And here's Chapter 12. This little soiree might take more than a couple chapters the way I'm going. But we shall see. Readers, Reviewers, thank you...What It's Like by Everlast.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Naruto woke Temari up early so that they could get to the property before everyone else. He didn't know what they had in store for today, but he knew more questions would be asked and his friends would expect answers. Temari sidled up closer to him, his coat wrapped around her and yawned.
"So…what did they ask you while I was conked out yesterday?"
"Oh…normal stuff."
As Temari faded off into blissful unconciousness, Naruto was gearing up to answer all the questions he knew were coming. His friends all gathered round in a semicircle around the tree and Naruto sighed.
"Let's try to keep this somewhat organized ok? How about we start on the far end with Kiba and work our way back until your curiosity is satisfied."
Tsunade smirked and folded her arms.
"Still in teacher mode huh brat? That's fine. Kiba, ask away."
The Inuzuka boy grinned and looked at his blonde friend.
"What's with the clothes loser? Nice duds."
Naruto chuckled and grinned back at his fanged fellow.
"It's mostly to honor my father. But…I guess a good bit of it too was that I just wanted a change. I like orange but it was time for a change. Besides, I look a hell of a lot better now, don't I?"
"Seems so. You look less moronic in any case. Welp, that's my question. Hinata, you're next."
The shy Hyuuga looked at Naruto and pushed her fingers together in her old habit. Naruto quirked an eyebrow and gave her a half-hearted frown.
"Hinata-chan, I thought we agreed you wouldn't do that anymore…"
The girl eeped and let her hands fall into her lap. Naruto smiled. She was still good old, shy Hinata.
"Um…I want to know…are you happy here?"
All head swung to Naruto and he leaned back further against the tree, absently stroking Temari's hair, causing her to smile slightly in her sleep. The girls all noticed and sighed. Why couldn't their guys (if they had one) be like that?
"I am very happy here, moreso than I ever was in Konoha. Not to say I don't miss all of you, because I do, but I'm not glared at here. I'm not talked about behind my back here in a malicious manner. People don't wish for my death. I'm…accepted here. The children don't run from me in fear or hate me because their parents say so. Yes, Hinata-chan, I'm happy here."
Hinata smiled at him sadly, knowing it was true. No matter how much she might have liked him, he would never have continued pretending to be happy in Konoha forever. The others all looked pensive and some looked away. Tsunade and Jiraiya just hung their heads, their inability to stop the people of their village from spreading hate against the boy glaringly obvious.
Shino, the next in line, seeing that everyone was becoming illogically downtrodden when they should be happy for Naruto, asked his question.
"I have a two part question."
Everyone perked up and Naruto looked at the bug wielder questioningly.
"Where did this small piece of forest come from? It's like being home in Konoha."
Naruto frowned at the choice of words. It was true that his land reminded him of Konoha, but this was his home, made by him. It wasn't like being in Konoha, because this forest was his.
"I won't answer that yet. I'd rather show you at some point, perhaps tomorrow. Trust me, it'll blow you away when you see it."
Shino, though not satisfied with the answer, nodded and pushed his glasses up slightly.
"Very well. My second question is…can I introduce some species of bugs here that I believe may help the environment?"
"Of course. Just nothing destructive or that may compromise my work."
Shino nodded again and sat back in a more relaxed pose beside his teammates. There was silence for a moment until Shino turned to the person beside him.
"I believe it is your turn Ino. You can stop ogling Naruto now."
Said blonde blushed and shifted uncomfortably where she sat. Naruto smirked on the inside. Who would have thought Ino of all people would have thought him attractive? She finally got her nerve back up and stared him in the eye.
"Any chance of a date?"
The others all groaned and Shikamaru looked…slightly peeved? Naruto snickered and shook his head.
"Sorry Ino, but you had several chances over the years and never gave me the time of day. I think I'll stick with Temari, thanks."
