Greetings everyone, nice to see people reviewing and giving me more feed-back. I'll be honest now, I still can't believe so many people are enjoying this so much; I personally didn't think I'd get much of a responce from everyone. But here I am, on chapter 4 of a story I did not believe would last very long. I guess I have you, the fan's, to thank for giving me the insperation to continue writing. Shout-outs to Tenro100, Digitize27, kurokamiDG, and everyone else who's been supporting me to this point. It aint far in the story, but I just felt the need to express my thanks to everyone for their feedback. Crap, now I'm starting to ramble, let's get started with the forth chapter of Three Strings of a Shamisen!
UPDATED AS OF 3/3/2015
I don't own Naruto: If I did, Yugito would still be alive and fornicating with Naruto by now...
Mid-day was almost always the busiest of the routine cycles that came and went with the rise and fall of the sun. It didn't matter where the sun came up or what village one hailed from, it was just one of the factors that came with society and would never really change. The reasons for that were obvious enough to almost not being worthy of explanation, the key term here being almost though not quite. For this was not the correct timeframe which most shinobi were prone to being active within the village itself. Those hours tended to either be around the time of dusk and dawn, not as much in mid-day.
During this time, shinobi would be using these hours to catch up on some much needed sleep, lock themselves away in an office to write up reports, or be heading out of the village for their next assignment.
Most chose this time to train in solitude for the most part, as doing so during the evening hours tended to provoke a response from those near the area for domestic disturbances. That wasn't to say that training was discouraged during the night, it just limited the training that could be done without raising too much attention. With all that being said, it was clear that mid-day wasn't the time when shinobi were prone to being the most active, but instead the civilian populace that made up most of the activity during the day-light hours. Again, though, that wasn't to say all shinobi were inactive during this timeframe either, for the sight of Genin teams roaming about carrying out tasks was rather commonplace; merely the more...experienced shinobi were absent during this time in the day.
Then you take into account those shinobi who were less active than normal; those who were military in civilian clothes and just taking the day off. Those were the second most abundant group in the shinobi criteria that were present during the day-light hours. Though, unless they directly knew the individual, the vast populace was largely be unaware of just how many of the men and women they meet are actual shinobi in plain sight. Many civilians would likely find themselves surprised if they knew just how many shinobi walked among them in their day-to-day lives with no-one being any wiser. Genin, Chuunin, Jounin, ANBU officers; various ranks of various shinobi and kunoichi walked among them as if they were no different from the average person.
That was often the misconception that most civilians tended to believe when they regarded shinobi; some villages went as far as to call them monsters for how casually they can take the life of another. While such beliefs were understandable, it could not be further from the truth; as the men and women who served was in every way human as the next. Sure, you would find a rotten apple or two, but that didn't mean that the entire batch was.
Unfortunately, those who believed otherwise typically couldn't be swayed from their views.
Too bad those people didn't have the privilege to meet a certain blonde shinobi clad in orange.
In regards to said blonde, he was typically a person who indulged on being out in the day-light as any other youth would. Because of his status as a Genin, he was often forced to degrade himself to the mundane tasks of the villagers that were hardly worth a portion of his time. Even after all these years, he was still forced to perform those 'missions' that were nothing more than chores that common-folk didn't feel like doing themselves. It annoyed him, severely annoyed him in fact that he had taken to voicing his distaste more than once to the Hokage no less.
He hated performing those chores, but with Akatsuki's appearance in the world to focus on, it was pretty clear that such tasks were hardly worth his time these days. That was especially true with the arrival of Kumogakure's resident Jinchuuriki taking refuge within Konoha; having taken part in watching after one of the said shinobi himself. As of today, it had been roughly four months and fourteen days since Yugito had been placed into his care, and it had been a real trip if he had to be honest with himself.
Even with her presence here, Naruto still took part in some missions; though these obviously had nothing to do with pulling weeds or chasing cats. No, he was a Genin out in the world taking down high profile criminals.
That statement alone was almost laughable had it been said by anyone else; but to any shinobi who still remembered the feats which Naruto had performed the day Otogakure and Sunagakure attacked the village; you would be hard pressed to find soul laughing about it. Yes, they still remembered the defeat of Hyuuga Neji, a current Jounin and renowned prodigy of the Hyuuga clan, and they all still remember exactly who stopped the current Kazekage, Sabaku no Gaara, from wreaking havoc within the village that very same day.
They remembered, they knew who –and by default what– Naruto really was and oh-so-suddenly the prospect of someone who could perform those two feats and many more since became significantly less foolish. The fact that the said Genin was largely responsible for the defeat and inevitable death of the Akatsuki member Kakuzu was proof enough that Naruto was not just some nameless Genin; but the strongest.
He just couldn't get a promotion to save his ass; that's all.
Although, such a victory had come with a price, a price nobody believed to be worth. You see, Naruto hadn't been the one to encounter the said Akatsuki member first, as that honor went to a team led by Sarutobi Asuma, and in that same incursion he lost his life. His life wasn't lost to Kakazu though, rather it was his partner who had made the killing blow and resulted in Nara Shikamaru, who was a part of the squad, to take a more active role in eliminating the both of them. Naruto himself wasn't aware of the details regarding the events that transpired prior to him and his team's arrival, but when the question finally did rise as to what had happened Shikamaru succeeded in actively scaring the crap out of him.
"I blew his ass up and buried what remained underground."
Those had been his exact words and it was then that Naruto made it a point from then on not to piss off Nara Shikamaru.
Of course, that hadn't been the only price that had to be paid to assure the complete victory in that assignment. After tireless days and nights, Naruto finally completed the training that he was subjected to along with succeeded in doing something even the Yondaime Hokage had failed to accomplish: applied his element into the Rasengan. In doing this, he proceeded to accomplish something even greater than that, which was creating his very own technique with this knowledge and thus make the Rasengan truly his. Given the timeframe he had prior to being sent out to assist Team Eight however limited the amount of time required to fully complete the technique he was creating.
Regardless, even in its incomplete state, the results were still devastating if the massive creator that was left in its wake was any proof. One had to admit, even in its current state, it sure as hell wasn't something you wanted to be on the offending side of. Yet, as stated earlier, the price Naruto had paid in that mission was the temporary loss of functionality in right arm in addition to being forbidden to use the technique until it was complete. Normally he would argue that there was no point in making it if he couldn't use it in the first place, but the facts were glaringly obvious that even he was skeptical about doing it again with the amount of damage he sustained just from using it once.
