-Author's Note-

I'll admit that I wasn't expecting to have this done so soon but, then again, it was nearly done. I think FanFiction is doing something as my stories have gotten zero views but I am getting reviews and such. Hopefully this will be fixed soon.

I shall be working on the second chapter of 'Broken' next so please be patient. As I said, do NOT expect constant updates. Could take a week, a month, hell it could be a year or even never. So don't be surprised. I will also be working on the 'Untitled' story randomly, still need to come up with a name for it.

On my bio page, I have put up a progress report so keep an eye on it.

Thank you everyone, I hope you all enjoy this new chapter. If there any mistakes, please let me know and I will fix it. And if you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Word Count (Not including Author's Note) - 5714


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The sun had set by the time Kimiko reunited with her friends. She decided to forego telling them about her encounter with Naruto, not wanting them to make fun of her again. If they knew that a random stranger managed to master the Tangled Web Comb like it was nothing while she couldn't, Kimiko knew that they would never let her live it down. So they decided to continue their search for the Golden Tiger Claws, following Dojo, who was still around Kimiko's shoulders, and his sniffing nose as they each ignored their rumbling stomachs.

"Dojo," Raimundi said with a frown, "We've been going in circles! This is the third time we've passed that duck stall!"

It was true. Somehow, the gang had walked past the food stall they were robbed at, three times now. The cook saw them and each time he made sure to serve his customers the most delicious food, just to mess with the Warriors.

Seeing someone eating a peking duck, Dojo could only whimper, like a dog wanting inside the house when it rains. Kimiko gave his head a small smack, making the dragon focus on the task at hand. "I-I know it's here somewhere," Dojo said, his eyes darting to the food stall every now and then. If he could eat then that might help him find the Shen Gong Wu. Or it would make him too stuffed and tired to do anything other than sleep. Could go either way.

"Stop drooling on my shoulder and find the damn thing already!" Kimiko nearly yelled, annoyed at how Dojo was salivating all over her nice jacket. Grabbing him by his long neck, Kimiko through him away and onto the road.

"Hey! There is no need to be rude!" Dojo said with his arms crossed. He then blinked and sniffed the air. "Wait a moment." Dropping his nose to the ground, he sniffed around a little more before then grinning. "I smell Wu! It's this way!"

The group of five started running, following Dojo's lead as they ran down a street and past buildings. "How much further?" Raimundo asked, already tired of running.

"Not far!" Dojo answered before accidentally running into a wall. "W-We're here," he groaned out as he fell back. The others looked at the wall and then up towards the large palace that sat above them.

"The Golden Tiger Claws are inside that palace?" Omi asked.

Even from where they stood, they could all see that the building was surrounded by guards. Getting in wouldn't be easy. "How are we getting in there?" Raimundo asked, rubbing his chin in thought.

"Maybe if we knock on the door and ask real nice like?" Clay suggested but they all knew he wasn't being serious.

Hearing some noise, Kimiko went to the corner and peeked around. She saw dozens of people, each dressed up in suits and dresses as they walked up the steps towards the palace. "I think there's a party inside," she said, getting the others to look as well.

"So we just walk in and join the party?" Raimundo asked, liking his idea. That was when they all noticed that each guest was showing the guards their invitations. "Or not," he finished, lamely. "Looks like we're breaking in unless we can get an invite."

"I think I can manage that," Kimiko said as she pulled out her phone and speed-dialed who she wanted. "Moshi, moshi, Papa, it's Kimiko... Yeah, I need a few invites to the Emperor's Palace in Qufu City... What?...No! No way!... It's not gonna happen!... Really? Do I have to?... Alright, alright."

She hung up the phone with a defeated look, making the others curious as to what happened. "Well?" Clay asked.

"We're in," Kimiko said, getting the others to high-five each other. "But there's a catch."