Ino was visibly disappointed and sat back with her arms crossed in a huff. It wasn't often she got turned down. Most guys would give their left arms to go on a date with her. She was one of the most desirable kunoichi in Konoha. Unfortunately for her, the key word was Konoha. She elbowed Shikamaru hard in the ribs, causing him to grunt and glared at him.
"Your turn bum."
"Tch…so troublesome."
The pine-apple haired brunette sat up and turned a lazy eye to Naruto.
"Have you become any more intelligent over time?"
Naruto quirked an eyebrow and nodded. What the hell kind of question was that?
"Have you learned how to play shougi since you've left?"
Naruto nodded again. Shikamaru grinned and lay back again to stare at the clouds.
"Good. I challenge you to a game before we have to leave. We'll see if you've gotten better at strategy or not."
When he didn't say anything else for several minutes, Chouji leaned over to his best friend and put his ear close to Shikamaru's face. He leaned back up and smiled.
"He fell asleep. Guess I'll ask my question now."
He took another chip out of the bag he was carrying and crunched down on it.
"Any chance I can get you to cook a meal for me? I heard the Kazekage say you're pretty good."
"Sure. I like to cook. It's soothing. I'll make a smorgasbord for everyone."
Chouji smiled and looked upward towards the sky, watching the clouds float by. At least he'd get a good home-cooked meal here. TenTen glared at the younger ninjas and huffed.
"What the hell? We're supposed to ask him questions about how he's been, not request things from him! You guys are idiots!"
She cut her eyes to an amused Naruto and growled.
"How has your training been in the past year? Learn anything new?"
"Of course I have. I'll show you what I've learned…"
A pregnant pause came over them as TenTen leaned forward eagerly.
"…later."
Her eyes bugged out and she nearly shrieked at the smug look on his face. She threw a kunai at him out of frustration which he dodged by leaning his head sideways and then rubbing his temple against the handle.
"Thanks for that. It's kind of hard to scratch that spot with my hands full. You're a peach TenTen."
Lee laughed heartily at his former comrade's antics, earning him a glare from TenTen. His enthusiasm wilted but his smile didn't.
"YOSH! IT IS GOOD TO KNOW YOU HAVE BEEN TRAINING HARD NARUTO-KUN! MAY I CHALLENGE YOU TO A MATCH OR TWO?"
"Sure Lee, it'll be fun. I think you'll find me quite different from our spars before."
Lee grinned and pumped his fists, his flames of youth burning behind his eyes.
"Excellent! I cannot wait!"
Neji sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He'd often wondered over the years what he'd done in a past life to end up on a team with such psychotic people.
"I too would like a spar Naruto. But for my question…what do you see for yourself in the future?"
The blonde had to stop and pause here. What did he want? A family, for one. Peace was another thing he wanted.
"Really and truly Neji…I just want to live life. Have a family, raise kids, that kind of thing."
"That's…very simplistic Naruto. No more shooting for leader of the village?"
"Nah. Gaara can have that. I've seen the amount of paperwork it takes. He can keep it."
The Kazekage snorted from his seat beside his brother and looked up with his disinterested eyes.
"When I decide to step down, you are my chosen successor, just for that little comment."
"I won't accept."
That little maniacal light shone in Gaara's eyes and his sand swirled around slightly.
"Who said you had a choice?"
Tsunade coughed into her hand and the two stopped bickering, althought they still threw each other hard glares. The older blonde smiled and pointed to Iruka.
"Your turn."
The schoolteacher smiled and rubbed the back of his head.
"I don't want to ask too many question in front of this many people, so I just want to learn about your teaching style later. Since you were a horrible student, I just want to know what makes you a good teacher."
The party laughed at the jab at Naruto's expense and the blonde smirked at Iruka.
"Digging for advice sensei? I guess I could share a few tricks with you. We'll talk later."
Iruka nodded happily and sat back, looking expectantly at Tsunade. The Hokage grinned and elbowed Jiraiya.