Lo and behold, even Naruto can submit to a valid point when it's obvious enough; but only when he couldn't allow himself to be delusional about it anymore.
Besides, Yugito was making it a point to remind him of how utterly foolish he was in the first place for using a self-created technique in a critical situation.
Which brings us back to the situation at hand with Naruto and the woman he was supposed to be taking care of.
Though, currently, he wasn't doing as much of the caretaking as she was as a result of his current state. With his arm unusable for the time being, Yugito had taken to being his caretaker until his injuries had fully healed. What that translated in his mind, however, was that he couldn't actually do a damn thing without her consent; which further translated into doing very little considering most of the things he went out to do involved training or eating.
That further translated into being stuck indoors about seventy percent of the day with very little to do to pass the time.
It irked him to no end with how bored he was; even the most mundane tasks would have been acceptable if Yugito would let him but refused to allow. It was one of the few times he actually wished he could go out and pick weeds or go shopping for some lady who was perfectly capable of doing it herself; at least then he would have something to do. Hell, he couldn't even play the Shamisen he had bought to practice because of his damn arm!
Deep down though, Naruto knew the real reason as to why he was upset; even if boredom did play a large part of it. His displeasure with the whole situation was that he needed someone else to depend on. It wasn't that he didn't want people to depend on when he needed the help, Kakashi practically engraved teamwork into his brain since the early days of Team Seven, but when in his home he didn't want it. From as far back as he could remember, he never had anyone here, never wanted anyone here to tell him what to do or how to act. This had been his domain and he had always believed he was independent in almost every way when in this place; regardless of if that was just his immature belief or an actual fact.
This led to several children often considering him bratty because he lived in solitude and others considered him lucky because of it. The truth of the matter was that, disheartening and lonely as it was, he did like it for a time. He liked being his own boss, yet all the same it got harder to like something when there was never anyone willing to be around him to brag too; thus it eventually became a subject he could shrug off. Admittedly, it was because he lived alone that resulted in him performing pranks and skipping the Academy. There was so much more to do than listen to silence all day when there was a whole bunch of people outside making all kinds of racket.
His Spree of Prankery eventually died as he settled into his new life as a shinobi, which ultimately led to a newfound appreciation for his independence. Even if it didn't show, being accountable for the upkeep of his home, his plants, his food supply, clothes, and making payments for his rent did provide a sense of maturity and responsibility. He didn't like it, as a matter of fact he hated it, but he still did it because he knew he had to since nobody else would. That feeling, even after his trip away for three years, only grew as time passed since being in the presence of Jiraiya on a constant basis did require at least some maturing to surface on his part.
Even if he did sometimes play a part in the man's antics, the fact that he could act mature was still present when the time arose.
To put as simply as possible; Naruto was easily capable of taking care of himself without any outside assistance.
That didn't mean he was always independent, as no nine or ten year old should ever need to be paying for rent at that age, it just meant that he eventually grew to be that way.
But that didn't matter at the moment. What did matter was that Yugito was practically trampling all over that feeling of independence that he had always believed he had. It wasn't just her denying him the means to do as he pleased which bothered him, but the fact that she was doing everything for him when he did not ask her to. As far as he was concerned, he was the one who needed to take care of her, but he had been forced to respect her own personal liberties since she arrived.
He wasn't going to be her butler or anything during her stay, hell no to that, but he had intended to be somewhat considerate in offering to do laundry and such; in which case she had declined, quite rudely at the time mind, and thus he eventually stopped asking. But, as he watched her now, there she was passing by him with a hamper filled with both of their clothing ready to be washed. She hadn't asked him if she could grab his things, but to be fair he hadn't offered to do it for her since her attitude had changed, but the fact was she was doing something he did not ask her to as if it was her home.
"Well, this place kinda is her home now." Muttered the blonde male to himself, which went largely unheard by his roommate as she was currently busy in the other room. "It's already been a few months since she showed up here, so it's not that big of a deal."
Releasing an exasperated sigh, the boy adjusted his position until the back of his head flopped down onto the soft armrest of his couch. Blue eyes numbly stared out into space, arm still encased in a cast while his other rested on his stomach lifelessly, absentmindedly taking note of his fellow tenant briskly moving passed the den from the corner of his vision every so often.
While the thought of being reliant on someone else wasn't something he particularly enjoyed, that didn't particularly translate into being ungrateful for all that the woman was doing for him. Although, this turn of events did make him realize how much of a neat-freak Yugito was; something he hadn't noticed until after watching her at work. He hadn't ever noticed this behavior until recently due to the fact that he was more preoccupied with other things when they were together at home. They split the duties for up-keep of their shared space, which likely explained why he hadn't ever noticed until now despite the fact that they had been living together for quite awhile now.
Now that he had nothing to do and forced to rest, even he wasn't dense enough to not take note of these things. The way she would occasionally cease all movements and scan an area for anything that may be out of place, or how she often paced from room to room. It was odd, but at the same time kinda funny to him watching her perform these actions; at least until she caught him chuckling and demanded what was amusing and prompting him to shut his mouth.
Still didn't stop him from laughing from time to time though.
There was one other thing that had recently come to light, something which Naruto wasn't proud of and cursed the perverse nature of his sensei. In regards as to what that something was, one only had to look at the woman in question; more specifically her current state of dress.
At home, she wore what was comfortable to her and that mostly consisted of a pair of loose pale purple sweat-pants and a short-sleeved white shirt. While there was nothing remotely revealing in either article of clothing, the sweat-pants were not as loose as they appeared to be. The leggings for it were indeed pretty loose, that much was certain, but the further up they went the less 'loose' they became. They were loose enough not to cling to her like a second layer of skin, but not loose enough to prevent one from admiring the noticeable curves that the woman in question sported. It wouldn't have been the first time Naruto had caught himself staring at her from time to time, especially in his current state, and he would need to be blind and dumb not to notice it in the first place.
