Author's note: I don't own any of the characters. They belong to Masaishi Kishimoto. The original characters belong to me.

Chapter 9: Getting Along

At a ramen bar, the Village Hidden in the Leaves

Menma was sitting at a ramen bar along with two of his colleagues: Ayumu and Kazue. The three jounins had a nice conversation with each other. They had recently been assigned their own teams and it was a new chapter to them.

"So how are your new students like? Are they listeners or troublemakers or..." Menma asked them while chuckling at the end.

"Still acting like a jester, huh? Well Menma, I could say that my teammates are listeners while yours are troublemakers!" Kazue said sternly while eyeing him.

"Whoa! Slow down, snowball! There's no need to be all analytic upon him! He's just joking!" Ayumu tried to cool her down while calling the young woman her usual nickname.

"I never attack my comrades, Ayumu! I was just pointing out a fact to our so-called "street wise" colleague here" Kazue said. Ayumu chuckled in hearing this.

"Pointing out a fact, you say? When did you become so educational, Kazue? You have never done that to me before!" he remarked, causing Kazue to sigh in irritation.

"Just forget what I said! It's useless trying to explain it all to you! Both you and Menma lack knowledge about the ways of the shinobi!" she grumbled.

"Ahem! Regarding what you said Kazue about my students being troublemakers: while I admit that Nashiko is mischievous, I wouldn't necessarily say that regarding Shunsuke and Takeda. They aren't as childish and brash as her. However, I have a feeling that the young girl will grow up to better understand her surroundings" Menma pointed out to his white-haired colleague.

"Look can we just stop this arguing, please? I swear it nearly makes my head spinning around in circles!" Ayumu tried to stop this.

"I am already calmed down, Ayumu! Why don't you help Menma in doing so?" Kazue asked seriously while watching him.

Ayumu sweat-dropped at that look. "God, I hate it when you do that to me! Don't you have something cuter? Jeez!" he said lowly and decided to switch focus by eating the ramen that had just been served.

"Well…..perhaps we can talk about something else….like the Chuunin Exams. I bet you folks are already looking forward to it, right?" Menma tried to change the subject and asked them about the Exams.

Kazue smirked when he said that. "Finally, we are discussing about more pressing matters. And it's a subject that has been on my mind, lately. I have expressed concern about the Leaf Village hosting the Exams here" she expressed her thoughts to her fellow jounins.

"But for what reason do you have to be concerned about? We have such things in order to foster a better relationship between every hidden village! Everyone who grows up to become ninjas understands this" Ayumu pointed out.

"But you do remember what happened the previous time the Leaf hosted the Exams, do you not?. It was a disaster! The village was caught unguarded by Sound and Sand ninjas. Their combined attack also resulted in the Third Hokage's death" Kazue explained lowly, trying not to provoke her colleague.

"Yes…..I've heard those stories….about how my own grandpa died during the attack….damn it!" Ayumu cursed while staring down towards the table.

Both Menma and Kazue couldn't really blame him for being that way. After all, Ayumu never knew his grandfather, as well as his father. He was only raised by her single mother. Yet, he managed to get on with his life. But Ayumu was known for his difficulty in maintaining relationships with other people in the village. However, both Menma and Kazue were neither interested in dating yet. As they had now become grown ups, they needed to put their personal lives aside for a few periods of time.

"It's getting late now. I'm definitely heading back to my place. Goodnight!" Menma said while waving goodbye. His colleagues did the same thing and went separate ways to their homes.

As Menma walked through the nearly empty streets, he couldn't help but to think about what Kazue said earlier. Truth was he also had worries about this year's exams. He wondered if a second disaster would occur. But he brushed it off, thinking that after what happened many years ago, there was absolutely no way the Leaf Village would allow another fiasco to destroy the exams.

Next day at the Hyuuga household

Hinata wanted to reconnect with her fellow kunoichi's from her generation, so she decided to host a little get-together. She had invited Sakura, Ino, Temari, Tenten and her newfound friend: Asami Nakano. True, Asami was proud of being integrated into this so-called club. She and Hinata became friends quickly. Right now, they were all enjoying themselves in Hinata's living room, while drinking some tea.

"I am so glad all of you could come! It's been a while since we last had a get-together like this. I admit, I really needed it. Hinata said while watching her friends sitting around.

"Oh it's always my pleasure, Hinata! Get-togethers like this are indeed fun to have" Asami said while drinking her tea.

