Itia licked the chocolate ice cream cone. "Did ya hear?" Karin asked her excitedly.
"'Bout what?"
"Someone's gonna be joining us!"
"Really?"
"Yup! I heard that he's hot!" Itia laughed.
"You have a one track mind, honey." The thirteen year old laughed and stuck a spoonful of vanilla ice cream in her mouth. The fox at the older woman's feet slept soundly. She had given up trying to get ice cream from the two females. A few boys ran by, laughing and chasing each other.
"I'm gonna be the best ninja in the world!"
"No I am!" They laughed as they ran off. Itia sat there on the bench, smiling. It was getting to be fall.
"Itia-sama?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you like living with Orochimaru?"
"It's not terrible, I suppose."
"Your eyes say different." Itia was becoming alarmed. She knew her apprentice could easily tell people's moods. But she had never let her guard down enough that her eyes told what she was feeling. "Don't worry, master. I hate it, too." Itia relaxed and leaned back, closing her eyes.
"I am not lost!"
"Face it, pervy sage! We are lost!" Itia listened to the argument. The two males were getting closer. Then she recognized one of the voices.
"Naruto!" She wrapped him in a hug.
"Itia!" He hugged back.
"Who's this very sexy woman, Naruto?" The sanin said as he walked behind her. He suddenly reached out and grabbed her butt. Karin gasped.
"Ooh! You're gonna get it from my master now!" She said with a grin on her face. The sanin got a swift kick to the groin, so hard that it lifted him off the ground by a few inches. He fell over, crying. Naruto and Karin were both laughing their heads off. Later, the four sat in a small teashop. They drank tea, courtesy of Itia.
"Like I said, Mr. Jiraiya, I'm very sorry. Karin, what do you say?"
"I'm sorry for laughing, Mr. Sanin, sir."
"It's okay. I laughed, too." Naruto said sweetly.
"So, Naruto-kun how is your team?"
"Everyone's good."
"How is Sasuke doing?"
"Well. Why do you ask?"
"I have my reasons."
"You know, you look like Sasuke's older brother." Itia choked on her tea.
"Master! Are you okay!?!" The red headed apprentice jumped up, but Itia waved her away. She calmed down, blushing.
"S-sorry."
"It's just that your resemblance to Sasuke's older brother is uncanny. I remember fighting him once," Jiraiya said slowly.
"Weird, but I don't have any siblings, I'm afraid." She lied, looking at the clock. "Damn. We need to leave, Karin. You know how Orochimaru-sama worries. Let's go find Jugo." The two got up.
"Wait! Did you say Orochimaru?"
"Yes."
"How does he treat you?"
"Why would you care?" Itia said, a suspicious hue to her voice.
"Just wondering. He was an old friend."
"He treats us like his own daughters." Itia turned and started to walk off. "Karii. Come." The fox pup got up and trotted off after them. Jiraiya watched her walk off, her hips swinging. He licked his lips, grinning.
"Damn she's hot."
"Pervy sage..." Naruto said, defeated. Outside, the village was calm. There were a few people here and there, but most were inside by now.
"Ooh! There he is Itia-sama!" It suddenly started to downpour just as she called to her master. The red head pointed to a figure moving through the rain. They bolted over to the orange haired boy, waiting under an overhang.
"What have you got, honey?" Jugo pulled something out of his cloak. It was a beautiful white dove.
"I found her. She's hurt, Itia-chan." Itia took the small bird into her hands.
"She's fine, but her wing is injured. Come. We'll take her back home with us. Oka-" A red headed teenager interrupted her. The blond next to him looked somewhat miffed.
"Um, excuse us, but do you know how to get to this place?" He pointed to a place on the map that was circled.
"Um, I don't think so. What about you, Karin?"
"Me neither, Itia-sama. Jugo do you?" He looked at the map quietly.
"Actually, I do. It's a store managed by a sweet old lady. You go left at the end of this road and then go straight down this road and then you turn right. It's a big blue shop." The red head took his map back.
"Thank you so much. It's my friend's grandmother's shop. My friend's terrible with directions, though."
"You're welcome, mister."
"Itia-sama, what about the bird?" Karin asked as the two boys walked off.
"We need to take her back with us. I can heal her, but I don't want to let her go in these conditions."
"But Orochimaru'll want to do experiments on her."
"Silly apprentice. I won't let him even touch her."
"Okay." The oldest woman pulled her hood over her head and folded the bird gently into her cloak.
"Come." She stepped out into the rain, being followed by the girl and the boy.