Well, hello again! And, yeah, I know it's been a while since the last update and that's my fault. I got lazy, but anyways…how'd you like the last chapter? Eh? Anyway, here's the next chapter. And the disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, I'd give it back. Just 'cause. And yay! 10,000 views total!

Chapter 11

Naruto gazed through his bedroom window at the downcast sky, the dread of something unknown writhing in his gut. He frowned, a muscle in his jaw twitching. 'What's this feeling? Hell, today's a day off! So why do I feel…uneasy?' He got up from his bed and pulled on a pair of pants before padding into the kitchen.

He scrunched his nose as he considered the prospect of eating. His stomach felt far too twisted for it, not to mention he needed to buy more milk. The date on the carton was from a couple weeks ago. He settled for a small granola bar, which were slowly becoming an everyday thing in his hurried life. He went back into his room and threw the closet door open, munching on the bar while leaning against the doorjamb.

He had thrown the jacket with the ripped sleeve into the dirty clothes pile, and for now he needed a replacement. He'd buy another either today or tomorrow. He eyed over the couple of jackets that his closet had, and grinned when as his eyes reached a particular one. He took it out and pulled it on, noting that this jacket had grown a bit small on him.

He looked out the window again. It certainly was cloudy, but the sky didn't look as if it were about to rain. The blonde nodded to himself, and left the apartment, making sure to lock the door behind him. Naruto hurried down the stairs and began to walk toward the Academy.

'Wonder if I'll see anyone I know,' he thought, sticking his hands in the pocket of the jacket. Naruto turned a corner and walked straight into a green figure about his height. "Hey! Watch out!" he said, sidestepping.

"Naruto-san! How have you been?" asked the figure, Naruto recognizing it as Lee.

"Fine, but, uh, you look like crap, Lee." The boy grinned widely. His jumpsuit had several rips in various places, and dirt was smudged all over it. Even Lee's face was smeared with dirt. "God, what the hell happened to you?"

"My team and I went on a mission, border patrol, to be exact. We encountered more than we expected, to say the least," explained Lee simply, "We just arrived back, and I would like to get a shower or a bath."

Naruto chuckled. "You go and do that, Lee. You need it." He clapped the boy on the back, and Lee nodded tiredly. He trudged around the corner, and Naruto looked down at the jacket he'd chosen. 'Man, he didn't notice it? He must be really tired.' Naruto turned a corner and saw the Academy wall. The blonde could hear the thunk! of shuriken on wood as he neared.

He hopped on top of the wall and sat down, hanging his legs off the edge. A group of students much younger than him were throwing shuriken at trees. They stood in circles that marked off the distance. Naruto frowned slightly as he scanned the unfamiliar faces of the kids, but smiled as he landed on a familiar one: Touza.

The boy's small face was focused and solemn, brows coming together as he contemplated. Naruto leaned forward; Touza had never asked for help in weapons and so the blonde didn't know how well he could handle himself. Touza drew back his hand, which held a shuriken, and seemed to nod himself. A quick fling of the arm and the shuriken was sent whistling toward the tree.

Naruto eyes followed it, and he winced as it nicked the side and went awry.

"That will not do, Touza-san!" barked an older man with hard eyes and graying hair. He marched over to Touza, who shrank back. "I demand perfection!" shouted the man, "Every one of your peers can hit that tree, and I expect the same!" Naruto scowled at the man who he took as the sensei. "Now do it again!"

Touza nodded ashamedly and reconsidered the tree. He reached back and took a shuriken from a holster provided for him, and slowly drew it back. Naruto could now see his grip on the weapon needed to be looser and that Touza extended his arm out to the side too far. 'Why doesn't the sensei correct him?' Another fling of the arm, and the shuriken completely missed.

"How do you expect to be a ninja, Touza-san?" demanded the man, "You can't even hit a tree, for God's sake!" The boy looked at the ground, but the man stepped in front of him. "Listen here, brat! You better learn how to throw a damn shuriken fast, or I'll take you out of the Academy!"

Touza's eyes widened, and unknown to him or the man, Naruto's hackles rose. Touza argued weakly, "But, Kitame-sensei, you can't-,"

"I can and I will if you don't get it together!" interrupted the man, jabbing at finger at the boy, "You may have gotten better at taijutsu, but you're not out the woods yet!" He stomped away, muttering darkly. Touza's shoulders dropped as he raised his head to look at tree. He let out a choked breath but steeled himself, a reluctant tear falling as he began to practice.

