Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Chapter 12
Team Kakashi
"...and Ino-chan thought it was too small, but I told her I don't need a lot of room, and the view from the bedroom window is so great! Plus, it's got this cool balcony thing..."
Minato smiled at his son across the table as Naruto spoke animatedly about his new apartment, punctuating his words with jabs of his chopsticks.
"...so we're going tomorrow to finish the paperwork and get the key and everything." Naruto smiled broadly and dug into the udon Minato had fixed them for dinner.
"It sounds nice," the Hokage said. "I can't wait to see it."
Naruto nodded, slurping up his noodles. "I still have to get the electricity and stuff turned on, but once I do, we can have dinner there!"
"I'd like that," Minato replied. He sipped his tea. "How are things, with Ino-san?" he asked carefully.
Naruto looked thoughtful. "She was kind of weird at first; calling me Uzumaki-san and bowing a bunch and stuff, but I told her it made me feel old." He paused. "She was feeling guilty, I guess, but I reminded her that I already said I forgave her, and I don't say things I don't mean." He smiled again. "After that, everything was fine."
Minato mused over his son's words. He didn't think he'd be able to forgive so easily. But still, he was glad that Naruto was comfortable around Ino and that the kunoichi seemed to be taking her duties seriously. Forcing her to spend time with his son wasn't meant as a punishment, but as as a way for her to get to know him better and become friends. He hoped that would help Naruto feel more connected to his peers, especially since she was the only one in the village besides himself and Jiraiya that had seen Naruto's demonic side. Even if she didn't realize it.
Naruto swallowed his food and gestured with his chopsticks again. "I mean, she doesn't need to beat herself up about it. You've already punished her, and so did Yamanaka-san. She said he suspended her clan training and she's not allowed out of the house, except to help me, until she can do fifty one-handed push-ups with each hand." Naruto shrugged. "Bushy Brows and I do a hundred every morning, so I'm sure she'll be able to do fifty in no time."
Minato refrained from mentioning that not everyone had his son's or Lee's stamina, or their enthusiasm for training that bordered on insanity. "Maybe you should give her some pointers," he said instead, grinning.
Naruto perked up. "Hey, yeah, that's a great idea!" He didn't seem to realize that his father was teasing.
Minato shook his head and decided not to point it out. "Come by my office tomorrow afternoon, when you're done," he said.
Naruto nodded. "Hai, Hokage-sama!"
Naruto strolled down the streets of Konoha, making his way to the Tower, the key to his apartment securely tucked in the pouch at his waist. He grinned broadly. He really liked the way that sounded. His apartment.
Of course, he hadn't moved in yet, but Ino was going to help him after he got the utilities turned on. He'd assured her he didn't need any help, 'cause he really didn't have much stuff, but she'd insisted. Then he remembered she wasn't allowed out of her house unless it was to help him and he relented. He would sure hate to be cooped up all the time.
When he reached the Hokage's office, he paused. There were four people waiting inside. Three he recognized. His father, Kakashi, and Sasuke. One was new. And female.
He knocked and entered the room. He bowed to the Hokage, who smiled at him, and grinned at Kakashi and Sasuke.
"Hey, Kakashi-san, Sasuke-san!"
The silver-haired ninja gave him a little wave. "Yo!"
Sasuke's eyes flicked over to him and then went back to the Hokage without a greeting. Naruto sighed inwardly. Maybe he was still mad…although Naruto still couldn't figure out why.
He turned to the girl. She was around his age, and had strange, shoulder-length pink hair and green eyes. She was wearing a dark pink, sleeveless shirt with a cream-colored, short-sleeved shirt under it. She also wore a short, white skirt with buckles on the sides and zippered slits in the front and back, and dark leggings. Her shuriken pouch was strapped to her right leg and, instead of sandals, she had on shinobi boots. Her hitai ite was tied around the top of her head. She was quite pretty. He grinned at her and she smiled back, although her gaze kept flicking over to Sasuke.
"Naruto-kun," his father said. "This is Haruno Sakura. Sakura-san, Uzumaki Naruto."
They bowed to each other, murmuring greetings.
"Naruto-kun is a new ninja in the village," the Hokage continued, speaking mostly to Sakura. "He's been here for just over three weeks. In this time, he has trained with some of the chuunin teams." He turned his head, addressing the other ninja in the room too. "After reading the reports of his progress, and considering the skill set he possesses, I feel the best place for him is on a team. Therefore, I am reconstituting Team Seven." He grinned. "Consisting of Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, and Uzumaki Naruto under Hatake Kakashi. Congratulations. You are now Team Kakashi."
Naruto grinned too. This was awesome! His own team! And with Sasuke! He'd been hoping his father would put him on a team with the Uchiha, but of course he had never said anything.
Kakashi smiled at them--at least, Naruto thought he was smiling, given the way his visible eye was scrunched up--and said, "Welcome to the team, Naruto. The first thing we should do is get to know each other better. Meet me on the roof in five minutes." He bowed to the Hokage and disappeared in a swirl of leaves.
Naruto blinked at the spot he'd been in for a moment, then turned to his father. The Hokage smiled and made a little waving motion with his hand. "Go on, then, you only have five minutes."
Naruto smiled brilliantly and bowed. "Thank you, Hokage-sama!" He dashed to the open window and hopped up on the sill. "C'mon, guys!" he encouraged his new teammates as he gathered chakra in his feet and prepared to dash up the wall.
His father was chuckling, Sakura was staring at him with a surprised look on her face, and Sasuke…well Sasuke seemed as disinterested as ever. But, he was at least looking at Naruto now.
Sakura spoke. "Naruto-san, what about the stairs?"
He snorted a little. Since he had been living in the Tower, he'd made it a priority to explore. Both for safety reasons--a shinobi should always be aware of their surroundings--and because he was simply curious. And he'd learned many interesting things. One of them being… "There are no stairs to the roof." He gestured outside. "This is the only way up."
Sakura blinked at him.
Sasuke decided to enter the conversation. Sort of. "Hn."
The kunoichi in the room sighed. "He's testing us already," she grumbled under her breath.
"So you'd better get going," the Hokage said, barely restrained laughter evident in his voice. "I'm sure he expects to have at least a good half-hour of reading time before you three show up."
Sakura grinned, a little evilly, Naruto thought, and moved towards the window where Naruto perched. "Well, I'd hate to cut into his reading time, right Sasuke-kun?"
The Uchiha made no reply but moved over to the window on the other side of the Hokage's desk. He opened it and jumped through, landing lightly on the wooden shingles of the roof below.
