A/N: I'm terribly sorry about the long wait. I hit a big writer's block for this story and it took a while to push past. I also apologize for the shortness of the chapter but with the plans I have, I figured it would be best to split the chapter as it would have been too long otherwise and it would have taken me even longer to get it all out to you, so there will still be one more chapter before the Chuunin Exam Finals unlike how I had initially predicted. I hope you like it nonetheless. We're almost at the good part, I promise.
Sorafallenangel11: I'm not sure anymore. I had original plans for Gaara and Ino but now with how things developed, I'm not sure they'd work out the same way. I had contemplated putting Ino and Gaara together but now that they're kind of pseudo-siblings, I'm not entirely sure how that would work out… As for whether Naruto or Minato will take the exam, you'll just have to wait and see *evil smile*
Lyricalgurl8: I'm glad you enjoyed the story. I'll try to update more quickly nowadays, hopefully my muse won't escape me again…
Lokiva: Glad you like it.
AriesASA: Yes, Sasuke will be evil. His persona's already beginning to shape into one with little redemption.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Chapter Thirty-Four: Playing the Waiting Game
The next morning, Minato woke up and sighed in defeat as he found himself still stuck in control of Naruto's body. According to Hinata, it would still be some time before Naruto woke up but the Yondaime couldn't help but hope that moment would come sooner.
'One more day until the Finals,' the Yondaime thought with dread. He prayed that time would be on their side.
Climbing out of bed, he went through the morning rituals mechanically, wondering how he should spend the day and if there was anything that he could do to speed up the recovery process. He quickly shot that idea down. He didn't want to complicate matters more than they already had been.
Minato figured it would be best to keep a low profile. He knew how his son acted but hiding his own personal quirks amongst those who knew Naruto well would be difficult. It still irked him that Shikamaru had figured him out so quickly.
At the same time, Minato had no intention of spending the entire day cooped up within the small, run-down apartment his son was forced to call home. He was a shinobi. He didn't sit still very well.
He was broken from his reverie when Ino came in, dragging Gaara with her. Jiraiya walked in after them, looking rather sulky.
"What's going on?" Minato wondered, curious about what had gotten Ino so excited.
"We're taking you shopping!" Ino declared.
"... What?" Minato blinked in confusion. Just what was Ino up to? "Why?"
"Come on, Minato-san, surely you agree that it's time for Naruto to get a new wardrobe. That horrible orange jumpsuit succeeded in getting him the attention he sought back when he was a Pre-Genin, but it's hardly strategically wise for him to keep using it. I bet the only reason he's managed to survive solar is that he's a lot stronger than most people think and he's got you to back him up. That will only fly for so long, you know," Ino insisted.
Minato admitted that Ino had a point, but why bring it up now?
When he voiced his question, Ino only grew more excited.
"What better time? It's the day before the Finals. The first time Naruto will show off his new clothes will be in the midst of battle. It would make one hell of an impression, don't you think? You said it yourself, the Chuunin Exams is the time Naruto can truly shine. He hasn't got too many opportunities to do that with all of the complications that have gotten in the way so far, so why not go all out now?" Ino explained.
"You just want to go shopping," Jiraiya grumbled under his breath, only to get kicked in the shin by the irate blonde female. He yelped loudly, silently cursing himself for having taught her a simple way to amplify her strength.
"Ino has a point, though," Gaara backed up his teammate and 'sister'. "Giving Naruto a new image could prove to be a good strategic move in helping him step out of the shadow of being a Jinchuuriki and into the light as one of Konoha's great shinobi, one worthy of taking on your legacy."
"Besides, wouldn't you want to see the look on Sasuke's face when he sees that Naruto can not only own him completely in terms of fighting ability but that he looks that much cooler than him too?" Ino inquired with a devious smile.
While Minato hated the Uchiha, he was beyond such cheap ways to get one up on them. The part of him influenced by Naruto's emotions, on the other hand, liked the idea a lot.
'No matter how much more mature Naruto has gotten, he's still a child,' Minato shook his head in exasperation. Who was he to deny Naruto his fun? "You win, Ino-chan. Let's go," he spoke aloud, ignoring the betrayed look on Jiraiya's face. He bet his sensei had hoped he would refuse.
Ino cheered happily and led the group towards the clothing stores.
"I wonder where Ino is..." Sakura wondered curiously as she walked through the streets of Konoha. Kurenai had let her go for the day so Sakura was looking forward to spending sometime rekindling the friendship between her and the blonde. They hadn't got spend as much time together as they would have hoped, having been training the majority of the time.
When she saw a sulky looking Jiraiya standing outside of a shop that sold clothing for shinobi, she recalled that he was the one currently teaching Ino. She wondered what he was doing there.
She was about to approach him when she saw Ino come out, glaring at the Sannin in a reprimanding manner.
"Come on, Jiraiya-sensei. I didn't bring you here so you could just sulk around. I brought you here so that you could give us your opinion. Now stop being useless and help us out!" she scolded him, pulling the man inside the shop, despite his protests.
