CHAPTER RATING: T

…

Episode 7: Emissary, Part III: An Unclear Dream

The trio arrived at the aforementioned Hot Spring inn that was a few miles down the road. Kakashi lead the way into the main hall, followed by Sakura and Hinata, both supporting an exhausted Naruto on their shoulders.

"Welcome!" An elderly woman greeted them.

"Hello, we'd like four separate rooms, please." Kakashi said while placing money on the counter.

"Right away!" The woman cried.

She spared a look of concern at Naruto.

"Is he alright?" she asked

"He's fine. He's got a lot more stamina than most people, he just needs to rest." The woman smiled and shouted:

"Ayumi! Come here, we've got customers!" From behind the main desk, a tall woman with long brown hair stepped through the short curtain that hung onto the ceiling.

"What is it, Grandmother?" The young woman asked.

"Show these people where they will be spending the night."

She led them to the east side of the building, and showed each of them their rooms.

"The hot springs are on the other side of the building. Please tell me if you need anything else, don't forget, my name is Ayumi."

Kakashi nodded his understanding to her as she smiled and walked away. He turned to Sakura and Hinata.

"You two can go relax, I'll watch over him until he wakes up." They laid him down onto the bed, smiled, and entered their own rooms.

Kakashi could hear them talking to each other as they walked down the hall.

"Well, Naruto. I wonder what would you do in this situation?"

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his copy of Make-Out Paradise.

"Book one, Page one. Time to start over."

…

Hinata and Sakura slowly entered the hot spring pools. They sat next to each other, both facing the edge of the pool. They relaxed, letting the pain in their bodies soak away.

"Hinata, what you did today was awesome." Sakura abruptly brought up.

"T-Thank you, Sakura-san." Hinata quietly answered.

"Can I show you something, tell me what you think."

"Okay."

Sakura brought her hands together to form seals: Dragon, Snake, Bird. A loose rock broke away from the surrounding boulders and flew towards Sakura's open palm.

She set the rock down in front of her and raised her fist.

"SHANARO!" Sakura screamed as she brought her fist down onto the rock, which seemingly disappeared into a fine cloud of dust.

"Wow! Sakura-san, that's amazing! Where did you learn how to do that?"

Sakura dipped her gravel covered fist into the warm waters of the pool to clean it.

"I developed the technique a few weeks ago while Kakashi-sensei was training me."

"How did you do that? I'd like to know."

Sakura formed the seals again: Dragon, Snake, Bird. Another small rock broke away, Sakura moved further into the pool with the stone in her hand. She turned and faced Hinata.

Slowly bringing her hand down in a punching motion, she began to explain.

"Every time you strike an object, a shock wave is sent through that object." She slowly motioned her fist down, lightly tapping the rock with her knuckles. "The shock wave is caused by the resistance of an object."

Sakura bent her knuckles and lightly tapped the rock again.

"If I strike the rock at the right moment, the second strike meets no resistance; the two impacts meet in the middle, and pulverize the rock."

She raised her hand again, and brought it down. Hinata focused on Sakura's hand with her Byakugan. As Sakura's hand came down initially, she struck the rock; Sakura then bent her knuckles down and struck the rock again, another wave of impact shot through it. Hinata saw the waves clash in the center of the rock and rumble outward.

The stone then turned into a cloud of grey dust.

"Sakura-san! That's amazing!"

Sakura smiled and dipped her hand into the pool again.

"I'll have to show Naruto some time."

"Just…please, don't strike Naruto-kun with it."

"I promise, I won't."

…

Naruto began to stir. Kakashi lowered his book.

"I told you not to overdo it." Kakashi told Naruto with a smile.

"Where are we?" Naruto asked.

"We're at that Hot Spring inn that the old man told us about."

"Where are Sakura and Hinata?"

"In the hot springs."

"Ah." Naruto stood up and began to walk towards the door.

"Naruto, you aren't going to do anything you'll regret are you?" Kakashi asked while suspiciously eyeing him.

"Kakashi-sensei, who do you think I am?" he replied with a smile. Kakashi held up Make-out Paradise.

"You're the apprentice of the man who wrote this."

"Kakashi-sensei, Do you know that there are only two times that Jiraiya-sensei almost died? One time, he was fighting me while I was in the nine-tails form. The other time-"

"He was attacked by Hokage-sama while peeping on her during her time in a hot spring."

Naruto nodded.

"I don't plan on having two women kill me tonight, Kakashi-sensei." He said with a smile. "But in this case, I think Hinata would be the one who lands the first punch." His smile widened.

Kakashi smiled at Naruto as he walked out the door.

"It's good to hear that, Naruto."

He found himself alone in the thermal pool, tuning himself out and staring into the star filled sky. He closed his eyes and listened to the sounds that were happening around him.

He sat still.

Completely still.

Orange lines began to form around his eyes, and his pupils began to flatten. He could feel everything around him, sensing everyone and hearing everything.

Focusing his mind, he heard Sakura and Hinata speaking about pulverizing a rock. He focused in even more, and he began to see and sense the movement of their chakra. He saw Sakura moving her hand up and down and finally saw it crash against a rock. He could feel every particle of the stone spread as it dissipated into the air.

He leaned his head back and relaxed.

This isn't the same this as peeping, is it?

He waited until they left before he began to walk back to his room.

…

That night, while Naruto slept, he began to dream.

He could hear a woman's voice echoing and stuttering like a broken record.

Naru-kn-…h-his…n-ne-v-v…regr…pro..mi..e

Apolo…gize…I-…sorry…forg-…me?

He could almost make out who she was; he could see her face and hair. but her image was broken as a wave of static ripped through her in his mind.

L-Lie…to…yo-…all…th-…tim…

Plea-…for….me.

B-but…I…me-…it…

I…

He shot up in a cold sweat, eyes widened in surprise and confusion. He held his hand up to his face, panting in quick and shallow breaths.

What…What was that?

…

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