Chapter 3
The Hinata-sou's Resident, Shinobu: Signs to a New Direction
§
Early November XX, 1998
Shinobu Maehara, Age 12, going on 13. 1st Year Junior High student and she is in a rut. Why, you ask? Because her parents are still squabbling about divorce issues and who will have to take custody of their only daughter. What's worse is that they are trying to take her away from what is dear to her, or more appropriately, from her best friends, Ruto Urashima and Kaolla Su.
-LNH-
|Present time - Morning at Konoha Schools, Junior High side|
Shinobu sees her classmates having different chats with each other; whether it's girls' talk, messing with make-up, the conversation in boys' affairs, or any other small, rather insignificant details. The meek girl tries to have a conversation with her classmate, but with her timidity seems to get in the way as she tries to enter classroom 1-3 (Junior High Class 1, Room 3) and sit in the back row, next to Ruto's seat.
Ruto tries to ask Shinobu what's wrong with herself lately, despite what the other students say about him being no good to the meek girl. But unfortunately, the class bell rang as their teacher, PAIN-sensei, was approaching the main desk, with his intern and fiancée, Konan Kamibara-sensei.
Yahiko Uzumaki (27), who is preferred to be called PAIN, has orangish red hair in an unkempt fashion, strikingly purplish eyes that can see right through a unwilling student's demeanor, has black piercings on the bridge of his nose, his bottom lip, and his ears (much like Deva Path), and wears a pendant around his neck.
Konan Kamibara (26) is Yahiko's partner for the Class 1-3. She has black hair that's more of a slate tone, with part of her hairstyle tied to a very small bun and a paper rose attached to it and has gold-ish orange eyes that makes the person think that she's an angel of a higher plane of existence. She also has a piercing on her bottom lip (in a less painful manner than her lover's). Her given last name is based on the translation on "paper rose".
At first, the faculty objected to the teachers having their 'wild looks' in front of their students, but after a brief trial period, Principal Hiruzen Sarutobi decided to let them stay (much to the chagrin of the 3 advisors). That was 2 years prior.
Later, PAIN-sensei and Konan-sensei are briefing with Shinobu outside the classroom about her parents trying to take her away from her school and her friends. While they were in the middle of the conversation, they heard hoof-beats... Hoof-beats‽ In the hallways?
It turns out that it was Kaolla riding her mechanical horse from one of her inventions at a quick rate of speed. PAIN-sensei and Konan-sensei had to put a stop to the 8th Grader's little game, leaving the meek Shinobu by herself, until Ruto finally managed to meet. His kendo team has the day off due to homework issues, so there won't be much worries today. Shinobu is glad that she has close friends like him and Kaolla. So they walked back en route to the Hinata-sou.
(Meanwhile, Kaolla was reprimanded for her childish tricks by the teachers, so she gets a 'slap on the wrist' and a session on "formal seating".)
-LNH-
|At Hinata City|
Ruto and Shinobu are walking along the bridge to the outskirts of town, talking about what's been going on with her family lately. She is feeling awfully sad that her parents are forcing her to move out of town after whichever parent gets custody of their daughter. Not to mention, her parents just didn't seem to get along with each other and just didn't care about their only daughter's feelings. But ever since Ruto and Keitaro came into her short 12½ year life, she felt warm inside, like she is feeling stronger and more courageous than she ever had before.
|Near the Hinata-sou|
After walking the long steps to the Hinata-sou, Kaolla, who managed to reach the dorm earlier, was hanging around with Kitsuné on the balcony, wanting to play with her tutor and her classmates. (Motoko is still away at a secret location for her kendo club.) She jumped down from the balcony to the lower rooftop and shamelessly landed, with her panties showing... onto Ruto's face and they crashed to the ground.
"Seriously‽" Ruto grumbled as he pried tye panty-flaunting Kaolla off his face. Shinobu blushed from her neighbor's guileless act while he brushed off the dirt and stated, "Kaolla-chan, do you have any idea why you just jumped onto my face like that, especially with your skirt, 'ttébayo? Your family from who-knows-where is going to have such a 'cow' if they knew about this predicament."
