Fouled Tongue

Chapter II: He Knows, Oh My

Disclaimer: Aha, no.

A/N: I planned it all out in my head. I like coming up with complexe story lines. As for the Tayuya following Naruto thing, I was already planning this, mah dears.

Ahem, I apologize for the huge delay. I was uh, piled with homework…… and LOTS of it.

Also, the way everything goes are not in order, nor are they really similar to those of the anime and manga.


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People and any other synonym of that very word had, or would state that 'freedom,' had a price. That is, only if they had had past experiences.

Freedom was always cherished ever since it brought happiness, yet never lasted long. Of course, everyone was free to do what they wished, however there would always be an opposing force that readied itself to take their opponent down. From sports to fighting…… from fighting to killing.

It was like pie. Pie is yummy. But it has a lot of sugar and calories. Especially Sugar Pie…… And calories make you fat……

Ahem……

Were men always free?

"More! I want more!" a certain boy piped up as he finished the last streak of noodles that were left in a porcelain bowl full of soup. "Please?" he pleaded, yet it didn't seem to work since the boy was out of money.

Ichiraku's ramen stand stood amist the houses, quite the place that stood out to a hungry customer. One lone boy wrapped in bandages sat and sipped away while the owner of the shop watched him. That boy was free to do what he wished. Perhaps not succeed in everything, yet he was allowed to fight, kill, play, cry or whatever verb you chose to think of. Yet this didn't mean that he was freed of everything. Even a tattoo-like seal would prove that theory as it proudly stood out on the blonde boy's stomach.

Ignoring his plead for more ramen, Teuchi asked reluctantly, "you look pretty hurt, mind filling me on the details?" he cautiously looked around before locking eyes with the boy once more.

"Well…… there was a lot of fighting." Naruto clicked the his chopsticks up and down in the empty bowl. His voice lowered into a low whisper, "and what if I told you a ghost is following me around?"

A redheaded girl wrapped in bandages as much as Naruto twitched. She sat adjacent to him, yet her forehead was stamped with the word, "I'm-Going-To-Kill-You," if it even were to fit.

Teuchi snorted, "a ghost? Where? I don't see any ghost," he waved his hand around a few times which had gone through Tayuya's head, successfully making her angrier by the swish.

North Gate Sound Nin wasn't exactly what you called "free," yet she was untied of that bond that had binded her to Orochimaru which was a great deal already. If only she could live life to the fullest once more, and not have one guy see her out of billions.

"Stop fooling around and ask people if they know how to get me back in my original state, shithead Sunshine!" Tayuya was already dead tired of the guy, and insulting him might have an impact sooner or later.

Naruto lowered his head and looked at Tayuya with a squint, "hey I'm helping you so you should be greatful."

"Greatful my ass! I'd rather have someone of higher importance than you notice me!"

And they fought……

"What! Do you want me to really abandon you and not do anything at all!"

"I'll kill you in your sleep!"

And fought……

"I'd like to see you try!"

"How about I give you a good smack now?" Tayuya cracked her invisible-yet-visible knuckles and raised her fist.

"Go ahead," Naruto was now smiling confidently, facing but an empty seat to Teuchi and villagers passing by's eyes, "how the hell can you hit me if you're a ghost?"

The redheaded girl narrowed her eyes. He was right but atleast, she hoped she could freak him out by having her fist go through his head.

……………

And so Tayuya punched him in the face where his smile used to be……

……………

And the boy went flying……

Teuchi shook his head in disapproval, convinced that the blonde kid must have gone mental after this whole incident. He had developed the skills to hit himself in the face and fly back after talking to an imaginary friend.

Bewildered, Naruto landed dully but stood up in a flash, wide-eyed, "what the! How? But- you-……" he gaped. "You told me you couldn't touch anyone! How come you can punch me!"

Tayuya shrugged, "your stupid. That must be the reason. Now get your ass going before I kick you where it hurts." She kept her composed features as of now, but this was a surprise to her too. There was something odd with this boy yet Tayuya refused to believe in fate. There must be an explanation somewhere on this damned earth. But before Naruto could shoot yet again another comment, some people Tayuya didn't recognize appeared behind the blonde boy, holding rope. The next thing she knew, Naruto was tightly binded and dragged along the road leading back up to the hospital.

"Hey let me go! All I did was get ramen!" he yelled.

The dark-haired girl in a dark kimono sighed, "stop sneaking out on your own. Do you need Anbu to keep you in your room?" she scowled him.

"No! Lemme go Shizune!"

