Disclaimer time: I do not own any of the following.
Naruto
Universal
Cinergi Pictures
New Line Cinema
Warner Bros
20th Century Fox
Anything related to Finger Eleven or Johnny Cash (even though I truly wish I could go back in time and meet the Man in Black)
I would be obscenely rich if I did. Someone call my agent.
A few minutes before noon, both groups finished their planting and emerged from the greenhouses and observed a group of people coming up from the mountain tunnel. Kiba and Akamaru were leading the way, as the adolescent canine was already happy to frolic in the open lush grass of the Uzumaki training area. They were closely followed by Shikamaru and Chouji. A second group of people emerged a few seconds later. Chronos immediately recognized Kakashi, Anko, Iruka and Hayate, but along with them was a man smoking a cigarette, a black-haired woman whose red eyes shone from even that distance, and a purple-haired woman. After a short walk, Naruto and Sasuke greeted Kiba, Shikamaru, and Chouji while Chronos met the adults.
Hayate introduced his girlfriend Yuugao and Kakashi introduced Kurenai and Asuma. Chronos was surprised to find that Asuma was related to the Hokage but instantly figured it out by their similar need to smoke. Chronos also learned that Kurenai was one of Anko's closest friends, so he made a mental note to prod her for information about his seductive and torturous sensei.
He took the adults on a short tour of the place while he had the youngsters prepare the conference room for everyone to watch a movie. All the adults were awed by the craftsmanship of the furniture, artwork, and tapestries. The library was well received, especially by Kakashi, knowing that with the eagerness of Naruto and the thirst for training Sasuke possessed, the jutsu contained in the library would not stay on the shelves for long.
Iruka requested, still having nurturing instincts related to Naruto, to look over the sleeping quarters. Chronos complied and showed off each of the rooms. All three were rather Spartan in their layout, none of them being particularly luxurious. Only the meager decorations could determine whose room they were observing. Naruto's room had plenty of posters relating to the various Hokages, especially the Sandaime, and had a Bonsai tree on the lone dresser. Sasuke's room had very little decoration, save a couple family pictures and a fan colored similarly to the Uchiha Family Crest. Chronos's room was even less decorated than the others, as nothing adorned the room save the basic bedroom furniture and one small shelf above the headboard of his sleigh style bed. Hanging above the shelf was his katana, and two large pale orange candles were lit one each side of said shelf with his photo album and a black urn with the kanji for 'Remembrance' written in blood-red ink.
Curiosity got the better of Anko and she asked about the shrine that was evident by that shelf. "Why is that shelf there, and not somewhere more visible?"
Numbly, Chronos replied with his absent gaze fixed on the urn. "So it can be seen every night before I sleep."
"And why are the candles lit now?" Asuma inquired.
"I light them every morning when I wake in order to not turn on more lights than are needed and to provide comfort while I am away." He replied almost robotically.
Anko was confused along with everyone else, but only she vocalized the confusion. "Comfort for whom?"
Chronos approached the shrine, gazing mournfully at the urn. "For those both loved and brave who have been lost."
"You make it sound as if there is more to that urn than just family," Anko stated respectfully.
"That is because it is so. I originally bought the urn on my last few days in Okinawa. Before I left, my CO managed to get some of us permission to spend a night on Iwo Jima, so I brought this urn to collect some sand from the beaches where so many of my Marine comrades died in one of the more famous battles in Marine history. My ojiisan on my kaasan's side died there in combat while saving his platoon from a grenade that fell in their formation. I brought back that black sand to have some way to have part of him with me. He was my inspiration to join the Marines even though I always said I joined because I was bored with school."
Chronos paused to reflect on those memories before continuing. "When my family died in that storm, I didn't want a mass funeral that only a few friends left would attend, so I had the bodies cremated and mixed those ashes with the black and hallowed sand. Those items, my katana, the urn, and the family album, are all that's left of that family."
Everyone was quiet for a few moments, taking the time to reflect of their own times of mourning and remembrance, especially Kakashi reflecting on those he lost as well.
