Merry Christmas!! I told Mitsuko I'd post a new chapter for Christmas, so here's my Christmas gift to all of you!! A new Chapter!! Also, like I told her, there's only a few more chapters left, so expect me to start wrapping this up soon!!
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Chapter 20 - Chibi Festivals
Naruto Uzumaki was scared. No, seriously. He was terrified.
He had been happily sleeping away in Gaara's arms until he got home, then he was awoken by the smell of Ramen, which the panda-man had been kind enough to make for him. Though it was never said, there was an air of apology that made Naruto want to show he wasn't upset anymore. Though he still was, the nervousness of actually putting Shikamaru's plan to action was more pressing.
The two had spent the remainder of the day talking about anything the blond could think of. There were questions about Kankuro and Temari, about Suna, things a Kazekage had to do, a debate on the best food in the world, who was the strongest ninja, etc. Of course, the 'strongest ninja' debate had led to the pair going out for their own sparring match. Thankfully, the fangirls had latched onto Sasuke and Neji, who had the unfortunate luck of glaring at each other in front of a bunch of yaoi fangirls, and were currently being chased amid screams of: "Don't deny your love!!" and "You don't have to hide it!!"
The evening had led to dinner at Ichiraku's again, as Gaara couldn't find a way to deny the fox-boy anything right now. And as a result, that night had Naruto sleeping so far on the edge of his bed towards Gaara, that the former jinchuuriki had to hold him up with sand when he rolled over.
The next day was spent playing with Konohamaru and his friends, who decided to see if the three of them could defeat Gaara, then if they could defeat Naruto with Gaara's help. Or defeat Gaara with Naruto's help. Followed by a game of 'hunter nin' which was a shinobi's version of 'Hide and seek'. When it was time for the kids to go bother other people, then the pair found themselves wandering throughout the village, Gaara telling Naruto what he remembered of the tour he was given as a child, and the blond adding in bits and pieces for the things that had changed.
However, the next morning they were rudely awakened by a familiar voice. A familiar, feminine voice, that wouldn't allow for arguments.
"But Sakura-chan!! I'm still tired!! Why did you pull me out of bed at..." Blue, sleepy eyes glanced at a nearby clock. "7:30 in the morning?!" Now, he could've easily just let Gaara use sand to block the door, but that look she was giving him, as well as the two other kunoichi behind her back, were enough to make him worry. And to make the Kazekage make a smart decision to wisely stay quiet and keep his sand still. That grin... it made him pretty uncomfortable, too.
Naruto began scrabbling at his bed sheets when Sakura stormed over to him and began dragging him away from the precious warmth. He even began grabbing at the wisps of sand that were surrounding Gaara. But the pink-haired girl wasn't Tsunade's student for nothing. Ino and Hinata were left with the sand-wielder, a package held in Hinata's arms.
"Gaara-san, we've got something to give to you..." A smirk was on the blonde's face as Hinata unwrapped the package and displayed it for the redhead.
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"Sakura-chan!! Where are you taking me?! I'm not even dressed!!" This was true. He was still in his pale blue pajamas, his hat having fallen off in his mad attempt to escape. While Sakura was thankfully taking the fast, back paths towards the Hokage's tower, there were still people who saw them and found it hilarious that the 'great feared demon' was being dragged behind a girl.
At the tower itself, they ran into Shizune, who allowed them entry into Tsunade's storage room, where the young student had left the outfit chosen for the fox-boy. As she went to work on preparing everything, Naruto was dragged off by Shizune and a pair of assistants. If one of those assistants happened to be Iruka, well, it would explain why Naruto was actually not fighting anymore, just demanding answers.
Finally, after Naruto had been scrubbed clean to the point where you couldn't smell the heavy scent of Ramen on him, his hair washed and dried, his teeth brushed until they were almost as bright as Gai's, and even his nails cleaned of the dirt under them by an annoyed Sakura who complained the entire time, and told Naruto how lucky he was to have her, the real fun began.
