Disclaimer: 'I do not own Naruto.'
A/N: For all who reviewed and are still reading, I humbly thank you all. (bows multiple times) You guys make me grin me happy face :-)
Random Thought: Anyone else notice the uncanny similarities between Kakashi and Inuyasha doggy characters? Silverish hair, keener nose then Kiba (as mentioned by Naruto in a manga chapter), summons his 'kawaii ninja dogs'. …Maybe he's part dog demon…wouldn't that be fun? n-n
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Little Imp
Chapter 4: To Grow On Him
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He suddenly stopped and slung the rope over a tree branch across from him, pulling the rope to raise the netted girl up to eye level and stated in a calm, matter of fact way as if it were the most normal thing in the world, "If you ever betray that trust and Konoha, I'll kill you." He let go of the rope and the net plummeted.
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She caught his last words as she dropped.
"…I'm curious as to your people's famed water control…."
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The smoke had cleared away soon enough, revealing empty, torn up land. Sakura had reached halfway up the waterfall before falling into the lake again and was resting on the banks, confirming her theory that boys tried too hard. Naruto's outer jacket had been discarded, and the boy managed two rushed steps up the waterfall before plunging back into the waters.
"Hn." Sasuke looked down haughtily, managing four steps, before wavering and jumping off. His rival glared and bitterly muttered curses while trying to stand steadily on the water once more. That bastard just had to keep showing him up! He was barely wet!
It was true. The dark haired boy was slightly splashed with water at the edges of his otherwise dry clothing, seeming to know his limits and jumping off, landing atop the water. The waterfall walking proved quite difficult, and Naruto began swimming, too tired to walk on the water, towards the resting kunoichi to ask for advice as before with tree climbing.
Seeing this, the proud boy quietly walked to land and sat down a distance away, seeming to be concerned with drying off rather then eavesdropping on any helpful tips. Loud rustles above crashed down.
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An enormous blue expanse met her eye, and she realized what he meant.
'Crap.'
At the height and speed she was descending from, she had better chances jumping off a skyscraper. For one insane moment, Sora considered simply smacking into the lake's surface, break a few bones, maybe get knocked unconscious, drown a little, and give the Jounin a well deserved guilt trip. But…returning to the hospital was not an option and neither was dying. Sighing tiredly, the falling girl drew in her body tightly and concentrated.
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The three stood frozen on the banks while staring in shock after recognizing the figure in the net. A cloud of smoke poofed beside them and Kakashi looked on with a mildly interested look.
"Kakashi-sensei!"
The man turned his head to Sakura.
"She! The lake! It might as well be concrete!" the girl frantically stressed. His eye curved up as he stated confidently, "Ah, don't worry, she'll be fi—" His words were cut off as a horribly loud 'SMACK!' shook throughout the forest, followed by an impossibly large splash, creating a tidal wave that soaked the stunned team. Sweat drops appeared on all of their head, especially the Jounin's.
'…maybe I am just paranoid…'
"…um, sensei…" she nervously started. He needed no further mention as he realized with sickening dread that the girl had not surfaced yet.
'Crap.'
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'Hehe…eat this…' Focusing, Sora gathered her chakra and created a thick bullet like barrier around her front and then spread it out further to increase the impact result. She was quite satisfied with the thunderous splash and waves.
Underneath, the net came undone with no trouble and drifted up. Coming to her easily, she concentrated and then gravitated the water in front of her face to repel, creating an air bubble of sorts. Afterwards, she did a simple seal with one hand and fixed her focus greater this time. 'Ninpou, Water Veil.'
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Net, yes. Girl, no. He held his breath and looked around underwater searching for her, but she seemed to have disappeared. Suddenly, his legs and arms locked frozen in the water, feeling as if they were under forceful pressure. A light giggle reached his ears.
'I do not believe in mermaids.'
More laughter.
'…I do not believe in mermaids that like to drown people. I believe in friendly mermaids.'
"Your hair is even poofier underwater, hehe."
Kakashi swiveled his head around, but could not catch the owner of the familiar voice.
'…Invisible mermaids!'