Anko saw the mix of emotions crossing betrayed by Chronos's speech. The hurt of loss was still present but there was a sense of pride from his telling of his ojiisan's fate as well as hope when he mentioned Naruto and Sasuke. She put a comforting hand on his shoulder as he hung his head, letting out one long breath in an attempt to regain his composure.
"Gomen everyone. Enough of troubling times, for today is the continuance of my family's favorite traditions."
"What tradition would that be?" Asuma asked.
"Every Sunday, family and friends would gather to share a meal and play card games. Today will be especially fun, since we'll be playing poker. We'll even teach those kids downstairs how to play. I hope everyone brought the fifty ryo with them, like I told Anko to do."
Iruka was growing slightly furious. This man was going to corrupt those kids, especially Naruto, and he was determined to let him know. "How can you do this?!? Letting those kids gamble is outrageous and dishonorable."
Chronos chuckled shaking his head. "On the contrary, this will help them with analytical skills, deceit, and information gathering. Necessary skills for a ninja, don't you think??"
"Yes, those skills are important in a ninja's career, but you can't have them gamble their money away." Yuugao intimated.
Chronos laughed even louder. "And we aren't. None of those kids are using their money. Only we adults are paying. They play for free. The tournament will start after the end of the meal, which I should get started since it is half past noon already."
Everyone watched Chronos merrily sprint down the hallway towards the staircase and then turned to follow.
Things were not easily done when you have pre-teens trying to decide what movie to watch. Kiba and Chouji picked a movie about a historic battle where a handful of men fought against a massive army bent on conquering and enslaving all others.
Ino and Sakura looked at the cover, and screamed that the movie was too bloody. They picked a romantic comedy about a pirate rescuing a princess from a tyrant with the help of a giant and a Spaniard who was looking to avenge his father's death.
Sasuke thought that choice was too sappy and picked a movie about a policeman who had his family killed by a crime boss. The policeman turned vigilante and dealt out his vengeance which he called punishment.
Shikamaru thought that movie was too troublesome and picked a movie about a man who lost his memory and in looking for his identity found out he was an assassin.
Most everyone disagreed to everyone else's choices until Naruto picked a movie about a small person who found a magic ring that held great and terrible evil power and, with a few friends, went to destroy the ring. Hinata naturally agreed with Naruto, but the kicker came when Chronos came into the room and noticed the choices for the movie. Chronos picked the choice Naruto came up with for a simple reason: there was enough adventure, romance, and drama in the movie to satisfy everyone and it was long enough to last until dinner was finished, especially since it was the extended version. After making the final call, Chronos headed to the kitchen to begin preparing dinner.
Arriving at his destination, he turned on his iPod and pulled a pork roast that had been marinating in the fridge since last night. He'd caught the boar himself on a hunt the day before. He had a Caesar salad already prepared and had various vegetables set into the roasting pan with the roast to bake along with the meat. He even had biscuits already prepared that merely needed to be reheated for a few minutes. All that was left was to make some popcorn and other appetizers for the movie.
After fifteen minutes of measuring, cutting, and popping, as well as placing the roast in the main oven, he had everything ready to bake in the secondary oven when the sound of stomping and clapping accompanied by the soft picking of a guitar filled the air. He closed his eyes and took the time to sing along to the song that just started.
You can run on for a long time
Run on for a long time
Run on for a long time
Sooner or later God'll cut you down
Sooner or later God'll cut you down
Go tell that long tongue liar
Go and tell that midnight rider
Tell the rambler,
The gambler,
The back biter
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down
Well my goodness gracious let me tell you the news
My head's been wet with the midnight dew
I've been down on bended knee talkin' to the man from Galilee
He spoke to me in the voice so sweet
I thought I heard the shuffle of the angel's feet
He called my name and my heart stood still
When he said, "John go do My will!"
Go tell that long tongue liar
Go and tell that midnight rider
Tell the rambler,
The gambler,
The back biter
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut 'em down
As he got into the song, he started to move to the music, keeping the beat either by clapping or slapping the counter-top, all the while not noticing he was being watched. Anko and Kurenai heard some singing as they walked out of the movie room to find the kitchen for a good drink and some dango. After walking into the main hall, they noticed the smell of popcorn popping and followed the smell. When they got to the kitchen, they saw their host singing and moving to the music and decided to sit back and enjoy the performance.
