Sorry for the late updates. Summer is finally here, so more time for updates! Yaay!

More Hidan/Tsunami pairing for this chapter. XD

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto/Naruto: Shippuden. It belongs to its respective owners. I only own the plot and the ANBUs for this fanfiction.

Chapter 2: Art of Stalking

She officially hated him now.

Cautiously, Tsunami looked over her shoulder in search of any silver-haired man trying to blend in with the crowd. For the past three days, the ANBU Captain had been following her like a vulture to its prey, something that really annoyed her. Having forced to spend time with Ushi, Tori and Nezumi was bad enough; the two ANBUs acted like an overprotective brother towards a younger sister, while in Tori's case, he acted like a boyfriend. Whenever the young girl was with Tori, the ANBU kohai could not seem to prevent himself from placing an arm either around her shoulders or her waist. It took a rusty kunai to stop him from doing such a thing ever again.

Kami-sama, why the heck were they doing such?!

Didn't THEY know that she was very much capable of protecting herself without THEIR help?!

Heck, she could probably take on a Jounin or two!

Not that she was bragging or anything…

"You alright, Tsunami-san?" Ushi asked her, once he noticed that she was starting to space out. For this mission, the Council had given them special permission to don on civilian clothes, instead of the usual ANBU outfits. Also, under an oath of secrecy, Tsunami had to vow that she will never tell anyone the secret identities of her 'bodyguards'. With that done, three of the four members told her their names.

Ushi was named Suzuki Hitoshi, a twenty-one year old nin. Like his codename, he had dark-colored hair tied in a low pony-tail, while his eyes were a dark brown. Because he had lived in Amegakure his whole life, his skin color was like the color of milk, or even paler. The lack of sun in his home village had deprived him of Vitamin D, just like his taichou. Compared to Tsunami, he was like a tower, for he stood at five feet, nine inches, in contrast to the young woman's height at five feet, one inch. For this day, Hitoshi had worn a light blue hakama and gi, complete with split-toe socks and hand-weaved slippers that gave him samurai look and feel in him.

Nezumi, aged twenty, was slightly darker than Ushi, but still belonged in Tsunami's pale category. His hair color bordered from silver to grey, yet it did not make him look like an old man. In fact, he looked very much like a bishounen. His hair was gelled up so that his long bangs would not get in the way of his eyesight. His eyes were a sapphire blue shade that reminded Tsunami of blue skies that were visible during a sunny, sunny day in Nami no Kuni. Aside from all of these qualities, Nezumi belonged to one of the most prestigious clans in Amegakure, particularly the Mizuhara clan. The current patriarch of the clan was part of the Amegakure High Council, who was also Nezumi's grandfather. The ANBU's full name was Mizuhara Tetsu.

Tori went by the name of Aizawa Katsumaru, though he had preferred to be called Katsu instead by his squad members and Tsunami. The youngest among the four, for he was only eighteen years old, he had reddish-brown hair and bright green eyes that always lit up whenever the young woman of twenty-years was within Katsu's field of vision. Among the four, yet again, he was the shortest, standing at only five feet, four inches, and the skinniest as well, compared to Tetsu, Hitoshi and their ANBU Captain, who had a muscular build befitting an ANBU. Nevertheless, what Katsu had lacked in physique, he made it up for his speed. He was the 'assassin' in their group, the one always tasked to kill all their enemies, for he was up to the task of doing such anyway. Outside of battle, he was the opposite of a cold-blooded murderer, and Tsunami wondered if he was a schizophrenic person…

As for the ANBU Captain, he had refused to give his name to Tsunami and walked off without even saying a word.

Oh how she wanted to stab him at the back with her rusty kunai…!

"Uh, hai. I was just thinking… sorry for making you worry, Hitoshi-san." She gave out a sigh in response as well.

"Tsunami-san, I hope you're not planning to kill taichou…" Hitoshi remarked. "He is just doing his job…"

"Stalking me, you mean?" Tsunami growled. "What the hell is his problem? I am not a kid, damn it! I am perfectly capable of protecting myself, as well as the fact that I am—" at once, she held her tongue. She had almost said it! Damn her if she had continued that statement; no one should ever know of it…

No one.

