Me: Naruto does not belong to me!
Meet
"My brother wants to meet with you guys." Kasumi commented casually after a fierce spar two days later. They were getting better, slowly but surely. She hoped it would be enough.
Meanwhile, Naruto managed to choke on air, and Sasuke whipped around to stare at her with wide eyes.
"What?!" They cried in synchronicity. She resisted the urge to shudder. That was really creepy. Apparently Naruto and Sasuke thought so, too, by the disgusted looks they shot each other. Kasumi hid her smile carefully.
"My brother wants to have dinner with my team." She repeated patiently.
Naruto's jaw dropped to the ground and Sasuke scowled, eyes darkening to a black abyss.
"Why?" He snapped, voice cold and cutting. Naruto hauled up his jaw to frown at the Uchiha's tone of voice, said boy promptly ignoring him.
Kasumi raised a pale eyebrow, painstakingly aware of what Sasuke's older brother had done to him when he was only eight years old. "Onii-san is an overprotective seventeen year old jounin." She responded mildly. "Frankly, I'm surprised he has waited this long to demand a visit, Sasuke-san."
Sasuke glowered at her silently and she sighed. It was hard to argue with the Uchiha. Push him too far and he would refuse out of simple pride. Don't push him far enough and he wouldn't bother giving her his attention. It was a delicate balance and she had found she liked trade-offs. It worked.
"One dinner." She bargained. "Tomorrow at six o'clock and if he's satisfied, he won't ask for more."
The dark-haired boy pressed his lips together. He didn't want to meet Kasumi's brother. Hell, he didn't want to meet anyone's brother. Not when his own brother... was That Man. As far as Sasuke could see, there were two options set in front of him. He could go... or he could not go.
If he didn't go, his teammate and her brother would be upset. Unfortunately, he had no doubts that Kasumi could make his life hell if she so chose, judging from her previous acts of retaliation. Her brother was a jounin and could probably do worse, if Kakashi was any sort of example.
If he did go... well, he would be miserable. There was a reason Sasuke had never accepted any of the numerous invitations to have lunch with others; it was too much of a reminder of what he had once had but could never have again. A family.
"Fine." He caved at last, giving his aggravating female teammate a dark glare. "But only this one time."
Kasumi smiled sweetly, a glint of satisfaction in her eyes. Sasuke's glare didn't lessen, not fooled for a second. Had he not agreed, she probably would have just dragged him there by force. Thankfully, most of the time, the petite girl preferred to coax and persuade rather than pummel and lug.
"Naruto-san?" She turned to the sweating blonde.
"We-Well..." He shifted his weight nervously, appearing unusually nervous.
She looked at him closely, eyes thoughtful. Analyzing. "What's wrong?"
"Err..." Naruto bit his lip, cerulean eyes darting here and there but never meeting the eyes of his teammates.
Kasumi waited calmly, not saying word but commanding a response nonetheless. She knew her teammates, knew them well, but she didn't understand why Naruto was so afraid and that irritated her on a personal level. She should be able to know and predict both of her teammates' responses in any given situations. It was important, especially in combat situations, seeing as she was their team's strategist.
Sasuke, quite curious as well, directed his own gaze at the increasingly fidgety blonde. He was fascinated by the practically visible tension Naruto was giving off; he had never seen the knucklehead so... jittery. Normally, Naruto was bold and brash and loud and orange, of all things. He made a mental note to discuss the dobe's terrible wardrobe with Kasumi later. Naruto would probably listen to her best.
"Idon'tknowhowtobehave!" Naruto finally blurted out frantically, all but ringing his hands.
Kasumi blinked. Tried to unscramble that sentence in her mind. "... You don't know how to behave?"
Naruto nodded miserably, scratching his head. "Uhh... yeah. I've never been to one of those fancy dinner parties, so..."
Sasuke smirked. Hey, he had mellowed out, but he was still Uchiha Sasuke. Naruto noticed immediately, dropping his embarrassment for annoyance.
"Shut up, teme." He grumbled.
"I didn't say anything," Sasuke pointed out, smirk never faltering.
"It doesn't matter, Naruto-san." Kasumi stepped in smoothly, hiding her own faint amusement. The second she 'sided' with Sasuke, Naruto would explode and sulk and that would turn into a whole big cluster mess. "Onii-san doesn't care for manners. Be yourself and I'm sure you'll be fine."