"I'm leaving for the Sand Village in a few hours, but I certainly want to spend the time I've got left with you girls! Besides, I need a break from the daily stress. Working in two different places and being a housewife sure is demanding" Temari stated.

"I agree with you, Temari. It is both demanding and stressful at the same time! I really wish both Lee and Guy could've helped me with house chores more often" Tenten said, feeling slightly resentful that her husband and son were not home so often.

"It's nice to see you again, Hinata! How have you been in the last few months?" Sakura asked Hinata while smiling.

The beautiful Hyuuga sighed deeply. She eyed down towards her cup of tea with a not so happy look on her face. The other women could see this and felt sorry for her. It was obvious that she had been stressing for the last few days.

"Is Kiba doing alright?" Ino asked her with a low voice.

"Ino, don't ask her about that! Such question is very sensitive for her!" Sakura rebuked her blonde-haired rival, who glared at her in return.

"For crying out loud, it was just a normal question, Sakura! Stop overreacting!" Ino told her fellow housewife.

"Stop this bickering, both of you! We are guests here, so cut it out!" Temari came out with a commanding voice, and both Sakura and Ino zipped their mouths.

"You can always speak to us, Hinata. If there's something bugging you, tell us. We are your friends, after all" Asami said lowly while giving her a sympathetic look.

Hinata began slowly lifting her head up. Her expression was still faced with pain and despair. However, she managed to eye her friends.

"I'-its just that….I wish Kiba could s-spend more time with me and our children m-more often. B-but I know how he has been striving to support our family….ever since that d-day" Hinata said worried. Her friends became widened.

"That day, but it happened many years ago! Don't tell me that Kiba still clings to the past! It's completely meaningless!" Tenten expressed her displeasure about Hinata's husband, as well as her former teammate.

"I….I don't know what to say, Hinata. But perhaps Naruto and I could come over at your place and have a chat with you. And of course, Kiba must participate along with you" Sakura suggested.

"I appreciate your offer, Sakura….but you know how relations between our husbands are. They barley see each other eye to eye….and let us not forget about how Naruto sort of….made Kiba depressed that day" Hinata told her. But Sakura stared at her outraged.

"What do you mean by that!? Naruto had nothing to do with it! How can you blame everything on him!?" Sakura asked furiously, causing Hinata to nearly fall from her seat. Most of the other guests did not take kindly to Sakura's behaviour.

"What the hell is your problem, Billboard brow!? You always get pissed off each time someone criticises you or any members from your family! Just show some understanding towards Hinata!" Ino openly expressed her opinion on her rival's aggressive behaviour. She glared at her with a similar look.

"Stay out of this, Ino-pig! And who are you to judge me? Your so-called husband barley spends time with you!" Sakura pointed out, much to Ino's anger.

"You better take that back! No one speaks ill of my family!" Ino roared and prepared to assault Sakura, but she was restrained by Tenten. Sakura was about to do the same thing, but she was restrained by Temari.

"For the last time, stop bickering! Can't you idiots see that Hinata is stressed right now!?" Tenten asked them both angrily.

"Quit your bullshit or get the hell out of here!" Temari barked, this time more irritated and strictly. Both Ino and Sakura stopped, doing that for Hinata's sake.

Hinata was still trying to not get too stressed. She no longer felt the need of having this get-together. She decided to end it with polite words.

"Not to be impolite….but I really need to rest….sorry if this get-together didn't last longer" Hinata said lowly.

"Oh, it's alright, Hinata! We know how you feel. If you wanna get some rest then that's fine by me" Tenten said while trying to cheer her up.

"I think this get-together lasted as long as I wanted it to. I'm not disappointed or anything, Hinata" Asami said with a smile.

"Well, I better get prepared for my job. It was nice speaking to you girls. We should hang out more sometime" Temari said and took her leave.

"Yeah see you Hinata!" Sakura said cheerfully.

"See you soon!" Ino said.

Once the living room was empty, Hinata decided to take a nap on the sofa. She really needed that, for confronting her husband would usually take a lot of energy. She knew that it was also going to be very complicated.

In the Uzumaki household

Nashiko had invited both Takeda and Shunsuke over at her house in order for them to get better acquainted together. While Shunuske was more than happy to oblige, Takeda had his own suspicions. Nevertheless, he decided to join them, as he didn't feel like taking a walk with Arata wouldn't help him cheer up. But Arata did join them and was currently sleeping on the floor.

