First things first, I apologize for not uploading on Saturday or Sunday. I had a lot of things going on and didn't have time to finish this. Now to those wanting Hinata to be strong in water and medical jutsu. Don't worry. This fanfic is putting her on the same level of Naruto and Sasuke. Now, she will not be a god a medical ninjutsu. That is reserved for Sakura. I also will try not to make any characters completely overpowered. While they are cool scenes in fanfic and anime, they take away from the story, and I wanted to make the characters way stronger than they are in the anime, but also have it still be semi-reasonable. Thank you to everyone who commented on the last chapter. said I'd message back to anyone who wanted a small bit of social interaction but those who reviewed didn't or didn't allow for a message back so... that's that. Now, enough with the jibber jabber. This is chapter Sixteen of "A Journey To Greatness"(yes I know it's cheesy).
I totally*wink* own Naruto. All the profits*wink, wink* go to me. An american who wasn't even born when it first came out definitely owns a multi million dollar franchize*wink, wink*.
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Temari was bored.
All Gaara did was brood while sitting on the bed, and Kankuro was either working on his puppet or failing at flirting with some of the local girls. She found herself both embarrassed for her brother and disappointed in him. She found his tactics to be cheesy and half baked.
'How are we even related? His hair is black two! Neither Mom or Dad had black hair! Maybe he got it from grandfather'
As Temari passed by a tea shop, she saw a certain Nara playing a game of shogi with the pig kid she saw at the exam. Deciding she had nothing better to do, she entered the shop. Walking right up to their booth, she said "I'm playing you next pineapple head". Shikamaru raised a lazy eyebrow at this.
Choji welcomed this challenge to his friend, tired of playing a game he knew he'd lose. "Oh no. Don't wait. You're one of those sand ninja right? It would be a waste of your time to just wait. Besides he was probably going to beat me in the next 4 moves".
"Three moves actually". Shikamaru decided to butt in. Hoping to deter Temari and enjoy the day with Choji.
Choji shrugged and walked off, leaving the two alone. Temari turned to Shikamaru skeptically. "Let's see what you're made of pineapple. Don't be upset when I demolish your ass".
She took her seat across from Shikamaru, already getting comfortable and ordering some tea.
Shikamaru smirked at this. 'So someone's confident in their skills. Maybe she'll be some fun'. The two set up the board for a new game and battled. When Choji returned with a few snacks, he was shocked to find that Temari was actually giving Shikamaru a competition. Choji had never seen anyone but Shikaku rival Shikamaru at shogi. Taking the space next to Shikamaru he was fascinated by how focused the two had become. Neither had acknowledged his presence and were honed in on the shogi board and each other.
It was a full hour later that victory was claimed. Temari was astounded. She hadn't seen it coming the entire time, and only when he had finished his scheme that she had put all the pieces of his puzzle together. She cursed herself for not picking up on it sooner. Shikamaru smirked, with an excited glint in his eyes. It wasn't often he found an opponent that could match him in shogi, much less someone around his own age.
Now while Shikamaru wanted to play more, he wasn't going to show that he had enjoyed the match. That would go against the Nara Code of Laziness. So instead he opted to say, "I'd offer you a chance of redemption, but you'd lose anyways". Temari froze, looking at the board. A shadow had cast over her eyes.
"You want to say that again, pineapple head?". She slowly lifted her head to meet Shikamaru's eyes, promising pain if he repeated the phrase. Shikamaru kept up his smirk, ignoring the killing intent Temari was leaking. "You, chubby. Get me some more tea, I'm going to destroy this bastard if it's the last thing I do".
Choji froze, his face unreadable. His hands had gripped the table and suddenly the table started to groan before Choji crushed two holes into it with his hands. As Choji stood up, SHikamaru put an arm in front of him, shaking his head. Choji released his breath, sounding like the hiss of a hot piece of metal having water poured on it. He got out from the booth, and grabbed Temari's glass, threatening to break it at any second. Like an elephant, he silently walked away despite his mass. The other tea shop customers were terrified by the round little boy. The poor boy behind the counter didn't even charge Choji for the refill for in fear of being crushed.
As Choji was ordering, Temari turned to Shikamaru, a hint of fear in her voice. "What did I say?".
Shikamaru sighed and muttered something about troublesome women before answering. "He's sensitive about his size and any word relating to fat, chubby, obese, etc acts like a trigger and sends him into this mode. I saved you this time, but I doubt he'll be so forgiving if you do it again. Take my word, if you're not of jounin level, you stand no chance against him. His name is Choji, I would recommend using it from here on out".