Naruto hesitated, but nodded uncertainly, scuffing the ground with his boot in an attempt at distraction.
Kasumi smiled that smile again. The one that threatened something nasty if there were any problems, masterfully covered with generosity and patience. "It's agreed then. Tomorrow at six."
Neither boy dared to disagree.
Hiroshi
"Alright." Kasumi steadily led her teammates toward her house, nonchalantly ignoring their increasing anxiety. With Naruto, it was pathetically easy to tell. He was sweating buckets and fidgeting constantly. With Sasuke, it was more subtle, but she could still see it. He wasn't radiating his normal holier-than-thou aura and his steps weren't as assertive as usual.
"Onii-san is a jounin, so don't try to challenge him." Primarily aimed at Sasuke and he knew it, too, brow furrowing slightly.
"No pranking him; he isn't as easygoing as Kakashi." Yes, Naruto, that was for you.
"Ah, and be yourself or he'll arrange another dinner." Both Naruto and Sasuke looked uneasily. She pretended she didn't notice.
"Ne, Kasumi-chan?" Naruto spoke up, voice softer than the norm.
"Yes?" She turned a corner, her teammates following.
"Why isn't Kakashi-sensei here? He's a part of Team 7, too." In fact, Kakashi had no idea they were having a dinner together at all.
A slight smile curved Kasumi's lips. Good. Naruto was learning. He wouldn't have caught on to that little quirk even two weeks ago. "Onii-san is a jounin, Naruto-san. He already knows Kakashi-sensei. He does not know you or Sasuke-san." She replied without missing a beat.
"Ohhh..."
"I assume your brother has the Tentaiora as well?" Sasuke wasn't at all comfortable with his teammate's bloodline. Kasumi was obviously untrained and unfamiliar in its use and yet, her predictions in battle would be unerringly accurate.
It didn't help that she had told them her kekkei genkai was unique to the user, and she wasn't very clear on all of its abilities. Sasuke had no idea what her brother would sense if he turned that bloodline on him and he didn't like that in the slightest.
"Yes." The merest hint of steel in her tone told him not to push it. He didn't.
Finally, several more twists and turns later, they were standing in front of a small, tastefully decorated single home.
"Wow..." Naruto whispered in awe, cerulean blue eyes frantically taking in the pleasing sight. "You live in a pretty house, Kasumi-chan."
Kasumi smiled sweetly. "Thank you, Naruto-san."
"How do you afford all of this?" Sasuke questioned idly, taking in the neatly trimmed lawn, bountiful hydrangeas, and slender willow tree. Middle class, he judged, a high middle class residence. Which was... strange.
As the one in charge of his own money, the Uchiha knew quite a lot more about finances than most other twelve year olds. Kasumi had never mentioned other relatives other than her brother, so he assumed it was just the two of them. And one jounin and one green genin would have trouble affording such a nice home.
Her smile faltered slightly, but her tone was light when she answered, "It's an advantage of being the last remains of a powerful clan with a kekkei genkai. We receive a monthly paycheck from the Hokage and the Council."
Before her teammates could respond to that depressing statement, Kasumi glided across the stone path and procured a key from somewhere on her body. Face falling back into stoic lines, Sasuke joined her, Naruto right behind him. Sliding it easily into the lock, she unlocked the door with a soft click. Stepping in, she beckoned for Sasuke and Naruto to join her. They took in their teammate's home with curious eyes.
The walls were a soothing pale blue, delicate white designs spanning the ceiling. An elaborate mahogany table with a pale green glass bowl of potpourri greeted guests. The whole place smelled like cool linen and warm fires. This, Sasuke realized with an inward start, was why his teammate smelled so good when he was aware she never used lotion or perfume.
Green vines contained in wooden pots entwined around the curling stairs in the dead center of the room, lending the room a small piece of the forest. Hung on the walls were beautiful paintings of meadows and streams and forests. Mixed in between were kanji characters for serenity, duty, and fate.
Sasuke found himself thinking that the house reflected the cream-haired girl quite well. Simple but complicated. Single layered until you looked closer and found yourself trying to see the bottom of the deep ocean. Steady and comforting but with a wild core that refused to be caught.
