Hey everyone! This is the second rewritten chapter of my Naruto story; this is perhaps one of the longest chapters I've ever written, but that's because I combined the old chapter 2 and chapter 3 together. So without any further a do (is that how you spell it? Ah, oh well...), here you go!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, or "Shippu! Konoha Gakuen Den!" (the inspiration for my story). If I did, Itachi would still be living and Neji-kun would appear more in the manga and anime! However, I do own my fancharacter Sophia (more of her biography to be revealed in the story).
Chapter 2 – "I Never Thought Dodgeball Would End Like This!"
(Sophia's POV)
Today had been hectic. The new kid was hard enough to handle, but the scene Karin had caused at lunch was enough to get me somewhat pissed. It was a good thing Neji-kun knew how to cheer me up. Even though we didn't have a lot of time to eat lunch, he still managed to make me smile. Sigh, I wish the two of us could have more lunch dates. Idiot! My inner-self interrupted. It wasn't a date! If Ino found out you actually called it that, she'd never let you live another day without saying something! 'Yes, yes,' I told myself as I grabbed my sports bag and closed my locker. I walked out the door and made my way to the gymnasium. On my way there, I noticed Ino poking her head around the corner of the next building, obviously eavesdropping on something.
"Hey, Ino, what's going on?" I asked quietly as I came up behind her.
Ino jumped, the life almost completely leaving her. After recollecting her composure, she turned to me and said, "Oh, Sophia-lincho, it's you."
"Ino, what's going on?" I asked again.
She pointed to the side of the building she had been poking her head around. "It's Sasuke-kun and that annoying transfer student."
That made me curious. I stuck my head around the corner just as Ino had done previously and beheld the sight in front of me. Really? I said to myself. The two were fighting again! This was the third time in one day! Had they been a married couple in a past life or something? I mentally sighed as I continued to observe the fight that growing more interesting by the second. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't like the rules being broken, especially when it comes to fighting, but this fight was getting better and better as I watched. Sasuke threw a punch – Naruto dodged. Naruto punched back and Sasuke kicked Naruto's legs, causing Naruto to fall down. Sasuke was about to kick Naruto again, but Naruto rolled out of the way and head butted Sasuke. Stepping back, Sasuke tried to attack; unfortunately, he managed to step on a soda can which he slipped backwards on. I saw a gleam of victory in Naruto's eyes as he took that moment to finish the fight. However, Naruto also slipped on the can; this time, though, he slipped forwards and...well, let's just say that those two got closer than two normal teenage boys really need to. Once the two realized what had just happened, they got up and spit, embarrassment written all over their faces.
"Why'd you do that, huh?!" Naruto yelled at Sasuke.
"That's my line," Sasuke muttered as he finished spitting up.
While those two were trying to forget the incident, Ino and I were dying of laughter around the corner.
"Oh...my...gosh... That was so freakin' hilarious!" I remarked between laughs.
"I... really... shouldn't... be laughing." Ino tried to sound serious, but her laughter wouldn't allow it. "After all... it's Sasuke-kun..."
After about five minutes, the two of us calmed down.
"All right," I said, "we'd better get going. Cheer practice starts in ten minutes."
"Yeah, you're right," Ino agreed as she picked up her sports bag. "This incident, it stays between us, right?"
"Of course. You know I wouldn't tell a soul."
Secretly, I knew someday I would. After all, this was great blackmail against the Uchiha. And it's not everyday one can find something to humiliate him with. Oh, life can be so good sometimes!
/~~*~~/
/~~*~~/
(Normal POV)
Morning time had come, and as Sakura, Ino, and Hinata made their way to the front courtyard of the school, they noticed that everyone was crowded around something.
"Hey, what's going on?" Ino questioned, standing on her tiptoes to try to see the commotion.
Some random stranger answered, "It's the transfer student. Apparently, the local gang leader knows something about him and started a feud."
Sakura gasped. "Where's Sophia-lincho?"
"She went to get Tsunade," Sasuke replied out of nowhere.
The three girls sprang back in surprise. "S-Sasuke-kun!"
"That guy," Sasuke muttered, "he's so arrogant..."
Deciding to take a closer look, the four pushed their way to the front as quickly as they could. Once they got there, they found Naruto and the gang leader staring at each other. Finally, the gang leader spoke.
"Ha, I've heard you're a really good fighter," the man said. "You don't look like much, though."
