Chapter 7 – Family Meeting & Miscellaneous Encounters
Fifteen clones of Naruto filled the area and the original let them begin the fight while he turned to Fu and smirked. "I'm not sure what you're capable of, but I know the pains of being a Jinchuriki. It's not an easy life, but…my friends helped me through while it seems like you have no one. Am I right?" When Fu simply nodded quietly, the blonde smiled softly at her and nodded. "We'll talk more later. For now, join me in destroying these jerks. We're well within our right to defend ourselves, so if Taki decides to pull something similar to what Sean-sensei told me Kumogakure did after they tried to take Hinata-chan away…welllll…I'm sure they won't have the same kind of luck. After all, they're the ones to blame here."
Smirking wickedly, Naruto turned to see that a few of his clones had already dispelled. Thinking over what had finished them off, the blonde smirked. "I see. So that's what happened. All right then, I wonder how they'll handle this?" Biting into his thumb enough to draw blood, the young ninja went through the hand seals required for the Kuchiyose no Jutsu. Upon finishing, he slammed the palm of his right hand to the ground and shouted out the technique.
Almost instantly, a large poof of smoke appeared and everyone around looked on in awe as they tried to determine what would appear. Once it finally cleared, Naruto was seen standing atop a giant wind dragon. The beast itself was so large that it towered over the trees in the area. Looking down at the Takigakure ninja for a moment, the beast let out a small gale of wind that swept numerous people off their feet before he glanced up at Naruto. "Why have you summoned me boy? Where the hell is Sean-sama?"
Naruto grumbled and stomped his foot on the dragon's head. "Hey! Why do you always have to treat me like that Ryuzaki?! Sean-sensei allowed me to sign the Wind Beast contract and the others have acknowledged me as their summoner already! Even your boss has said I'm worthy! So why the hell do you still treat me like this?!"
Naruto's teammates stared up at the beast and then looked at each other curiously. The first one to say anything was Kiba. "Since when can Naruto summon something?! And a huge ass wind monster at that?!" The others just shrugged, but two girls, Fu and Sakura, looked on in awe. Naruto, you are truly amazing. I hope you know that. Sakura thought, an excited gleam in her eyes at the prospect of learning how to summon such a creature someday.
Upon hearing Dog Boy's comment, the dragon, now known as Ryuzaki, lowered its head until it could stare Kiba in the eye. "Boy, you'd do well to be quiet. I am not a 'monster'; I am the advisor to the great king of the Wind Beasts. I am Ryuzaki, the Wind Dragon! And you!" Glancing back up at Naruto, Ryuzaki huffed, though this act sent Naruto's team plus Fu tumbling along the ground again. "The only summoner I've ever liked is Sean-sama. Why he let a little punk like you sign the contract is beyond me. But enough, it looks like your enemies are regrouping. What would you like me to do oh great and powerful 'Naruto-sama'?" The great Wind Dragon asked, sarcasm dripping from every word.
Grumbling at the blatant disrespect for his own summoner, Naruto decided to take what he could get and pointed at the enemies. "I said I'd let Fu-chan fight with me so we could show them what two Jinchuriki could do, but three of those shinobi are too dangerous to risk confronting without some kind of plan or something. But, I figured they wouldn't stand a chance against the almighty Ryuzaki. Whaddya say? Mind just taking out all the baddies down there? Please don't harm the Konoha shinobi and the girl with the mint green hair okay? They're my friends. Oh! And the chick with blue hair. She's the cousin of Sean-sensei, so don't hurt her either. Though you could knock her out if you wanted. It'd make dragging her butt back to Konoha to see her cousin a LOT easier and I'd reaaaaally appreciate it Ryuzaki-san."
Hearing this, Jima began shaking violently. "You little prick! Ugh! Fine, fine! If it'll make you happy, I'll come willingly. I'm not about to fight Ryuzaki-sama just to prove a fucking point." Huffing, Jima walked over to join Fu and Team 8 and went to the sidelines. Leaning against a tree, she closed her eyes and frowned. "That kid sure is stubborn isn't he? I'm…afraid to see him again. I don't want to confront Sean yet…"
Kurenai put a comforting hand on the woman's shoulder while Naruto's summon began decimating the enemy shinobi. "Sean will be happy to see you. Despite what you may be thinking, he is a very kind man. Strict, stubborn, slightly crazy…but he's a good man. Hell, I've heard rumors of crushes on him here and there throughout the village. Umm, anyways, I'm sure you'll get along real well with him. You're family, and I'm sure your meeting will go really well. If you need, we'll gladly stand with you if you happen to be nervous about meeting him alone."
Jima shook her head and sighed again. "You're…absolutely sure he won't hate me for leaving him alone for so long?" When all she met was smiles, the water specialist smiled softly and shook her head. "I've missed him. My mother wanted to retrieve Sean and bring him home with us since his own parents couldn't take care of him, but Father forbade it."
At this, Team 8 frowned and looked at her curiously. Anko spoke up with a serious tone in her voice. "Why would your father do something like that? Family should stick together. Sean's pain…I understand it so well. Not having any family to be with, it hurts. Your father shouldn't have forbidden something like that!"
