Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any properties in this work that I did not make myself.
Harold of Konoha
Chapter four: That girl, Uzumaki Natsu! (AKA why are Shrinking Violet-type girls so popular?)
Tsume Inuzuka was walking to the Uzumaki household one day. Accompanying her were her ninja dog Kuromaru, Tsume's daughter-in-law Sakaki, and Sakaki's ninja cat Mayamaru. The two large ninja animals were having a sort of argument with each other as the group made their way to their destination.
"…I'm totally calling it," the ninja cat said to his canine counterpart, "I mean, the girl's a direct blood relation to the main part of Konoha's most influential clan. Additionally, her father's been the Hokage since before she was born. She's been in high class since day one! She's obviously going to be one of those spoiled, shallow types who talks constantly on her cell phone, and does not understand the value of a ryo or a hard day's work. She'll be a spoiled brat-type."
"And that's where I'm going to have to disagree with you," the Inuzuka ninja dog replied, "I'm thinking that due to the aforementioned relations, the girl has so much expected of her that the stress has her cowed. Plus, look at who she has for a mother. Call it a safe bet, but I'm saying that she'll be shy, polite, sort-of withdrawn, and maybe a little klutzy, but in a cute way. She'll be a spoiled sweet-type."
"…The usual bet?" Mayamaru asked in a tone of suggestion.
"Double or nothing?" Kuromaru replied with a smirk.
"You're on, dog," the Nekozuka ninja cat agreed, bumping his right paw into Kuromaru's right paw (the animal equivalent of a human fist bump).
"What are the two of you talking about?" Sakaki asked in a confused tone, hands on her waist.
"Oh, Kuromaru and I were making bets on what kind of child Lord Sixth's daughter would be like," Mayamaru explained, "Given hardly anyone has ever even heard of the girl, much less seen her."
"The two of you should be ashamed of yourselves," Tsume remarked in a tone sounding mildly of disappointment.
A surprised look crossed Sakaki's face as she said, "Wow mama Tsume, I'm surprised you would-"
"Why the hell aren't you letting ME in on this action?!" Tsume exclaimed (her tone losing any disappointment it had), interrupting her daughter-in-law in the process.
"And there we go," Sakaki muttered in a tone showing that she should have seen this coming. Before any of this could have been acted upon, however, the four of them reached the Uzumaki household.
A few minutes later, Tsume and Sakaki were seated on a loveseat in the living room of the Uzumaki household; Mayamaru sat on the floor next to where Sakaki was seated, and Kuromaru sat on the floor next to where Tsume sat. Seated in a very plush light-tan leather recliner opposite of the Inuzuka women and their respective ninja animals was Hinata Uzumaki. Her outfit was a loose-fitting Hyuga clan-style robe that, surprisingly, had a very similar color scheme to the outfit that Hinata wore in her mid to late teens.
The Uzumaki matriarch also wore a pair of glasses with a lavender-colored frame (they weren't prescription, though. Hinata can see just fine. The reason why Hinata's wearing glasses is because Naruto thinks it's the only way Hinata could look lovelier. But then again, it was Hinata who requested to Naruto that he grow out his hair because she loves the feeling of running her fingers through those long golden spikes. Given that Naruto has had to set aside a portion of his getting-ready routine in the morning to tend to his now longer hair, Naruto's request to Hinata's look was the least the Hyuga-now-Uzumaki could do).
"Well I'm certainly glad that you were able to make it, Sakaki," Hinata began, "But something is bugging me."
"Hmm? What's up?" the younger Inuzuka woman (she was Inuzuka by marriage) replied in a curious tone.
"I mean no offence, but why did your mother-in-law and her dog come along?" Hinata asked, "I can understand you bringing Mayamaru, but Kiba's mother and I aren't familiar enough with each other to warrant her and Kuromaru tagging along."
"I was bored," the older Inuzuka woman explained casually, leaning back a bit in her seat.
"…I see," the Uzumaki matriarch replied in an unsure tone. As the women and two ninja animals continued their conversation, an eleven-year-old girl came into the house from the front door. She was about the same height and general appearance as Hinata back when she was around that age, right down to her Byakugan eyes. The only difference is that unlike Hinata, who had a bluish sort of brunette hair color, this girl's hair was a solid yellow blonde.