"That means yes, c'mon now, we don't have all day," Shizune tugged effortlessly the rope as it hauled the blonde boy painfully on the dirt. He would jolt at the contact of a sharp rock colliding on his head, back and ass. Tayuya trailed silently along, half-amused, yet half-annoyed by her current state. It had already been two days, and nothing happened. To make matters worst, that sunshine brat refused to help her in any useful way unless she asked him nicely…… and that was very hard.

"Hey you Teriyaki!"

"-shithead! It's Tayuya!"

"Shizune! See? See? Did you hear her talk!"

The tall, dark-haired girl with high heels inherited by none other than Tsunade-sama awkwardly glanced at Naruto, then at the empty space beside him. All she saw was a hay ball randomly roll by.

"Who talk? Perhaps the injuries to your head were more severe than I thought-"

Naruto disappeared from the ropes.

And Tayuya watched him sneak away…… she walked slowly to where he was headed…… then stuck a foot out in front of the unexpected teen. The girl watched him tumble with a triumphant smirk as Shizune quickly turned around to find the sprawled Naruto.

"Naruto!" she yelled.

The blonde boy flinched and looked bewilderedly back at the redhead, "Stop it!"

"Well looks like I can beat you up now does it Sunshine?" Tayuya cracked her knuckles pleasently and watched the other female tie Naruto back up once more.

"She can touch me!" cried the teenage male incredously again, "she can!"

The medical-nin sighed, "I'm not falling for it again Naruto, now shut it!" she snapped. "Take him away!" Shizune ordered the two men that had accompagnied her to retrieve the runaway boy. They nodded and carried the delirious blonde back to the hospital.


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Through the long, deserted corridors of a hospital floor, echoed screams of agony, moans and groans, as well as complaints.

"Dammit! That hurts!" a male voice would ring out follow by another of his moans. "Go easy!"

"Stop wriggling. I can't move right if you keep this up!" the other female protested.

Whoever would pass by this hallway and happen to listen on this conversation despite not being able to hear the female's part of the conversation, would have a nosebleed. Even the Anbu that were guarding the door were wondering what was going on in that room, but they were either too disturbed or scared to check.

Tayuya huffed out in anger, "dammit, I can't seem to be able to touch the ropes either." The redhead had already tried to pry the binds that held Naruto together, but it was tightly tied, not to mention combined with chakra.

"They're on tight! I can't breath! Do something!" Naruto shook his fist furiously while shouting, "Sakura, I can't talk to her like this! She's coming soon, my intuitions say so!"

"Yeah, and while those intuitions predict the future, why not ask it if you can ever save this Sasuke of yours?" the female interjected, sarcastically.

Naruto had suddenly stopped struggling and looked at Tayuya who seemed a bit intimidated by his glare. His brows were furrowed tightly together as the sneer that bared two sharp canines gleamed in the sunlight. These were his limits.

"Don't say that," he muttered with a hint of growl in his voice, "don't ever say that again! I will get him back!"

The room felt oddly a bit more nerve-racking to Tayuya than usual, but this was probably due to that very slight tinge of guilt lingering in her throat. Oddly enough, she even felt remorse for this brat, but starting a fight would get her nowhere near to freedom. That decision made, the redheaded girl looked away and apologized slowly.

Naruto blinked in confusion. His anger instantly vanished and it was his turn to feel awkward. A heartless girl had apologized to him just now. Perhaps out of benefit for her in the near future but it was still amazing.

"Well," said Tayuya slowly. Naruto seemed to have overcome his little crisis. "We should make a deal."

Naruto's eyes jerked up, "what kind of deal?"

The young girl paused before crossing her arms. "How about you help me in all means possible to get back to my body, and I tell you all the information you need to save Sasuke?" she paused, waiting for a reply. The window that had permitted Naruto to breath in fresh air until now had let in a cold breeze float by them.

The hospital wasn't what you exactly called a cozy place. Actually it was plainly calm, and the flowers that were brought in for Naruto were starting to wilt… yet what the lone really found as a relaxing ambience was the town itself. Peaceful… happy… the exact opposite of what Tayuya lived through.

The blonde boy was still in a state of shock. Looking for a way to get her back into her body was a small favour compared to how much she'd be sacrificing. Even if she was in her body after this, the Sound Nin would probably search for her and kill the traitor without mercy. He'd propose for her to join Konoha, but god knew if that was a good knew if it was a good idea.

"B-but-"

"-Just tell your girl friend that you'll get Sasuke back for sure, and that you won't fail," her tone was one that Naruto never heard her use of all the days he spent with her so far. It was only 2 days, but really, after all the constant yelling, threatning, insulting and blackmailing, this was out of character and odd.

-Yet he agreed, "boy you must really wanna be back to your normal self," he grinned. "Alright then, deal!"

He extended his hand to give her a formal handshake like adults did but he changed his mind and stuck out his pinky finger instead, "pinky swear!"

