Yes!!! Ronin is back, with a new chapter. I've been neglecting the story since mom needed the laptop for a lecture, and I was also busy playing Naruto: Gekitou Ninja Taisen 4. Getting my ass kicked by people who have played the game got my competitive juices going, so I got a copy of the game and a loader. But that's not why you all are here. You are here for a chapter. So, here we go!!
Chapter 9: The Bet That Stunned All!
Naruto and Koji were walking around in Konoha. They had finished eating their ramen at about 1:00, so Team Seven decided to do whatever on their own. "You know Naruto, I notice that you thrive on Ramen." Koji said. Naruto looked at him.
"Because Ramen is the greatest thing on this great planet!" Naruto said. "That sounds like addiction talking." Koji said, smirking at him. "I am NOT addicted to Ramen!" Naruto screamed. "Willing to bet?" Koji said.
"Sure! I go the rest of the day without ramen, and you go the rest of the day without being a smart-ass!" Naruto said. "Deal!" Koji said, and they shook hands. "Neither of you will survive the rest of the day." They both turned, and Sasuke and Sakura appeared.
"What do you know, Teme?" Naruto asked. "I bet you couldn't go a day without being cold and boring." Koji said, and Naruto smirked at Sasuke. "He couldn't, and we all know it!" Naruto said, and Sasuke smirked. "You're on!" Sakura looked on with amusement.
"What you smirking at, Amazon?" As a reflex, Sakura bopped him on the head. "I bet Sakura-chan couldn't go a day without being violent!" Naruto said. "I can contest to that." Koji said, and Sakura smirked. "Fine!" Sakura threw her hand in.
"The winner gets 1500 ryo from the losers!" Koji said, throwing his hand in. "Don't cry when I win!" Naruto tossed his hand in. "I won't lose." Sasuke said, putting his hand in as well. "Let's go!" Koji said, and they all smirked.
(Somewhere in Konoha)
Koji walked around town. Since being cynical only came when he was around his friends, wandering around town would save him the need to talk. "Hey, Koji!" Koji turned around, and saw Sanosuke walking to him.
"Can I ask you to help me with something?" Sanosuke asked. "What's wrong Sano?" Koji asked. "You know that one girl, the one with the white eyes?" Sanosuke asked. "Yeah, I've seen her before. Why?" Koji asked. "She needs help with self-esteem. And since you're so full of yourself, I thought you could help." Sanosuke said, taking a shot at Koji.
Now normally, Koji would reply with a smart remark, but he knew that the walls had ears. (Meaning Sakura for sure would tell Ino, Tenten, and Hinata about their bet)
If Hinata was there, she would be closely listening. "Alright, I'll help." Koji said, and Sanosuke looked a little confused about the fact that Koji didn't reply to his taunt. "A bet." Koji said, and Sanosuke kind of got it.
(Somewhere else in town)
Naruto and Sasuke were walking in town. Sasuke's house was empty of food, and Naruto had to go shopping since his house was full of ramen. "Let's go, Teme! You walk to slow!" Naruto said. Sasuke sighed.
"Okay Naruto." Naruto and the whole community around them stopped in stunned amazement. Sasuke Uchiha, ex-Missing Nin, Ice Cube, and all around bad-ass, had just been nice. (Woah, Teme is serious about the bet.) Naruto thought to himself. (My reputation is going to be shot in the foot for this. My ego and pride will also be hurting if I lose. Catch 22, I guess.) Sasuke thought to himself. Naruto and Sasuke walked into the grocery store, Sasuke doing his best to ignore the talk of him going soft.
"I know what to get!" Naruto screamed. "No ramen, Naruto." Sasuke said, and Naruto stopped, as a cold sweat began to drip. "No ramen Naruto" was chanting in his head. "F-fine." Naruto said, and Sasuke could see he was going to break first.
(Somewhere else in Konoha, near Koji actually)
Sakura was sitting with Tenten, Hinata and Ino in a café, laughing at the fact that this bet would be easy for Sakura to win. All she had to do was stay away from Koji and she would for sure win.
"You're plan is fool proof, Billboard Brow! You can't lose!" Ino said. "As long as that idiot isn't near me, I can't lose." Sakura said. "Speaking of idiots." Tenten said pointing outside. They all looked outside, and saw Koji and Sanosuke approaching them. "Hey Hinata, Koji agreed to help." Sanosuke said, and Hinata nodded.