The girl's outfit also differed from eleven-year-old Hinata's; the girl's outfit was actually a size-appropriate replication of Hinata's outfit from her mid to late teens, except that the lavender on the jacket was replaced with orange. "Hello mother," the young girl greeted, "I just came back from father's office building. I made sure he got the lunch that you made-"
The girl stopped short when she noticed the visitors. "Oh, Natsu," Hinata said as she gestured to Sakaki and Mayamaru, "This is my friend Sakaki Inuzuka and her ninja cat Mayamaru." Gesturing to Tsume and Kuromaru, Hinata added in a somewhat unsure tone, "For some reason, Sakaki's mother-in-law, as well as Sakaki's mother-in-law's dog, decided to tag along as well."
"W-w-we have guests?!" the young girl, revealed to be Hinata's daughter Natsu, exclaimed in surprise, looking totally flustered, "I-I-I'll go make some tea for them!" Before she could be stopped, Natsu ran to the kitchen, tripping and falling on her face halfway. After a few seconds, Natsu slowly got up, dusted herself off, and finished her dash to the kitchen.
Leaning forward slightly and turning his head so he can see his feline counterpart, Kuromaru exclaimed, "Ha! You owe me some pet treats!"
The following afternoon, Tsume and Kuromaru met up with Harold Fisher and Inoichi Yamanaka. The four of them were at Inoichi's place in the den, setting up to play pool. "So one of us has finally gotten a good look at Hiashi's elusive granddaughter," Inoichi remarked as Tsume and Kuromaru regaled the two older men with the tale of their visit to Hinata yesterday.
"What's the girl like?" Harold asked, applying a cue chalk cube to the end of his cue stick.
"You remember how Hinata was back when she was eleven to twelve?" Kuromaru replied. After Harold and Inoichi both nodded in affirmation, Kuromaru continued, "This Natsu girl has pretty much the same personality."
"Her parents aren't the cause of it, are they?" Harold asked in a concerned tone, "Because given Hyuga clan history in that regard-"
"No, Hinata and Lord Sixth are the total opposite of what you're getting at," Tsume interrupted, "Lord Sixth is more akin to Inoichi than Hiashi in terms of how he's acting as a father."
"Well good on Lord Sixth!" Inoichi declared in a tone of praise, "Not only is he a good husband to Hinata, he's also a good father to Natsu!"
"Well okay boys," Tsume said as she set the balls up on the pool table's surface, "You ready?"
"I've been born ready since before I was born," Harold replied in a confident tone.
"Do…do you even hear yourself talk sometimes?" Kuromaru asked the Fisher patriarch in a tone of slight bewilderment.
The next morning, Harold and company were walking to the usual Akimichi diner for their morning coffee. As they walked, they were approached by Haru, Shikaru and Bankai. Accompanying the young Inuzuka boy was a ninja dog about the size of Akamaru back when Kiba was twelve. "Hey hey! What's up, boys?" Harold asked as the boys greeted their respective older relatives.
"The three of us need to ask you all for advice," Haru explained, looking mildly embarrassed as he rubbed the back of his head and dragged his foot slowly from side to side.
"Correction," the young Nara boy said to his Uchiha friend, "YOU want to ask for advice. Bankai's not interested in her and I'm not interested in pursuing girls in general at the moment. They're rather troublesome."
Leaning to Harold so he could whisper something to him, Inoichi whispered, "Just like his dad back when he was that age."
"Wait now," the older Inuzuka woman said to the boys in a mildly amused tone, "What's this about pursuing a girl?"
"The guys and I were hanging out earlier," Haru began, "You know, me, Shikaru, Bankai, Choba and Shibei. As we were hanging out, this girl came up to us."
"Go on," Harold replied as he and his companions were growing amused with the unfolding story.
"She asked us if we had seen two grown men with the same kind of eyes as her," Haru continued, "She had the same eyes as mom's one friend with the long brunette hair."
"Did this girl have blonde hair in a short hime-style haircut?" Kuromaru asked.