"Tch, listen, I don't care what you've heard," Naruto retorted. "You should leave before you get hurt." And with that, Naruto tried to walk past the guy.
"Hey, who said you could go anywhere?" The gang leader stopped Naruto from stepping any further. "'Come on, show me what you've got, kid."
Without warning, the gang leader threw a punch at Naruto. Quickly, Naruto dodged the punch, ducking behind the guy and pulling out...
"Yo-yos?!" the crowd exclaimed, most of them collapsing.
By the time most of them got up, however, the fight was over. Naruto had won, leaving the knocked-out gang leader to his followers.
A-Amazing, Sakura stated.
"Alright, listen up!" Naruto announced to everyone. "I'm done with these kid fights! If there's anyone who's serious about fighting me, I'm sending out a challenge! Just try and beat me!"
/~~*~~/
/~~*~~/
(Tsunade's office)
"What do you mean you're not going to interfere?!" yelled Sophia as her hands slammed onto Tsunade's desk.
It was Sophia, Tsunade, Kakashi, and a few other teachers inside the dean's office. Sophia had come to Tsunade, hoping the woman would stop the nonsense downstairs, but the woman wouldn't lift a finger.
"Calm down," Tsunade ordered. "Naruto's old enough to take make his own decisions along with all the other students at this school."
"But he's fighting a gang leader! Who knows who else could show up?! What if someone ends up seriously injured...or worse?!"
"I know you're concerned, Sophia, but this is out of my hands. Here, take a look. Naruto hasn't even laid a punch on that guy yet."
Everyone in the room went over to the window to watch the fight. Naruto appeared to be walking away, but then the gang leader stepped in front of him. Next thing they knew, Naruto had pulled out a couple of yo-yos and had beaten the crap out of the man. The faculty and Sophia stood there, uncertain of what they had just witnessed.
W-What the hell was that? Sophia asked herself.
Tsunade turned back around to face Sophia. "It's not that I don't care. But seeing as how our school is made up of tough, hard-headed dumbasses, I don't see a reason to interfere. The students here can handle themselves."
"But –"
Sophia was cut off by Kakashi. "Sophia, listen to Tsunade-sama. No matter how much you argue, it's not going to make a difference. She's in charge, not you."
Closing her mouth, Sophia crossed her arms and made her way to the door. Before she left, she said, "Tsunade-sama, I respect what you're doing; but if this goes on for too long, I'll have to take the situation into my own hands."
"Of course," Tsunade responded, sitting down in her huge office chair.
"So she's not doing anything?" inquired Neji as Sophia exited the office.
"Absolutely nothing," the girl complained angrily as she plodded down the hallway, Neji following behind her.
"I'm for your side, no matter what you do. You know that, right?"
Facing him, Sophia answered, "Of course, I know that."
Neji just smiled as he caught up to her and said, "Okay then."
/~~*~~/
/~~*~~/
(P.E. Class – Teacher: Might Guy)
"Okay, you youthful spirits, gather around!" Guy commanded, a bit too excited. "Today, today you all will be playing a game of dodge ball. Team captains will be Sophia and Lee."
The two glanced at each other. Though not a lot of people knew it, Sophia and Lee had been rivals ever since they were kids. Now, they were friendly rivals; they weren't the type to put each other down.
"Heh, ready to lose, Lee?" asked Sophia.
"I am afraid you're mistaken," he retorted. "I am not the one who shall be losing today."
"We'll see!"
"Alright, both of you will each pick a person to be on your team," said Guy. "Sophia, you can start."
"Neji-kun."
Lee chose next. "TenTen."
"Sakura-chan."
"Kiba."
"Uchiha."
"Shino."
"Ino."
"Hinata."
There were only two people left: Naruto and Chouji. Shikamaru, for some reason, had "disappeared." Everyone knew, though, that he was probably sleeping underneath the bleachers. Sophia thought over who to pick next. Naruto was fast and strong, but saying the wrong word to Chouji would unleash a force greater than Sophia could imagine. Inhaling, she decided, "Naruto."
"Which means Chouji, TenTen, Kiba, Shino, and Hinata are on Lee's team," Guy concluded, "and Neji, Sakura, Sasuke, Ino, and Naruto are on Sophia's team. Here are the rules: both teams must stay on their sides. The balls will be set in the middle of the court. Once I blow my whistle, anyone is allowed to grab a ball. Whoever is hit is out. If anyone catches a ball that is thrown at them, the person who threw the ball is automatically out. The last team standing wins."