You can run on for a long time
Run on for a long time
Run on for a long time
Sooner or later God'll cut you down
Sooner or later God'll cut you down
Well you may throw your rock and hide your hand
Workin' in the dark against your fellow man
But as sure as God made black and white
What's done in the dark will be brought to the light
You can run on for a long time
Run on for a long time
Run on for a long time
Sooner or later God'll cut you down
Sooner or later God'll cut you down
Go tell that long tongue liar
Go and tell that midnight rider
Tell the rambler,
The gambler,
The back biter
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut you down
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut you down
Tell 'em that God's gonna cut you down
All of a sudden, he heard applause and cat-calling from behind him. Blushing, he turned his head and noticed the two ladies behind him smiling wickedly at him.
"We didn't mean to interrupt your performance, but it was soooooo good." Anko mentioned with a hint of seductiveness in her praise.
"Yes, we enjoyed it so much; we think we should be treated to an encore." Kurenai said with a wink. Chronos tried to respond but the words wouldn't come out. The two ladies just saw him sputtering, trying to cough out some response and figured they should deepen the hook into their catch.
"Wouldn't it be wrong of us to have this performance all to ourselves?" Kurenai stated smiling mischievously at him.
"I'm sure the boys can join in the fun." Anko said turning towards the door. All of a sudden it struck Chronos that the opportunity for payback arrived, especially with a certain song starting with a heavy guitar and fast drumbeat, and grabbed Anko by the arm.
I hold on so nervously
To me and my drink
I wish it was cooling me
But so far, has not been good
It's been shitty
And I feel awkward, as I should
This club has got to be
The most pretentious thing
Since I thought you and me
Well I am imagining
A dark lit place
Or your place or my place
Well I'm not paralyzed
But, I seem to be struck by you
I want to make you move
Because you're standing still
If your body matches
What your eyes can do
You'll probably move right through
Me on my way to you
With every word, Chronos sung them as seductively as he could while holding Anko close to himself and teasingly trailing his fingertips from her cheek down to the top of her body suit. He twirled her around noticing the shocked look and flushed cheeks her face held and finished the chorus by pushing her against the fridge door. With the last word of the chorus, he turned to Kurenai and sang each word while eyeing her down as he walked slowly around her, letting her feel his breath caress her with each word sung.
I hold out for one more drink
Before I think
I'm looking too desperately
But so far has not been fun
I should just stay home
If one thing really means one
This club will hopefully
Be closed in three weeks
That would be cool with me
Well I'm still imagining
A dark lit place
Or your place or my place
Well, I'm not paralyzed
But, I seem to be struck by you
I want to make you move
Because you're standing still
If your body matches
What your eyes can do
You'll probably move right through
Me on my way to you
Chronos then turned to Anko and motioned her to come over with a simple curve of a finger and a lick of his lips. She strutted over and stood behind him, entranced by the music and with a determination to give him as much temptation as he was giving them. She pressed her body up against his back and ran her hands up and down his chest while he sang the chorus one more time. As he felt her press up against him, he pressed back with his hips as he ran his hand down Kurenai's cheek in synch with the last words of the song.
We'll, I'm not paralyzed
But, I seem to be struck by you
I want to make you move
Because you're standing still
If your body matches
What your eyes can do
You'll probably move right through
Me on my way to you
I'm not paralyzed
But, I seem to be struck by you
I want to make you move
Because you're standing still
If your body matches
What your eyes can do
You'll probably move right through
Me on my way to you
You'll probably move right through
Me on my way to you
You'll probably move right through
Me on my way to you
Both Kurenai and Anko had their breath quickened by the actions from the song. Chronos could tell and smirked triumphantly and walked away slowly, grabbing the tray of appetizers in one hand and pocketed the iPod. As he walked towards the door, he slapped both of them on the rear one at a time as he passed and winked at them.