Temari's aloof image faltered for a second at this, 'This kid can take on a chunin like this?'. Her aloof demeanor faltered even more when Choji returned and handed her back her tea. After many awkward minutes later, Temari ordered some tea cakes for Choji as an apology, one that he happily accepted.
Choji chuckled before digging into the tea cakes, "you're forgiven Temari". Temari turned a bit pink at hearing Choji forgiving her so quickly and openly. Shikamaru gave a light smile, knowing better than anyone that while Choji might not be very smart, he always understood the hidden meanings in people's actions.
The trio spent the day sitting in the tea shop booth. Temari only needed to be told once not to call Choji fat and there was never an incident after that. Unless you count the time Temari went into a small rage fit and was then lectured by the manager. Shikamaru and Choji silently giggling before receiving their own verbal beating. Not as bad as Temari's but enough to wipe the smiles off their faces.
By the end of the day, Shikamaru had won 14 times with Temari still at none. Choji had gone home for dinner and there were only a few other customers left. During the matches, Temari and Shikamaru had talked about a multitude of things, never disclosing confidential information, but having a friendly talk. For the first time, Temari had felt she had made a friend. At home the other girls only wanted to be friends with her because she was the kazekage's daughter. Those girls also didn't focus much on their ninja careers, instead they gossiped about boys and dreamed of pointless fantasies.
It was because of how happy she was to have finally made a friend that she was so sad about the situation surrounding that friendship and the events yet to come that'll ruin it. Shikamaru noticed Temari momentarily reveal her emotions, but she quickly built up her walls, covering her feelings of regret. Shikamaru took note of it, but decided to shrug it off for now, concluding that it would be "too troublesome to investigate".
It was now their 15th game, and by far the closest. Temari had enjoyed herself so much she had lost track of the time and knew her brothers would be asking where she was. Luckily she was just two moves away from winning, the only problem was the very likely possibility that Shikamaru would counter her attack. 'If only I had a distraction of some sort'. Temari then had an idea. A terrible, embarrassing, enticing, full proof idea.
After making her move she waited for the right moment to strike. Right when Shikamaru had picked up his piece, Temari stood up and quickly maneuvered her lips to catch Shikamaru's. Silence filled the shop. Shikamaru's brain exploded and forgot how to process anything. By accident he placed the piece down, confirming his move. Just as quickly as she struck, Temari left Shikarmaru to return to her seat and make her move, "checkmate pineapple head". With that Temari got up and left the tea shop, her cheeks burning and her hands trying to hide her face.
Shikamaru was still recovering from the shock. One of the older gentlemen in the shop laughed at the scene, rousing Shikamaru from his shock after saying, "I've never seen that strategy in shogi but Kami I think it's just become your favorite!". The rest of the shop customers joined in his laughter. Not a mean laughter, but an laughter that meant "the poor lad never saw it coming and probably had never been happier". Shikamaru's ears turned red and he quickly packed his shogi game before moving at breakneck Nara walking speeds out the door.
(For those of you who aren't aware. "Break neck" walking speeds for a Nara are about a normal walking pace for everyone else)
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When Temari arrived at the hotel room, she had curious looks from both of her brothers. Kankuro was trying to think about what could have happened to make his sister blush like that but nothing came to mind until the unthinkable. 'Wait. No. Could Temari have found someone she likes? No. This is Temari we're talking about. She destroyed every boy in her class in grades and then destroyed them again when they tried to beat her up after school. Wait, could it be a girl. . .'. Kankuro's eyes went wide before he shook his head in denial.
Gaara generally didn't care to learn about what his siblings did, but he had never seen such a reaction before and could sense feelings that were foreign to him. Being a jinchuuriki he had a heightened sense of the emotions of others; it had kept him alive many a night. Now it provided him with information that he had never felt before. Emotions that funny enough temporarily silence the screaming in his head. Only for a second, but it was that second that hooked Gaara's curiosity.
Temari ignored her brothers and went to take a shower. After grabbing her sleep wear, she closed the door to the bathroom and started the shower. The entire time, thinking about the kiss she gave to Shikamaru. Once in the bathroom, she quickly took a seat on the toilet with her head in her hands. 'Why did I do that?... It felt so amazing. But I shouldn't have done that. I should not have done that. How can I face him in the finals now?!... How am I supposed to look him in the eyes during the attack?!... No… the chances of running into him are so low…'.