Not even her father.

Hitoshi raised an eyebrow, as if telling her to continue with what she was just saying, and the raven-haired lady obliged. "I mean, the fact that I am Tazuna's daughter means that I can take care of myself!" she pumped her arms enthusiastically.

"Right. Whatever." Hitoshi rolled his eyes in disbelief. "You're just a girl; in this village, our women do nothing except become housewives. All women who strive to become Jounins are not encouraged to take such a path, for their role, as dictated by the Council, should be at home, not in the battle field."

Tsunami rolled her eyes. Was Amegakure really THAT old-fashioned? "Oh, come on. That was twenty years ago, for crying out loud!" she screamed. "If you think I'm some damsel-in-distress, think again, Hitoshi-san! I'll make you eat those words." She smirked.

"Is that a challenge?" before Hitoshi could even realize what he was going in to, a swift punch was delivered at his gut. Despite him having a rather muscular build and being an ANBU, Ushi still managed to wince in pain and fall down on one knee. The wind really got knocked out of him, all because of a punch. 'That woman… is no ordinary person! H-how can she…?!' his train of thought vanished as soon as he saw Tsunami run like mad away from him, ignoring the harsh rainy weather conditions. "TSUNAMI-SAN!!!"

Hitoshi slapped a handful of ryo at the table and tried to run as fast as he could without faltering. It was difficult; her strength was at least a third or so of his taichou's strength, and what more if she was just as strong as the taichou? Surely, he would be lying on the ground right now, probably dozing off.

She ran very fast, but the ANBU knew he was faster.

He picked up the pace and ran with all his might…

The game of tag stopped as soon as the woman ran inside the nearest public restroom for women just near the steak house in the village.

DAMN HER!!!

The Nami no Kuni native breathed out a sigh of relief as she tiptoed over the window to take a good look at her 'bodyguard'. Hitoshi looked like he had been deprived of a year's worth of salary, and Tsunami covered her mouth to hide her snickering, just in case a lady would look at her weirdly. The bathroom was currently full, with five people, including her, occupying the said area. There were three stalls in the bathroom, and all three were currently occupied. The fourth woman in the room, on the other hand, was busy placing clips on the sides of her hair.

"What do you think? Will Hidan-sama notice me now?" she asked a blonde girl who had just emerged from the cubicle.

Hidan-sama…?

The blonde shook her head. "You know very well he is not interested in women, for some odd reason. His mother is forcing him to get married as soon as possible, but ironically, she rejects the women whom he had introduced to her. You're one of them."

The girl with hairclips gave out a nervous laugh. "Uh… right. Fine, so I'm one of them. But still, that doesn't mean there is no chance of us getting back together!"

Tsunami rolled her eyes discreetly, taking her eyes away from Hitoshi as she went towards the mirror to fix her hair, since it had gotten messed up from all the running earlier.. Typical village women… she told herself, thanking her own luck that she wasn't like them who had a mentality of getting a husband as soon as possible to help the population increase its number.

She was so busy fixing her hair that she failed to notice the shrieks from all the remaining girls in the bathroom…

Her mind only went back to Earth when she had seen the ANBU taichou's reflection in the mirror in front of her.

The raven-haired young woman was very much ready to bolt out of the bathroom when the man placed both his hands on the counter, effectively trapping her between his arms. "Running away, woman? Not a smart move."

She opened her mouth to speak, but someone was kind enough to do it for her. Particularly the ones wearing that hideous flower hair clips. "Hidaaaaaan-sama, what do you think you're doing in the women's comfort room?!" she demanded angrily.

The man named Hidan snorted in reply. "Simple: I'm here to talk to this woman." He gestured at the woman in between his arms. "Get out. I'm out on an official business."

Still fuming, the leader of the clique stomped out of the comfort room along with her cohorts, and that left the pair.

Alone.

In the bathroom.

WHAT WAS HE PLANNING?!

"You just gave Suzuki a hard time, you foolish woman." He hissed.

"He let his guard down." She argued. "Aren't ANBUs supposed to be 'alert' for any possible sneak attacks, taichou?" she added sarcastically, and if it weren't for her gender, Hidan would've strangled her to death.