'That bastard!' thought Naruto angrily, teeth grinding, 'How can he call himself a teacher!? I'm gonna go to his room as soon as-,'

"Naruto-san?" said a deep voice.

"What?" snapped Naruto, twisting around. Tomitsu raised his eyebrows. "Oh, sorry," apologized the blonde gruffly.

"Have I come at a bad time?" asked Tomitsu, and then he noticed the jacket, "Naruto-san?"

"Yeah?"

"May I ask what you are wearing?" Naruto grinned and took off his old 'kill-me-now' orange jacket.

"Like it?" he asked, shaking it at the samurai.

"Do you want my honest opinion, Naruto-san?"

"Sure."

"It is a bit colorful for my tastes," answered Tomitsu, "but then you are a colorful and energetic person, are you not?"

"Yep! But I kinda like my other black one. It's bigger than this one," admitted Naruto, "It's just this is kinda like an old friend."

"So where is the black jacket of yours?"

"Well, it got tore in my last mission. You wanna hear how?"

"Why not?" said Tomitsu, crossing his arms. Naruto grinned and recounted the tiger attack, looking expectantly at the young samurai as he finished.

"Well?"

"Thrilling tale, Naruto-san, but may I ask a question?"

The blonde blinked. "Uh, sure."

"Who is this 'teme' person?" Naruto furrowed his brow, but after a second threw his head back in laughter. Tomitsu gave the blonde a quizzical look. "What? Did I say something?"

Naruto shook his head and wiped his eyes. "No, but, God, that was funny. I didn't tell you who the teme of my team was," he jumped down from the wall, "though you can probably guess who."

Tomitsu frowned, but then smiled amusedly. "Neji-san, I presume?"

The blonde grinned mischievously. "Yep!" He turned to leave. "Hey, it's been nice seeing ya, but I gotta go train or something. Kinda bored right now." He rounded a corner, but halted when he felt something zipping by him. Tomitsu stepped in front of him; Naruto, for some reason, wasn't surprised. "Yeah?"

The young samurai cocked an eyebrow, but said, "May I join you in training? I am, as you say, bored." Naruto frowned, but shrugged. "To where, Naruto-san?"

"Training Ground 44," he answered, a playful grin spreading across his face, "Race ya." Tomitsu smiled knowingly for a second, confusing the blonde, before he disappeared in a dark blur. He reappeared at the end of the street, and gestured mockingly toward Naruto, aggravating him. "Hey, you got a head start!" shouted the blonde.

"I simply went on your word, Naruto-san," called Tomitsu, "Now let us see who's faster." He blurred off again, Naruto in hot but futile pursuit.

The blonde ran into the center of clearing in Training Ground 44, and looked around wildly. "Hey, Tomitsu, c'mon out! I know you're here!...I think," he shouted, and silence was his answer. "That jerk," he muttered, backing into a tree. He stuck his hands in his pockets, waiting.

"Naruto-san, it would be nice if you could kindly remove your foot from my toes," growled the tree. Naruto stiffened. He slowly turned and lifted his eyes up, meeting Tomitsu's own slightly irritated ones.

"AHH!"

After Naruto's feet had once again touched the ground, Tomitsu chuckled to himself. "I did not mean to startle you, Naruto-san," he apologized, smiling happily at the blonde, who glared at him. "I'm not lying."

"My ass," retorted Naruto heatedly, "You totally meant to do that!" Tomitsu held up his hands defensively, but still wore the amused smile. The blonde kept glaring at him, but let it slide. "Now, that you're done having your fun, whatcha want to do first?"

Tomitsu considered it. "How about," he began, "a friendly spar?"

"I got a better idea," suggested Naruto, "how about we warm up first?"

"Warm up?"

"Y'know, stretch?"

"Oh, do you do that during your team training, Naruto-san?"

"Yeah, you're supposed to," said Naruto slowly, "You don't?"

"No. Anko-sensei simply releases her summons on us without warning. There is no time for warm-ups."

"That's…harsh."

Tomitsu shrugged. "That's how my team works."

Naruto sighed and scratched the back of his head thoughtfully. "Well, okay then. I guess…no warm-ups?"

Tomitsu shrugged again. "The decision is yours, Naruto-san."