While he did his absolute best to be aware of where his eyes lingered, it was becoming noticeably more difficult now than it had before. Jiraiya would say that there was nothing wrong with his actions, as it was just something all men did, and to some degree Naruto would agree with him. But, he lived with this girl now, and the last thing he wanted was for her to consider him a pervert even if it was normal for guy's his age to do. His caution was further warranted by the fact that the woman could kick the ever-living crap out of him if she ever found out that he was unintentionally stealing glances at her when she wasn't looking.
Like he was now as she stood across from him whilst scanning the area for anything amiss. It was when he realized where his eyes were going that his head immediately jerked back upwards to stare at the ceiling rather than her. Sadly, in doing this, he had neglected to use any form of subtly and thus could feel the woman's gaze resting on him a few seconds later.
Thankfully, fate decided that he didn't need any more pressure at this time and chose that moment to provide an intervention: in the form of someone knocking on his door.
"Be right there!"
Yugito hadn't even turned around to acknowledge that someone was there before Naruto had shot up from his position and made a bee-line for the door; almost like he was expecting it. Had Yugito not been watch his every movement, Naruto likely would have wiped the imaginary sweat from his brow at how close a call that was. Pushing those thoughts aside, quickly approached the door to his home and opened it without missing a beat and was immediately greeted with a sight that brought both confusion and relief.
At least now he had a distraction from where his thoughts were steadily progressing towards. For it was not just one person who was present at his doorstep, but two; one striking a pose and the other looking mildly annoyed.
"Bi-san, Sakura-chan?" The sight of both together was obviously something in which Naruto hadn't expected to find, though he wasn't complaining in the slightest. "Why are you two here?"
"Yo, Naruto, get off yer rear and grab your gear! You've gotta date with yer teammate here~" Let it never be said that Bi was not quick to speak out and beat around the bush. Even with the terrible rhyme-scheme he would pretty much say whatever sounded best even if it wasn't entirely true. For that reason, the shorter female didn't waste a second in elbowing the man in the ribs, which did succeed in making the man cringe before changing his tune. "Sorry bro, no pinky for you yo. Yer teammates are waitin for ya so com'on lets go~"
Let it also be said that Sakura had learned that dealing with Bi was very similar to dealing with Naruto, the difference being that latter was much shorter than the former. It was that reason alone which prevented her from socking him upside the head for giving Naruto the wrong idea about why they were here; though the ribs were a suitable replacement so it evened out.
"What are you rambling about now Bi?"
It was no surprise to anyone that the man's terrible rapping had reached the ears of someone who was all too familiar with it. With his voice literally booming into the apartment, it didn't take Yugito long to find herself standing behind the blonde young man with her arms crossed and sharing the same annoyed expression as Sakura. She did, however, spare the pinkette a sympathetic look for having to endure Kirabi's presence, which was promptly returned with a small smile of understanding.
Sakura had one idiot to look after on a consistent basis, this was one was yet wasn't so different in too many ways.
"Kakashi-sensei thinks that a bit of celebration is in order for Naruto's hard work over the course of the month." Answered Sakura, taking over the role as the acting spokeswoman before Bi could try to find the words to rhyme. "Sai, Kakashi, and Yamato-sensei are waiting for us at Ichiraku, so I was here to fetch him and just happened to come across Bi-san who wanted to join in the festivities."
Yugito didn't miss the rolling of the girls eyes after the statement was done and could only shake her head. Naruto, however, didn't notice having become preoccupied returning the fist-bump that was offered by the larger male. Bi had explained that it was his way of greeting people he was associated with, saying something about how it transmitted one's feelings and thoughts better than just shaking hands. Naruto could see that, Sasuke had mentioned something similar back at the Valley of the End all those years ago.
Plus, he personally enjoyed the informality that this act had, having never really liked the idea of shaking hands with people.
Any further conversation that was to be held between the two clowns of different cultures was silenced by the clearing of Yugito's throat and the noticeable tapping of Sakura's foot caught both male's attention. With his attention drawn, he could see both women staring at Naruto in wait for his response. Said response was a rather sheepish grin and chuckle before turning around and heading back inside to get changed, to which Yugito stepped aside to avoid bumping into the lad as he passed.
Once the young man was no longer in sight, Yugito returned her attention towards the two individual's present before settling her gaze on Bi, who merely stared back at her unblinking. "Must you impose on a matter that has no business to you, Bi?"
"That aint true, pink said it was cool~" Was the response given, raising both hands up defensively though keeping only his index, thumb, and pinky fingers raised as he did so. "Fact, I think she was gonna invite you too~"
"That part's true." Spoke the young woman once again, confirming that what Bi was saying this time wasn't false. "You're more than welcome to join us if you want. It was never meant to be exclusive to just a Team Seven, it just so happens that I bumped into you both; you know, the more the merrier."
Besides, if Kirabi could come than there was no reason that prevented Yugito from coming as well; given the fact that she would otherwise be stuck here by herself. It would be rude of her and the rest of the team if she wasn't at least extended an invitation, not to mention the fact that Naruto apparently enjoyed her company just as much as he did Bi's.
The smile that young woman presented Yugito with only further emphasized her desire to have the other resident Jinchuuriki to join them in this event. Of course, only Yugito would see the true intentions behind that very same smile that she was presenting to her; and it did nothing but make her feel inclined to decline the offer. It wasn't so much the smile as opposed to the look that was held within those emerald green eyes of hers, a look that the blonde certainly did not approve of in the slightest.
That perceptive look, the gaze of someone who knew of something which she believed Yugito did not; but of course that was inconclusive. Yugito knew what the pinkette was thinking and that was the big issue here: because Sakura was making the look pretty obvious and not even bothering to hide it. That inclined her to believe that Sakura didn't just want her to go, but knew she would because of one critical factor.
"I'm ready!" And that was the reason, in the form of unruly blonde hair and a cheesy grin on his face; dressed in simple clothes not his typical orange attire. Though, upon seeing nobody moving and all current eyes on Yugito, he too turned his attention towards his tenant, then back to his teammate with confusion plain as day written on his face. "What's the hold up?"
"I was just telling Yugito she coul-"
"One moment please." Was all that was said before the woman in question stepped passed Naruto and into the back bed-room to change. This resulted in leaving both the males to glance between themselves, the pinkette, and the direction the blonde had retreated to. The remaining female simply continued smiling to herself and looking quite pleased with as she stood in wait for the blonde female's return to the scene.