With this reassurance, Temari derobed and took a hot shower to try and rid herself of her guilt. But she couldn't help but smile as she thought about her kiss with the young Nara. And all to win a game of shogi. She had never been happier.
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Sakura found herself visiting the hospital more and more over the last few days. Ever since Lee had risked his life for her own, she had felt a pull towards him. While at the hospital, she was able to observe medical ninjutsu and working from what she had witnessed and the direction of a few scrolls, she was now able to perform the most basic level. Nothing more than a small scratch or bruise, but it was the beginning for the greatest medical nin in history.
She didn't study medical ninjutsu the entire time though. Only in brief periods when the nurse or doctor came in. The rest of the time she was reading from her genjutsu scroll, getting teased by the nurses about having a crush, or dealing with Gai-sensei and his antics. One of her favorite things was when Lee's team came.
Personally she didn't know how Tenten survived being on a team with two overly enthusiastic train-aholics and a stoic Hyuuga. Although, she did notice that Neji seemed to be. . . softer with her. 'Well this is an interesting bit of information. . . I wonder if Hinata knows'. Sakura made a mental note to ask Hinata. At least, when Hinata was with Naruto. Sakura was intimidated by the girl, as was most of their class, but when she was with Naruto she seemed to be more… at ease. 'Maybe I should try talking to her next time we meet. She seems to have gotten a lot nicer since becoming a genin'.
When not with his team or a nurse or doctor, Lee and Sakura would often talk as she studied. While he wasn't the brightest he had an unmatched spirit. Never once had she seen him down on himself. He was so optimistic during every procedure, no matter how dire the situation was.
That was, until Sakura heard about Lee's condition being permanent. She was training with her team at the time. Tenten told her the news. As soon as she had heard, she had moved at speeds never seen before. Kiba couldn't have beat her there even if he had taken a chakra pill.
For the first time ever, she had seen Lee sad. Not just sad, but completely defeated. The determination that usually filled his eyes was replaced with despair. Sakura had never felt so useless in her life. Gai sensei, who had broken the news to Lee, couldn't stand the sight and had taken to sitting in a chair in the hall. At the moment it was only Lee and Sakura in the room. Neji and Tenten had other obligations at the moment and would be coming later.
As she watched Lee fall into a deeper pit of despair, Sakura felt something spark in her. She stood up from her chair so abruptly that she was even able to distract lee for a second from his situation. Walking right up next to him she took a deep breath and gave Lee a speech he'd never forget.
"Rock Lee. I am tired of seeing you so depressed! You can only be truly defeated when you accept defeat. Are you going to accept defeat?! You're Rock Lee! The boy who despite having no ninjutsu or genjutsu ability, became one of the strongest ninja of our generation through taijutsu! You're Rock Lee! The boy who went up against a boy that could take down jounin and almost won!". Sakura had started crying at this point. "You're Rock Lee, the boy who risked his life for mine in the second exam despite how bad I treated you and despite being on separate teams from separate classes. If you give up on your dreams of being a ninja this easily, how can you even call yourself a shinobi in the first place!". Lee had rivers of water flowing down his cheeks at this point and soon after, Sakura broke down and started crying in his shirt.
Never before had Lee received such encouragement from someone. Except for Gai-sensei of course, but this. This was different. To hear such words from not only someone his age, but from the girl he liked made his heart throb. Slowly, taking caution to not strain himself, Lee hugged Sakura.
"I thought my ninja career was over until now… but seeing you get so fired up about me… I can not let that go to waste. I am Rock Lee. And it is my mission to protect you… just promise me that you will support me while I do…". There was no audible response from Sakura after this. Just the feeling of her nodded her head into his chest. With this, he made sure he was holding Sakura as tight as he could and leaned back, into his hospital bed. Sakura ended up laying next to him on the bed and after a few minutes, fell asleep. Lee smiled at this, his heart doing flips as he laid there with Sakura in his arms. He decided to join her in her slumber. Filled once again with hope for the future.
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Gai was scared to enter the room. He had heard Sakura's speech to Lee and was touched by her youthfulness, but now it was silent. After waiting for a half hour, Gai cautiously peeked open the door to see what was going on. What he saw started the fountains of youth to flow and a small puddle of happy tears to form on the floor.
