugged Shino intimately. Sakura's jaw dropped.
"I don't mean to interrupt," Sasuke interrupted, "but could we please pass this stupid jutsu back to Sakura."
It may not have been intentional, but Sasuke's words did wonders for Sakura's mood. After having walked through two villages completely naked and then hearing that Shino was going out with such an attractive woman, it was nice to hear that in some way she was wanted by her former crush. Antonio was a little reluctant, not having enjoyed the control the way he had wanted, but in the end Sasuke was once again under Sakura's thumb.
The lights began to die down so that only the stage was illuminated, revealing an average looking male in the center.
"Good evening ladies and gentleman and welcome to this year's guitar jamboree. We have for you eight of the countries finest guitar players eagerly waiting to perform in front of you in the hopes of winning the coveted guitar of the Fourth Hokage of Konoha himself; an instrument so grand that it supposedly defeated a demon. These eight shining prodigies will be judged by none other than our village chiefs themselves, each one a veteran of the music scene in the Country of Fire.
"Our first judge will be none other than Ron Kitagawa. This gentleman is the founder and owner of one of the largest guitar building workshops in the country, dare I say the world, and has created some of the finest instruments ever touched by human hands. The first guitar he ever made has been recently auctioned off for the price of a small village. His daughter will also be competing here tonight and is one of this village's star candidates.
"The next member of the panel is Jeff Okinamura, named one of the five greatest guitar players in the world. He has played with, taught, or influenced nearly every band currently out there and to this day continues to be a name to remember.
"And finally, we have Bill Okayama. A talent scout in his early days, Lord Okayama was responsible for finding and signing some of the most prolific and influential bands of his time and ours. One of the greatest names under his belt is Fallen Shinobi, and although they have long since left in order to create music under their own name, they still perform for this village as a personal favor to their former manager. It is also through this man that we are able to offer such an astounding prize today.
"Now that the introductions are out of the way, let me briefly explain the rules. There will be a total of three elimination rounds: Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and the Finals. Eight will be reduced to Four, Four to Two, until only one remains. There will be no loser's bracket and all rulings are final.
"To ensure each match is fair, judges will abstain from interfering and will only intervene if foul play is suspected. Matches are simple. One competitor will play a brief piece, to which his or her opponent must match and then challenge with one of their own. This will continue until a competitor is unable to reproduce the opponent's piece. No piece is required to be an exact duplicate of the opponent's, but styling and overall consistency must be intact. Disputes will be settled by the judges."
"Now, for the first match we have Kasukabe Ryo against Konoha's own Uzumaki Naruto. Participants, please come forward."
Sasuke and Sakura were a little nervous about seeing their idiotic teammate competing in a tournament against so-called guitar elites. It was not that they lacked faith in his skill. Truth be told they thought he had an outstanding chance of winning. What they were worried about was their idiotic teammate making a complete ass of himself and subsequently embarrassing his village and everyone connected to him. Their fears increased when his opponent leaned in close and seemed to grunt something at the blond teenager.
Fortunately Naruto seemed to keep his cool and proceeded with the competition. His opponent went first and despite his early superior display, played nothing more than a simple riff. Naruto easily replicated it in its entirety and followed with a piece of his own. His was not so simple. Kasukabe Ryo's string snapped as if it had no intention of allowing its master the chance to embarrass himself by attempting such a riff.
Naruto had knocked out his opponent in 35.4 seconds flat.
At first everyone was dumbfounded. It was unheard of for someone at this level to get knocked out so quickly. Should they be upset at how disappointing the match was or ecstatic at the young kid's ability? One member of the crowd made that decision for them.
"Way to go Rookie!"
With that, the Konoha villages were awoken from their stupor and joined in on the cheering. They were immediately followed by Antonio and Mika which provoked the remaining two hundred audience members to explode in excitement as well. Naruto took a bow and threw a victorious fist at the crowd along with one of his characteristic grins.
Sasuke kept an eye on the owner of the voice that had been the first to congratulate his former comrade. He ignored the announcer but kept in mind that the next match was about to begin. He watched as the young man with spiky hair made his way up to the stage. Sakura also noticed this and felt ashamed that a complete stranger, a rival even, had been the first to applaud Naruto's accomplishment while his friends and comrades had just stood there in disbelief.
The young man's opponent was a fairly attractive woman about his age. She was behaving very strangely, like an animal in heat, but held her guitar with an amazing air. The man bowed courteously to the girl and took his guitar in hand. He had a sage-like appearance on his face, remarkably different from the childlike expression before. Everyone in the crowd knew that this match was going to last much longer than the previous one.