"Hey! He's that kid who was peeping a few days ago!" Ino said, cracking her knuckles. "I think we owe him some bruises." "Now now, I need him to be alive so we can help Hinata." Sanosuke reasoned. "Besides, Amazon has given me more than enough bruises for one lifetime."
The only thing preventing that from being a smart remark was the fact that Koji's tone was normal. Sakura was trying her best not to jump over the table and beat the hell out of him. "Let's go." Sanosuke said, and Hinata followed him.
"Later Sakura-chan!" Koji said, winking at her. Instead of the expected yelling and ass kicking that should have produced, she blushed, and turned her head away. (Hmm.) Ino and Tenten thought on this reaction.
"You really pushed it with that last comment." Sanosuke said. "I know. I really thought she was going to kick my ass with that last one." Koji said, scratching the back of his head. "No mercy during a bet." Sanosuke said. "Wait until I run into Naruto or Sasuke. I'm really going to do them bad." Koji said.
Hinata listened to all this, with interest. It amazed her that this boy could be so sure of himself. "So who's in this bet?" Sanosuke asked. "Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke. I can't be cynical, Sasuke can't be Sasuke, Naruto gets no ramen, and Sakura can't be violent." Koji explained. Sanosuke chuckled at the bets, and knew at that moment, Koji would be tested to the extreme.
Hinata heard the conversation, and smiled in her mind. (Naruto is in a bet with him? Maybe I can help him win.) Hinata thought to herself. Koji didn't like the gleam that he saw in Hinata's eyes the moment they glanced at each other.
(Back to Naruto and Sasuke)
"You okay Naruto?" Sasuke asked. Naruto looked like a wreck. Without any thoughts of ramen, he looked like a shell of the man he once was. The village noticed the state of two of their strongest nin, and was worried that the apocalypse was coming. Naruto wasn't eating ramen, and Sasuke was nice. Somehow, the Hokage got wind of this, and sighed.
"Seems like those two are causing trouble yet again." Tsunade said. "You mean the Kyuubi kid and the last Uchiha?" Nekobe said, walking in. "And where were you?" Tsunade asked. "Do you really want to know?" Nekobe asked, as Shizune walked in, flushed and sweating.
"What did you two do?" Tsunade asked, getting more amused when Shizune began blushing even more. "That's between us." Nekobe said. "Go summon that idiot Jiraiya and see if Shiro is still in town." Tsunade said, and Shizune disappeared in a poof of smoke. "What did you do to her?" Tsunade asked.
"She looked a little tense, so I gave her a massage. I didn't think she would enjoy it that much." Nekobe said, and Tsunade sweat dropped. "Eh?" "Shiro-sama taught me how to give one hell of a massage. Great for seduction, and stealing information from females enemies." Nekobe said, and Tsunade sighed. "Of course, only someone as perverted as him would know something like this."
(Back with Koji and Sanosuke)
Koji had to hold his sides to prevent side cramps from all the laughing he did. Him, Sanosuke, and Hinata were in town when Naruto and Sasuke were leaving the store. Naruto, in his opinion, never looked so pathetic. Hinata, of course, was a little miffed that Koji would make fun of Naruto, so she decided to make him break his bet.
"Okay, now what's wrong with Hinata?" Koji asked. "She has a slight inferiority complex." Sanosuke muttered to him. "I'll see what I can do." Koji said. "Hey, Hinata, can I ask you something?" Koji asked, and Hinata gave him a bored look. "Sure, but I can't guarantee an answer." Hinata deadpanned, and Koji had to hold himself back to prevent the retort he had ready.
"…Okay, is there anyone you like?" Koji bluntly asked. "That's none of your business." Hinata replied. Sanosuke snickered, while Koji almost retorted. "Fine. Is there anyone that verbally abuses you?" Koji asked through gritted teeth. "Why would you care?" Hinata asked.
"You enjoy this?" Koji asked. "What?" Hinata asked in a sing-song voice. (Koji's going to crack.) Sanosuke thought to himself. And so, the rest of the session went exactly like that. Koji would say something, and Hinata would back-sass him, slowly cracking his resolve.