"Did I miss something, Bi?"
"I dunno, yo."
Nii Yugito, despite her strict demeanor and straightforwardness, was not a person to normally hold a grudge pointlessly.
A person in her line of work did not tend to hold meaningless thoughts of anger or aggression towards someone for petty matters that do not conflict with her career. It was worthless to fret over something that mattered so little in the grand scheme of things that harboring those emotions was more of a chore than anything else. It was so much easier to just disregard the matter entirely and continue on with life than it was to dwell on matters that did not have any significance. That wasn't to say that those moments don't occur from time to time, as it was common and sometimes very difficult not to, but she scarcely succumbed to those emotions.
Today, however, was one of those rare instances that led the ever prideful Kunoichi of Kumogakure no Sato to curse every fiber of Haruno Sakura's being to the deepest reaches of hell imaginable. Said curse was never vocally announced of course, but she was positive that the pinkette was already aware of her spite and didn't proceed to care.
As previously stated, Yugito was nearly unflappable at nearly all times and was very difficult to truly agitate. Even in the event that something did rile her up, the emotions felt at the time would be fleeting and soon after nothing less than an afterthought in the deep recesses of her mind. What had instigated her great displeasure towards Sakura, however, was far from fleeting and something that perturbed her every time she saw those emerald eyes looking at her. Those knowing orbs that held barely restrained mirth within did nothing but constantly chip away at the exterior shell of professionalism; leaving in its wake a very agitated young blonde who wanted nothing more than to remove that look from her pretty face.
Doing so would not take long, she reasoned, it would only take a few seconds in a dark alleyway and a few threats to replace the amusement in those sphere's with everlasting fear. The only problem was that, no matter how much she wanted to…
"Son of a— this might as well be torture! It's right there, right in front of me, but I just can't— damn it!"
The slight shifting of her eyes towards Naruto as he attempted to eat using the chop-sticks with his non-dominant hand explained the rest.
They indeed had not been the only one's present here, as both of Naruto's instructors were waiting for them at the familiar stall along with the ever vacant expression worn by the recent addition to Team Seven known as Sai. It wasn't long after their arrival that her and the rest of them had gotten settled and placed their orders, though Bi oddly chose to decline the meal and instead begin thinking up new verses to try out; every so often asking for Naruto and the rest of those present for their opinions. Only Naruto responded positively, which acted as a saving grace since it meant that the man would go back to his work and not repeating the same verse over and over with very few alternations added to it.
As far as seating arrangements went, with the limited amount of seats available inside, Bi had stationed himself outside along with Sai, leaving herself, Sakura, Kakashi, Yamato, and Naruto within. The limited space within the stall is what ultimately began the reason behind the Kumo nin's current animosity towards the pink haired woman.
Kakashi and Yamato had already found their seats prior to Naruto and company's arrival, thus she assumed that picking the furthest chair away from the center would allow limited interaction with the rest of the group and more time to herself. Her assumption had been correct, but her execution had not been fast enough since Sakura had been quick to claim that seat; leaving her sitting next to Naruto who sat in the very center of both groups.
The blonde would have normally classified the act as mere coincidence if it wasn't for that same knowing look in her gaze and the upward twitch at corner of her lips. This didn't go unnoticed by the woman, but instead of acting on it Yugito had composed herself and took her seat and placed her order; propping her head up on her hand as she waited patiently for her food to arrive. She wasn't even aware that she had spaced out during the course of the young lad's ramblings prior to his order's arrival until she was broken from her thoughts by Sakura, and in a manner which both surprised and, admittedly, embarrassed her.
"Someone's staring~"
The statement itself was inconclusive to Yugito, as she was not at all staring at him as the young woman claimed. But from Sakura's angle, the statement carried some merit even if she knew that the statement was false. Fact of the matter was it accomplished something that was a rather rare sight out in public; it caused the proud woman to blush. It was gone before any of the three males took notice to her sudden movement to turn and face the girl, who was busy sipping on some tea that she had ordered. That didn't stop the blonde from glaring at her for making false accusations, or taking note of the corners of her lips being raised.
Still she did not to speak on the matter and instead chose to turn away; but no longer facing the blonde beside her as he turned to regard Bi's latest verse. At this point, the chop-sticks she had taken were being fiddled with in-between her fingers, doing so for the sake of keeping her distracted and her attention away from either person beside her. But things began to escalate when she, along with the rest of them, received their orders and, prior to beginning her meal, took note of the lad's struggle with the chop-sticks.
Upon reflection, she realized that the moment her vision lingered on his form longer than it should have Sakura had all the ammunition she needed at her disposal.
"You could always feed him yourself since he's struggling so much."
And did Sakura act on it alright; her tone being loud enough for only the woman beside her to hear.
It was here that Yugito realized what Sakura was doing and it did not amuse her in the slightest. It also shed some light as to why the young woman consistently held that same knowing and mirthful gleam in her eyes this entire time.
Sakura was teasing her, pointlessly mind you.
She had not forgotten the conversation in which the two had shared that day almost a month ago. The assumptions in which Sakura were suggesting, the preposterous accusation that she may have held any romantic feelings towards her caretaker, and the parting words the pinkette had left her with that day. Not a day had gone by since then where those thoughts would eventually find themselves present in her mind, though often disregarded as trivial ones not worthy of prolonged musings. His sudden return and the conversation they had at this very stall, however, did cause those thoughts to become less negligible; only to be once again pushed aside and not dwelled upon any further.
She had her priorities set in stone when it concerned her relationship with him; and it was to be purely that of mutual understanding and trust. She treasured him for the person he was, a friend to her and someone who she would not hesitate to help should the need ever arise. She did not, however, like him in a romantic sense, though if asked she most likely would not be capable of producing a suitable response. It was true he had his pros and his cons, but that was normal and he made no excuses when it came to those matters.
She respected that, she respected him, and it was because of that respect that she refused to be anything more than the friend he could count on.