He knew better than anyone what Lee was going through in his life, not being able to do ninjutsu or genjutsu. And he also knew what it was like to be isolated in school. For years, Gai had longed for a friend, and eventually he found one in Kakashi. But being a shinobi, that meant he and Kakashi didn't see each other as often. That's when Lee came into his life, and Gai had never felt lonely since. But Lee needed someone besides his sensei. Gai could only go so far to support Lee, as a father does for his son, and Gai hoped that Lee would be able to avoid facing the loneliness he did. Seeing the two like that was a symbol of hope for Gai. The hope that Lee will have people who support him. The hope that Lee will truly never give up on what he believes in. The hope that Lee would be able to stand on his own two feet and be a splendid shinobi even after Gai leaves this earth.
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Neji had spent most of the month training with the Hyugas. The only times he had left were to visit Lee and train with Tenten and Gai-sensei(and of course to follow Hinata). For all this time he had believed he was the strongest on the team, but after seeing Lee face off against Gaara, he knew he was leagues behind Lee. Each day he trained with his father in the juuken style, but he still felt like he was lacking in something. It didn't help that Hinata was starting to last longer and longer when sparring with him.
'What has she been doing that I haven't? I have been training longer and harder, yet she seems to be closing the distance. How?!'. Neji was walking through the compound to retrieve a scroll from the Hyuga library when he passed by Hinata training by the pond in the garden. She was doing some sort of dance, which was quite beautiful by itself, but what really caught his attention was that water had come up from the pond to join her in the dance creating a spectacular display. Hinata had her eyes closed, as if to concentrate on holding the water up. Then she opened her eyes and the beautiful sphere of water made of trails following her hands turned deadly. The water turned into razors. Hinata eyed the training dummy in front of her and attacked using a combination of juuken and her water razors, demolishing the dummy within seconds.
When she finished, the dummy was only a pole of wood with multiple deep cuts into it with the hay that once surrounded it in shreds at Hinata's feet.
Neji's eyes were saucers at this. He had never seen such a combination of taijutsu and ninjutsu so effective. 'Now I am not only behind Lee, but also my cousin that I had previously been able to beat easily'. Neji grit his teeth at this and walked off, thinking of how he could improve to meet their levels. Then he remembered something. When he had first become a genin, Gai-sensei had done some ability tests with them. When they had tested Neji's chakra nature, he had been earth. He had also remembered hearing about an old Hyuga technique of closing a series of chakra points with only one hit.
Determined to rise, Neji went to the Hyuga library to find the oldest scrolls he could and then went to the Konoha Library to find a scroll on basic earth jutsu. He practiced in secret of course, not even his father was aware of what Neji was doing. Within a week Neji had mastered the basics of earth jutsu and had found some scrolls that had mentions of the technique he had heard of. Putting all the information together, he was able to piece together the instructions for the technique.
Neji knew he wasn't going to be able to learn the ancient technique for the third exam, so he didn't put as much time into it and instead focused on his earth style. Since he had just started, he worked on small jutsus and earth manipulation like raising a piece of earth, launching a pebble or small rock, nothing big when it came to distance offense. However, when it came to defense and close combat, Neji had improved drastically. USing his earth style, he could plant himself easier for a 64 palm and also was able to deliver more powerful blows to his opponents. Of course anyone watching him attack a practice dummy when using his earth style to improve his taijutsu just assumed he had gotten that powerful without using the element. Being the Hyuga Prodigy had its perks when trying to hide one's development.
Towards the end of the month though, he was getting restless with his earth jutsu, having not been able to actually try using it in a battle. He took the few days given as rest as an opportunity to do so. He only trusted this secret with one person, Tenten. She had been so excited when he had asked if she would help him, almost breaking Neji's Hyuag composure.
He hadn't thought much of Tenten when they had first been put on a team together, seeing her as another girl who didn't really try in school and had massive crushes on the popular kids. Neji was unlucky enough to be one of those popular kids and to this day had his own fan base. He was happy to find out that she was the complete opposite of what he had assumed. She was talented, smart, and level headed! Something that he greatly valued when Lee and Gai-sensei went into an extreme exercise or youth speech.
After following Neji to their team's training ground, Tenten asked, "So, what has the Hyuga prodigy been doing to prepare for the third exam? You've got to have some sort of ace up your sleeve".
Tenten had her thoughts confirmed when Neji smirked saying, "it's a surprise".
