NARUTO
Nox Noctis Ingredior
Love You Two Much
Ichiraku's Ramen Stand…
Was actually having the most customers it has ever seen, since the day old man Teuchi created ramen that boosted a person's vitality…
…he just hasn't come up with a name for it yet, so he called it Chicken Soup. Anyway, his stall was practically full to the brim tonight, with the counter's chairs all taken up, a situation which prompted the owner to take out the extra tables and chairs to serve the other customers.
The main reason for his store being so packed this late in the afternoon was that after Zabuza destroyed Naruto's kitchen for the fifteenth time, the blond lost all hope in his friend's abilities to cook them a meal that would've killed them after taking the first bite. So, he took everybody out for ramen instead, and much to a lot of the group's chagrin, Mia wouldn't shut up about ramen until it was sitting in front of her and halfway down her esophagus.
But that wouldn't be the only thing the group was a bit worked up over tonight.
"No! I disagree! Christmas is on the 25th of January, not December!" Ryoko argued with a rather flustered Anko, who was incredibly close to snapping the pair of chopsticks in her hand in frustration.
"YES IT IS! EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT CHRISTMAS IS IN DECEMBER! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Anko shouted.
The two of them were arguing across each other at their table outside, with Haku sitting in between them and feeling a little bit belittled by their talking over him. He sighed and shook his head as both Anko and Ryoko bared their fangs at one other, their fight growing more and more heated as the seconds past. Soon, the two women were out of their seats, standing toe to toe, while the raven haired teen continued eating his Miso Ramen under their shadows.
"OH! That's it! YOU WANNA GO!" Ryoko shouted in blind anger or in a pathetic display to intimidate the other woman.
The fight was more amusing then it was serious because bystanders were just plain ignoring the confrontation, since the villagers of Konohagakure were quite used to shinobi outbursts from the well known Anko and her companions at this point.
"YEAH I WANNA GO! BRING IT GIRLIE!"
"OH YEAH! COME ON!"
"YOU AND ME! RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW!"
"I'VE GOT OVER TWENTY YEARS EXPERIENCE! GIVE ME YOUR BEST SHOT!"
"I DON'T HAVE TO! YOU'D PROBABLY BREAK JUST STANDING THERE!"
"SHUT IT SNAKE PIT! I'LL SHOW YOU HOW I ROCK!"
It was all just a pathetic sham.
Zabuza shook his head at the commotion as he sat at his chair silently, reading a book while stirring his Tonkotsu ramen quietly. Haru was also at the table with him, sitting next to Lee, both of them shoveling down their soups as if there was no tomorrow. At least they were quiet for now thanks to the food in front of them, which was much to the swordsman's liking. With his large blade sitting beside him, he was able to sit back and relax knowing that he was both safe and in good company.
Meanwhile, Naruto, Sakura, Hinata, Ino and Isaribi were sitting in a row along Ichiraku's serving counter, all of them enjoying a nice hot Miso Ramen, and sharing a pleasant conversation with Teuchi and Ayame. Mia of course, sat on a table next to them, with good reason.
A pile of empty bowls reaching the ceiling sat right next to the red head, dressed in her newly bought kimono with blue rose patterns on it. If it wasn't for the fact that she was receiving incredulous and interested stares from people outside of the store, as rumors have spread around the village of a weird 'cat lady' that was a direct descendent of the Legendary Sage of Six Paths, then it was for a fact that people were shocked at the amount the woman was eating and were gathering to make bets to see how much more she could eat. The red haired woman let out a rather delighted exclamation as she licked the inside of her fiftieth bowl, before waving over to the manager.
"Old man! One more please!" she called out. "And some sake to!"
"Right away, ma'am!" Ayame responded to the call, filling in for her boss. She quickly got to work on a dozen or more servings, knowing that their new record breaking customer would definitely want more after just the one.
Teuchi laughed, grinning down at Naruto in amusement.
"Your new friends really have an appetite. I think that one over there is out to beat your personal best, Naruto," the owner of the stand stated. The blond Genin smiled back, slurping up the noodles hanging from his mouth, earning a giggle from Hinata sitting on his left and a smile of amusement from Sakura on his right.
"Oh… she's beat my record ten bowls ago," the blond replied, waving a hand casually, before glancing back over at Mia, now starting on her next serving. A sweat drop formed on Naruto's head as he watched her gorge herself. "I can't wait to see the bill…"
"Don't worry about that… I'll put it on your tab if you like," Teuchi simply said, going to wash some dishes next to him while making small talk. "After all, you're my best customer next to Choji. There has not been a day when I haven't seen you in here eating ramen…"
Naruto grinned back, before going back to eating. Sakura ate along with him, while Hinata simply watched on with a light coloring of red on her cheeks and a smile. Isaribi had a similar expression on her face as she watched Naruto in admiration, with Ino tilting her head in curiosity as she became completely engrossed in the spiky haired shinobi. Teuchi and Ayame easily spotted the four girls' attention directed towards the blonde, but kept their grins and chuckles to themselves, so not to embarrass him…
Yet…
"You know… I always found that training is a really great way to relieve stress after a big meal!" Sakura exclaimed, poking Naruto in the arm with the other end of her chopsticks. "Perhaps we can get some light sparring in before we head on home, what do you say, Naruto-kun?"
"That sounds really nice," Naruto replied with a look mimicking Sakura's, stretching his arms out and patting his nearly sated stomach. "But first… one more on me!"
"Alright," Sakura replied with a grin, giving him the thumbs up. At that very moment, Ayame slid two more bowls in front of them, and in perfect unison, both Naruto and Sakura started eating once again.
"T-Training would be really nice," Hinata timidly spoke up, raising a hand and catching Naruto's attention. "I… hear that there is going to be a nice moon out tonight…"
"Yeah?" Naruto queried, smiling at his teammate. "Really? That'd be a sight to see. We can find a nice open area and spar! That way we can get a fill of both."
"That'd work!" Sakura said. She happily nudged her teammate on the shoulders. "I want to see if I can beat you in hand-to-hand yet, and have the spirit of the moon watch as I clobber you into the ground…"
"I'll take you up on that challenge," Naruto stated, smirking back at her. "Let's see how long you last."
"I will down you in ten seconds," the kunoichi declared with a raised fist, her knuckles cracking as she tightened it.
