Hey guys. Sorry this chapter is a little short. I'm just trying to move the story along. There should be another one out soon. Thanks for all the reviews and sorry if I didn't respond. I tend to forget which ones I've responded to already. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

Naruto doesn't belong to me.

Chapter 4

Plans

Kushina drummed her fingers impatiently on the wooden counter-top. The man behind the counter just smiled at her and chuckled. "I thought patience was an important part of being a shinobi." His chuckles pitched in volume at the glare the redhead sent him and the pout on her lips.

"I'll have you know I have plenty of patience! Thank you very much. It's just taking so long to freaking cook the ramen! I've been sitting here for hours!" She threw her hands up in the air and slammed her hands onto the counter. The man just continued to laugh at her expense as he stirred the noodles cooking in the pot.

"It's only been five minutes Kushina. Hardly enough to get worked up about." Kushina just scrunched up her nose and glared at the owner of the ramen stand.

"That won't stop her though. If she can find something to bitch about, she'll use whatever she can," a mocking voice said calmly from behind her. The girl spun around in her seat and crossed her arms over her chest, tilting her head mockingly to the side. Ryou stepped into the stand, waving away the cloth that hung over the door as he entered. He flashed the redhead a smile and jumped into the seat next to her. "What's up Red?"

"What do you want idiot? Can't I enjoy ramen without you annoying me for once?" The brunette smiled slyly next to her and furrowed an eyebrow. Throwing an arm around her shoulders, he pulled her close and crushed her to his side.

"Aw! But I thought you loved me! Whatever happened to the flame we had when we first looked into each other's eyes? The tenderness the first time we kissed? The passion during the ragging sex?" He wriggled his eyebrows at her suggestively. Scoffing, Kushina pushed him off her and thanked the cook as he placed the bowl of long-awaited ramen in front of her.

Breaking her chopsticks and digging into the noodles, she barely heard Ryou order his own. It wasn't until the man turned around to prepare his order that the weariness showed on the teen's face. "Tough day at that hospital?" He smiled wryly at her and nodded.

"We've been getting injured coming in all day by the masses. If this keeps up, we won't have any shinobi left to fight." He rubbed a hand across his eyes and his smile was plastered back on his face as the hand was pulled away. "Not everyone's got endless energy like you Red." The cook brought over his order and he silently thanked the man. Slurping his noodles happily, he looked at her again. "The jounin exams are in a month you know. Are you planning on entering, or are you planning on staying a chuunin forever? Their so desperate now they'll let even someone with your skills pass."

The redhead growled and snapped her chopsticks. Cursing and grabbing another pair, she sent a death-glare at the boy and shoveled the noodles into her mouth. She smiled at the taste. It had been four months since her fight with Minato. After he had found someone to heal their minor wounds, he had taken her here, something she was eternally grateful for. The ramen here was the best she had ever had, and the stand had easily become one of her favorite haunts. Minato, Ryou, and her were frequent costumers here, often meeting here to catch up on the others' busy lives.

"Wow! You haven't hit me in the last ten minutes! I might be close with the 'ragging sex' thing after all." The brunette's voice shook her out of her musings, like a lightning bolt. Her hand instantly shot out and smacked the boy's head. He winced and rubbed the offending spot, grinning sheepishly at the girl beside him. "Come on. You know you want me!"

"I'd stop now before she kills you Ryou." The owner smirked and pointed at the redhead with his chin. The brunette blanched at the furious glare the girl was shooting him. If looks could kill, he would rather be sentenced to a million years in the shinigami's stomach than face Kushina's wrath. Finishing off the broth in record speed, the boy, jumped from his seat, slapped bills on the table, and rushed out the door before the redhead could lunge at him. Teuchi just chuckled and went to serve another costumer.

Pulling out crumpled bills, Kushina paid for her meal and exited the stand. When she met the annoying medic-nin again she was going to pound him into the ground! The mental pictures with the promise made the redhead smile. Several people hastily got out of her way, but she paid them no heed. Though despite her better-judgment, Ryou had grown on her. The constant prank-battle between them kept her occupied and gave her a few good laughs. However, she couldn't see how someone like calm, sensible Minato could be close friends with someone as eccentric and annoying as Ryou. She chuckled at her thought. Minato must be a magnet for odd-balls than since he seemed to have friends like her and Ryou.