Both teams got on their sides, ready for Guy to blow the whistle. Even though this wasn't a life or death situation, tension could still be felt. Silence overtook the gym as each team stared at each other, all determined to win. A high pitched noise broke the silence and both teams took off to get the dodge balls.
The game lasted for about thirty minutes. First someone from Lee's team was out, then from Sophia's team, then back to Lee, then back to Sophia, etc. It all came down to two people on Sophia's side: her and Naruto. The only one left from Lee's team was Kiba. Since all the balls were on Kiba's side of the court, Sophia and Naruto were defenseless. Luckily, Kiba only held one dodge ball.
"Let's go, Kiba!" his teammates cheered. Akamaru, who wasn't allowed to play dodge ball (poor dog), barked loudly, cheering for Kiba as well.
Taking a deep breath, Kiba tried to decide who to attack. Once he made up his mind, Kiba pretended to throw the ball at Sophia; and in that split second where Naruto thought he was aiming for Sophia, Kiba really threw the ball at Naruto. But Sophia figured out Kiba's plan right as the ball flew from his hand. It was like a scene from a movie where the actors are all in slow motion: Sophia dashed in front of Naruto, taking the hit from the dodge ball while Naruto and Kiba stood there in surprise.
"Out!" judged Guy.
And only two were left. The two boys stayed on their sides of the court, both ready to get the game over with while Guy set one ball down and quickly stepped back to his spot off court. Kiba and Naruto just glared at each other as they waited for the whistle. Both had one thought their head: I'm going to win!
"Whistle*!"
They sprinted for the ball. Naruto was almost there, but before he could touch it, Kiba grabbed the ball and launched it at Naruto.
"Yeah, we won!" some of Kiba's teammates yelled.
A few on Sophia's team hung their heads in defeat. But Sophia and Lee witnessed a truly amazing victory. As the cheers of Lee's team disappeared, the members of Sophia's team brought their heads up to see what had happened. And, boy, were they glad they did. There, holding the dodge ball up in the air, was Naruto. Everyone gazed in awe. Naruto had caught the ball right before it could hit him and had won the game for Sophia's team! Victory swelling up within them, Sophia, Sakura, and Ino ran up to Naruto, jumping up and down and praising the boy for winning the game. Neji and Sasuke, however, stayed back and sulked.
"I can't believe I didn't make it that far," mumbled Neji.
"How in the world did that dobe make it farther than me?" Sasuke whined.
The other team didn't take the loss that hard. After all, it was just a game. However, Kiba didn't take it as easily as his teammates.
"There's no way I lost to him!" Kiba snapped. Hinata and Shino did their best at holding him back as he tried to pounce on Naruto. "I couldn't have lost! Not to that worthless piece of trash!"
Hearing those words, Naruto glared at Kiba. "What did you – "
"Calm down, Naruto," Sophia warned.
"Kiba!" Guy hollered. "That's no way to talk to a fellow schoolmate! Go run fifty laps!"
"Tch, whatever!" muttered Kiba as he ran towards the doors leading outside.
Watching him leave, Sophia knew that this conflict between Naruto and Kiba was far from over. After all, both knuckleheads sure did have anger problems; of course, the whole class actually had anger problems. That's probably one of the things that made them close.
/~~*~~/
/~~*~~/
(Sakura POV)
After school, I met up with the other girls from my class. We were supposed to go shopping, but a crowd much like the one from this morning had gathered again in the courtyard. My only guess: Naruto. That kid is the only one who could begin a ruckus like this.
"I wonder who Naruto's fighting this time," commented TenTen.
If it's Sasuke-kun, Naruto's dead! roared my inner-self.
Curious to see who he was fighting, we squeezed our way through the crowd and finally approached the front. I couldn't believe who Naruto was against. "Holy crap, it's Kiba-kun!"
"Eh?!" my friends shrieked as they looked for themselves.
"What the hell does he think he's doing?" Ino questioned. "Those idiots are going to get themselves expelled!"
At that moment in time, I expected Sophia-lincho to lunge between the two boys and beat the crap out of them. But when she just stood there with her arms crossed and a disapproving face, I knew something was wrong.