She released the veil and materialized in front of the baffled man who immediately frowned in protest to his imprisonment. Sora appeared in a meditative like pose with her eyes closed and acted so with a mystical voice. "Yes, yes I am a mermaid who likes to drown people and make them become my evil slaves." The effect was broken upon immediately breaking into a rascal grin and laugh. He, on the other hand, was not amused. Kakashi's eyes began to sting from the prolonged stay underwater; his lungs were nearly giving away as well. He drew in a surprising breath of air when his lungs gave way and found his face strangely dry.
"You can talk now, yes?"
'…Powerful control over water, I wonder what her ranking really is…'
"No, even the smallest child in my village can do this…as for my ranking…" She trailed off while floating aimlessly in the water as if hovering in air.
'…Mind reading?'
She snorted. "I'm not mind reading, I'm very observant, even with people with masks on…speaking of which…" She suddenly zipped over with lightening speed and looked very inquisitive indeed. "…I'm curious as to what you hide underneath a mask…." Sora quoted in mock. This was when Kakashi brought out his 'bloodthirsty, murderous glare of ultimate demise'. But instead of the desired affect, her eye and she seemed to flinch in remembrance.
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"…Hehehe, you look fuuuuuuny…"
"…Oi, watch it imp…"
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He blinked in confusion as she looked down and muttered something illogical. The girl seemed to regain herself as she looked up then away. "Maa, anyway…" she drifted casually in the water again. "You're a smart cookie…my motives? I was just taught that way, not to show your full potential…that and laziness of course…and if you must know I'm actually Chief Chuunin in my village court."
He slightly narrowed his eyes at the cookie comment but considered it a good opportunity to gain more information. "…Chief? Court?"
She sighed and continued drifting about. "Hmm…my village really is a legend isn't it….there are three courts that make up the entire village, one court is roughly the size of Konoha, and there's acres of woods and such separating them, you see how large it is, no, the ninja ranks in my village goes by: Ninja Novices, Base genins, High genins, Chuunin, Chief Chuunin, Jounin, Lead Jounin, ANBU, Hunter Nin, Head hunter nin, and finally the three Heads, similar to the Kages here I believe."
For a moment, his irritation at the girl was forgotten as he put this information to memory. "…Ah, I see."
But she seemed not to hear,having stopped drifting and hanging still off to a distance, and mumbled remotely to no one while looking through nothing. "…gone…and I'm just kinda…here…" She had unknowingly released the water pressure bind on Kakashi at this point and slowly drifted through the water again, but more like a ghost floating along listlessly.
He had made out the muttered words and softened his view, taking on a sympathetic gaze.
And then the water exploded.
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"…nehh…how can Kakashi-sensei and Sora-san be under water for so long?" Naruto nervously asked, hand at his forehead while swishing his head quickly side-to-side, searching for any signs. Sakura looked equally thoughtful and worried as the other slightly frowned and stared at the lake's surface. A sudden, colossal eruption from the deep end took the group by surprise as another tidal wave washed over them, now looking much like bristled, wet cats that had just finished drying off.
Kakashi and Sora burst from the water depths, and was held aloft by a jet of water.
The Jounin looked over, his eye slightly lidded. "Warn me next time."
She gave him her quirky grin. At this the man's eye opened wider then retreated back to its lidded state.
'…That grin…same quirkiness…'
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"…You are a strange child…"
"…Hehe! Cuz I'm special right!…"
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"Oi! Daydream about dirty thoughts later!" The girl fussed at him, snapping her fingers in front of his eye. The man quickly came to attention and narrowed his eye. 'Heh, just as cheeky too.'
"Now, you found me at the bottom of the lake, had to surface quickly for air and so created a jet of water." She smiled brightly.
"Or… you could speak the truth and make my life easier."
"Or… you get to play the gallant hero and make my life easier. I'll make it realistic and all and knock myself out for several minutes." She chirped.
"Wait, what!—" He reached to stop her but she was quicker, pinching a pressure point just enough. As a final, bold act she grinned and performed the peace sign just before slumping down; the jet of water thinned and dissipated away. Cursing at the bothersome child and her screwball state of mind, he caught and cradled her, jumping down beside the team. Laying her down on the grass he suppressed his twitching eyebrow throughout the scene.
"….uuugh..mmmph…" The girl slowly flickered her eyes opened.
"She's awake!" Sakura let out a breath in relief. Sasuke glanced over then narrowed his eyes in thought and looked towards the Jounin. Naruto also noticed the girl coming to and eagerly looked towards their sensei as well.
