Chapter 3: The Green Beasts of Kohona
author's note: This was written at like 1:44am so yeah there might be a few mistakes, oh and all standard disclaimers apply!
Chapter 3: The Green Beasts of Kohona
Naruto went out with Kyo-sensei in the morning, or a least that's what the note I found said. Thankfully it also said I was allowed to explore the village all day as long as I was home by dinner which hopefully wouldn't be ramen. I put the note down, and headed back towards my bedroom, which was still unbelievably bare. I sighed - I had a lot of work to do to make this room my new domain. I missed my old room, my cozy bed...oh well, can't turn back time now. I walked over to my pack and pulled out a scroll, then stopped seeing Yukihiko's sword and Ami's present. I gently pulled out the sword, my fingers brushing over it gently. I spent a few moments tracing the pattern, "If you find someone who you can really trust...You should give him this," Izumi's words ran through my head. Maybe I would find someone who I could pass the sword to, maybe not today, but someday.
Shaking my head to clear my thoughts I put the sword down on the floor, and took out Ami's nearly forgotten present. The package was large, but weighed next to nothing. I quickly tore off the wrapping and opened the box. I couldn't help but smile. Inside were several new training outfits, designed by Ami herself. Gingerly I took out one of the outfits and tried it on - it was a perfect fit. The outfit was consisted of a red short sleeved jacket that had white stripes down the shoulders, down the zipper in the front and on the hem line, and at the end of the sleeves. Underneath that was a black halter top made of a thin – but not to thin - material that let my skin breathe in the heat. It also came with some black shorts and a red belt that had loops to hold my senbon needles. Finally, a pair of black cargo strap-up boots finished up the set. I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled. Ami knew exactly what I liked, and this definitely fit that category. I mentally told her thanks, reminding myself to give her a big hug when we got back.
Curious, I took a peek at Naruto's package. He also had an outfit, but I decided to leave it in the package. I could see it when he got to open it. Now dressed, I opted for going to explore – after all, Kyo-sensei did say I could. I walked outside to a bright, sunny day. Squinting, I looked around – where to start? I decided to take a birds eye view of things by jumping up to the roof tops and jumping from roof top to roof top. After about 20 minutes of wandering around I was about to jump down and go to the ground but then I spotted a large part of land that had no homes or markets but the ground was obviously worn down, and used. The first thing that ran through my mind was that it is a training ground, so jumping to a tree I decided to check it out and train a bit. After all I did need to burn off some stress.
When I got down my suspicions were confirmed as I saw the sign it read 'Training Ground 10'. I took a deep breath and flared my chakra up a bit; it would be nice to practice some jutsu again. I was just readying to practice some earth jutsus, when I noticed a green blob near to the tree line, nearly invisible because of the matching colors. Curious, I let my chakra fade before I jogged over. It was...a person?! He was obviously passed out from exhaustion. I could tell, and I was proud – medical things had been my favorite back at the village. I gently shook his shoulder. "Hey, are you alright? Wake up." He didn't stir. I rolled over the poor kid, who looked to be about my age or a bit older. He had a horrible bowl-cut hairstyle, and his hair was black. He had thick, bushy eyebrows that really creeped me out, but he seemed ok accept for the fact that he was, well...passed out. I fished around in my bag before finding a small towel, and walked to the small stream nearby. I dunked the thing, shook it a bit before wiping the kid's face. He stirred slightly, and I said, louder, "Hey, are you ok? Can you hear me?" His eyes opened, and he sat up.
"Wha...what?" He seemed a bit confused. "You passed out," I explained, sitting down next to him. "What? Oh! Then I am in your debt, beautiful girl. May I ask your name?" I flushed slightly. "Sakura, my name is Haruno Sakura." He nodded slowly. "I am Rock Lee, and I am in your debt for helping me! Thank you, Sakura-san!" I stood and helped pull him up, brushing off my clothes before I heard someone calling, "Lee, where are you?" I glanced towards him. "Is someone looking for you?" He grinned, doing a really creepy and crazy thumbs-up pose.
"That would be my team!! Let me introduce you to them." He bounded over to them happily, calling, "Neji, Tenten!! Come meet my new friend Sakura-san!" He met with two other people who looked to be the same age as him, one a boy and one a girl. "Sakura-san, this is Hyuuga Neji and Takahashi Tenten!" "Hn," the boy – Neji - said at Lee's excitement. "Yosh! My eternal rival you should show more respect to Sakura-san - she saved my life! Without her I may have never woken, and would never be able to spread the youthfulness of Gai-sensei's teachings!" I looked Lee over and saw tears were spilling from his eyes. Why do I meet all the weird guys? "Yosh! What is up my youthful students? Are you ready for your training with me the beautiful - and also hipper than Kakashi – the Green Beast of Kohona?!" Okay, Lee was weird with the green spandex suit and orange leg warmers, but this guy was just plain creepy. "Gai-sensei I will always be ready to train with you!"
"Lee!"
"Gai-sensei!"
"Lee!"
"Gai-sensei!"
Wow.
I stood and watched as both green clad ninja, hugged each other tightly and screamed each others names. The way I was describing it made it sound like sex, but it was 10 times worse to watch, but I wouldn't know...ANYWAY!