"That was fun. Let's do that again sometime." He said to them, smiling in an overly cheerful way and walking out the door with a sense of victory, leaving both kunoichi flustered and plotting revenge or other methods of payback.
Everyone seemed to be enjoying the movie when Chronos entered the room with the appetizer tray. Even Shikamaru was paying rapt attention to the scenes portrayed on the projection screen. Most of the guys, especially Naruto, were salivating over every action scene, while the women practically wept over the romantic scene between the Elven princess and the human ranger. Chronos noticed Hinata and pulled her aside.
"W-what is it, Chronos-san?" Hinata inquired with a sense of confusion.
He handed the Hyuuga heiress his iPod and headphones. "I put a few different female artists on here as well as some of the songs I like. I would like you to find a few songs that fit your personality, ones that you can connect with. Associate them with a mood, feeling, event, or maybe nothing at all. When you pick those songs, practice singing along to the music until they become engraved into your mind and are a part of you. Come see me when you feel comfortable singing them."
She took the iPod nervously. "D-do you think t-this will help me?"
Chronos gave her a warm smile. "Definitely, Hinata. In fact, I bet one or two of those songs may be something Naruto would like." Hinata grew a rather heavy blush thinking of what could come from a simple serenade and walked off to finish watching the movie, sitting a couple seats away from Naruto so he couldn't see her blush.
As the movie continued on, Chronos noticed that they were approaching an important scene with some words that may be of significance for his two youshi.
"Sasuke, Naruto, pay attention to the next few lines. It may be something to keep in mind with everything that has happened prior and what could come in the future."
The two looked at their Otousan and then each other, then shrugged and returned to the movie.
The adventurers were resting on rocks along the edge of the outcropping lining the path that they took through the caves. In front of them was a choice of tunnels and the old wizard guiding them was having a hard time deciding which one to take.
All of a sudden, the young Hobbit, Frodo, heard the knocking of stones as they were striking the side of the gorge in their freefall. Looking down the side, he saw a dark and shadowy creature scrambling up the cliff wall. He made mention of this to the wizard, Gandalf, who in turn told the story of Gollum to the young adventurer. The story made the hobbit's stomach turn sour.
"It's a pity Bilbo didn't kill him when he had the chance." Frodo replied in disgust.
Gandalf turned and stared at the hobbit and saw fit to impart some wisdom on the youth. "Pity? It was pity that stayed Bilbo's hand. Many that live deserve death. Some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo? Do not be too quick to deal out death and judgment. Even the very wise cannot see all ends. My heart tells me that Gollum has some part to play yet, for good or ill before this is over. The pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many."
Frodo took those words to heart as he turned them over in his mind as well as the events that led him to this point. A slow melancholy enveloped him as the conversation turned towards the events of the day, and he decided to let those feelings out.
"I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened." Frodo stated with his words dripping in grief, regret, and sadness.
"So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we can do is decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring. In which case, you were also meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought." Gandalf replied comfortingly.
After the wizard led the group down the correct tunnel, Sasuke nodded as if he understood the lessons being given. Naruto, however, had a confused look on his face. Chronos just grasped his shoulder and said, "You will understand in time."
When the movie moved into its final half hour, Chronos returned to the kitchen with the appetizer tray and prepared the last of the meal, checking the roast and made sure everything else was done. He then moved to the dining room to set the table and bring the finished dishes to the table.
When the movie finished, everyone left the room and noticed the smell of the meal. Kiba and Naruto raced to the dining room, both out of hunger and knowing if they didn't beat Chouji there, he'd confiscate half of the food for himself. Everyone sat themselves along the long dining table, with Chronos at the head with Naruto to his left and Sasuke to his right. Sakura and Ino raced to sit next to Sasuke with Sakura winning the impromptu contest. Ino didn't let that get to her, however, since she was also in clear view of her newest friend, Naruto. He seemed to blush from the extra attention he was getting between the glances from both Ino across the table from him and from Hinata who sat next to him. Everyone seated themselves accordingly with the kids next to each other and the rest of the adults at the end of the table.