"Onii-san! Naruto-san and Sasuke-san are here." Kasumi called out into the quiet home.
A split second later, a man appeared in front of the three with a flicker of wicked fast Shunshin, making Sasuke and Naruto stiffen in surprise and instinctive defense. Kasumi didn't even blink, indicating this was a normal state of affairs.
The man that could only be Kasumi's brother was tall with chocolate brown hair and warm brown eyes, dressed in a purple shirt under a jounin vest and black pants. Fit and visibly strong, his jaw was sharp, his eyes cruelly intelligent. Said jounin also gave the two boys standing next to his precious little sister an openly ruthless once-over. To not wilt was all the male genin could do.
"Onii-san." Quiet reproach.
The man narrowed his eyes at Naruto and Sasuke, something dangerous flickering there for a moment. They tensed at the thinly veiled threat despite themselves, but a mere second later, he was grinning cheerfully at them, his face so honest and open that both boys stared, rather confused
"Hi! I'm Hiroshi, Kasumi-chan's older brother. You're her team, yeah? Nice to meet you!"
Sasuke blinked and Naruto's eyes bulged out. The hell? Talk about bipolar! With Sasuke mostly antisocial and Naruto thrown off, they scrambled for a response, the silence stretching out uncomfortably.
Kasumi sighed, taking over the introductions effortlessly before things worsened, "This is Uchiha Sasuke. And this is Uzumaki Naruto."
"Excellent!" Hiroshi's grin widened as if the two boys hadn't just made fools of themselves. "Come on in! Dinner's ready!"
Great. A few more hours eating with a jounin who was clearly unimpressed with them and someone they most certainly could not piss off.
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged glances, for once in complete accord with each other. They were so screwed.
Dinner
"How are the potatoes? More salt?" Hiroshi asked politely.
Sasuke hurriedly stuffed his mouth full with tomatoes and Naruto wiggled awkwardly in his seat.
The dining room was very nice. Painted a pale green, small lamps provided an ambient atmosphere. The table was covered with a luxurious red cloth and fascinating paintings were hung on the walls. The table was covered with a variety of delicious dishes on simple white plates and a bundle of lilies served as the centerpiece.
Very, very nice. But neither Sasuke nor Naruto could enjoy the meal or the settings because sitting at the head of the table was one jounin intent on making them feel as nervous as possible without actually saying or doing anything wrong.
"N-No. They're good." Naruto was proud of himself for only stuttering once, beads of sweat dripping down his neck.
"You did a good job on the fish, Onii-san." Kasumi commented before the silence could become too strained. Again.
Hiroshi beamed at her. "Aww! Thank you, Kasumi-chan!"
Sasuke got the strong feeling that the only reason Hiroshi hadn't filleted him and the dobe for the next meal was because of their female teammate, who had somehow managed to keep the peace and her patience, a truly impressive feat.
"So... Naruko-chan was it?" Hiroshi said offhandedly.
Naruto almost choked on his rice. "Umm, actually, it's Naruto."
"Yeah! So Naruko-chan, what's your dream in life?" His grin never faltered.
Naruto's eye twitched, but he kept his cool. Mostly because Kasumi-chan's brother was scary as hell. "I want to be Hokage!"
"Hokage, huh?" His smile became slightly mocking, but he turned to Sasuke. "And you, Sasu-chan?"
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, but kept a hold of himself, voice coming out icy cold, "I will take vengeance for my clan."
Hiroshi froze, his smile dropping like a stone. The mask of cheerfulness and welcome broke in a millisecond and he stared at Sasuke, eyes suddenly dark and penetrating, jaw clenching so tight it had to have hurt. His gaze abruptly flickered to his sister, who sat next to him.
Kasumi's face was utterly blank and she stared into her bowl as if it was the most interesting thing she had ever seen. To anyone else, she looked disinterested, detached from the conversation. Her brother knew better, knew that this blow was unforgivable in so many ways.
Confused, Naruto and Sasuke looked back and forth between the two siblings. They could tell something was wrong, could guess that something about Sasuke's goal had struck a sore point, but they didn't know anything more.
Kasumi adamantly refused to meet her brother's gaze and after a moment, Hiroshi looked back at Sasuke, his face nonchalant once more. "Vengeance is a heavy goal to have."