But Sakura was not nearly as convinced as she was in that matter obviously. It was upon reaching this conclusion that ultimately led to her current agitation towards the pink haired Chuunin, who continued feigning her innocence. This had all but annoyed her to no end, especially since she continued to taunt her every moment the opportunity arose. It even reached the point that she couldn't enjoy her meal any longer in fear of 'accidently' throwing the bowl at the girl's fucking head. Lord knew she was asking for it and if her cheeks were slightly tinted pink as it was and in the blonde-boy's presence, she very well would have turned and given the little bitch a verbal thrashing she'd never forget.
Unfortunate for Yugito, Sakura had already been subjected to this during her training under Tsunade; but that wasn't important.
With all that being said, it was only a matter of time before the muttered curses coming from her right caught her attention. Yes, her gaze did shift towards the boy who was still struggling with his noodles, along with the chop-sticks, but not for a second longer than necessary less Sakura take note of it. But it was hardly something that could be ignored for very long, considering that he couldn't seem to get it and it was obviously frustrating him.
Of course, by this point, everyone present was aware of how much Naruto enjoyed Ramen, and knew instinctively that this was his own private hell on earth. That knowledge didn't make it less annoying unfortunately, especially since he kept cursing after each failed attempt. By this time, Yugito couldn't stand it any longer and was about to finally lend him some assistance, Sakura's relentless taunting be damned, when someone else beat her to it.
She didn't know why, but she suddenly found a new target to focus her rage at.
"Thanks Ayame-nee-chan!" A little too overjoyed for just a bowl of noodles in her opinion, but none the less Naruto was happy at finally being able to indulge himself on his favorite meal of all time. "Seriously, this was getting so annoying. I owe you for this big time!"
"No problem Naruto-kun." The tone that the Ramen waitress had used made her wish, just once, to punch her in the jaw. It was sweet, too fucking sweet, for her to even bear listening to. "Honestly though, you're such a drama queen. So long as you don't make a mess, I'll keep giving you a hand; deal?"
"Hohay!"
"Stop talking with your mouth full!"
*SNAP!*
Now she suddenly had the urge to apply the same procedure she had planned for the waitress onto Naruto as well; given the way he was grinning and chuckling like a buffoon.
The abrupt sound that filled the stall succeeded in causing all eyes to turn towards the blonde kunoichi who was currently holding a set of broken chopsticks in her left hand. Her expression betrayed nothing but awareness of her actions; the way she turned her attention towards the now broken utensils as if browsing supplies a store only fueled everyone's curiosity further. The sole exception to this was Sakura of course, who took note of how much pressure the woman was applying to them moments prior. It might have been classified as downright eerie the way she just dropped them onto the countertop before taking another set, breaking them apart, and returning to her meal.
That was until she glanced back up to stare back at all parties who had yet to remove their gaze from her person; be it the dullest gaze of Kakashi to the most dumbfounded ones belonging to Naruto.
"…is there something wrong?"
Naruto was the only one among those staring who shook his head in response, though still clearly confused by her action just a moment ago. Kakashi and Yamato mainly didn't care regarding the matter and Ayame was quick to remember her purpose on the opposite side of the counter; though still stealing glances at the blonde every so often. Amongst all of them, however, only Sakura was the one the least surprised regarding the woman's actions; hell she was silently giggling to herself with what had transpired. This, unfortunately, was something Yugito did not miss and soon turned her attention towards the girl who didn't so much as care at this point in trying to hide it.
"You really shouldn't take your frustrations out on the tableware Yugito-san."
She knew what was coming, knew because it had yet to stop the girl since they had gotten here, thus she chose to confront the issue before it escalated any further.
"Not another word or I'll carve out your tongue." Though in a hushed tone, it was still a very legitimate threat and one she fully intended to follow through with if the bitch didn't knock this silly shit off. "Do we have an understanding here, Haruno?"
With one hand covering her lips and the other waving in the air, Sakura surrendered the comment for the time being for the sake of remaining out of harm's way. That still didn't stop the young woman from giggling though, amusement now radiant in her eyes as she stared at the woman beside her. Oh how the temptation to just deck the girl right then and there was just damn inviting at this point. This was growing out of control, so much so that the blonde was acting completely out of her character.
If things didn't stop escalating soon, questions would begin to rise; questions she didn't have any intention of answering. She needed a distraction, something that would get this damn girl to leave her be and focus on something else besides her.
"Yo, fishcake, ya gotta guest at the front gate~" And that distraction came in the form of Bi, who had picked precisely the right time to part the curtains and peek his head into the stall.
"There is no gate, Bi-san." Of course, captain obvious also provided an additional distraction, as Sai fully entered the stall, though his attention shifting from Bi towards the rest of those present. "I believe there is a child who asked for 'the Boss' to step outside for some reason."
"Kanahaharu?" Her repulse by his table manners was pointedly ignored in favor of shifting her attention outside and, indeed, finding a young boy standing in the road in wait. A light smack from Ayame and a long slurp later, Naruto had risen from his stool and had stepped outside to find Konohamaru standing there and appearing quite happy to see his older friend again. "Yo, Konohamaru, good to see ya!"
"Yo, boss, glad to see you're doing as okay as I heard!" News of Konoha's successful defeat of two Akatsuki members traveled fast it seemed. Though it was hard for it not to go unnoticed since the organization itself had drawn in a lot of attention since the attack on Suna. "Now that you're up and moving, I got something new to show you, and this time it'll blow you away!"
It somewhat amazed her how much the kid's grin reminded her of Naruto's own. The fact that he referred to the fellow blonde as 'Boss' pretty much stated the obvious; Naruto was this kid's role-model and was thus taking up after him. This did succeed in causing a small smile to form on Yugito's lips as she too stood up to see what would transpire, as being inside was making it difficult to listen in on what was going on. Apparently she wasn't the only one as all of the other patrons in the stall had done the same, mildly interested in what was to transpire here.
She had not been forced to wait long before witnessing something she had not expected to see; a familiar cross-shaped hand seal, a plume of smoke, and finally a second child completely identical to the other. She was aware of the technique itself as well as its difficulty to perform; for a Genin to make even one was damned impressive and she would be the first to admit that. Given what she observed so far and his relationship with her caretaker Yugito could only assume that Naruto, who regularly performed the technique, must have been the one who taught this boy how to do it.
Silently, the young woman couldn't help but be quite impressed with the child's ability to learn and utilize such an advanced technique.