Jima shook her head and frowned. "Even now I don't understand it, but apparently there's something about my cousin that warrants caution. That, and Father said it was for Sean's safety. Don't ask. As I said, I don't understand even now. Sadly, Father died three years ago so I can't get any answers from him now. Mother's off in Lightning Country searching for clues on the whereabouts of more of our family. My mission, as stated before, is in finding Sean's parents. All this time and I still haven't found any damn leads. I doubt my cousin will be happy to hear that piece of news."
Naruto approached at that point and shrugged. "Maybe, but Sean-sensei's an understanding person. You'll find that out when you meet him. Now…" Turning to Fu, the blonde boy gently grasped her hand and smiled at her. "Which of the Bijuu to you possess Fu-chan? I think I mentioned it before, but just in case: I am Naruto Uzumaki, the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi. It's great to meet you Fu-chan." Bowing to her, Naruto chuckled at the expression on his fellow Jinchuriki's face. "Oh calm down. I'm being respectful. I know you probably don't get treated with respect often, but in Konoha you'll probably get a lot of respect and make a lot of friends. So long as they don't find out about you being a Jinchuriki of course, then you're good."
Fu blinked a few times and opened her mouth to speak a few times, but could never find the words to speak. When she realized that Naruto was still holding her hand, a slight blush crept upon her face. Quickly retracting her hand from his grip, she held her hands at her side and stared hard at him. "You're…different from what I'd expect from a fellow Jinchuriki Naruto-san. To answer your question, I hold the Nanabi. And…if you're inviting me to come with you to Konoha…I don't know if I should…"
Naruto quickly shook his head and put both hands on her shoulders, making her blush further. "Fu-chan, you're not appreciated in Taki. They just tried to ASSASSINATE you. You're obviously not safe her. And…if you still need convincing, there are a lot of nice people in Konohagakure. I can also get you citizenship there pretty easily. The Hokage, he's like my Jiji. If I talk to him, he'll help you out for sure dattebayo! While it's true that the people of Konoha aren't exactly nice to me, they're nice to pretty much everybody else. They all get along pretty well from what I've seen and heard. Yeah, there are some problems, but who cares? Plus, it's beautiful! And like I said, they'll be nice to you so long as you don't tell them you're like me. And from the looks of things, Taki wants to be rid of you. So you joining Konoha would not only ensure your safety, it would make both you and Taki happy. I'm…not sure what else I could say to convince you Fu-chan. Just trust me okay?"
Fu sighed and nodded her head. "A-All right. There's really nothing for me here anyways, and I have nowhere else to go. Your group does seem really nice, and…" Quickly shaking her head, Fu shut up and just smiled sweetly at Naruto before nodding her head again. "I'll gladly follow you back to Konoha Naruto-san! Can we please leave now? I don't want any more of these jerks finding us. Please, please let's go."
Naruto grinned and nodded his head. "You heard her everybody, let's hit the road and get home! I can't wait to reunite Sean-sensei with his cousin and get Fu-chan a home in Konoha!" Chuckling happily, the blonde set off with Fu at his side, the two making conversation merrily as they went along.
Meanwhile, the rest of Team 8 and Jima stood watching them for a moment before setting off after them. Jima looked to Anko and Kurenai as she followed along at their speed. "Is he always like this?" When the two of them nodded, she waited for one of them to speak as she looked in front of her at the two happy Jinchuriki. "I don't know if he even notices it, but little Naruto's turning into a little chick magnet. He's got some natural charisma. Just has to talk to people and they follow him. Or fall for him. It doesn't really matter. The point is, Naruto's naturally charismatic and he's pulled off some incredible things so far. From what Kurenai tells me, the people of Wave named a huge bridge after him. The Great Naruto Bridge. Wherever he goes, Naruto's capable of making friends and inspiring people. I'm sure you'll end up liking him in the end too. He's a good kid." Jima simply nodded slowly as she continued to watch Naruto converse with the girl at his side.
Behind them however, Sakura running alongside Kiba and couldn't pry her eyes off of Naruto and Fu. Kiba snickered beside her and shook his head. "Man Sakura, you look pissed. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were jealous. It almost seems like you like him or something."
Sakura quickly turned her head and blushed furiously. "W-What the hell Kiba?! I don't like Naruto in that way! I just don't want that girl getting too close to him, that's all. Naruto's with Hinata. He's her boyfriend. It wouldn't be right if any of those girls tried to go for him. Haku's already infatuated with him, and now this Fu girl looks like she's developing a small crush on him too. It's not right dammit!"
Kiba smirked to himself and whispered in her ear. "You are totally jealous. Why don't you just go up there and tell him how you feel? It's so obvious you like him, and he cares about you too you know? You're one of his dear friends, just like me and the others. So what if he rejects you or something? At least you'll have told him how you really feel."
Sakura growled and quickly clobbered Kiba for the crap he was spouting. "Shut the hell up Kiba! I don't want to talk to you anymore. You're just…ugh!" Picking up speed, Sakura moved up to run with Naruto and Fu. For a while she just ran in silence beside him, but after time she joined in and talked with the both of them as they made their way towards Konoha.