"Sophia-lincho, aren't you going to do something?" I inquired.
Our class president drew a long breath, eyes closed. "Unfortunately, I have no authority over the two idiots. Tsunade-sama told me not to worry about the battles that Naruto is causing. So until things get too out of hand, I'm not doing anything at all."
What?! I was shocked. Tsunade-sama isn't interfering at all? What was she thinking? Sighing, I decided to let it go. Sophia-lincho probably already tried to knock some sense into Tsunade-sama's head; I wouldn't be of any help. Upon hearing one of the boys speak, my attention averted back to Naruto and Kiba.
"Okay, trash, this time I'm for sure going to win!" Kiba announced arrogantly.
"Ha, yeah right," contested Naruto. "Get ready to lose...again!"
Without warning, Kiba – pissed with fists clenched – launched himself at Naruto, ready to pummel Naruto's face into the gravel. Quickly, Naruto ducked out of the way, but instead of Kiba missing, he kicked Naruto in the nose, causing him to fall backwards. We thought Naruto was down for the count.
"Yeah, way to go, Kiba!" one boy screamed.
A few others cheered as well. For some reason, though, their cheering ticked me off. I don't know why, but I wanted Naruto to win. I guess it's because part of me wanted the underdog to prevail.
"Come on, Naruto, get up!" I yelled.
My friends stared at me as if I was crazy. Kiba stared too. If it weren't for the heat of the moment, I would have been completely embarrassed. But I had to get that stupid kid back on his feet. "You can't let him win! After all, you already sent out an invitation for anyone to challenge you! No one's going to take you seriously if you lose your first actual fight! They'll just think you were some sort of poser – a kid who was bluffing! Is that really how you want to go down?!"
In reality, I was surprised at my own reaction. But it had to be said. After all, Kiba wasn't that good of a fighter anyways. Slowly but surely, Naruto got up. Everyone's attention turned back to the dual.
"Heh, ready for more, loser?" Kiba asked in a mocking tone.
Naruto, clearly pissed, ran towards his opponent. Once he was close enough, he jumped up in the air, leg ready to kick Kiba back. Kiba, not expecting Naruto to be as fast as he was, couldn't defend himself quickly enough and was sent flying backwards. Picking himself up, Kiba spit out some blood. Now, it was his turn to be pissed off. Before anyone knew it, both boys were on the ground, Kiba hovering over Naruto and punching him in the face. Then Naruto flipped them over and began punching Kiba in the face. The two went at it like this for a few minutes. Finally, Naruto – with Kiba trying to pummel his face – kneed Kiba in the stomach, causing him to roll off Naruto. We all knew that it was the end of the fight. Either Kiba was going to give up or Naruto would finish him off. But before Naruto could make a move, Sophia was between the two boys.
"Oi, get out of the way!" he snapped. "We're not finished!"
"Yes, you are," stated Sophia, arms crossed. "You've proven you're the better fighter. Now, let it go."
Naruto's fists were clenched. It looked like he was going to attack Sophia-lincho, but he didn't. Instead, he grabbed his school bag and made his way home, leaving the rest of us speechless.
/~~*~~/
/~~*~~/
(Sophia's POV)
After Naruto walked off, I returned my attention to Kiba. The girls had already gone to his side, making sure he was alright. I could've told them he was fine; Kiba was a hard-headed dumbass who rebounded swiftly.
"You shouldn't have interfered," said Kiba. "I could've gotten back up."
"You're welcome," I retorted sarcastically.
"Why exactly did you fight him anyway?" Ino questioned. "We've seen you lose games before, and you've never had as much rage then as you did today."
"It wasn't about revenge," I answered for him. "Kiba just made it look like that, right?"
I winked at the boy. He looked shocked.
"H-How did you know?" Kiba asked.
"Wait, what's going on?" Sakura, Ino, TenTen, and Hinata had confusion written all over their faces.
"Kiba's real intention was to see how well of a fighter Naruto was. He just didn't want to make himself look sweet, so he pretended to be a sore loser. He wanted to help Naruto get attention from other fighters."
"So you intentionally lost?" Ino inquired.
"Of course not!" yelled Kiba. "I never intentionally lose anything!"
I interrupted. "He didn't intentionally lose. Kiba gave it all he got. I've got to admit, I thought Naruto wasn't going to get up after you kicked him, Kiba."