"Guess you've finally got the hang of using Kage Bunshin; not bad Konohamaru." The manner in which Naruto was praising the lad might as well have belonged to someone different. Strange and informal as it was, it was still a treat in itself to hear and see the usually energetic teen acting with an aura of maturity. Based on his tone and expression, one would think he was observing a student in training rather than a younger friend. "Alright, show me what you got then; what's this new technique of yours?"
Konohamaru, both of them, simply grinned before forming the exact same seal; something which caused Yugito to raise an eyebrow at. She wasn't the only one either, as most of the shinobi present had the same sort of mindset. That seal was for a very basic technique that nearly all shinobi had learned. Nothing with that particular seal was different, all he did was add a second body into the mix, which pegged the question as to what could possibly be new about-
"Oiroke no Jutsu: Onna no Ko Doushi!"
When the smoke dispersed, Yugito had to bear witness to the most disrespectful, unethical, and over-all useless technique that had even been conceived by man; or in this case by a boy.
The scene that was now for her viewing displeasure was the sight of two completely naked and voluptuous young women purposely pressing themselves as close as possible together whilst striking a highly suggestive position. Part of her wanted to cry out in outrage, another part wanted to pretend she didn't see this, and a third party wanted to strangle someone; it didn't matter who just someone. Instead, she chose none of these options and merely stared, stared long and hard while mentally hoped, wished, and prayed that her gaze would cause the image before her to spontaneously combust.
Though, there was at least some closure in this whole thing, as Sakura had finally found something new to focus her attention on; if her noticeable expression of outrage and disgust wasn't of any indicator. If she herself wasn't so flabbergasted by this sight, she would have been delighted and amused by the sight. Unfortunately, she couldn't relish at the distraction which only served to further her desire to throttle someone. Though, not everyone shared the same amount of anger in which herself and Sakura had felt in this moment, as the others currently present were male, thus the reactions were not nearly as noticeable as hers or Sakura's.
"Konohamaru you're a genius!"
"Great display of ass n' ti-taays~"
Naruto and Kirabi's reactions pretty much summed up what she had expected to hear from the male party. It was upon hearing of Naruto's obvious approval that every bit of respect she had for the blonde just a moment ago was swept away. This also prompted the blonde woman to divert her attention away from the bomb-shell duo and focus her entire attention towards the whisker-cheeked young man. Her gaze must have been carrying some killing intent with it, because the moment she locked her gaze on the lad, he had shivered and began searching for something; eventually finding her stare.
"Oh crap," The instant he locked eyes with her, he knew he was in deep shit; knew it well enough to not even bother to wipe the blood that had leaked down his left nostril. So, he did what any normal teenage male would do in such a situation; feign ignorance and direct the feminine agitation elsewhere. "O-oi, what did I do; it's his technique not mine!"
"Explanation. Now."
When the initial plan failed, Naruto went with the alternative option when faced with this sort of circumstance; spill your guts and hope you live.
"Oh come on, that's an awesome distraction! Besides it's not like we're using it in a real fight or anything; it's just a little competition have going on that's all."
That did little to quell Yugito's anger; rather it only intensified the woman's fiery gaze further to the point that there really was killing intent being directed at him. The only thing that was keeping her from proceeding down the path her thoughts were taking her was the cast that was covering his arm; and even that was becoming less and less important as the seconds ticked by.
"Oiroke no Jutsu: Otoko no Ko Doushi!"
Upon hearing that, both blondes' shifted their attention towards the indicated area, where a plume of white smoke temporarily obscured Konohamaru visage. Apparently, during the course of Yugito's stare off with Naruto, Sakura had made her displeasure known and took it upon herself to make that clear to the creator of the vulgar technique. The reaction was to be expected, but the insults regarding him as a person for making it was going too far. Henceforth Konohamaru had chosen to act in defense of his technique in a manner that would undoubtedly humiliate both him and her in the process.
The said defense was largely similar to the former technique; two naked individuals in a provocative position. The difference being that, instead of females, it was two males who were far too close to one another. One of these males went unrecognized by the Kumo kunoichi, while the other was no doubt the acting replacement for the third member of Team Seven. The sight alone did nothing to her, both were too pale for her particularly tastes.
"Oh my god, you're a Genius!"
"Ah, that's me and Sasuke-kun."
Sakura, on the other hand, seemed to be super effected by the sight and made little to no effort in trying to be subtle about it.
With the exclusion of Sai, the males observing all seemed to share the same response at varying levels; disgust and outrage. Sai appeared to be the least bothered by it, Kakashi being in a close second in how little the sight seemed to have bothered him. Yamato's hand had already found itself on his forehead, seeming embarrassed; at what or for who was anyone's guess. Naruto and Bi were the one's who appeared to be the most perturbed by the sight, the latter of the two having gone as far as to lift his sunglasses up to fiercely scrub away at his eyes.
Performing that stunt must have been just as humiliating or downright disturbing enough for the lad, because the visage of those two was not prolonged for very long before it had been canceled. Konohamaru himself looked and likely felt mortified with what had just done, but in its own way he felt that maybe it was worth it. Sure, he had to resort to doing that to prove his point, but all the same he showed everyone just how hypocritical the girl was for badmouthing about a technique his friend and older rival taught him years ago.
Hence the smug look on his face as he stared up at the pink haired girl, proud as he was to have exposed the girl's dirty little secret in front of everyone. Oiroke no Jutsu was made with the intention of targeting perverts after all.
"What the hell was that Konohamaru! I'm gonna be having nightmares of that for weeks thanks to you!"
"My eyes, my eyes, this demise is a worse fate than runnin' outta rhymes!"
"Oh stop it you two, it wasn't that bad." Yugito, despite herself, couldn't help but voice her thoughts aloud at the two fellow Jinchuuriki's over exaggerated outcries. Based on her tone, it was clear that the woman was amused and pleased for reasons only she knew of and thus didn't bother to suppress the smile playing at her lips. "Now you understand how it feels when the roles are reversed. Not as much of a genius technique as you believed now is it?"
"You're heartless!"
"Maybe, but nightmare fuel works as a decent means of punishment for being a bad influence Naruto."
"That's cruel and unusual punishment!"
"Y-yeah, you two deserve that!" Credit had to be given to the girl for at least making an attempt to save face, wiping the blood that drizzled down her nose before crossing her arms over her chest. "As— as if any respectable woman, much less me, would fall for such a pitiful technique like that!"