The Next Day – Konoha – 2:00 PM
As they stepped through the gates of Konoha, Fu looked around in awe as she clung to Naruto's arm, much to his confusion of course. "You're right Naruto, it's beautiful here! Thank you for inviting me to come! Let's go see the Hokage; I want to be accepted into the village as soon as possible! Maybe I'll even find a place to live too!" Leaning in, Fu placed a kiss on the blonde's cheek and quickly began making her way to the Hokage Tower with Jima, Kiba, and Kurenai. Anko and Sakura stayed behind. One chuckling at what had just happened and the flustered look and blush on Naruto's face; the other was fuming as she whacked the blonde in the back of his head.
"You bastard! Stop flirting with other girls Naruto!" With that, the pink-haired kunoichi stormed off to follow after the others. After she was out of sight, the Snake Mistress placed her hand on Naruto's shoulder and shook her head. "Man Gaki, you sure are popular with the ladies. Keep this up and who knows what'll happen? Me? I'm more interested in your cutie of a sensei." Winking at him, Naruto sighed and simply walked with her towards the tower, a defeated look on his face. Hinata-chan's going to kill me. I didn't think Fu-chan would kiss me!
Minutes later – Hokage Tower
Team 8 plus two stepped into the Hokage's Office and smiled as they bowed to him. "Jiji-sama, the mission was a success! Of course, things took a pretty interesting turn." Naruto said, chuckling afterwards as he nodded at his Jiji.
Turning to face him, a frustrated look quickly adorning his features, the Hokage shook his head and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "What happened this time? You didn't blow up Taki this time or something, did you Naruto-kun?"
At this, the blonde sighed and began to grumble about stupid old men and whatnot. "Jiji, why would I do that? I was simply talking about meeting Sean's cousin and Fu-chan here. She's like me and I said you would take her in and make her a kunoichi of our village. Taki was trying to kill her. They also kinda tried to use us and let us die in the crossfire. Not very nice of them if you ask me."
Kurenai sighed at the bluntness of her student and nodded her head calmly. "It's true Hokage-sama. While it's true that Konoha missing-nin were there in Taki's territory, Taki was acting strange from the moment we arrived. They sent Fu-san to assist us in hunting them down and dealing with them, but that's where things turned…odd." Nodding at her Hokage, she made a motion with her eyes signaling towards the hidden ANBU in the room. Getting the message, Hiruzen Sarutobi dismissed his ANBU before placing the privacy seals. "Please continue Kurenai-san."
The Genjutsu Mistress nodded and took a deep breath. "Fu is a Jinchuriki, just like Naruto. Taki sent her with us hoping that she would die during the battle. However, as we arrived at the cave where the enemy was hiding, Jima-san stepped out and greeted us. She quickly revealed her connection with Sean-san and began arguing with Anko-san and Naruto about why she couldn't return to Konoha with us. In their frustration with each other, Naruto and Jima-san made short work of our enemies. That is when a large group of Takigakure ninja surrounded us and talked about how the 'demon' should have died.
Naturally, at first we assumed they meant Naruto. We all shared a similar sentiment: how could they know about Naruto and why would they want him dead? However, we soon found out they were talking about Fu here." Gently reaching out, Kurenai put a comforting hand on Fu's shoulder and offered her a kind smile. "Naruto…summoned a Wind Beast. Apparently Sean-san allowed our little blonde knucklehead to sign the contract some time ago and we never knew about it until now. Naruto's wind dragon made short work of the enemies, and he even convinced these two to return to Konoha with us. As I'm sure you can imagine, Jima-san would like to meet Sean as soon as possible, while Fu wants to join us as a Genin of our village. She is also looking for a home here in Konoha, Hokage-sama."
As Kurenai bowed low to him, the Hokage smiled softly and shook his head. "Are all of your missions outside of the village going to result in something interesting happening Naruto-kun? You truly are something else." Chuckling softly, the Hokage nodded and looked to Fu first. "Fu, correct? I will gladly accept you into our village. I also plan to send a few of my Jonin to Takigakure to 'discuss' certain things with them. Trying to eliminate some of my shinobi, and one I view as my grandson for that matter, honestly doesn't sit well with me. They won't just get away with this." Slowly opening a drawer in his desk, Hiruzen pulled out a hitai-ate and handed it to Fu. "There is your headband Fu. Second, I have the perfect place for you to live. As Naruto convinced you to join us, I consider you under his protection. You are his responsibility, so you will live with him in his estate. Congratulations to the both of you."
Smirking at the looks on their faces and the tremendous blushes adorning them, the Hokage found himself laughing after a time. "Now, as for the matter of Jima here…" Suddenly adorning a serious expression, the Hokage stared sternly at her. "Sean and the rest of Team 7 returned a day before you did from their mission. He's been behaving oddly ever since the revelation recently. If Sean-kun is not at home, expect to find him at one of the training grounds. Anko, Kurenai, I expect you to help her find him. Then, I want the four of you to report back to me after you've had your little conversation with him Jima-san. Now Team 8, you are dismissed. Naruto, guide Fu to your home and help her get settled in. You are then to show her around the village. Don't even consider trying to weasel your way out of this." Smirking again, the Sandaime Hokage watched as the group left his office as he quickly undid the privacy seals.
