Disclaimer: Although I wish I did, I do not own Naruto. –tears-
Refresher:
"I'll be keeping Sasuke-kun and Naruto until later, they both don't get the idea; yet." The jounin told her, she nodded her head; it had been expected. "So you can go home now." He told her, "Consider it, a day off." He said, giving her a wink and vanishing in a puff of smoke.
"Hai, arigatou Kakashi-sensei."
She said, bowing her head slightly and walked out of the stables and back to where she'd wanted to go.
The black stallion snapped at the blonde-haired idiot for the umpteenth time that day. Naruto looked at him, his eyes two single lines acrossed his face.
"What was that for Nightmare-kun?"
He asked the horse, who snorted. The black stallion had been avidly trying to eat the boy's fingers as they attempted to fasten on the rope. The boy sighed and looked at the horse, not giving his characteristic look, he just sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He looked around, Sasuke and his horse were already in the corral, and Sakura was already running that mare of hers about. He sighed if only she'd go out with him—
"Ouch!!"
He cried as one of Nightmare's bites struck flesh and left behind a red welt. The genin closed one eyes and looked closely at the stallion with the other. He patted his pocket with an idle hand and sighed,
"Sorry then, Nightmare-kun."
The horse perked up his ears and looked at the boy, the horse shifted hooves and his bulk to turn and look at the boy. His normally fiery eyes also held a question now; what was this boy saying? The stallion's ebony hide was heating up under the sunlight and he was feeling rather angry at the moment, what was this maverick trying to prove?
"I guess the sugar-cubes I bought, and carrot sticks aren't for you…"
The horse gave a whicker, which ended in a sort of plea sound. He stamped his hoof on the ground near the genin's sandaled foot; Naruto had jumped back to evade the near hit. He looked at the horse and sighed, his attention drifted over to the dun in Sasuke's corral,
"I guess I'll just have to give it to Honey Snapper…"
The stallion gave a squeal and tugged on the rope angrily, his eyes glared at the boy so furiously that the child was reminded of Iruka. He fell over, the stallion's heaving nostrils looked at the boy as if to say 'How dare you, give those good things to other horses!?' Naruto gulped and nodded his head,
"I get it! I get it!"
He yielded to the horse and pulled out the carrots in question and fed them to the stallion, who narrowly missed his fingers in the attempt to grab the carrots. As the stallion munched on the carrots, Naruto formed his plan. The genin started to lead the stallion into the corral, leading him with a carrot dangled out in front of his outstretched nose. The horse followed him willingly, not bothering to snap at the fingers of the genin; he just wanted the carrot.
Naruto closed his eyes a moment and preformed his ultimately-famous, Shadow Clone jutsu; or Kage Bushin no jutsu. The Naruto-clone closed the gate behind the two and the other Naruto winked. The clone vanished once the original Naruto released his jutsu. The boy gave the stallion the carrot and started to swiftly unbuckle the stallion's halter as he munched on the tender carrot.
Naruto started to swing the rope (as he'd seen Sakura do moments before), the stallion just perked his ears, then jerked them back and bared his teeth. The rope slapped at the ground, Naruto was becoming angry.
"Move it you stupid horse!"
He said angrily, accidentally bringing the rope down on the stallion's ebony rump. This provided a reaction in the stallion; he screamed and reared up; then leaned his bulk forward and took off at a mad bucking and squealing gallop around the round-pen. Naruto smiled, feeling proud of himself. He turned to see that Sasuke and Sakura were already a ten-fold ahead of him.
His blue eyes narrowed on the stallion, Nightmare had stopped his mad dash and was glaring at Naruto. The boy gulped; "Uh… sorry?" He asked, closing his eyes and charging his chakra, "Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" He said, bringing out three other clones. Naruto looked at the horse, who was now confused.
"Yeah! Let's do this guys!"
One of the clones shouted happily, and started to swing the rope, the stallion viciously shook his head and screamed his anger of the ropes and took off, intending to stop as soon as his could.
But he was blocked every time he tried to stop, they were posted all the way around the round pen; it was impossible for him to stop! He snorted and took off at a gallop once more.
His sides heaved as he ran in his mad-dash. The stallion's hooves, like daggers, sliced at the earth each and every time they came down to touch the surface of the sod. His banner-like tail shifted out behind him as he galloped along, the black flames upon his bulky neck drifted out and jerked back as he landed and paused.