"It's my burden to bear." He replied, eyes tight.
Hiroshi merely smirked mockingly and said nothing more on that topic.
Evil
"I'm going to go check on the herb garden." Kasumi said suddenly an hour later. She rose to her feet in a smooth move, placed a hand on her hip.
Naruto went pale as a sheet. Sasuke had more composure than that, but on the inside, he was just as panicked. She couldn't just leave them with her murderous brother!
The three genin and the jounin had relocated to the living room after the tension filled lunch. It was as beautiful as the rest of the house: the walls a generous pale cream and the sofas soft and comforting. Pillows and luxurious throws were scattered across the room and some small desserts were on the small chestnut table in the middle of the room. Not that any of the occupants really cared at the moment.
Before they could say a word, Hiroshi said, "That's a great idea, Kasumi-chan! I'll look after your teammates for you!"
If it was possible, Naruto became even more frightened. Nooooo! She couldn't do this to them!
Kasumi gave her brother a thoroughly dry look. "Of course you will, Onii-san. I expect Naruto-san and Sasuke-san to still be alive and well when I come back."
And with that she walked out the door and left her teammates with her evil older brother.
Naruto and Sasuke were horrified. Rightly so.
A minute after Kasumi left, Hiroshi took out the kunai.
"Now then," He told them merrily, the look in his eyes pure menace. "Let's talk."
Sasuke discreetly took in a deep breath and Naruto loudly gulped.
Talk
"What do you boys think you're doing with my little sister, hmm?" Hiroshi tossed the lethally sharp kunai between his hands absently.
Naruto frowned, brow furrowing. "Kasumi-chan's our teammate."
Hiroshi scoffed. "Teammate? Neither of you even knows what teammate means. You're just children."
"We're not kids!" Naruto protested vehemently.
"And nonetheless, Kasumi is our teammate." Sasuke added, jaw clenched.
The jounin smirked, all cutting edges and scorn. "And so what? You two are deplorably weak. In a real fight, neither of you would be able to protect my sister."
"That's not true!" Naruto screamed, jumping to his feet, anger overriding his fear and common sense.
Not that Sasuke was much better. The Uchiha glared daggers at the much older and much more experienced man. How dare he outright state that Sasuke wasn't capable enough to protect his own teammate?! Who did he think Uchiha Sasuke was?! Sasuke was more than strong enough to protect Kasumi in a fight, damn it!
Hiroshi snorted. "Open your eyes, kid. You'll never be Hokage. You aren't nearly strong enough to protect my precious little sister. You're naive and slow and hopelessly powerless."
"Yo-You..!" For once, Naruto was actually speechless with anger. Worried, Sasuke shoved an arm before the dobe. They couldn't do anything stupid, not to this man.
Hiroshi looked over Naruto and Sasuke, nodding to himself. "Yes, you guys aren't nearly sufficient enough. I'll ask Hokage-sama to place Kasumi-chan in another team tomorrow."
That was it. The breaking point.
Naruto forgot all sense of restraint and lunged at Hiroshi with a loud cry. This time, Sasuke was too outraged to hold him back. If fact, he was right behind the blonde, those hours of training together as a team that Kasumi had enforced with an iron fist punching to the forefront.
Raising an arrogant eyebrow, Hiroshi casually sidestepped Naruto's punch and grabbed his wrist with ease, twisting sharply. A light flick of his hand and he sent the Uzumaki flying back to crash into a conveniently placed sofa with a loud "oomph". The blonde laid there motionlessly, stunned for a moment.
Weaving under Sasuke's kick, he hit him square in the solar plexus in a move too fast for even the Uchiha's activated Sharingan to see. Sasuke gasped, bending over in an automatic reaction to catch his breath. While he was breathless, Hiroshi caught the back of his neck and slammed him into the carpet.
"Bastard!" Naruto yelled at him, scrambling to his feet. Before Naruto could charge at the brown-haired man again, Hiroshi placed his foot on Sasuke's back to the raven-head's discomfort and placed the kunai at his neck.
Naruto froze, face paling. What was he supposed to do?! He didn't know how to react in a situation like this! He needed a plan, but Kasumi was always the one who came up with the plans! But Kasumi-chan wasn't here, so what was he supposed to do?!