She raised an eyebrow at this as she watched Neji take his fighting stance. Shrugging, she prepared as well, staff in hand and ready to fight. The two stood in their stances for a few seconds before Neji made the first more, throwing Tenten for a loop. Neji had always been so patient and waited for her or Lee to strike first, the sudden change almost allowed for him to get a strike on her.
Almost.
At the last second she blocked his strike and counter attacked. Neji expected the counter and ducted under Tenten's strike at his head. The two continued to exchange strikes until Tent felt the ground beneath her start to move. She jumped away from the battle to try and figure out what was happening. The ground seemed to have settled where she had been and Neji was in the same spot.
Instead of chasing her, he instead seemed to be focusing, making hand signs. When he finished his veins around his eyes bulged. He then lifted a foot and stomped on the ground, causing for the ground below Tenten to launch her into the air in a pillar of stone. Tenten's eye went wide and Neji had a genuine smile on his face. Neji continued his assault by jumping into the air to meet Tenten and deliver a reinforced punch that sent her flying into the tree, snapping a few branches.
Upon landing, Neji raced over to Tenten to check on her. He didn't realize just how much power he put into the punch and regretted it instantly. 'Shit! I hope I didn't hurt her too bad".
Upon impact, Tenten was knocked out. Only for a few seconds, be enough that when she woke up that she was a bit disoriented. With a minor headache she looked around to see where she was. With the headache she couldn't process much of what she saw, but she did hear Neji call out to her. Following the voice, she looked below her to see Neji standing there with the most concerned face she had ever seen.
Her headache chose that moment to surge for a second, causing Tenten to flinch and fall out of the tree. Neji rushed to catch her, but instead acted more as a cushion. Neji now was laying on his back, holding Tenten to his chest. Still worried about Tenten's condition, Neji completely ignored the position the two were in.
"Tenten. Tenten, can you hear me?". Tenten's head had cleared and she was overloaded with her senses. Using her hands, she felt to try and identify what she had landed on. Soon she realized who it was and shot up, face as red as a tomato.
"N-neji! How did I… Why are you... What happened?". Neji let out a sigh seeing that she was alright. Then he too realized their position. His cheeks flared red and he quickly moved to stand up.
"I. Uh. Eh. mmm. I accidentally used too much of my earth nature to punch you and sent you into a tree. You fell and I tried to catch you and then… that… happened". He had taken to looking away to hide his blush.
Tenten looked to the ground, not able to look at Neji either. That was until she processed what Neji had said. "Wait! Earth Nature? You're using your chakra nature?! When did this happen?!".
Without turning he replied, "I witnessed someone else use there's very proficiently and decided it could be used to improve my own abilities too". Wanting to rid themselves of the remaining tension, Neji quickly added "How about we talk more about it over lunch?".
Tenten quickly agreed, not one to pass up a free meal. And one with Neji. The duo made their way back into town, going to Tenten's favorite soba restaurant. The two took a couple's table on the side of the restaurant, and ordered their food. Having only had soba noodles a limited number of times, Neji asked Tenten for her opinion. In the end, Neji ended up ordering one of the newer meals on the menu while Tenten ordered her favorite. Neji wasn't all that interested by the description of his soba, but ordered it anyway so Tenten could try it without having to face the responsibility of finishing it if she found it unsatisfying.
While they waited, Tenten did a full on inquisition on Neji's learning of earth jutsu and the usage of his nature. Neji had his sweat drop after the first 4 rapid fire questions. Eventually he was able to actually answer her, explaining how he had been practicing in secret at the compound and had wanted to test it out in battle. He also mentioned how he had wanted to keep it a secret from people both inside and outside the clan.
Tenten smirked at this, "Oh? And you trust me enough to ask me to help you? If I didn't know any better Neji Hyuga I'd say you have a crush on me". Neji went red, Tenten laughing at his reaction, enjoying the embarrassment of her proper and strict teammate.
As Neji was about to respond, their soba arrived. Instead of an actual comeback, all that could be heard was a series of small grumbles. At the sight of soba and Neji grumbling, Tenten's smile grew from ear to ear. Neji blushed slightly at the sight, finding her to be dazzling. Thankfully for him, he didn't have to deal with teasing or having to respond to questions while being flustered.
