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Chapter 3: I Follow My Own Path

Naruto watched with a solemn look on his face. Almost feeling sorry for lying so brazenly to his jōnin companions. While it was painfully obvious that he was a shadow clone on the ship, it would seem that his untimely luck hasn't run thin. Behind him, Tokiwa rested against a tree with the young Shizuka sitting on a rock. Not a word had escaped their lips since they had met in the forest clearing. The tense air between them was palpable. There was a nagging feeling in his stomach that wouldn't leave him be; this will come to a bout of fists. Damn it all to heck of course – he really wanted to talk to her, convince her to not do something hasty.

Conversation was always his strong suit, he'd come to realize over the years with Jiraiya as his master. Despite his fighting skill growing exponentially with new powers like Sage Mode, he felt he will always resort to the simple act of talking if it were possible. In the end bloodshed was ultimately unnecessary, as taught by his former master. A small smile grew on his face, Zabuza, Nagato, among others; the heartstrings always did more damage than any sword or ninjutsu. The smile he grew, disappeared as quickly as it had come. Grass shuffled and cloth ruffled behind him, forcing a heaving sigh from blond.

"Naruto-kun. Thank you for deciding go through with the duel." Tokiwa nodded her head.

"I honestly have no intention of fighting you, Shizuka." Naruto shook his own. "I only want to talk."

Almost a reflection of his own, she took a powerful deep breath. Removing her hood, her hair flowed about like a carbon waterfall. Turning to face him, for the first time, Naruto felt his heart jump. Her eyes. His breath left him for a mere moment. So…empty…

It was true. Not a sparkle or a glimmer in those jaded eyes of hers. Her face bore no brightness, no happiness; stern like porcelain. While beautiful, the glare and the never-ending – terribly hidden – emotional suffering was bare for all to see. Her eyes were heavy, wide yet half-lidded. Those dark irides were colored flat, saturation washed clean leaving nothing but a dull empty shell. Her face betrayed nothing of what she felt. "I will fight you. I intend to see how truly strong you are."

"Let me guess…there's no way I can convince you otherwise?" Naruto's face deadpanned.

"Prepare yourself, Naruto-san." Shizuka's response was cold.

"Doton: Takkenrō!" Tokiwa roared out as she slammed her palm into dirt.

Like an earthquake, the ground shook and shattered, screaming out as great pillars shot into the air. Slowly merging together, the pillars created something akin to the walls of an arena. The field exploded, lowering into a massive trench, leaving the soil exposed with not a sight of the original vegetation. And in the chaos, Naruto found himself almost twenty meters away from Shizuka, dirt and debris clouds disappearing almost magically.

"Shizuka…" Naruto called. "Just take a moment to think about this!"

"Nadeshiko-Ryū Kōha Reppūken!"

Her right arm cocked back, glowing with chakra. Taking the first steps, she rushed forward like a whirlwind of energy. Naruto, of course, dodged the attack, feeling wind explode forward like a cannon. It released incredible amounts of compressed wind energy, forcing an equally incredible shockwave, shattering the soil and the dirt. Rocks and great splintered stones flew in every direction forcing him to break his stance. Back flipping and practically floating along, he dodged the woman's first attack.

Keep in mind, Naruto. The boy frowned. His eyes widened slightly watching her draw an arsenal of kunai. It came along like a hailstorm of steel and iron. This girl killed a solid steel puppet, with only one kick. Sakura-chan struggled with Sasori's wooden puppets – and she is one of the strongest women I know.

He dodged and weaved between each speeding blade. She spun like a tornado, hurling another series of kunai like torrential downpour never ending. The shadow clones he'd created to distract her were disposed of in quick fashion, good thing he had more than enough chakra to keep pumping more clones. Upon the walls of the trench, he and a small strike team of shadow clones jumped into the air preparing to catch her off guard.

"Rassenpū!" Without a single hand seal, she took a breath, hurling a powerful wave of cutting wind.

The shadow clones were quickly disposed of, popping into thick clouds of white smoke. From the destruction of his clones, Naruto burst through the clouds, rushing for Shizuka's rear. The moment he landed, she moved like a goddess of wind. As graceful as nature's breath, she dropped low, kicking his feet out from under him. He landed in a pained heap, kicking up a small cloud of dirt and dust. From the chaos of her counter, he found himself at knife point.

"I guess it's over." Shizuka spoke with a flat tone, almost not surprised.