Naruto tapped his chin, and a sneaky idea floated around his mind. He resisted the urge to grin impishly, and instead nodded. "Alright, no warm-ups, let's-," He dashed toward the young samurai mid-sentence, hoping to surprise him. Tomitsu's eyebrows went up, but he disappeared in a blur for the third time. "God-," huffed Naruto, stopping at where the samurai once was.

"Good attempt, Naruto-san," said Tomitsu, his voice drifting down to the blonde. He looked up. The young samurai was leaning leisurely against a tree trunk, the branch he was standing on ten feet in the air. "Though you will need to do better than that." The blonde grinned and launched a kunai at him while at the same time tensing to jump.

The kunai sliced through the air, the tip coming closer and closer to Tomitsu. He observed it curiously, even tilting his head to the side. An inch before the tip pierced his chest, he vanished. He reappeared about twenty feet from Naruto, back to him.

"Yah!" howled Naruto, pouncing. Tomitsu stood still as the blonde flew toward him, fist cocked for a punch. "Take this!" He attempted a punch to Tomitsu's head, but a hand stopped him. The blonde's eyes bugged; the young samurai had reached behind him and grabbed his arm in an iron grip, all without looking.

"My reflexes are sharp, Naruto-san," said Tomitsu without turning, "And they grow sharper every day." The muscles in his arms flexed, and Naruto felt himself being flung into the air. He flipped and caught himself, sliding backward and now facing the samurai. Tomitsu crossed his arms. "My turn."

He bolted toward Naruto, who flew through handsigns frantically. As he reached the last sign, Tomitsu's hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. The other hand punched at the blonde, who twisted to the side. Naruto jabbed at him, but Tomitsu sidestepped, grinning smugly.

He released Naruto's wrist to draw back a fist, but Naruto seized his fist and punched him in the stomach, and then kicked him away. Tomitsu's feet left the ground, but he immediately recovered, laying a hand on the handle of his katana, the grin gone and eyes thoughtful. "H-hey, Tomitsu. Don't you dare pull that damn-," started Naruto.

He heard the slither of the metal before he saw the blade. Naruto bent backward, Tomitsu's blade passing within millimeters of his face, reflecting his shocked, grimacing expression. "Goddammit, Tomitsu!" shouted the blonde, jumping backward into a tree. "Put that thing away before you kill someone!"

Tomitsu straightened and tilted his head to the side quizzically. "Did I do something wrong?"

"Wrong!?" repeated Naruto, "You nearly took off my head!"

"This is a spar, Naruto-san."

"Exactly!"

"I do not understand," said the young samurai simply.

"I mean you don't pull out your damn sword to kill me, dammit!"

Tomitsu frowned. "Are you not accustomed to real world exercises?" he asked.

Naruto jumped back down. "No, never heard of 'em."

Tomitsu began to explain, "It is an exercise in which the participators do not hold back their strength, and use all at their disposal to defeat their opponents, even if-,"

"So basically it's a fight to the death," cut in Naruto shortly.

Tomitsu shrugged. "If that explanation suits you, then yes."

"So, you're asking me if I'm used to getting within a hair's width from dying, right?"

"Yes, Naruto-san."

"Then…NO! What kind of crazy person does that!?"

"Anko-sensei and we engage into real world exercises every day, and so far no one has been killed."

Naruto snorted. "So far."

Tomitsu smiled sheepishly. "Admittedly, we've had painful gashes, broken bones, and nightmares, but nothing life-threatening."

"I could not train with you lunatics," said Naruto flatly, shaking his head, "Not sure I want to spar with you." Tomitsu responded by unstrapping the katana and its sheath and throwing them to the side. He looked to the blonde expectantly. The blonde sighed. "Well, have at me then."

A straight hour of hard fighting and dodging was in store for him. Tomitsu's taijutsu was speed- and strength-based, much like Naruto's, but it seemed designed to keep the enemy at a certain distance. Tomitsu, being about a foot taller than the blonde, had a definite advantage, but Naruto still gave him a hell of a time with his speedy, unpredictable style.

After a flurry of punches delivered by the blonde, all of which were blocked or avoided, the two parted. Tomitsu, to Naruto's slight surprise, was panting heavily, but kept his composure. He himself was barely winded. The blonde grinned at the young samurai. "Tired already?" he teased, "This is just my warm-up!"

Annoyance flicked across Tomitsu's face, and he vanished from the spot. "Not thi-," began Naruto, but was interrupted by Tomitsu, who appeared behind him. Naruto tried to spin and punch at him, but the other grabbed his chin with one hand and put the other on top of his head.