Sakura – Yamanaka Flower Shop Moments later
"I just don't get it Ino. What the hell is with Naruto and girls? Hinata, Haku, now this Fu girl…girls just keep falling for him. You remember how he used to like me? Now I'm lucky if we even get to spend any time together as friends. I'm lucky he even considers me a friend after how I treated him." Sighing deeply, the girl sat down and sulked slightly as she buried her face in her knees. "I've tried to ask him if he'd like to get ramen with me so we could talk about how things are going for him and what's been happening with the both of us since everything changed…but he's always busy. Either Sean-sensei was training him or he had a date to go to with Hinata or SOMETHING! You and Naruto are my best friends. Is it so wrong that I want to spend time with him?"
Ino frowned as she sat down beside Sakura and placed a comforting hand on her arm. "Sakura, I know you probably don't want to hear this, but the way you sound right now…it's almost like you're completely love struck. Are you sure you only see him as a friend?" At the look on Sakura's face, Ino quickly raised her hands in defense and shook her head quickly. "I'm not trying to tease you or insult you Forehead, I'm just saying. I haven't seen Naruto in a while, but he's always been a really nice guy. Despite all the crap he's been put through, he's still so nice. If you have developed feelings for him, I don't see why you think it's such a bad thing."
Sakura grumbled and shook her head. "Naruto's taken Ino-pig. He's dating Hinata. There's no way in hell I'm coming between that or even trying to. They both deserve their happiness, and they definitely deserve each other. I honestly don't know how I feel about him Ino, but the truth of the matter is…I really do care about him. It's stupid, I know, but I like spending time with him. However, unlike me, those other girls don't seem to care that he's in a relationship. I doubt they'll respect that. I don't know what to do to make sure they leave him alone. And now that that Fu girl's going to be LIVING with Naruto…"
Ino went wide-eyed at this bit of information. "Oh no, that isn't going to go over well. Hinata's going to have a fit to find out her boyfriend's living with another girl! That…can't be a good thing. Spending all that time with a girl that actually likes him, I can only IMAGINE what kinds of things could happen. This just isn't right Forehead! We have to do something, don't we?!"
Sakura sighed and shook her head. "Hokage-sama's orders Ino-pig. And no, we aren't going to tell Hinata about this either. That's actually Naruto's responsibility as her boyfriend. You should know as well as I do how very honest he is. I doubt he'll keep it secret from her for very long. I can only hope that this doesn't end up ruining their relationship." Lowering her head again, Sakura frowned and closed her eyes. "Thanks for listening to me Ino. Do you think we could go out and get something to eat or something? I could use some fresh air." As Ino nodded, Sakura smiled a bit and went to the front door to await her friend. When Ino reappeared with a small bag slung over her shoulder, the two smiled at each other and soon left to get some early dinner.
Sean – Team 7's Training Ground
Once again, Sean was angrily tearing apart the training ground as he thought about everything that happened recently. Kakashi and the other members of Team 7 were standing nearby simply watching him. None of them were sure of what they could do to help him, but they did know that they were very worried about him. Haku was actually tempted to step forward and try to talk to him, as was Hinata, but Kakashi refused to let them go near him while he was in this state.
Everyone soon turned when they felt three new presences enter the training ground and approach cautiously. Sean dismissed his wind sword and looked at the blue-haired woman curiously before turning to Anko and Kurenai. "Who's she?" A simple question, but the tone in his voice sent shivers down their spines. It was clear to them that Sean was angry again.
Jima sighed and stepped forward. "S-Sean? Please calm down. I'm…your cousin, Jima. Naruto and Anko convinced me to come to Konoha to meet with you." The woman explained calmly as she kept her head bowed to her cousin. Inside, she was nervous as can be, but on the outside she did her best to remain calm.
Team 7's eyes widened and they quickly began to look between Sean and Jima. Sean simply stared at Jima as he tried to process what had just been said to him. After a time, he lowered his head and sighed. "My cousin, huh?" Jima simply nodded and looked at him, trying to gauge his reaction. It was currently impossible for her to tell how he was feeling. Finally, when she heard soft sobs coming from her cousin, Jima's eyes widened and she slowly stepped closer to him. "D-Don't…come closer."
Sean slowly lifted his head and stared at her, a variety of emotions displayed on his face. "Why? Why the hell haven't one of you come to see me before now?! Why are you even here Jima?! You didn't even want to see me…did you? You said it yourself; you had to be CONVINCED to come here! You weren't going to come here to see me. You probably don't even care, do you?! Those two…they shouldn't have even bothered." The Wind God slowly turned away and prepared to use a wind shunshin to disappear when he heard her speak.