"Damn right it is."

Her eyes widened at the voice, visibly tensing. His fingers were pressed at the nape of her neck. Her skin grew damp with beads of sweat dribbling like morning dew. Lowering her knife, she resigned herself, loosened up and sat straight.

"Do it." She said in a near whisper. "Deliver the final blow!"

"Damn it woman." Naruto drew his hand back. "What do you not get about me not wanting to fight you?!"

"Then I'll fight her!"

Oh come on… Naruto's eyes rolled. Not this guy again…

Suddenly, from the silence, a massive robotic arm rose from the dirt, shattering the field. Following the arm, the rest of the robot's body came with it easily towering over the arena walls. But of course, Shizuka being the insane kunoichi she was, the woman called out to her understandably worried caretaker. The heiress slammed her fist into the robot, sending ripples of chakra through the metal frame. Explosions of fire and chakra rocked the beastly creation, sending shredded metal and scrap in every direction. Back-flipping away, she brought her leg down upon the robot's torso.

But from it all, she froze. She howled, screaming – to Naruto, it sounded awfully painful. Tokiwa yelled, insulting the man in the light pink blazer and creepy haircut. Terrifyingly enough; chakra strings had latched onto Shizuka's limbs and torso.

"Hey!" Naruto yelled. "Go be a pedo to someone else, buddy! We're in a middle of a conversation!"

"SHUT UP! WHY DON'T YOU GO FUCK YOURSELF AND LEAVE ME ALONE WITH MY –!"

"Yeah…how about a no."

Two clones somehow phased into existence on either side of him. Slicing through the chakra strings with lightning fast strikes, releasing the captured heiress. Above him, Naruto and a clone charged up a raging rasengan, gathering a fair amount of wind chakra into the attack.

"Rasengan!"


"Why did you save me?"

"Okay…" Naruto brought a hand to his forehead. "I've had it up to here with just about everyone lately!"

Shizuka blushed in embarrassment. "That's not what I meant! Why didn't you strike me down when you had the chance?!"

"Okay, look!" The Uzumaki fell to a knee. "Would it have made you feel better if I did?! I said I came here to talk, so now that the pedo is gone, there is literally nothing else in the way."

Shizuka looked at him with wide eyes. "I…"

"Tokiwa-san told me everything." Naruto fell back. "Your lover, your village rules…locking your heart away to find a husband; it sounds ridiculous, don't you think? Punishing yourself for other people's faults? Don't you get tired of that?"

"Naruto…" Shizuka's eyes trailed to the dirt. "It's my destiny…I…I have to find –"

"Funny thing about destiny, Shizuka-chan." His voice grew light, almost laced with reminisce. "Destiny has a funny way of being as ambiguous as the future…destiny means nothing."

"How can you even believe that, Naruto?" Her jade eyes narrowing.

Eyes jumped slightly, turning to face her. "I'm totally gonna get in a lot of trouble for this. I'll be as vague as possible; my destiny was to be a grand shinobi under the tutelage of Konoha's greatest shinobi…but everything changed of course; then my destiny became something more depressing. I should have died years ago. I should have been killed, maimed, murdered – heck, you name it, yet here I am. Destiny holds no weight until you give it that weight. You say it's your destiny, your culture and your rules; woman, you're the heiress to the damn village – use that to your advantage! Change the rules, change the village! Don't live under the thumb of whomever is forcing you to follow their image. If I'm gonna be honest with you; destiny can suck a fat one."

"And I'' be real with you, I don't know much about love, if anything." Naruto added. "Losing a lover must be rough…what I know of the subject only goes so far…but there's a girl I like to think I'm in love with. It's completely one-sided on my part, after all, just my incredible luck, she'd fallen for our teammate. Despite it all, I can't force her to love me; or else I'm literally no better than pedo-saurus rex, who by the way…is probably still up in the clouds. Now that I think about it…I probably put too much chakra into the rasengan. Eh…whoops?"

Laying into the dirt, he rested his head upon his palms. Just as his mind began to drift, his skin grew cold, almost terrified in the moment. With a look of incredulous terror, he tilted his head over to face the kunoichi he'd been worrying about.

