Disclaimer: I don't own nor have I contributed to Naruto in any way! Nope! None!
2nd Disclaimer: I don't own any songs mentioned in this fic!
Sky-eyed Kitsune: Summer is finally here! I'm very happy ^^ Unfortunately though I am taking a summer class, so you guys will have to wait until the second half of summer for faster updates...
Reviwer Questions:
To DamaHuerta: Yes, Anko was a traitor, and yes, she is now Naruto's trainer. Things to be revealed later...
To Darling425: No, it's not a typo ;p I'm glad to see that more and more people are catching this ^o^ There are many things to be revealed in chapters ahead! And of course your review matters! I read every one of my reviews and cherish them all! And no, you didn't annoy me at all lol. It's nice to have some good old fashion critique. And I realized that blond vs blonde thing shortly after I released this chapter, and now it annoys the hell out of me when I see it in other stories lol.
To Pebble of the Sand: I apologize, my updates aren't on a schedule. I had a long period of writer's block after the last chapter, and I would appreciate it if you would be patient with me "for petes sake" as you said. I have vowed never to abandon a fic, and I always keep my word. As a writer you should understand.
Chapter Dedication: For Kate Louise K. Such a lovely review, I feel so honored! ^^ And thank you everyone else for your wonderful reviews and support! I feel so flattered!
Chapter Fourteen: Dangerous Relations
Jiraiya kept his eyes trained on his bisque as he uncharacteristically stirred it several times. Across from him sat the owner of Akatsuki Studios, a man called Pein.
His red hair was tamely spiked around his face, brushing against the nape of his neck and akin to Naruto's. His eyebrows, chin, ear, and just about every other part of his face was pierced with silver studs. The suit he wore was black with a white undershirt, the red cloud symbol for his modeling studio imprinted on his right breast. His wine red eyes were deep and calculating in an almost cynical fashion as he stared across the table at Naruto.
Naruto didn't meet Pein's gaze, mimicking Jiraiya's actions as he swirled his bisque around.
Jiraiya finally dropped his spoon nosily against the porcelain bowl and cleared his throat.
"Thank you for inviting us to lunch Pein-san, but may I ask the nature of this kind invitation?" he said as levelly as possible. He felt slightly humbled in the presence of this man. A multimillionaire on par with Gaara, Pein owned a booming chain of modeling studios over various cities and states, collectively known as Akatsuki. Not only was their modeling studio as popular as Sungakure, but they had many more of their agencies stationed in different countries, and thus were more profitable.
"Of course," Pein said, finally removing his eyes from Naruto, though the blond's body remained tense. The redhead took a sip from his wine, then placed it back down and interlaced his hands neatly on the table.
"As you're well aware Akatsuki is growing more and more popular in leaps and bounds everyday due to our studios becoming more widespread for new talent. But then very, very few slide through our qualifications and expectations." Pein smiled slightly and flicked his eyes back to Naruto, who shivered slightly under the weight of the man's stare.
"But Naruto-kun undoubtedly has." Naruto looked up as soon as the words left the redhead's lips.
He wouldn't deny that Pein was a handsome man, and surprisingly young as well. He couldn't have been more than three years older than Naruto himself. Naruto wondered how such a young man could become so vastly wealthy in such a short period of time, but then he would also have to question himself.
"I…what?" Jiraiya said slowly, blinking twice. Naruto was as befuddled as his guardian, taking a sip from his wineglass.
"Getting straight to the point, I want Naruto-kun to model for Akatsuki."
If Naruto were any less of a man then he would have spit out his wine the moment it met his mouth. But since Jiraiya was present, he folded his lips inward and choked the tart liquid down.
"This…th-this…" Jiraiya stumbled over his words, searching Pein for any hint of sarcasm. He found not a trace. "This is such an honor."
"I decline."
Jiraiya whipped his head over to Naruto, who stared Pein down sternly.
"You decline??" Jiraiya spouted, beating Pein to the question. Naruto nodded.
"I have a ten year contract with Sungakure Studios."