It took about 5 minutes, but finally Lee and Gai-san managed to stop calling each other names. I glanced over at Tenten and Neji, who were both convulsively twitching, a horrified look on each of their faces. "I...will...never...get used to that." Neji spoke, and he conveyed exactly what we were all thinking. I can't believe I'm saying this, and I'll never admit to it, but this Neji guy...is sorta cute - in an 'I am holier than thou' sort of way, but yea. You get it. The man, Gai-san, came over to where I stood by Tenten and Neji. "So, my youthful students," he began, but then stopped, noticing me, with my bright pink hair.
I thought he might get mad at me for interrupting their training session, but instead, his face brightened, and he said, "The word of my youthful teaching must have spread far and wide! Have you come to become as youthful as Lee here is?" At that point Lee jumped in and saved me total and utter humiliation. "Oh, Gai-sensei! Forgive me for not introducing you to Sakura-san here! She saved me from utter destruction, bringing me back to life from the brink of death!" Dear Kami, he could certainly blow things out of proportion. Gai-san looked at me in awe, as though I were an angel sent directly from heaven, wings and all. Which is kinda creepy, because when most people look at a girl like that, it means:
A: They like her. (Ew. Ew. EWEWEWEWEEWEWEEWWWW!!)
B: She's a ghost. (Which, in my case, was very ironic.)
But because I'm not B, that means I'm A. Oh Kami, please kill me now.
"Yosh! I cannot believe the youthfulness I am hearing from my youthful student Lee! I cannot thank you enough! Is there anything I can do to repay your youthfulness?" His face was serious, and his teeth had this annoying sparkle. But, taking a deep breath, I acted like I was supposed to. "No, really, it's ok. Anyone would have done it, so it was nothing. I'm just going to go train now. Nice meeting you." I smiled sweetly at them and waved my hand goodbye, but Tenten interrupted my leaving. "Why don't you stay and train with us?" She suggested, glancing towards Gai-san as if confirmation. "Ah, Tenten! What a youthful suggestion! Of course Sakura can train with us." I had to fight back a shudder. Did he EVER shut up about youthfulness?
I nodded anyway. "I'd very much like to train with you, if it's really not too much trouble." Lee shook his head, smiling with those same annoyingly shiny teeth that matched his sensei's. "I'm going to do 50 laps around Konoha!" He shouted, throwing a fist into the air. "And if you fail, I'm going to do 100 laps!" Gai-san shouted back, and they kept shouting at each other about how one was going to do more laps than the other, and then finally, much to my relief, they actually left to go do laps. I glanced towards Tenten. "Are they like this all the time?" She nodded. "I am so, so sorry." I said, but added, "My friends are probably worse, though." That seemed to catch Neji's interest. He had remained near silent the whole time, and now it was sorta weird to hear him talk. "Who are your friends, anyway? I haven't seen you around here before."
"Well, actually, I'm kinda new here. I came from the Haruno Tribe – about a month's travel from here. We just got here yesterday." Again, that seemed to get his interest. "We?" He asked, eyebrow arching. "Yeah, my sensei and best friend came along as well."
"What is this, some kind of field trip? Konoha doesn't get many ninja outsiders. That is, if you really are a ninja, and not just some poser." Okay. Forget what I said about him being cute. This guy was a total prick! Who shoved a stick up his ass? Mr. Know-It-All. "How dare you! Because I can assure you, Hyuuga, that I am no poser, and I could take you down if I wanted to – easily!" I spat out at him, letting my chakra flare just a bit, hoping to intimidate him.
Guess what?
It didn't work.
An arrogant smirk appeared on his face. It was so infuriating how he remained so calm through this. "You wouldn't even be worth my time." With that, he turned and left. Tenten gave me an apologetic look. "He's like that all the time, I'm afraid." I glared at his back and said, "Turn around, Hyuuga, and we'll settle this! If I'm truly a waste of your time, you'll have no problem beating someone as weak as me." His smirk grew just a bit more and he said, "Fine. I could use a good warm-up." I glanced towards Tenten. "Act as a proctor, ok? Call it off when you think someone is done." Tenten gave a worried nod before dashing off to the side of the training area, and I dropped into a fighting stance, a low growl coming from my throat. We both waited tensely, waiting for Tenten's signal. When it finally came, I wasted no time charging at him. Neji didn't bother to use his Byakugan, which made me angrier still. He thought I was weak enough that he wouldn't have to use it? Pfft. He would soon be proved wrong. Very wrong.
He prepared to use his juken on me, and taking a deep breath, I dodged his hand movements, catching him off guard. I planted a swift kick in his stomach, sending each of us flying the opposite way. He skidded to a halt as I landed easily. "That's pretty good, but you'll need more than that to defeat me." I took a deep breath, and prepared myself. Both of us charged at each other, and I formed hand seals to one of my favorite jutsus, stopping just before we had impact. I held my hands as if holding a bow and arrow. I allowed myself a grin. This would be something he had never seen before, as it was relevant only to the Tenshi Tribe – my father's family. "Tenshi Style: Piercing Arrow Jutsu!" The imaginary bow and arrow in my hands was now visible as I poured chakra into it, and with a cry I released the arrow. It flew straight to Neji, and he swirled his body to create a shield of chakra around him. It looked impressive. Too bad it wouldn't work.