"You lose, Naruto-san," said Tomitsu, "Do you understand what I am able to do now?" Naruto nodded, not moving; it wasn't his wish to die. "Alright, I will release you…now." Tomitsu pushed the blonde away, making him stumble slightly. The samurai smiled as Naruto spun to glare at him.

"As usual, overkill," mumbled Naruto, rubbing his neck, "I swear training with you is like balancing over a pit of spikes. One friggin' wrong move and, boom, I'm about an inch from death."

"However, if you made a wrong move over a spike pit," corrected Tomitsu, "The distance from death would not matter."

"Ah, shut up."

Tomitsu chuckled, and Naruto fought the urge to throw something at him, preferably something big or sharp. "You are entertaining, Naruto-san," said the samurai, picking up his katana, "You never seem to tire of being sarcastic." He strapped it to his sash and looked to Naruto.

The blonde, with a thoughtful expression, asked, "Hey, how do you go that fast, Tomitsu?"

"It is a technique called Flash Step, Naruto-san."

"So you use ninjutsu?"

Tomitsu hesitated. "No, I do not use ninjutsu."

Naruto creased his brow. "Why not? Isn't Flash Step ninjutsu? And how'd you graduate the Academy?"

The samurai explained, "They altered the exam, replacing the ninjutsu with kenjutsu, and, as for your first question, Flash Step is a technique invented by samurais, not ninjas, and I only use techniques as ninjutsu is forbidden by my bushido."

"Bushido?"

"The code that dictates how I fight and live," he paused, "May I ask a question now?"

Naruto nodded, done with his own questions. "Sure, knock yourself out. And I mean it literally."

Tomitsu ignored the comment and asked, "Do you know of any blacksmiths in the village?"

Naruto blinked several times in confusion. He considered it. "Uh…not off the top of my head," he replied, "Can I ask why?"

Tomitsu pointed to his forearms. "Do you remember my armguards?"

"Yeah, sorta."

"They broke during the mission, and I require replacements. That is all."

Naruto was quiet as he took in the statement. "Well, looks like that it was one helluva mission, Tomitsu, and that you're extremely unlucky," he remarked, "Lee's messed up, and your armguards broke. What happened to Yakumo?"

"She's well. Her kimono may have a few rips, but it pales in comparison to Lee. No one was injured, however."

Naruto shook his head in disbelief. "I don't know how that's possible. Lee got rips everywhere and he still wasn't hurt?"

"Well, when I mean no one was injured, I mean no one was seriously injured," amended Tomitsu, getting an eye roll from the blonde.

"Sometimes, Tomitsu, sometimes I just wonder."

"About what, Naruto-san?"

"Nothing, and as for the blacksmith, maybe TenTen'll know something." Naruto walked out of the clearing, motioning for Tomitsu to follow. They walked out the Training Grounds and back into the main part of the village, Naruto scanning the crowd for TenTen and regretting his earlier rash decision. He had no earthly idea where she lived.

After fifteen minutes of wandering around, Tomitsu voiced his thoughts, "Naruto-san, we've passed by the same fruit stand ten times. I am starting to wonder if you know where TenTen lives or is."

"We're fine!"

"May I ask for directions?"

"No!"

"Why?"

"Because…just because!" said Naruto snappishly.

Tomitsu ignored him and turned to talk to a teenage girl about two years older than him. "Ma'am, do you perhaps know where the Jinta residence is located?" The girl, blushing brightly, answered and pointed in the completely opposite way Naruto had been going. "Thank you." He looked meaningfully at the blonde, who stuck out his tongue. "You, Naruto-san, are childish."

They walked for ten minutes, Naruto silently fuming. Tomitsu halted, the blonde running into the back of him, and looked to the side. Naruto followed his gaze and saw a sizable sign that read Jinta Weapons. "TenTen lives in a weapon shop?" said Naruto, accidentally thinking aloud, "Man, she's hardcore."

Tomitsu turned to Naruto, and considered him for a minute. "Sometimes, Naruto-san, I do not know if you are a genius, a dimwit, or both. You certainly have your share of moments."

Naruto grinned and scratched the back of his head. "Weeell, I'm just unique, that's all."

"So very unique indeed." Tomitsu pushed the door open and entered the shop, Naruto following hesitantly. Inside, TenTen and surprisingly Yakumo, who wore a simple blouse and pants, were chatting amiably at a small table set off to the side. They had leaned forward and were whispering, giggles escaping them after every whisper. TenTen looked up and saw Naruto, who waved.