"Hm," Pein said, eyebrows bouncing slightly in surprise. "You realize that you would be making twice the amount you currently are at Sabaku's and your popularity would reach impossible heights?"
"It already has," Naruto said. "I can't stand the popularity I sustain now, so why would I want more?"
"Naruto," Jiraiya said dangerously, but the blond ignored him entirely.
"Furthermore, the amount of money I am paid to work at Sungakure already has too many number places in it for me to even remember let alone count. I have also personally tied myself to Sungakure through Gaara Sabaku. Thanks for the offer, but no thanks. I belong to Sungakure."
Jiraiya watched, open-mouthed as Naruto stood, silently excusing himself, and exited the restaurant.
Pein looked after the blond, and then did what Jiraiya would have never expected if a multi-millionaire that had just been brushed off.
He smiled.
"That's quite the firecracker you have there sir," he said, lifting his wineglass to his lips once more.
"I'm terribly sorry, he-"
"He what? Isn't afraid to exert his opinion?" Pein chuckled. "This just raises Naruto-kun's value as a model in my eyes. He has personality, and that is the most valuable possession a model can have. Rest assured Jiraiya-san, I intend to do what I can to persuade Naruto-kun."
Pein stood, placing down a check for the meal, and left the building, leaving Jiraiya in his continued state of shock.
Pein stepped into his limo gracefully as the door was opened for him, and he settled himself down in a seat, letting out a wisp of a breath.
"So?" the woman already sitting in the vehicle asked. She stared at the young redhead curiously, like an alley cat eying up a plump, cornered mouse.
"No," Pein said simply, shrugging his shoulders slightly. The woman scrunched her eyebrows in confusion, her dyed blue hair leaping forward over her shoulders as the limo pulled out abruptly.
"No?" she repeated back in case she had been mistaken. Pein nodded. "The little brat. How could he say no?"
"It's Sabaku. He is fiercely loyal to Gaara-san."
"That studio has been a thorn in our side since we became big," the blue-haired woman hissed, glaring at the floor. "What do you propose we do about that?"
Pein tipped his head back and closed his eyes in thought, expelling a breath through his nose.
"Naruto-kun emphasized how he was personally loyal to Sabaku. He and Sabaku must have a special friendship or something to that effect."
"Your point?"
Pein tilted his head to look over at the woman. "An empire wasn't built on impatience, Konan."
Konan rolled her eyes and folded her arms crossly.
"As I was saying, Naruto-kun has a special relationship with Sabaku. This must indicate that he is more of an emotional person than one drawn to business, otherwise our extremely generous offer would not have been declined. If there was some way for Naruto to become attached to someone who works for our studio, perhaps one of our models, then he would join us for the sake of company."
"Would blondie really forget about Sabaku so easily?" Konan scoffed.
"True." Pein ran a hair through his hair in thought. "Well the worst times seem to brings people together the most. Perhaps if a traumatic event were to happen to Naruto-kun and one of our models just happened to be the one there to comfort him in his hour of need, a "special" bond could be formed. Perhaps traumatic in the form of loosing a lover of some sort?"
"I wasn't aware that Naruto-kun had a girlfriend," Konan said. "That manager of his keeps the boy so consistently single."
"True," Pein sighed.
"Family?"
"Kid's an orphan."
Konoan scoffed. "One hell of an orphan." There was a thin pause in the limo. "What about his manager? Doesn't Jiraiya-san also double as Naruto-kun's father?"
"Yes, so?"
"So you dipshit, what if something…unfortunate were to befall our dear Jiraiya-san, and no friends of Naruto-kun's could be there to comfort him because they got "caught up" and the only one there to offer a shoulder to cry on would be one of our models?"
Pein processed Konan's words before a grin formed over his pierced lips.
"Get Madara on the line."
Naruto shook his head as he turned his car around a corner. How could that man even ask him to join Akatsuki when he obviously knew that he belonged to Sungakure? It didn't matter if every other model in the world would give up their arms and legs to be in Naruto's position. Naruto had personally pledged his loyalty to Gaara. End of story.