I smirked slightly as the arrow went right through the shield and landed in his shoulder, almost laughing at the astonished look on his face. It appeared as if his chakra shield hadn't been breached before. "How – that's impossible! Nothing should be able to get through my chakra shield." His mouth was open, gaping slightly. I felt a sense of pride well up in me. I gave him an arrogant smirk and said, "Sorry, family secret. Now hurry up and come at me, Byakugan boy." He stared at me, seeming surprised that I knew about that. "Tell you what," I said. "If you beat me, I'll tell you how I know about your kekkei genkai. If I beat you, you have to do something for me. Not sure what yet, but when I win I'm sure I'll have something by then." He shrugged. "Fine. We both know who is going to win anyway."
He activated his Byakugan and charged at me again. This time, however, he was more prepared, and had most of his openings covered. Sacrificing a few of my chakra points, I got closer to him, allowing him to seal off just a few points. Him concentrating on my chakra coils, I took advantage of this, leaned foward, and pressed my lips against the side of his face. He was so shocked that he had to stop, which was exactly my plan. I took the opportunity to bring my leg up and kick him in the chin. He flew a few feet in the air before landing roughly.
Neji leaped to his feet. "What the hell was that all about?" For the third time that day, I got to have the satisfaction of seeing him utterly confused. Grinning, I said, "That's the sacred art of a kunoichi – seduction." I grinned mockingly. His cheeks were slightly tinted pink, and even Tenten looked surprised. I'd have to talk about that with her later - how often did you get to see Neji embarresed? Anyway, still in his stunned state, I charged at him again, but he seemed to be expecting this when he caught my foot. Spinning me, he jabbed my stomach. I skidded back a few feet, holding my stomach. Just when I thought my cramps couldn't get any worse. I had taken several Ibuprofens this morning, along with a few herbs to help with the pain, but he just HAD to hit me in the stomach. Bastard.
Then I felt something cool and metal against my throat. "I win." Neji's voice sounded in my ear. Damn him. I ground my teeth together. Still holding my stomach, I stood and walked towards where Tenten stood, still looking shocked. "That has got to be one of the coolest matches I've ever seen. To see Neji almost get beat is something you don't see." She gave me a huge grin. "Good job!" I grunted in acknowledgement, "Do you have any Ibuprofen?" I asked, my eyes watering slightly. She tilted her head slightly and said, "He didn't hit you that hard, did he?" I sighed. "No I didn't, if she can't handle being tapped in the stomach then she shouldn't even be a ninja," His voice cut through our conversation, his eyes piercing mine. "Shut it Hyuuga, you couldn't hurt a fly. I need Ibuprofen 'cause I have friggin' cramps, alright?!" I snapped at him. I had been able to numb my cramps with herbs and medical jutsu before, but then he jabs me in the stomach, and undoes all my hard work! How dare he talk to me like that!
He stared at me for a second before looking away, obviously uncomfortable talking about my cramps. Thankfully Tenten left soon after to retrieve the medical kit that hopefully held something to aid my cramps. There was a deep silence until Tenten came back holding the medical kit, and fishing out the Ibuprofen for me, Tenten was definitely on my Kohona favorites list. I took the directed amount of Ibuprofen, and sighed leaning back against the tree and prayed it'd kick in soon. "Haruno...you still have to honor the bet." Neji said in a cool calm voice, "Neji, can't that wait for a little bit?" Tenten asked, glaring at the Hyuuga boy.
Before he could reply, a voice yelled, "Dear Kami, what kind of Youthful Battle happened here?" I already knew it was Gai's voice. Tenten looked extremely excited and ran past me to where Gai-san and Lee stood. "You guys should have seen it - Sakura nearly beat Neji in a battle! She even managed to get past Neji's Chakra Shield!" Gai-san and Lee both stopped and gapped at me like I was a freak. "Yosh Sakura-san, the power of youth must be with you! To have such strength in battle!" Lee exclaimed overjoyed. "I knew you were special from the moment I saw you! But now I know for sure, I will protect you for as long as I live! I love you Sakura-san!" he yelled, a blush appearing a cross my face and his. I was left speechless; no one had ever been so direct to me in my life about such strong feelings. "Even if she did come close to beating me, she still didn't and lost the bet, so if you'd please explain yourself, Haruno." Neji said in a cool indifferent voice. I glared at him as hard as I could before sighing and sinking down into a sitting position. I did, after all, have to fulfill my bet, so with a semi-depressed feeling in my still cramped stomach, I began to tell my knowledge of the Byakugan...
TBC
Authors Note
KitsuneGirl 2: Lots of conjunctive writing went into this, with a portion of the first half being mine alone. I really hope to get a story of mine own up soon, seeing as these are both KitsuneGirl 1's ideas and original stories. Hopefully, if it works out, you'll be soon seeing a story of my own. Thanks for reading. (smile) Keep reviewing!
-KitsuneGirl 2