A few purchases and a half-hour later, they were back at the palace. To get in they had to dress appropriately and Kimiko hated dressing up. Now she stood in a pink kimono with a yellow sash around her waist that had a big yellow bow attached to it on the back. To match it, she held a pink fan. She also had her hair done up, or at least what could be done within the time she had. To finish it, Kimiko attached the Tangle Web Comb to her hair. All in all, she looked beautiful, but she was uncomfortable.

What didn't help was that Raimundo, who was wearing a simple red kimono, was laughing at her. Clay stood behind him in a tea-green kimono and blue robes over it. Omi was just dressed like he always is. "Shut it!" Kimiko growled before they all started up the stairs. Raimundo couldn't stop laughing and the others joined in when it became obvious Kimiko could barely walk up the stairs wearing sandals.

Getting in was easy thanks to the invitations Kimiko had managed to get from her father. The guards gave each invite a quick look over before letting them in. Thankfully the guards didn't check Clay's hat, otherwise, they would have been very confused about Dojo being there.

Now that they were inside, they were surrounded by a crowd of well-dressed people. They were just talking amongest themselves while they ate and drank, enjoying the party. "Okay," began Kimiko, "Clay, you listen to Dojo and we'll follow you through here. Hopefully, we can just find the Tiger Claws and get out of here. I don't want to be wearing this any longer than I have to." Not hearing a reply, Kimiko frowned. "Guy's?" Turning, the Dragon of Fire widened her eyes as she saw that her friends had all abandoned her. "Idiots!" she snarled, quickly spotting them at the buffet, each stuffing their faces with whatever food they fancied. Even Dojo was joining in as he kept grabbing food and pulling it into Clay's hat.

With a frown on her face, Kimiko decided to walk through the crowd. Who knows? Maybe she would find the Tiger Claws just sitting out in the open. Maybe she could just take it when no one was looking, use it and leave her friends here while she returns to the temple.

"You know, I'm not surprised to see you here, Princess."

"You!" Kimiko quickly spun around and growled. Naruto stood behind her, still wearing that cocky grin he had from earlier. He too was dressed up for the party. The top half of his kimono was a dark orange while the bottom half was black. To finish it off, he wore a red sash. Kimiko hated to admit it, but he looked good in it. "What are you doing here?!"

Thankfully she didn't shout but it didn't matter to Naruto. "I told you I had a party to catch, didn't I?" he said, cheekily. "So what are you doing here?" he asked as the two started walking around.

"Like I'm going to tell you," Kimiko huffed, using her fan to hide her scowl.

"Well, I'm gonna guess it has something to do with that Wu thing you mentioned earlier," Naruto figured, and judging by the sharp look Kimiko sent to him, he was spot on.

"Stay out of this," Kimiko warned, trying to walk away. But with how her clothing was, plus the sandals, she tripped and fell to the floor. It wouldn't have hurt as she has been through a lot worse, but before she hit the floor, an arm appeared and grabbed her, quickly pulling her back to her feet. "I don't need your help!" Kimiko snapped, glaring at the blond.

Chuckling, Naruto just offered his arm. "With how unstable you are, I think you do." She still didn't take his arm and tried to walk away again. Only after tripping again and bumping into a person, who then dropped their drink with a loud 'smash', did Kimiko grumble as she took hold of Naruto's arm. "See, was that so hard?"

Gripping his arm tighter, Kimiko made sure to dig her nails into him. Seeing that he winced, she eased off a little. "Keep talking to me like that and your arm will be on the other side of the room from you, understand?"

Recognising the fury in her eyes, Naruto quickly nodded. "Yes, Ma'am!"

"Good."

As annoyed as she was at what happened and what was currently happening, Kimiko reluctantly had to admit that holding onto Naruto was helping her not trip with every step. She did blush though when she overheard someone comment that she and Naruto looked like a cute couple. However, what really wasn't helping the situation was that every time they passed someone, Naruto somehow managed to reach into their pockets and steal something. Noticing the look Kimiko was giving him, Naruto gave an innocent look and said, "What?"

"Would you stop doing that!"