"Yeah, she did," Haru answered, "It was rather- Wait! How did you know?"
"Bankai's grandmother and I met the girl yesterday," the Inuzuka ninja dog explained, "Her name's Natsu."
"Well, after the two men she was looking for showed up-apparently, their names were Neji and Ko-and left with the girl, I was thinking," Haru continued.
"…About?" Harold prodded his grandnephew.
"…That the girl was kinda sorta kinda…cute," Haru finished, mumbling somewhat at the end.
"What's that?" the Fisher patriarch said in a teasing tone, holding a hand to his left ear as he leaned closer; this was obviously done with some teasing in mind.
"She's cute, alright?!" Haru confessed, throwing his arms up in defeat, "I think she's cute, and she seems nice, and I want to get to know her more!"
"Ha!" Shikaru laughed in a manner to mock Haru.
"Well hot damn! My grandnephew has accomplished the first step to manhood!" Harold exclaimed joyously, "He's started to notice girls! Atta boy, Haru!"
"So you want our advice on how to win her over?" Inoichi suggested.
"No he shouldn't," Kuromaru declared, "It may have worked for YOU TWO, and I'm still trying to figure out how that was even possible. But it's the absolute last thing Harold's grandnephew should want, if he's really that keen on winning over Lord Sixth's daughter."
"Wait, that girl is Lord Sixth's daughter?!" Shikaru exclaimed worriedly. Turning to face Haru, the young Nara boy said, "Haru, dude, if you value your life, abandon all thoughts of pursuing that girl."
"Oh come on, Shikaru!" Haru complained, "It can't be that bad!"
"Dude, this girl's dad is the HOKAGE!" Shikaru explained, "One wrong move, and you are frigg'en DEAD!"
"He's got a point," Tsume added, "Fathers tend to be very protective of their little girls. Why, just ask Inoichi!"
"She's right," Inoichi agreed in a tone of confirmation, "I didn't let Shikaru's mother start dating until she moved out on her own."
Looking at the increasingly worried look on his grandnephew's face, Harold said to his friends, "Uhh, guys? I don't think we're helping."
To his grandnephew, Harold said, "Haru, young man, it's okay to be a little nervous when going after someone you have a crush on. It's a perfectly normal part of growing up."
"So what should I do to win her over?" Haru asked.
Looking to Inoichi, Harold asked, "You in on this, man?"
"…Oh hells yeah," Inoichi replied once he knew what Harold was getting at, "And you can help me when Shikaru finally takes an interest in girls!"
"Alright, it's a deal," Harold agreed, shaking his best friend's hand.
"What are you two talking about?" Shikaru asked.
"Your grandfather and I are going to help Haru win this Natsu girl over," Harold replied casually.
"Oh swell," Kuromaru mumbled as if he knew how this was going to turn out, "This can only go SO well for them…"
The following morning, Haru was sitting on a bench in a public park, waiting for someone to show up. It should be noted that Haru was wearing an earpiece in his right ear through which Harold and Inoichi, who were hiding in a bush about twenty feet behind the bench Haru was seated on, could talk to him. "Okay Haru," the Fisher patriarch's voice came through the earpiece, "I see Hiashi's granddaughter coming in. Just play it cool and do what Inoichi and I say, alright?"
Resolving to later ask his granduncle how he and Shikaru's grandpa managed to convince Natsu to come, Haru stood up and straightened himself up when he saw Natsu enter the public park. Haru waived when Natsu's gaze passed over where he was standing, making the Uzumaki girl do a double take to see someone trying to get her attention.
"So…" Natsu began in an unsure tone, poking the tips of her index fingers together, "…You're Haru Uchiha?"
"Uhh, yeah," Haru replied, scratching the back of his head in an embarrassed manner, "I'm Haru."
"I was told that your father is best friends with my father," Natsu began, "I've actually seen your father before, so I can see how the two of you would be related."
"Hey Haru," Inoichi's voice said through the earpiece, "Ask her about her interests."
Taking the cue, Haru asked, "So, uhh, Natsu, what do you like?"