"…Wow! Kakashi-sensei! Can you teach me that cool water jet jutsu thingy!"
"Maa, maybe later, when you can walk up that waterfall." He casually gestured his thumb towards the raging waterfall a distance away, at least seven times larger then that of the one that was currently being used in training. The boy grimaced and heavily sweat dropped, letting the subject go.
He settled to knowingly eye the girl coughing out water, who seemed to take no notice of the evil eye; he disliked liars, of course, his late 'excuses' were completely permissible.
"…So…how did I do, ecchi…—sensei?" Sora drawled out, sitting up and beaming at the skeptical Jounin.
He then stated his verdict in a cool manner. "Hmm…I've determined…you…miserably fail." He stated the last word as he popped open his favorite volume and seemed to be overjoyed that the waterproof protection package was indeed a good investment.
Cue the anime fall. Nearly. She swayed precariously close to the ground, arms out even while sitting. The air around the girl crackled with an icy, ominous bode as she lowered her head, her eye darkening out of sight. "…Oi…"
Naruto slightly cringed and whimpered quietly, she could be even scarier then Sakura-chan… The other two made similar notes and decided it would be wise not to anger her in the future. Only Kakashi appeared to be unfazed, flipping to the first page and rereading for the infinite time. Immediately she jumped up shaking a fist, large angry marks appearing on her head, and barked, "Take that back!"
"Tch, no respect for elders...you're welcome by the way." He indifferently replied, his back to her as he strolled away.
"—eh?" Her fist had slouched into a limp hand in the air with her mouth slightly slack at one end, eye out of focus.
'……You're welcome as in accepting an unsaid thanks for purposely insulting my shinobi skills and not drawing attention…or "saving me" from drowning (which you started in the first place!), or maybe meaning both at the same time as a double entandre, or is he just trying to piss me off!'
"…neh…Sakura-chan is she really okay?…"
"…uh…I didn't like the sound of that hit on the lake…"
"Hn, brain damage probably."
"Ano, her eyes won't stop swirling…ehhh…its making me dizzy…"
"..Ah! Naruto! Not you too!"
Gah! That ecchi made her head hurt.
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"Squirrels? Really now…that's a new level of brutality…"
"They're not real squirrels! Looook! Stuffed animals!"
She proceeded to shove the singed squirrel tail in front of the man's face, who casually flicked it away. More singed squirrel tails laid scattered around her room, previously his storage space. One was stuck on and hanging off the ceiling.
"…Just where do you get these objects…"
"Mm..places." She grinned. "There just happened to be a sale on stuffed squirrel plushes today."
"And you destroy them…"
"Experiment."
"Do cruel experiments on…"
"Experiment new jutsus of mine on and put them out of their misery."
"I thought they weren't real."
"They aren't."
"………"
"They're creepy looking."
"………"
"Stop looking at me as if I'm some evil, insane person. Hey! If I was allowed to go outside to the training grounds there wouldn't be any of this." Sora gestured to the squirrel plushes reduced to their burnt tails.
He explained tiredly with crossed arms. "Not my blame. You're still under close watch and also need clearance from medics of a clean bill of health."
"..Tch, close watch eh? Still think I'm some kind of diabolical spy set out to bring death and destruction to everywhere I go?" She drawled.
"Sure. You're the most fearsome spy I've ever met…" he replied coolly with a slight twang of sarcasm while walking out of her room to his own and knowingly counting down. "Five, four, three, two…one."
Another explosion of smoke erupted from the girl's room as he stopped and hung his head.
A distant shout was made out, "…Umm…hey, where do you keep your fire extinguisher?"
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Puke green with bright, red polka dots.
His hair.
Was colored puke green with bright red polka dots.
'..Oops..'
Her eyes widened and she slowly edged towards her room with all the stealth she could muster. The Jounin had taken a shower and came out modeling a lovely tuff of green hair with outlandish reddish blots in places.
'Nearly there…' Her foot scarcely brushed the floor inside the room before her nose squashed into a dense object. His arm was stretched out and casually leaned against the open doorway. Sora slowly and mechanically turned her head to the side, meeting the Jounin, everything in order except for one thing.