A blush appeared on Kiba's cheeks. Turning away, he mumbled something along the line of "Yeah, thanks."
The girls and I decided that it would be best to get Kiba to the nurse. Ino and Sakura gave him support as he tried to walk while Hinata and TenTen grabbed their bags and followed them. I would've gone with them, but they told me to go home instead. Well, I guess I'm alone then, I said to myself. Neji-kun had gone home earlier than usual because he had to fill in as a teacher for one of the martial arts classes so I didn't really have anybody to walk home with.
As I exited the gates of the school, I noticed a small group of people on the corner of the road. I stopped suddenly as I realized who they were. Karin and her groupies were blocking Naruto, obviously pissed off about something. I hid on the other side of the corner and listened in on their conversation.
"What do you want?" Naruto questioned, sounding a bit irritated.
"Listen here, newbie, if you keep on bothering Sasuke or any of his friends, we'll make sure Tsunade-sama takes care of it," Karin replied. "You've got that?"
"I could care less," Naruto said before he walked around the girls. "Girls like you get on my nerves."
By now, Karin had a surprised look on her face. No one had ever talked to her like that. When she realized he was trotting off, her face turned from surprise to hate.
"How dare you!" she screeched through her teeth.
Naruto turned around. "Huh?"
Karin was about to tackle him down. Anybody who was walking by could've seen that. But I could see there was more hatred than that in her eyes. I ran from the corner I was hiding behind and pushed Naruto out of the way as Karin slapped me. The three of us fell to the ground. Karin was on top of me, choking me. Naruto was beside me, wondering what had happened. When he noticed Karin attacking me, I was almost unconscious. Who would've thought that she was this strong?
Naruto pushed Karin off of me. I sat up and started coughing, relieved that there was such a thing as oxygen. Karin and her friends ran off.
After they were gone, Naruto helped me up.
"Thanks," I said.
"I should be thanking you," he replied. "After all, who would know what would've happened if she tried to hurt me. Anyways, are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm sure."
"What's her problem?" Naruto asked about Karin as he helped me up.
"Karin is, um, very obsessive when it comes to Sasuke. She's also one of those girls to wants everything to go her way. Not a lot of people like her even though she acts like she's the most popular girl in school."
By this time we had both started walking home again. Apparently, Naruto didn't live too far away from my apartment. Actually, he only lived a block away.
"Oh, which reminds me, please don't be mad at Kiba, okay?"
Naruto's eyebrow raised in question.
I continued. "Kiba-kun was just trying to help you out. He wanted to be your first opponent after you challenged everybody this morning so he figured he put on an act of being a sore loser to make him look tough. He really didn't mean the words that he said."
I could tell that Naruto still wasn't sure. "Trust me, I've known Kiba-kun for years. Yeah, he has a temper, but he's a good person underneath it all."
Though Naruto still didn't look satisfied, I could see a glimpse of gratitude in his eyes. A few moments passed in silence before Naruto began a new conversation.
"So why does everyone like this Sasuke guy so much?" he inquired.
I thought a minute about that. Then I said, "Well, that's over exaggerating on some parts. But, I guess it's because most girls think he's cute. I, on the other hand, just think that only a little bit. Most boys just admire his advancement in school. He's one of the smartest and strongest guys in school. I've never seen him once fail a test, and we've been in the same class since elementary. That guy's… something else."
Naruto didn't say anything. It wasn't until I noticed we passed my apartment building that I stopped walking.
"Ah! Sorry, Naruto-kun, but I've got to go!" I panicked. "We just missed my apartment! Kakashi-senpai's probably wondering what I've been doing!"
I ran off. When I turned to wave at him, though, he had a confused look on his face. I wondered why.
(Naruto's perspective)
I looked at Sophia with confusion. D-Did she just say Kakashi-sensei? But… what in the world did she mean? Do they live together!? Once she was inside, I raced home. Don't stop… Don't stop… I kept telling myself.
I made it to my apartment in five minutes. That was the strangest day of my life – yet.
And so ends another chapter of this story! Want to figure out what's going on between Sophia and Kakashi? Well, be waiting for the next chapter to find out!
Thank you all so much! I've enjoyed reading the reviews that have been sent to me so far! Please, continue to send me reviews along with any comments you have about the story. I'm the type of person who can take criticism (as long as it's not rude criticism) so help me out as much as you'd like! Thanks again!