"When I'm not studying or training, I like to play RPG-type games," Natsu replied, "I prefer playing White Mage characters when it's an option."
"I'd probably be a heavy hitting warrior kind of guy," Haru commented as he started to feel comfortable with the conversation he was having with Natsu.
Continuing, Haru asked, "What games do you play specifically?"
"I play Omega Ruby version and Yo-kai Watch," Natsu answered, "I also have Fantasy Life and Final Fantasy Explorers."
"Really? I play Yo-kai Watch and Alpha Sapphire version," Haru replied, sounding intrigued with the way the conversation was going.
"Really? You play Yo-kai Watch?" Natsu asked.
"Yeah," Haru explained, "My friends and I all have our own copies. We've all beaten the main story, so we're mostly spending our time battling each other on it." Leaning somewhat closer to Natsu, Haru whispered, "Shikaru keeps losing because his little sister insists that he use all of the really cute Yo-kai while she watches."
"Your friend sounds like a really nice guy," Natsu remarked casually, "Maybe I can battle him and the rest of your friends in Yo-kai Watch?"
"Crap, she's taking an interest in other guys," Harold said through the earpiece, "Bring her focus back to you!"
Looking mildly panicked, Haru suddenly said, "You could battle me too! I'm not one to brag, but I've got the most wins between me and my friends! In both Yo-kai Watch AND Alpha Sapphire version!" Natsu had a mildly concerned look on her face, which worried Haru.
But that worry blew over when the young Uzumaki girl asked, "Do ALL of your friends have Alpha Sapphire version?"
Relaxing somewhat, Haru replied, "I think Shibei and Choba both have Omega Ruby version, but the point still stands that I have the most wins overall." Tilting her head slightly to one side, Natsu simply looked at Haru. After a few seconds passed, Natsu gave a closed-eyed smile, which Haru thought was very cute.
"Well then," Natsu declared in a somewhat mischievous manner, "I guess that I'll have to end your win streak."
"Wait, you actually want to play video games with me?" Haru asked, sounding shocked.
"I haven't had much of an opportunity to play around with others in my age group as I was growing up, if truth be told," Natsu admitted, looking somewhat embarrassed, "My mother insisted that I receive private tutoring and training, hence why I've never been enrolled in the Leaf Village Academy. I hardly ever been anywhere other than home or the Hyuga clan estate ever since I was born, mostly because my mother was worried that I'd be bullied or hurt or something along those lines."
"Wow, that sounds like a harsh way to grow up," Haru remarked, then suddenly looked worried that he may have offended the girl he has a crush on.
"I wouldn't exactly call it harsh," Natsu replied, "But I understand what you're trying to get at. Aside from my cousin Tenji, who's about two years or so older than me, the only person I know in my general age group is you. Plus, my father says that he wants me to start socializing, so I figured I could ask you if I can tag along the next time you and your friends play video games."
"Actually, I was planning on meeting up with the guys after I leave the park," Haru stated, "Bankai says that he caught Lugia and super trained it, and now he wants to try and beat me in a battle again. Plus, the guys wanna do more street pass for recruiting Yo-kai via Wayfarer Manor." Addressing Natsu more directly, the young Uchiha boy asked, "You wanna come along?"
"Won't your friends object if you bring me along without informing them beforehand?" Natsu asked, looking mildly concerned.
"Shikaru always brings his little sister along because his mom tells him to," Haru pointed out, "Even though Bankai and Shibei find it irritating. If anything, the guys will be surprised to see a girl in our general age group for a change."
"Well let me just go home and get my games," Natsu replied, "Can I meet you back here so we can go together?"
"I need to get my games as well, so it should work out," Haru replied, "We can meet back here in, say, thirty minutes?"
"Agreed," Natsu replied with a nod, turning to take her leave. After Natsu left the park, Haru walked by the bush where Harold and Inoichi hid. Haru gave the two older men a double thumbs-up, excitedly whispering, "It worked!"
"Top kek!" Harold replied, returning the same gesture to his grandnephew. After Haru took his leave, Harold turned to face Inoichi. "Dude, Cupid better watch out," the older Fisher man said to his best friend, "Because you and I are stealing his thunder as match-makers!"