"We have several things to talk to Naruto about in private, so I don't have any questions. Jiraiya?"
A perverted leer spread across the older man's face and Naruto was immediately on guard.
"So brat…is she a natural blonde or what?"
"I'm not answering that."
"So she is. Hmmm, is she any good at…things?"
"I wouldn't know. We've never done anything other than kiss."
Jiraiya spluttered and glared at his pupil.
"You mean to tell me that you've been with this girl over a year and still haven't done anything! You're a failure as a student."
"Yeah, well nobody asked you, you perverted old bastard! And I've only been dating her for a little while. I've lived with her family for over a year."
"And you've never seen anything? A nipple, a curly hair, nothing?"
"I never said that…"
Naruto's eyes widened when he realized what he had just admitted and slapped his hand over his face. Everyone's eyes were wide, Jiraiya's grin was firmly in place, and he felt the grains of sand on the back of his neck.
"Gaara…don't do anything we'll both regret. Remember what happened in your office that time."
The Kazekage's eyes narrowed.
"What have you done with my sister?"
"Can we please talk about this without everyone here?"
"Hell no! I want to hear about it!"
Naruto glared at Kiba and growled.
"Shut up! You're not helping my situation here. Gaara, we'll talk later. Kankurou, put your puppets away. Jiraiya…"
The old pervert perked up when he heard his name called and blanched at the vengeful grin plastered on his student's face.
"…I'll deal with you later."
Naruto turned to the last two, Sakura and Kakashi, and frowned slightly. Sakura frowned back and he could tell that even though Kakashi looked indifferent, he was not happy.
"I'll speak to you two in private later. I believe we have many things to discuss, especially my leaving the Leaf."
The two continued to glare at him and Naruto sighed as he turned his attention to the sound of footsteps. His clones were back with the food. He smiled and moved Temari into a more comfortable position.
"Well, food's here. Let's dig in."
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Temari sighed as they walked into her favorite clearing. She glanced toward the caves and blinked. The entrance was not there or didn't appear to be. Naruto had put up a very strong barrier to keep humans out. It still let the raccoons in though.
She looked up at the stars still in the midnight blue sky and grit her teeth. Why in the hell was she up so early again? Oh yes, her boyfriend and his need to be there to greet the others. She let Naruto lead her to their tree and sat down in front of him, curling up in his coat as he circled his arms around her waist.
"So, what do we do now?"
He smiled down at her and kissed the top of her head. Temari might be a battle-hardened kunoichi, but she loved to be held and kissed. She loved the soft stuff. It wasn't long before sleep claimed her again and she fell asleep leaned against his chest, Naruto following her into slumber not long afterward.
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It was past sun-up when Tsunade led the group back to Naruto's land. She had wanted to get there as soon as possible, but getting the lazy ass ninjas up had proven quite a chore. Jiraiya had been a big help, summoning several smaller toads to wake up the ladies, causing them to scream, therefore making the boys jump out of bed thinking they were being attacked. If it hadn't been so stupid, she might have laughed.
She knew that, while Naruto had been a late sleeper in his younger days, he had since become quite the early riser. That was why she had wanted to get going earlier. She'd have had more time to spend with her favorite blonde.
Next time, she'd let the rest just sleep in…
Tsunade stepped into the clearing and nearly 'awwed' the sight before her. The other girls weren't as subtle as her however. Even Sakura, who had become very icy since they arrived, couldn't help but think the scene was cute.
Naruto sat against the trunk of the tree, his chin resting on Temari's shoulder, while Sanzoku lay on the ground beside him. Temari wore his coat, wrapped up in it like a little girl, her head laid back against his shoulder, as they both snored away, oblivious to the group before them.
If that wasn't enough for the cuteness factor of the couple, then the small raccoon kit that laid sprawled atop Temari's head, nestled into her hair, certainly set them squealing. Temari heard the faint noise and her eyes fluttered open. She saw the assembled ninjas staring at her and gave them a small wave.