"Hey, Sasuke-san," Naruto called, grinning. "I'll bet I can make it to the top before you." He jumped off the sill and settled into a crouching position above the window, hands and feet stuck to the wall with chakra.
His new teammate made a disbelieving sound and merely put one foot, then the other, on the wall, calmly walking up the side of the Tower, using chakra to defy gravity and keep himself perpendicular to the wall.
Naruto snickered to himself and started loping up the wall, keeping to all fours. It was easier and faster to climb up a wall this way, at least for him. He noticed that, despite the black-haired ninja's apparent disinterest in a friendly race, he'd increased his pace to catch up to the blonde. So Naruto sped up a little. Sasuke did the same. Naruto grinned.
"Hey!" Sakura's voice drifted up from below them. "Wait up!"
Only Naruto's delighted laughter answered her as both young ninja raced up the side of the Tower.
Kakashi had only just gotten to the juicy part of the chapter when he felt Naruto's and Sasuke's chakras coming up the side of the building a short ways to his left, followed by Sakura's. He sighed and leaned a little more heavily on the railing that surrounded the roof of the Hokage Tower. He thought he'd have more time before they realized there weren't any stairs--this was his favorite part of the book after all. Well, it couldn't be helped. He buried his nose back in the orange tome and waited for them to appear. He didn't have to wait long.
Two hands suddenly grasped the edge of the eaves that surrounded the Tower just below the roofline. They were quickly followed by a mess of bright gold hair and sky-blue eyes as Naruto pulled himself up onto the eave. The moment his feet touched the shingles, he shot forward, hands reaching for the top of the rail. He made it in one bound and vaulted over the metal railing, landing lightly in a crouch on the other side.
Just after Naruto's hands first appeared, a head of dark hair shot over the edge of the eave too, between Kakashi and the blonde. Sasuke was leaning forward, left leg bent, the knee against his chest, and right leg straight. His arms were also straight and angled a little behind him, out of the way. He'd chosen the more difficult way, control-wise, to overcome the barrier of the eave, and that was to push himself off the wall at an angle, as though he was going to jump over the eave completely. His bent leg cleared the edge and he planted it, using his momentum to propel himself upright, relative to the roof. His foot landed just as Naruto's did, and, like the blonde, he instantly pushed off again. Only instead of reaching for the rail with his hands, he merely jumped to the top. He balanced there for an instant before dropping off onto the roof in a light crouch much like Naruto's.
The two touched down so closely together that Kakashi couldn't tell who was first without the Sharingan. They stared at each other, Naruto grinning and Sasuke glaring.
"Maa, maa," the silver-haired man said, crinkling his eye in a cheesy smile. "I think it's a tie."
Both heads swiveled in his direction. Both sets of eyes, black and blue, fixed on Kakashi. In that instant, it struck him that they were two sides of the same coin. Night and Day. Yin and Yang. Opposite and yet alike.
He blinked as Sasuke stood, and the impression vanished. Where did that come from?
The Uchiha sniffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "I wasn't racing," he scoffed.
Kakashi hid his grin by turning another page of his book. Not that they'd be able to see it behind his mask, but Sasuke had gotten pretty good at reading him by now.
Naruto didn't believe what the Uchiha said either, apparently, because he smirked as he stood and leaned against the rail. "Suuuure," he said, drawing the word out tauntingly.
Sasuke ignored him, looking anywhere but at the blonde. Kakashi chuckled, although he pretended it was because of his book.
Another set of hands grabbed onto the eaves and Sakura appeared on the roof. Instead of launching herself, though, like the boys had, she stood and walked at a normal pace to the rail. She rested her hands on her hips. "Geez, Naruto-san, what's the rush?" she asked, clearly annoyed. Kakashi noticed she didn't accuse Sasuke of rushing too.
Naruto blinked wide eyes at the kunoichi. "You could have raced too, Sakura-san!"
She paused in climbing over the rail and eyed her new teammate. "That's not what I meant…" She shook her head. "Forget it." She turned to Kakashi once she'd gotten all the way over. "What now, Sensei?"
He gazed lazily at her from behind his book. "It's been a while, Sakura. How about we fill each other in on what we've been doing the last few years."
"Ok." She tilted her head at him in a deceptively innocent manner. "You go first, Sensei."
Damn. "Well, Sakura, I haven't really been doing much at all." He ignored Sasuke's snort and he pointed at the pink-haired girl. "You next."
She shot him a look at his answer, or lack thereof, but replied. "I've been learning medical jutsu and working at the hospital. I've also been learning genjutsu from Kurenai-sensei." Her eyes flicked to Sasuke as she said the last part.
"Oh, cool!" Naruto exclaimed. "She's really good!"
Sakura blinked at him. "Yes, she is a Genjutsu Master." She ignored any response he might make and turned back to Kakashi. "I've gone on some missions, nothing higher than B-rank, mostly as medical back-up."
Kakashi nodded. "Very good. Sasuke?"
The Uchiha grunted. "Training with Kakashi-sensei and missions."
Kakashi turned his gray eye on Naruto. No use trying to get Sasuke to say anything else. "Naruto?"
The blonde shrugged. "Well, I've been training with Jiraiya-sensei since I was eight, and we mostly traveled around Fire Country. Some of the other Elemental Countries too. I did some missions when I was with him. Just simple stuff that came our way from people he knew. I dunno what rank they'd be. C or B, I guess."
Sakura and Sasuke were staring at him. "You were trained by one of the Sannin?" Sakura asked. Naruto nodded, grinning. "What about before that? Where are you from? Where are your parents?"
"Well…I'm from the Land of Fire, I guess," Naruto started slowly.
Sakura shook her head impatiently. "I figured that," she said. "Where in Fire Country? Where's your home?"
He blinked at her. "No where. I never had a home before I came to Konoha." He grinned again. "But this is my home now."
This piece of information was met with silence. Even Kakashi turned a sharp eye on his sensei's son. He hadn't known that.
"Why didn't you have a home?" Sakura asked finally.
Naruto shrugged. "My mom travels a lot. We never stayed in one place long enough for it to be a home."
"What about your father?" Sasuke asked.
The blonde's grin didn't fade, but he seemed suddenly…wary. Kakashi understood why.
"I never knew him."
Kakashi applauded silently in his head. It was clever wording. Not an outright lie--Minato had explained that Naruto hadn't known who his father was before he came to the village--but misleading enough to conceal the truth.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes a little but said nothing further.