She was laughing. It wasn't a malice filled, angry laugh either; she was genuinely happy. Taking heaving breaths between each laugh, her eyes glimmered for the first time since he'd seen her. The stiff lip and eternal scowl she wore, had turned into a beaming toothy smile. Her giggle echoed in his eardrums, surprising him by how sweet it sounded. She was a completely different person than before. She grinned, smirked, even cried a little from how much she bellowed guffaw. Shoulders rose and fell, rumbling with a soft beat. Dare he even bring up; her breasts were magnificent and danced with the rest of her trembling – yet joyous – body.

Holy shit… Naruto's eyes widened, shimmering like sapphires in a clear water pond. She's…she's…

"Naruto…" Shizuka's amusement calmed to a manageable pace. "T-Thank you…for every –"

"NARUTO!"

"AGH!" The boy in question shouted out with fear. "Y-Yamato-taichō!"

"You've been sneaking off, again!"

Oh shit! It's the death face! He took a defensive stance; eyes as wide as plates. "Please! I was j-just…just…"


Seagulls squawked and men and women cried out for buyers. Fresh fish caught from the sea rested in baskets. Ramen stands filtered the sea salt air, mixing into a perfect aroma, as addicting as can be. Men and women walked along, finally calm and none-the-wiser of the battle he'd just had with their village's heiress. Strangely enough; she started talking to him, standing by his side. Tokiwa, as loyal as she was, stayed behind the pair of shinobi, a hint of a smile on her face.

It was surprising, Shizuka opening up so quickly and so earnestly. The two talked of ramen and food, of all the things. She laughed, giggled and smiled; things she hadn't done in so long. It made her battle-hardened heart clench with pride. While the two stayed a respectable distance from each other; they were already quite close, sticking to each other's sides.

"He has a way with people…" Tokiwa looked to the Konoha jōnin beside her.

Yamato laughed to himself. "Yes…yes he does. It may be hard to believe, but he used to be a fool of fools; impossible to reason with, impossible to beat."

Tokiwa released a powerful guffaw. "Much like the stories I've heard of his former master."

As the ship came into view, Shizuka's tone grew quiet, softening into a near whisper. But even then, their mood didn't change. Naruto's smile beamed like a thousand stars and Shizuka's jade eyes retained their glittering beauty. But despite the obvious schedule the blond had to go through, Shizuka grabbed his arm and led him to the first ramen stand in their vicinity. Yamato reached out to stop them but the towering Tokiwa gave him a small look; Naruto left such a mark on the kunoichi they wanted to enjoy the last few moments they had together.

His worries were unfounded as the pair of teenage ninja burst from the stand with take-out bowls and steaming ramen. They slurped away, giggling and still talking despite the food between their lips. Yamato sighed in defeat, bringing a hand to the back of his head. In the eyes of the unsuspecting, the pair looked like an actual couple. Mission or no, he'd have to be exceptionally cold to deny his charge this one bit of happiness – especially after all the crap they've been through on this tumultuous journey. Walking ahead, he decided that the two would find their way to the boat eventually. There was officially no need to be rushing along.

Sadly, all good things come to an end. Now, Yamato had already boarded the ship leaving the Uzumaki to bid farewell to the natives of Nadeshiko. Shizuka surprisingly, stood a little timid, gripping her arm with a hint of worry in those jade orbs. The corners of her lips quivered and twitched. For once, she couldn't meet his sapphire gaze.

"Shizuka…" Naruto spoke in a near whisper. "I don't want this to be goodbye…but there's nothing I can do. To think…I at first felt so put off by you and the thought of having to duel you. Now…I wish I could stay…"

Her eyes glimmered slightly, almost hurt by what he said. "Naruto…I…I don't want you to leave…but I know you have to…I just wish we had more time."

"Promise me something, Shizuka-chan." His hand rose to wipe the stray tear from her cheek. "Promise me that you won't lock your heart away, ever again. Promise me…because in the last hour alone…you've shown yourself to be one of the most beautiful and amazing people I know…you deserve happiness; you deserve love. So please, don't ever punish yourself, you owe it to yourself to be happy."

"When will I ever get to see you again?" Shizuka looked up, sclera bloodshot.

His eyes shut, almost pained. "I don't know…"

"I see…"

His hands rose, resting on her shoulders. "Hey…don't be like that. Besides, you'll find another idealistic blond –"

"That's not the point!" Shizuka shook her head. "I haven't felt this…alive…in what feels like years. And I've even made a friend."

"Naruto!" Aoba was heard. "Come on, the crew's ready to depart!"