Conversation was rather light and friendly, even though a few pointed jabs came from Anko and Kurenai relating to the show Chronos put on in the kitchen. More than once he had to be rescued by either Naruto or Sasuke when he choked while taking a drink. There were also plenty of questions still relating to Chronos's previous life and his newfound family's training this week. When Naruto exclaimed on the awesomeness of his Otousan teaching him and Sasuke the tree climbing exercise, most of the other Academy students were surprised Chronos was able to teach something like that so quickly. He shrugged it off, stating that is was due to how good his sensei was in teaching him that week, which got what could be seen as a grin from Kakashi. Strangely enough, no one ever saw him take off his mask, even when he ate, which was too quick for the human eye.
Chronos saw everyone start to slow down and figured it was time for the evening's festivities.
"Did everyone enjoy their meal?" He asked and was received with a round of congratulations and even some light applause. "I'm glad everyone liked it. Now it is time for the main event of the evening. We are going to have ourselves a little poker tournament. If Naruto could grab some of his friends to help clean off the table here, I will take Sasuke and a couple others to set up where we are going to play."
Naruto grumbled but Chouji, Hinata, and Kiba proceeded to help him make the cleaning process go quickly while Chronos, Sasuke, Sakura, and Ino helped set up two tables and plenty of chairs in the living room for the game.
After everyone gathered in the living room, Chronos went over the rules of the game and gave a demonstration hand or two so everyone could get the gist of playing Texas Hold 'Em. Then came the fun part…
"Is everyone comfortable with how to play this game??" No one made any dissent to Chronos's question. "Perfect. Now, the rules for this tournament are simple. Every one of the adults is going to be paired with one of the boys or girls. Even though you are a pair, the best individual performance will determine if the two of you get a prize or not. The second and third best showings will win fifty ryo each for them and their partner, while first place will win one hundred ryo each. Now if every adult will draw a card from the table, we will pick partners."
Asuma, Kurenai, and Kakashi still seemed reluctant to draw a card while the rest of the adults quickly grabbed one. After everyone picked, Chronos had each person show and state their card.
"King of Spades." Asuma muttered.
"Queen of Spades." Kakashi stated.
"Queen of Hearts." Anko seductively cooed.
"- cough – Nine of Clubs." Hayate coughed out.
"Six of Hearts." Yuugao stated.
"Ten of Hearts." Iruka mentioned.
"I got the Ace of Spades." Kurenai said.
"And I got the King of Diamonds. That means Kurenai picks first, Asuma second, then myself, Kakashi, Anko, Iruka, Hayate, and finally Yuugao. Pick wisely Kurenai."
After the selections, pairings went as follows. Kurenai with Hinata, Asuma with Shikamaru, Chronos with Naruto, Kakashi with Sasuke, Anko with Sakura, Iruka with Ino, Hayate with Chouji, and Yuugao got stuck with Kiba, who took great offense to being picked last.
As everyone made their way to their seats, Chronos set the timer for the limits on his computer and started up some music. While selecting the music, Iruka came up to Chronos.
"Why did you choose Naruto over Sasuke? I don't think this game would be a strong suit for him." He asked curiously.
"No particular reason. I actually thought Sasuke would have been picked before my turn and so I already had Naruto in mind for my partner." Chronos replied as he made his way to turn on the music from the laptop.
Things went rather quickly with Chronos being peppered with questions if something came up. Everyone agreed that the first couple of people that lost would serve as waiters for the remaining players. That fate fell onto Kiba and Ino since neither could keep their excitement contained whenever they had a decent hand.
After a few more people went by the wayside, the tension increased as the remaining eight players were drawn into the competition. However, Chronos's desired effect happened. No one left the room, except to grab refreshments or to find the bathroom, and there were plenty of jokes and good natured ribbing to go around.
Ninety minutes passed and it came down to four people. As the hour was late as it was, everyone agreed to end it when it got down to two people, with the higher chip count winning. Iruka, who was knocked out early by a semi-bluff which turned into a miracle straight on the river by Sakura, took on the role of dealer and dealt the hand to the final four. Chronos was sitting in under the gun with Anko on the button and Shikamaru and Sasuke in the blinds.
