Mother Dearest
Chapter 5
The Test of the Bells
"Normal Conversation"
'Thoughts, Naruto Talking to Kyuubi'
'Kyuubi Talking'
Naruto woke up to his mom, in the kitchen, singing cheerfully. "Mom, someone's going to hear you!" Kyuubi turned around and smiled. "Well, they can come ask me about it. This will, most likely, end with them on the floor, out cold." She hugged him. "Morning Sweetheart."
"Morning mom." Naruto said, sitting down at their tiny little table. He blinked when she set down a large bowl of miso ramen. "But Kakashi-sensei said not to eat breakfast."
"… He can come and have that conversation with me. It'll go something like this. 'Excuse me, Naruto wasn't supposed to-'… That's when I kick him where it hurts." Kyuubi said a playful glint in her eye. "My son eats breakfast EVERY day… and no brat will tell me otherwise." She said her hands on her hips.
"… I keep forgetting how old you are." Naruto said, digging into his ramen. Kyuubi ruffled his hair. "I take that as a compliment. Because it better be." Naruto laughed.
-FF to the Training Grounds-
"I told you it was only going to get worse. Kakashi has absolutely no concept of arriving on time."
"I was hoping you were just kidding. Geeze, I'm so bored."
"… I dare you to try to make conversation with the Uchiha-kid."
"I like living."
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha. Okay, so that was a bad idea. But the poor kid needs a friend or two."
"And I have to be that friend?"
"Yes. I knew his mother. Now go be friendly."
"You totally suck mom."
"Want me to go off with that one?"
"..??.. OMG NOOOOOOOOO!"
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha oh it hurts ha ha ha ha ha ha."
Naruto did his best to ignore his mom's maniacal laughing, mainly because he was the butt of the joke. He walked up to Sasuke, and sat on the ground near his tree, looking up at the sky. "It sucks that sensei is so late, doesn't it?"
"Go away, Dobe." Sasuke said, looking away.
"… You don't have to be rude, teme. I'm just trying to talk... and it's safer talking to someone who doesn't have the goal of destroying my eardrum." Naruto said, slightly irritated. Sasuke stifled a chuckle. "Whatever… What do you think the test will be anyway?" Naruto beamed, pleased that he got a response out of his new mom-forced-friend. "Something annoying." Sasuke smirked. There wasn't any more conversation for a while, until Sakura came by, questioning Sasuke about his plans afterwards, and demanding to know what Naruto thought he was doing trying to act cool and talk to her Sasuke.
"My Tails, what the hell is wrong with that girl? Honey, you have the taste of a dead iguana."
"Wtf."
"Don't ask."
"… Oookay. Geeze mom, it's not like I'll like her forever… She's just cute, that's all."
"Oh thank goodness, I thought you liked-her liked her."
"… What?"
"hm?"
"Nothing."
"Kakashi's here."
Naruto looked up and saw Kakashi appear in a swirl of leaves. "Are you all read y to take this little exam? Just so you know, if you don't pass, you'll be sent back to the academy."
"What? I thought we passed the academy already!" Naruto argued. Kakashi smiled. "That's just a myth."
"MOOOOM!"
"Hun, I'm not going to tell you everything. You'll have to learn some things... Kakashi's way."
"I hate you."
"I know. I know."
-FF to Middle of the Bell Test-
Naruto sat concealed behind a pair of bushes, catching his breath. "Mom, what do I do? I can't get him by myself, I can't get him with clones, and I can't really get him with anything."
"Whoever said you, a genin, could take on him, a jonin, alone?"
"Oh!! I'm gonna go try to get Sakura to help!"
"Good Luck with that. Call me when it fails. I'll be watching from... A tree."
".. Random."
"I know, huh."
"Ha ha."
Naruto ran to find Sakura, while a small trail of red chakra seeped out, and rushed along the ground. It spiraled up one of the larger trees, and collected near the top. It slowly formed into kyuubi's human form, a tall, elegant woman, wearing a light blue farmer's kimono, and a rice picker's hat to hide her hair, and her face. A single lock of hair fell to her chin. She ignored it, and watched her son's test.