"Good morning."
Tsunade smiled at the girl and knelt down beside her.
"Good morning. You know, I never thought I'd see someone this comfortable with Naruto. You two look so…natural together. And what is that furry appendage on your head?"
Temari looked up and patted the small kit on her head, making it squeak before rolling to one side and going back to sleep. She smiled and left it there.
"This little fellow is one of the kits from the family that watches over the caves. He seems to have taken a liking to how my hair feels. He and his brothers and sisters do this all the time, especially when I come here to read and relax."
"So you spend a lot of time out here?"
"When I'm off-duty, yes. It's…comforting. I hope one day to actually live here maybe."
Tsunade smiled and stood upright.
"Live here, huh? Sounds like someone has plans for the future."
Temari blushed and hid her face further behind the collar of the coat.
"Well…a girl can dream can't she?"
"She can do more than that as long as she loves me. Good morning everyone."
Temari blushed further and buried her head inside the coat. Naruto roared with laughter and squeezed her, causing her to gasp. She re-emerged from the coat and Naruto pecked her on the lips before pulling them both into a standing position. The little kit never budged, its feet anchored onto Temari's tresses.
Naruto cracked his back and neck and grinned at his friends.
"How about a morning run to warm things up? How about it Lee?"
Lee beamed and ran up to stand beside his friend with a gleam in his eye.
"YOSH! A MORNING RUN! THAT SOUNDS LOVELY!"
"Let's make it interesting Lee. A race to see who's faster. You and me, once around the desert, with a girl on our backs. Whaddaya say?"
The green clad boy's eyes sparkled and he pumped his fist, nodding his head vigorously. Naruto grinned and looked for a volunteer.
"Now Temari will be going with me. Who's going to travel with Lee?"
Not many were interested in riding on the back of the 'Beautiful Green Beast', but Sakura, surprisingly, stepped forward.
"I'll go."
Lee's smile spread across his entire face and he gave Sakura his 'good guy' pose.
"YOSH! WITH THE EVER YOUTHFUL SAKURA ON MY BACK, I CANNOT LOSE!"
Naruto rolled his sleeves and pants legs up, deactivating his Resistance seals. Jiraiya, being a connoisseur of seals, noticed immediately.
"Whatcha got there brat? A resistance seal? Who in the hell taught you to make those? That's a lost art. Gravity seals are much more popular."
"I know. That's why I learned how to do it from some scrolls I found. They work wonders."
Jiraiya nodded and stepped back while drawing a line in the sand with his toe.He knew exactly which scrolls Naruto was talking about. Lee and Naruto stepped up to the line and bent down to receive their burdens.
"Lee, you'd better take those weights off. You'll need whatever advantage you can get."
Lee took the weights off, letting the plates pound a hole into the ground. Temari tightened her grip on Naruto's neck and Sakura did the same to Lee. Jiraiya stepped to the side and laid down some rules.
"Now, you two are to run to the River country border and back. Going around the desert would take too long. You are to touch the toad that I'll summon on the other side of the border and run back as fast as you can. No funny business, no shortcuts. Understood?"
The two nodded and bent over some more to get into a low running stance. Jiraiya summoned a large toad and it bounded away over the sands to River Country at high speed.Jiraiya raised his hand and dropped it. The amount of sand kicked up by the two was simply unheard of. They raised two new dunes in the desert at the starting point. Jiraiya stepped back beside Tsunade and spit some grit out of his mouth.
"That was interesting."
Naruto and Lee were neck and neck most of the way to the border and neither said a word, concentrating on their race. The girls, however, were slightly more talkative.
"Temari."
"Sakura."
They both screamed when the boys turned it up a notch and grabbed their necks tighter. Temari, cut her eyes to the pinkette once things were back under control.
"Are you still pissed at Naruto for leaving the Leaf?"
"Hell yes! He had no right to leave us alone like that. My teammates have done nothing but leave me since we became a team. He shouldn't have done that."