The Uzumaki whipped his head back to the shinobi and the crewmen running back and forth on the deck. Ropes were pulled and the gangplank was slowly drawn back. The sails were released and the ropes binding the ship to the docks were slowly being undone. Almost torn, he turned his head back to Shizuka, the red hue on her cheeks matching the worried look in her irides. Once more, he turned back to the ship, this time hopping onto the deck.

The girl watched the ship drift out of the port. It moved slowly, barely able to flow in the low tide waters. Naruto's clones were seen jumping and dashing port to starboard, aft to bow. Pulling ropes and guiding the ship through the shallow waters. Shizuka bit her lip but felt a smile grow on her face. He instilled something she had lost; happiness. His idealism and stupidly beaming smile sent ripples through her tired, heavy heart – it was refreshing to meet someone who wasn't after her position or body. A part of her wanted to go with him, ignoring the village and the rules they had set; but the louder part, begged her to stay and take his words to heart.

"Shizuka-chan!"

Her body nearly jumped at the sound. Naruto had godly lungs, if he was able to shout that loud. Spinning on her heel with Tokiwa getting out of her view, she could see the blond Uzumaki waving happily.

"I promise I'll come back to see you! You better train and get stronger! I'll take you up for a rematch!"

But then, his voice disappeared along with his figure. The ship was so far along the bay, there was no turning back for him. Her eyes turned and faced the three tips of Nadeshiko village, looking at the banners she'd been born to. Her sisters running and training, preparing for whatever missions were coming. Villagers had gone back to their normal schedules, quiet – albeit happier – and efficient. Artisans hammered away and chefs chopped and cooked. But despite the bustling docks and restaurants and artisan shops; everything seemed so…empty.

"Did I make the right decision?" She asked.

"What do you mean, Shizuka-chan?"

She froze where she stood, eyes locked with the silhouette of Nadeshiko village. "Letting him go…what if I never get see him again? What if…what if that other girl he spoke of, decides that she wants him too…what if…what if…"

She trailed off, thoughts distancing and growing in depth. The glimmering light in her eyes had dulled, turning her beautiful irides into a darkened jade. She stopped speaking, almost as if she had reached an epiphany. Nadeshiko looked beautiful in the midday sun, flickering with a grey palette, but for some reason, it no longer looked as beautiful as she used to think. It seemed like a prison, like chains that held her back.

Destiny holds no weight until you give it that weight.

"Tokiwa…" Shizuka's head hung low. "I…"


"Naruto…" Guy stood next to the orange clad shinobi. "How are you feeling?"

"About?" The blond did his best to seem uninterested. "I'm just enjoying the scenery…"

"You don't have to lie to us, Naruto." Aoba sighed with a smile. "You miss her already, huh. You work hella fast, kid."

"W-Wait!" A bright red blush appeared on his whiskered cheeks. "I swear it's not like that!"

"You sure?" Might Guy bellowed with a powerful hilarity, echoing like a monster's guffaw. "I saw with my own two eyes, you wiped the young heiress's tear like a true gentleman bURNING WITH THE FLAMES OF YOUTH!"

The blond deadpanned. "Well, Naruto; Guy isn't wrong. That was super smooth."

"I-It was nothing…" Naruto blushed deeper. "I w-was just t-trying to make her feel better, dattebayo! I-I swear, it wasn't like that!"

"Yamato-taichō!" The man in the crow's nest roared. "There's something running up to the ship!"

"Is it the Akatsuki; Pirates?!" The jōnin cried back. "Prepare to fight!"

"No! It isn't!" The man almost choked on his spit. "It's…it's…"

Waters exploded out in the sea. The waves were humongous latching upon the ship, shaking it left and right, sending Guy into a heated frenzy of seasickness. Naruto drew a kunai and Aoba prepared the first ninjutsu he thought of. Yamato had already created a weapon of wood and a shield as well. But all their preparations were for nothing. Shrouding them for just a moment, a figure rushed over the ship before crashing upon the deck.

"Shizuka?!" The blond cried out in surprise. Running down the deck, he stopped just before her. The skin-tight body suit she wore was damp and seemed even tighter. It fit her figure and form almost like a body glove, sending heat up and down, left and right. "W-What are you doing here?! What happened to staying in the village and fixing Nadeshiko?"

"Naruto…" She reached forward and grabbed the blond. "You said it yourself; destiny has no meaning…if I stayed, even if I did try to fix the village…I feel like I'd be wasting my abilities staying there…besides…"

I follow my own path, now and forever.


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