"Doing what?" he asked, putting the wallet he just took into his robes to join the others before seeing a purse literally sticking out of a woman's handbag. How could he ignore something like that? He took it within a second and kept moving.

"That!" Kimiko said, pointing at Naruto and the purse in his hand. "Stop stealing!"

All Naruto did was stick his tongue out playfully before adding the purse to the rest. Deciding on a change of subject, he asked, "So what kind of Wu are you after? A spoon that bends when you think about it? Or a hat that you can pull a rabbit out of?"

Comparing powerful magical artifacts with cheap magic tricks was just insulting, but Kimiko let it slide for now. "Why should I tell you anything? You'll just want to steal it, probably."

Naruto gave a fake gasp as his free hand went straight to clutching his chest. "You wound me with your words! I would never do such a thing!" The fake hurt looks disappeared and was replaced with another mischievous grin.

"Idiot," she muttered when she saw his grin. "My friends and I managed to track the Shen Gong Wu to this palace. But that's as far as I got before they all got distracted by food." Even from where she and Naruto walked, the two could clearly see the others gorging themselves on food still. "Now I'm on my own looking for the damn thing."

Looking thoughtful, Naruto glanced around at the random artifacts that were on display for the party. "What does the Wu look like?"

"Golden claws, that's all I know."

It wasn't much for a description but there was nothing here that matched it. No claws and nothing golden. "Nothing here like that, then again, everything up here is fake."

That got Kimiko's attention. "What?"

"Yeah, they put all the fake stuff up here for parties and keep the real ones a few floors down. This way the emperor flaunts his wealth while it's all safe," Naruto explained as if it was obvious. "What? You didn't know that?"

"No! No, I didn't!"

Blinking, Naruto muttered, "Huh, thought everyone knew that." He then noticed the girl was staring at him while tapping her foot impatiently. "What's wrong?"

"Take me there, now!" Kimiko snarled, her patience wearing thin due to everything that was happening.

"Okay, okay." Gently pulling Kimiko along, Naruto directed them towards some doors that would lead them downstairs. "What about your friends? Shouldn't they come with or something?"

Looking at her friends who each rubbed their stomachs from filling themselves, Kimiko frowned. "No, I can do this without them making comments every five seconds." She didn't need them around distracting her with insults or reminding her that she was a girl as if that wasn't obvious. Shrugging his shoulders, Naruto decided not to question it and lead the girl through the doors.


"Why was there only one guy guarding this place?" Kimiko asked as she and Naruto walked into a dark room. Reaching over, the blond turned on the lights which showed that the room was filled with dozens of relics and statues. "And also explain to me how we got past him by walking up behind him and tapping him on the shoulder?"

The two were walking separately now. While eyeing a large gold statue, Naruto answered, "Well, there was only one guard because the Emperor probably thinks it's safe while a party is happening upstairs. It helped that the guy was half asleep and not paying attention." He shook his head at the statue, knowing it was too big and heavy to take with him. However, the jewelry case nearby was just calling to him.

Stumbling a little as she walked, Kimiko grabbed onto a small case that was covered in dust. Opening it, she frowned at seeing a plain old statue that was no bigger than her hand. "This is going to take too long," she muttered, wiping the dust from her hands. She ignored the bigger statues, knowing the Wu she was looking for was literally handheld.

Closing the lid to the now empty jewelry case, Naruto spoke, "So, what were you talking about when we walked down here? You said something about that Omi guy being really sexist because of a book?"

"It's called 'The Ancient Guide to Females'," Kimiko growled out. "It's like a two-hundred-year-old book that says things like girls should be in the kitchen or they should just be cleaning. It's insulting and Omi keeps quoting from it!"

Now walking beside Kimiko again, Naruto frowned. "Well, that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," he said in agreement, "I say you need to get that book as soon as you can and just burn it. Things like that need to be burned."