The silence was getting a little strained when Sakura broke it. "So, ah, what town were you born in?"
Naruto furrowed his brows and rested his hands on his hips. "I wasn't born in a town," he began, looking out at the horizon. "I was born in a hollow tree..." he paused, then pointed to the southwest, "...over that way. I don't think it was too far from here, actually..." He tapped two fingers against his chin, looking thoughtful. He stopped when he noticed Sakura staring at him. "What?"
"You...you were born in a tree?" she asked, disbelief coloring her tone. "Why?"
Naruto cocked his head to the side. "Why not?"
She gaped at him, seeming at a complete loss for words. Kakashi decided to rescue her. "I think what Sakura means is why didn't your mother go to a town with a hospital, or even a midwife?" He was pretty curious to know the answer himself. He wasn't even pretending to read his book.
Naruto snorted a little, a wry smile on his lips. "My mother, give birth in a hospital?" He snorted again. "Riiiight; she'd probably burn the place down." Kakashi had to admit he had a point. "Besides, she knew what she was doing. She didn't need or want anyone around."
"So let me get this straight," Sakura said, still sounding incredulous. "You were born in the forest somewhere, then you traveled around with your mother until you were eight, then you started training with Jiraiya-sama?"
Naruto looked sheepish and scratched the back of his head. "Ano...no, actually. My mother left when I was four. So I traveled by myself until I met Sensei."
Kakashi was surprised and a little disturbed by the admission. To be on his own when he was so young...why would Kushina do such a thing?
Sakura looked horrified. Sasuke's expression was blank as usual, but the way his dark eyes were fixed on Naruto, Kakashi could tell he was interested.
"Have you..." Sakura hesitated, but continued. "Have you seen her at all since then?"
Naruto nodded, grinning. "Sure! She found me when I was ten and taught me some family stuff, like my taijutsu style."
Out of all the unbelievable things Naruto had just told them, for some reason, Kakashi thought this one sounded the most like a lie. Perhaps he would ask the Hokage about it.
"What about after that?" Sakura asked.
"Once she was done training me, she disappeared again. I haven't seen her since."
More silence.
Naruto was smiling, though Kakashi could see the stiffness in his shoulders. His other two students were just staring at the blonde and it was getting uncomfortable. But he waited to see how his sensei's son would handle the situation.
"So," Naruto said brightly after another moment, "Hokage-sama said he was reconstituting Team Seven. Does that mean you guys were a team before?"
So his new student had decided to deflect attention away from himself with a question. A good strategy. Kakashi smiled at him. "That's right."
Naruto watched him, obviously waiting for him to elaborate. When Kakashi stayed silent, he scratched the back of his head again. "What happened?"
Sasuke looked away, and Sakura glanced worriedly at him, then at Kakashi, before turning to the blonde.
"Well, during our first Chuunin Exam, our third teammate...he..." she trailed off, chewing her lip.
"Oh," Naruto said solemnly, eyes wide. "Did he die?"
Sasuke snorted and Sakura shook her head. "No! Nothing like that. He just...he..."
"It was decided that he wasn't fit to be with the team," Kakashi broke in. "He was reassigned, but there weren't any replacements for him at the time. So the team was disbanded. That was three years ago. And you heard what we've been doing since." He gave another cheesy smile. "Well! I think that's enough for today. We'll meet tomorrow at dawn at the usual training ground. Sasuke, Sakura, one of you show Naruto where that is." He lifted his book to his face and gave them a little wave. "Ja ne!"
He shunshined off the roof to a nearby tree to see what his students would do next.
Naruto blinked as Kakashi disappeared in a swirl of leaves, then turned to his new teammates. "So where's the training ground he's talking about? I've been to a couple already."
Sakura waved her hand. "He means TG 7. Do you know where that is?" Naruto nodded and she continued. "Don't come at dawn though."
Naruto blinked at her. "Why not?"
She gave a small chuckle. "Kakashi-sensei is never on time. He's always at least an hour late for everything."
"Oh." He grinned. "Thanks for the tip!" He paused, thinking. It was kind of early, and if he only had a couple bowls, he'd be hungry again by the time dinner came around... "Do you guys want to get some ramen?"
Sasuke scoffed. "No. I'm going home." He hopped over the railing and started walking to the edge of the eave.
Sakura bit her lip looking between his retreating back and Naruto. He kept the grin on his face, but he could already tell what she was going to say.
"Next time, okay, Naruto-san?" And the kunoichi followed their dark-haired teammate, calling his name even as he dropped off the eave. But before she got to the edge, she turned back. "It was nice meeting you. I'll see you tomorrow!" And she was gone over the side too.
Naruto let his smile fade, staring at the place his teammates had just been. Well. That was disappointing. But it was only the first day. His smile returned. He was sure they'd want to come along next time. Right now, there was a bowl (or two, or three) of Ichiraku ramen with his name on it!
A little smile graced Kakashi's face as he watched Naruto leap over the side of the Hokage Tower with a yell. It was a complete turn-around from the blonde that had been standing there a moment before with one of the loneliest expressions the silver-haired man had ever seen. And Kakashi understood lonely. He was the only Hatake left in Konoha after all, and he was Uchiha Sasuke's teacher.
He was disappointed, but not surprised, that his students had turned down Naruto's offer. Sasuke wasn't a friendly person to begin with and Sakura had always followed his lead. At least the kunoichi had said goodbye. And warned Naruto not to show up at dawn tomorrow. He smirked. Maybe he should be on time for once, just to be contrary.
A sudden presence making its way quickly towards his position in the tree interrupted his thoughts and his eye widened in surprise. "Naruto?"
Big blue eyes and a bright grin appeared next to him. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei! Want to get some ramen?"
"Well..." He tried to think of an excuse to get out of it, but stopped himself. What had he just been disappointed in his other students for? "Sure. We can take some back to Minato-sensei."
Naruto's face lit up. "Yeah! That's a great idea!" He jumped down to a lower branch. "Come on!"
The Copy Nin chuckled and followed after the young blonde. He was hungry, and besides, he could get Naruto to tell him just how he'd known Kakashi was up that tree.
The next day, about an hour after sunrise, three young chuunin waited for their infamously tardy sensei in one of Konoha's many training grounds. The ninja had taken up various positions around three wooden stumps standing in a row at the edge of a large clearing. The black-haired one of the group had settled cross-legged in front of the right-hand post, back ramrod straight and face impassive. The kunoichi was sitting against the middle post, chin resting on bent knees and arms wrapped around her legs. Her eyes were closed. The blonde was sitting on top of the third post, legs dangling and head propped in one hand while he spun a kunai lazily with the other. Occasionally, his eyes took on a glazed look and the kunai stopped moving. But then he'd shake himself and start spinning the weapon again. Finally, he announced in a loud and incredibly annoyed voice, "Kami, I am so bored!"