Kaolla scratched the back of her head and made a cute, childish face. Naruto sweatdropped and said, "Yeah, I guess you're sorry. But right now, we have a long way to go before we could even think about raising that particular bar. So, any homework today?"
The long since dubbed '3 Musketeers' decided to go to Ruto's room (with his door opened) to review their paperwork, while they still hear the sound of Keitaro, the new landlord, taking his lumps from Naru; most likely from his mistakes and the accidental peeping in the upstairs room above his via the hole in the ceiling.
Later that night, Shinobu has just finished making dinner. Keitaro was starving after working on the dorm's maintenance, with Ruto's doubles. Ruto was invited to the table, but the landlord ended up being given a ramen cup instead. "Go boil your own water," Naru said while Kitsuné and Ruto sweatdropped because of the Amazon's devilish and impulsive action and Shinobu is indecisive of what to do. However, Ruto, being a good brother, decided to let Keitaro switch meals and he'll take the corner bath first; he also told Keitaro to pretend to Naru that he ate the ramen. The ronin is grateful for having a little brother in his family as he teared from the heart-touching moment.
-LNH-
|A little later, at the corner bath hall|
Ruto is in the bath, wearing his swimsuit, because he can't shake that premonition of something that is bound to happen. He is eating the Ichiraku's Brand ramen cup that he swiped earlier and is thinking about what will happen to Shinobu and her parents. Sure, he can cook, but Shinobu is the better chef around the house. He just hopes that her parents didn't come at an impeccable timing, since he hears the girls that are coming to the onsen.
Keitaro is wearing a towel around his waist and has entered the room just as Ruto finished with the noodles and leaves the room to take it to the trash can. The girls worked the poor ronin (and Ruto's doubles) so hard, there wasn't much time to study with the upcoming Todai exams. "All I did was minding my own business, but I didn't even get to experience any good in it, other than Nii-san helped clear up most of the old building. *sigh* Didn't even give me enough time to go over the papers. And that woman, why does she want to be with me anyhow? It wasn't exactly my fault when I saw her bra through her wet clothes and in her underwear when I looked at the hole in the ceiling. It's just an honest to goodness accident, for crying out loud!"
Then the ronin overheard the girls making a conversation in the steaming fog from the onsen. He can barely make out what the girls are saying as he leaned over on the railing.
(Naru)» "He's so tough to break."
(Kaolla)» "Maybe he lost all his senses-ya?"
(Kitsuné)» "Kya ha ha! I would agree with you doing these things. But somehow, it seems that Ruto-kun is caught up with helping his brother cut down the work time."
(Naru)» "I was just hoping that the current landlord would quit sooner or later. The "Operation: Kick-out" just doesn't seem to go according to plans."
"'Operation: Kick-out‽'" Keitaro gasped at what he had just heard. At first, the girls wanted to throw him out, just to keep his brother all to themselves, until he heard more of the conversation.
(Kitsuné)» "But you know, it's kinda hard to forgive the Keitaro guy and then leave his brother alone in the dorms."
(Kaolla)» "Why is that-ya? Please tell me?"
(Naru)» "That ronin is a shameless pervert. He's as good as gone as far as I'm concerned. Even Motoko would kill him if he doesn't cut it out."
(Kaolla)» "Is that so? He's so funny, and Ruto-ya is still nice to us and his brother. That's why I like him, ya."
(Shinobu)» "You know, girls? If... if you try to look at Senpai... in another way, he does... he does show his good points."
(Kitsuné)» "Shinobu's right. For one thing, Keitaro and Ruto-kun managed to do just about everything we told them to do, without complaining. And no matter how much we humiliate the ronin, he still won't give up."
(Shinobu)» "Kitsuné, don't say it like that. It's too cruel."