Nodding her head, Kimiko could only agree. The thought of setting that book on fire brought a smile to her face. Walking over the wooden floor, the Fire Dragon stopped when she heard the floor creak differently. "Hey, I think there's something here." Following her line of sight, Naruto crouched down and tapped on the floor with his knuckles. Hearing where the wood sounded different, he also noticed that it moved slightly. "Is that a handle?"

"It's a secret exit," Naruto realised, "Didn't know the Emperor had this." Pulling on the handle, the wooden floor came off and reveal stone stairs going underground. There was also an odd noise like someone was groaning coming from underground. "What are the odds the Wu you're looking for is down there?"

"Only one way to find out."

Looking back at the door, Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Last chance if you want to get your friends. We don't know what's down there."

For a moment, Kimiko did wonder if she should get the others. But, just like before, she shook her head. "No. They can stay up there and eat. I'm finding this Wu." Without another word, Kimiko then started walking down the stairs, which was difficult with the sandals she was wearing. Naruto followed after, sticking close just in case she fell and he had to catch her.

It took a few minutes to go down the stairs but it eventually opened up to reveal a massive cave. How they were able to see in the dark when there was no source of light, Naruto would never know, but he wasn't going to question it. "What the hell is that?" he asked, hearing that groaning noise again.

"It's Jack!" Kimiko hissed, seeing the self-proclaimed 'Evil Boy Genius'. He was on the other side of the cave and holding his stomach while whimpering for some reason. All Naruto could think though was why did the boy look like a literal monkey? He even had a tail! A flash in the corner of her eye caught Kimiko's attention, making her gasp as she saw what it was. "And he's headed towards the Tiger Claws!"

Hearing his name, Jack looked and groaned. "I so don't need this right now," he muttered to himself, glaring at Kimiko. He didn't know who the blond was but he didn't care. "Jack-Bots!" he called, with two robots appearing behind him. "Get rid of those two, now!"

The robots flew at Naruto and Kimiko. Once they were close enough, they produced a weapon from their chests and open fired, firing lasers at the two. Naruto ducked under one blast while jumping away from another. "This is really annoying!" he shouted out, grabbing a rock while he ducked. He threw it as hard as he could, nailing the first robot in the head. This caused the robot to shoot blindly as it started flying out of control before it slammed itself into the side of the cave and was destroyed. "That's one of those things down!"

"That just leaves one!" Kimiko said as she jumped towards the last robot. "Fire!" she called out, spinning a little in the air. Naruto couldn't help but notice that she seemed to move a bit faster now, for some reason. Once Kimiko was right next to the robot, she spun again and kicked the head right off. The head fell and landed at Naruto's feet, who whistled at how impressive that was. Holding onto the short-circuiting robot, Kimiko forced it to fly down and towards the Golden Tiger Claws. At the last second, she jumped and landed on the ground with her hand on the Wu, the robot crashing into the cliff. However, Jack had managed to reach the claws at the same time.

"What is happening now?" Naruto wondered from where he stood above the two, noticing that the Wu was glowing brightly. Hearing something laugh next to him, he snapped his head round and widened his eyes as he saw what could only be described as a short purple ghost floating next to him. "What the hell is that?!" he shouted, freaking out. He hated ghosts, always had.

Chuckling at what was about to happen, Jack gave a toothy grin. "Sweet," he said, "Kimiko, I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown!"

Glaring at the boy, Kimiko sneered, "Name your game, Jack!"

"A race across the bridges," he suggested, using his Monkey Staff to point at the stone bridges nearby, "First one across wins! Whaddya say?"

"I say let's go!" she accepted, "Xiaolin Showdown!"

The entire cave began to shake as if an earthquake had started happening out of nowhere. Stumbling a little as he wasn't expecting it, Naruto was forced to hold onto the rocks as everything began to change. Everything was now tinted red and these odd signs with Chinese lettering floated everywhere. The stone bridges below cracked and the floors beneath them disappeared. Both Kimiko and Jack appeared on the bridges in a flash, neither looking surprised at what just happened.

"Gong Yi Tanpai!" they both shouted, signalling the start of the showdown.

