The Boy in the Park
Chapter Seventy-Three
Naruko avenged Asuma a week later.
The next day, she received a frying pan to the head. "You. Should. Rest." Shinku hissed dragging the girl back in her bed. "You asked to be discharged from the hospital and nursed at home. I took leave. You don't get to slip away!"
"But Anikiii…" she whined, flailing her casted arm around. "I'm hungry."
"Next time, don't go using a self-destructing technique like that with your right arm. Throw it or something," he growled back.
"I can't throw a Rasengan!" Naruko patted.
"You shouldn't be able to leave the bed for another week," he retorted angrily. "Kurenai-neechan is sleeping in the next room, just keep it quiet."
"Why do you call her neechan?" Naruko asked suddenly, just as Shinku dropped her on the bed.
"She's my sister, right?" he retorted, "You are too."
"You don't call me neechan," Naruko insisted.
"I don't call Sakura that either," Shinku continued. "An appellative hardly matters…are you jealous over something like that?"
"No, I'm not jealous!" Naruko retorted hotly, flinging a pillow at his face with her left hand. "I'm just bored!"
"You're a Chuunin, act like one," Shinku rolled his eyes. "Do you want anything to read?"
"I'm tired of doing nothing but reading," Naruko pouted, grabbing with her left hand the book on her bed desk. "Why can't I train?"
"You can't be tired! You came home just yesterday! And you can't train because you're wounded," he retorted.
"But now I'm healed."
"You still have the cast on," Shinku deadpanned. "And Tsunade-sama told me it would take at least a week."
"Ugh…casts are stupid! How am I supposed to know it's healed if I can't take it off before? And it's scratchy! And then my arm gets all furry and it sucks taking a shower or going to the bathroom…" whining, she slumped the back of her head against the pillow.
"And flipping pages one handed is horrible, plain horrible," she sulked finally. He gave one long look at her 'beaten up' form, and then quietly took the book from her left hand. He flipped it over to read the title, and then coughed before starting to read.
"The tale of the utterly gutsy shinobi began on a clear and crisp morning, with the sun peeking beyond the mountains of his Gutsy Village. The Gutsy shinobi was a boy, whose name will be told in due time. The Shinobi walked towards the Gutsy Kage's tower, to receive a mission. A very important mission indeed, for the Gutsy village was in a dangerous war with the Question Mark village, an enemy shinobi village. Nobody knew who had started the war any longer, but everyone knew or at least believed to be the good guys, avenging their fathers' deaths, who in turn had died avenging their forefathers and so on and on, in a cycle of hatred and malice."
He flipped the page.
"The Kage was an old perverted man, wearing bright white and purple clothes, with green dots. His name was Arutobi, and he clearly was not the Hokage." Shinku snorted. "You! The Kage bellowed pointing at him, "Yes, you! A loud crash echoed in the room, as the window opened loudly in fact, the name of the Gutsy shinobi was drowned out by another shinobi entering the room."
Frowning, Shinku turned another page.
"It was the lascivious but highly klutz Tzu, a flat-chested plank board of a woman. Her eyes were deep pots of honey and amber, and her smile could make a dry desert into a waterfall of love within an instant…" Shinku's eyebrows both rose. "I admit," he said, "That even I, the Author, am in love with her. However, we must progress."
"Old Gutsy Kage! Tzu exclaimed, worry etched in her voice, a trouble lies in the forest! An enemy shinobi is infiltrating the village! Something must be done to stop him!"
"Very well then, go, Gutsy Shinobi, and another loud crash drowned out the Gutsy shinobi's name, go and fight! Fight for the village and kill the Question Mark ninja!"
Shinku huffed as he flipped another page.
"And so the Gutsy shinobi went. He went and dashed way past the Klutz Tzu who still beautifully ran, and he jumped up the highest tree of the Gutsy village, before seeing the enemy far off, at the horizon. And so, even more he ran. He ran and ran, slowly but surely catching up to his enemy, until in the end he caught up to him and thrust his kunai to kill him. But the man dodged, and then bellowed. You cannot stop me, Gutsy Ninja! I will bring the information of your village's defences back to my village, and we will avenge our fathers!"
Shinku brought up his right hand to emphasize the point.
"But if you do that, then our children will fight your own for revenge! The gutsy shinobi replied. Isn't there a way to end this cycle of hatred? Can't you just stop instead of killing? And the Question Mark shinobi replied, with his voice filled with arrogance, Why? You began it! We will finish it! Drown in your own blood, Gutsy shinobi! Drown!"
Shinku flipped the page.
"Never! I am the Utterly Gutsy shinobi, and I will fight you! But then, the question mark shinobi replied, So it is true! And my son will fight and kill yours then! There is no hope for peace! DIE!" Shinku breathed in slowly.
"And so they fought, until in the end it seemed as if the Question mark shinobi had pinned down the Gutsy shinobi, and just as he was about to give the finishing blow however, the Utterly Gutsy shinobi disappeared in smoke, before reappearing on a nearby tree. A large trunk fell then on the head of the Question Mark Shinobi, and the utterly Gutsy Shinobi yelled then, with his chest puffed up high and a beaming smile."
"I am Naruto, the Utterly Gutsy Ninja! I don't know if I'll ever find a way to stop this cycle of hatred, but I will! I swear my life and pledge my soul upon this, for I will stop this war! And so, Naruto began his travels, looking for a way to save the world of ninja from its own violence…" Shinku's voice trailed off, as his eyes then went to Naruko's sleeping form.
"Tired brats should sleep," he chuckled to himself as he closed the book.
Sighing, he made sure the casted arm was on its pillow, before looking once more at the sleeping face of Naruko.
"Sleep well, Naruko," he stood up and then, for some reason he too could not truly understand, bent down to give a light peck on Naruko's forehead. "Nice dreams," he whispered, and then left.
Or at least, he would have. Had a flash of light not appeared in that moment, coming from a camera that was within the hands of Kurenai.
Kurenai smiled angelically.
He suddenly felt extremely cold.
Naruko just began to snore with a stupid smile plastered on her face.
Author's notes
Fluff-Hanger. You know, the place where you hang the Fluff.