(Kitsuné)» "But what an unusual guy he is, He even had his picture of himself recopied 200 times. I wondered if that counts as having any good points?"
(Naru, panicked)» "Ki...Kitsuné-san‽"
Keitaro banged his head on the railing from his embarrassment since the vixen spread his secret around. But then...
Hold it!
What you're about to see is a representation of Murphy's Law, a case of sheer bad luck and mentions of female skinship and one naked girl.
Viewer discretion is definitely advised.
Thank you.
The railing that Keitaro banged his head on broke apart and then he started falling down from a great height. Thankfully, a nearby pine tree broke his fall, but his screaming from the big drop echoed to the onsen. At first, the ronin was worried that he'd be seen practically naked until he heard Kitsuné say with a drunken slur, "Oh, hey. Naru's breasts seem to be getting bigger again, aren't they? Com'mon, let me see 'em!"
"Hoo-ho-ho-hoo! Stop it, Kitsuné!" Naru hollered as she was tickled.
(Kitsuné)» "Pa-lease? You let Keitaro paw at them the other day, didn't you?"
"This looks like fun-ya! I want in on this, too!" Kaolla said as she laid her hands on Naru's chest before moving to Shinobu's.
And while they were busy with their personal issues, Keitaro was lost in thought as he witnessed the risque scene, until suddenly, the top branch of the tree began to lean over and snap!, making him fall on his back, busting right into the outer bamboo fence where the girls are at. And what Keitaro saw (from an inverted point of view), utterly shocked him; all the girls were wearing their towels to cover their modesty… all except one: Shinobu. She feebly tries to hide her growing A-cup chest and then she runs right over Keitaro's face as she dashed out of the onsen. The other girls, minus Kaolla, gave the hapless Ronin a shellacking he'll never forget.
(Don't worry, Keitaro won't die from that beating. He gets really big boo-boos.)
-LNH-
Shinobu is still butt naked and was sobbing while she was still running across the hall until she ran right smack into the robed Ruto and both fell to the ground in a rather precarious manner. Ruto finds himself being hugged by his classmate like he was a security blanket and she won't seem to let go. Ruto quickly takes his adult-large shirt that he has holding on his shoulder to cover Shinobu's body.
He then worryingly asked, "What happened, Shinobu-chan? Are you all right?"
Shinobu answered, "Oh, Ruto-kun, *sniffle* I was in the onsen with the girls, when Keitaro-Senpai came by and... and he... he saw me naked! *sob!*"
Just as Ruto was about to give his brother an earful, he sensed from the tags that he set up near the front gates of the property. So he uses the Shadow Clone Art to send out his doubles to spread the word to his dressed-up dormmates that they got company and to tell them to stall for time until Shinobu is ready. And then, he carried the shirt-covered Shinobu (bridal style) and said, "Your parents are coming and you're not fully dressed. I'm going to let you go to your room to let you get ready before they can give us the wrong idea."
Shinobu reluctantly agreed and Naruto shunshin'd to her room to at least let her put some underwear on, but decided to keep the baggy shirt for just a little longer.
-LNH-
|At the dining room|
Yasuharu Maehara and his ex-wife (dubbed "Miyabi") were once regulars at the former inn (the wife was also a former employee). They had just entered the room and demanded Keitaro and company to tell them where their daughter was. Kaolla almost blurted out, but Kitsuné stopped her and said to the parents while chuckling, "Beats me...", while Keitaro and Naru searched for the kids.
|In the 3rd Floor Hall|
While they were looking for Ruto and Shinobu, Naru was asking Keitaro, "Look, I know that it's tough when the kids' parents have to split up, but this should be nobody's business but theirs. Why must we be involved in this?"
"I know it's unfair, Naru," Keitaro said with the voice of experience, "Divorce is about what parents have to handle and it's not like the children want for it to happen. Believe me, I've been through this before Ruto arrived. However, what I don't understand is why didn't their children let them have a say in the matter when that happens. And Nii-san is probably hiding in the roof access to give Shinobu some time to think it over."