"…So…I'll get right to the point this time. Explain this." His other hand pointed to the colorful head tuff. He was still his calm, cheerful self, which only caused the girl to sweat drop more.
"Why, what a pretty color!" She smiled, eye curved.
"…Uh-huh." It was clear he was not permitting her to escape until an explanation was made.
"Ehehe…well, after the curtains caught on fire…for the fourth time…I experimented in the bathroom, you know, for a nearby water source, and…some stuff might be a little funny for a while…" She finished with a nervous smile while her pointer fingers tapped together.
"…Explain…'funny'…"
"Don't use your toothbrush." In a blink, she limboed underneath his arm and locked the door shut behind her.
"…This better wash out…"
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"Ha! I'm freeeeee!" Sora spread her arms wide and spun around carelessly in front of the Konoha hospital, head arched up at the sky. The other leaned against the front entrance and looked on amusingly. The girl suddenly stopped and spoke to no one in particular. "Mwahahahaha…" she rubbed her hands evilly with a grin, "now I can wreak havoc and destruction upon the world!" At this, Kakashi slightly cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. "…ehehe…just kidding…" She rubbed the back of her head. "..So…I'll be off now…" Sora turned on one foot, with the other in the air, ready to take a step before stopping and miss stepping on a small dog.
'…A pug…in a ninja costume…?'
"Jeez…some people go overboard when pampering their dogs…" She crouched down to the little dog, sniffing curiously. The dog did likewise. Those passing by gave strange looks at the dog and girl circling each other while sniffing. Kakashi sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose; he was doing that a lot lately. Finally, both girl and dog stopped and sat in a similar fashion facing each other, concluding their thoughts and speaking at the same time.
"Your scent is familiar."
Pause.
"…You…talk?" The girl picked up the dog and stood, holding the pug out at arm length. The dog uncomfortably closed his hind legs and looked to the man for assistance.
"Sora. Put him down."
"…It talks…"
"I have a name."
"I said put him down."
"…I never met a talking animal."
"I'm Pakkun. Not it or animal."
"Put him down."
"Oh, hi! I'm Sora, how'd you learn to talk?"
"…My ear is really itchy..."
"Ow!" The girl dropped the dog, who plopped to the ground and satisfyingly began scratching his ear. Her hands were instead near her head, where the man pressed a knuckle on top and twisted it side to side with each syllable.
"When. I. Say. Things. You. Li. Sten."
She winced under the pressure and scowled at him when he finished with a curved eye and cheerful ruffle to her head with the same hand.
"Pakkun here will look after you."
She pouted more and grumbled, "…A dog for a chaperone…a chaperone period…"
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Kakashi sighed in content for once and read his favorite volume in peace. Finally. No random explosions every five minutes. No objects set on fire. No random floodings. No sounds of glass breaking. No singed squirrel tails stuck on the ceiling. No pointy things jabbing into him when sitting down on the couch…speaking of which…
He recoiled a bit and pulled out a sharp needle from the cushions, flicking it away then relaxing once more.
Nice. Tick. Tick.
And. Tick. Tick.
Quiet. Tick. Tick.
…Was that clock always so ridiculously loud?
Kakashi sprawled back and did an unthinkable thing. He closed the book and placed it aside. The silence was soon broken by barking; Pakkun sat outside pawing against the window. He opened the window and let the dog in.
"…Umm…I'm afraid I…lost her." Pakkun bowed his head and drew back his ears in an apologetic manner. The Jounin, however, appeared at ease and replied coolly.
"Just search around for her scent. She'll turn up eventually."
The dog continued to shift restlessly. "…Ah, I have…but she's been missing for an hour…I would have come earlier, but I thought her scent would eventually come up as you said." Kakashi perked up, '…an hour…' In his mind, large-scale explosions, floods, eruptions, and full out singed squirrel tails scattered over the village flashed through. He pinched his nose bridge.
"Not. Good."
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Nothing. Nothing, did her being go out of existence? Her scent was completely gone. He had to resort to asking people of whether they seen a girl so and so high and so and so big, get funny looks and such. Apparently, she had been everywhere, as the goose chase led him throughout the village and back.