Without wasting any time, Jack shot off towards the Claws in the distance. Seeing that she was just wasting time by standing there, Kimiko went after him but stumbled. Growling, she lifted her dress and kicked off her sandals. "Much better!" she said as she started moving as quickly as she could. The bridge walkways were quite thin and they even crumbled in places, making it so that Kimiko was forced to make her way slowly.

Above, Naruto wished he could help as he was forced to watch. Jack was jumping around easily while Kimiko was moving slowly. This wasn't going to end well. "Come on, Princess! You got this!"

"Easier said than done," Kimiko muttered to herself but was thankful for the words of encouragement. If her friends were here, they would probably make fun of the situation or make a bet amongst themselves or something.

A fair distance away now, Jack stopped and looked back, cackling at what he saw. "Now this is too easy!" All of a sudden, the bridges began to shake and move a little. Both Jack and Kimiko were knocked off, making Naruto shout in worry. He was relieved when he saw that the girl just managed to grab onto the ledge to keep from falling. Jack was using his tail and quickly pulled himself back up. "Hey, that's a good look for you!" Jack taunted, seeing Kimiko hold on for dear life just like in the last showdown.

"I hate this showdown," Kimiko muttered as she pulled herself back up, only for another quake to appear and knock her off her feet. At least this time she didn't fall off the side. "I REALLY hate this showdown!" Jack just laughed and started swinging his way towards the Tiger Claws. Knowing there was no other way for her to reach the end in time, Kimiko took the comb in her hair, letting her hair fall down.

'Damn,' Naruto thought, thinking that Kimiko looked good with her hair down.

'Please work!' Kimiko begged in her head as she pointed the comb. "Tangle Web Comb!" The hairs fired out of the comb and shot towards Jack, who flinched as they neared him. But they turned and launched themselves back at Kimiko who could only gasp, "NO!" It wrapped around her entire body and covered her mouth. Unable to keep her balance, she fell onto her back and struggled against her bindings.

"HA HA!" Jack laughed as he hopped around. Just to make things worse for the trapped girl, Jack used his staff to break a nearby stalagmite which fell and smashed a part of Kimiko's bridge, making it more impossible for her if she freed herself. "This Wu is mine!"

It didn't matter how much she struggled, Kimiko couldn't do anything to free herself. Why did she have to bring that stupid Wu with her?! it never worked! And now Jack was going to win again. "Kimiko!" she heard Naruto shout. Just able to turn her head, she saw him looking at her with concern but there was something else. He had this look of determination as if he still believed in her despite her current situation. "Don't force it! Just let go!"

He was talking about how he managed to use the Tangle Web Comb when she couldn't. Master Fung had said something similar yesterday, about staying calm and quieting the waters of her mind, or something like that. Heeding their advice, Kimiko took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She stopped struggling and slowly relaxed her body. From where he stood, Naruto watched the girl lay still. He could see in the distance that Jack was getting closer to the goal but he was showboating and taking his time. That will be his undoing if Kimiko can just free herself. "Yes," Naruto grinned, seeing the hairs that tied the girl up were loosening.

Landing next to the Tiger Claws, Jack could only cackle in glee. Not once but twice now he won at these Showdowns and it was too easy! If this keeps up then he was gonna rule the world in no time! He reached for the Wu and said, "The Tiger Claws are finally mi- AAH!" He was interrupted as a massive amount of hair appeared and snatched his Monkey Staff from him. He watched helplessly as the staff was brought to Kimiko, who freed herself and was smiling in victory. "Hey! That's mine!" He gasped when he felt it. Spinning his head around, he watched in horror as his tail disappeared! His fangs also turned back to normal and so did his feet. "NO!"

"It worked!" Kimiko was ecstatic and it showed by the smile she wore.

"Atta girl!" Naruto shouted, cheering for her.

Growling, Jack sneered, "Doesn't matter! I've still won this!" He reached for the Tiger Claws, intent on winning this showdown and getting his Monkey Staff back. Just as his fingers were inches from the Wu, another quake appeared, knocking the Tiger Claws off from where it stood. "NO!" he shouted again, diving after it.