"Dammit Sean, would you listen to me?! I do care about you! I love you very much and I've missed you tremendously! I don't know why your parents left you, but I made it my mission to find them and get some answers from them. My mom is out looking for more of our family. We wanted…" Sighing, Jima hurried to Sean and threw her arms around him from behind and rested her head against his back. She absolutely refused to let him leave. "Mother and I wanted to bring you to live with us. Father refused. I don't know why. I never found out. You…there's apparently something about you that caused him to refuse our request. Father said you were safest here in Konoha. People…if they knew about you, you'd be in more danger. That's what he said. I don't get it. I've heard about you, I've kept up with your exploits and your missions and everything Sean! You're called the Wind God and you're somewhat popular in this village. You've done some wonderful things cousin, but…you're lonely. I…"
Sean sighed and lowered his head again. Slowly, the Wind God raised his hands and gently gripped hers as they rested on his chest. "Jima…it's okay. Well…it's not, but I think you understand what I mean. Is it safe to assume that your father, my uncle is dead?" Jima nodded against his back and clung to him tighter. "I didn't like my father. The way he talked about you…it was as if you were only a weapon to be used when the time was right. Mother and I didn't trust him after he first refused to let us adopt you into the family. But…before you say anything more Sean…know that your parents love you. I know they do. I don't know why they abandoned you here in Konoha, but that's part of the reason why I've been looking for them. It's also why I can't stay here for very long. Then again…after years of searching for them I haven't found a single clue. I'm tempted to try and look for them in the ruins of Uzushiogakure, but I bet even that will end up being a dead end." Sighing angrily, she half stumbled when Sean turned around and wrapped his arms around her.
Looking up into her cousin's eyes, Jima slowly reached up and wiped his tears. "You shouldn't be crying cousin. Please smile." Sean chuckled softly and used his thumbs to wipe away her tears. "Look who's talking. You were crying too Jima-chan. I…have a proposition for you if you'll hear me out?" Jima nodded slowly and rested her head against her cousin's chest. She was honestly just glad to be holding him right now. "Stay in Konoha for a time. There's a man I know. He has a pretty amazing spy network. When he returns to the village, I'll know of it and we can talk with him together. His name is Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin. If anyone might have any clues, I'm damn sure it'll be him. What do you say Jima-chan?"
Jima looked into his eyes and smiled as she nodded her head slowly. "That sounds like a great idea Seanie-kun. Now…could we go get something to eat? Or do you have to train your students?" Looking over at the three Genin of Team 7, Jima smirked a bit as she thought about the kind of training her cousin probably put them through every day. Sean glanced at them and shook his head. "No, I think Kakashi can handle their training by himself for a day. I want to spend time with my cousin. Thanks for escorting her to me Anko-chan, Kurenai-san." Smiling at them both, the two cousins vanished in separate shunshins to go do their own thing.
Anko sighed and shook her head. "I swear with the way they were holding each other that the two of them were acting more like a damn couple than simple cousins. Just like Naruto, I swear." Huffing angrily, Anko stormed off with Kurenai chuckling and walking alongside her. Meanwhile, Kakashi gave an eye smile as he looked down at his students. "Well, since I have you to myself for the day, I'd like to try some…hmmm…'unique' exercises today. I hope you're prepared for some highly difficult training students." Underneath his mask, the Copy Ninja was smirking wickedly and the gleam in his eye only spelled trouble for the Genin of Team 7.
Naruto & Fu – Streets of Konoha
Naruto sighed as he did his best to ignore the sneers and glares of people he passed by on the streets. Fu looked upset by their actions and worried for her new friend, but he just seemed to be smiling and bearing it as best he could. The blonde had shown the mint green haired girl around his estate first, but the two soon left so he could show her around town and hopefully introduce him to some of his friends. However, the only one he had met so far was Shikamaru and the lazy Nara didn't seem at all interested in Fu or her association with Naruto. In fact, the Nara heir seemed far too tired to even register anything that was said to him.
Slowly, the duo approached a weapon shop and Naruto held the door open for her. Stepping inside, he was about to speak to her when the shop owner looked at the two curiously before his eyes rested on Naruto. Upon recognizing him, the shop owner grinned and quickly rushed around to shake the young man's hands. "Ah, you're Naruto Uzumaki-san correct?!" When Naruto simply nodded, a very confused expression plastered on his face, the owner grinned even more. "Good, good! How come you've yet to visit my shop Naruto-san?! You've always had Sean-san do your shopping for you while you've waited outside. That's very disappointing you know. Your sensei made me promise to make all my goods available to you, and I even agreed to sell everything to you at half price! Unlike those other stores and their clerks and whatnot, I've no grudge against you Naruto-san. Your fear is understandable, and your doubt and skepticism even more so, but I would like to assure you that I actually think you are quite a remarkable young man. Come, come, have a look around my store and feel free to purchase anything you would like. Your girlfriend is more than welcome to have a look as well if she'd like?"
Fu and Naruto immediately blushed deeply and shouted simultaneously, "He's/She's not my boyfriend/girlfriend! We're just friends!" Looking at each other both blushed again and averted their gazes to the floor. The store owner just chuckled and nodded before he went back to what he was doing before they came in.