If Sakura hadn't known Ino so well, she would have found it bizarre to think of anyone scolding one of the Sannin like that. Instead, she found it utterly hilarious.
Now that her curiosity was peaked, Sakura couldn't resist going to see what the duo was up to.
She found Ino, Jiraiya and Gaara all waiting outside a trial room. Ino looked expectant, Gaara seemed vaguely amused and Jiraiya just looked really sulky.
"What's going on?" Sakura announced her presence, approaching the group.
Ino gave Sakura a happy grin. "You'll see," she winked before turning towards the fitting room. "Come on, Naruto, what's taking you so long?"
"Hold your horses," Sakura heard Naruto reply from within the fitting room before the door finally opened. Sakura couldn't help but gape.
For once, Naruto was not wearing his trademark orange. He was clad in a more traditional blue shinobi outfit, somewhat similar to the one that Iruka wore, minus the Chuunin jacket. It looked good on him and yet...
"It's just not you," Ino decided. "You're not the type suited to conform to the common trend. We need to find you something that will make a statement."
"You're the fashion expert," Minato prompted, more than a little amused with the proceedings. Having been with Kushina and Kyuubi for so long, he had gained a lot of patience. If Naruto had been in control in his place, the boy surely would have begun to whine. He hated shopping unless it was for weapons or other shinobi materials.
"Come on, Sakura, let's go look," the blonde female grabbed her friend and dragged her off.
"You're getting Naruto a new wardrobe?" Sakura queried incredulously.
"Yeah, we all agreed it was time for Naruto to ditch the image of the village idiot. He's far more than that and it is time that everyone sees that," Ino spoke proudly, a devious gleam in her eyes at the thought of the shock everyone would go through when Naruto would finally show his true colors to them all. She wasn't going to let her surrogate brother and the Yondaime's legacy be seen for anything less any longer. Now that she was in his life, she would make sure that Naruto was granted everything he deserved and more. It was the least that she could do for all of the horrible mistakes she had made over the years, falling in line with all of the villagers' beliefs for so long.
Sakura looked thoughtful over Ino's words. She agreed that there was a lot more to Naruto than what most people saw but the way Ino spoke of him with such high regard still seemed a little strange. She was acting almost as if Naruto was the second coming of the Yondaime Hokage or something.
"It's amazing how much you've grown to care for him in such a short time," Sakura mused.
"Well… he's easy to love," Ino responded with a small smile. "In a completely platonic way, mind you. I have no intention of being Shikamaru's competition."
Sakura giggled at that. She found Shikamaru and Naruto's relationship rather adorable. It wasn't every day that you saw a lazy Nara striving so hard to do anything, much less woo a "troublesome blonde." "They're good for one another," she mused.
"I agree," Ino nodded. "Now if only we could show Naruto that…"
Sakura frowned in confusion. The last she'd heard, Naruto and Shikamaru's relationship had been developing nicely. What was going on now?
"What happened?" she queried.
"That bastard Daichi got to Naruto and threatened him, saying that if he didn't break up with Shikamaru, he would kill him… amongst other things. Naruto didn't want to risk Shikamaru's safety so he did as the Iwa nin told him," Ino replied, her eyes darkening with anger.
"Naruto gave up?" Sakura voiced her disbelief. She thought for certain that the boy would have fought harder.
"Daichi drove him into a corner and with other people's lives on the line, I can understand how Naruto would give in. He doesn't want anyone to get hurt because of his own stubbornness," Ino mused, crossing her arms.
"I suppose but we can't let things stay the way they are. Shikamaru and Naruto belong together, anyone who isn't blind can see that. We can't let Daichi win," Sakura declared.
"I agree with you on that front," Ino agreed. "If I know Shikamaru as I do, he's not going to let that bastard Iwa nin get the last laugh. If anyone is going to prove to Naruto that they should be together, it's him."
"I'm getting a lot more excited for the Finals now," Sakura thought. She was looking forward to seeing Daichi get his ass kicked by the genius kage nin. Shikamaru was a tricky opponent even at his laziest. Who knew what he would be capable of when he was fully motivated?
"Back to business at hand," Ino cut off the topic, eyeing the various clothes in front of them. "Let's try to find Naruto something to wear that won't scream 'Kill me now' while still making a statement…"
"The girls are sure taking their sweet time," Jiraiya remarked grumpily as he, Minato and Gaara waited patiently for Ino and Sakura to return from scoping out the various clothes.
"You never were the most patient person in the world, Sensei," Minato remarked, chuckling in amusement.
"I could be using this time for research," the Sannin groused, looking very much like a sulky child.
"There are better things that you could do with your time than look at naked women," Gaara said flatly.
"You just haven't had the time to appreciate the finer sex like I do," Jiraiya told his young student. "If you stick with me long enough, you'll begin to understand."