Kakashi smirked as he observed his new team from a tree. That was his cue. He appeared in front of the teens in a cloud of smoke and smiled at them from behind his book. "Good morning!"
"You're late!" Naruto yelled, pointing at him with the kunai.
The Copy Nin almost cackled in glee at the thought that the young blonde hadn't heard any of his excuses yet. He decided to start with a classic. "Well, I was on my way here, and I had to help this old lady with her groceries."
Naruto just stared at him incredulously. "For an hour?" he muttered.
Kakashi ignored him. "We'll begin with basic team exercises today. You three need to get used to working with each other. When I feel you're ready, we'll start doing missions. Got it?" They nodded and he continued. "In order to learn about each other's strengths and weaknesses, we'll start with one-on-one sparring matches. Then we'll move on to group exercises. Sakura, you're with me. Sasuke, you'll fight Naruto first." He grinned at them. "Try not to wreck the place like you did last time, okay?"
Naruto grinned back and gave him a big thumbs up, the kunai having disappeared into his sleeve. "Okay, Kakashi-sensei!"
Sasuke just hned, looking bored, and Sakura looked puzzled.
"What did you mean by that, Sensei?" she asked as he led her across the river to a different part of the training area.
He waved his hand carelessly. "Oh, Hokage-sama had Sasuke and Naruto spar about a week and a half ago, to test Naruto's kenjutsu."
Sakura nodded. "Did Sasuke-kun beat Naruto-san very badly?"
Kakashi eyed the girl next to him. He didn't blame her for her assumption; he'd made the same one. But that was before he'd seen the blonde fight. "Don't underestimate your new teammate, Sakura. He and Sasuke were very evenly matched, in both power and skill. They destroyed the area they fought in. It took three gennin teams two days to clean it up."
Sakura stared at him. "Oh," she said quietly, glancing behind her.
He chuckled. "Don't worry; I don't think they'll do that today. Now." He stopped abruptly and faced the kunoichi as he snapped his book shut. He stowed it in his pouch and dropped into a ready stance. "Show me how you've improved since I saw you last."
Sasuke fought to keep his irritation from showing. His aniki had been right. Again.
He was stuck with Uzumaki as a teammate, and, worse, his infuriating sensei had just waltzed off with Sakura, leaving them alone to spar.
What if the fox acted up again?
The Copy Nin knew of the strange reaction Sasuke felt during the kenjutsu test; he had been present when Sasuke told the Hokage about it. The Yondaime had not seemed at all surprised or concerned, which Sasuke thought was strange, but he had checked the seal anyway and found nothing amiss. That actually worried the Uchiha more. If it had been a problem with the seal, it could be fixed. But it wasn't and so Sasuke had no idea what to do. Itachi had suggested asking the fox about it, but Sasuke hated speaking with the demon and wasn't sure it would give him an answer anyway. So he would only resort to that if anything else happened. And, to his surprise and relief, nothing did. He hadn't felt so much as a flutter from the fox since the spar.
But still, he hadn't fought Uzumaki again until today either; what if that was the trigger? What if it was worse this time and he couldn't control it? What if Kakashi needed to use the seal the Hokage had developed to repress the fox's chakra? He shouldn't be running off and leaving the two of them alone...
"Oy, Sasuke-san." Uzumaki's annoyingly loud voice broke into his thoughts. The blonde was standing on top of the stump, arms crossed. "Are we going to do this, or what?"
Sasuke sniffed, but rose from his seated position and moved away from the posts. He heard Naruto land on the ground behind him. He stopped and turned, settling into a ready stance and ignoring the slight excitement he felt at finally getting to see what the blonde could do.
He shouldn't be getting excited. It was silly. Even if Uzumaki could match him in other areas besides kenjutsu, it didn't mean that he would.
Nobody ever did.
Every opponent he'd ever had, with the exception of Itachi, Kakashi, and the Hokage, was desperately afraid to fight him. At best, they made half-hearted attempts that wouldn't work against a gennin, and at worst they simply forfeited. That made him frustrated and angry, which in turn only made them more frightened. They couldn't seem to understand that he wasn't angry because they were fighting him, but because they weren't. They probably wouldn't win against him anyway, but damn it, they didn't even try. And the thing that really pissed him off was that he had never done anything to earn their fear. He had never once used the fox's chakra in a spar with a comrade, except the times when Kakashi worked with him to try and control it. But that didn't matter; they still didn't trust him.
Not that he cared. He didn't need their trust. Not at all.
Uzumaki didn't seem particularly afraid, however. In fact, he was grinning again. That same, stupid expression that made Sasuke grit his teeth. It could be an act, to hide his fear, though Sasuke wasn't sure what was worse; Uzumaki being scared of him, or Uzumaki not taking him seriously.
He narrowed his eyes as the blonde charged forward. Well, he was about to find out.
It took two minutes before Sasuke admitted to himself, grudgingly, that the blonde was good. And one more minute before the hardest blow he'd gotten in a spar in a long time landed squarely on his face.
The Uchiha flipped back and stared at his new teammate. His hand reached halfway up to his jaw before he caught himself and lowered it again.
Damn, that hurt.
Naruto snickered. "Don't worry, Sasuke. I didn't mess up your good looks."
Sasuke's dark eyes narrowed dangerously, anger bubbling up through his surprise. "You can't hit that hard," he retorted. He paused. It seemed his question was answered, but he wanted to make sure. "You...you're not...afraid?"
Naruto cocked his head. "Afraid of what? You?" He snorted, trying, and failing, to quell his laughter. "Why would I be? You're a good ninja and all but--" he shrugged, "--nothing I can't handle." He grinned at his dark-haired teammate.
Sasuke stared, forgetting to be insulted by the blonde's laughter. Was it possible he still didn't know about the fox? Sasuke figured he hadn't known during the kenjutsu test, but surely he would by now. The Uchiha couldn't imagine the Hokage forgetting to relay that piece of information, especially to a ninja who would be his teammate. But if he did...why wasn't he afraid? Why wasn't he acting like everyone else?
"Why aren't you?" Sasuke demanded. "Everyone else is."