The girl was chosen to go first and her piece was classical but dark. It began at a slow tempo but quickly increased, only to slow down abruptly on lower notes. The tempo increased again, but rather than having the notes increase in pitch, she continued to play using the bass strings. The man, Yuichi, matched the piece flawlessly and chose an original blues piece. This too, though advanced, was easily duplicated by the girl.
The two of them went on for another twenty minutes, neither seeming to grow tired of the exchange. The complexity of their pieces was also increasing, making it hard for the audience to comprehend though not taking away their ability to appreciate the music. The girl, Mitsu, was growing increasingly excited and many of the women in the audience feared that she was on the verge of shaming herself in front of everyone. The males of the crowd simply drooled.
Finally, the girl played a riff that caused the man to stumble. It was not enough to call the match so Yuichi managed to recover and finish the piece. The young man now found himself in a dilemma. After nearly half an hour of play, he had just given away his weakness to his opponent and if he did not come up with something, he was finished.
He asked the announcer if he could say a few words to Mitsu before he began his next piece. After discussing it with the judges, Yuichi was handed the microphone.
"I was hoping that I wouldn't have to use this until I faced Yuko, but I just wanted you to know that it means just as much for me to play it for you."
Yuichi returned the microphone and after taking a deep breath, returned his fingers to their instrument. The riff that followed was a cool and soothing one. It seemed divine in nature with a hint of carnal pleasure. The sound seemed to have the ability to please as well as to admonish one from all sin. His fingers were difficult to keep up with but despite the seemingly chaotic movement of his hand on the fret board, the piece was smooth.
It was having an unusual affect on Mitsu. Where once she seemed on the verge of climax, she now had tears in her eyes. It was uncertain to anyone whether they were of sorrow or joy, but the slight smile on her face hinted at the latter. She dropped to her knees as if she was on the verge of prayer. Whether she could have reproduced the piece or not was irrelevant. It was clear that she had no intention of continuing.
There was another roar from the crowd as Yuichi was announced the winner. The spiky haired guitarist went to the kneeling girl and offered his hand. Mitsu seemed confused at first by the gesture, but upon seeing the smile on Yuichi's face, she warmly accepted it.
Sasuke watched as Yuichi walked off the stage and into the front of the crowd. There he saw Naruto happily congratulating him on his victory and Yuichi doing a poor job accepting praise. The Uchiha then caught the serious expression on the usually upbeat and energetic guitarist's face as he said one sentence to Naruto.
'Don't hold back,' he said. While Sasuke could not exactly hear him from the distance between them, he did have enough confidence in his lip-reading ability. He must have known that Naruto was the kind of person who restrains himself when dealing with people he likes and knew that he would not want to take advantage of the ace presented to him.
The next two matches were nothing to be amazed by. The match that followed was acceptable in terms of the competition, but it lacked the excitement of the previous ones. The next round was interesting for two reasons. The first was that Kitagawa Yuko, the daughter of one of the lord's, was competing. The second was that she managed to take her opponent out in even less time than Naruto. Sakura was worried for her blond teammate. Even if he managed to beat the guitarist with the spiky hair he would have difficulty beating this Yuko person.
As the Semifinals began, Sakura was the only member of her group who appeared nervous. What she failed to notice was that Yuichi had made a mistake in letting his match go on for so long. In doing so he revealed his Achilles' heel not only to Mitsu, but to every competitor he would have to face. Naruto, as clueless as he was at times, did not miss this detail.
"Now for the first round of the Semifinals," came the announcement, "Uzumaki Naruto and Matabe Yuichi, please return to the stage."
"Naruto!" Sakura shouted from her place in the crowd. "Don't you dare lose to that spiky haired dork!"
Naruto heard the familiar voice and after briefly surveying the crowd caught site of his friends. Like the carefree kid he was, he waved to them with a toothy grin. Yuichi was a little insulted but after noticing the Konoha headband understood her enmity towards him.
It was decided that Naruto would be going first. Taking the Kyubi's guitar in hand, he played a riff similar to the one Yuichi had stumbled on during his battle with Mitsu. This immediately put Sasuke and Shino's fears to rest. Naruto was taking this match seriously.
Yuichi made it through with little difficulty. He had his reasons for wanting to win and was not about to be done in so easily. Unfortunately, if he did not beat Naruto quickly, he would eventually get caught with his pants down. Who would have thought that a hybrid between blues and metal would prove to be a challenge for him? He specialized in them both separately.