He found the soba to be surprisingly delicious. One of the best meals he had ever had actually. After two or three bites, he gave a brief look around the restaurant and noticed that he and Tenten seemed to have an uninvited viewer. Excusing himself, Neji walked towards the bathrooms before disappearing from Hinata's sight. Hinata was confused, looking all around the shop for Neji until she heard, "Is this to get back at me for interrupting your time with Naruto?".
Hinata turned within milliseconds to face her cousin's stern look. Nothing was said verbally, but a thousand things were transferred by their eyes. Then something happened that Neji had never seen before, Hinata had a mischievous smile form on her face before she ran off, and away from the crime scene. Neji was surprised at the sight of Hinata showing such emotion and let his own Hyuga persona fall as he watched her scamper off after being found out.
Neji stood there for about three minutes, hundreds of things going through his head, and all of them linking back to Hinata being friends with Naruto. It was after three minutes that he remembered his company and rushed back to join her.
Tenten was looking down in shame with her face beat red when Neji returned. "Why are you so…", Neji looked down at this moment at his soba and found it to be empty.
Tenten replied with a nervous laugh before responding, "he, he, he. I might have tried a little bit of it when you left… and well… It was reeeally good. When you were taking so long to get back, I… I couldn't let such good soba go to waste and…".
A tick mark formed on Neji's forehead. He was really enjoying that soba, and had had little to that day. Making him all the more cranky about it.
Acting fast Tenten quickly added, "I can make it up to you through! It might not be soba, but I promise it'll be just as good. No even better than soba! Please don't get Gai-sensei to start another personal training course". Neji gave her a hard glare before bowing his head. Tenten sighed with great relief as Neji paid the bill.
She led him outside into the fresh spring air and then into an alley. It was there that she stopped facing away from Neji to hide her actions. In true Hyuga fashion Neji commented, "Tenten, this doesn't seem to be somewhere of repayment. Why have you brought us here?".
Tenten turned around and smiled. "I thought the Hyuga prodigy would've liked some more privacy for when I do this". She ended her sentence with a kiss. Neji froze in shock and was dealing with a mental overload of emotions. When Tenten broke off she smiled and walked away, Neji followed her with his eyes, "I hoped you liked it Neji Hyuga". She turned back to face him, "cause from this moment on, you're mine". She then walked off. Leaving Neji behind and processing the recent events the best he could.
Hinata had been waiting for them to exit the restaurant and had followed them to the alley, witnessing the entire scene. She was cheering for both Neji and Tenten, happy for her cousin. She knew Tenten was a true shinobi, and found herself giggling as she imagined what the wedding would be like.
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Bonus Chapter
Return of the Perv
The anti-pervs had grown small in size over the weeks. Naruto had been forced to the side of the pervs and Sasuke had been spending all his time training or with Haku. This time it was only Konohamaru pulling the pranks. He had found out that the leader of the book club was in town, and had also found out his usual hangout spot.
Unfortunately, that spot just so happened to have a perfect view into the women's hot spring while providing incredible cover. Little to say, Konohamaru had prepared the prank beforehand and prayed that the hotspring would be empty that night. For the leader, Konohamaru had gotten only the finest of prank materials for the matter. Given that it would be near a hot spring, he had gotten rubber chicken that he had hooked up to act like a bomb, and then, he also had gotten some fast acting hair dye that only had to be poured onto the hair. He had heard that the leader had a lot of hair, that was also white.
Once ready, Konohamaru left for the hot springs, using the invisibility and silence jutsu to hide himself from both those who he planned to prank, and those who were in the hot spring.
When he arrived, he found the area to be empty. So he waited for the leader to arrive. According to his sources the leader went here every night so hopefully he'd show up sooner than later. It was after a few minutes that he noticed something was off. The leader hadn't shown up yet, and he couldn't hear anything from the hot springs. Usually the voices of those bathing could be heard, but Konohamaru couldn't hear anything, almost as if there was a silence seal. Only one thing ran through his mind, 'IT'S A TRAP!'. Suddenly he was grabbed from behind and pulled down from his hiding spot.
When he got a look at his attacker, he saw an old man wearing traditional japanese robes and the largest mane of hair he had ever seen! The man smiled, "Hey brat! Looks like I found who was trying to ambush me! By the looks of it, it's the Hokage's grandson too!".
Konohamaru struggled in the man's grip, trying to break free. Stopping when he saw Naruto walk out from behind some bushes to join. Naruto's eyes widened a little bit at the sight. "Naruto! Why! Why did you join the perverts!". Naruto looked down in shame as Jiraiya laughed.