Nightmare was having his own nightmare. The stallion snorted, nostrils as wide as they could go as the stallion strained in the air he needed to keep up this pace. His already lean body helped him out. He wanted to run, and could run for as long as he wanted to! The stallion snorted, his neck outstretched, ears pinned to his skull as he formulated another plan to escape the confines of this blasted circle!
He bucked again, settling down into a breezy gallop that took him effortlessly around the arena. He snorted, neck arched proudly as the bulky stud raced about. His hide had broken out in lather finally. The brute snorted and whistled his anger once more. The fire of spirit danced in his dark eyes.
The front hooves reached out as he passed the boy once again. He snorted, ears twitched as he looked at the child, his attention had been brought back when it had wandered over to that beautiful mare in the other arena. A rope had once more, been brought down on his hide; he'd screamed of course. He vowed that the next time it happened; Nightmare would bring this mere child nightmares of his own!
He flicked a listener over to the boy as he galloped along, the foolish one was shouting something insane now; something about toads. Why this child cared about toads; Nightmare hadn't a clue. But it seemed important to him. So, obviously, Nightmare ignored him.
"If I can tame the boss of toads, I can tame you, you under-grown giraffe!"
Nightmare's blood boiled in his veins again; he'd just gotten them to cool down and this maverick had brought the pressure back up once more. Nightmare hadn't a clue as to what the hell a 'giraffe' was, but he wasn't going to stand for the insult. The stallion's fronts turned slightly towards the center, he was running diagonally around the arena now, eyes locked first on one boy; then another.
He was running, fronts to the center and hinds to the fence. He shifted again, passing within a few feet of the boy, indenting to him to be the first target. The stallion passed the others, his ears drawn flat along his skull as he neared the child once more. He screamed and struck out before the boy had a chance to react to the attack.
His hooves came slashing through the boy's vest and his teeth clacked shut on something and he pulled back with his daggers dancing in the air in front of him, daring the boy to attack him again.
The boy fell to the ground with the wind rushing out of his lungs; then he poofed away in a cloud of white smoke. The stallion hadn't been expecting this. He screamed and surged forward n his bulk, running towards another, sure that this time, it was the real Naruto.
He charged down on the boy, who was staring at him with shocked horror in the depths of his blue eyes, the stallion mercilessly drove onwards; intending to run him over. What the stallion wasn't expecting, was for another one of the boys (He'd forgotten there was more than just one at the moment) to leapt upon him with a savage cry and cling to his back. The stallion screamed and settled all of his murderous attention back to the most immediate problem at hand.
The stallion bucked and kicked, but the genin clung tightly to the stallion's barrel. The horse screamed his rage and almost toppled himself and the boy as they rose to meet the skies. The stallion's daggers flying out. The boy kicked him forwards,
"I'll ride you till you're nothing but a pony! –Believe it!"
The stallion stopped and kicked out with his hind talons, seeking to dislodge the boy as he sped about the arena. What the hell did this boy have on him –Superglue!? The stallion let loose his rage, his vision becoming red and hazy as he bolted about the arena with the boy on his back.
Naruto-clone grimly hung onto the stallion's back as they bolted around the arena. He cursed when he felt his hands start to slip from the stallion's mane. His legs started to slide down the horse's back. He stuck out his tongue at one of the others as they passed. He started to try and guide the stallion, who panicked and bucked more when the genin applied more pressure with one of his calves.
The duo galloped about, shouts came from the other clones and the real Naruto, all shouting encouragement to the other to keep on his back and to not let go of him!
"What the hell does it look like I'm doing!?"
He finally snapped and shouted at the others, bringing the stallion about with a savage jerk of his hands on the stallion's mane. Nightmare squealed and pulled sharply around, he bucked, almost unseating the foul-genin.
Naruto-clone snarled and kicked the stallion forward, to bear down upon the other clones. He smiled evilly to see their eyes go wild before they vanished under the stallion's large plates. He yelped in surprise when he felt the chakra sustaining him suddenly loose force and vanish; thus making him, and all the other clones, vanish in their puffs of white smoke.
"Damn!" Naruto said, "That guy was annoying!"
Nightmare wheeled, the one he'd been going for was another clone, but now he had the real boy in sights; and he wasn't allowing him to live!