"Hey, TenTen!"

"Blondie!" She tackled the blonde and gave him a noogie, Naruto trying to escape her grip. "Take it, blondie!"

"Gerroffme!" grunted Naruto, extracting himself, "Man, you're energetic today. Did you have caffeine this morning?"

"Hell yeah!" shouted TenTen, pumping her fist. Yakumo waved at Tomitsu.

"Hi, Tomitsu."

He nodded. "Hello, Yakumo-san. It is a surprise seeing you at a weapons shop."

She smiled. "I met TenTen, and she invited me to her house-,"

"AHA!" yelled Naruto, "I knew it! You live in a weapons shop, TenTen!"

She knocked him on the head. "Idiot. Who lives in a shop?"

"You apparently," retorted the blonde, rubbing the rapidly forming knot.

"What gave you that idea?"

"The damn sign outside!" As the two began to argue, Tomitsu shook his head in amusement.

"I do not know if they are sworn enemies or close friends," he commented.

"They always get into arguments," said Yakumo, "Or at least that's what TenTen says." They listened to the argument, which slowly fizzled out as the two lost interest in the subject. Naruto craned his neck to take in all of the shop.

"So…your parents own this?" he asked.

"Yeah, told ya before."

"When!?"

"About five seconds ago," she said, "We live upstairs." She pointed up at the ceiling.

"As if I'm supposed to remember that," mumbled Naruto. His eyes landed on a giant axe. "Sheesh, your parents must be psycho to sell this thing." TenTen, strangely, began to giggle as he said that, and both Tomitsu and Yakumo had secret grins.

"Uh," TenTen managed through the giggles, "You might to say something else."

"What? That your parents are psycho? And what's so-," A throwing dagger landed right between Naruto's feet, and he froze as he heard deep chuckling behind him. He slowly turned, and saw a burly man with dirty-blonde hair and brown eyes grinning wickedly at him.

"I'd follow TenTen-chan's advice and say somethin' else, blondie," he said, tossing and catching another knife, " 'Cause I agree with her. I'm a bit psycho sometimes." Naruto sputtered dumbly for a minute, TenTen coming to his aid, if a bit late.

"Hey, Tou-san. Don't try to kill every one of my friends, y'know."

"Looky here, TenTen-chan," said the man, pointing the knife at her, "I held back for your boyfriend 'cause he had an excuse-,"

"TOU-SAN!" shouted TenTen indignantly.

"Boyfriend?" chirped Yakumo, "You never said anything-,"

"It's nothing, Yakumo!"

Her father snorted. "He came to the house carrying you in his arms. It's certainly somethin'."

"Ohhh, TenTen," said Yakumo, nudging TenTen, "Who is it?"

"He's a-," began her father.

"Tou-san, sh!" ordered TenTen desperately, but Naruto finished his sentence, barely holding back laughter.

"It's the teme! Neji's her man!" he shouted, finally giving up to the laughter. He rolled around on the floor, roaring. Yakumo gasped and covered her mouth, eyes on a furious TenTen, who growled and launched herself at the blonde. Tomitsu cocked an eyebrow but didn't comment. He turned to TenTen's father.

"As TenTen-san is occupied as of now, are you able to aid me, sir?"

The man shrugged. "Sure. The name's Misuro. What do you need?"

As the two talked, the scuffle between Naruto and TenTen intensified, grunts and hisses escaping the tangled mass of arms and legs. Yakumo tried to separate them, but TenTen apparently was trying to choke the blonde while at the same time pulling out every one of his hairs. They rolled around, bumping into the wall, TenTen swearing as Naruto's elbow buried itself in her stomach.

"C'mon, guys," Yakumo said, attempting to pry TenTen's hands away, "You'll get in trouble if you keep fighting!" They ignored her and kept bumping into the wall. Yakumo looked pleadingly at Tomitsu, but he was busy talking with Misuro. "Tomitsu! Do something!"

He turned to look at the pair on the floor, and then looked at Yakumo. "I would suggest using your genjutsu to frighten them into separating. You certainly terrify your enemies." He turned back to Misuro. She glared at his back, but sighed and formed a handsign. A stomping from a door off to the side interrupted her concentration, and a small woman entered the room.

