Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Toads
Today I got back from the academy just in time for Naruto to come bursting out of his apartment with his travel pack and an amount of energy that he has not had in the past couple of days since he got the news of his teacher passing. At first I thought that it was nice to see the old Naruto coming back. But that nice feeling turned into confusion when he yelled, "Manami", at the sight of me, and proceeds to grab my left wrist dragging me down the stairs and away from our apartments.
"Where are we going?" I yelled at him, trying to match his impossible pace as our speed whips my hair around, no doubt making it as messy as it is when I wake up in the morning. My breathing speeds up and quickly turns into panting. We are going way to fast. Every building, tree and villager that we pass looks like blurs at this speed. I wonder what we look like to them.
A second later I stumble and fall forward, forcing Naruto to yank on my wrist to get me back on my feet. "Keep up Manami!" Naruto yells back, never slowing down. "You have to see me off!"
The confusion I was feeling before doubles. "Why? Where are you going?" I forced out in between pants.
But he doesn't answer me as he comes skidding to a halt at the front of the Konoha gate, making me run straight into his back. Naruto lets go of my wrist and I instantly step back reaching up rub my now sore nose, and trying to catch my breath at the same time. "Naruto", some greeted as I walk around him, only to see a big toad carrying smaller, elderly, talking toad on his back. How is that possible? I turn to the left and see Sakura, and to the right, the other side of Naruto I see pineapple head and the hokage. What is going on? And why is no one acting like a talking toad is an everyday occurrence? The leaf village sure is weird. Known of this strange stuff every happened at my old home.
Naruto walks forward to stand next to the two toads and turn around to face the four of us. "I'm off", he said. Off to where? I think but with pineapple head, and Tsunade there I do not want to voice it. They usually seem put off when Naruto brings me along to things. Though I am pulled out of my thoughts when I feel eyes on me. I glance away from Naruto as he is conversing with the other three and make eye contact with the larger toad that is carrying the small toad. Now I am wondering if it is actually a toad. It still has a tail, so does that mean it is a tadpole? But it also has legs. So what is it? I think as it stares at me, never blinking. Slowly I slide closer to pineapple head as my panting slows down, almost back to breathing normally. I am pretty positive that toads eat insects. I have no clue what tadpoles eat, and if I do not know what tadpoles eat I defiantly do not know what a tadpole with legs eat. Especially one that is unnaturally large. So with the way the tadpole, toad thing is looking at me, I am not taking any chances. I carefully shift until I am partially standing behind Shikamaru. If that thing decides that it is hungry, I will have a shield.
"Do your best", Sakura said as the smaller toad and Tsunade finish talking.
Naruto nods his head, and then turns to me. He raises his hand and said, "Bye Manami. Make sure you remember your awesome big brother".
I wave back, as I raise an eyebrow. I think he dragged me here just because he wanted a traditionally family farewell. Like the ones you can see when shinobi parents or older siblings are leaving for a long mission so their whole family sees them off, not knowing when or if they will ever see their family member again. And I still have no idea where he is going. I thought as he turns around a starts leaving the village, except the two toads, or toad and thing do not follow him. Naruto makes it a couple of steps before he turns around and asks, "Where are we going?" Totally breaking the moment he had made when he had said goodbye, and Sakura had wished him good luck. The two chunin flinch at him, as I try not to laugh. I will miss him just because he is the only one that can make me want to laugh so much.
"Don't worry", the smaller toad said as he pulls out a scroll. Naruto makes a sound of recognition as the sight of it before he disappears in a puff of smoke. Well, I am convinced now. A talking toad and non-blinking thing are not good things, I thought as I fully move behind Shikamaru. Now I would have to find a way to get my adoptive brother back. But I would find a way that did not involve talking toads and pony sized, walking tadpoles.
"What was that?" Sakura asked, sound just as concerned as I am.
"It's reverse summoning", Tsunade said before the talking toad said farewell and disappeared along with that thing in a puff of smoke as well. "Well that's that", Tsunade said after a moment. "Now the most important thing is cracking that code". She said as she turned around and started back into the village. Leaving Shikamaru, Sakura, and I at the gate.
I look up at the two chunin as I step out from my spot behind pineapple head, feeling my initial confusion set in again as that tadpole thing is no longer here staring at me without blinking and at the mention of a code that I have no knowledge off. It is obviously shinobi only business. "Where did Naruto go?" I asked.
Sakura smiles down at me. "Training, so he can become more like his teacher, and protect our village". She said before walking away, following the hokage.
I turn to Shikamaru. "Training with a talking toad?" I asked, not quite grasping what is going on.
His lips twitch upwards in a lazy smile as he pulls his hands out of his pockets. He reaches up with one hand and ruffles my hair, much to me annoyance. "It's troublesome", he started as he stopped messing with my hair and put his hands back in his pockets, "but don't think about it". Then he too started after Tsunade, calling over his shoulder, "Go home Manami".
I sigh at that, as I take one last look outside the village, in the direction where I think the land of earth is, before turning and looking in the direction of Naruto's and my apartments. "But there is no one there", I mutter as I start back, shoving my hands into my pockets.
"So you met a talking toad?" Akio asked, the next day as we wander through the village heading to our normal training field after school. "Why?" He asked in the same tone that I had when Naruto dragged me to the village gate without explaining why.