Naruto stared at him. "I thought you had an ego, but this is ridiculous. Do you honestly expect me to be scared because you're an Uchiha or some shit like that?"
Sasuke felt a flare of annoyance. Just how dense was this guy? "Not because of that," he replied. His hand twitched, but he resisted the urge to place it on his stomach.
Naruto blinked at him a few times before his face lost the confused look and went suddenly very serious, like it had after their last spar. "You mean because of the Kyuubi?" He shook his head, even as Sasuke's eyes widened. "No. That doesn't scare me at all."
"Why?" Sasuke whispered.
Naruto shrugged. "I trust you, Sasuke."
Sasuke felt an uncomfortable tightness in his chest and a prickle in his eyes. Why did that...that...dobe have to say that?! His eyes narrowed as the feeling that he couldn't even begin to describe threatened to overwhelm his carefully constructed shields. His lips pressed into a thin line and his jaw tightened.
Damn it! He was an Uchiha, and he was much too proud and much too strong to collapse into a quivering pile of emotion because of the words of someone he barely knew. Even if they were the sort of words that indicated an acceptance he'd secretly always longed for but rarely found.
Damn it, damn it! He didn't care about Uzumaki's acceptance, or his trust, just like he didn't care about anyone else's. Didn't. Did. Not. Really.
His fists clenched before he whipped through the hand seals for a lightening jutsu and launched it at the blonde. He needed an outlet and he preferred fighting to other, less desirable displays. Like crying.
Naruto only grinned that infuriating grin and released his own wind jutsu. They managed to only destroy a few trees this time.
Minato eyed the dark-haired kunoichi standing in front of his desk. Her team had finished reporting on their latest mission, but he had held her back. "Hinata-san."
He hadn't forgotten his son's request to use the Forest of Death, and he'd planned on discussing it at dinner. However...this opportunity was just too good to pass up. The scroll was almost finished and he might not have another chance.
Minato grinned, a certain glint in his eye. Had Kakashi been there, he would have recognized the expression immediately. "Please find Naruto and tell him I need to speak with him. He should be with Gai-san in Training Ground 23."
"Hai, Hokage-sama." The Hyuuga heiress bowed and left.
Minato briefly toyed with the idea of following after the girl, just to see what happened when she caught sight of his son in the middle of making a taijutsu scroll, but discarded it. He really had too much to do to go traipsing around Konoha. Besides, he had another way to spy.
He pulled open a small drawer in the corner of the desk and removed a scroll from the pile inside. He unrolled it, bit his thumb, and smeared a little blood onto the seal painted on the parchment. A round, clear glass ball resting on a cushion appeared in a poof of smoke. He placed his hands on it and channeled a little chakra until he could see the image he wanted. He chuckled. Damn, this thing was useful…
Hinata activated her Byakugan from a rooftop and looked in the direction of TG 23. Naruto was most definitely there. His chakra was easy for her to spot, even from a distance. It was so bright and so unusual…she'd never seen anything like it before. She let her eyes return to normal and headed for the clearing. She approached quietly, coming down to the ground and pausing at the edge of the trees to watch her crush for a moment from behind a trunk. What she saw made her gasp.
Gai was sitting with his back to her, writing something on an immense scroll. Naruto was turned to the left in a taijutsu stance, so she could see his profile. But the thing that really got her blood boiling was the fact that he was wearing hardly any clothing. Not even his hitai ite. The only thing he had on was a pair of dark blue, tight-fitting boxers resting around his hips.
Oh sweet kami.
She could feel her cheeks get hot, even as her eyes roamed across his figure in a very unladylike manner. He was of medium build, not bulky like Chouji, but not slim like Shikamaru either. Every muscle was perfectly toned, perfectly sculpted. Of course, she knew, in theory, that ninja had to be in good shape--they didn't survive long if they weren't. But she had never seen a man with quite so little clothing on before.
Well, except for that one time when she had accidentally walked in on Neji while he was changing, but that didn't count. She'd barely gotten a glimpse before she'd let out a startled squawk, whipped around, and run headlong into the door frame. When she'd come to, he had been fully dressed and leaning over her with what she swore was amusement, if her cousin ever felt amused. They had never spoken of the incident.
So, really, she had never seen a man this completely for this long a period of time. She found she…quite liked it. She licked her lips, then froze.
Did I really just do that?
Yes…yes she did. Her stomach felt fluttery. Her cheeks were burning. She laughed breathlessly at herself. Here she was, hiding behind a tree, staring at a half-naked male, and licking her lips. She was a total perv.
She should really deliver her message and leave; Gai certainly knew she was there and he'd start to wonder if she hung back too long. But maybe…maybe she'd watch just a few minutes longer…
Naruto had black seals painted on various parts of his body and it was then that she realized he was making a taijutsu scroll. As if to confirm her observation, Gai finished his writing and called out, "Ok, next!"
Naruto grunted in acknowledgement and smoothly performed a series of stances, ending with one facing her position. The way he moved was so…so…beautiful. His muscles rippled slightly as he changed positions, some flexing, some relaxing, and Hinata found herself growing dizzy. His hair shone in the waning sunlight and his eyes glinted and his skin looked like bronze and his smile was radiant and he was, in that moment, the most gorgeous thing she had ever seen. He was a god.
The god's bright blue eyes suddenly looked directly at her and he winked.
She froze again, staring.
He knows I'm here!
She fainted.
Naruto was staring off into space, thinking about his first day of training with his new teammates, and getting electricity in his apartment, and anything other than the burning thirst in his throat, when he felt the familiar heartbeat approach. The song was graceful and ethereal, like a thrush.
Hinata-chan…
He smiled to himself, grateful for the distraction, and wondered what she was there for.
She paused at the edge of the clearing, hanging back in the trees. Hmmm…maybe she was afraid to interrupt them? He heard her gasp, so quietly he almost missed it. He resisted the urge to look over at her and mess up the scroll. Was something wrong? Gai didn't seem perturbed and there was no else around them. So that wasn't it. Her heartbeat sped up, but she remained silent. Huh. He was confused.
He was still mulling it over when Gai called for the next combination. He grunted and slid easily through the stances. Now he was facing her. He should give her some indication that it was ok to come out; she wasn't disturbing anything and if she needed help with something, she should ask. So, he looked at her and winked.
His expression turned to one of panic as she collapsed forward. What the hell?!
"Gomen, Gai-sensei!"