Yuichi countered with one of his own unique creations similar to the one he used against Mitsu. The crowd was extremely moved by the piece and many were already thinking that the match was over. However, Naruto reproduced it flawlessly. Yuichi was stunned.
Naruto once again went for another blues metal combo, this time complicating the rhythm and making the notes difficult to follow. Yuichi was amazed at how talented this newbie was turning out to be. It had only been an hour or two since they had jammed and he had shown him all those different rhythms and scales for the first time. Now he was playing them as if he was born knowing.
He tried coming up with the sickest sounds he could muster but it seemed that Naruto could reproduce anything he threw at him in much the same way Sasuke could copy justsus with his sharingan.
Finally, Yuichi stumbled and was unable to recover, completely losing track of the rhythm of Naruto's newest piece. The crowd erupted in applause for the blond boy's victory. Yuichi felt like an amateur playing for the first time. It was a little unsettling but he was proud that in some way he had contributed to the victory.
Naruto extended his fist to his former opponent and new friend. Yuichi gladly punched it in congratulations. The crowd erupted once more at such a heartwarming display of good sportsmanship.
The two left the stage and Naruto decided to introduce Yuichi to the rest of his group. He was also hoping to see a certain someone.
"Hey," he shouted as he made his way through the huddled masses. "What are you guys doing here?"
"We came to see you perform, dumb-ass," Sasuke grunted. "Why the hell else would we be here?"
"It's great to see you to, you red-eyed bastard," Naruto replied confidently, as if nothing could shatter his good mood. "So what did you guys think?"
"…" (Impressive. Especially considering that you've only been playing for a short time.)
"Really?" said the attractive girl holding onto Shino affectionately. The intimate display was enough to make Naruto's eyes fall out. "That was amazing!"
"You wouldn't happen to be Shino's," Naruto gulped before finishing, "girlfriend, would you?"
The girl simply smiled her answer, which spoke volumes for Naruto. He had learned a lot after traveling with a perverted hermit. He turned to Shino with a devious grin. He quickly grabbed the Aburame in a headlock and gave him a quick noogie. "Shino, you dog! The rest of us are trying to improve ourselves for the Battle of the Bands and you've been doing 'this' and 'that' with her!"
"…" (You do not seem to be as surprised as Sasuke was.)
"Why would I be. In fact, I'm happy for you. Hopefully a good roll in the hay finally got that stick out of your ass. Anyways, where's Hinata? She's with you guys, right?" The puzzled look on everyone's faces told him he had jumped the gun. "I guess she isn't. Well, I shouldn't be too surprised. She did seem like she wanted to take her training seriously."
Sakura was the first to notice the discreet look of disappointment on his face. Could it be that something happened between them?
Everyone was so lost in their thoughts that they failed to hear that the next match of the semifinals had already begun.
"Don't worry," she cut in. "I'm sure that if she could she would definitely be here. We'll do our best to cheer you on in her place."
"Thank you, Sakura-chan," he said, sincerely grateful for her kind words. "Anyways, I wanted you guys to meet anew friend of mine. This is-"
"The spiky haired dork," finished Yuichi giving a wicked smile to the pink haired girl. "It's a pleasure to meet you all."
"Ahem," Antonio cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "I hate being the odd man out, but if no one's going to introduce me I'll just do it myself. I'm the guy they asked to baby-sit your friends while they were in my village. The name's Antonio."
"Hey," Yuichi said in recognition. "You're the guy that came here a few months ago to play at one of our concerts, right? My friends and I are huge fans."
"We have a winner! Our hometown girl has dispatched another one in record time." This caught everyone's attention except for Yuichi and Naruto, who were expecting that. "We will be taking a short intermission now to give our finalists a chance to unwind. In the meantime, allow me the honor of introducing Larry and the Cable Guys!"
A chubby man in a baseball cap and a cutoff button down shirt walked on stage. He turned to the audience and in a very hoarse voice shouted,
"Git'R Done!"
The country blues rock coming from the stage was pretty interesting but Naruto said that he wanted to take a walk to clear his head. Shino suspected that his real intention was to look for Hinata, but what could he do? He of all people as her teammate knew that if Hinata could be here she would be.
"Sasuke," Sakura said to her former teammate, "we need to do something for Naruto. He seemed really disappointed when he found out Hinata wasn't with us. It might become a distraction when he has to compete against the girl."