"I can beat you, S-Sakura…" Hinata said, leaning over and giving her friend a rather confident grin, which gave her pink haired companion quite a surprise. "You, and me, and Naruto…!"
Sakura leaned over to her and grinned. "You're on!" And with that, the two bumped fists. Naruto had to lean back a bit to avoid being sandwiched by their knuckles.
Ino shook her head with a smile and took a sip from her tea on the side. Isaribi became quite intrigued by how the three original members of Team 7 interacted with one another, and studied them, while mostly paying attention to Naruto.
"I have to come up with a way for Naruto to acknowledge me more…" Isaribi thought to herself, rubbing her chin in thought. "If only I can get him on his own…"
"If I can get him on his own, he's mine!" Inner Ino exclaimed, slamming her fists together. "Sakura and Hinata won't be able to enchant him forever! One of these days, I will corner him!"
Ino and Isaribi silently began plotting ways of how they were going to severe Naruto from his teammates, while the blond and his companions joked and laughed over past mishaps, unaware of the schemers.
They all had a pretty good time at the small stand, interacting with one another and taking time to get to know the strangers of their jumbled up group. On the sidelines, while Anko and Ryoko were too busy glaring at each other, Zabuza was now becoming a little bit overwhelmed by the combined energy and mouthfuls of Lee and Haru at his table. Exasperation quickly overcame him as the energy of the bushy brow and the younger sister of Naruto bubbled up in the chains of shouting and cheering.
Zabuza slapped himself in the face, groaning at his misfortune at being with the 'too young' crowd.
"Ugh… I shouldn't have asked them what their favorite colors were…" he begrudgingly thought.
"GREEN IS FOR GO! GREEN IS LIVELY! It looks you dead in the eye, and says… YOSH! LET'S MOVE!"
"I like purple! Purple is funny! It's all blue and red at the same time! It makes me happy!"
"GREEN IS HAPPINESS! The symbol of youth! GREEN IS THE SYMBOL OF THIS VILLAGE!"
"Purple is not too dark and not too bright! Boys and girls can wear it! I like purple!"
"GREEN!"
"PURPLE!"
It was pretty obvious who was shouting what color, and Zabuza was trying to withstand it all. Coming up with a clever solution, he put down his magazine and, taking his index fingers, shoved them into his ears.
"That's it. I've had it. I need to think of something else… let's see. Ah yes… music!" A second after he thought that, a relieved look spread across his face as the sound of Beethoven's Ninth flooded into his head. "Oh…Ludwig, you magnificent son of a bitch…"
Back inside the bar, finishing their bowls, Naruto, Sakura and Hinata got up and headed out, bidding goodnight to Teuchi and Ayame. Saying goodnight to their friends and promising to see them in the morning, the young members of Team 7 headed for one of the training grounds available for them.
Meanwhile, Mia, after seeing Naruto depart with his friends, finished up her last bowl in haste. Paying what she owed and thanking a very flustered Ayame who was staring at the huge pile of dishes on the woman's table, the red haired woman saluted, and suddenly vanished when her entire body got sucked into a small wormhole. The brown haired girl blinked in surprise, not exactly expecting an exit like that.
Training Ground 4…
It was really late, and Naruto was taking that fact into complete stride.
His teammates insisted that he fight with them in hand to hand, and soon enough, all three of them were facing each other off on the wide expanse of grass, not too far from the three logs that were commonly seen on each training field.
By coincidence, all three of them were wearing most of their usual ninja gear. Naruto, though missing his hat, wore his newly acquired black and white robe, with black being on the outside this time, along with a pair of black cargo pants, black sandals, and a bandoleer of kunai strapped over his fishnet top underneath his coat. The blonde's headband was proudly adorned on his forehead, whereas Hinata continued to wear hers around her neck. She wore a light blue, zipped up jumper this time, with purple slacks and blue sandals, with her ninja pouch secured behind her, and kunai holster tightly strapped to her leg. As for Sakura, a red traditional Mandarin top with white linings was proudly adorned on her upper body, and a red, short cut dress of a similar design hanging below, with black spandex shorts underneath, matching sandals, and two kunai pouches on her belt behind her, made up her attire.
They were clearly all dressed and ready for battle.
Naruto smiled as he looked between his two teammates, before bringing up his hand and waving at them, gesturing them to come at him.
"Let's see what you got!"
Sakura started off, quickly drawing what appeared to be one kunai, but when she threw it, it broke apart into a cluster of kunai, which flew straight for Naruto. The blonde ducked under it and, with a quick draw, threw a barrage of shuriken in both Sakura and Hinata's direction. The pink haired kunoichi and the Hyuuga were ready, bringing out kunai and blocking the barrage, while avoiding some of the more precariously thrown ones.
In the blink of an eye, bursts of smoke exploded around Naruto, and just as Sakura and Hinata moved onto the defensive, about five clones charged at them, armed and in full sprint mode. The girls met the clones head to head, blocking the first onslaught of attacks and leaping over the next. Using one clone as a kick off point, Sakura and Hinata jumped off of the clone's faces and flew through the air right over the Naruto clones to the airspace above the original, where they both met and clashed blades. The real Naruto looked up and watched as their blades met.
Sparks flew when their attacks collided, which knocked them away from each other, and caused the two girls to land on either side of Naruto crouched right in the middle of them. They lunged at him, striking at their spiky haired teammate, who barrel rolled away from the first attacks, before evading their next onslaught. Sakura and Hinata attacked him in unison, but found that, despite their swiftest efforts, he was a little too slick for them as he dodged every one of their strikes.
Spinning and maneuvering around the two of Genin, he made use of their own confrontations with each other to his advantage to get as far away from their blades as possible. However, after jumping over and around several more attacks, he was eventually caught between the girls when they both slashed out at him at the same time from his left and right, which he responded to by firmly catching their incoming wrists.
Holding his ground, he bit tooth and nail holding his comrades down as they attempted to press on their attacks. However, they weren't even close to touching him with their blades, and eventually, they pulled away, leaping back to gain distance. At Naruto's will, he released them, knowing he wouldn't be able to do much without his hands.
Sakura flipped through the air when se broke off from Naruto, at the same time drawing five shuriken from her pouches and throwing them at her target. Naruto, spinning on the spot, threw his coat out at the shuriken and caught them within the cloth of his robe. Upon catching them, he brought the cluster around and threw them at Hinata on mass, effectively redirecting Sakura's long-distance attack. The Hyuuga saw the attack coming, and winking her right eye, she activated one of her Byakugan.