"Well?" Hiroshi taunted, eyes cold and merciless. "What will you do now, Naruko-chan?"
The blonde gulped harshly. "Let Sasuke go." He said, proud that his voice, at least, came out steady if a little small.
Hiroshi smirked, coolly amused. "No, I don't think I will. In fact, how's this?" He pressed the kunai closer against Sasuke's neck, and the Uchiha grimaced, furious but helpless to do anything about it. "Agree to let Kasumi-chan go and enter another group, or I'll kill Sasu-chan."
Sasuke tensed, his still active Sharingan starting to spin in pure, unadulterated anger. What the fucking hell?! Who the fuck did this guy think he was?! What gave him the right to try and take away his teammate? Kasumi was their teammate and as far as Sasuke was concerned, that was the end of it!
Naruto was torn between being enraged, terrified, and petrified. How, how could he choose between Sasuke and Kasumi?! How could he do it? They were both his teammates and damn it, he didn't know what to do! Sasuke was his rival and his friend, but Kasumi was the glue that held them all together. How the hell was he supposed to choose?!
"How about it, Future Hokage?" Hiroshi scorned, chuckling sinisterly. "Where's your ambition now?"
Naruto visibly hesitated, futile panic painted all over his face. Surprisingly, it was Sasuke who made the decision for him.
"Stop looking like someone just pushed you off a cliff, dobe." He managed to grit out despite his face being pressed against the carpet. He deactivated the Sharingan to throw a smug smirk at his teammate. "Kasumi stays on our team."
Hiroshi narrowed his eyes, increasing the force against Sasuke's face. Sasuke grunted, grimacing as he was forced deeper into the carpet. "False bravo won't get you anywhere, Sasu-chan. Kasumi-chan or Sasu-chan? Choose, Naruko-chan."
Naruto took in a deep breath, hands tightly fisted. He met Sasuke's coal black eyes.
"Now!" Hiroshi dug the kunai against Sasuke's pale skin, but not hard enough to break it.
Sasuke gave the blonde a small nod and Naruto nodded back. He looked back at Hiroshi, a new, resolute conviction on his face. "Neither!" He declared confidently.
Hiroshi blinked. "Neither?" He repeated incredulously.
Naruto glared at him, cerulean blue eyes burning with a harsh inner flame. "Neither! Both teme and Kasumi-chan are my teammates and I'm not losing them!"
The older man's face went oddly unreadable, the disdain and mockery falling from his face. He had done it before, Naruto realized, when Sasuke was talking about his ambition. It was rather eerie, how easily Hiroshi showed and then discarded emotions.
"Oh?" Hiroshi looked down at his hostage. "And do you agree, Sasu-chan?" He let some more of his weight settle on the boy and saw him bite his lip to trap the cry of pain. But Sasuke didn't break.
"Of course." Sasuke said, eyes coldly contemptuous. "Kasumi is our teammate."
The jounin began to smile to the boys' surprise. "And will you stand by that decision even if Sasu-chan is killed?" He pressed the kunai even harder against his neck, but still didn't draw blood.
"Yes." Naruto and Sasuke stated in unison, the looks in their eyes equally as certain and challenging. There was no hesitation in their eyes, their hearts... and that was enough.
Hiroshi grinned widely and in a smooth movement put away his kunai, took his foot off of Sasuke and threw the boy at a sofa casually.
Sasuke's breath exploded out of him at the impact, but not letting himself think of the pain, he got to his feet and moved to stand next to Naruto.
Hiroshi eyed the two very determined genin confronting him so seriously with twinkling brown eyes. Laughing to himself, he relaxed deliberately and languidly draped himself over a nearby couch. "You can stop that now."
Naruto frowned. "What are you talking about?!" Sasuke mirrored his bewilderment though not nearly as obviously.
The man smiled at them. "Don't worry. I have no intention of taking Kasumi-chan away from you anymore."
Naruto's jaw dropped, his cerulean blue eyes widening. "Ehhh?"
Sasuke furrowed his brow, his mind racing through the event that had just happened... to come to one single conclusion that made him feel like someone had told him grass was actually red. In other words, blind denial. "It was a test?"
Naruto turned towards his rival, face showing plain incomprehension. "What are you talking about, teme?!"