The key word above being attempt, as in she had tried to protect her image as 'a respectable woman' in this situation. But the damage had already been done and her words were of course responded with several flat stares from all males, and females, present in the area. Even the folks in the stall behind them were giving the girl the same stare, which made it all the more hilarious when the younger Genin of the group basically voiced what everyone was thinking.
"Guess birds of a feather really do flack together."
Seven, count seven, heads nodded in a synchronized fashion upon those words.
Okay, so maybe the brat's technique did prove to be useful after all. Not only would this get Sakura off her case since she certain the girl wouldn't be speaking anytime soon, but Naruto had also received his own form of payback for teaching the young boy such a technique. Did that mean she was still upset with both parties; most definitely yes. But this small victory would keep her content for the remainder of the day. That didn't mean that Yugito seize the opportunity to mess with the pinkette once things settled back down and she re-entered the group.
"It seems I learn something new every day." Her tone, attest to normal, carried barely repressed mirth within it as she stared at the pinkette's crestfallen face. "I had no idea that was your particular fancy, Sakura-san. I cannot say I'm surprised though, everyone is entitled to their own private fantasies."
Said girl's head immediately snapped up to glare ferociously at the blonde woman who was soaking up every bit of that anger like a sponge. Remember, Yugito was the one who liked to dish things out on others; not receive it herself. This entire day she had been on the receiving end up Sakura's taunts and jeers, it was her time to extract some justly deserved revenge while the wound was still fresh.
It was for that reason that Yugito took on the same ignorant guise that Sakura had worn nearly the entire day, her eyes half-lidded and the sweetest, fakest, smile she could produce adored her features as she returned the girl's glare in kind.
"I believe this is the part where I say 'payback is a bitch', but that would be a rude thing for me to say in this situation, wouldn't it?" Oh this was getting fun! No wonder the pesky girl wouldn't stop messing with her, it was so thrilling to intentionally piss someone off; especially when they rightfully deserve it! "You understand of course, being the respectable woman that I am and all."
More credit had to be given to the pink haired medic for having more self control that Yugito had pegged her to have. Clear as it was that girl wanted to hit her, which would have been a welcome challenge since she could use the sparring session, but refrained from acting any further than clinching her fists tightly. Her hand's loosened as her breathing slowed back down to calm herself, though her eyes still retained the righteous fury within them and was just waiting to be set free. It was refreshing to see the girl in the opposing end of this little game.
However, the words that Sakura spoke next ended this little game for the remainder of the day, along with her content mood.
"Naruto's not into boobs, just as a little heads up for you."
Sakura didn't wait a second after this statement to examine Yugito's face, preferring instead to just go home and save herself from any further humiliation today. If she had waited a few seconds longer, she would have seen a mixture of emotions flash on the blonde's visage. From confusion as to where that statement had come from, to the understanding as to what the girl was insinuating; which caused her to unintentional lower her gaze down briefly before rising again to stare at the female's retreating back. That was an insult fitting for a sore-loser, someone who needed to get the final word in to make themselves feel better after a loss.
Of course, she hadn't been a willing participant in the little game Sakura was playing, if anything Nebi's host had been the victim up until this point. Now that she had just a little dirt on the girl, she goes and becomes a spoiled sport about it. Rationally, it was something that could be overlooked since Sakura was still younger than her and was still at the age where immaturity was acceptable. So was Naruto for that matter; factor in that he was a male and hormones ran rampant around this time in his youth and you have a typical teen-age young man.
Yes, it was acceptable, but this had been the first real time she had taken note of him acting like this.
Come to think of it, now that the thought was in her mind, she hadn't noticed her roommate ever once trying to do anything that she had expected a man to do in the presence of a woman.
She wasn't as flamboyant about her appearance as some people she had met or knew, but she would like to think herself as attractive in appearance to the fairer sex. But since day one of her arrival here in Konoha and in Naruto's care, she had never once caught him trying to steal glances at her at any time. That meant one of two things: either he was very discreet whenever he did so or he wasn't doing it at all. This line of thought only caused her to further ponder about Sakura's words and what it was she had implied.
"…"
Teal sphere's actually made a downwards decent towards the two hills of her chest as her lips steadily shifted into a thoughtful frown. She had bust, not nearly as large as the women that Konohamaru had transformed into, but there was definitely enough to be noticeable even in her Jounin attire. In the off chance that she actually cared about Sakura's words and if they were indeed true, would that explain why Naruto had never spared her any glances at home, during their past spars, hell at all?
Naruto didn't know why, but for some reason he felt a chill go up his spine from his position back on the stool inside Ichiraku as Ayame helped him eat. To his added confusion, when he began searching the area, he could not find Yugito's form anywhere in sight.
"Why am I doing this?"
This hadn't been the first time she had voiced this question aloud since she returned to the apartment shortly after Sakura's departure. Each time she proposed this inquiry she was met with silence, only to sigh and resume the action which she was performing. There was no major thought process behind the action, nothing groundbreaking that had enlightened her in regards to the act's purpose; but she continued anyway. The action itself was humiliating, and if Naruto had been present she would not have dared to even attempt doing this. Thankfully, he was still out, thus leaving Yugito to perform this in private without fear of being discovered at the moment.
The said action was pretty simple, but something out of character for someone like her. As, at this very moment, Yugito stood in front of the only mirror large enough to view her entire form wearing nothing but her white undergarments.
The same dark eyes stared flatly at the reflection that was present in the mirror, observing her own physic and following through with the same pattern that had repeated several times prior in the last half hour. After several moments of pointless observation, she would turn until her shoulders were facing the mirror, allowing her to see the curve of her bust. They were, for the most part, average and when she gave a slight bounce in place, she noted how they moved accordingly to the action performed. She wasn't as stacked as a certain friend of her's back in Kumo, but they were by no means small either; so she justly labeled them as being above average for someone of her current age.
While most would say that was just perfect, mostly males mind you, she found them as just another annoyance to deal with. That was a rather common thought honestly as Kunoichi all over had to deal with this problem, or at least the ones who actually had a note-worthy bust. She personally was glad for their current size, as anything more would just be a consistent annoyance she could do without on a constant basis.