"Misuro?" she asked, "Are you fighting the customers again?" Misuro was too engrossed in his conversation to hear, but he didn't need to worry; she'd seen TenTen wrestling and winning against Naruto. "TenTen-chan! Get off of that boy!" They froze and looked at her guiltily, and then parted. "Now what was that about, children?" asked the woman, putting her hands on her hips.

"Well, Kaa-san," tried TenTen, grinning sheepishly, "Me and Naruto were just playin' around, y'know? No harm done."

"Just playing around!?" demanded Naruto, "You tried to kill me!"

"Shut it, Naruto!"

"Just telling the truth here!"

"I don't care!"

"Well, you should!"

"Nu-uh!

"Uh-huh!

"Nu-uh!"

"Uh-huh!"

"Quiet!" yelled TenTen's mother, the two of them clamping their mouths shut. "How did this start?" she asked calmly.

"He told everyone about that day," stated TenTen huffily, pointing at Naruto.

"Well, I didn't bring it up! That's your dad's fault! I just finished his sentence!" At this, TenTen's mother looked inquiringly at Misuro, who raised his head at the feel of her gaze.

"What, Yuki-chan?"

"Did you really bring up that day?" she asked, a dangerous quietness to her voice.

"Well, uh," he stammered, swinging a hammer and nearly hitting Tomitsu, "You see, I didn't mean to, it just kinda came out, Yuki-chan. And I wasn't going to tell all of it-,"

"Yes, you were, Tou-san. He almost told about who, erm, took me home," interjected TenTen. Misuro gestured frantically for her to be quiet, but Yuki had still heard. She smiled frostily at her husband.

"Could we talk in private for a minute, Misuro-kun?" she asked, going through the door she'd exited earlier and up the stairs behind it. Misuro looked pleadingly at them as he followed her. They were silent for a moment, and eventually Naruto piped up,

"Is he going to be alright?" TenTen grinned and punched him on the arm.

"Yeah, they never argue. More than likely they're making out up there."

Naruto shook his head at the mental image. "Too much information, TenTen."

"How long will they…show their passion for each other?" asked Tomitsu, annoyance evident, "I still need to specify details of my order."

"What do you mean, Tomitsu?" said Naruto, "I thought that you needed a blacksmith."

"I do, and Jinta-san fortunately is a blacksmith. My day has been quite productive, I must say."

"Your dad makes things?" asked Naruto, turning to TenTen.

"Yep. One of the best blacksmiths in the Land of Fire too."

"God, what else don't I know?"

"A lot of things, Naruto, a lot more than anyone else."

The blonde glowered. "Nice way of calling me stupid." He rolled his shoulders and exhaled. "Well, it's been nice seeing you, but I'm gonna go and-,"

"BUGA-WUGA-WUGA!"

"SON OF A-!" Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin, and turned to see a grinning Touza. "God, Touza! Quit scaring me!" Tomitsu had laid a hand on his sword as soon as he had sensed the boy, but now frowned slightly; he hadn't heard the shop door open or even the boy creeping. Yakumo likewise thought the same.

"What, Naruto-san?" chipped Touza happily, "Something wrong?"

"I nearly had a heart attack 'cause of you!"

"Who, me? Nah, you got me confused for someone else," said Touza, the grin still on his face. Naruto gave him a deadpan expression, but then grinned and ruffled his hair. "Hee-hee, gotcha good, huh, Naruto-san?" Touza asked.

"Sure did, Touza," admitted Naruto, "Like you usually do. Now, whatcha want to do today?" Naruto partially hoped that Touza himself would bring up the subject of weapon training, but his next words quickly disabused him of that hope.

"Well, can we train with taijutsu again? That'd be real fun, and Kitame-sensei even says that I'm better at it!"

Naruto blinked. 'Sure has an odd way of showing, doesn't he.' The blonde smiled slightly, and leaned close, lowering his voice to a whisper. "I was there at the Academy this morning. How's the shuriken-throwing going?" Touza visibly paled but grinned as if he knew nothing.

"Whatcha mean by that, Naruto-san? My shurikens are always spot-on." Unconsciously, Touza had also dropped his voice, the both of them barely talking above a whisper.

"Kitame yelled at you, didn't he? Told you if you couldn't throw a shuriken right, he'd throw you out, didn't he?" Touza's face became stony and he looked away, crossing his arms stubbornly. "Am I right?"

"Yeah, but I don't believe 'im. It's not fair that way," Touza said.

"Wouldn't be safer to actually practice?"