"What, may I ask, is so funny?" She opened her eyes, not realizing she had closed them, and looked at her surroundings. Her feet had brought her to one of the training grounds farthest from Konoha. It was small and secluded, and reminded her of the clearing at Whirlpool's training grounds where she had officially met Minato. A head full of sunny hair tilted to the side, blue eyes filled with concern. "Are you alright Kushina?"

"Me? Oh yeah. Peachy. Just got a little sidetracked I guess. I was having to much fun mentally turning Ryou into a pile of goo." She grinned cheekily and looked questioningly at the blond as he chuckled. He sat bare-chested, leaning against a tree with a scroll laid out across his lap. Next to him, a convenient log had taken up the temporary job of a desk. More scrolls and paper were spread out across the fallen tree, along with his shirt, jacket, and a towel. The man chuckled and sat up straighter, gesturing for her to join him. Plopping down next to him and leaning against the same tree, hands held behind her head, she closed her eyes.

"You must be to have made it all the way out here. This isn't exactly near the village." She peaked at him out of one eye and hummed.

"I could say the same for you. What's the matter? Fan-girls giving you trouble again?" A light blush colored the blond's cheeks, something the girl noted with amusement. "You seem to have no trouble flaunting your stuff though. If any of them found you now..." she let the threat fade as she grinned. Minato glared at her but reached for his shirt anyway. "What're you doing up here that's got you working so hard? I haven't seen you breath so hard since your fight with Mikoto. Right before she kicked your ass." She laughed and nudged him with her shoulder.

"I've just been working on a few new seals and a jutsu. It's harder than I thought it would be though." as an after thought he added, "and that fight was a tie." Kushina scoffed and one of her eyebrows disappeared into her hair.

"Yeah right! She totally won! You could barely move after that. I should know, I carried you back to the village. Besides, what's wrong with being beaten by a girl?" Minato, obviously knowing that he was entering into dangerous water, put his hands up defensively. He had been at the end of the redhead's fists enough to know when to be wary around the kunoichi.

"I never said that. I just said that it was tie. Which it was, since Mikoto went down too." Kushina just shook her head, but let the argument drop. She was smart enough to not start anything. Their time together was scarce. With the war and Minato with his skills and jounin status, he was put into missions ranked higher than she was allowed to be assigned. She was glad to see that Minato had his eyes closed and head tilted back against the trunk, his face clam and peaceful.

"So when are you going to show me this cool new jutsu?" He opened his eyes and remorsefully looked out over the field, the sky, anywhere but her own eyes.

"It's nowhere near what I have planned for it. It's still not great. There's a lot more I can and want to do with it." He finally turned and faced her a smile tugging at his lips. "I promise though, when I'm done, you'll be the first person to see it. I might even teach it to you if you want."

"It better be powerful Namikaze. I'll be angry if you got me excited for nothing." Crossing her arms, she gave a sharp nod and glared at the blond as he laughed.

"I'll make sure it's up to your standards Lady Uzumaki. What else shall I do for you, mistress? Throw flowers at your feet? Proclaim you name across the land?" He dodged the half-hearted swipe at his head and chuckled at the sour look on his friend's face.

"Jerk," the redhead muttered, hitting him playfully on the shoulder. She forced her lips to stop smiling and form a scowl. However, the man saw through her charade. He grinned one of his trademark smiles that seemed to outshine the sun. His blue eyes came to life and twinkled with merriment. It must be contagious as Kushina felt her lips being pulled upward into an easy smile. Jumping up with a sudden rush of energy, she turned to see his questioning glance.

"Come on! The jounin exams are in month, and your going to help me train!" She held her fist in front of her face in a victory pose and smirked down at the man. "I'll show you just how much I've improved since we last fought." The competitive glint shone in the blond's eyes as he stood up and lowered himself into his stance.

"Bring it on girly!" With her signature battle cry, Kushina pushed off the ground and toward the calm man.

"The winner is Kushina Uzumaki!" Kushina smirked at the people gathered in the stadium. The jounin exams weren't as public as the chuunin exams, in fact they were only open to jounin, family members, and politics. That didn't stop the roar from the crowds to echo across the arena. Even the silent ANBU forces and withdrawn shinobi clapped. They should clap. I gave them a show they'll never forget the girl thought as she crossed the area to where her opponent had been thrown.