Running along the bridge, Kimiko was having the time of her life. The Monkey Staff gave her incredible agility so she moved perfectly, unhindered by the bridge shaking. Seeing that her bridge was destroyed up ahead, Kimiko just laughed as she used the Tangle Web Comb and used it to swing from the broken bridge all the way to the falling Tiger Claws. She snatched them in the air and swung back to the bridges as Jack continued falling and shouting.

Landing perfectly, Kimiko stood and held the Tiger Claws in victory. "Damn," Naruto muttered, not only impressed but also thinking that she looked hot at how confident she was. Plus the smile she held looked incredible. He idly hoped he'll get to see more of it. With another quake, the cave they were in turned back to normal just as Kimiko swing her way back to him. "I knew you could do it," Naruto said once the girl stood in front of him.

"Damn right I could do it," Kimiko said, placing the Tangle Web Comb back in her hair. She tossed the Tiger Claws in the air and caught it, happy to have won. "The guys are gonna freak out when they see this!"

The two started walking back towards the stone steps that led them both down here in the first place. "I'd imagine they would treat you with a bit more respect now. Or else you'll leave them all tied up." Now that's an idea. Actually, Kimiko began to think of having Omi tied up and then burning that book of his in front of him.

As the two walked, Kimiko looked at the man in front of her. "Thanks, by the way," she said. Seeing him look at her with a raised eyebrow, she continued, "For helping me with the Tangle Web Comb, and for finding the Tiger Claws."

"Ah, you didn't need my help," Naruto said, "I've only known you for a few hours and I know that you're too stubborn to let some Wu get the best of you... Damn, I just sounded like B just now." Kimiko wondered who this 'B' was but ignored it for now. "I do have a question though," Naruto said, getting Kimiko's attention again. "Did that Jack guy just fall to his death?"

Laughing, Kimiko shook her head. "No! He's fine! You can't fall to your death in these Showdowns. He's somewhere back in that cave being shouted at by Wuya."

"Is Wuya that ghost that was following him around?" Naruto asked, shivering at the mention of the specter.

"Yeah, Wuya is this witch that wants to rule the world," Kimiko explained with a shrug, not seeing Naruto shiver. "But because she's a ghost, she needs someone to do everything for her so she's stuck with Jack."

The two continued talking as they left the cave. Back with Wuya, she just watched as Jack fell from a great height and landed right in front of her, kicking up a bunch of dust but that didn't affect the ghost-woman. "Idiot!" she screeched, uncaring how hurt the boy was. "You had the Tiger Claws within reach! You should have won! You complete imbecile!" While cursing his name and wondering why she had to be with an idiot like Jack, Wuya floated away.

"Ow," Jack groaned out. He just laid there, unable to move due to the pain. He was forced to watch as a piece of stone cracked away from the ceiling and fell towards him. "...Dammit," he said just before it landed on him. And of course, it landed on his crotch.

The cave was filled with the echo of Jack's screams. And it sounded beautiful.


Walking down the steps outside the palace, Naruto and Kimiko continued talking and laughing at what happened. "Hey! There she is!" they heard someone shout. Looking, they saw Raimundo at the bottom of the steps, pointing at them.

Clay and Omi ran over to him and waved at Kimiko, glad to see her again. "Where you been?" Clay asked once Kimiko and Naruto reached them. "We lost you in there."

"You mean you guys were distracted by all the food in your mouths?" Kimiko said, a hand on her hip with a stern look on her face. "If you guys weren't so hungry all the time then maybe you would have helped me find this!" With a small shout, Kimiko lifted her hand and showed the Tiger Claws, almost grinning as she saw how shocked her friends all looked.

"You found it?!" they all shouted in shock. Even Dojo looked surprised as he was wrapped around Clay's hat.