Counting quickly and making quick calculations, Hinata, reached back to her pouch and grabbed three kunai between her fingers. While still in mid-flight, she threw them straight at the incoming ninja stars, the flying blades grazing the tops of all of them and knocking their trajectory straight down, while the kunai continued on towards Naruto.
The blond Genin leapt forward and barrel rolled, avoiding the three kunai, before charging at Hinata. Sakura quickly became a bit preoccupied with the Naruto clones on her end when she landed, elbowing one in the face and stopping herself in flight, before clashing with them toe to toe. Several of them tried to jump her from behind, but a swift roundhouse kick through the air knocked three of them out cold and out of the fight, leaving two left dodging and ducking round the pink haired kunoichi's blows.
Naruto lunged at Hinata with a jab, followed by a hook, the Hyuuga moving back quickly and ducking the strikes, before countering. She jabbed out in response, with Naruto blocking her attack, then the next, bringing his knee up to block her right side kick. The two of them began making random circles on the spot as they attacked and countered against the other using taijutsu styles they knew well. The exchange of blows was quite ferocious, with Hinata putting all her speed behind her palm strikes, and Naruto smiling in pride as to his teammate's increase in strength and skill.
Back flipping away in an effective dodge from one of his teammate's kicks, the blonde landed several feet from Hinata and straightened himself up, not even bothering to take a stance as his teammate charged at him.
"She's gotten faster…" In a flash, Hinata reengaged him, and Naruto backed away step by step, quickly ducking, avoiding and dodging the flurry of attacks heading in his direction. His purple haired teammate was putting all her effort into her attacks, pressing on with hooks, jabs, punches and occasional kicks, aiming for her teammate's head and chest. But Naruto was able to stay ahead of her, and continued to back away from her strikes.
Grabbing two clones by the head and slamming them together as she hurdled over them, Sakura began thinning out the rest of the Shadow Clones coming after her. Flipping over, she split kicked the heads of two more charging at her, knocking them both to the ground and out. The four clones disappeared into puffs of smoke, leaving only two left to deal with. They ran around her, and came at her blind spots, just as the pink haired kunoichi touched the ground. Crouching, Sakura clenched her right hand and drawing it back behind her, slammed it into the ground, causing a shockwave to ripple out from the center of her chakra-powered hit, and knocking the two Naruto clones off balance.
Taking this opportunity, Sakura lunged at the clone at her right, sending a left hook right across his face. After knocking the copy senseless, she then grabbed his arm and, with judo like action, sent him over her shoulder and straight for the other clone, the collision knocking them both out of the fight.
Once that was over and done with, Sakura locked onto her next target; Naruto and Hinata in their hand-to-hand fight behind her. Smirking, she spun around and charged at the two of them, drawing a kunai from her leg holster, with the intention in mind to knock both of them out. The black blade flashed through the air on its draw, a paper ball seen tied on the end as it spun between her fingers. In one swift movement, she threw it, while continuing her run across the grass towards them.
Naruto caught Hinata's fist in his hand and held her there, smiling at the girl as she fought through gritted teeth to get him to let go. However, before either of them could make another move, they heard the whistle of a kunai flying through the air, distracting them. On instinct, Naruto drew a kurai from his pouch and threw it behind him in quick action, the sleek silver blade knocking the kunai out the air and to the ground.
Unintentionally, the ball tied to the end of the kunai detonated, the blast of hot smoke enveloping Naruto and Hinata.
Taking the chance, the Hyuuga kneed Naruto in the stomach while they were under the smoke screen, winding him and jumping away, putting distance between herself and her opponents. As the blonde staggered, Sakura burst into the cloud of smoke and went straight at where Naruto was, upper-cutting him in the jaw, followed by a right punch, a left hook, and a right hook. The powerful blows knocked Naruto left and right, before a chakra-enflamed jab across the face sent him flying out of the smoke cloud. His flight was a clumsy combination of spins through the air and skips across the ground. The boy bounced across the flat grass before crashing into one of the three logs standing proudly on the sidelines a couple seconds later.
Naruto slumped awkwardly against the log fifty meters away from the smoke cloud. The moment he did, Sakura burst out of the dissipating wall and charged at him again in an attempt to finish her attack, but was intercepted by Hinata, the purple haired Hyuuga sending a hook, palm strike at her. The pink haired kunoichi ducked under it and rolled, crouching to a stop and rounding back on her new opponent. Taking a stance, Sakura leapt back to her feet and attacked Hinata, who countered quickly and fluently against the kunoichi's more firmly build, solid attacks.
Fists met palm strikes as Sakura and Hinata clashed, with Sakura at first gaining the upper hand with her superior strength. Avoiding a number of power strikes from her opponent, backing away step by step, Hinata kept her cool. Using the defensive capabilities of her fighting style, she blocked Sakura's attacks, wearing her down little by little as Sakura let loose.
Blocking an incoming palm strike to the face, Sakura wrapped her arms around her opponent's arm in a lock and swiftly tossed Hinata over her shoulder, throwing her to the ground. The Hyuuga winced when she hit the ground with a loud thud, unable to respond fast enough when suddenly, Sakura quickly caught her in a full on arm lock, one capable of ripping the arm out of its socket if the victim did anything irrational. The pink haired kunoichi held fast, and grinned as her legs were wrapped around the base of the arm at Hinata's shoulder, and her arms were wrapped tightly around her forearm.
"Try… and get out… of this one!" Sakura exclaimed, tightening her grip.
Hinata growled as she attempted to pull her arm free from her opponent's vice like grip, but only got a sharp flash of pain. So, moving for a more brutish tactic outside of the comfort zone of her graceful style, the Hyuuga began searching the ground around her with her free hand for something to grab onto. Eventually grabbing a large rock, Hinata took careful aim through her Byakugan and in a blink of an eye, swung her whole body over and slammed the rock into Sakura's face, knocking the girl's senseless.
Staggered, Sakura let go, enough for Hinata to get free. Quickly, the purple haired girl kicked off the ground and, performing an elegant spin through the air, landed perfectly several feet safely away from her opponent. Her pink haired counterpart leapt to her feet in kind, and staggered, gripping her bruised face.
"Ow… that wasn't nice…" Sakura groaned, glaring at her teammate.