The tall, board-shouldered man was struggling to sit up, his arms shaking from the effort. She kneeled down in front of him and extended her hand. He looked at it in confusion for a second before smiling and shaking the offered hand. "Nice fight! I haven't fought someone like you in a while. I forgot how to fight an opponent who's movements have no pattern to them."

"Thanks," she grunted as she pulled him to his feet and supported his weight. "You're not bad yourself. But I wasn't going to lose!" Medic-nin rushed forward and took the man from her hands, gently fixing the wounds she had pounded into the man. One of the nin pulled away from the group and approached her.

Ryou sped forward at the last moment, grabbed the redhead in his arms, and twirled her around, much to her ire. Letting loose a stream of curses foul enough to make most people blush, she struggled against his arms, socking him in the stomach with her knee. He released her and doubled over, coughing. "That's the thanks I get for congratulating you?"

"Don't ever pick me up like that again, bastard, or I'll hit you so hard, you'll be out for a year!" A familiar chuckle behind her made her turn to face her other friend.

"I don't think that's necessary Kushina. I think he suffered enough." He walked up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Good job. That fight should go down in the record books. Congratulations." The deep tone of his voice made her flush with pride, after all, if the Yellow Flash was complimenting you, it meant you were good.

"That's what I was going to say, before she punched me! You trying to steal my girl Namikaze?" He chuckled as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, mock-glaring at Minato. The blond just chuckled and shook his head while Kushina growled and shook off the medic-nin's arm.

"All I know is that I'm just glad I can finally join you guys on missions. I was so sick of those pathetic missions I was sent on. I can't wait until my first mission!"

"It seems like you won't have to wait very long Miss Uzumaki." The Hokage stood in the middle of the hall leading under the stands. He motioned for the trio to join him which they did with confused expressions. As they stopped in front of him, he smiled warmly at Kushina. "Congratulations Kushina. That was a captivating fight. I'm sure its of no surprise to you that the council has decided to promote you to jounin." A grin covered the girl's face as the boys congratulated her again.

"It seems your fight has gained some attention. We have someone who has asked specifically for you as an escort to the Village Hidden in the Stones." The old man saw the amazed looks on the teen's faces, and held up a hand to silence any questions. "It isn't common knowledge, but we have a high-ranking councilman from the Stone Village here for negotiations. However, it is time for him to return to his village and report to his fellows. I would also like to send a diplomat with him to continue the negotiations. The councilman is willing to pay extra for his choice in shinobi." The Third seemed troubled with this, but didn't go into detail. "He saw you fight and asked for you as one of his guard, along with another former Whirlpool shinobi. You have every right to decline this mission if you wish."

Minato tensed next to her, and Ryou shifted nervously. Kushina bit her lip. She could read between the lines enough to know something was odd about the Stone's councilman's request. But, this was the kind of adventure she had been craving. She looked into the elder's eyes and nodded. "If you want me too Lord Hokage." The old man smiled wryly at her and returned her nod.

"I do not wish to sway your answer, but I think it would be a good idea. Our country could use the money to fund this war. And any positive ground we can make with the Village Hidden in the Stones is good." Kushina nodded again, and the old man placed his hand briefly on her shoulder before leaving.

Minato turned to talk to her, his face distraught and his muscles tight with tension. As he opened his mouth though, Jiraiya turned the corner and called out to the teen. He looked annoyed at the interruption, but began to move toward his sensei. Giving his friend a worried glance he smiled weakly and said, "Good luck. Be careful and don't do anything rash." With that warning, he trotted down the hall to the toad hermit and they disappeared.

"Are you sure about this?" Kushina's eyebrows disappeared into her hair as she turned to the remaining boy. His face was troubled as he looked into her eyes. "You don't have to do this."

"I'm sure Ryou. I never back down from a challenge! I'm not about to start just because this mission is slightly dangerous." She thanked the gods that her voice didn't waver. She knew the risks with this mission. For all they knew, this could all be a trap. It didn't help that she had a personal vendetta with the Stone- nin So why me? The expression on Ryou's face changed slightly to an emotion the redhead couldn't identify as he gazed at her.

"Just be careful okay? I fixed you up once. I don't want to do it again. I don't like having my friend's lives in my hands. So don't do anything stupid." He grinned cheekily at her, but the mask instantly fell. He shoved her hands into the pockets in his blue jacket and looked bashfully at his feet. "Just come back alright?"