Disclaimer: Naruto is a registered trademark and/or copyright of Masashi Kishimoto/SHUEISHA Inc., or their respective trademarks or copyright holders.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

I now have fourteen reviews. I'm speechless.

Lots of love to:

lindon2

davethedark

VampireArgonian92

Elia950

crimsondeathknight

Lmvj

Lord Ezra'eil

Inazuma Kanji

Aikori Shukrai

DarkDesh

BrazeRancor

Raptor2001

and all of the kind people who added this story to their Story Alert and/or Fav'd Story List.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The fourth chapter of my Naruto© fan fiction, Ladybird. Read and review, my duckies.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Chapter Four : Flight

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"This is your fault, you stinkin' bird!" Naruto said, pointing at Suzu while wiping his hair with a towel.

/The hell you talking to, brat!/ Suzu thought, eyes blazing fire. She was now in a metal bird cage aka prison.

"That was soo nasty! Bird poop! Yuck!" he muttered, eyes narrowed at his 'bird-chan'.

"Now I'm making my team late, and Sakura thinks that I trained you to do the whole thing. Why would I train you to get me too anyway?!"

/Jeez...sorry./

"Now she hates me! How will I ever get a date with her now?" He whined, eyes filled with tears. "Sakura-chan..." he said, moaning.

/Why is he getting so worked up anyway? Sure he's crushing on her...bad, but she hated his guts before! Pink haired bitch, calling me ugly.../

He sighed defeated, throwing the towel off to the side. "Whatever...let's go Suzu." He grabbed her cage and headed for the door.

/...no bird-chan...?/

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The Missions Office was full with various ninja submitting reports and getting new assignments. Team Seven walked in to the busy room, and their squad leader Kakashi asked for a new mission.

"Well Kakashi..." The Third Hokage said, "we have a couple of missions for your team today."

"Please don't be a D-rank, don't be a D-rank..."

"buying groceries for Makoto-dono, cleaning up the riverbank, catching Tora the Cat..."

"That's it old man! I can't take anymore of these crap missions!"

"Naruto, have respect," Kakashi said in a commanding tone. "My apologies, Lord Hokage..."

"NO! I didn't become a ninja to catch some stupid cat and buy groceries. Where's the action, the intrigue?"

"Naruto!" Sakura said. "Stop being disrespectful!" Inner Sakura, however, agreed with everything Naruto said.

Sasuke said in a low voice "The dobe is right," earning stares from everyone and a 'HEY!' from Naruto.

"I need more advanced missions so I can become stronger and kill a certain man." he said, thinking of his brother and clenching his fists.

/Are we supposed to be impressed?/ Suzu thought.

"Oh Sasuke, you're so cool!" Sakura squealed, blushing.

"Stupid teme, always stealing the spotlight..." Naruto muttered.

The Third just sighed. These kids give me a headache... "OK then, this time I'll give you guys a C-rank mission. You will be escorting a client to his homeland the Land of Waves. Bring in the client."

A door opened, and a bespectacled middle-aged man appeared with a large brown bottle in his hand. He looked at Team Seven and rolled his eyes.

"Just a bunch of kids! I don't need some pipsqueaks protecting me!" With that he took a big swig of his bottle, some of the contents dibbling down his chin.

Naruto snorted, and Kakashi told his team to get adequate rest and wake up bright and early the next morning to leave on their journey.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Night was falling, but our 'bird-chan' was still in her cage.

"Maybe I'll just leave you in here..." Naruto said, tapping the cage with his finger and smiling. Suzu was not at all pleased with this notion, and prompted pecked at Naruto's hand.

"Hey! Stop that...murderous bird/girl." He said, rubbing his hand and pouting. He opened the cage, and Suzu fluttered out pleased with herself. At that time night has fully came and Suzu began her transformation in a pretty display of light and dancing feathers.

"I'll kill you if you ever did that." Suzu said, plucking feathers from her neck-length hair. She looked at him for a while.

"So? Aren't you going to cook something? I'm starved."

Naruto gritted his teeth but went over to the cupboard. "You really should pay me..." he muttered.

She stuck her tongue at his back, then sat down. "I could have left, you know. But you insisted," she said haughtily. Besides, she added to herself, who would pass up free food and board?

"I let you stay because you were still hurt!" He shot back, holding two Styrofoam cups of his favorite food.

"I'm not hurt anymore, you know." She said, wiggling her once injured leg in his face for a minute before quickly dropping it down, wincing.

"Not hurt anymore you know!" he said in a squeaky voice, mocking her.

"Up yours!"

"You too!"

"Hmf!"

"Hmf you own goddamn self." He poured hot water into both of the cups and sat down on the table. Suzu dropped down on her back to the floor.

She examined her sharp talon-like nails for a second, before saying "So...are the noodles done yet?"

"NO!"

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"These noodles sure hit the spot." Suzu said, patting her stomach.

"Yeah..." Naruto said, throwing the empty containers in the trash. "so...are you going to tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"How you became a bird-woman, of course!"

"Um...no."

"Why?!"

"It really isn't any of your business."

Naruto pouted. "How am I suppose to be a good ninja when I can't get information from a girl?"

"You find the secret, grasshopper." Suzu said sagely, ruffling Naruto's hair.

She looked away. "Do you want to hear a story?"

"A story? About what?" Naruto said.

"About something! Now shut up and listen." He did what he was told.

Suzu sighed. "Once upon a time...there was a woman who was very vain and selfish. If she did not know any better, she would have thought that the whole world revolved around her."

Naruto when to his futon and laid down on his side.

"This woman was walking on an abandoned road when she spotted an old woman. This old woman asked her for but a few coins, for she was very poor. However, the girl refused and walked away with her nose in the air.

"The old woman said 'Since you hold your head up like a proud bird, then I shall make you one.' With those words her arms became wings, her legs short and stick-like, her face bearing a beak--"

Suzu looked down at the now asleep Naruto. She put him into his covers and adjusted her own pillow.

Somewhere far away from there, an old seer was laughing quietly.

There is hope for you yet.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

OK then! Suzu and Naruto getting to know each other a little better...

Next Time: Naruto, 'Bird-Chan', and Team Seven embark on thier journey to the Land of Waves. Naruto makes his nindo, Sakura and 'bird-chan' have a showdown, and night brings new discoveries...stay tuned!