Somebody else was in the store and heard the outburst. Curiously, this person made their way to the front of the store and stared curiously at the two shinobi standing there blushing. Getting a closer look, the person grinned. "Hey, aren't you that Naruto kid? Blonde, spiky hair, blue eyes, whisker marks…yep, you've gotta be him. I'm right, right?"
Both patrons turned to look at the newcomer and Naruto smiled. "Yep, I sure am Miss…?" The girl chuckled softly and bowed her head a moment. "Tenten. My name is Tenten. It's good to finally meet you Naruto-san. I've heard a lot about you. After all, your sensei and you are the reason Team 9 has a co-sensei now. Yugao-sensei is amazing! A true Kenjutsu master. You and your sensei have my thanks Naruto-san." Tenten explained, bowing to the blonde ninja with a smile.
Naruto blinked a few times before shrugging. "You, uhh…you don't need to bow Tenten-san. Sean's an amazing sensei and I'm glad that he was able to ensure you and your teammates received such a fantastic co-sensei. It's also nice to meet you Tenten-san. I don't think I've met either of your teammates or even your sensei though. Who are they?"
Tenten sighed and looked at him with a frown. "My sensei is Might Guy. My teammates are Neji Hyuga and Rock Lee. Guy and Lee are practically clones. They may not be father and son, but they sure as hell act just like each other. And Neji…I like him, but the guy's way too stubborn and strict. He doesn't really talk all that much and he's OBSESSED with fate and destiny and stuff like that. Yugao-sensei has tried to teach him, but Neji's so rude to her!" Huffing, the kunoichi folded her arms underneath her small bust and grumbled a moment before Naruto interjected.
"Neji. I've heard about him from Hinata-chan. Neji's one of those that treats her like crap all the time. Hinata-chan's going to kick his ass in the Chunin Exams dattebayo and I hope you'll see why he's not worth your time." Nodding his head, the blonde was taken aback when Tenten started to giggle. "W-What's so funny?"
Tenten giggled for a while longer before nodding her head at him and calming down. "Personally? I kind of hope she does. Neji-san may be my teammate, but he needs to be knocked down a few pegs. It really might do him some good. Actually, just in case Hinata doesn't get to, I hope you kick his ass Naruto-san. I'm sure you can. I've heard nothing but great things about you so it'd be good to see you beat him. If he shapes up, he might actually be easier to work with. As it stands, Neji's attitude really sucks and it's hard to actually work with him sometimes. So I'd really, truly appreciate it if one of you beat him when the time comes."
Naruto nodded and smiled kindly at her. "Well, we'll do what we can Tenten-san. It was really nice talking to you and I hope we get to see each other again. You're a really nice person and I'm glad we met. See ya later!" Shaking Tenten's hand gently, Naruto wandered off to look around in the store for anything he might be able to get some use out of with Fu following suit, doing the same as he was.
Tenten smirked a bit and watched him for a moment. You're definitely interesting Naruto Uzumaki. It would be nice to see you again. Guess I'll see you at the Chunin Exams later on. Nodding her head, the Weapons Mistress paid for her items and left the store with a grin on her face. Look out Neji; you've got some serious competition coming your way!
2 ½ months later – Day before the Chunin Exams
Each of the teams had received their invitations to join the Chunin Exams, and currently Naruto and his friends were simply wandering the village talking and discussing things. At the moment, Naruto and Hinata were holding hands and walking to their favorite ramen stand. It had taken Hinata some time to accept that another girl would be spending a lot more time with her Naruto-kun than she would get to, but after making sure that it was known to all the other girls that seemed interested in him even in the slightest that she was his girlfriend, Hinata started to cheer up. Nowadays, the two of them were really happy with each other and couldn't wait to kick some butt in the Chunin Exams.
Fu, Sakura, and Haku were walking behind them, each one looking highly jealous of Hinata. However, they found themselves in deep conversation with one another. Haku and Sakura found out from Fu that she was assigned to be one of Sasuke's teammates in the Chunin Exams and both gave her their condolences and wished her the best of luck. Fu had been training with a variety of sensei ever since joining the village, two of the main ones being Sean and Jima. As a result of her training, the Jinchuriki of the Nanabi had become much more powerful than before.
Haku thought about the current co-sensei of Team 7 and groaned. Yugao Uzuki had been helping Kakashi to train them into the ground every single day. She had also insisted that they forego all the D-rank missions and do C-rank missions until it came time for the Chunin Exams. Remembering all the harsh training of recent days, the Ice Mistress began to massage her shoulders and groaned. It'd be great if Naruto-kun could just give me a massage.
Team 8's current co-sensei was Genma Shiranui. While not as effective as Sean had been, Sakura still appreciated Genma and all his lessons. He had taught her some rather interesting uses for senbon and she was positively giddy about finding a chance to use all of her new techniques in the Chunin Exams tomorrow. However, at the moment the main thing on her mind was Naruto and Sean. Naruto for obvious reasons, and Sean because he and his cousin had been spending a lot of time together. She had seen them eating together at restaurants, training together, laughing together, sitting together atop the Shodai's head on the Hokage Monument, and many more things. They had become incredibly close over the months she had been in Konoha and she was even helping him train the Genin and each other. Anko seemed jealous of all the attention that Jima was getting from Sean and Sakura had found that somewhat amusing. However, Sakura was still a little wary of Jima. She would be leaving at some point after she got the information she needed from Jiraiya of the Sannin and she wasn't at all sure how Sean would take her disappearance.