"Hells yeah, man!" the Yamanaka patriarch replied as he high fived his best friend, "I don't see how this can possible go wrong!"
Later that afternoon, Harold and Inoichi were at the Uchiha residence, talking to Sakura and Ino in the dining room. "So you see, dear," Inoichi said to his adult daughter as he explained something to her, "You can't make Shikaru bring Inohime along all the time when he goes to hang out with his friends. They're boys who are twelve to thirteen years of age, and Inohime is only four-years-old. Why don't you instead-"
*SLAM*
*STOMP STOMP STOMP*
"BANKAI AND SHIKARU ARE JERKS!" Haru exclaimed loudly.
The four adults were startled by the loud noises, and even more by Haru's angry shouting. "Haru, dear, are you okay?" Sakura called out from the dining room in a concerned tone. Sakura's calling out had the effect of summoning a very angry looking Haru to the dining room.
"The video game session with the guys blew up in everyone's faces!" Haru exclaimed. Hearing Haru speaking in an angry tone, along with his demeanor in general, made the two older men look concerned.
"What happened, exactly?" Sakura asked.
"Well I invited Natsu along with me, since she plays two of the same games the guys and I all play," Haru began, "Then she gets into a battle…and that's when things started to go sour."
"Sour…how, exactly?" Ino asked, looking mildly worried.
"First Natsu beats Bankai in a battle in ORAS," Haru replied.
"So Bankai was just being a really sore loser," Sakura said in a dismissive tone, "Granted that's not proper behavior, but it shouldn't be all that bad."
"It actually kinda is," Haru continued, "Natsu didn't just beat Bankai, their battle was a total and complete one-sided slaughter. Natsu swept Bankai's entire party using only her Greninja. Keep in mind that the party Bankai used consisted of five legendaries and a Blaziken which mega evolved."
"Is…that bad?" Harold asked, sounding mildly confused.
"It's VERY bad," Haru explained, "Up until that point, Bankai only ever lost to me, and even then the battles have ALWAYS been close. That was by far the worst loss that any of the guys or I have ever been dealt, and it really got to Bankai."
"What happened next?" Inoichi asked, growing more and more concerned as were the other three adults.
"After a few of the guys and I got some battles in ORAS and Yo-kai Watch in, Shikaru challenged Natsu to a battle in Yo-kai Watch," Haru continued, "He was feeling a little confidant after having beaten Choba in ORAS and Shibei in Yo-kai Watch."
"I'm guessing that his fight against Natsu didn't end well?" Ino inquired.
"Shikaru's strongest Yo-kai is his level seventy-two Venoct," Haru said, "Natsu used an entire party of level ninety-nine Yo-kai. One was Kyubi, another was Shogunyan, a third was an S-rank rare that none of the guys or I even recognized, and the other three were S-rank rare crank-a-kai exclusives." Leaning somewhat towards the adults that were seated at the dining room table, Haru said, "Shikaru…was…CREAMED."
"Ouch, I bet that knocked some change out of his coin purse," Inoichi remarked, sounding mildly pained as he tried sympathizing with Shikaru.
"To make matters worse, Inohime cheered on Natsu whenever she was in a battle," Haru added, "EVERY time. Even when Natsu battled against Shikaru."
"Oh snap!" Harold exclaimed, "To have one's own family cheer against you in a competition! Such a betrayal had to sting!"
"Inohime even started referring to Natsu as 'big sister onee-chan', which ticked Shikaru off slightly," Haru pointed out.
"Aww," Ino remarked, "That sounds so cute!"
Leaning back in her seat a little, Sakura said in a mildly worried tone, "So Natsu's just really good at video games. Given how little time outside Hinata had allowed Natsu to have growing up, I bet the girl's gotten a lot of hours clocked in on her video games."
"That's what Choba and I thought when we watched Natsu's Cruncha take out Shikaru's Venoct," Haru replied, "But Bankai and Shikaru both accused Natsu of cheating."
"My son did WHAT?!" Ino exclaimed.