When it came down to muscle, she was still proud to note that nothing had changed since she had left Kumo. Her belly remained flat as ever, though the muscle that was present was still noticeable though not overly so. While her complexion may have altered slightly during the course of her stay here, it wasn't something that warranted any complaints from her really. Formerly fair-skinned, Yugito's hand rose to brush along her stomach in admiration to the light, though still noticeable, tan her skin was now sporting. She had been thankful to the fact that her body hosted Nibi since, had she been anyone else, she may still be shedding at this point; but thankfully that wasn't the case.
Still, even with Nibi's passive assistance, there were a few area's present on her being that displayed scarring that were not capable of being repaired. It was a fact that not many were aware of, but Yugito could not have her wounds be healed as flawlessly as Naruto or Bi would. Given the vast difference in power between their respected Biju, it was understandable why there was such a gap in comparison between hosts outside of just chakra levels. Unfortunately, said scar was present in two places that blemished her nearly flawless appearance. The most noteworthy of the two being a long yet thin slash-like mark beginning just below her left breast and continuing down to her hip while the second was a noticeably smaller scar created from a stab wound to the right shoulder.
Both scars were given to her by the same opponent and stood as the only wounds which could not be healed due to the multitude of other injuries that she had sustained. That mission had led to her most difficult conflict to date and closest she had ever been to death in her entire career thus far.
The scars had served as a reminder to her that she was not all powerful because of the Nibi's presence within her. Death was still an equally possible outcome for her as it was for anyone as she was still as much of a human as the rest of her comrades. They also served to cause her discomfort at times, the larger scar of the two did travel further up than what she could currently see. Having never desired to pursue an intimate relationship with anyone in Kumo, she would silently wonder how the male populace would react to knowledge of that scar.
Her friend had assured her that no man would find it unattractive, but that still didn't stop her from being self conscious about it whenever she viewed herself in the mirror like she was now. She wasn't ashamed of it, heavens no, there was no reason to bear any shame in carrying a few scars here and there in this line of work. The only time one should be ashamed of their scars is when they are caught and tortured; at least that was how it was in Kumo. Still, even if there was nothing to be ashamed of, even after all the reassurance that she received; Yugito still covered them up so as not for preying eyes to behold.
She couldn't even begin to imagine what Naruto would think if he saw—
"Snap out of it." Growled the young woman to herself, her once thoughtful expression contorting into that of frustration and annoyance as she turned to fully face the mirror. "Seriously, what am I doing this for?"
While she may not voice it or even remotely admit it, another knew the exact reason as to why Yugito was doing this. The fact that she was merely denying the truth did nothing but trouble the very being in which the blonde contained. It wasn't inclined to give forth its opinion on the matter, in fact it rarely did unless her host sought its council, but to the Nibi the matter was pretty damn obvious. It didn't take being a demon or having several lifetime's worth of experience with mortals to be know it either.
Yugito just had a tendency to make personal matters difficult for both herself and those around her.
What was most troublesome about this was that, even if Nibi spelled it out for her, the girl would only continue to deny it. She knew the reason why, of course she knew the reason, thus explaining why the creature did not bother to comment. It was all centered around that other mortal that took residence here, but anyone with half of a brain and even the slightest bit of insight would be able to conclude the same thing. No genius was needed to deduce that, but again Yugito continued to make things difficult for herself by failing to admit the truth.
Her reasons were justified, nine times out of ten she had reasons that warranted such behavior, but if she just went ahead and admitted to the truth they both knew would make everything less stressful for the poor girl.
From within the seal which bound her to the blonde's soul, Matatabi yawned dully as the giant creature of blue flame coiled itself into a more comfortable position.
"Oi, Yugito-chan, you feeling al-" Both tenant and host's attention focused on the voice that was suddenly in the same vicinity as them. For the very individual who had constantly been in the back of the young woman's mind was currently standing in the doorway leading to the bedroom the two shared. Of course, all words that were about to be said died in his throat upon realizing Yugito's state of dress. "-right?"
Neither blonde moved for several moments as the room filled itself with an awkward and stained silence. Eventually, though, one of them had to finally come to their senses and the first to achieve this had been Yugito. Once it registered that Naruto was now present in the same room as her and was practically standing there naked in front of him, her face immediately turned completely crimson. Shock was soon replaced with an emotion which Naruto had yet to ever witness on her; complete and utter terror.
What she was afraid of, he didn't know, but one thing even he was able to become aware of quickly enough was that this was not the opportune time to be standing here and to get the hell out.
"MybadYugito!"
He was fortunate enough to proceed to do just that, his form retreating out of the doorway and slamming the door as he exited. This action was followed shortly by two distinct noises; one he had been expecting and the one he had not. The first noise was the sound of something shattering against the door, most likely one of his potted plants that he kept in his room and was taking care of. The second noise, however, had come shortly before the formerly mentioned crash.
"KYYAAAAAA!"
In spite of Yugito's predicament, Matatabi could not contain her laughter no matter how desperately she wished to suppress it.
Poor girl had it bad.
UPDATED AS OF 3/3/2015
And there you have it ladies and gentlemen, I hope you all enjoyed it. I don't have a song this time that inspired this, mainly because this chapter was pretty hard to get out on my part. I'm just thankful I managed to get what I have here for you all to enjoy and I apologize for the long wait. Me being honest here, the reason this took so long was mainly due in part to playing Skyrim again and getting stuck in it. Really, its hard to break away from that game especially when you're trying to level without using exploits. The other reason was mainly due to the introduction into this chapter, but once that got started it pretty much snowballed into what you have now.
I hope y'all enjoyed the bit of humor that I tried to bring into the story for this chapter; since I felt it was long over-due. Sure, this is a romance story, but romance still has room for some humor in it wouldn't you agree? I mean, if it didn't, than I would just find the entire thing boring; espcecially since Kirabi is apart of this story as well. Yes, don't think I forgotten the big guy; he's too funny not to have a part in this story somewhere.
Now, you've all been good little boy's and girl's; what do you say about going into that little box down below?
Come on, I shouldn't need to tell you this anymore, but if I don't you may not do it.
I know its there, I know you know its there. What's stopping you, hmm?
Come on, admit it, you like it; so go ahead and do it.
Click it.