As the three followed behind Naruto and his girlfriend, somebody else was following behind them. Whispering quietly to his teammates, Konohamaru grinned slightly. "What do you think guys? Naruto's girlfriend seems pretty awesome, but those other three bimbos are kind of annoying with how they're always stalking him. Think we should do something to give Boss and his girl some privacy?"
Moegi and Udon looked to Konohamaru and shook their heads. "They haven't tried anything yet. They're really nice to him too. Plus, they do seem really nice. They're always doing their best to look out for him Konohamaru-kun." Udon nodded soon after and smiled as he wiped some snot from his nose and began to speak. "Yeah Konohamaru, let's leave 'em alone. Boss doesn't seem to mind."
Konohamaru groaned and shook his head. "You two are such lame-o's! I want to have a little bit of fun with them. Is that so wrong?" As his two companions sighed, the young boy looked forward through the eyeholes in the dirt-colored box and quickly froze. The Boss and his girls had stopped and had been eyeing them for a while. Gulping, Konohamaru threw the box off and pointed his finger at them all. "Looks like you spotted us Boss! You're as observant as ever! It's a good thing I chose to make you my rival. Someday I'll be as good as you are, right Boss?!"
Naruto chuckled softly and patted the runt on his head. "Yeah, yeah Konohamaru. Why are you following me now huh? Were you by any chance looking to mooch some ramen off of me?" Smirking at that, the blonde wasn't expecting what Konohamaru was to say next. "Nah Boss, me and my crew were simply trying to keep an eye on these three bimbos to make sure they didn't try to steal you away from your girlfriend. So far, I really don't like the looks they keep giving you and Hinata-chan! And…hey, wait a minute. Aren't you that pink-haired girl that was always mean to the Boss before? What're you and your big forehead doing stalking after him now, huh?! Planning to try and hurt him again are you?! Well I won't let it happen you ugly bitch!"
Naruto groaned and slapped his face. "Oh no. Please tell me you didn't just say that to Sakura-chan Konohamaru?" The boy just nodded, unable to see the problem at hand. All three girls soon felt something snap in them and they soon chased him into an alleyway, fully intent on killing the good-for-nothing little brat. However, when Konohamaru bumped into somebody and was lifted from the ground, the three of them soon froze and stared in horror as the stranger began to choke the little boy.
"H-Hey! Put him down! It's our fault he bumped into you, there's no need to go attacking the poor kid!" Fu shouted at him, only to have the clown-looking individual look towards her with a scowl. "Doesn't matter. The little punk bumped into me and hasn't even apologized. I have to teach him something about respect."
The young man's sister soon stepped up and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey Kankuro, stop it! We don't want to get into any trouble, so put him down already would you?! Besides, he probably doesn't even know any better." Kankuro turned his gaze to his sister and practically snarled. "Shut up Temari. This won't take very long at all." With a smirk, he went to punch the kid only to have him suddenly disappear.
Blinking a few times, Kankuro turned to see the kid standing behind a blonde-haired kid. Chuckling darkly to himself, the puppeteer gripped the bundle strapped to his back and set it upon the ground before him with a grin. "Looks like somebody's trying to play the hero. I guess I'll have to teach you something too, now won't I you Konoha punk?" As he went to attack, he soon felt something sharp hit the back of his right hand and he winced. "Dammit, who the hell did that?!"
Naruto sighed and shook his head as he glanced over to Sasuke sitting on a tree branch tossing a pebble into the air and catching it when it fell back down into his hand. "Still the same old showoff, aren't you Teme? Why don't you leave this kind of thing to the big boys to handle all right and save yourself the embarrassment? And you, the guy with the gourd, why don't you come on down and introduce yourself?"
Sasuke blinked as he turned to see a red-haired kid with a rather large gourd strapped to his back perform a sand shunshin and reappear in front of the kid known as Kankuro. I never even sensed him! How the hell long was he there? And for that matter, why was the Dobe able to sense him before me? The Uchiha thought angrily. Hopping down off the branch and landing a small distance from Naruto, Sasuke glared between him and the Suna siblings.
Gaara glared at his brother as sand began swirling around him dangerously. "Kankuro, what did you think you were doing?" The young man with the clown makeup began to sweat nervously and spoke with a slight stutter. "G-Gaara. I'm sorry, I didn't really mean it. I…I was just joking around. Yeah!" Temari looked concerned and, more than that, frightened. "We-We're sorry Gaara. It won't happen again. Please forgive us." Both of the siblings bowed to their younger brother while he just shook his head and 'hmph'ed' in disappointment.
As the Suna siblings began to walk away, Sasuke decided to speak up. "Who the hell are you and why are you three here?" Groaning, Naruto, Hinata, and the others simply shook their heads and mumbled about Sasuke being an idiot under their breaths. The three Suna siblings turned around and stared at him puzzled for a moment before Kankuro spoke up again. "Don't you know? We're here for the Chunin Exams." Sasuke sighed and nodded. "Fine then. You, tell me your name. You're obviously powerful and I like to know the names of my enemies."