"This is my room! Pretty neat, huh?" Nashiko asked her teammates who observed her bedroom.

"I think it looks great Nashiko! You are good in cleaning your room, especially when you have guests coming over" Shunsuke remarked while studying how shiny it was.

"That's right! Normally I think cleaning is boring, but mom constantly keeps reminding me that if you have visitors, you must clean up your room" Nashiko nodded with a gleeful smile on her face. Shunsuke chuckled at her while Takeda merely sighed in annoyance. For no reason, he laughed sarcastically while studying Nashiko's bed.

"You gotta be kidding me! What kind of weirdo would sleep with these large red-furred pillows?" he asked while laughing. Nashiko rolled her eyes.

"So you are saying that only you can decide what people should sleep with? Get a hobby, Takedai!" she hit back at the long-haired boy.

"I already have a hobby, which is taking walks with Arata! Do you do anything you like, other than pulling those lame pranks of yours?" Takeda asked, much to the girl's anger. She and the boy kept glaring at each other, much to Shunsuke's distress. But he wanted to ask them about something.

"Hey guys! Not to interrupt you or anything but what do you think of Menma-sensei?" he asked them.

"I think it's so unfair that we are stuck with that old geezer's son!" Nashiko exclaimed while huffing. "But I just have to be patient and see who Menma truly is" she added with a so-called cheerful smile.

"What about you, Takeda?" Shunsuke asked the long-haired boy.

"To be honest….I don't know yet. I do acknowledge him as my sensei, but so far, I haven't seen much of him" he answered his thoughts. "But I am sure that he is capable of guiding us, right Arata?" he added with a question to his dog.

To everyone's surprise, Arata stood by the foot of Nashiko's bed. However, things were not looking pretty. Arata lifted his right leg and peed on it, much to Nashiko's outrage. Shunsuke felt disgusted while Takeshi widened at the dog's actions.

"YOU STUPID MUTT!" Nashiko shouted hysterically and tried to punch Arata, but she was stopped by Takesda's grip.

"Don't punch him! He's just a dog! He doesn't know any better!" Takeda tried to reason with an angry Nashiko.

"YOU'RE BOTH GONNA PAY FOR THIS, TAKEDA!" she shouted angrily while trying to attack his teammate.

Their raven-haired teammate was trembling by seeing this confrontation taking place between Takeda and Nashiko. "Oh man, it's gonna be a long road getting those two together" Shunsuke thought while eyeing his teammates and hiding behind a pile of clothes.

In the streets of Konoha

Inojin was taking a walk alone. He liked doing that, because it was refreshing. He passed by other villagers and didn't seem to pay any attention to them. The young boy didn't feel like conversing with anyone not from his age, except if it was something important. But Inojin was now in deep thought while wandering through the streets.

"I wonder what would've happened if my paternal grandparents were alive today. Would've they actually accepted the marriage between my parents? I don't actually know if they would. All I know is that most villagers of the Leaf don't know the truth about the Uchiha clan. Unfortunately, I have no clue as well" he thought while walking.

He decided to take a break in a corner where he could sit. While watching the movements in the street, Inojin could hear many voices. He was a good listener. But he suddenly heard someone from the other side of the street, near a local ramen bar. Some of the customers who were eating there was to Itachi's surprise speaking about him. They didn't know that he was listening to them, so they carried on with the conversation.

"Is that kid over there what I think it is?" the young asked his companions.

"Yes, it is him. He is one of the spawns of that dangerous Uchiha!" a young woman answered.

"What is he doing there? Just sitting there and disturbing the serenity of this day" another man spoke up while drinking.

"He may be a Yamanaka, but he reeks of Uchiha on the outside! I can't believe that someone would marry a former international criminal!" the woman said.

"I just heard he got into trouble a few days ago. He was starting a fight between himself and two of his classmates. It's just like I'm saying, every Uchiha are born to be killers!" the man with the drink said.

"I just hope those close to Sasuke Uchiha know what they are doing. Just because he aided us in the previous Shinobi World War long time ago, doesn't mean that he is trustworthy" the young man said.

"I agree! Besides, his wife better realize the biggest mistake she ever did. Namely, by giving birth to two destructive time bombs who will eventually end up like their father" the man with the drink said, much to Inojin's anger.

"That florist is probably too ignorant about that fact. I mean, she cuddles them like kittens! What a low-headed moron!" the young man remarked.