Konoha's Green Beast looked up from the scroll to see Naruto leap over him in a tremendous display of youth, heading for the trees. He craned his head around. "Naruto-kun, what…" he trailed off as he caught sight of the Hyuuga girl slumping to the ground. "Ah." He'd sensed her there and wondered how long it would take for her to get up the courage to approach. Apparently, she'd fainted before that could happen. Naruto almost didn't make it in time. Luckily the tree she was behind arrested her fall.
The young blonde grabbed her before she hit the ground and hoisted her in his arms, bridal-style. He carried her back into the clearing, heading for Gai.
"Gomen, Gai-sensei," he said again, looking worriedly at the kunoichi. "But…"
"Not to worry, Naruto-kun! To rush to the aid of a comrade is a most brilliant display of youth!"
The blonde grinned. "Thanks, Gai-sensei." He knelt, setting Hinata on the ground in a sitting position with her head and shoulders carefully cradled against his chest. "Is she ok?" he asked, concern lacing his voice.
Gai smiled. "She's fine, Naruto-kun."
"Are you sure? Kurenai-sensei said the same thing, but this is the second time in two weeks! What if something's wrong?"
Gai shook his head. "Nothing is wrong, Naruto-kun." The blonde didn't look convinced. "Perhaps she is just overheated. Why don't you get her some water?"
"Ok!" Naruto eased the girl carefully to the ground and bounded to his pile of clothes and supplies. Gai watched him rummaging around and chuckled. Kurenai had related the story of Hinata fainting at their practice just over two weeks ago to him and Asuma. It was so very youthful of the Hyuuga girl to have a crush on the new ninja! He wasn't remotely surprised by her reaction at seeing the object of her affections mostly naked. He had thought of letting her wake up to find she was in Naruto's arms, but decided that that might give her a heart attack. He had no intention of doing such an unyouthful thing to the poor girl. Someone, and he had his suspicions who, had already teased her enough today.
Naruto bounded back, water and small towel in hand. He wet the cloth and gently dabbed Hinata's brow and cheeks. Such tender concern brought a lump to Gai's throat. He looked away, eyes closed, hands clutched to his chest. He was Moved! But it was better to let the girl come around on her own, so he'd forego the youthful display. For now.
Hinata's pale eyes fluttered open to see a whiskered face peering intently at her. Her own eyes went wide and a blush immediately sprang to her cheeks.
"Hinata-chan!" Naruto's voice was fairly dripping with relief. "Are you ok?"
"H-Hai, N-Naruto-san," she replied quietly, sitting up slowly.
He pulled back to give her room, holding a water bottle out to her. "Do you want some water?"
She shook her head a little. "N-No thank y-you." It was then she realized the suffix he'd used with her name. "Ch-Chan?" she inquired.
He looked down, abashed, and fiddled with a piece of grass. "Is it ok if I call you that? I don't have to, if you don't want--"
"N-No!" she replied, a little more forcefully than she'd intended. He looked up, surprised at her tone. "That's fine, i-if you w-want to c-call me that."
He smiled, one of those brilliant ones that made her feel a little giddy, and she found herself speaking. "Ano, i-is it ok if I c-call y-you k-kun?"
He blinked at her while she fidgeted furiously. She couldn't believe she'd asked him that! "Sure thing, Hinata-chan!" He smiled at her.
She gave a tentative smile back.
He looked at her for another moment before asking, "So…what are you doing here, Hinata-chan?"
Her eyes widened as she realized she hadn't delivered her message. "G-gomen, Naruto-kun. H-Hokage-sama would l-like to s-speak with you."
"Oh." He looked confused, but the expression rapidly disappeared and he smiled at her again. "Thanks, Hinata-chan!"
He glanced over at Gai, who was already starting to roll up the taijutsu scroll. "Go ahead, Naruto-kun," he said. "We were almost done here anyway."
"Thanks, Gai-sensei!" And the blonde was on his feet and heading for his clothes in a flash. Hinata watched him go, watched how his back muscles moved as he bent down, reaching for his pants… She flushed even redder and quickly looked away. She didn't want to faint again.
After a minute, Naruto's voice drifted over to her. "You know, Hinata-chan," he began and she risked a peek, to find he was thankfully--disappointingly--dressed. "If you get overheated so much, maybe you shouldn't wear that jacket." He strapped his shuriken pouch to his thigh.
She blushed again at the thoughts that simple comment triggered. "T-Thank you for y-your concern, N-Naruto-kun. But I'm ok, r-really."
He shrugged. "If you say so." He sounded skeptical. He tugged on the knot of his hitai ite, securing it in place. "Well, I'm ready! Are you coming, Hinata-chan?"
She blinked at him. "A-Ano, but otou-sama is expecting m-me..."
"Oh." He looked disappointed for a moment, but then he grinned brightly at her. "Ok, well, I'll see you around, ne?"
She nodded and he gave a jaunty wave. "Later, Gai-sensei!"
"Farewell, Naruto-kun!" Gai replied and the young blonde disappeared into the trees.
Hinata bowed, murmuring her own farewell to Konoha's Green Beast, and made a hasty exit.
She had to tell Tenten!
Naruto was distracted. Well, more so than usual. Minato had noticed it yesterday at dinner, but he'd thought Naruto was just preoccupied with the changes happening in his life--new team, new apartment... However, today it was worse. The Hokage had caught him staring off into space multiple times, eyes unfocused, hands clenched.
Like right now.
"Naruto," his father called him.
Naruto started slightly and turned his gaze to Minato. He blinked a few times, finally focusing on the older blonde. He gave a small bow. "Gomen, Hokage-sama," he said.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, Hokage-sama," Naruto said, a little too quickly.
Minato sighed but didn't ask again. He'd give Naruto a little space. After all, he could always command the boy to tell him if necessary.
"I called you here to discuss your request to use the Forest of Death for your training."
Naruto gave a slight nod, eyes now staring intently at the Hokage.
"I have decided to grant your request--" Naruto sucked in his breath and grinned, but Minato continued on, "--provided you do two things." He held up one finger. "First, you must always inform me exactly when you want to use the Forest and for how long." Naruto nodded and he held up another finger. "Second, you must let me give you a Hiraishin seal."
At this, Naruto's eyebrows quirked in confusion. "A Hiraishin seal?" he repeated.
Minato nodded. "That way, I'll be able to get to you in an instant, if I need to."
"Oh." Naruto still looked confused, but he suddenly grinned. "Does that mean I get one of those cool kunai?" he asked excitedly.
Minato chuckled. "You can have one of those if you want, but I was thinking of something a little more permanent."
The confused look was back on Naruto's face. "More permanent?"