Hinata took a stance, right palm glowing with blue chakra held forward, while the other one was held back. She grinned at her friend and teammate.
"All is fair in a shinobi fight," she bravely replied. "I hope you are ready for me to get s-serious…"
Sakura grinned back. "Same here…" The kunoichi tightened her fists and took a horse riding fighting stance, with Hinata assuming her clan's well known taijutsu stance in response.
At that moment, two hands shot out of the ground and grabbed Hinata by her ankles. Before she could even react, she was suddenly pulled straight into the earth right up to her neck. The Hyuuga girl's yelp was quickly followed by the reappearance of Naruto jumping out of the ground and crouching right next to her head. The boy dusted himself off, looking like he had seen better days.
Sighing, the blonde grinned down at the girl, wiping the ridge under his nose, while Hinata struggled to pull herself free.
"I learned that one from Kakashi, Hinata-chan," Naruto exclaimed, before looking back over at a rather startled Sakura. He smirked at her, and thumbed over to the log where he was supposedly slumped against a minute or so ago. "Excellent form Sakura, but you'll need more practice in judging the fake me from the real me…"
Sakura responded with a frown as she reassumed her fighting stance. Naruto stood up, his vision becoming a bit fuzzy when he straightened too quickly.
"That was a smart move Sakura pulled… blinding me before attacking," Naruto thought, thinking back to the smoke screen that enveloped him and Hinata, moments before Sakura came in and beat the living snot out of him. "The first three punches that connected hurt like hell… good thing there was an elapse in time in between her attacks for me to switch with a clone…" The smile he gave his pink haired teammate was followed by a trickle of blood that flowed from the corner of his mouth. "I think she cracked my jaw…"
In the blink of an eye, Naruto unexpectedly became a transparent image where he stood, distracting Sakura for a few seconds with his afterimage technique while the real him appeared right behind her, left hand pulled back and his gauntlet blade drawn. The sight of Naruto using his real speed to his advantage alerted Hinata to her friend's predicament.
"Behind you, Sakura!" the Hyuuga shouted.
Thanks to her warning, Sakura responded in time, and ducked under Naruto's assassination hook, his blade flashing through the air when it hit nothing. Despite the fail, the boy grinned at Hinata and Sakura's teamwork to overcome him in this situation.
However, before he could take on a defensive stance, Sakura planted both her hands on the ground and sent a back kick straight into his jaw, knocking him away from the impact. The next second had Sakura crouched low and spin around, swiping a low roundhouse kick at the blonde's feet and knocking him off balance, before returning straight up with an uppercut to his face. Naruto was able to react in time and block the last hit.
Twisting Sakura's wrist around, he threw her over onto her side. Grabbing her shoulder to hold her, he then attempted a knock out blow to her neck, but wasn't able to follow-through with it when he received a punch to the face. Sakura leapt back up after staggering him, and went in for an elbow hit, but shockingly hit nothing but air when she passed right through a Naruto after-image. She was then grabbed from behind when Naruto hooked his arms under where her shoulders were and held her up.
The pink haired girl struggled to get free, even going as far as to kick at his thighs. Though Naruto admitted to getting bruised, he just smirked as he held her firm.
"I guess I win this one," he exclaimed.
"HEY! It's not over till I say it's over!" Sakura shouted, still struggling to get loose. "You know better! Finish it."
"Aw, come on… I don't want to do that," Naruto replied. However, his expression changed drastically when he noticed the smirk on Sakura's face.
The girl grinned at him as her brow furrowed, creating an eerie shadow.
"You fell for it…"
Sakura's body unexpectedly broke apart in Naruto's arms, her physical form breaking up into leaves, which fell away. Naruto hesitated in his shock.
Those leaves suddenly transformed into small paper tags, which wrapped around his arms and clothes, all of them inscribed with very familiar markings on them. It took Naruto only a second to realize they were all paper bombs, with the next second having them all go off right in his face. The explosion rocked the training ground, with the fire consuming the blonde in a hell storm of smoke, ash, cinders and debris.
As it turns out, Sakura and Hinata were both watching from a distance as one of their opponents was taken out of the fight, with the Hyuuga dusting herself down from digging herself out of the ground and Sakura standing a couple meters away from her with her arms folded. The latter admired her handy work, giving the peace sign to back up her victory over Naruto.
"Ninja Art: Blanket Fire Storm," she exclaimed, entitling her new genjutsu-transition-ninjutsu technique.
Hinata smiled up at her teammate from where she knelt. "That was really good, Sakura…b-but…" She looked back towards the explosion as it was dying out, a big smoldering crater being the only thing left in the middle of the field. "Was it a bit much… using explosive tags on Naruto-kun?"
"Nah… I'm sure Naruto-kun is fine…" Sakura replied confidently, holding up a fist. "But I'd like to see him get up after that."
"Uhh…Okay…" Naruto's voice suddenly echoed from behind them, both Sakura and Hinata jumping when they heard their teammate's voice resonate from over their shoulders. The boy reappeared out of the shadows in the blink of an eye, having made a quick jump from the explosion to here in less then a second.
Spinning around, both Sakura and Hinata attempted to attack Naruto before he had a chance to retaliate, but the blonde held them off when his hands just appeared in front of both of them, hindering their attacks.
His hidden blades were both drawn and hovering just millimeters away from their faces.
Both arms held at his teammates, the blond chuckled as he watched their frightened expressions change from shocked looks to looks of disappointment.
"Thought yah had me?" Naruto asked, lowering his hands back to his sides. Flicking his wrists, his gauntlet blades disappeared back into his sleeves. "Close… but not quite…"
Overwhelmed by the short spar, Sakura and Hinata collapsed to the grass, while Naruto sat himself down and leaned up against one of the logs behind him. He sighed and looked up towards the starry night sky, and to the moon that was hanging up high above them. It was a really enchanting night, and the fact they were far outside of reach of the village meant that there wasn't much light pollution to ruin the sight. Sakura and Hinata shuffled over to also lie back and look up at the sky with their comrade.
"Why are you so strong Naruto?" Sakura asked curiously and out of the blue, looking over at the blonde from his left. "There is no Genin I know of that can go toe to toe with you…"
"Well…you two…" Naruto chuckled, looking over at Hinata, then over at Sakura, seeing them smile up at him as they lay back against the same log. "You two are perhaps the only ones from our year's graduating group to come close to going toe to toe with me."