"Choba, Shibei and I immediately defended Natsu," Haru explained quickly, "And Inohime started to whack Shikaru in the shins with her pony plushy when he and Bankai started to accuse Natsu. But after the accusation started, everything turned to a shouting match, which made Natsu gather up her stuff and run off." Looking somewhat more ashamed, Haru added, "I think that I even saw Natsu crying a little."
"Oh…" the Fisher patriarch said, "…Oh crap."
"What am I going to do NOW?!" Haru nearly exclaimed, "Natsu ran off crying and it's all my fault! She's bound to hate me now!"
"It looks like we need to explain some things to the kids," Inoichi said to the other adults, "You know, smooth some feathers out. Put worries to rest."
"And tell Sakaki what her son had the audacity to do," Ino added in a mildly angry tone, "So she and I can whack our respective sons in the back of their heads at the exact same time."
"Well Inoichi, girls," Harold said to the other adults, "We've…got some explaining to do. Parents are going to want to know what happened exactly and how it happened."
"This is exactly what I was worried would happen!" Hinata exclaimed; she and most of the parents of the kids involved in the incident, along with Harold and Inoichi, as well and Neji and Ko (the latter looking practically the same as he did twenty or so years ago) had gathered to discuss the disastrous video game session in Naruto's office at the Hokage office building. The only adults who weren't present were Kiba's wife Sakaki, Choji's wife and Shino's wife.
"Hinata, please calm down," Naruto replied, looking a little worried, "This was the first time that Natsu had-"
"EXACTLY!" Hinata shouted angrily as she cut her husband off, "Natsu's FIRST TIME outside of the safety of home and the Hyuga clan estate, and others accuse her of cheating, simply because she beat them at video games fair and square!"
"Lady Natsu has never even seen any sort of device for video games that would allow her to do so," Ko said to the adults present, "And refuses to even consider them. She gets that honesty of hers from her father Lord Sixth."
"How did the completely random idea of going to play video games with the boys even enter Hinata's daughter's head in the first place?" Shino asked. Shino, aside from being slightly taller, looked pretty much the same as he did back in his mid to late teens; he was even wearing a size appropriate version of his teenage outfit. Harold and Inoichi exchanged knowing looks before they both stepped forward.
"Umm… Inoichi and I MAY have had a role in this mess," the older Fisher man confessed.
"…What?" Sasuke said, sounding a mix of not believing this and totally expecting this.
"You see, a few days ago, Haru, Shikaru and Bankai came to us," Harold began, "My grandnephew mentioned how Natsu came up to him and his friends, inquiring about the location of two dudes that were related to her."
"That would be Ko and myself, if you're describing the same event that I'm thinking of," Neji interjected.
"Haru pretty much confessed that he fell for the girl at first sight, and proceeded to ask Harold and myself for advice on how to win her over," Inoichi continued, "So we set up a meeting for them in a local park, and through an electronic earpiece, we gave Haru instructions on how to talk to her."
"We actually managed to get Haru to convince Natsu to accompany him to the video game session," Harold added, "And…that's where things must have taken a sour turn."
"Wait wait wait," Sasuke said, "…My son has a crush on Naruto's daughter?"
"Heh, that actually sounds kinda cute," the Lord Sixth remarked in an amused manner.
"I think that there's more serious stuff here to talk about, you two," Ino stated.
"Look," Harold interrupted, "The main point here is that things blew up in faces, and that Inoichi and I, unfortunately, had a role in this mess to play. But we were NOT trying to mess things up! Honest!"
"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," Inoichi declared with his left hand raised and his right hand over his heart, showing, in his own unique way, that he was being as serious as Harold.
"…What he said," Harold said simply, pointing to his best friend.
"So let me get this straight," Hinata said to the two senior men, "My daughter ran home crying earlier today…because YOU TWO managed to get her to step outside of the safety zone I set up for her?!"
"Hinata, dear," Naruto said, "I know you only had Natsu's safety and well-being in mind, but with all due respect, our daughter DESPRATELY needed to learn how to socialize with others her own age."
"Look what happened!" Hinata exclaimed, "She was accused of cheating simply because she won!"
"I'll admit that this was a…disastrous first time," Naruto relented, "But we can't let one bad first day keep us from ever letting Natsu out ever again."