"So what do you want me to do about it?" It was then that he noticed the look Sakura was giving him. The look revealed every little detail of her plan and it sent shivers down his spine. "No. I don't care what you do to me, I'm not doing it."
Shino realized what Sakura was getting at and was impressed with her idea, simple though it may be. "…" (When you think about it you are the only one among us skilled enough to pull it off.)
While flattery was one way of getting to Sasuke, he was adamant in his refusal. There was nothing, as for as he was willing to admit, that would make him go through with it. The music coming from the stage came to an end and the announcer made his appearance as the band prepared to leave.
"I hope you enjoyed that little treat; now for the main course. Uzumaki Naruto and Kitagawa Yuko please return to the stage."
From where she stood below, Yuko hopped onto the stage, which was at least four feet off the ground, with ease. Naruto's arrival was somewhat delayed.
"Would Uzumaki Naruto please come to the stage. Failure to do so will result in your immediate disqualification. Naruto going once, Naruto going twice—"
"Ma-TE!" shouted the blonde boy from high above the stage. He leaped from his perch (one of the lighting rafters) performing a multitude of somersaults on his way down. He landed like a cat on all fours, his guitar strapped to his back. As he stood, he wore a cocky grin on his face as if to say to Yuko, "you're going down, bitch!"
Some things never change.
"Now that both participants are here. Let me explain the rules for the finals. The match will proceed in the same manner as the previous rounds, except you will now be required to mimmick your opponents body movements and flair. If you cannot, it will be your loss.
"There will also be a time-limit. If you are unable to force a loss from your opponent in fifteen minutes, you will each be required to perform for three minutes. The piece you play must be unique to you. The winner will then be decided by the audience.
"I wish you both the best of luck and may the best guitarist win."
The Konoha shinobi and the missing-nin of the same village were immediately appalled at the revelation that the audience would be the final judge. Yuko was from the village so she appeared to have an unfair advantage. However, Yuichi reassured them that that would not be the case.
"This village respects only one thing: skill. If Naruto proves to be the better man than they won't hesitate to rally behind him. They have no intention of just giving Yuko the win."
"Just a second, announcer-san," Yuko interjected, taking the microphone. "I want to take this opportunity to raise the stakes of this match. That is, if the little boy here isn't chicken."
She turned to Naruto who was in the process of raising his middle finger. Remembering that one of the judges was her daddy, he thought twice about it. Fuck it, he thought as he gave her the bird.
"Na-ru-to-kun," she said in her usual seductive yet somewhat sadistic tone. "I'm still a little disappointed from earlier. What do you say if I win, you take Mitsu and me up on our offer? Win-win situation if you think about it."
Naruto's hair stood on end at the thought of it, but then it seemed that an idea struck him.
"Alright, but if I win you have to make that same offer to someone of my choosing. And don't think I'm going to let you in on who it is until the very end." Yuko stiffened. "What's the matter? I thought it would be a win-win kind of thing for you too. Or could it be that you're the one who's chicken?"
"Fine," she said. "I don't plan on losing anyway."
To say the audience was confused by the exchange would have been putting it mildly. Sakura turned to Yuichi and asked if he had any idea what was going on. The young man was once again serious as he explained everything that had happened between them earlier.
Are you serious! shouted the voice of Sasuke's libido. That dobe had a chance to experience the most coveted sexual act with two of the hottest babes in the country and he turned them down! He really is an idiot.
Sasuke, go through with the pink-haired one's plan. It's bad enough that you let Shades beat you to the punch with such a fine piece of tail, but I will kill you if that idiot scores with those two. Do you hear me? Kill you!
It was one of those rare moments when Sasuke actually agreed with the stupid voice. His pride would not allow Naruto to get that for with two women before he did.
"Sakura," he said, turning to the girl with a stern look on his face. "I'll fucking do it."
By this time, the competition between Naruto and Yuko was well underway. Yuko was not pulling any punches with both her sound and performance style. She was a natural acrobat, jumping, flipping, and swinging her guitar behind her back without so much as missing a beat. However Naruto was just as versatile in his play.
In fact, with his training as a ninja Naruto could have easily performed in ways that Yuko would never have been able to duplicate. However, to him it would have been the same as using the Kyubi to win this battle. A slight handicap couldn't hurt if it was for the sake of fairness. Besides, Naruto had realized something about himself during this competition.
There was nothing he could not play after hearing it once.