"Really?" Hinata asked. Naruto looked back over towards her and nodded his head affirmatively.
"Yeah. I mean… the only other person I really have to try against in fighting head to head, is Lee… and that's really when he opens up the Gates and we're both not wearing any weight. Though Lee beats me every time he enters those modes… he seldom uses them…"
"I'd love to see that," Sakura exclaimed, leaning over and resting her against his shoulder. "Watching you fight is amazing and terrifying at the same time… but mostly amazing…"
Hinata joined her by placing her head on Naruto's other shoulder, both of them getting cozy where they comfortably sat. Stars twinkled brilliantly over the blanket of darkness high above, and the sounds of frogs and insect life perfectly setting the mood for the three members of Team 7. Perhaps for the first time in ages, the three of them could really connect on this level.
"You're both getting really strong," Naruto stated with absolute certainty in his voice. "If you keep training like you are for another year or so, you'll definitely be able to surpass me…"
"Y-You are so much stronger though," Hinata said. "W-We may not have been fighting that seriously… b-but…we've seen you out there on missions and in training… against Ryoko, Anko-sensei and Zabuza-san…"
"That's true," Sakura continued, looking up at him again. "You even took down three Genin from Kumogakure single-handedly. I admit it was just a spat… but three!"
"Do you guys really think I win my fights simply through brute strength and speed?" Naruto asked incredulously, looking between his two companions, who were now giving him their full attention. "Believe me… most of the battles I have ever won were through quick thinking, taking advantage of my surroundings, and surprising my opponents. Being strong and having great speed only adds to that equation. But in order to survive in this world… you have to take things very seriously… even in training…"
"I see," Hinata said, her smile widening a little. "Just like against Anko-sensei when w-we first worked together…" This took them all back all those months ago to when they were first assigned as Team 7 and Anko gave them their test to pass them.
"You were very serious then…" Sakura said, running her hand up and down Naruto's arm. "So serious…y-your… your face changed…" She looked up at Naruto, seeing the smile fall from his face when she began mentioning this. "It changed so much… that… that you really became someone else. You weren't the goofy, average Naruto we knew… you became… I don't know…"
"A real killer?" Naruto offered. Sakura looked away, now starting to regret bringing this up, now that they were having such a good time together. Hinata was also looking a it concerned, yet curious at the same time.
"…"
Naruto looked between them, seeing that both his teammates wanted to know more about that part about him he didn't want them to know, a part about him he so desperately tried to hide. The look on his face when it changed during battle, when he became the Nightwalker, the boy that has no shadow even under the light of the moon, and the assassin that has killed so many while in that state of mind.
Though he hated to become that person, he had to tell them.
They were two of the people who were really closest to him…
"I had to fight so hard… day and night… just to survive," he began, looking over at Hinata, seeing her looking at him, fully engrossed in his words. "I told you before… that my life was really hard. But after growing up fighting my whole life…" Naruto looked over at Sakura. "I adapted to it. I not only had to fight against others and defend myself… but I also had to cope with the battle going on inside of me."
His hand gripped his stomach, with Sakura and Hinata noting his visual emphasis on himself.
"I am the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox," he stated. "As a result… it has put me and a lot of other people in harms way. Without a doubt, the Kyuubi is the cause for most… if not all, of the suffering in my life…"
Hinata placed a hand over Naruto's hand on his stomach, as he looked ahead of him with an expression of hurt on his face.
"Before I gained control of it, I first battled with my inner demons… fighting over whether I should truly hate the people who have hurt me so much in my life, or push all those feelings of pain directed towards me aside and move on." Naruto looked over at Sakura and gave her a half-smile. "I guess you can say I did the latter…"
Sakura smiled back at him, with the blonde looking back up at the night sky above them.
"That look I have on my face whenever I fight seriously is a result, as well as a reflection, of the feuds of my past," Naruto replied. "It's perhaps the only thing that remains of the hatred I have long since thrown away…"
Sakura and Hinata accepted this as his answer, and rested their heads back against his shoulders. For some time, the two settled for playing with his coat, feeling the fabric between their fingers, or just pinching it.
The next few minutes of silence had Naruto on edge, and made him wonder whether he made the mistake of telling them or not. But all of that came to pass when Sakura gained his attention by nudging him gently in the arm and edging closer to him.
"When I was younger… I could never fit in with the other girls, or make any friends whatsoever, because I was…'different'…" Sakura stated, looking Naruto in the eyes as he looked down at her. "Any group of girls I tried to approach or anyone for that matter always greeted me with insults, calling me names and poking fun at me about my forehead being so big. It hurt so much… because I didn't know what to do about it. It wasn't like I could physically change who I was… I was too young to really understand anything or make those leaps forward… and I was alone for a long time…"
Naruto listened in, and so did Hinata, as they listened to Sakura's story. The kunoichi continued to fondle with her friend's clothing, before she was able to continue.
"But then Ino… a girl I didn't even know… she helped me out by teaching me to blend in with the other girls," Sakura said with a smile, running a hand through her hair. "She helped me fix up my hair to hide my big forehead, gave me make up tips and stuff… it really… got me going." She then looked up at Naruto. "When I finally started making friends and began interacting with other people… I guess… all that resentment and teasing I had experienced before hand… changed me from the timid girl that I was… but at the same time… that kindness that Ino showed me… rubbed off on me as well. It's made me the kind of person I am today…and has made me make the right choices in life…" She continued staring at Naruto, giving him the most resolved look she has ever given anyone. "And I know I've made the right choice to walk alongside you…"
Naruto blinked when Sakura finished her story, and watched as she gave him her most genuine of smiles. "And I think, after knowing you for over half a year, a bit of your personality has rubbed off on me too…" She stuck her tongue out at him.
The blonde chuckled, and playfully poked her in the forehead. "To me… you look good on the inside and outside, Sakura-chan…" The two of them shared a small laugh together, with Hinata also sharing in the light of their happiness.
"Does Naruto-kun mind if I share with him… my life too?" Hinata asked while nudging the blonde she was leaning against. The two Genin turned to her as well, with Sakura continuing to use Naruto's shoulder as a cushion.
"You can, Hinata… if you want to," Naruto replied, smiling kindly down at her.