"Sasu-chan is right." Hiroshi told them indifferently. "I did that only because I wanted to test how devoted you two are to my precious little sister."
The Uzumaki snapped his head toward the jounin to stare in flagrant disbelief. "You put a kunai to teme's neck!"
Hiroshi shrugged gracefully. "Extreme times call for extreme measures."
Shaking his head in shock, Naruto groaned and dropped back to crash on the sofa. Gingerly, Sasuke sat down as well, but kept a close eye on the seemingly friendly man. He didn't trust the complete no-harm aura Hiroshi was radiating out at the moment. He had just seen, first-hand, how deadly the jounin could be, and he trained with Kasumi, damn it. She did the same thing right before she kicked a guy where it hurt.
"Why?" Naruto demanded, fresh anger starting to bubble under his skin.
Hiroshi quirked an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Why?!" Naruto was reaching the end of his patience. Who did this guy think he was? He didn't care if this was Kasumi-chan's brother! He was a bigger bastard than teme could be!
The jounin smiled, eyes dancing. "Because I wanted to see if you guys were worthy of Kasumi-chan of course. You guys have already fought against one A-rank ninja and almost died together. If that didn't form a strong bond, nothing will."
Sasuke pressed his lips together. "This was never about whether or not we could protect her."
"Nope!" Hiroshi leaned forward and snatched a brownie off the plate. "This was about loyalty. Power and strength anyone can have, but loyalty... loyalty is rare and precious."
He directed a solid stare at Sasuke. "I wanted to know that if the chance came down between power and your team, there was a chance you would choose your team."
Sasuke resisted the urge to squirm even as he wondered at that choice. Weeks ago, he would have chosen power without a second thought. Now though... what would he do now?
Hiroshi turned to stare at Naruto. "And I wanted to know if you would ever sacrifice your team for your ambition to be Hokage."
Naruto scowled. "I would never do that!" He declared, slashing a hand through the air. "Never!"
Hiroshi smiled, carefree and approving. "Yup! And that's why I'm letting Kasumi-chan stay on your team."
He paused and threw a nervous glance at the closed door. "Ah. But don't tell her about this, got it?"
Sasuke blinked. Was... Hiroshi afraid of his little sister's wrath? A corner of his lip tugged up. Kasumi sure was something. "Why not? You did throw us around." He pointed out with ill-hidden glee.
Hiroshi directed an amused look at the Uchiha. "Sure, you could tell her. But this was a fight between men, yeah? You guys can understand why I did what I did. She can't. Probably get all pissy, too."
To their disgruntlement, Naruto and Sasuke got what he was talking about. They could understand why Hiroshi had done what he had. He had been protecting his beloved little sister and in his position, they probably would have done the same.
"Fine." Naruto grumbled. He shot one last glare at the jounin and pointed a rude finger at him. "But do that again and we'll kick your ass, got it?!"
The brown-haired man held out his hands in front of him in peace gesture with a small smile. "Hai, hai."
At that moment, the door opened and Kasumi stepped back into the room. She drew a careful look over the room and her eyes instantly locked on several discrepancies. One were the pillows scattered on the ground. Then there was the dubious Sasuke-shaped imprint on the carpet. And the red mark on said boy's neck.
"Kasumi-chan! How's the garden?" Her brother smiled innocently at her, and she noted with some interest that Naruto seemed to be finding the ceiling very interesting and Sasuke seemed to really like the pattern on the rug.
"It's growing nicely." She replied mildly, walking over to sit on a spare couch. "I see everyone here remains alive."
"Hahahahah... yeah..." Naruto laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. Kasumi absently thought to herself that she needed to teach the boy how to lie better, hiding her amusement with long time practice.
"I see." She said simply and let it go. For now.
Carrots
To both Naruto and Sasuke's surprise, after the fight with Hiroshi, they genuinely enjoyed the rest of the evening. He was remarkably easy to like when he wasn't trying to intimidate the hell out of you.
The jounin had a dry sense of humor and a mischievous streak that Naruto quickly grew to like. They spent a good half an hour talking about pranks that they had performed, as well as laughing over future ideas and how best they could destroy Konoha's peace and quiet.
Sasuke spent the time playing a quiet game of shogi with Kasumi. By the time the boys had to leave - "So, Kasumi-chan can get her beauty sleep!" - Kasumi had already won three times. Sasuke may have been a combat genius, but she was the strategist of their team for a reason.