She was a spy and had escaped and really did plan to wreak havoc and destruction by…sitting in the living room writing in a book? The girl was cross-legged on the floor with a large, old book propped up; scribbling furiously in it while papers laid spread out around her. Sora looked up and smiled in greeting as Kakashi stood in the doorway, looking in disbelief.
"Hi! Went somewhere?"
"……………"
"Hmm? What's with the face—Oww, ow!"
"You know, you're a funny little thing."
"Ssss..ow…"
"Never ceases to surprise me."
"..owww…he couldn't keep up!…eeeeaack…okay, okay, I thought it would be funny!…eeeeeeee…stooop it really hurts.."
Smile, head ruffle.
She nursed the top of her head while making sounds of hurt and ache, mumbling things now and then of a permanent skull indent and people with no sense of humor. Meanwhile, Kakashi rifled through the scattered papers, raising a brow at various cartoon flip pages of him getting bonked on the head over and over with a large mallet.
He especially liked the fine artistry in the dead x-marked eyes and stuck out tongue each time the mallet made contact. The papers were then abruptly snatched out of his hands replaced by an overly large grin worthy of the Cheshire cat.
"…Eheheh…I was a bit..bored…"
"…Right."
The rest of the papers seemed to contain lengthy notes and diagrams while a section of the open book appeared to have had been edited ruthlessly, some whole paragraphs crossed out. She was scribbling in the book again and stated offhandedly without looking up.
"The Elders wanted more information on my village. …Sacrificing wolves..what were they smoking…" She made a point to scribble out a particular sentence. He brushed some papers aside from the floor with the side of his foot while walking to the kitchen, his eye lingering on partly covered flip pages in which the doodles looked suspiciously like a cartoon him crying over a burning book.
"What do you want to eat?" He called out.
"Something that you will momentarily choke on while inhaling it so it proves you have a functioning human face and mouth and not some weird brain sucking alien from outer space."
"I'm afraid we're all out of that."
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She and no one would never know the unintended pain she caused.
That horrible choking feeling he roughly shoved down to the soles of his feet to fester and rot. That taboo feeling of hope that must be shattered and destroyed.
He sighed for the infinite time. Fate held a spiteful grudge against him and did everything in its divine powers to watch him squirm like a little buggy on a pen. She even had to have the same name as her. Same hair, same eyes, same annoyingly in-a-twisted-way-admittedly-somewhat-cute habits and attitude.
He remembered uncharacteristically eye-bulging and choking when learning her name from the Hokage and calmed down a little when hearing her vague past. He had very reluctantly accepted guardianship. The bittersweet memories were rushing back, and were crushing.
'…Its possible…' Shatter.
'…There was no full body found…' Destroy.
'…Could have survived…somehow…' Squash down.
'…taken in by someone else…explains the surname, the picture…' All hope.
'…Its very possible…' For hoping.
'…that my imp is actually alive and here…' Is dangerous.
Not possible, gone, gone, long gone, away, away…
He froze when realizing he was repeatedly stabbing his pillow, what was left anyway, with a dagger while also picking up a presence. The girl in question was standing outside his bedroom doorway clad in loose pajama pants and spaghetti-strap tank top, holding a glass of water in one hand, confirming that she got up sometime during the night for a drink.
She was standing forwards and looking in sideways with one eye twitching and scrunched up as a result of a corner of her mouth raised in a 'dot dot dot, what-the, dot dot dot' expression. Keeping the expression she spoke, "…oh you are paranoid……you actually sleep with a mask on!" Kakashi was still frozen in his Psycho imitation of about to stab the mutilated cloth and feathers as she talked.
"…Sleeping with a mask on, yeesh…of all the crazy things I've seen…" Sora continued to mutter to herself on the man's insaneness as she walked back to her room. He gradually relaxed his tensed muscles; he got rather broody and violent whenever he occasionally completed ANBU missions. He sat on his bed stared down at nothing, musing.
'…Huh, like I could actually stroll over and just say "hey kid, I'm actually your dad, sorry I haven't been there for about 8 years, see I thought you died long ago, but what a surprise! Well, I'm kinda a lousy father, not much parental skills really, but do you maybe want to go to the zoo and see the penguins sometime?"'