"F-Forgive me… if I can't find the words…" being as polite as she was taught and was seemed to her was right, she started off from as far back as she could really remember where their lives truly intersected with one another's. "After…Kurenai-sensei took me in… I… I didn't know what was going to happen to me. It was a change I didn't know about and barely understood and… at first… I was so scared. When I finally found out the real reason why he left me… and realized that my father desired strength in the family… I… I was hurt… upset… and angry at myself. I cried so much… because it hurt so much to be left behind… to be cast away by those who are supposed to love you and care for you…"
She hid her face in Naruto's shoulder, and her body trembled slightly, Naruto gently caressing her as Hinata let it out.
Rubbing her eyes against the fabric of his coat, Hinata's expression of hurt and nervousness turned into a smile, and she took in a deep breath to steady herself.
"It was after that… I found hope; hope in someone who shared my pain… and… despite all that he was going through… never gave up…" Her smile grew, and through tear strung eyes she looked up at Naruto. "You've helped me in more ways then one…Naruto-kun… which is why I continue to follow in your footsteps, wherever you go. Y-You saved me from bullies… and you taught me… to pick myself up every time I get knocked down…" She grinned at him cutely and tilted her head at him. "It's also made me realize… that by following you… I can continue to hope and believe in myself. That is why… I want to stay with you forever…"
Naruto chuckled and pressed his forehead against hers, with Sakura admiring the tenderness the blond shared with her.
As the three of them relived in the moments, where they had shared their pasts with each other, Sakura then came up with another question she was just dying to ask.
"Naruto… can I ask you one more thing?" Sakura spoke.
"Sure…"
"W-Who… do you like more… me… or Hinata?"
It was this very question Naruto, in his present state, as well as his position in a household filled with girls and strangers nudging their way into this topic, was hoping to avoid. Sucking in air, he looked down at both Sakura and Hinata, both of them now looking up at him silently, waiting for his answer.
He held his breath and squinted as he looked ahead at him, knowing that this answer was going to be really painful to give.
Hinata saw the look on his face and giggled, crawling across so that she was more in front of him. Placing her head on his chest, she smiled up at him. Sakura did so to, both girls clearly enjoying the ability to tease the boy.
"Come on, Naruto-kun…" Sakura whispered to him in a particularly seductive manner.
"Naruto-kun…" Hinata also whispered, while nuzzling his chest.
"Please you two… it's hard enough as it is trying to come up with an answer," Naruto groaned, now beginning to sweat with the consequences if he should answer them.
For several moments, he was left staring into both girls eyes as they pressured him into an answer, and as much fun as it was for them, it was the worst experience for him. He was beginning to wish he could just use his dad's secret technique now and teleport out of there. Unfortunately, he left all those kunai back at home in his closet, and he didn't really feel compelled to teleport inside of a trunk filled with sharp, pointy objects. Not to mention he felt it would be even more troublesome for him in the future if he did, since he was living with his two teammates.
Still, he had to come up with an answer. His feelings for both of them were equally strong, and in spite of adding up all they had done together, from going on missions, training with each other, going out together and helping each other through and through, it did little in influencing his decision. His heart skipped beats trying to decide one from the other. It was that feeling you usually got when you're watching the sun go down and you're incredibly terrified and excited about what tomorrow would bring for you.
It's a conclusion you wish you never arrive at…
Eventually, the blonde came up with an answer and smiled down at the two.
"I can't choose between you two…" he replied… quite literally of course. "It's an impossible choice…"
"Huh?" Hinata and Sakura replied at the same time.
"Listen… this isn't going to become some big, eloquent confession of how I can love both of you…" Naruto exclaimed, smiling down at them. He emphasized this by pressing his head against Sakura's. "But really, my answer is that I can't love one girl while breaking the other' girl's heart… it's one of those things I cannot bring myself to do. I will not stand by with another, while leaving the other one crying. It's something I promised myself years ago…"
He then leaned over and pressed his forehead against Hinata's.
"That's my answer…"
Sakura smiled, quite satisfied with his answer for now. In response she turned Naruto's head towards her and kissed him. It was short, yet passionate. Hinata did the same, albeit through an incredibly red face, and though she lacked forwardness, Naruto could tell it was with all her heart. The two girls settled on that and rested their heads on his chest.
"It's you Naruto… a person with a big heart… one big enough to share his life with more then one person," Sakura stated. "It's one of those things I love about you…"
"T-To help someone else in need, and do everything you can to make them happy," Hinata exclaimed.
Naruto chuckled, looking back up at the sky with them.
"Maybe one day… I can give you two a proper answer. But we'll just have to wait and see…"
Once again, the three of them went back to enjoying the night sky above. However, just as they were getting back into the swing of things, an unexpected face appeared right in front of them.
"Hello!" Mia greeted.
"GAAAAARRRRHHHHHH!" Naruto, Sakura and Hinata screamed simultaneously, huddling up against each other all the more. The cheeky Rinnegan red head stuck her tongue out at them as she came into full view, body and all, floating upside down in mid-air right in front of them, arms folded and legs crossed.
Her ears tweaked happily as she floated where she was.
"W-W-WHAT THE HELL!" Sakura shouted with eyes widened.
"M-MIA-CHAN!" Hinata yelled.
"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Naruto joined them. He then noticed the other weird thing about her. "Hey… you're floating… how do you do that?"
"Oh, I was just in the neighborhood," Mia said, rotating in a clockwise direction in mid-air so that she was floating upright. She then lay over onto her side, still floating, and casually checked her nails. "Well… technically I was hovering right above you this whole time, listening to you three bonding and admitting your love for each other… before I decided to join in this little harem and break the mood…" She smiled down at them, looking rather peachy. "I GOT PICTURES!" She held out her hand and flashed three photographs of them kissing. "Looky! Looky! Aren't you three just adorable?"
The three Genin sweat dropped, with Sakura quickly standing up and snatching the photos from their party pooper's hand. She looked at the photos carefully, seemingly about to destroy the evidence, but instead showed them to the other two more closely.
"She's right… we do look cute…"
Naruto shook her head and looked back up at Mia. "How did you find us?"
Mia giggled and flipped back over, pulling out a magnifying glass out of nowhere and putting on a checkerboard inspector's cap. She held the magnifying glass over her right eye and looked down at them.
"Elementary my dear Uzutson!" She joked. She then threw her newly acquired stuff away and laid her chin down on folded arms as she rolled over onto her stomach and floated right down to them. "It's within my powers, wherever my savior goes, I go! I am everywhere, and nowhere!" She imitated a cat person next when she said that, but then went back to her usual, grinning self.