However, the same seemed to be true for Yuko as nothing he came up with seemed to faze her. Time was ticking away and neither of them had found a weakness in the other. A spin on the floor was countered with a back flip, which was followed by a between the legs play. Yuko thought that he had him when she played with her teeth, but Naruto had no trouble with it (though it did leave a bad taste in his mouth.)
"Time is up!" shouted the announcer. "That was an incredible display from the both of you, but I'm afraid that neither was able to best the other. Yuko, it has been randomly decided that you will be first. We can give you two minutes to get your thoughts in order, but you may begin anytime before that."
Her reply came in the form of harsh strumming, followed by a heated metal riff. 'Sinful innocence' was the only way to describe the paradox of her sound. The vibrations emanating from the sound system made everyone, whether they were male or female, weak in the knees and it felt as if the song was being played just for him or her. It was a passionate first kiss that promised so much more if you played your cards right. Even Naruto found himself intoxicated by the aura she displayed.
Yuko saw this and licked at the neck of her guitar as she winked at her opponent. Naruto swallowed hard and for just a moment thought that losing might not be so bad. He prayed to God for the strength to resist this temptress but the Big Man himself was preoccupied with his own hum-mina-hum-mina stupor.
The femme fatale finished her song much to the relief of Naruto and disappointment of everyone else. It was now Naruto's turn and he planned on using every second of the two minutes he was allowed.
He was screwed, or he would be quite literally if he didn't think of something. He tried to remember what it was that got him into this competition in the first place, but every time his mind tried to think straight Yuko's teasing wink would pop into his head. He mentally tugged at his hair, not knowing what he should do.
"Naruto-kun," said a hauntingly familiar voice. Now it seemed that his conscience was ready for a piece of him, using the voice of the girl he was about to blow his chances with to rip him a new one. Then he heard it again only much louder this time.
"Naruto-kun!" came the shout. It was real! He searched the crowd for the owner of the voice and found her as she fought her way to the front. Their eyes met as she managed to force her way to the front row. Her white eyes seemed to shimmer as her cheeks tinged with a nervous blush. "Do your best Naruto-kun!"
Whatever spell Yuko placed on him was cleansed thoroughly by the white eyed girl's arrival. The loud blond could not allow himself to lose in front of her. Hinata was really here! A torrent of emotions overwhelmed him. Relief, Joy, Anxiety, Stress, but most importantly he felt determined to do everything he could to impress this girl. Just ten seconds before his time was up, the music began flowing out.
The sound started off slow and soft, similar to a blues style Yuichi had shown him during their wait. However, Naruto was also drawing from what he had heard Yuichi use, though he had modified it enough to consider it his own. The resulting creation conveyed the feeling of what some recognized as first love, pure and innocent. There was a pain involved but it was not an unwanted feeling since it also came with a pleasurable sensation. The women of the crowd were swooning and even the men were able to appreciate it. After all, the swooning women were cradling themselves in the arms of their men.
Then the music began to follow a new direction, transitioning into a punk aesthetic infused with metal elements. The music seemed to be making an attempt at maintaining the harmony of the preceding portion of the song but failing (intentionally) to do so. 'First Love' was falling apart fast and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Many members of the crowd were becoming teary eyed and several men were quickly wiping at their faces before it became too noticeable. Shino was letting it all out for two reasons. (1) Real men cry and (2) it was hard to see because of his dark glasses.
The music slowed and reverted to its original sound only this time it was like a whisper. 'First Love' was over but the notes suggested a chance at something new. Naruto was looking directly at Hinata as the notes flowed from his heart to his fingers, plucking the strings tenderly. Yes, First Love was over and in its place his song had found True Love.
The song ended on a quick crescendo and after everyone in the audience stole a kiss from their significant others, they turned to applaud the young Casanova. Naruto stole a quick glance at Yuko and caught her with her head down. From the way her thumb and index finger were positioned at her nose, many would have assumed she was frustrated over her opponent's performance. However, Naruto had caught the glistening wetness her hand was trying to hide.
"Now comes the moment of truth," shouted the announcer. Bill was making his way onto the stage as well, carrying something in a black leather guitar case. He slowly unzipped the container and removed from it the most pristine guitar Naruto had ever seen. "Ladies and Gentlemen, it has been fun but now it is time for you to choose this year's winner. First, let's hear it for Kitagawa Yuko!"
The crowd exploded in shouts and screams, several members whistling and howling for the sultry guitarist's victory. Naruto knew it was going to be tough to beat but with Hinata standing right in front of him he was not the slightest bit concerned.