Tayuya rolled her eyes and looked away as an insult escaped her lips.

As if on cue, a firm knock had made both injured ninja's to bolt upright and look at the door.

"Naruto…… may I come in?" A voice that belonged to no other than Sakura could be heard faintly. She seemed to try and cover the sadness that lingered in each and every syllable, yet failed.

Naruto looked sadly back to the ceiling, nothing better else to stare at since his hands and legs were firmly tied up. "Come in," he replied.

Sakura obediently pushed the door forward as it swung open quite easily. Instead of the pink hair that was painfully familiar to Naruto, another figure appeared first, closely followed by Sakura. Yet despite Tsunade's appearance, Sakura's eyes were the most piercing eyes he'd ever witnessed.

Tayuya rolled her eyes. Shy depending the situation, not outspoken, and certainly afraid of being a burden…… exactly what she despised of a girl. Those so called, 'emotions,' only served one purpose. And that was to get in the way during fights. 'Females are always weaker then man. Men do the fighting and have what they want,' was assumed ever since long ago, when women were thought to be so weak they couldn't think for themselves.

"N-Naruto," she whispered. Yet before tears threatened to cascade down those pink tainted cheeks, Sakura sniffled once and wiped away tears. She fought hard to look tough, and even managed to crack a small smile. "Are you okay? You look like a mummy," she chuckled, quite fake to the ears of the invisible girl in the room. Tayuya scoffed but she knew very well the difficult situation the pink-haired ninja was in. Guess she wasn't so bad after all, fighting back tears and brushing it off perhaps easily, yet strenuously.

Naruto fidgeted with his fingers, unable to bring himself in a gaze-lock with the girl he had admired and loved. It seemed that Sakura noticed his action and assumed that he was about to take the blame on himself about Sasuke. Raising her hand and waving it dismissively, the young girl in a red dress Tayuya had seen seldomly around in her town of the Sound smiled, "it's alright Naruto. You can stop now, everything's okay."

The blonde boy shook his head and had stopped the nervous squirming with his fingers. Instead, he had his hands in fists, balled so tightly that his knuckled became white. Then, with a declaring voice, he said, "I will defenitively get Sasuke back! Just you watch! It's my nindo!"

The salty tears that had clinged on Sakura's eyelash were dropped to the floor as she blinked incredulously. "Naruto……" she whispered once more.

Tsunade whom had remained silent as of now paused, bringing on of her arms to her hips. "Chouji should recover as Neji's injuries proved to be fatal, but he'll pull through," Naruto's head shot up. "Also, Shikamaru will be visiting you tonight, he has important reports to fill in before, as for Kiba's currently being treated. Well, that's all I had to tell you," the Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village smiled before making her way out. Sakura hesistated to follow but ended up slipping out the door nonethless, speechless and thankful.

Turning his attention back to the 'invisible' girl whom leaned casually on the wall beside him, Naruto grinned. "Thanks. I don't think I'd have been able to tell her that if it weren't for your help."

Tayuya's eyes narrowed, "just get me back to my original form, I'd be more of help that way, or I think so anyway," she muttered. Yet as Naruto thought that vulgar girl wouldn't insult him anymore, a small, 'shithead,' slipped out of Tayuya's mouth. The blonde boy sweatdropped and felt as if he'd been hit by a brick yet again.

Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words can never hurt thee. That only applied if the words weren't knives themselves. Naruto figured that one of her hidden jutsu's would involve turning her expressions into real weapons.

Wriggling his hands and legs once more, the heavily injured boy struggled against the rope once more. There was a spot on his nose that was incredibly itchy and that was torment.

"Teriyakiiii!" he groaned, "do something about this!"

"Shithead Sunshine!- how many times do I have to-"

KABOOM!

If ghosts could be blown by powerful gusts or explosions, then Tayuya wasn't a normal ghosts. She stood amidst the things that flew right through her before looking down on the bed that had been turned over. Everything was in a mess and even a gaping hole in the wall stared right back at her. Well, if holes had eyes, this one certainly had.

"Oi Naruto!" a manly voice called out.

"Aahhh, Ero-sennin! That hurt." Severed from the ropes at last, Naruto stood up shakily, bandages covering most of his body as he complained, "you could've knocked before blasting the wall!"

His protesting was answered by a low grunt. Jiraiya's white hair was pulled back in his usual pony tail as it flowed to the ruckus he had made. His clothes were yet to be changed into another style as for the sometimes perverted, yet serious and stern expression remained plastered on his face. Jiraiya hadn't laughed or foolishly grinned at Naruto's comment. It looked like something important had to be announced.

"Naruto," the man said. Apparently, he probably thought that Naruto was the only one in this room, yet another girl remained against the wall, unnoticed. "I need to talk to you. Come over here." It was more of an order than a request.