At 3:00, Sanosuke could see the smoke over Koji's head thanks to pent up frustration and the need to talk some shit. (Convenient, here comes Ino and Tenten.) Sanosuke thought to himself, as said nin approached them. "Hey guys. Neither of you did anything perverted to Hinata, right?" Ino said.
Ouch. That was a low blow, and Koji finally snapped. "Says the girl who wears nothing but bandages under her skirt?" Koji retorted. (Anyone who really pays attention to Ino's clothes knows exactly what I'm talking about!) "And I don't want to hear it from the talking panda!" Tenten and Ino looked at him stunned.
"You cracked." Sanosuke said, and Koji smirked. "Feels good to be back!" Koji said. "I'll warn the Hokage that you'll be seeing her in a little while." Sanosuke said, walking away. "Why?" Koji turned around, as Ino and Tenten charged him. "OH SH-"
(Back to Naruto and Sasuke)
Sasuke and Naruto were wandering the village. Well, Sasuke was walking, Naruto looked like he was having trouble merely moving. They both saw Koji walking up, covered in bandages.
"I lost." Koji said. "Huh?" Naruto asked. "I was prodded until I could take no more." Koji said. "That's too bad." Sasuke said. "Sakura did this, I know it! So I'm going to knock her out first." Koji said, before he grabbed something out of his pocket.
"Here, 1500 ryo and a pack of instant ramen." Koji said. Naruto dove like a madman for the ramen, and ate it in one gulp. Sasuke and Koji sweat dropped. He sounded like he was possessed by a beast. Once done, Sasuke smirked. "You're out." Sasuke said. "He cheated!" Naruto said, pointing at Koji. "Yeah yeah! All's fair." Koji said, walking away.
(Back with Sakura)
Koji found Sakura, chatting with her friends. (You're going down, bitch.) Koji smirked to himself. He walked towards them, and inwardly smirked when they noticed his presence. "Hey girls!" Koji said. Ino and Tenten glared viciously at him, and Hinata gave a triumphant smug look at him.
"Glad you can do something besides being a smart-ass, Hinata." That was something like a backhand, and the flinch Hinata produced said so. "Hey! Watch what you say to Hinata!" Ino screamed. "Or what?" Koji asked. "Or we'll kick your ass!" Tenten said.
"I was just saying that Hinata isn't being submissive or whatever it is that Sanosuke said." Koji said, and Hinata looked at him confused. "He said you were shy and lacked confidence, but yet you were pretty arrogant towards me. If you keep that mindset, you can get over anything. Just less arrogance." Koji said, and Hinata smiled at him.
"At least you're womanly, unlike a few other girls in here." Three sets of glares were right in front of his face, and he decided to seal the deal. "But don't worry, Amazon has you all beat in manliness!" Koji said. Sakura, you could hear the snap, attacked and beat the shit out of him.
Sasuke smirked at his friends. Naruto was eating another bowel, Sakura grudgingly giving up the money she owed, and Koji wearing a bandage around his head and all over his body. "Looks like I win." Sasuke said. "Ah, can it, Chicken Head." Koji said.
"You brought it upon yourself." Naruto said, eating his ramen. Koji sighed. "Couldn't be helped." Koji said. "You didn't have to take me out!" Sakura said, and Koji smirked. "And let you win when I couldn't? I don't think so." Koji replied. "Bastard." Sakura said. "Don't worry your pink head over it." Koji said, and Sakura glared at him.
"Stop teasing Sakura-chan." Naruto said. "But if I don't, who will?" Koji said. "Look, there's so much sexual tension here, it's suffocating. I'm heading home." Sasuke said, walking away. Koji and Sakura were stunned silent. "Teme's right. You both need to stop hitting on each other, and just go out." Naruto said. Sakura blushed, but Koji glanced at him.
"We'll go out when we feel like it." Koji said. Notice how he didn't deny wanting to go out with her. Sakura blushed even harder, and Naruto chuckled. All in all, it was another normal day.
ShadowRonin: And that is the current chapter. Koji has become what looks like a member of Team 7. Yes. This is something of a filler chapter, and I think the next one will be also, but they are only there because I love making people wonder what big thing will happen next. Don't worry. When the time comes, things will be all the more exciting.