And then, he told Naru to stall for more time while he keeps finding the two kids. Naru didn't like this idea because she is concerned about Shinobu like she is her kid sister (other than her younger stepsister). Not that she would care, at first...
-LNH-
|Meanwhile, at the Rooftops|
Shinobu and Ruto are exploring the roof access and they hopped over the railing to the roof. Ruto says while clasping her hands, "Shinobu-chan. About what my brother did, it was just an unfortunate accident. It wasn't all his fault, other than busting down the fence. Can you find the strength to forgive Aniki?"
Shinobu saw the light in her close friend's eyes and agreed.
Then she said, "Remember the time when Hina-obachan was around, I used to play on the rooftops all the time? But this one time, before I was starting 4th Grade, I slipped and almost hurt myself when you came by and rescued me when I was about to fall off. After that, my parents wouldn't let me come around here anymore."
And the Junior High students were hand-in-hand as they watched the city lights, the sea, and the full moon in the distance; it was a beautiful night for them to remember.
Then she asked her boy-friend, "What's it going to be like to be in Tōdai in the future? My grades aren't that great and I just can't seem to be good at anything other than cooking. And the only other friends I have are Kaolla-san and you, Ruto-kun. But I just don't have the courage to get into Todai, not in a thousand years. That's why I wanted to ask someone who's good at learning from mistakes."
"Shinobu-chan..." Ruto softly said as he looked into his girl-friend's obsidian eyes, "You can go to Tōdai or any other college if you want to use your skills, 'ttébayo. Even my bozo for a brother can get in, and I know that you can smile like you did before. We'd be happy people if you can believe in yourself, because I do, dattébayo."
Shinobu blushed from Ruto's encouragement and they shared some cookies that she baked earlier that she had on her side.
-LNH-
|Back at the Third Floor Hall|
Yasuharu and Miyabi are looking for their daughter and run into the wrong door and find Kitsuné as a spooky, yet sexy, Kitsuné-onna; to which the move fails. They tried to go to the room in the 3rd floor access, but they were spilled over by a collection of Liddos that Kaolla stuffed inside the room. This made Yasuharu burn up in an unstably high tension and demanded that they call the police; while the hidden Kaolla was disappointed that her trap failed to hold the uneasy parents back.
Haruka and Keitaro managed to find the kids, but then the extremely worried parents ran ahead and found Shinobu and Ruto, facing them.
"Please come on down, Shinobu," Miyabi begged.
"You can stay with me, Shinobu!" Yasuharu insisted.
"You still don't get it‽"
"She ran away, Miyabi, because she didn't want to go with you!"
"What the hell are you talking about‽"
"KORAAA~! (Enough!)" Ruto exclaimed with a state of super-high tension. The two parents and the Hinata-sou company were stunned at what the blond Urashima is showing as he says while gritting his teeth like a fox, "Your words may be strong, but my anger is stronger, 'ttébayo! So unless you act like decent human beings and listen to what Shinobu-chan is trying to say, we are going strictly nowhere. Do we have an understanding?"
"Yes, sir," Yasuharu and Miyabi reflexively said as the tension on both sides began to calm down, while Kaolla and Kitsuné walked up the stairs to catch up with the residents.
Then Ruto climbed over the railing and helped Shinobu up and then the latter said to her parents, "Okaa-san, Otou-san. I... I'm not going."
"Shinobu‽ What do you mean by that?" Miyabi questioned her daughter's motive.
"I love both of you, Okaa-san. Otou-san. But I love this town, my school, and my friends, too! Especially Ruto-kun!" Shinobu passionately said.
"But we heard that you were being bullied over there!" Yasuharu exclaimed, "So why..."
"I wasn't being bullied!" Shinobu declared, "But I just don't want to run away without making good friends!" She turned to Keitaro and asked, "I've decided to stay right here. If this is okay, can I stay, Landlord-san?"