Iruka was the one who had to help Sakura dress Naruto, since neither of them cared about the seal that was obvious on his stomach right now. Why the fox was active, they didn't know, but it didn't matter to them.
Naruto knew why. The damn fox was laughing at him in the back of his mind, saying things like "I can't wait to see what they do to you, brat."
His eyes screwed shut upon demand, Naruto stood in his boxers with his arms outstretched. He could feel the cloth covering him up as they dressed him, frowning at the unusual feel and style. It wasn't that it felt bad, just different.
"You know, Naruto. This actually looks really good on you." Said blond turned his head in the direction of Iruka's voice, though his eyes stayed closed. Sakura had threatened him, after all, and he happened to need that part of his body.
"Of course it looks good on him! I wouldn't have chosen it if I didn't think it would!!" And it was true. They were staring at a clean and handsome Naruto, who stood wearing a kimono made from some of the same type of cloth used for the Hokage's robes, which made sense, as it held the flames along the bottom hem just as the Fourth Hokage's jacket had. Over it was a yukata which had green leaves seemingly floating over it, with a couple of words (which Naruto was not to see) sewn into the back in shimmering red threads. All in all, he looked amazingly identical to Yondaime. Plus the collar of the yukata was shaped just as the one on the former Hokage's jacket was, turned up and wide.
When Kakashi and Tsunade came in, one for 'his favorite sensei' and the other for her student, they both ended up staring at the young man looking back at them in confusion. Said teen began to flush in embarrassment at the looks, and finally had to turn away to ask Sakura 'what the hell she did to make Kakashi-sensei and baa-chan to react like that'.
Iruka said nothing and let Sakura lead Naruto off to find nice wooden sandals that would fit and he could walk in. After all, it wasn't like he dressed up often. Nor had the money for them. So he didn't know what he needed.
Tsunade merely made a small sound of realization before heading back to her office. She had gotten drunk last night - again - and hadn't finished her speeches for tonight. Yes, speeches. Plural. Sometimes she wondered why she was so nice to the damn brat. But then she'd remind herself why, and just smile for a minute before going back to whatever it was she had been doing.
Not that she'd let him know.
Kakashi looked to Iruka for explainations, which were readily provided, while Sakura tried to explain to Naruto that yes, he had to wear the wooden sandals, and she didn't care if he would rather go barefoot, he couldn't.
She secretely hoped that Ino and Hinata were having more luck convincing Gaara...
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Indeed they were. Using the mind-transfer technique as a threat, albeit a weak one, they managed to convince the Kazekage into his outfit. They had finally had to threaten with, "I'll use my mind-transfer to jump into Naruto's head, and you know I can!! And I'll make him kiss Neji! Or Sasuke! Or both!!"
The redhead was standing dead still while they maneuvered him around like a doll. Thankfully his sand kept him scrubbed clean and polished at all times. Hinata's face was red, and neither had argued when he insisted on putting on the kimono himself, only messing with him when he was done, in order to make sure it was laying right, and ready for the yukata.
When it was over, there was a highly annoyed Kazekage standing in the middle of the room, dressed in a pale tan kimono, gold and dark brown threads organized in such a way that it looked like wisps of sand were crawling up the cloth. On the yukata was the same design, but the golden 'sand' came to a spiral on his back. The spiral was a Konoha symbol, but it wasn't over-powering, and it blended perfectly with the sand that was constantly swirling about him.
Even Ino had to admit... Gaara looked amazing. And in his luggage with the Kazekage robes folded neatly and hidden away were a pair of formal shoes that the redhead put on. Finally ready, the two began leading him to the Hokage tower, pausing only long enough for him to lock the door with a key made from the sand.
Who knew he could do that?!
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Okay, a little long, but it's my Christmas present!! Hopefully everyone likes the outfits!! I was mostly proud of Gaara's.. anyway!! I hope to update soon!! We've been having problems here lately (deaths and illnesses), but I shouldn't take too long!!