"Now," there was a drum role coming from somewhere as if to increase the tension. "Uzumaki Naruto!"
He did not think it was possible, but Naruto swore that the resulting applause must have woken up half of Konoha. It was deafening and only seemed to be getting louder. It felt as if the stage itself was shaking from the sound. Naruto was beaming.
"That settles it!" the announcer shouted excitedly. If he had been allowed to applaud with the rest of them, Naruto would have been his choice as well. "This year's winner is the blonde wildcard himself, Uzumaki Naruto. Lord Okayama will now present you with the prized guitar of one of the greatest men your village has ever produced. Please, see it safely to its birthplace."
Naruto took the microphone from the announcer and turned to the audience. "I just wanted to thank everyone and hope they had a good time. It was a blast playing for all of you right here on this stage and I hope to do it again real soon. But first," he turned to Yuko, "you and I have some unfinished business."
He handed the microphone back to the announcer and motioned for the fem-guitarist to let him whisper into her ear. Whatever Naruto said must have struck a chord because Yuko immediately turned red at the cheeks.
"WHAT!" she shouted loud enough for the entire crowd to hear. Pretty impressive considering the announcer still had the microphone.
"Oh come one," Naruto said with an accusing stare. "You're into guys skilled with a guitar, right? He should be perfect for you."
"That's not the point! He's…he's…"
"Yuko's childhood crush," Mitsu interrupted, sneaking up behind Yuko and wrapping her arms around her. "Actually we both liked him. We didn't want to ruin our friendship so we promised each other that neither of us would go after him. But I think we're both grown up enough to share. Don't you think, Yuko?"
Yuko only blushed furiously while Naruto got a good laugh out of it.
Back in the Crowd…
"Can you please let me turn back now?" Hinata asked uncomfortably. "Naruto already won. There shouldn't be any need for this."
"Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke," she said to the girl next to her. "When are you ever going to learn that it's not nice to make a girl wait? You took forever to agree to my plan, so now I'm going to take my time before I let you change back."
Sasuke was cursing the newest feature of Tsunade's damn jutsu. Apparently, while he was still able to perform jutsus (like when he used chidori to destroy Antonio's coffee table), Sakura could exert control over such techniques to have him use them the way she wanted. For example, while she had allowed him to turn into Hinata, she was also preventing him from returning to his masculine glory.
"You're cruel, you know that," he said, using Hinata's innocent face to scowl at the girl. Shino could not help but find that confusing.
Somewhere in their argument they had missed the flash of yellow leap from the stage and approach Hinata's stand-in. Naruto did manage to catch their attention when he placed his hands on the false-girl's shoulders and looked tenderly into her white eyes. One incomplete thought was running through everyone's mind.
Don't tell me he's going to—
Everything that was about to unfold did so at the pace of a single word Naruto uttered as he lowered himself to Hinata/Sasuke.
"Hi-" Sasuke stared in horror at the descending mouth. He wanted to react, he tried to react, but it was like it had been when he fought Orochimaru during the Chuunin Exam. He was frozen with fear and this time there was no kunai to get his legs to move. 'Release the goddamn jutsu now Sakura!' he mentally screamed at her.
"Na-" Sakura was in a daze. Was the boy that had chased after her so long finally going for the girl that had her eyes on him? In a way she was happy for the two, but something was not right in her mind. Where was Sasuke in all this? Shouldn't he be with her to witness this? Then she heard his telepathic plea and remembered that she had forced him to henge into Hinata in order to keep Naruto's spirit up. She relaxed control of the jutsu.
"Ta-" Sasuke felt the restraints loosen and was about to release the jutsu in time for Naruto to snap out of it when his eyes caught sight of something all too distracting. The stunning Mitsu and seductive Yuko were escorting Yuichi away, probably so that they could make sweet music together. All three of them were blushing but the smile on their faces made it clear they were going to enjoy a very, very long night. That bastard, Sasuke thought, but then he remembered the current situation he was in. He dispelled the henge in a puff of smoke but it was too late.
SMOOCH!
Naruto opened his eyes when he felt the smoke hit his face only to see black eyes staring back at him. Since when could Hinata change the color of her eyes, he asked himself. There was also something frighteningly familiar about the lips against his. Then he noticed that the eyes staring back at him seemed mortified. He removed himself from who he thought was Hinata and took a step back. What he saw sent a single thought screaming through his brain.
NOT AGAIN!
The world erupted in screaming as two teenage boys learned that the worst experiences in life could easily repeat themselves.