Kitsuné and Kaolla are glad that Shinobu wanted to stay here.
"Did you promise her that?" Naru asked Keitaro with a strange look, but he secretly said that he didn't; not entirely.
Miyabi objected, "What‽ This is unacceptable. I can't allow this! Especially with this boy!" She turned to Haruka and demanded, "Well, don't just stand there, do something!"
But the café owner said while holding a cigarette in her mouth, "Listen, lady. If our manager agrees with it, then there's no objection that I can state with." She turned to her nephews and said, "Keitaro, Ruto, she's your responsibility, understand?"
"Yes, ma'am," the brothers obliged while Shinobu is glad that she is staying here in the dormitory as she said to her parents, "Don't worry, Landlord-senpai's a training student for Tōdai and he's very reliable."
Just as things have finally cooled off, Yasuharu suddenly pulled out a pistol hidden from his coat pocket and has a bead on Keitaro, wanting to make this a real NAY-sayer, but then his gun was knocked off by a well-aimed kunai toss by Ruto (one of his nail-cleaners which was hidden under his sleeves) and he uses one of the many ninpo techniques: "[Magen (Illusion Art): Nirvana Temple!]"
Yasuharu is seeing feathers in his vision and then falls asleep in the genjutsu, pacifying the would-be killer.
The residents plus Haruka were impressed and relieved by Ruto's tactics as he tied the insidious father and asked Keitaro, "Aniki, would you kindly take the ex-Mrs. Maehara to the lounge while I place Mr. Maehara on hold until the cops take him?"
-LNH-
|The next day|
Yasuharu Maehara was under the police custody for the charge of the violation of the Firearms Act and attempted murder. Miyabi decided to support her only daughter's decision while she and the moving van drove out of town. It was the last time that the Maehara divorcees squabbled over insignificant things, especially over their only child.
|At Konoha Junior High|
Shinobu gathered her courage and told PAIN-sensei and Konan-sensei that everything had finally settled and she promised to do better. The teachers agreed. Then Shinobu begins her first step towards making new friends at school. And Ruto is glad that his best friend isn't so shy anymore.
|Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch- - er... the Hinata-sou|
Haruka, Kitsuné, and Naru are having a relaxing time of skinship in the onsen.
"Hey, I think this'll work out," Kitsuné said to Haruka, "We still get to keep our cook in the house. And with Ruto-kun helping her, we don't have to worry."
"Yeah," Haruka agreed, "But you still have to take turns helping." Then she looks at Naru, but is worried that she'll be like a prune from bathing too long.
Naru was looking at the photo book that she 'borrowed' from the landlord and was thinking about Shinobu. She is glad that Shinobu found herself in a new direction and guessed that she is tired of running away from her problems.
§
To be continued...==»
»-Line Break-«
Omaké
Shinobu's "Unusual" Sleepover
After the officers take Yasuharu away and Miyabi is sent back to her house, Shinobu is still frightened that her father is aiming his protective sidearm at Keitaro-senpai. But what really changed her is that her boy-friend managed to save everybody's lives.
Shinobu woke up with an awful gasp in the middle of the night. She was sweating from the nightmare that she had. It was about a man that resembled a snake trying to take her friends and Ruto into the darkness while she was drowning on the floor where she was lying on.
The young girl felt that her panties felt a bit 'wet', thinking it's one of those accidental days. She changed out her underpants and put the dirty pair in a basket nearby. She walked by Ruto's room and knocked, asking if she could sleep with him and told of that nightmare she had. He consented as Shinobu was lying next to him, feeling happy that she had her trusted friend by her side. As for Ruto, he is glad that he didn't want to take complete advantage of Shinobu's weak moments. But then he hears his dormmate slowly falling asleep in his arms, facing him, so he softly said to her, "Good night, Shinobu-chan."