"I seem to remember you saying one time that you cried and begged the Uchiha not to leave. I don't recall you doing that with Naruto."
Sakura narrowed her eyes and stared ahead.
"No, I didn't cry when Naruto left. At least, not while he was there. I cried later. He was the one thing I could count on in life to always be there and then he just up and left."
"Sakura, his life there was hardly ideal. If anyone had a reason to leave, it was Naruto. Sasuke had it all and he left because he's an idiot."
"I can't deny that. Sasuke is an idiot. But he also has major problems. He's not right in his head."
"And that's just one more thing we're going to discuss between you , me, and Kakashi, Sakura. Now you two pipe down so me and Lee can concentrate."
The two kunoichi huffed and settled back in for the ride. They saw a large toad ahead wearing armor. That was their halfway point. Naruto and Lee ran up to the toad and jumped, landing their feet into the toad's belly. It grunted and looked down.
What the hell?
"Sorry froggy, got a race to win."
"Pardon me, Toad-san. I have to beat him."
Using the momentum they'd built up, the two kicked off the toad and flipped in midair, landing on their feet and rushing back toward the property. As the toad disappeared (literally), Naruto turned to Lee and grinned.
"Sorry Lee, but this is where I win. See ya at the line."
Lee watched with wide eyes as Naruto sped off with a happily shrieking Temari on his back. Once the shock wore off, he grinned and turned to Sakura.
"You should hold on Sakura-chan. This could get rough. SEIMON, KAI! KYUMON, KAI!"
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
Sakura's screams were lost to the wind as she nearly choked Lee. He set off after Naruto, the sand kicking up behind him in waves. The people at the finish line watched with wide eyes as twin wakes of sand bloomed out in the desert. Kiba leaned over to Hinata and Shino and asked.
"They can stop in time, right?"
Akamaru barked in response.
"Yeah, I don't think they can either boy."
Lee pulled up beside Naruto again and grinned at the blonde.
"I'm sorry Naruto-kun, but it appears you still aren't up to my level of speed."
Naruto grinned back at Lee and hefted Temari slightly, letting her know he was about to blow Lee away.
"Sorry, Lee, but I still have two resistance seals left. Take care now, bye bye then."
Naruto ran his hands over his thighs and felt the pocket of air behind him dissipate. His lips split into an impossible smile and the explosion of sand from his take-off bowled Lee over, causing both him and Sakura to roll across the desert in a tangle of arms and legs, ending with her straddling him. Lee blushed and turned his head away.
"Um, Sakura-chan, not that I mind, but you're kind of sitting on my…"
Sakura looked down between her legs and leapt up immediately, crossing her arms. She'd hoped to see Naruto humbled a tiny bit.
"Just take me back Lee."
Lee sighed and scooped her onto his back. He wondered if he'd ever break her shell.
Naruto ran full speed toward the finish line and blew by it, throwing sand over everyone. He ran straight up the wall and jumped for the creek, trying to slow his descent. Temari saw what he was doing and hollered in his ear.
"Don't you dare land there! NARUTO!"
The group of Konoha ninjas heard the scream and saw the water cascade over the wall and ran to see what happened, Lee and Sakura right behind them. They found a fierce-looking Temari straddling Naruto's waist in a low section of the creek, totally soaked, and strangling her laughing boyfriend.
"I told you not to land there! Why in the hell did you insist on landing there?"
"Because you're beautiful when you're wet."
She let go of him and stood up in the creek, planting a foot in his stomach, knocking the air out of him, and stepped over him, before sitting down on his coat and letting the sun start to dry her out.
"…idiot…"
Naruto laughed again and stood up, shaking himself and sending water spraying everywhere. Lee appeared next to him, his fist shaking.
"OOOOO…Naruto-kun, you're youthfulness knows no bounds. You actually beat me in a footrace…while I had two gates open…YOU ARE A PRIME EXAMPLE OF THE SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH! I SHALL REDOUBLE MY TRAINING IN ORDER TO BEAT YOU!"