Caught up in his inner tirade, Naruto looked up briefly to see a red light, but didn't register the color. As cars suddenly honked and beeped, he gasped and looked up, smashing his brakes in time to screech to a stop inches away from a man using the crosswalk.
"Oh my god!" Naruto said, pulling his vehicle out of the light and to the side as he burst from his car and ran over to the man who had stumbled to the ground in surprise.
"I'm so sorry! Are you OK?" he asked hurriedly.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," the man said, and Naruto paused as he actually got a good look at him.
Beautiful. This man was…gorgeous. Almost as handsome as Sasuke was.
Almost.
His black hair fell in slightly spiked shards around his young, pale face, illuminating his dark coal eyes. His hair reached further down to his mid back, tied in a ponytail. His lips were curved in a gentle and forgiving smile. He wore a slick leather coat that met his worn but comfortable looking jeans.
"Um are you OK?" the man asked.
"Oh yea! Sorry," Naruto chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "I kinda dazed out." Naruto held out his hand, and the man took it gratefully as he stood from the walkway.
They jumped as cars honked at them, the light now green, and they hurried off the crosswalk to the sidewalk.
Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly and stuck out his hand again.
"Sorry again, I'm--"
"Uzumaki Naruto," the man filled in. Naruto blinked back dumbly as the man shook his hand.
"How--"
The man pointed to a billboard behind them advertising a Sabaku clothing line, featuring the blond.
"You're everywhere," he chuckled, and Naruto blushed a little. "Heh, right…"
"Uzumaki-san! It's Uzumaki-san!" came a far off cry, and Naruto groaned.
"I'm so sorry," he sighed as the paparazzi stampeded towards them. He gasped a little as the man grabbed his hand and they sped off down the sidewalk. They stopped a minute later in front of a parked Bugatti, and the man unlocked it.
"This is your ca--"
Naruto was cut off as the man jumped in and tugged the blond in to sit on the other side, closing both doors. As the paparazzi came up upon the car, Naruto gripped his seat as the car was thrown into drive and screeched out of its parking space.
Naruto's heart pounded as the stared at the expanse of road before him as they drove, clutching a hand over his chest, his skin prickly with surprise. He looked to his left as the handsome brunette drove.
"You alright?" the man asked, and Naruto nodded, sitting up.
"Y-yea…" He coughed a little.
"I uh never got your name."
"Madara."
"Well uh thanks for saving my butt back there, but what about my car?"
"I'll call to have it towed back to your house," Madara said, holding his cell phone to his ear as he spoke. After he had received directions from Naruto on where to tow his car and he had hung up, Naruto cleared his throat.
"So uh…how'd you afford this car--I mean if you don't mind me asking…cause this thing is supposedly the most expensive car you could possibly get, right?"
The man laughed a little and nodded. "It is, and we are both in the same business." Madara pointed to Naruto's feet, and the blond picked up a magazine laying on the ground by his shoes.
"You model for Akatsuki?" he asked as he saw Madara on the front cover posing in an undeniably sexy fashion.
"Hn."
Naruto blinked. That "hn" sounded exactly like Sasuke's. Come to think of it, this man looked a lot like Sasuke minues the longer hair…
"Uh, excuse me Madara-san…"
"Madara is fine," the raven said, flashing Naruto a smile.
"Ok, Madara…are you in any way related to the Uchihas?"
"Uchiha? No I'm afraid not," Madara said, scrunching his elegant eyebrows a little in confusion. "Why?"
"Nothing, you just look like an Uchiha I know is all."
"I see."
Twenty minutes later of giving Madara directions again they pulled up to Naruto's house.
"Arigatou," Naruto said as he stepped out of the car.
"Anytime," Madara said. "I have to say, you live up to your reputation."
"Reputation?" Naruto asked, turning around.
"At Akatsuki we call you the nine-tailed fox."
Naruto felt his cheeks flush a little as Madara drove off.
"Pfft," Naruto huffed as he left.
Sasuke sighed as he walked to Tsunade's office, a stack of papers under his arm as he sorted through a blue folder in his hands. Thin frame glasses were perched on the tip of his nose, sliding down more as he tilted his head forward to dip his eyes further down the contents of the folder.