Glancing back at Tayuya whom seemed intruigued by this, Naruto sweatdropped. Nothing could be kept as a secret from her anymore. He sighed and walked out onto the so made balcony on the back of a giant toad as Tayuya followed suit, unaware of how the blonde boy felt about her knowing private messages from a pervert of high importance. "What is it Ero-sennin?" he asked after everyone was outside and out of earshot from the other hospital rooms and corridors.

"Give up on Sasuke for now," Jiraiya's eyes locked with Naruto's.

"What!"

"Listen to me before protesting, idiot. Orochimaru can't switch bodies for another 3 years, and therefore Sasuke will be safe from death for now."

The blonde boy turned his head to Tayuya and demanded if this was true by fiercly twitching his eye. The redheaded girl nodded, amused by how that pervert raised an eyebrow at the boy who seeked comfort from air.

Jiraiya continued, ignoring Naruto's odd behaviour, "and during these 3 years, I need you to leave the Hidden Leaf Village to train with me. Going for Sasuke again, right now will do you no good." He looked up into the sky and sighed, "this could become serious. So I need your full capacity for these upcoming years. Are you up for it?"

There was a moment of golden silence. Naruto rubbed his chin thoughtfully, looking like a wannabe of some detective but he was actually thinking. "Oi Ero-sennin."

"What is it?"

The mummy-wrapped boy grinned and turned to Tayuya, "can you see this girl?"

Jiraiya paused, uncertain of what Naruto meant. He was pointing at an empty space. Tayuya's fingers twitched, she whacked him on the head and a bump had already been formed on the scalp.

"Ow! Hey! I'm just asking if he can! Jiraiya's as powerful as purple snake man!" Naruto defended himself, rubbing a new sore spot.

"Idiot! You did it atleast a million times now! Don't waste your breath on an old perverted asshole!"

Jiraiya sneezed. Someone was talking behind his back.

"Hey! Have some respect for that old perverted asshole! He'll help me and you if he can!" Naruto fought back.

The white-haired man sneezed again.

"Like he can even see me! I hate perverted men like him!"

At this point, both ninja's of similar age were fighting aggressively with words if possible, as an older man sat in the background, sneezing and coughing as if he had inhaled something terrible. Somehow, the conversation had also switched from the perverted legendary ninja to how Naruto would become like one in the near future.

"Yeah! Well how do you expect this old, white-haired hag to help me if he can't see me!" Tayuya yelled over Naruto's constant yelling.

"-and since when were you the boss of me!- I'll make him help! If he won't then-"

"Shut up!" Jiraiya's voice had silenced both Tayuya's and Naruto. The two younger ninja's were now attentively paying attention to the old man once again. "Who're you talking to Naruto?"

The Hidden Leaf Village rubbed the back of his head, "well you see-"

"I know you're talking to someone because I can hair faint whispers but I can't see this person! Tell me who it is!" Jiraiya sighed. This boy was impossible. He hasn't even answered his question.

Naruto blinked. Ero-sennin was the only one who could sense, and somewhat hear this person out of everyone else. "She's one of Orochimaru's pawns…… you know…… that girl with red hair, an ugly cap, and a flute? She's without the cap now, so she looks much better."

Tayuya gritted her teeth together as a slight blush appeared. How dare he call that cap ugly! It was there to hold her hair from getting in the way! However, before she could send him flying again, Jiraiya had approached Tayuya slightly. The girl took a few steps back, unsure of his statement of being able to hear her. Perhaps he could see a faint outline.

"I see," said the older ninja. "So it's her. I've heard of rare cases about this."

Naruto nodded and said, "so you can see her? Hear her? Or sense her?"

"None of them," replied Jiraiya. "I found it peculiar enough after watching you talk to some unexistant person. Shizune informed me that your brain was working properly after a test so I figured that something was up."

'So Shizune-san knew!' the blonde boy sulked.

"Ask him how to turn me back!" Tayuya exclaimed, shaking Naruto by the shoulders as he dangled like a lifeless corpse.

"Aaaahhh- wait, wait!"

"Do it now before I strangle you!"

Jiraiya watched his disciple get shaken violently by thin air. It looked like he was having a seizure, but leaving out the details, this whole issue could be of benefit.

"Make that girl come with you Naruto." The blonde boy and redhaired girl stopped quarelling and looked over to the legendary nin. He continued, "after the training, she'll be able to turn back to herself."

Naruto was gullible.

Jiraiya had a plan.

And Tayuya was ready to try anything.


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A/N: I bet you thought it was DEAD! Ha! Proved you wrong. Here's the chapter. Sorry for taking so long.

Now revieewww……