Temari chuckled softly and shook her head. "Sorry cutie, but I'm not into egotistical assholes. I'm flattered you'd want to know my name though." Sasuke sighed and shook his head. "Not you Bimbo, the guy with the red hair." Gaara grumbled while Temari fumed about being insulted in such a way. "It's considered polite to offer your own name first, is it not?" Sasuke once again grumbled and replied hastily. "Fine. My name is Sasuke Uchiha. Now stop being a pain and tell me your fucking name!" Gaara grumbled at the young man's stupidity and spoke up once more. "If you had been using your ears and paying attention rather than playing the fool, you would have heard my name when my siblings spoke it. I am Gaara. It's not a pleasure to meet you Uchiha."
While Sasuke fumed at the blatant disrespect, Gaara turned around and looked to Naruto. "You've heard my name, now I would like to hear yours." Naruto chuckled and rubbed the back of his head a moment. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. Good to meet you Gaara-san. It's also nice to meet you as well Temari-san, Kankuro-san." Bowing his head slightly to each of the siblings in turn, they did the same to him before they began walking off again. "I hope to meet again in the exams Uzumaki." Gaara stated as they disappeared around the corner.
Sasuke glared at Naruto and shook his head. As he prepared to say something spiteful to the blonde, Zabuza quickly appeared before him and backhanded him, sending Sasuke flying through the alley. "What did I tell you about running off to play 'Mr. Cool' Uchiha brat?! Just for that, you're running 100 laps around the entirety of Konoha and I'm not letting you take a single fucking break! Not even to drink a single drop of water! Now get moving you disrespectful little punk!"
As Sasuke ran off, the others in the alleyway looked in awe at Zabuza. "Y-You're Sasuke's new sensei?! I have to say, I wasn't expecting that Zabuza-sama!" Haku stated, a nervous sweat drop running down the side of her face. Zabuza hadn't even been this hard on her. She could only imagine the kind of horrors he had already put Sasuke through in the past months.
Zabuza turned around and smiled under his mask. "Ahhh, Haku, Naruto, and…others. I hope you do well in the Chunin Exams tomorrow. You'd better not disappoint me or else I'll have to talk to Hokage-sama about allowing me to play with you all as well. After all, I can't settle for you failing to show everyone what you've got in the Chunin Exams. A fair punishment would be for you to experience some of the horrors I can put you through should you let me down, don't you all agree?"
Haku shivered at that and shook her head. "Zabuza-sama…I don't even want to imagine what you'd have us do should we fail to make Chunin. Just…please, go focus on the Uchiha brat. We promise we'll do our very best and make Chunin. Right?!" The Ice Mistress looked around at the others and everyone that was going to participate in the Chunin Exams quickly nodded stiffly before Zabuza grinned and walked off to check on his 'student'.
"You know guys, I never, ever thought I'd say this…but I actually feel sort of sorry for the teme right about now. But…I also have to admit I'm a little concerned. If Zabuza's been training him all this time, just how powerful has he become? It's a little worrisome to think about." Sighing, Naruto soon felt Hinata squeeze his hand and he turned to see her smile. "Naruto-kun, why are you worried? We've been training as well and that jerk doesn't know what true strength is. We can beat him and hopefully knock his ego down enough that he might actually become a proper shinobi of Konoha. Though…I highly doubt he'll ever change. Sasuke has always been a jerk."
Everyone nodded and sighed heavily. "Look on the bright side. At least one of us will get to kick his ass in the Chunin Exams right? There's a pretty good chance of that." Sakura said with a small smirk. Nobody had expected her to say that, but Naruto soon found himself grinning and nodded. "Damn right!" Chuckling to himself, the blonde-haired ninja led the group to Ichiraku Ramen to enjoy a good lunch.
Next Day – Outside the Konoha Academy
Staring up at the academy, Naruto found himself grinning as he had his hands behind his head. "Man this brings back memories. Not all of them good ones of course, but still, memories. If the first part of the exams is held here, then that's fine with me. I, Naruto Uzumaki, am ready for it!"
Chuckling at his enthusiasm, the other members of Team 8, including the two senseis, grinned. Kurenai quickly spoke up. "Listen you three. I want you to be careful and do your very best in there. Naruto, Sakura, Kiba & Akamaru, I know you'll do great. Go in there and make us proud all right?" The Genjutsu Mistress offered the three of them her best smile while Genma wished them all luck as well. Soon enough, the Genin of Team 8 were waving them good-bye as they stepped into the building.
"Heh, how do you think they'll do Kurenai?" Genma asked with a small grin as he shifted the senbon around in his mouth. Kurenai turned to him for a moment before she watched the three enter the academy. "The three of them will do great. If they don't all make it into the finals, I'll be shocked and amazed. We've trained them hard, and they hold everyone's teachings close to their hearts. They'll be fine." Genma nodded calmly and chuckled to himself. "All the other Genin had better watch out. The Genin of Team 8 are going to take it all the way."