"Aa. A kunai can be lost or forgotten. The handle can be damaged too, rendering it useless for the jutsu. But, if I imprint the seal on your skin, those things won't be a problem. All you have to do is call and I'll come." He smiled softly at his son.
The younger blonde was looking at him with wide eyes. "Oh," he said again. He dropped his eyes. "Why?" he mumbled, seemingly to himself.
"Why what?"
He looked up again, startled, but then smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "Gomen nasai, Hokage-sama, I didn't mean to question your orders…"
Minato sighed. He was thrilled that, ever since the night Naruto stayed at the Hokage residence, his son seemed more at ease around him, but sometimes… "I wasn't giving orders, Naruto. You don't have to agree to the conditions. And you didn't answer my question."
"Gomen, Hokage-sama," Naruto apologized again. "I was merely wondering why you wanted to be able to get to me so quickly."
Minato blinked. "In case you need my help." Naruto still looked confused. "Look, I know you can take care of yourself, but the Forest of Death is a dangerous place. I…worry about you going in there on a regular basis by yourself. Even if it's silly..." he shrugged and smiled at the younger blonde. "That's what parents do."
Naruto was staring at him wide-eyed again. Minato wondered if it was really so hard to comprehend. Apparently so, because Naruto dropped his gaze, seemingly deep in thought.
Minato gave him a minute. "So, do you accept these conditions?"
Naruto looked up, surprised. "Of course, Hokage-sama," he said, as though there was no other possible way to answer. Although, Minato acknowledged to himself, there really wasn't if Naruto wanted to use the Forest. He hadn't given him much of a choice.
"Alright." The Hokage rummaged around in his desk, finally pulling out a brush, an ink pot, and a small bowl. He waved his son over. "This will be a permanent seal," he said, seriously, as he poured some of the ink into the bowl. "It cannot be damaged by an injury, or removed by anyone but a Seal Master. It won't even be visible unless I am using the jutsu."
Naruto nodded.
"Now, I need a little of your blood in here," the Hokage said, gesturing to the bowl with the ink.
Naruto pulled a kunai from his pouch. "How much?"
"Not much. A few drops," Minato replied.
Naruto sliced his left thumb much too deeply and held it over the bowl.
"I said just a few drops!" Minato exclaimed, alarmed by the gash his son had inflicted on himself.
"Gomen, Hokage-sama," Naruto replied in an even tone, his eyes on the bowl. "If it's not deep, it will heal before it can bleed enough."
And, Minato noticed, it wasn't really bleeding as much as it should have been. Only a couple drops had fallen and Naruto now pressed the fingers of his left hand against his thumb, below the cut, squeezing a few more out.
"That's enough," Minato said.
Naruto drew his hand back and absently licked the wound while watching the Hokage mix the blood and ink together with the brush.
"Turn around," Minato commanded. "I'm putting it on the back of your neck."
Naruto complied and tilted his head towards the floor. With his left hand, Minato pulled the collar of Naruto's shirt down and with his right, he began to paint the seal. Blood seals were the strongest seals that didn't require the life of the user. Nothing would disrupt it and it would be forever embedded in Naruto's skin, bound by his blood.
When the Hokage was done, he set the brush down and placed his hand over the new seal, careful not to smudge the wet ink. He channeled a little chakra into the markings and they began to glow a soft yellow. He removed his hand and watched, satisfied, as the yellow faded and the marks disappeared.
"There, all done." He released Naruto's collar. No trace of the seal was visible. "Alright, Naruto. You officially have my permission to use Training Ground 44 to practice your kekkei genkai."
Naruto turned and bowed. "Arigatou, Hokage-sama." He straightened up and rubbed the back of his head, glancing out the window at the lowering sun. "Would it be ok if I used it today? For…uh…an hour?"
Minato blinked. "Right now?"
"Uh…yeah."
The older blonde thought about it for a minute. "Yes, that would be fine." Naruto looked…relieved. He sent his son a sharp look. "Does this have anything to do with why you are so flighty today?"
"Flighty?"
"Aa, you've been staring off into space and fidgeting since you got here."
Naruto looked down at his hands, one of which was, completely without his knowledge, fiddling with the weapons pouch strapped to his leg. He quickly stuck both hands behind his back, as if to hide them from Minato's gaze.
"Gomen, Hokage-sama," he said, looking down.
It was obvious, from the way he stood and the look on his face, not to mention his earlier insistence that nothing was wrong, that he didn't really want to talk about whatever it was. And when he didn't want to talk about something, when he looked ashamed and slightly guilty, it usually meant it had to do with his demon half. Minato narrowed his eyes a little. His son had been in the village…almost four weeks now?
"Naruto," he said, softly, gently, but firmly. "Do you need to hunt?"
Naruto didn't answer at first, but Minato didn't miss the way his whole body stiffened or how his breath caught a little at the question. Silence. Minato waited.
"Hai, Hokage-sama," he said at last, so quietly Minato almost didn't hear it.
Minato laid his hands on his son's shoulders. "It's nothing to be ashamed of, musuko," he murmured. He hated, hated, how his normally happy, confident son grew quiet and timid when it came to his demon half.
Naruto brought his gaze up, searching the Hokage's face. He smiled hesitantly. "Thank you, otou-sama," he said, just as quietly.
Minato smiled and ruffled his hair. "You'd better get going; you've only got one hour."
Naruto smiled again, this one a little more cheerful. "Hai, Hokage-sama." He bowed and left.
Minato stared after him a minute, then turned to watch out the window as the black-and-orange-clad figure exited the Tower and took to the rooftops, aiming for the Forest of Death.
Hinata pushed open the door to Tenten's family's weapons shop. It was close to closing time, which meant that Tenten would have time to talk. The only reason she hadn't spoken to her friend about Naruto yet was because she didn't know what she was feeling the first week, and then Tenten had been gone on a mission the week after that. So after she reported to her father and got his permission, she made a beeline for the store.
"Hinata!" The brown-haired kunoichi came around the counter and embraced her friend. Hinata returned the hug. Tenten was almost two years older than her, and she considered her an older sister.
Tenten returned to her perch behind the cash register and resumed polishing her shuriken. "So what's up?"
Hinata darted a glance to the door, hesitant to talk about something so private in a public place. "Something happened today…" she trailed off, looking down.
Tenten put the cloth and weapon down with a clunk on the glass counter. She looked at the Hyuuga seriously. "Did Neji do something again? I swear, that boy--"
"No!" Hinata replied. Her relationship with her cousin was…strained to say the least, but this time she wasn't venting about that. "It's nothing bad…" she trailed off again as a blush formed, again. She was blushing just thinking about Naruto!