Outside, the four women driven out of the bathroom earlier were fuming. How dare the ANBU Captain make them leave just when they were ready to talk about the latest gossips in the village! For them, Amegakure was a sleepy village, and the only thing that made these four girls' lives fruitful were to gossip about other people's lives.

"How dare Hidan-sama send me away!" the hair clip girl said, her fist shaking with visible anger.

"Forget about that! What was he doing in the bathroom with that stranger anyway!?" one of her friends asked. Seconds later, she gasped. "Are they…?!"

"WHAT?!" the three chorused.

She took a deep breath before saying, "DATING?!"

Silence…

Then…

Laughter.

"That is impossible! Hidan-sama, falling for a plain-looking girl like her?!" the leader of the clique started laughing hysterically. "I doubt it!"

"That is not the point! Why the hell did you run away!?" came the barking voice of the taichou.

"…Okay, now I don't doubt it. I mean, that's, like, one hell of a lovers' quarrel." the blonde girl from earlier remarked. "I've never heard him shout like that."

"THAT'S BECAUSE YOU'RE CHOKING ME WITH ALL THOSE DAMN RULES!!!"

The four women gasped and pressed their ears against the bathroom door. They might just hear something… 'interesting'.

Hidan was currently pissed. This has never happened to him before, mind you, for he was constantly reminded by his dear mother to always respect women. His mother was a hardcore feminist, for in the society she grew up in, women were considered as 'weak', 'stupid' and 'mere baby-makers'. Thankfully, she had managed to get married to a liberal-minded nin, who had been very much supportive of his wife's 'antics' to empower women in Amegakure society. Through their union, they had a son, whom they have raised to become the perfect gentleman when it comes to women.

However, the ANBU Captain doubted if he still had any ounce of respect left for this woman before him…

"What the Council is doing is for your own good, lady." He told her through gritted teeth.

Tsunami scowled. "What does the Council know about me anyway? Nothing." she said. "They have no idea what I am capable of." Capable of slicing your limbs off your torso, taichou! She thought homicidally.

"The hell we don't know what you're capable of! You can't even follow simple instructions, woman!" at this, the young woman blushed in embarrassment, and the silver-haired nin chose to ignore this. "Do explain yourself with this inborn 'stupidity' of yours." He added sarcastically.

At this, the Tidal Wave sighed in resignation. No use if she argued against this thick-headed brute who calls himself an 'ANBU taichou'. Heck, he wasn't even up to par with Momochi Zabusa, and he was only an ANBU member, not a taichou! Zabusa was much better in all aspects compared to this perverted idiot who had barged inside the girls' public toilet like he owned the place…

Damn, why did she remember Zabusa all of a sudden again?

"I am not stupid, taichou." She said quietly, pushing aside thoughts of the Kirigakure no Kijin out of her head. "I was frantic when I learned that my father got sick; do you think I can even finish reading the letter without going into panic mode?!" she screeched, causing the Ame nin to wince from the shrillness of her voice. "WELL!?"

"STOP SCREAMING, I CAN HEAR YOU JUST FINE!!!" Hidan yelled back.

To his surprise, she nodded in agreement. "Alright then; now release your hands from my sides so I can move away from you."

He removed his hands from the edge of the sink, and Tsunami quickly moved away, ready to leave the bathroom when he asked. "Am I that repulsive, woman?"

"Somewhat. No man ever had the guts to get this too close to me." She informed him as she bent down to retrieve the rusty kunai she had safely tucked inside her ninja shoes. "Get too cozy with me, taichou, I won't hesitate to stab you with my kunai." To show that she was very much serious with her threat, the black-haired woman aimed the said weapon at the male nin before her.

"Fine, fine; no need to aim the weapon to prove your point." The ANBU extended his right hand towards her. "Truce?"

This seemed to have satisfied the young woman, and as soon as she had safely tucked her weapon away, she began to walk towards the captain for the agreement…

…until disaster struck.

No thanks to the rain, the tiles became slippery, and before Tsunami knew it, she had stumbled forward, just when she was nearing Hidan. She was supposed to hit the wet, cold ground, if it wasn't for Hidan's quick reflexes. He had caught her in his arms, but got hurt in the process. The Captain had skid backwards because of the slippery floor, hitting his head hard against the wall. The good thing was, his female companion had managed to avoid getting hurt.