Kakashi shook his head slightly, penguins…he DID NOT need a relapse slip to the psychiatrist. He mentally shuddered, that room reeked spookiness. Collapsing on the mattress and resting his head on the savagely ripped pillow, despite its state, he firmly shut out any pondering thoughts. It was very impossible. He recalled that her appearance was considered common in her village. Besides, he figured, if so, why didn't she remember him?
Fate, in reality, looked down at the man and wondered how dense he could get.
That scamp made his head…and heart…hurt.
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…The voices were clearer.
And I could see…
A little.
Just a little.
… "I love you…my sweet, sweet child"…
…Embracement. Warmth. Morning Dew. Wetness. Splatter. On my head. Smooth brushing on my neck. Down. A single drop of tear…
…Redness. Drip. Drip. Splash…
… "Do you find yourself brave?"…
…Fire. Everywhere. Demons. Holes. Darkness. Always. The holes…
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"Oi. Wake up."
"…mmmphhhgrrmpphh…five more minutes mommy…"
Kakashi's eyelid lowered at the title he was given. She clutched the pillow more tightly as she laid, upside down, her legs tangled in blankets while sprawled against the wall with her upper half laid where her pillow was supposed to be.
'…Weird sleeper…'
"…Sigh…I would let her sleep in…but, today's an exception…" With that, he dumped the large tub of water he had used to wash his ninja dogs in the morning onto the oblivious girl, wet dog fur and all.
"PLLLAAAAAHHHHHHHH, EECCK! WHAT THE HEEELL!"
'Heh, I've had enough of your cheek…' Chuckling lightly, he left the girl to spit out shampoo and fur.
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They looked at the pair oddly; trying to discern just what might have caused Sora to stare sideways at their sensei with horizontal, slit eyes while growling in the back of her throat. The curious smell of wet dog also lingered in the air.
"Next."
The five walked up to the desk, ready to be assigned their next mission. Naruto stood in the back, crossing his fingers fervently while wholly concentrating and muttering. "Not another lame-ass mission, not another lame-ass mission, not another lame-ass mission…"
"Mm, there is no need to twist your fingers so hard as to break them."
The ardently, wishing boy stopped and looked up.
The Sandaime continued, "A C-Rank mission. And most likely C-ranks and possibly higher for the meantime. The details are in this scroll. In general, you are to travel to the Northern Jade Mountains, where specific, retired shinobi reside and inform them of the situation." At this, the Hokage nodded towards the scroll holding the information now in the Jounin's possession. "I trust this mission to be carried out swiftly, wasting no time."
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"Hn. Hn, hn, hn. Is that the only word in your vocabulary?"
"……………"
"Come to think of it, it's not even a word, more of a grunt, kind of like caveman talk."
"……………"
"What? I'm merely speculating! Geez…stop scowling, your face will get stuck like that."
"……………"
"…Hmph, maybe I should say it in caveman grunts eh? Since you don't seem to understand my big people words…"
Kakashi, taking up the rear of the group, looked on with a slight sweat drop and tired look. '..Really, does she have to provoke him?…This could be worse then with Naruto…' Speaking of which, Naruto looked positively wicked with evil delight, grinning widely and sniggering in the background, content to remain abnormally silent with occasional inputs while enjoying the antics. Sakura, however, was slightly irritated at the other kunoichi for teasing her Sasuke-kun. But she did not appear to be another rival for the dark-haired boy's affections, and that placated her somewhat.
Similar thoughts crossed the Uchiha's mind, as he found himself in a rare predicament. He was at a loss, so far, she was the only kunoichi in his age group who did not ogle him annoyingly and constantly tried to be endearing to him. Unlike the dobe, she was intelligent in her retorts and insults and mostly had control over her hot-temper. The shinobi also acknowledged her suppressed chakra, a testimony to hidden strength and skill underneath the carefree, airy posture and attitude. All in all, what in the world was he to do?
"…You know…a wiseman once said, 'one who broods, is gonna lose.' "
"…What?" Even the others stared at Sora questioningly with skeptical looks.
"…ehehehe…okay, that was pretty dumb. I made that one up right on the spot." She rubbed the back of her head while giving a sheepish smile.
"…H—Tch. Like I said, that fall into the lake must have given you brain damage."
Despite the hurried cover, Sora caught the beginnings of the typical 'Hn' and smiled secretly in triumph.
"Hn. Look who's talking."