"Oh ho!" Tenten exclaimed. "Nothing bad, and you're blushing!" She leaned towards her dark-haired friend eagerly. "Is it about a boy?"
Hinata only blushed darker and nodded.
Tenten let out a whoop, startling the younger woman. She rushed around the counter again, grabbed Hinata's hands, and spun her around.
"Tenten!" she exclaimed, a little breathless.
"I'm just excited is all! Your first crush!"
"Shhh, Tenten," Hinata pleaded, glancing at the door once again.
The older girl laughed at the Hyuuga's reaction, but she did lower her voice. "I'll close up, and we'll go talk in my room, ok?"
"You don't have to close early--"
"Nah," Tenten waved her concern away. "It's practically closing time anyway. And Dad's not here to know the difference."
She started on the task of closing the store, Hinata helping.
Soon, the girls retreated up the stairs that led to Tenten's home above the shop. It was only her and her father, her mother having died years before. It was much smaller and much less traditional then the Hyuuga compound, and Hinata loved it. It was so much more…cozy.
The girls kicked off their shoes just inside the entrance. Tenten stopped in the kitchen and grabbed two fruit juices and some snacks. Then she herded Hinata to her room and shut the door. Hinata settled on the bed and tucked her knees under her chin. Tenten sat cross-legged in front of her. She handed Hinata one of the juice drinks and opened up the pretzel bag. She offered it to Hinata, who took a few. Tenten grabbed some for herself, then turned wide brown eyes on her friend. "So," she began, leaning forward. "Spill."
Hinata smiled and began to talk. "Well, you remember the new ninja?"
Tenten nodded. "Naruto-kun? Yeah." Her eyes lit up. "You have a crush on him?"
Hinata nodded and blushed again.
Tenten laughed. "Well, he's pretty cute, and he's really nice. And he has big hands." She grinned wickedly at Hinata.
The Hyuuga heiress blinked. "Big hands?" She supposed he did…bigger than hers anyways. Her blush grew darker as she remembered the feel of his hand enveloping hers--warm, a little rough from handling weapons, like all ninja.
Tenten was laughing again. "You know what they say; big hands, big…" she trailed off and winked at the younger kunoichi.
It took Hinata a moment, but when she realized what the older girl was insinuating, she blushed even harder. "Tenten!" she squeaked. The other girl only laughed harder. "I-I don't know about that," she said, "but I did…I did see him, today…"
Tenten's laughter cut off and she stared at the Hyuuga. "You saw him naked?" she gasped. "I knew it! Neji denies it, but I knew you Hyuuga could see--"
Hinata laughed despite her embarrassment. "No, no, it's not like that." She proceeded to tell Tenten about her long look at a barely-clothed Naruto.
Tenten was practically squealing with glee by the end of the tale. "Oh, I can't believe you fainted!" she said.
"Well, it's not the first time," Hinata mumbled, blushing again, but this time at her own weakness.
"Eh?" Tenten said, eyebrow quirked. "Not the first time?"
So, Hinata told her about the 'hand incident', as she'd dubbed it.
Tenten laughed all over again. "You'll have to be careful, Hinata. Too much fainting and he'll think you're sick or something!"
Hinata sighed. "I know. Why can't I just act normally around him? I stutter and blush and it's like I'm twelve again."
Tenten smiled. "Because you like him, and you're shy. Just give it time. I'm sure it'll get better."
The black-haired girl smiled tentatively at her friend. Tenten always managed to make her feel better.
The weapons master continued. "So, what, exactly, do you like about him?"
Hinata took a sip of her juice and smiled. "He's so handsome. His smile...and his eyes!" She was getting into the topic now, relieved to finally be telling someone about it. "They're like the sky! They're so beautiful, and so expressive! He doesn't hide his feelings, like most shinobi try to do. And I think…I think that's really brave." She took another sip of juice. "And he's cheerful, and funny, and friendly. And determined! I noticed when he trained with us. He didn't always get things right away, but he kept trying, even though Kiba made fun of him."
Tenten looked thoughtful. "Aa," she said slowly. "I didn't really notice before, but he did the same thing with us." She sighed. "I just laughed at him, but he did try really hard. Some of those exercises Neji had us doing were horribly complicated. And Neji…" she trailed off and sighed again. "Neji wasn't exactly nice when he messed up. He forgets that not everybody is a genius."
Hinata nodded. Her cousin was terribly cold and distant. He didn't raise his voice, or even say very much, but he didn't need to. He could cut a person down with just a few sharp, well-chosen words. She knew; he'd done it to her too many times to count.
Tenten gave a little laugh. "Although, Gai-sensei would say Naruto is a genius of hard work."
Hinata smiled at that. "Aa." She paused. "And he doesn't just train during the day. He trains most nights, sometimes until midnight."
Tenten looked at her curiously. "Oh? And how do you know that?"
Hinata fidgeted. "You know I have trouble sleeping sometimes. Well, I was sitting by my window, and I-I noticed…" She blushed a little and looked down. "I noticed Naruto-kun in the grounds by the compound, working on team formations."
Tenten raised an eyebrow. "You just happened to notice him, eh? I suppose your Byakugan just accidentally activated while you were glancing in that general direction?" She was grinning mischievously, enjoying making the younger girl squirm.
Hinata's blush darkened. So what if she had been using her kekkei genkai to…look around? It wasn't like she was spying or anything…really. "That's not the point, Tenten," she said, trying to get the conversation back where she wanted it--on Naruto and not her. "He worked very hard, to get things right." She sighed.
"How was he doing team exercises by himself?"
"Shadow clones. And Hokage-sama was with him."
Tenten blinked. "Really? The Hokage? That's odd…" She grinned. "More evidence to support my hypothesis!"
"Hypothesis?"
Tenten nodded enthusiastically. "Naruto-kun is Hokage-sama's secret lovechild!"
Hinata blinked at her friend, then blinked again and burst out laughing.
Tenten pouted. "What? It's a perfectly valid theory." She held up one finger. "He looks just like Hokage-sama." She held up another. "He has wind affinity, like Hokage-sama." Another. "Hokage-sama helps him train."
Hinata waved her hands. "No, no, it's not what you said, but how you said it. 'Secret lovechild'," she repeated and started giggling again.
Tenten smiled. "Well, when you put it that way..." and she dissolved into giggles too.