"Do not attempt to corrupt either of my sons, Sensei, or you will answer to me," Minato whispered in Jiraiya's ears so that no one would have the odd experience of hearing a thirteen-year old boy speak as if he was an overprotective father.
While Jiraiya looked sheepish, Gaara flushed at being referred to as Minato's son. He had never been claimed as a son before. His real father had always been far too ashamed of him…
Hearing Minato refer to him like that made him feel like he was really a part of the ever-growing family.
Jiraiya and Minato observed the boy with warm eyes.
"You being here is doing a lot more good than you think… and not just for Naruto either," Jiraiya murmured. "You better be careful, though, otherwise you may end up adopting more children than you can handle."
"As I've said before, Kushina and I always wanted a big family," Minato responded. "I do not mind the expansion."
"Just make sure you have enough room in your heart to give all of them an equal amount of love and attention," Jiraiya reminded the former Hokage.
"I will," Minato assured the Sannin before looking amused. Who would have thought he would ever be given advice on how to raise children from the eternal bachelor himself?
"We're back," Ino sang as she and Sakura returned, their arms hidden behind their back.
Minato, Gaara and Jiraiya exchanged quizzical looks. They had a feeling that they should be wary of the looks on the girls' faces. When girls looked that triumphant, it didn't always spell good news for the men around them.
"We found you the perfect outfit, Naruto, just you wait and see," Sakura giggled, tugging Minato towards the nearest fitting room.
"What is it?" he tried to ask them, curious to know why they were so pleased with themselves.
"You'll see," Ino replied as the Jinchuuriki was pushed into the fitting room. She thrust the clothes in with him and gave distinct orders. "Don't come out until you've tried them on."
Minato just shook his head in amusement at his "daughter's" antics before looking at the clothes. He raised an eyebrow. This was definitely going to make a bold statement… he just hoped it wouldn't be too bold.
"What am I thinking?" he muttered to himself. This was Naruto they were talking about. While he kept most of his deepest secrets closest to his heart, he was one of the boldest people the former Hokage had ever known.
Getting dressed without complaint, Minato then stepped out of the dressing room to be met with the excited squeals of Ino and Sakura.
"I knew it would look great on you!" Ino exclaimed, clapping her hands together in approval.
"You look amazing, Naruto!" Sakura agreed, green eyes glowing with glee.
"I've got to admit… the girls made a good call on this one," Jiraiya added his own opinion, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "I can't wait for the reactions it will elicit tomorrow."
"I like it," Gaara said simply with a nod.
"Then I guess we have a keeper," Minato responded. It looked like everybody was looking forward to messing with the general public with the display he would make once they arrived at the stadium that was being set up for the Finals. He just hoped Naruto would be conscious by then to experience it himself.
"So how would you all like to spend the last day before Finals? Don't tell me training because I would hardly advise that," Jiraiya queried, having finally given up on getting any research done that day.
"We should have a picnic!" Ino exclaimed, eyes glistening with hope. "It would be a fun way to end the month break!"
"I like that idea," Sakura agreed. "We should invite the other teams as well."
"Does that mean my brother and sister can come too?" Gaara asked shyly, wondering if the invitation was only meant for the Konoha teams.
"Of course," Minato smiled at his adoptive son warmly. "They're more than welcome."
"I hope you know if you do this it would be best to invite the Iwa team too, if only for propriety's sake. We don't want to look like we're directly snubbing them or anything. The last thing we need is a diplomatic incident," Jiraiya pointed out, although he didn't look very happy about that.
"It is only fair," Gaara agreed, knowing quite a bit about diplomacy as a Kage's child, even if said Kage tried to kill him on a regular basis.
"Fine," Ino conceded, pouting. She quickly shook that off. She wouldn't let those guys make this day a bad one.
"We should invite the Jounin-sensei as well. Why should the kids be the only ones to have fun?" Jiraiya suggested. He didn't want to be the only adult amongst a group of brats – never mind the fact that one of them happened to be the Yondaime Hokage stuck in the body of a brat.
"That's a good idea!" Sakura agreed. "Let's include Iruka-sensei too. What do you think, Naruto?"
"That sounds like a plan," Minato agreed, feeling the rush of pleasure coursing through Naruto at the thought of seeing his favorite sensei again after such a long time.
"We should get started gathering everyone together," Gaara remarked.
"I'll gather my team," Ino declared, scampering off to do just that.
"As will I," Gaara agreed, vanishing in a swirl of sand.
"I don't know where to find Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke-kun," Sakura remarked uncertainly.
"Leave them to me," Minato assured Sakura. "How about you alert Team Eight and Team Gai, Sakura-chan?"
"I can do that," the pink-haired kunoichi brightened up, going off quickly.
"Leave the Iwa team to me," Jiraiya declared. Although Minato was currently in control of Naruto's body, Jiraiya still couldn't believe that nothing bad would happen if Minato was the one to seek them out.
"Alright, see you soon, Sensei," Minato bid the Sannin farewell before using the Hiraishin to get close to where Kakashi and Sasuke were training.