"Tsunade-san," he said since he was unable to knock.
"Don't keep me waiting Uchiha," he heard Tsunade say from behind the door, and he pushed it open with his back, still not looking up from his files. He closed the door when he entered and sat down in the cushy chair in front of her desk.
Tsunade's eye twitched as Sasuke was still completely immersed in his file.
"Uchiha," she said.
"Hn," Sasuke grunted.
Tsunade rolled her eyes. She sat up from her chair, leaned over the desk, and slapped the file out of the raven's hand, making him jump and sending the papers under his arm flying.
"Sasuke!" she shouted into his face.
Sasuke closed his eyes and slowly wiped Tsunade's spit off of his face with the back of his hand.
"Yes?" he finally said.
Tsunade threw up her hands as she flopped back into her chair. "It's like your brain's been sucked into that file!"
"Hn. What did you want?"
"Well excuuuuuuuse me for disturbing your intimate moment with your folder, but I thought you might want this…" Tsunade handed Sasuke a white envelope, and the Uchiha took it cautiously. It couldn't be anything good, since he had received his paycheck not three days ago.
Tsunade's eyebrow twitched as Sasuke stared at the envelope like it was infected with a rare disease.
"Open it dammit!" she yelled, and Sasuke rolled his eyes as he did so. He let the envelope flutter to the floor as he pulled out a thin strip of paper. He scrunched his eyebrow at it, then flicked his gaze up to Tsunade.
"What's this?" he asked.
"A bonus," Tsunade said, grinning a little. "That interview with Naruto is the sole reason that G!amor:us sold out in one day after 10,000 issues were spread along Japan. They can't print to keep up with the demand. It's all thanks to you Uchiha."
Sasuke blinked. Tsunade was praising him for something? That must have been the first time she ever--
"Now get out."
"…what?"
"Get out! I have a meeting in here in ten minutes, idiot!" Tsunade hissed. Sasuke didn't need to be told twice. He left the room swiftly, shutting the door firmly behind him.
Tsunade smiled a little after him.
Jiraiya really hadn't expected lunch with Pein to go well. Before even entering the restaurant he had a feeling ringing in his ears that it was not to be a good afternoon meeting. But he was wrong. It was a disaster.
Jiraiya paced in his office; around the front of the desk, to the back, to the corner of the room, to the door, rinse, lather and repeat.
He knew that he was still on bad terms with Naruto but he had at least thought his son would talk to him during the lunch instead of pretending that he wasn't even sitting at the table. It had been two weeks since Jiraiya's fight with Naruto, and the tension only seemed to grow worse. Naruto looked right through Jiraiya like the wind, and never took notice of him anymore. They didn't spend time anymore together, even when Naruto was working. In fact Jiraiya hardly ever saw his son these days since on the evening after the fight Naruto moved into the Uchiha's house. All that he left was an empty room, stripped of its owners belongings.
Jiraiya had never seen Naruto so serious about being with someone before. Even when he parted from Kiba, his first real flame, he had never taken drastic measures. Sure he had cried in his room, and in the shower…and at breakfast…and in the bathroom…but he recovered from the loss. Jiraiya realized that this was now an entirely different playing field.
Naruto was twenty-two, not seventeen. He had a steady and very high paying career and could easily support himself without Jiraiya. Although Jiraiya was Naruto's manager, he knew that he could be replaced in a heartbeat if Naruto said the magic words. Naruto was also living with his lover. Looking at things realistically, Jiraiya knew that he couldn't make Naruto come home, or even tell him where his home was anymore.
Jiraiya slowed in his pacing, and sighed as he dragged himself to his chair, swiveling it to face the large window behind him overlooking the lush garden in the backyard.
It was time to face facts. Naruto didn't need him.
He didn't need daddy anymore
Kind of a sad chapter...but at the same time we have some trouble brewing for Naruto and Jiraiya...please tell me what you think!
Sky-eyed Kitsune
Translated by Gomi-kun
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