"Who's gonna teach me? You're good, Naruto-san, but you're not good with shuriken."

To this, Naruto merely grinned knowledgeably, and looked to TenTen. "Hey, TenTen, got a favor to ask." TenTen, who had been talking again with Yakumo, perked up.

"Yeah?"

"Could you work with Touza here? He needs help with shurikens."

"I don't need help, Naruto-san! I'm fine," argued Touza.

"Sure you are, little buddy," said Naruto, clapping him on the back. TenTen smiled playfully at the small boy.

"If you wanna practice, Touza, the targets are out back." She made as if to walk out a door behind the counter, but her parents now decided to stumble down the stairs, Yuki straightening her clothes while giggling at a madly grinning Misuro.

"Man, was that conversation fun!" shouted Misuro, apparently forgetting he had company. Yuki poked him in the side, still giggling. "Whew, that conversation could've never stopped . Wish it hadn't." He threw an arm around her shoulder and laughed. TenTen was frozen in horror, a red blush brightening her face. Touza cocked his head to the side.

"What did you talk about, mister?" he asked innocently. Misuro and Yuki froze, and as they looked sidelong at Touza, their faces grew red to outshine even the brightness of TenTen. "And why are you so red?" added Touza.

"Uh-uh-uh-uh," stumbled Misuro, looking at Yuki who had hid her face. "We, uh, talked about…," he scrambled for answer, "PEANUTS!" he suddenly yelled, gesticulating wildly in the air, "VERY BIG, VERY TASTY-,"

"Alrighty, Touza, let's get to that training, why don't we?" said TenTen, grabbing the confused boy and dragging him out the door.

"-PEANUTS!"

Naruto was grunting at the effort of restraining his mirth, biting his lip. Yakumo had gone a light shade of pink, and Tomitsu's face was twitching, with annoyance or humor no one could tell. Yuki had disappeared, presumably upstairs, and Misuro walked back behind the counter and leaned awkwardly against it.

Naruto squeaked as some of his laughter escaped him, and he quickly ran outside and hopped on top of the roof, and then let loose a peal of pent-up laughter. Several people stopped and looked at him oddly, but shook their heads in exasperation as they recognized the blonde hair.

Eventually the blonde stopped, and he laid there staring at the sky, a grin on his face. He watched the clouds go by, picking out shapes. As he lay there, a thought crossed his mind, 'Wonder how teme's doing? Don't feel like visiting him, but I still feel this…dread.' Indeed, the dread from this morning had not lessened due to the light-hearted events of the afternoon.

Another thought crossed his mind, 'Man, TenTen didn't notice my jacket. Phooey this thing.'

The funeral was three days later.

The sky had not cleared since Kinami's death, and now a deluge of water fell from the sky. Neji was near some of Kinami's relatives, none of whom he knew. They had tried to comfort him, but he had shaken them off. "I do not require comfort," he'd say.

He stood at the foot of the hole dug for his mother's graze, staring down sightlessly at the bottom. Neji could hear the cries of Kinami's relatives, the reoccurring moan. He clenched his fists. 'They know nothing of Kaa-san. Where were they at Tou-san's funeral? Where were they when Kaa-san was sick? Their grievances are false.'

The clopping of hooves interrupted his mental tirade. A cart drawn by half-starved horses pulled up next to the grave, and five Branch Family servants jumped down. They looked to Neji, who came over and helped to lower Kinami's coffin to the platform that would lower her into her final resting place. Before she was laid to rest, however, Neji opened the top-half of the coffin and took Kinami's hand in his.

"Rest in peace, Kaa-san," he whispered, kissing it. He heard shouts of disapproval from Kinami's family, but with an icy knife-like glance they were quieted. Neji closed the casket, and motioned for the servants to lower it. It softly touched the ground, sending up a small splash of mud. The servants moved to the pile of dirt, but Neji put a hand out to stop them. "I will do it."

"But, Neji, you don't know-,"

"Hand me a shovel."

Neji buried Kinami, shovelful of dirt by shovelful. Not one of Kinami's relatives offered to help, and they eventually moved on. He took this as a sign of their uncaringness, their apathy toward the entire affair. At about halfway, Neji felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder. "Let me finish the burial, Neji-san. You need not catch a cold." Neji looked behind him and his eyes alighted upon Hyoto.

Neji was silent for a moment before answering, "Please let me finish, Hyoto-sensei. She would want this."