Omi was the first to break from his shock as he pointed a finger. "Oh! I know how you found it! Girls always like shiny things so that's how she found the GOLDEN Tiger Claws!" he said, emphasizing 'Golden'. "It says so in my book!" Seeing the book, Naruto twitched. The cover really did read 'The Ancient Guide to Females,'. No wonder Kimiko sounded so pissed when she mentioned it.

"Whose this guy?" Raimundo rudely asked, pointing his thumb at Naruto. "He looks kinda familiar." There was just something about the blond hair that looked familiar as if he had JUST seen this guy somewhere.

"I'm a friend of Princess," Naruto said, grinning as Kimiko scowled at the name. She really didn't like it for some reason. "I helped her find those Claws while you guys were busy." He might have sounded a bit accusatory but the three guys really did ignore what they came here for and also ignored Kimiko.

Trying her best to ignore Naruto calling her a 'princess', Kimiko just yawned. She felt really tired all of a sudden. Must be from being relieved from all the stress she felt the past few days. "Can we go home now? I need some sleep."

Jumping down from Clay's hat, Dojo also gave a yawn as he patted his bulging stomach. "Yeah, I'm gonna sleep good tonight from all that food! Give me a minute and I'll give you all a lift."

"What?" Naruto said, raising an eyebrow as he looked at the dragon. "You're gonna give a lift for four people? This I gotta see!"

"Oh, you're gonna see!" Dojo said, feeling insulted by Naruto's tone. As he usually did, Dojo quickly grew in size until he was towering over everyone. Naruto could feel his jaw slack as the tiny gecko was now bigger than a house! "Well?! What do you have to say now?!" Dojo asked in pride. It was always satisfying to see someone surprised at how he changes size like this.

Picking his jaw off the floor, Naruto looked at the laughing Kimiko, "It was fun hanging with you. Gotta say I hope I get to see you again." Kimiko was surprised by this and before she could reply, Naruto turned and cupped his hands around his mouth to sound louder, "AND I'M STILL CALLING YOU GECKO!"

"I'LL SHOW YOU A GECKO!"

Naruto ran for it, avoiding the massive tail that slammed down where he stood. All four Dragons, and the one literal Dragon, all watched him run in the distance with a laugh. "He's a weird guy," Clay commented with a chuckle, "I like him."

"Yeah, he's alright," Kimiko agreed before adding, "For a thief, at least."

"Wha- It's him!" Raimundo shouted, now realising why the blond looked familiar. Why didn't he recognise the guy earlier? He is the only blond in the city and they were on the lookout for a blond earlier. "He stole our money!"

Clay and Omi looked back towards where Naruto was running but couldn't see him anymore. "I am afraid that he is gone," Omi said.

"Hey, Kimiko," Clay said, making the Asian girl look at him. "I think there's something on your back." Hearing this, Kimiko tried to reach for whatever it was but it was just out of reach. "Here you go," Clay said, taking it off of her and then handing it to her.

She read it out loud, for everyone to hear. "Dear Princess, thanks for all the free stuff from your bag, Love Naruto." There was also a small drawing of Naruto doing the peace sign. "My bag!" Kimiko said and ran off to where she hid her backpack. Running to a nearby tree, she looked up and saw her white and orange bag with wings hanging from a high branch so no one could see or reach it. Jumping from branch to branch, it only took Kimiko a few seconds to reach her bag. She ripped it open and stared. Naruto didn't take anything, like he said in the note. in fact, he had put the wallets he had stolen from the others in her bag along with her purse.

"Well?" Raimundo asked from the bottom of the tree, "Did that bastard take anything?"

"No, he didn't!" Kimiko said back before she saw something else. There was a slip of paper in her bag that wasn't there before. Opening it, she smiled as she read Naruto's phone number and e-mail address. Maybe she would be seeing him again.


On the other side of the city, Naruto looked back and saw Dojo fly off in the distance with the monks. He would have waved but they were flying in the opposite direction. Hearing a 'ping', he reached into his pocket and took out his phone. There was a new message. He read it the single word and smiled as it said, 'Hey'.