"You want to know why he joined us? You want to know why Naruto Uzumaki, the once anti-perv hero joined the ranks of the perv?... It's because we threatened to tell the Hyuga Heiress that he had been peeping on her regularly. Apparently she almost killed him last time he did something perverted. He was too scared to imagine what would happen if she believed he was peeping on her… he he he. Now, it's your turn young Sarutobi! Join the ranks with your Grandfather and join the perv side!".
Konohamaru looked at Naruto again, "Naruto. I know there is guilt in you. Stop these pervy ways! You can still change!".
Naruto was looking at such an angle that hid his eyes as he looked down in shame. "No. It's too late for me". Jiraiya laughed once more at how foolish it was to try and bring Naruto away from the perv side. He was already too deep.
"So young Sarutobi. What will it be?"
"I'll never stop fighting perverts, never!"
Jiraiya's face twisted in disappointment, "So be it!". Jiraiya tied Konohamaru to a try and whipped out one of his books. Flipping it to one of the smut scenes and starting to read it outloud to Konohamaru.
As he unwillingly listened to Jiraiya, Konohamaru called out, "Naruto!...Naruto". Jiraiya had a wicked smile grow on his face at the sound of Konohamaru's pleas for help. Naruto was fighting an inner battle of will. He feared what Hinata would do if she thought of him as a peeping tom, even worse, one that peeped on her. But he just couldn't handle Konohamaru's cries for help and not doing anything about it. Taking a deep breath, Naruto made a clone sign with his fingers. "Shadow Clone Jutsu". Ten Naruto appeared and without a word, they all charged Jiraiya and the two launched into the hot spring.
Time froze as the two hovered for a second before plummeting into the hot spring which unfortunately had been occupied by several women. The two landed in the spring with a loud crash that splash everyone enjoying the hot spring.
The Naruto clones poofed and Jiraiya and Naruto separated after the splash. When Naruto popped his head out of the water, he found himself looking directly at one Hinata Hyuga.
'Kami please protect me'. 'You're going to need more than just Kami's help to get out of this one kit. Use my power as you need it, but I'm going to focus on healing you'.
Naruto gulped and gave a sheepish smile, trying to avoid looking at Hinata. More importantly, certain assets of Hinata.
Jiraiya did the same, but instead of trying not to look at the assets of the women present, he full out stared at them. Not Hinata's of course. While he was a super pervert, he would never stoop that low. Those who looked at naked women without their consent are scum, but those who looked at naked kids with their consent are worse than scum.
It only lasted all of about 3 seconds before the duo made a mad dash out of the hot spring. Although, even with the women having to get changed before giving chase, they still had no chance of escape. Within the hour, Jiraiya had been caught by the women from the hot spring and could describe the beating he went through to his fight with Hanzo of the Salamander. Absolutely brutal.
Naruto on the other hand faced several cuts from water Hinata flung at him and when she eventually caught up, a beating on both body and chakra network. She made sure nothing was permanent, for practical and subconsciously personal reasons(if you get what I mean), but she made sure Naruto would know the wrath of an angered Hinata Hyuga.
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All the while, Kami watched from above. Sighing with pity and disappointment. However, being able to know the future and all, Kami did laugh a little, knowing full well what would become of the two. Kami then looked at Jiraiya and Kami shook their head. One of their wisest and most powerful creations, turned out to be their biggest pervert yet. 'I guess there had to be something to balance out his good things. I just wish it wasn't something so degrading of women… Maybe I should finally let Tsunade get over Dan. It'll drastically change the future, but it can't be that bad right?'. Kami then closed their eyes and witnessed what would happen if they allowed for Jiraiya's love to be reciprocated. "Huh, I actually like that future more than this one. I know Jiraiya will".
Kami walked over to the master control panel of life and brought up Tsunade. With a few simple actions, the change was made and the future of the Naruto Universe had changed forever.
"Now that's a future I'll enjoy watching. Now, let's go and see how the MIraculous Ladybug Universe is doing. I haven't looked at that in a while". Kami seemingly grabbed a door handle and pulled, opening to the Miraculous Ladybug universe for a quick peek. "Ahh, still no progressing plot I see. I wonder how much longer the writers can keep up this endless loop. I wish I could interfere but my power is limited to the written world". Kami shrugged and walked away, feeling a bit peckish and finding the thought of some Pad Thai delightful.