The bad part was that the back of his head hurt like hell.

Tsunami, on the other hand, almost shuddered in fear when she heard the sound of the captain's skull bang loudly against the wall. She looked over to see how he was doing, and almost gasped when she saw him grimacing in pain. "T-taichou! Are you alright!?"

All she got was a groan in return. "I-itte…" Panicking, she tried to stand up just so he would be able to get up and nurse himself, only to fail at it and slump back against the ANBU taichou's hard chest. He groaned back in reply.

Outside, the four women spying on the two by means of trying to hear snippets of the couple's conversation gasped in shock. What were the two doing inside the bathroom?! Were they THAT desperate to find some place to release their need to… procreate!?

"A-ah! T-taichou, w-w-we need to finish this now. I feel really uncomfortable." Came a woman's voice. All four recognized it as the woman who was left in the bathroom all alone with their Hidan-sama.

"W-wait, I'm not done yet. This damn place is so cramp, it makes my mood foul!"

Inside, Tsunami blushed. "Anou... gomen. I'm just not used to this... Is everything supposed to be wet right now?" she was referring to the floor, of course, but the four women had thought it was… something else.

In their minds, they all screamed.

However, their screaming was too early. The next statement almost sent them to a seizure.

"Don't worry... you'll get used to it. At the start... everything seems wet as you phrase it. But it gets better..."

Unfortunately, one of the four girls had nosebleed in shock from the words.

Another sound… it seems that one of the couple has slipped and moaned. "Damn it…" said the female's voice. "Why do you have to be so damn hard anyway?!" she screeched.

Hidan smirked and said, "I can't help it. Besides... with me being an ANBU and all… I have lots of experience."

At once, the three remaining girls began hyperventilating. Their Hidan-sama was… experienced!? How?! When?! Why!?

"Men and their insufferable ego..." came the last ever reply, before the two resumed their, ahem, deed.

"THIS MUST STOP!!!" screeched the leader of the clique, though only loud enough for the remaining members to hear her. The one who had nosebleed was currently unconscious, and the others have gathered around to fan her. "T-that woman is raping Hidan-sama!"

"W-what can we do!? The door is locked! We can't even kick it open!"

"WE CALL THE ANBU!"

After a few minutes of struggling to keep their limbs AWAY from each other, the two finally stood up and shook hands. "There. Truce is done, hand shake is done, now can YOU get out of here?! This is the girl's bathroom, for Kami-sama's sake!" Tsunami huffed.

"Fine, fine. Don't get your panties in a bunch." He said, earning a light punch in the arm.

"Pervert." She growled. "Also, you haven't told me your name yet, taichou."

The ANBU shrugged. "Hidan." He stated before turning to leave the public restrooms.

Hidan, eh? Nice name… she thought to herself, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. Damn her own eyesight, but she found the ANBU Captain attractive.

Tsunami shook her head.

'Stop wasting your time ogling at men.'

Just as Hidan was about to open the door, a combat-booted foot had made a break through the door, landing a spot on the ANBU's face and he came flying backwards, crashing against the tiled wall of the comfort room.

"YOU ARE UNDER ARREST FOR ILLEGAL DETENTION AND SEXUAL HARASSMENT!!!"

Tsunami sweatdropped. "Uh…"

Quickly, the ANBU who had kicked his taichou came dashing towards the lady and gave her a big hug. "ARE YOU ALRIGHT, MISS?!"

"AAAAAAAAAH!!! GET AWAY FROM ME, YOU… YOU… ERO-ANBU!!!" quickly, she kneed him in the spot-where-the-sun-don't-shine and in reply, the ANBU screeched in pain, howling like he had been castrated over and over again.

Funny, the ANBU kept holding unto the poor girl…

Slowly, his hands went down from her arms, down to her waist, and finally…

"I wouldn't do that if I were you…"

The ANBU froze suddenly from the sound. "T-taichou…?"

A scream of pain echoed throughout the bathroom.

Okay, this chapter was just full of, uh, humor. Hope everyone liked it! Reviews, if you may. :3