Naruto laughed and slapped his friend on the back.
"That's great Lee. I look forward to our next race. Rest up and we'll have a spar before you all leave."
Lee nodded and turned around to find all the Konoha ninjas with gaping stares. He looked at them quizzically.
"What?"
TenTen stepped up and touched the two on the faces.
"Just seeing if you two were actually for real or not. That was amazing."
The two grinned and Naruto nodded.
"Of course we're amazing. We're the dobes remember? We have an obligation to be amazing."
The Konoha ninjas all groaned and Tsunade smacked him on the head.
"…idiot…"
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Once everyone had settled down, Naruto looked at them all seriously and put his hands on his hips.
"Now look. I know you're all curious about how this place came to be like this. Well, I did it."
Ino snorted and he looked toward her.
"Something you'd like to say Ino?"
"Yeah, I do. I grew up in a flower shop and I know that you simply can't transplant flowers and trees in an uninhabitable place like this. I don't know where you found a water source, but it isn't enough to make this much grow in just a year. Something like this would take years."
Naruto nodded and put his hands behind his back.
"That's all correct Ino, but it doesn't apply to me. I control 'the green', I can do whatever I want."
The group looked confused and let Ino be their spokesperson.
"The green? What the hell is 'the green'?"
"I'll show you. Follow me."
Naruto led them back over the wall and sat down just a few feet from it. He crossed his legs and clapped his hands together, seeming as if he was praying.
"Watch."
The Konoha nins watched carefully as he seemed to glow slightly and his hair waved slightly in a nonexistent breeze. Naruto closed his eyes and concentrated, calling on his unseen ally.
Everyone watched with wide eyes as grass began to sprout around Naruto and flow outward toward them.
Soon, it stopped just behind them and trees began to grow until they stood at full height.
Flowers bloomed of every color and type and everyone watched as fruit bloomed from the trees.
Naruto opened his eyes slowly and blinked, taking in the look on everyone's faces. They were a mixture of awe and elature. Ino whispered out, somewhat loudly.
"No way…the Shodaime's power…"
"No."
She swung her head to look at Naruto and her eyes pled for an answer.
"What do you mean 'no'?"
"It's not the Shodaime's power. It's the green. It's the primal source that guides all plant life on this planet."
"And you control it?"
He nodded to her and her eyes widened again.
"Yes, I control it."
"Naruto…how do you do these things?"
"I…just find a way to do these things. I have more to show you guys, much more. This is just the tip of the iceberg. But I want to see what you've all learned as well."
He stood and plucked four gardenias and placed them in the ponytails on Temari's head.Wrapping an arm around her shoulders,he turned to face his friends. Every one had a startled look on their face. If he improved this much in just a year…how far had he really come? Naruto grinned at the looks on their faces.
"I think I'd like to spar Lee later on today, but until then, I want to talk to him, Neji, and TenTen. The rest of you go and explore the city, have fun. Just don't enter those caves I told you about. I'd hate to have to…discipline you for entering sacred ground. I'll see the rest of you at lunch at the compound."
The rest of the ninjas turned to walk away and gathered at the entrance that led back to Suna. Iruka turned around and told them his plan.
"I want to know what the people of this village think of Naruto and I think we should start with his students. They have the most interaction with him."
The others nodded and went to find the school with him. Tsunade and Jiraiya went to talk to Gaara. Naruto sat Team Gai down in the shade of a tree and looked to them.
"Ok guys, so…what do you want to do first?"
The three looked at each other and grinned evilly. Neji answered for them.
"We each want to spar with you, to see how far you've come."
"Light contact?"
TenTen grinned and produced a staff from nowhere.
"Nah, that's boring. We prefer…full contact."
Naruto grinned and leapt away from them.
"Just how I like it."
Let me know what you think. Remember, it ain't over yet...