"That's… a bit… creepy…" Naruto replied.
"You're not Santa Claus, are you?" Sakura asked curiously.
"No… but I'm thinking of taking up his beard as a part time job," Mia giggled, her body suddenly fading out before fading in, her head lying back on Naruto's lap and giving the boy quite a start. Sakura and Hinata were also a little bit shocked when she suddenly reappeared lying across their teammate. "Hey, hey, hey! Master! Did you know that Christmas is in January now according to Ryoko! Isn't that exciting?"
"Seriously Mia… why are you here?" Naruto asked in annoyance, while grinning on the inside. "Part time job… yeah right. She'll make heaps more money at Halloween parties…"
Mia pouted and sat up, sitting promptly next to the three. "You're no fun." Folding her arms, she then smiled fiercely at them, giving them another glimpse of her personality, which seemed to be doing cartwheels around the protractor. "I've been listening to you three talk, and I find it quite remarkable that, the three of you can so willingly accept each other, especially in this generation. I can understand that because I came from an era where a clan head could take on more then one wife, and in rare cases, have the heart to truly love more then one of them. But I still find your bonds with your teammates intriguing…"
This statement was given emphasis by how close Naruto came to Hinata and Sakura, both of them having their arms wrapped around his. This was either on instinct, or they just weren't keen on having Mia snatch him away from them. Whatever the case, Naruto was shown to be more connected with them then with anyone else. Mia smiled.
"Love of this level and intimacy rarely occurs on a blue moon," the Sage stated, nodding her head. But then, a frown appeared on her face, her look becoming quite serious. "However… there is something I have to find out…"
Naruto, Sakura and Hinata looked at each other, and then back at the red head. After a few seconds of careful thought, Mia stood up, and once she was on her feet, reached over and drew her spirit staff. Twirling it around on drawing it, she tapped its end on the ground, a pulse of energy rippling out from the impact point. Once she had done that, she nodded her head in a gesture for them to follow her.
"I want you three to come with me…" she said. "I have a test I want you to perform…" The young woman then headed off.
Though hesitant at first, the members of Team 7 eventually got up and quietly followed after the roundabout lady.
Training Ground 44…
"H-here…?" Hinata shivered, hiding behind Naruto as the three Genin stared up at the towering metal fences surrounding Konoha's infamous Forest of Death. "W-W-Why are we here?"
"You have got to be kidding me?" Sakura mouthed incredulously, before pointing up towards the trees. The sounds of forest dwelling animals and beasts of all shapes and sizes could be heard echoing through the night. "There is no way we're going back in there!"
"Anko-sensei made us go in there against our own free will! There's no way we're going in there by choice!" Naruto stated, crossing his arms and looking over at the Sage of Six Paths, who was giving them the 'silent' look. "What is it that you have planned for us?"
Spinning her staff, she then pointed it towards the forest.
"Out of all the places in this entire village, this forest is the most untouched region I can detect," Mia stated, lowering her weapon. "In order to look within yourselves and find the answers you are seeking, you must first tread upon the soil I once had to, in order to find the answers I was searching for. I am certain that if you enter this forest, your hearts and souls will truly bond, not just through great adversity, but also through great serenity. True peace is achieved through nature, where the world is in balance. It's this balance that allows the spirit to be free."
Naruto, Hinata and Sakura looked at the woman as she explained this, but they were still confused as to the point of their presence here.
"Why though?" Sakura asked.
"W-Why did you bring us here? And what… what for?" Hinata also queried.
"This is the test I am giving to you," Mia continued. "There is an area inside of this forest that I once visited over a thousand years ago that has extraordinary spiritual and physical energies manifesting itself within. It's a place long forgotten by this village, but I believe it still has a strong connection to this plain of reality. It's a place that will test you mentally and physically, and it will determine whether or not your bonds for each other are true…" Waving a hand through the air over the fence, incredible telekinetic forces generated by her tore a hole, right in the fence's side. Once it was done, she smiled and turned back to the three, rather stunned students. "Just go straight ahead… you have until morning."
Not really in the mood to upset Mia when she was in that state of mind, Naruto, Sakura and Hinata stepped forward without question. Together, the three of them enter the forest through the fence, with Mia closing it up behind them. Within a minute, they were out of sight, and the Sage of Six Paths took a seat right on the grass outside of the forest's boundaries where she stood.
Assuming a meditative position, she stared at the fence, following the chakra signals of the three Genin.
"Even if I had told them they could die taking this journey… they probably would have gone in anyway…" Mia closed her eyes and sighed. "In the end… one of them will die…"
Deep within the forest…
Naruto, Sakura and Hinata wandered through the thick undergrowth of the forest floor, trying to find the very place the Sage of Six Paths had told them about. Pushing through bushes, stepping over pits, and trying to avoid all the poisonous plants, Team 7 moved on, once again getting a feel of what the Forest of Death was really like.
It took them back to the times Anko introduced them to this place. The three of them had to survive for a whole day, while avoiding her and her snakes. Not to mention not get killed by the ravenous animals and giant insects that lived in this place. The only good thing that they believed to come out of one particular training session was, not the survival experience or the teamwork, but the fact that they managed to get out of that giant Venus flytrap that ate them.
"I swear… if that plant shows up again… I'm gutting it!" Sakura said. Naruto laughed at the memory, with Hinata giggling as well.
Drawing a trench knife from his coat, Naruto slashed through a thicket of overhanging vines and branches, tossing one over to Hinata to use as well, clearing a good, open path through the area they were hiking through.
Thanks to Hinata's Byakugan, they were able to make it through the worst of it. But the darkness and dangers of the night hindered them, out of fear and hesitance.
No matter what, every ninja had a natural fear of the dark. It wasn't just an asset; it was also their worst nightmares.
"This is so cliché, don't you think?" Naruto asked, glancing back at his friends as he hacked away at a thick vine.
"W-What do you mean, Naruto?" Hinata turned to him.
"I mean… a spiritual quest, trying to find your one true self, while at the same time, walking through the middle of this Kami forsaken jungle?" he asked. He hacked his way forward. "I feel like I've seen this before…"
"Anko-sensei never made us connect with our spiritual side before," Sakura shrugged, sharing this little thought. "She said all that crap was left for the future. I think she was more inclined on getting us to do more physical stuff…"
"M-Maybe this will teach us something really worth while about ourselves… something that will help us move forward…" Hinata said.