Inojin could no longer sit still. He rose up from his seat and walked slowly towards the three customers at the ramen bar. They were too busy to notice him coming towards them. Even now, Itachi could hear them laughing, laughing about him, his twin brother and their mother. They were all badmouthed just because of their relation to his father. Inojin believed that his father's previous actions had nothing to do with them, yet they were still looked down upon by some villagers. The long-haired boy suddenly poked the young man's back. He turned around to see who it was, only to receive a hard punch on his face. He fell on the ground moaning in pain.

"Damn it, kid! What the hell did you do that for!?" the older man with the drink asked while cracking his fists. But he suddenly widened when he realised who it was.

"It's that devil's child! Go away, monster!" the woman suddenly said to Inojin, but the young boy ignored her. His eyes were fixed upon the man.

"I heard everything you said! You say I'm a time bomb!? Well can a time bomb do this!?" he asked angrily and delivered a powerful kick in the man's belly. He nearly fell off the counter but managed to stand where he was.

"You will pay for that, punk!" the young man suddenly shouted and charged towards Inojin with a kunai in his hand. Itachi saw this and dodged his swipe. The young man was good with the kunai, but Inojin was too fast for him. The young boy countered him by using his own kunai.

"You wanna fight, huh!? Oh I will give you one!" the young man said, much to Inojin's anger.

"Then come at me then, coward! Use your own fists! If you have the guts!" Inojin taunted him.

The young man charged towards him with his kunai. He was incredibly fast. Inojin was about to deliver a powerful kick. But all of a sudden, the man stopped charging. He stood in the middle completely motionless. This made him surprised. Inojin however could already see that the man had a jutsu cast upon him. On the other side of the street, Shikaien stood there smirking. Apparently, he was using the Nara clan's well-renowned Shadow Possession Justu. Besides Shikaien, Chouta stood with a worried look on her face.

"What's up, teammate? Need a hand?" he asked smugly while using his technique.

Inojin merely rolled his eyes. "No thank you!" he said sarcastically.

But suddenly he was interrupted by the older man trying to sneak up behind him while holding an empty bottle. It was obvious that he was about to attack Inojin from behind. But the young Uchiha already predicted such attack, so he vanished from his sight. The man with the glass, who swung his weapon the moment Inojin disappeared, managed to hit the young man who was still possessed by Shikaien's jutsu. He fell down on the ground with serious injuries. The older man became hysterical.

But Inojin and his teammates had disappeared from the scene after all this commotion. They were now standing in an alley not far from the street. They sat around in order to converse with each other.

"Why were those men attacking you, Inojini?" Chouta asked concerned. But Inojin only looked away, not being interested in answering.

"C'mon! Stop being such a selfish douche and share your thoughts with us" Shikaien said to him, thus forcing Inojin to give in.

"I assaulted them because they spoke ill of me, Shunsuke and our mother! They claimed we didn't deserve to walk on this world" the young boy answered in his angry but calm tone.

This surprised both Shikaien and Chouta. They didn't realize that among the adults, Itachi and his family were openly spoken ill of. But then again, the Uchiha twins' heritage was taken up at the Academy only once.

"But they can't fault you for being an Uchiha. I mean, you and Shunsuke had nothing to do with your father's previous actions" Chouta explained.

"That's what I have been saying to them for the last 10 years, but it won't help! People still dislike us as much as they dislike HIM!" Inojin angrily said.

"Chill out, partner! I have you know that they may hate your family, but there are some who don't" Shikaien explained.

"Huh? If you say so…..then which people is it?" Inojin asked lowly while being interested in what Shikaien just said.

"Lots of people like you, including me, Shikaien, Nashiko and Minami!" Chouta answered with a smile. This surprised Inojin. "Besides, how can we hate Shunsuke or your mother? He is a gentle soul. And your mother is both hardworking and caring. But we don't know much about your father, though" Chouta added.

"And don't forget about Ayumu-sensei! We all know that he has faith in his students, including you Inojin" Shikaien said. "I mean, he may be some kind of jackass but he is a good teacher" the punkish boy added with a smirk.

Inojin knew that these words were true. Perhaps for the first time in his life…someone wasn't ashamed of his existence. It didn't take long before a soft smile was formed upon his face, which was surprising for his teammates, given the fact that he rarely smiled.

To be continued...

Author's note: That was chapter 9! Hope you enjoyed meeting their jounins. These are all non-canon so don't freak out or something.