Chronos looked down at his cards and saw a King and Ace of Clubs and made a moderate raise. Anko smirked at her opponent and licked her lips.
"Trying to act all tough over there, runt?" She questioned mockingly as she peered at her cards, discovering a pair of tens, hearts and diamonds. Looking up, she smiled sweetly. Chronos saw this and swore it was similar to a smile from a cat before devouring a mouse. She re-raised and pushed in triple the amount of Chronos's bet.
Shikamaru looked at the both of them and was worried. 'How troublesome. There is no way both of them could be bluffing, especially with the tension between those two. I better have something good.' He looked down and saw a pair of Jacks, diamonds and spades. Seeing that he was the one with the least amount of chips, he pushed the rest of his chips in with a sigh reeking of resignation.
That left Sasuke with a cold chill up his spine. He wasn't scared but was certainly concerned. He knew there was no way that Shikamaru would go over the top like that without having a major hand. His only concern was his Otousan since he had a look of calm surrounding him. Sasuke glanced at his cards and saw a Queen of Hearts and a Queen of Spades. He smirked, glanced at everyone else and pushed all of his chips forward.
Chronos may have looked calm on the outside but was nervous on the inside. He had a decent hand, but getting re-raised and two all-ins made his 'Big Slick' shrink. There were two things in his favor; he had a suited connector so he could catch a straight or flush to pull things out, and he also had the most chips on the table, with Anko in second. In fact, the two all-ins were just a small raise from Anko's bet. Something deep in his gut motioned him to call, so he did, with Anko following closely behind.
Everyone started to gather around as they saw the large number of chips in the pot and held their breath as the flop was laid out, revealing a queen of clubs, jack of hearts, and nine of clubs. Asuma gave a comforting squeeze to Shikamaru's shoulder while Kakashi could be seen smirking behind his orange book, both knowing what their partners had. Neither Chronos nor Anko bet.
Iruka nodded and flipped over the next card, which was the ten of clubs. Chronos looked to Anko and smiled, checking the action to Anko, who gladly pushed in all of her chips.
Chronos nodded and then put on his best Southern drawl. "Well now, that must be a peach of a hand. I guess I must be deranged, but I just have to call."
Anko hopped out of her seat and pointed at Chronos. "I got you in my clutches, runt. I got three tens!" She said triumphantly while turning over her cards.
"Oh yeah!" Sakura said with money signs flashing in her eyes, then turning to her crush and said with slight remorse, "My bad. Gomen, Sasuke-kun."
Shikamaru just sighed in contentment. "How troublesome you ladies are," he said as he grudgingly turned over his hand showing three Jacks. Both Anko and Sakura shrieked at the result.
Sasuke just grunted, flipped over his three Queens and got up from his seat to go stand by a wall, giving off an air of confidence.
Chronos just looked over to every player and looked like he hung his head in defeat. Anko saw this and tried to capitalize.
"Oh, poor baby. Did you find out you got owned by a couple of kids and sweet little me??"
Chronos lifted his head and had the biggest grin on his face and motioned Naruto to come over. He showed him the hand and said in his mock drawl, "Cover your ears, Naruto." He then showed his Ace high flush with the shrieks and insults being thrown from Anko too damaging to hear. Naruto was seen jumping and punching the air, exclaiming the virtues of his Otousan.
However, his cheering stopped and was replaced by cheers from someone else when the last card came out.
It was the ten of spades. Chronos was sipping on a modified White Russian when the river card hit and he promptly dropped the glass while Anko and Sakura did an 'in-your-face' dance since they were now the winners, leaving Chronos and Naruto in second and Kakashi and Sasuke in third since they had more chips before that hand.
A quick cleanup and some goodbyes followed and everyone went their respective ways, all having enjoyed this new tradition of the new family.
(A/N): This is a little contest for my loyal readers. The first two who correctly name all of the movies that the rookies were deciding between as well as the other movie that was referenced in the chapter will get to directly input ideas into an upcoming chapter.
One last thing, there is one or maybe two more filler chapters coming, depending how I write out the summary for the rest of the training. Don't worry because in the next few chapters, business will begin to pick up.