"Hmm… maybe," Naruto murmured, cutting at some more shrubbery. "This is all… new to me…"
They marched on, slicing through more undergrowth till they entered a clear patch. Making it here, they continued on.
Hours seemed to pass, and in that time, the group got a bit more talking done, and wondered what the test was going to do for them. But then, after walking for about two kilometers in, they arrived at what seemed to be a tunnel of tree roots, all stemming from gigantic red woods, all jumbled together.
The three stopped outside of it, looking upon the cave of roots in great interest, and marveling at how it arched through the air. It was a huge passageway, and it was clear to them that it was this area that Mia wanted to find.
Sakura lowered her head and glanced over at her female counterpart.
"Hinata…"
The Hyuuga nodded and formed a hand seal.
"Byakugan!"
Her eyes sprouted veins and her eyes flashed as chakra was pumped into them. Her vision increased tenfold and enhanced on the cave entrance. Looking it over several times and seeing what was up ahead, made the girl fidget nervously. This earned the attention of her other teammates.
"Well?"
"T-There is a weird chakra inside… I… I don't know exactly what but… it… doesn't look… normal," she replied, lowering her hands and looking over at Naruto. "We should get a closer look…"
Agreeing, the three of them moved forward, with Hinata up front, scanning the darkness for traps or dangerous plant life. But the journey through the tunnel held no obstacles in front of them, and soon enough, after passing through the shaft of tree roots and vines, the group exited on the other side a few minutes later.
They were astonished when they entered a swampy ground, a small lowland space inside a cluster of massive redwoods stretching high up into the sky, completely eclipsing the moon and stars. All around there were huge fungi formations and mushrooms growing on the trees, the vines and plant life here picking up all the moisture it needed to grow. The flora was rich here, the nutrients clearly visible in the form of the luminous mushrooms and fireflies floating around. The only thing out of the ordinary here, was that there was a thick mist and fog, floating above the soggy floor.
It only reached to about their knees.
Spreading out a bit, Sakura, Hinata and Naruto drank in the scene, awe struck by the tree chamber's beauty and majesty. It was for the next few minutes of peace that they were able to take in the whole scope of this spot from the center.
"What is this place?" Sakura asked.
"I…It looks to be some sort of… water catchment area…" Hinata said, placing her hand against the side of a mossy tree and looking up at some of the rather large mushrooms growing above them, providing them with an umbrella from the small streams of water falling to down from the canopy. Getting a feel for the trunk, she was able to detect signs of significant moisture build up. "S-Shino told me that… a lot of plants catch water from rains with the shapes of their leaves and roots, in order to preserve life, and absorb moisture over summer…"
"That explains all the fireflies and beetles," Naruto said, taking note of the insects floating around, providing light in a lot of the dark spaces. "But… why?"
Sakura looked over at her boyfriend across the way, the blonde Genin checking out one of the large mushrooms, about the size of a small tree, growing out of the side of the red wood.
The blanket of shadows behind Naruto went unnoticed.
"Why did we come here?" Sakura asked. "Seriously… why did Mia send us here in the first place?"
Naruto shrugged.
Not sure of what else was going on, he looked over at Hinata, who was standing to Sakura's far right; the three of them forming a triangle in the large, circular area, which had to be about a hundred meters in diameter. He saw that the Hyuuga girl was looking at him.
"Hinata… can you find anything else that can give us a clue as to what is in here?" Naruto asked, gesturing to the area around them.
"N-N-N-Naruto…" Hinata replied meekly and, for a better word, in pure horror. Naruto raised an eyebrow, noticing the sweat pouring down his friend's face and that her body was trembling violently. Raising a shaky hand, the young Hyuuga pointed towards him, her eyes widening to give her the appearance that she was looking right at a ghost. In reality, the girl was more focused on the silhouette in the shadows behind Naruto.
"B-B-Behind… you…"
Before Naruto could respond, a sharp pain shot through his body, and a long, black blade surrounded by blue electricity exploded out of his chest, blood splattering across the floor. Gasping in a silent shout of agony, Naruto was suddenly lifted off his feet, as the Chidori lined blade carried him a few feet out from where he stood, before ungraciously throwing him away, sending his pain stricken body flying through the air and tumbling across the damp ground on impact.
Naruto rolled to a stop in a crumpled heap at Sakura's feet, gripping his chest and gasping for air, spitting out blood as he looked back towards where he was attacked, to find out who had attacked him. His pink haired teammate had also become aware of the threat and was trembling in fear at the sight of it.
After disposing of the blonde, the unknown figure in the shadows slowly marched into the light; the black blade held in its hand still crackling wildly with potent electricity. When it exited the shadows, the figure was revealed to be a young adult, around sixteen years old, wearing steel plated armor derivative of ANBU armor, and bandoleers of katanas with kunai handles all over his body. He also had armored wrist gauntlets with pipes sticking into his arms, his blackened fingers ringed with claws molded into them on his right hand, almost like Freddy Krueger, and syringes on all his fingers on his left hand, with pipes connecting them to a pack on his back. To complete the outfit, the man wore a tattered Akatsuki cloak around his waist, the cloud patterns faded and stained with blood. He also adorned a red scythe with three blades on his back, along with what appeared to be Zabuza's Executioner's Blade.
The figure was a sight of horror and pure terror; Naruto, Sakura and Hinata immediately backing away at the sight of him.
But the worst shock was yet to come.
The sixteen year old enemy walked further into the light, showing his face. Amidst the crackling of the Chidori lightning blade chirping away, with the bolts flashing through the air, the figure revealed itself to be wearing a strange mask that covered the entire upper half of his head, with a design that resembles the Ten-Tailed Beast's eye. A ripple pattern and tomoes for eyeholes were distinctly present, along with the same breathing apparatus Hanzo had.
However, there was only half a mask to be seen on the face, with the left side of the figure's face revealed to the world. It was damaged, but it was clear. Adorned with metallic stitches holding the face together, a Rinnegan nestled in the eye socket, and a scarred burn mark across the once peachy cheek, Team 7 was presented a horrifying sight.
That face and the spiky yellow hair were unmistakable…
The shadow assassin glaring at the trio was…
"N-Naruto…" Sakura gasped.
TO BE CONTINUED…