"…I guess you're right, dear," the Uzumaki woman relented finally.
"Firstly," Naruto said to the other adults present, "We clear a few things with our respective children. Let them know that what happened was wrong, why it was wrong, and who's to be blamed. SECONDLY…" The Sixth Lord turned his gaze to Harold and Inoichi before he continued, "…We need to talk about setting up a meeting between kids without first consulting the parents of said kids."
"Are we in trouble, dude?" Harold asked as he leaned to Inoichi and whispered to him.
"I think so, dude," the Yamanaka patriarch replied, whispering in a mildly worried tone.
A few days later, Haru was hanging out with Shikaru, Bankai, Choba and Shibei at the local park; Choba looked like a twelve-year-old Choji save for having the hairstyle of sixteen-year-old Choji, and Shibei was dressed in an exact same manner as sixteen-year-old Shino, save for his hooded jacket being a pale light blue in color. Given how much he was covered, it was hard to tell if Shibei resembled his father in any way. "…So anywho you guys," Shibei said to the other boys, "I did some looking up on the internet, and I found out what that mysterious S-rank rare Yo-kai that was used by that blonde Hyuga girl is called."
"Yeah, what's it called?" Choba asked, "It's been bugging me ever since our game session a few days ago, and it's not like I have the game guide to help me." Before Shibei could go on with his explanation, Natsu came walking up to the boys, albeit hesitantly.
"Umm…hi…" Natsu greeted sheepishly. The boys all replied somewhat sheepishly as well, especially Shikaru and Bankai.
"Yeah…the video game session a few days ago could have ended better," Shikaru remarked, "Sorry about the whole accusing you of cheating thing."
"Yeah, that was my bad as well," Bankai agreed, "I mean, Shikaru and I both lose against the others from time to time, but it was never nowhere NEAR as bad as the beatings we took from you."
"Seriously though, how in blazes did you get so good?" Shikaru asked.
"Since I was hardly ever allowed outside," Natsu explained in an embarrassed manner, "The time I would have spent socializing with others my own age was instead spent clocking in a lot of hours on my games."
"That much is obvious," Choba remarked, "Speaking of, what's that one Yo-kai of yours called? The bug guy with the single long horn and purple armor? Where did you even befriend him? That guy not only hits like a tank, but takes hits as well as one!"
"You mean Hornaplenty?" Natsu replied, "Mount Wildwood mountain trail at night. Scan the treetops."
"Yeah, and that Greninja of yours," Bankai added, "Why the hell did it keep changing its type before any of its attacks went off?"
"Protean," Natsu explained, "Greninja's hidden ability. It changes the Pokémon's type to match that of whatever attack it's using, ensuring that the Pokémon always gets STAB bonus for its attacks."
"You…seem to know a lot about the video games," Shikaru remarked, "Maybe you can help us make some more progress?"
"…You guys promise not to be so mean this time?" Natsu asked, sounding unsure and mildly afraid.
"I'll hit them if they do it again," Haru offered.
"And here we go," Shikaru remarked with a knowing smirk, "The knight in shining armor rides in to defend the princess's honor!"
As the other boys shared a good-natured laugh at the expense of Haru and Natsu ("I'd much rather be a White Mage than a princess," Natsu thought to herself), Harold and Inoichi were watching secretly from a bush a few yards away.
"Well, it looks like things are smoothing out," Harold remarked to Inoichi, "My grandnephew still has a shot at winning over a girl's affections, Lord Sixth's daughter is finally socializing with others in her own general age group, and Lord Sixth won't have our respective asses burned."
"I'm very fond of not having a burned ass, now that you mention it," the Yamanaka patriarch remarked. Turning to face his best friend, Inoichi said, "Would you call this a job well done?"
"Hells yeah, man," Harold agreed, high-fiving Inoichi.
END, CHAPTER FOUR
Author's notes
Sorry about having to take the chapter down briefly; I had to fix something. Also, I apologize for all of the video game references. Hopefully the next chapter will make up for it.
EDIT: I got chapter five done. You can expect it up sometime on 6-1-16.