"I do not think Kinami-san would want her genius to become ill, would she not?"

"No, but this is…important. Let me finish."

"Then let me help." Hyoto grabbed a shovel left by the servants, and began to work alongside Neji. For an hour they worked, relentlessly and silently. As the last of the dirt was put onto the grave, Hyoto straightened and wiped the sweat and rain from his eyes. "We are done, Neji-san. Let us take cover from this rain."

Neji shook his head. "I'll stay. You can turn in, but I will not." He planted the shovel next to Kinami's grave and knelt. He read her gravestone, aloud "Here lies Kinami Hyuuga, a much beloved mother and wife whose memory will never fade into nonexistence." He had picked out the words himself, and spent the majority of his savings for it.

"A memorable choice of words," remarked Hyoto.

Neji acknowledged the compliment with a nod, and stuck his hands in his pockets to indicate that the conversation had reached its end. Hyoto faded into the rain, and Neji stood at his mother's grave, mourning mutely, and his tears mixed into the rain, tears he had been shedding the entire time. He heard someone approach him from behind.

"Hyoto-sensei, I have not changed my mind. I am staying." The person did not answer, but did stop short of Neji, who turned to see who it was.

Neji's eyes narrowed dangerously as he spoke through gritted teeth, "Hinata-sama, pleasure seeing you here." It was indeed the Hyuuga heiress, who carried one flower, a lily, Kinami's favorite.

"I'm only here to pay m-my respects," Hinata said, "Kinami-san was my aunt, and a sweet person well-liked among the Main Family-,"

"And yet the Main Family did nothing as she lay in bed dying!?" he demanded, suddenly angry, "They cared as much for her as they did for my father! Do not mention even the word respect! The Main Family isn't worthy!" Hinata looked hurt, and Neji bit his tongue. "I am sorry, Hinata-sama. I merely lost my temper and misspoke."

"No. No, you didn't, Neji-kun," whispered Hinata, "You meant every word, and I am sorry for you."

Neji's lip curled. "I do not need your pity nor do I want it. You do not know the pain of losing a family member-,"

Hinata unexpectedly snapped, "That's not true! My mother died when I was five! I do know that pain, and it still hurts everyday!"

"Yet that pain is nothing compared to mine, as my bond with my mother was far stronger than yours, Hinata-sama," snarled Neji, not caring that this blatant disrespect carried a harsh penalty, "Pain is foreign to you, as is the concept of suffering, like the suffering I will endure because of the Main Family." He spat the last words as if they were a poison.

Hinata clenched her fists, ready to attack him, but abruptly, she relaxed. A sad expression crossed her face. "Neji-kun-,"

"Do not call me that!"

"-how far down has this grief driven you? Why this sudden hate toward the Main Family?"

"It's always been there, lingering in the recesses of my mind," said Neji coldly, "but this has thrown fuel onto the fire that is my hate." He walked away without saying another word, leaving Hinata in the rain. She watched his vanishing figure, and sighed. She knelt by the grave, and laid the lily upon the freshly turned earth.

Hinata clasped her hands together and bowed her head. "May you watch over Neji-kun, Kinami-san."

Well…what'd you think? And if you have any remarks or notice any mistakes, let me know. I finish the story while reviewing mentally, so I change that all needs to be changed at the end. I tend to forget things. So…just review or something. And by the way…PEANUTS!

Alrighty, if you've gotten this far, then congrats, you've survived the onslaught of my OCs that people claim I have. I admit that there are more OCs in my story than I originally intended, and so I'll make a list of them and my opinions of them.

Tomitsu-Like him. Not going to get rid of him anytime soon or ever.

Touza-Knee-jerk reaction, but the little guy has grown on me. He's staying.

Kinami-Well, she's gone, and I thought Neji could use a mother...even though she was short-lived.

Hyoto-Eh, needed, but I could've gone more general. Anyway, in optional flashbacks I develop him. I've got a plan for him, but he could go.

TenTen's parents-Needed? No. Fun? Yeah.

Two more come later, but one dies immediately and the other I can easily let go if needed. All the other characters that I've named but not listed are inconsequential characters who don't affect the story line. So in total there's seven-and five will be alive by chapter 20. Christ, not that hard to remember five names. It's not needed to memorize their whole history, just kind of like this: Hyoto-Neji's Hyuuga teacher. That's all you really have to remember about him. I throw in tidbits about him, but that one little fact is the most important.