I shrug and kick at a stray pebble in the street, feeling a bit lazy in the afternoon sun. "I do not know", I said slowly, still feeling confused from yesterday's events. "But Naruto went with them. Sakura", I started ignoring the blush on Akio's face, which happens whenever I bring up Sakura, "said it was for training".
We turn off of the main road and start walking on grass, almost at the training field. I can start to make out Neji's form at this distance. "What can he learn from a talking toad?" Akio asked as an afterthought.
"No idea", I answered as we reach are usual spot, and automatically start stretching. "And to be honest I kind of do not really want to know". I said, recalling that tadpole with legs. I sit down on the ground and start reaching for my toes as Akio works on stretching out his arms. Neji is on his side sitting cross legged on the grass with his arms rested on his knees, mediating. Even when he is doing something as relaxing as mediating he looks so serious.
Akio pauses in his stretches as he thinks, before he starts snickering. "Do ya think he's going to learn how to eat flies?" He asked, making me grimace as I imaged that. I like ramen eating Naruto better that fly eating Naruto.
"I hope not", I said as I stood up again, ready to start training. "What do you want to do today?" I asked. Not really caring what we do. I am just glad I have someone to do something with.
Akio's eyes dart over to Neji's side of the field before looking back at me and grinning. That look cannot lead to anything good. "Wanna work on teamwork?" He asked gesturing with his head in the mediating Neji's direction.
"Okay", I said drawing out the one word, not understanding what he wants to do.
Akio steps in closer so he can whisper, "We haven't trained together with Neji-sensei in a while so I think we should show him how much we've improved".
"We have improved?" I whispered back, whiling keeping my eyes on Neji. If he gets out of that mediating state he is sure to hear us, or suspect us of doing something suspicious, whether we are whispering or not.
Akio's grin widens. "Let's find out".
I sigh, knowing that this is a dumb idea and can only end badly for us, but we have nothing better to do some we might as well. "Alright, so what do you want to do with Neji-sensei?"
Akio smiles and me, and points to Neji's supply pouch that's attached to his hip. "It'll be just like the pencil game", he whispered. "Except we're after kunai, we're on the same team, and we're gonna get caught right away. So the goal is to just get one away from him before he takes control and makes us run laps or do push-ups again".
I nod once. "Okay, but we need to have a plan before we go in. I think one of us should sneak in for the kunai, and the other should be back up, for when he has sensed us and decides to call us out on what we are doing", I whispered.
"Right", Akio said. "Cause once he chooses to be aware of us we'll just have to go for it. I think ya should be the one sneakin' and I'll be back up".
I fight the urge to groan. I so do not want to be the one making the first move. "But you are faster", I whispered.
"You're quieter", Akio retorts.
I take a deep breath. "Okay".
On my tippy toes I move closer and closer to Neji as Akio moves behind me a couple feet away, ready to jump in when the time comes. As I sneak closer and closer to the all serious jonin I chant in my head, 'we are so stupid, we are so stupid", over and over again, because two academy students sneaking up on a jonin is a stupid thing to do. Neji has not moved, as he is still mediating. The one sign of movement I can see is the rise and fall of his chest. I inch closer, barely breathing in the fear that I will breathe to loudly. About two inches away I kneel down and take another look at Neji. His eyes are still closed and his posture is relaxed. He knows we are here, as a jonin there is no way that he would not be able to sense us. So he is either humoring us, or just does not care yet. I glance back at Akio and raise an eyebrow, silently asking if he really wants to do this. He waves his hand at me, telling me to go on. Looking back at the target pouch I start to lean forward, reaching out with my right hand. I am just about to touch the pouch when a deep stern voice asked, "What are you doing?"
Instantly my head snaps up to look a Neji's face. His eyes are still closed and it looks like he still has not moved an inch. But I know that that was his voice. I open my mouth to respond when Akio yells out, "Now Manami!" Before he lunges forward and pounces on Neji's back. Neji immediately opens his eyes and reaches back to get to Akio as I continue to reach of a kunai, but once my hand makes contact a hand grasps my wrist. I flinch and look up again to see Neji wrestling Akio with just one arm. Akio struggles and makes a few grunting sounds due to Neji's grip on him, but we both knew from the beginning that we would not succeed. It only takes him about a minute to pull Akio off his back, and secure a hand around his wrist, like he had done to my wrist.
He looks at Akio with those pupils-less eyes of him, before looking at me and then back at Akio. Then he asked again, "What are you two doing", sounding sterner than ever.
I look at Akio to see that he is looking at me, before looking back up at Neji. "Practicing teamwork", Akio answers, sounding like he did not just jump on a jonin's back.
Neji gives each of us another look before closing his eyes and sighing. "Should we go run laps now?" I ask, thinking that is what he is going to make us do.
"Or push-ups?" Akio adds.
Neji shakes his head once, expressing his annoyance probably before saying, "No".
"No?" asked Akio at this unexpected answer.
"No". Neji repeated. "If you want to work on teamwork you two can do something else". He said vaguely as he lets go of our wrists.
After a moment of silence Akio asked, "What are ya gonna make us do?"
One side of Neji's lips starts to turn upwards in a smirk. That is not a good sign. He reaching into the pouch that we were originally trying to swipe a kunai from and pulls out our target. In one swift movement he, too fast for my eyes to track, he throw is into the top of trunk of a nearby tree. "You two can work together to retrieve that kunai for me", he said as he folded his arms against his chest, seeming rather pleased with himself. I look at the tree, look at Akio and then back at Neji. This is going to be a long afternoon.