The Boy in the Park

Chapter Seventy-Six

Jiraiya's funeral was a quiet affair.

Few people remained who knew the sage personally, but the newspapers and his fan cried all the same for the death of one of the most prolific porn-writers ever to exist.

So they cried not for the death of Jiraiya, the pervert-sage, but for the death of the author of books such as "Icha-Icha Makeout Tactics" and "Icha-Icha Ultimate Porn Collection."

The people assembled in wide groups in the libraries, narrating their favourite lines aloud and crying as they spoke of perky breasts and creamy thighs. Many children had to go through the roads with their ears covered by their scandalized mothers, while their fathers cried on, their hands on their chest in remembrance of one of the best porn authors ever to exist.

It was a sad day for porn.

Naruko had absent-mindedly clasped on to Shinku's hand during the funeral. She had held on to it as a lifeline, and hadn't let go even as the funeral ended. Her eyes watery and her gaze downcast, she probably would have fallen on the ground hadn't Shinku been looking out for potential 'dangers' on the road.

"The old hag wants me to become a toad sage," she said suddenly, as they reached the park midway through their trek back home from the cemetery. "I have to go and train on that mount 'something' of the toads soon enough," she muttered.

"Well…" and then, suddenly, something clicked. He was going to regret it, but… "Ehi, you remember three years ago?"

"Uh?"

"I made you a promise I didn't keep," he stated plainly.

"What?"

"I promised I'd take you to the mixed hot springs, and wash your back," he added then thoughtfully. Naruko's hand began to sweat as she turned red, purple and then scarlet.

"Ah…Ehm…Aniki…there's…"

"And now that I think about it, I never did bring you to hot springs, did I?"

He began to walk once more towards home. "Well, the day is young, you might have to depart tomorrow, and I'm not going to let the matter sit." He just had to think of it as washing Sakura's squirming three years old body. It worked on the same principle.

"But I'm clean!" Naruko meekly exclaimed, "I don't need the…"

"It will help you relax, I'm sure. A day at the hot springs is like…well, it's fanservice. Like when you watch a cartoon where there's an episode at the beach because of the skimpy swimsuits. There's also the hot springs."

"Ah…I…" and there went her counter-argument.

It wasn't difficult to pack a swimsuit nor was it difficult to reach the hot springs. The changing room for mixed bathing also had the bath area to begin with, so all that it took was simply Shinku to raise an eyebrow and nod towards the now completely trembling in shame Naruko.

For once, it actually felt somewhat nice being on the 'delivering' end of embarrassment.

Naruko sat down on the stool with only her swimsuit and her towel, while he merely walked behind her readying the soap and the brush.

"Ah…Aniki? Be gentle, please?"

She meekly whispered that, before biting her lip.

Outside the complex, Sakura's nose had lost all her blood as she laid in a twitching form on the ground.

'Be Gentle' was just THE catchphrase. As her body twitched, Hinata just looked to her limp body from her own position and then dreamily sighed. "Make her squirm, Aniki-san, make her squirm," her face turned red. "A squirming Naruko…eheh…ah…ohhh…" blood sprayed out of her nose for the mental images, and she too fell limp next to Sakura.

Back in the hot springs, Naruko held her eyes closed as she felt the brush pass over her back. She hummed, or at least tried to. She was supposed to be enjoying this, right? Well, she was but not in the sense, the sense she had hoped for. Maybe she really was too old for having her back washed?

She squirmed and fidgeted, her mouth letting out a gasp and then her throat a light moan.

"A…Anikiii…" she whined.

Shinku, meanwhile, was imagining Sakura in her three-years-old self, squirming around and giggling madly.

"Stand still," he said off-handed, scrubbing harder.

"You're turning me raw," she moaned aloud, just a second before the door of the mixed bathing opened.

"No one turns anyone else raw!" then the figure disappeared the next instant closing the door behind her.

Shinku blinked. He could have sworn he had seen his Anbu guard for an instant. Then again, he was surprised the woman hadn't entered to begin with. These were mixed baths, weren't they?

Then it was Naruko's turn to reciprocate. She halted there, and Shinku could feel her fingers trace the lines of where she had wounded him with her nails. That would probably scar, but it wasn't a mortal danger of sorts.

"I'm sorry," she muttered. "I…"

"It's not your fault," Shinku exhaled back. "And I'm made of tough stuff. A few nail marks on my back won't harm anyone—"

A few eavesdroppers turned to one another, before giving nods of understanding. 'Be Gentle', 'Turn her raw' and 'Nail marks on my back' were clearly signs of one simple action.

They just had to inform Ibiki, and then their job was done.

Meanwhile Kakashi slowly began to jolt down notes for his own book, which in the vacuum of loss of Jiraiya would probably see the light of the day. He'd entitle it: 'Icha-Icha Mixed Bath Action'.

He was sure it would sell millions!

When Naruko was done washing his back, Shinku commented then.

"Well then, now that we've washed each other's backs, I say we can take to the bath right?"

"Ah-han," Naruko stammered out. She was in her swimsuit so really, why was she worried about it? Her Aniki had his, so there was nothing to worry about.

Nothing. Her stupid brain just had to quiet down and…

She slipped into the water and remained there, watching as her Aniki did pretty much the same. Slowly, she scuttled closer to him. Slowly, ever so slowly, while humming that theme of that shark-film which was very scary in her opinion and had her swear off the ocean forever and ever.

Then Shinku-Aniki grabbed her chin with two of his fingers, and smiled at her brightly.

"Naruko," he whispered with his smile twinkling and shining through his perfect white teeth. "I can't hold up any longer…"

"Ah…what is it, Aniki?" she bubbled out turning completely crimson.

"I love you."

She fainted.

Shinku, meanwhile, watched from his spot as Naruko held on a sleazy half-mad laughter due to the heat of the bath. Groaning, he rolled his eyes and swam closer to the girl before she decided to drown in the hot springs.

"Really," he muttered, lifting her out of the bath. "It's the second time in two days that I end up carrying you, Naruko," he grumbled. "What is it, wife-carrying training?"

To that sarcastic quip, Naruko just replied with a half-drunk giggle of her own.

"I…love yah…aniki…"

"Yeah, yeah, I love you too…" he grumbled, "Brat."

The next day, Naruko left for the Toad Mountain without saying a word of goodbye.

He sighed and went to work as always. The way people were looking at him however…what was going on and why, exactly, were the Hyuga making curse-gestures in his direction?

The answer came under the form of an excerpt, written upon one of the most scandalous magazines of Konoha, that he so casually read as he strolled by towards the Academy.

Dirty things happen in the bushes! Hyuga heiress found doing kinky blood plays with pink-haired girl! Does true love know no kink?

He decided to do as he always did when something that went beyond logic attacked his brain.

He ignored the thing completely and went on.

Author's notes

It's the final countdown…