The next day, just as dawn breaks, Naru notices that Ruto isn't in his routine. So she looked into his room and was shocked to see as she found Shinobu sleeping next to Ruto, without her panties, just as he innocently woke up, saying good morning to his senpai. Naru is in her casual clothes as she pointed out to Ruto and demanded, "Ru-Ruto-kun, what the hell have you been exactly doing‽"
While Ruto is rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Shinobu's hand is reaching out towards him in her sleep and mumbled, "Ruto-kun... More..." The blond ninja started to shudder as he looked at Naru tugging at her mini-skirt trying hard not to lose her temper as he tried plead about the misunderstanding; but too late, her temper has reached the boiling point when the testimony just doesn't exactly hold due to more of Shinobu's moanings.
"Ruto-kun, you... BAKA~!" The whole dormitory shook from the Amazon's loud scream and somehow woke everyone up.
(Later, when Shinobu was cleaning her laundry, she noticed that her previous pair of strawberry patterned panties that she wore last night did not have signs of bed-wetting, but were found to have an unusual red spot. Something tells her that "the path to womanhood" has just started. Maybe she needed advice from the older residents...)
Omaké
The Results of the Trial of Yasuharu Maehara
On November 30th, the suspect, Yasuharu Maehara, pleaded guilty to the charges of violating safety laws. Since it was his first offense, he was sentenced to probation on the condition that he needed to take regular psychiatric exams until the sentence was fulfilled and a fine was issued. He also confessed that the two particular men that he was coerced with because of their ulterior involvement will crack a very cold case wide open.
Miyabi Maehara is not charged with the crimes.
The divorce case was remitted to the courts and decided that the parents must visit their daughter on a regular visit, unless otherwise stated.
Omaké
Elsewhere in Konoha Schools
Yahiko Uzumaki and Konan are having a secret meeting with their fellow workers at the library annex one night. Of those attending were Hiruzen Sarutobi (Junior High Principal, 69), Tsunade Senju (Senior High Principal, 45), Jiraiya (no last name, Senior High Vice Principal, 46) and Shizune Kato (Nurse for the Senior High, 24), Asuma Sarutobi (Class 9 teacher, 27), Kurenai Yuuhi (Class 8 teacher, 27), Might Guy (Boys' Gym Teacher, 28), Anko Mitarashi (Girls' Gym Teacher, 24), and Yugao Uzuki (Head of Security, 22). They made a promise to their fallen friends, comrades, and most importantly, family: Kushina Namikaze (deceased at 24) and her husband Minato (deceased at 25).
Yahiko was Kushina's younger brother and Tsunade was Kushina's distant cousin; surprisingly, both of the faculty members are related to Mito Uzumaki (Yahiko being the great-grandson on one branch and Tsunade her granddaughter from a different side).
Years ago, they promised to help look after Naruto as he was growing up. But when they have a 'Warthog' of a Shimura trying to kidnap the boy and trying to poison the town with an detestable arraignment of sorts, along with an involvement of the infamous "snake in the grass" that is vying to use politics, they have no choice but find a home for the baby boy. So they trusted Hiruzen's decision to let baby Naruto stay with the Urashima family to keep him safe from harm. The reason the Junior High principal requested this, is because Hina Urashima is a well-known acquaintance of his for a long time, even when his wife of over 40 years had passed on.
When they heard that a boy named Naruto Urashima is entering Junior High, they were enthralled for the boy to make significant progress and have good friends. And yet, they knew that someday, he'll have to meet with his own kind.
The selected group of people vowed to keep the wretched Danzo Shimura (70) from doing any more harm to the boy and to other people, or die trying. For they kept track of the Warhawk and his dirty deeds and he is still pending a charge of solicitation of the murder of Naruto's parents. For that, Hiruzen has hired an undercover investigator to find evidence that one or more of his administrators are actually involved in the plot for Naruto's well-being.
However, that's another story for another time...
A/N: Kakashi Hatake, who wears a dust mask, didn't join the group, because he's on a vendetta, not towards Danzo, but against Naruto for jealousy issues. We'll see him in a later chapter.
And the heat will be on!
- blukmage19