As the stallion bore down upon the boy, Naruto had a moment of utter understanding. He looked at the stallion and narrowly dodged the flying hooves. He grinned with a strange, infuriating grin, and suddenly called out,
"Toro! Toro!"
The stallion hadn't the faintest idea what the hell 'toro' was, but he took it as an insult! In his red rage, the steam-line stallion bore down on the boy, who twirled out of the way and smacked the stallion on the rump gently with the rope as the black figure passed.
Nightmare jerked forward, he snorted and dashed back towards the boy, who was wiggling his butt at him and sticking out his tongue. The stallion screamed and bore down upon the genin, who once again, twirled and dashed away.
The stallion jerked back on his hindquarters, sliding to a spilt second stop, and wheeled his fronts around, then plunge forward after the boy, who was caught a bit unawares at the sudden change of attack from the stallion.
The horse wasn't a barrel-racer, he didn't have to be, the stallion race circles about the boy, each turn Naruto made; the stallion followed. It was a deadly dance that the genin was starting to loose at. Naruto gulped, sweat pouring down his face as he dodged yet another attempt by the stallion and heaved a heavy breath. He smiled; at least it was good training!
As he dodged the freight-train of a stallion, he realized he didn't have the breath for his usual pranks and comments; hell, he didn't have the breath for anything anymore. He could only just dodge and run.
Would the stallion ever calm down? The genin wondered to himself as he dodged yet another attempt by the horse. He yelped as one of the hooves clipped his shoulder and sent him spiraling through the air.
He grasped his arm and frowned, then twirled the rope, attempting to drive off the stallion before it was too late and the stallion killed him.
Of course, Naruto didn't notice that Kakashi was watching him from the stands with Sakura and Snare. The horse tossed his head and snorted in disgust as he watched the genin and the black stallion tango in the arena. Kakashi smiled with his eye and looked at the boy; who was finally (it seemed) beginning to wear down on the stallion's seemingly limitless strength and stamina.
Naruto did notice when the stallion was slow to pick up on a lead change, or a side attack on the boy. Naruto smiled, still breathing as hard as the stallion was, he snorted slightly and dodged wearily, swinging the rope. The stallion's full focus was upon him and no one else.
Naruto knew he was finally wearing down on the stallion when the horse obeyed the rope and raced around in circles about the round-pen. Both were sweating hard now. Each were looking for some way to stop.
Sakura was sitting there, she hadn't gone home yet, her eyes looked at the stallion, then at Naruto. Her emerald eyes sought the granite ones of her teacher. Kakashi was watching the horse, if he noticed her look, he voiced nothing, Sakura finally stood up, cupping her hands to her mouth, she yelled at the genin to let the stallion in with him!
Naruto looked confused, he dropped the rope and backed away from the horse. Nightmare instantly slowed his pace and followed the boy at a slow walk, nares flared wide as the stallion sought to breath in the air he'd almost been starved of. He stopped in front of Naruto and, for once; Nightmare offered the boy not a snap or a nip, not even a bite. He just stood there, sides heaving.
Naruto reached up a a hand and stroked the stallion's sweaty face, he smiled and gave a weak, winded chuckle,
"Wow," he said, "That was kinda fun, wasn't it?"
He smiled, ignoring the withering glance the stallion tried to send at him. Naruto was too busy being happy at the moment to care. He danced about, twirling and grinning. The stallion snorted and huffed softly, he followed after the boy.
Kakashi smiled at Sakura and nodded his head, they both turned their attention now to Sasuke, who was still driving the horse around the edges of the arena. They threw worried glances at each other and dashed over.
Naruto smiled, then leaped into the air and kicked out his legs,
"YEAH! I did it! Believe it!!!!"
He screamed happily. Nightmare tossed his head and snapped at the genin with his teeth. Though it lacked the normal fire the stallion had in it, it still scored a hit on his hand. Naruto yelped and jumped back in a flash. He glared at the stallion and gulped slightly. He laughed.
Pansk: Well, this is Naruto's section. Sasuke's is the second-to-last chapter (thank goodness!). Hopefully after this I'll be able to worry about LL and nothing else! Although… I might have the team go on a mission where they must ride horses… hmmm…
Feedback it always good! The next chapter is the second-to-last one!!!! Have fun reading it!
--I hope to have fun typing it. D
Sorry it took so long to write this…..