Naruto snuck up to Sakura and looked at Kakashi and Sasuke fighting. "Hey, Sakura-chan, I have an idea. I think if we work together, we'll get the bells." Sakura shoved Naruto away. "If you're too weak to do it yourself, you don't deserve to pass." Naruto sighed, and snuck off. "Man. There's no way I can beat Kakashi on my own. Hey, I know! I'll just eat a lunch while they're all distracted. I might as well, it's not like they're gonna figure it out and even if they do, they won't ask me if I can help them." Naruto said, sneaking his way to the lunches.
Kyuubi shook her head. "Oh Naruto…. Bad move... Ooooh, Kakashi caught you. Well, you had to learn somehow… Yep. Tied to the pole…. I wonder..." She watched as Kakashi disappeared, leaving the genin to eat lunch, and Naruto to sit tied to a pole. She blinked when the familiar chakra appeared close by. "Who are you, and why are you watching my students?" Kakashi asked quietly. Kyuubi slowly stood up, turning towards him, keeping her head down so he couldn't see her face. "Who are you?" Kakashi asked again. Kyuubi turned and darted away, with Kakashi immidiently giving chase. Luckily, Kyuubi had to factors in her favor. One, she had a head start. Two, she was just plain faster than him. When she felt she had ran far enough away, she jumped down off the trees, and became chakra, which immidiently channeled its way back to Naruto.
-Kakashi's POV-
Kakashi had sensed the presence when he was scolding Naruto and warning the other two not to share their lunches with him. A powerful presence, at least chunin, if not jonin level, somewhere in the trees. After he had finished giving his warning, he disappeared, reappearing as close as he could to the source of the chakra. A woman wearing the simple clothes of a rice farmer, sat crouched, looking in the direction of his students. "Who are you, and why are you watching my students?" He asked,
wondering what the various answers could be. She could be a spy for the council, checking in to see if he was doing his job correct. Or worse, she could be a spy from another village, looking to get her hands on the kyuubi. She stood up, and turned to face him. She was obviously hiding her face though, with her hat angled down and her head tilted down as well. Kakashi was even more wary of her for some reason. "Who are you?" he asked again. For a couple of seconds, there was nothing. She was just standing there, almost as if she was contemplating the answer she wanted to give him. Then she moved, so quickly Kakashi barely had time to realize she was trying to make a run for it. He started to chase her down, wondering if he would be able to catch up. She was surprisingly fast, which fortified his belief that she was an enemy spy. That's when she jumped down, and disappeared. He cursed for a few seconds, and then immidiently returned to his students, where he found them doing exactly when he told them not to do. Passing.
-Normal POV-
Naruto grinned. He had passed. And it was awesome too. He had been tied to that stupid pole, when all of a sudden; Sasuke asked Naruto if he wanted a few bites of his lunch. Then Sakura had admitted that he was probably right about the two of them having a better chance working together, and offered him some of her lunch too. The three were sharing the lunches between them, and that's when Kakashi appeared. Naruto had been really surprised, and really pleased, when he found out the secret to the exam. That he and his teammates had really passed. "Mooom! Mom, I did it!"
"I know. I was watching. I think I need to keep a low profile tonight though. Do you mind making your own dinner? We'll celebrate tomorrow, alright?"
"Of course mom. I don't want you to get caught. I'd be alone."
"Oh Naruto."
--
Lunar: Well, I hoped you all enjoyed that chapter. Sorry it took so long. Anywayz, Here are the pairings, and their votes.
NaruHina- 2 votes
Sasunaru (YAY) – 3 votes (double yay!)
KakaNaru (yay yaoi!) – 1 vote
And then someone suggested:
GaaraxSakura. Which doesn't sound that bad to me. I kinda like it. Anywayz, vote on Naruto's pairing, and then tell me what you think about Gaara and Sakura.