"We're going shopping." Kasumi announced one day later, after they had completed that day's quota for training.
Naruto blinked at her and Sasuke raised a disdainful eyebrow. She ignored both, starting to walk off in the direction of the market.
"... Shopping? Why?" Naruto asked after a moment's pause. Kasumi could be remarkably vengeful when it came down to it, but, up to today, she hadn't ever chosen shopping as her method of punishment.
She stopped and turned her head back to smile pleasantly at him. "Why, because it's my turn to make the meals this week for Onii-san and myself."
Sasuke gave her a blank look that questioned her sanity. "... And?"
"Aaand, it just so happens that it's carrot season." Kasumi said, chocolate brown eyes deceptively innocent.
"... But what do carrots have to do with anything?" Naruto asked, thoroughly confused now.
She gave him a rather exasperated look. "Naruto-san, do you really think I have no idea what happened during the time I was gone?"
Naruto's mouth formed a small "O" and Sasuke decided to start plucking random weeds out of the ground.
Kasumi smiled, slow and knowing, but all she did was offer, "Onii-san really does hate carrots."
It was the first time Naruto and Sasuke ever remembered being excited to go shopping.
Next time:
Perhaps that was a bit extreme for the situation, but Kasumi was not going to let this blind, prejudiced old man hurt her teammate like this. Regardless, just that hint of a threat was enough to get him sweating, face paling.
Me: So... that was bound to happen eventually. Brother instinct and all. All my lovely reviews!~
PAVeY14: Lolz, Kakashi does know Kasumi has an older brother, he just rarely actually talks to Hiroshi. Thanks for the review, hun!
starrat: Great! Here ya go, hope you like it!~
Anber: That's wonderful, darling! I've so happy you like my story! Lolz, here's your update! Thanks for the lovely review!
wookiee. cookie. : Yup! Kasumi's bloodline is a work in progress! No worries, they healed up nicely. ;D, thanks for the review, hun!
rinievermilion: Lolz, I think you hit it dead on! Well, I don't think we've gotten to the accidentally touching part since they're only 12 or so, but he certainly did threaten them. Thanks for the review, dear!
Anime hotty lover. 18: Hmm... it was very interesting. Here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy it! Ah, and thanks for the review!~
Rosy Fire: :o. I never thought about using it for the lottery! Huh, wonder what happens if Tsunade ever finds out... ideas, ideas. Thanks for the review, hun!
hentai18ancilla: Lolz, you got it! Thanks for the review!
ShikiUploadz: Why, of course. To the mother hen part. Siscon... err, not reallly... thanks for the review!
Arcana The Wolf: :P. Maybe. Traumatic events and all. Lolz, I think that'll happen after the time skip. In which they are 14 or 15, not 12 year olds. Thanks for the suggestion and the lovely review though!
Nikita: I loved it! Hmm... I'm overjoyed that you have such beautiful wishes for Team 7. This is, sad as it, a terrible slow burn story, but I assure you, they'll get their time together. It's great that you liked the last chapter, it was meant as a sort of buffer between the drama of the Wave Arc and the Chunin Exams. Hiroshi... well, his approval came in time. XD, thanks for the delightful review as always, hun!
the shadow of nature: Patience, patience! Everything will progress as it should... thanks for the review, sweetie!
GlaresThatKill: Yup, that sounds about right! Nah, it was 100%, ;P. Sasuke's emo-ness is near legendary at this point, lolz. Thanks for the review!
MoonLily22: Well, Naruto and Hiroshi did fight, but Sasuke joined in. Ah, and Kasumi just let the boys to it, lolz. Thanks for the review, hun!
TheQueenofGoodbyes: Kasumi was smart, as usual, she escaped before the chaos could rage. Hiroshi and Kakashi... that may come later. Here's your update, thanks so much for the review!
Yuukiko: Oh, I'm so happy you think so! Ah, I always go on those binge reads at night, too. XD. Yes, Hiroshi was very, very overprotective, but it appears the boys settled their differences. Thanks for your lovely review, hun!
Me: All these beautiful reviews! You all should give me some more, ;P. Please check out my blog, massive thanks goes to my amazing beta, and review!~