He stumbled on the trail upon hearing an all too familiar voice. Sasuke turned, a mirror image of himself haughtily sneering down.
"Hn, getting clumsy are we? Need a hand?" The flawless replica drawled back, flicking it's hair up in the air with a hand in a rather high and mighty way. Sakura and Naruto swished their heads back and forth with incredible speed between Sasuke and "Sora", eyes white and round. The Jounin remained unsurprised but had a more amused and curious air about him. '…Perfect henge…not a single flaw. No usual hand seal or smoke cloud either.'
Sora didn't really hold a strong grudge or anything against the Uchiha. But he just bugged her. His hostile greeting to her in the beginning did not help either. And the superior, haughty attitude? Uh-uh. She took the duty upon herself to knock him down a few notches. Plus, she admitted, it provided some entertaining fun, at least for her.
She cast a side-glance at the fretting pink-haired kunoichi, who immediately blushed at Sora's current henge state. She mentally tutted at Sakura's ridiculous 'devotion of everlasting love.' The same went for the whiskered boy's one-sided affections. 'Bah, a silly love triangle…how does that ecchi deal with this?' As if sensing her thoughts, Kakashi looked towards Sora, the henge now dispelled, glanced around at the scene of Sasuke refusing Sakura's help while Naruto glared jealously at the other boy, and looked back with a happy shrug and curved eye that seemed to say '…well…what can you do?'
She gave an audible sigh and ignored the shinobi's glare directed at her and continued to stroll along the path, pulling out a sci-fi novel she had just started.
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Was the Hokage insane? Becoming senile perhaps? Did he find it funny in some cruel way? Or…the Jounin just had to get over himself. It looked the same, he mused. Nothing out of place. The same crisp, fresh air and peaceful scenery. The same calming silence with the occasional bird chirps.
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… "This place is perfect…what a nice little village." …
… "…Yeah…hey. Don't push yourself so hard."…
… "Stop being overprotective, she's not due for another month." …
… "I'm not…humph…" …
… "Hehe, you look so kawaii when you pout like a little puppy." …
… "…Tch…how many times do I have to tell you that I'm not a dog nor do I pout…p..put that newspaper down…"…
>>>>>>>>>
He did a double take at an open meadow in the distance off to the right.
>>>>>>>>>
…"Na, naa! How'd I do? How'd I do?"…
…"…Ehm…don't henge into me anymore…" …
…"Why not? Its pretty good!"…
…"I don't need a miniature chibi me running around and causing trouble..." …
…"It's a good henge! I just need to make it taller and bigger!" …
…"And make the voice less squeaky."…
…"What do I do now?" …
…"…Hmm, run around this meadow for a bit." …
…"Eehh? What good is that? You just want to keep reading your stupid, hentai book, don't you!"…
…"Called exercise. Get to it." …
…"HUMPH."…
>>>>>>>>>
She had put her book her away once noticing and taking care to enjoy the rare landscape undisturbed by usual human interventions. They were ambling along a natural made trail sloping through soft hills dancing with long grass and scattered flora. The Jade Mountains outlined the far horizon, giving the impression of them as tiny hat tops of little dwarves that sat in hiding, waiting to pop out.
Even from that distance, Sora saw the well-earned name of the mountains, as the tops seemed to wave together in a shimmering, deep green, luminous as its jewel namesake. The serene air seemed to affect the rest of the group's mood as well, a tranquil smile tugged on the usually brooding boy while more open smiles adorned the other two's faces.
"Mmm! This is the best mission yet." Sakura deeply breathed in the clean air, humming happily.
"Yosh! All this mountain air is giving me even more energy!" Naruto exclaimed, raising a fist high in the air.
Only the ecchi seemed strangely off, head lost high in the clouds.
But the tingling sensation and feeling grew stronger. Why did she feel that odd sense of dayjavou?
A bubbling stream.
…"Sora-chan! Come here! Look at all the minnows!" …
A sunflower.
…"Hehe, I picked these for you." …
A field.
…"Called exercise. Get to it.."…
Regardless of the pleasant surroundings, the girl felt an unknown, overwhelming desire to turn around and not step closer to the mountains. She didn't know that the man in the back shared her wish.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Note: --Cheshire cat: the grinning, vanishing cat in Alice in Wonderland. Meow.
