You know, I am honestly amazed at how much Sasuke resembles Young Kakashi in those clothes—mask and all. It was almost enough to make me forget about my encounter with the Godaime Mizukage, Mei. Holy shit was that embarrassing—I wasn't expecting her to say that! Oh god, I don't think I'll ever be able to look at Mei the same way, ever again…
"So what's in the basket?" I heard Ao ask Naruto.
"Fox kits-ttebayo!" Naruto sounded so proud.
"Uh-huh…" And Ao couldn't even.
"Naruto, calm down," Sasuke told Naruto. "You're scaring Ao."
"You know, I'd prefer it if you referred to me as Ao-san…" Ao coughed.
"Hn," was Sasuke's response.
"Sasuke-kun, be nice!" Haku lightly nudged Sasuke, barely avoiding a swipe from him a moment afterwards.
Ao was probably someone who had better things to do than escort a group of children to his students. Then again, what he was doing with Mei didn't seem to be any better…
"Just so you know, she's like that toward anyone who catches her interest," Ao suddenly said to me.
I blinked a few times, having lost my train of thought due to Ao. "Wha…?"
"You sound jealous." Sasuke certainly seemed amused.
Ao ignored Sasuke and said nothing after that. He continued taking us through Kirigakure's streets, which were rather busy at the time. We did receive a few stares from people, due to our Konoha hitai-ate, but seeing us along with Ao was enough to keep anyone from approaching us, as some shinobi had done earlier.
Eventually, Ao brought us to one of Kirigakure's training grounds (what number, I'm not even gonna bother asking), where we found a white-haired boy counting out loudly the number of push-ups a glasses-wearing boy with tufty, blue hair was doing. So far, from the looks of it, the glasses-wearing boy was having a hard time, his face red and his arms starting to wobble with each push-up he did. The white-haired boy didn't show any mercy and kept urging the glasses-wearing boy to continue.
"You'll never be able to properly wield the Hiramekarei if you don't have the upper-body strength for it!" the white-haired boy barked. "Now give me another hundred!"
Thud!
And there went the glasses-wearing boy, flopping down onto the ground in response to the white-haired boy's demand. The white-haired boy growled and was about ready to kick the glasses-wearing boy in the side when Ao suddenly approached them.
"Suigetsu, are you pushing Chōjūrō past his limits again?" Ao looked sternly at Suigetsu.
"No." Suigetsu tried to look innocent, but then Chōjūrō lifted his head off the ground and said, "He's been making me do push-up since you left us here to train…"
Ao pinched the bridge of his nose. "Chōjūrō, you really shouldn't let someone much younger than you are boss you around."
"You know, it's rather ironic, coming from you," Suigetsu remarked.
Damn, Ao just does not get any respect. Of course, a second after Suigetsu had said that, Ao tried to hit him over the head, only to come into contact with water—what the fuck?!
"Holy shit!" Suigetsu's head just went through a phase transition and went from solid to liquid—how?! Is he made out of ice?!
"Whoa!" Naruto seemed rather impressed by it.
Sasuke just stayed silent.
And Haku at least had an explanation for what we had just seen. "He must be from the Hōzuki clan. The clan is known for using a technique that either liquefies or solidifies their form at will."
It was shortly after Haku had said this that Suigetsu's head returned to its original form. Having heard us, Suigetsu's almond-shaped purple eyes focused immediately on us.
"Who the hell are they?" Suigetsu asked Ao.
"Visitors from Konohagakure, but more importantly, guess who is playing tour guide today?" Ao seemed to enjoy the annoyed look on Suigetsu's face. "You should be honored—the Godaime requested you two, specifically."
Why do I get a faint sense of déjà vu from this?
…
Oh, babysitting…right.
Well, that's flattering...
"Um…can someone help me up?" Chōjūrō asked. "I don't think I can get up on my own…"
Ao looked down at Chōjūrō and shook his head. "Chōjūrō, you need to be more assertive about yourself."
"I know…" Chōjūrō sheepishly said as Ao helped him stand up. "Sorry…"
"I apologize for what you had to witness—they're normally better than that," Ao explained as he brought Suigetsu and Chōjūrō closer to himself. "Anyways, these two are my students—Chōjūrō and Hōzuki Suigetsu. They'll be guiding you around Kirigakure."
"I'd feel a lot better if I knew who they were!" Suigetsu exclaimed as he pushed himself away from Ao. "So who the hell are you?!"
Wow, he's rude—oh, I know who he is now! He's that one guy from Team Hebi and…well, I certainly don't remember him being this short. Of course, this is like three years before the events of Shippuden—how old is Suigetsu? Man, this is seriously treading information I know jack shit about…
Wait, is he looking at me—crap! "I'm Akimichi Chōko!"
Could I be any louder?
"Uzumaki Naruto!" Never mind, looks like Naruto just beat me in loudness…
"…Sasuke." Huh, must be weird for Sasuke to omit his surname…
"I'm Haku," Haku calmly said before smiling at the two boys. "And I am a boy."
"Bullshit—what's with the ribbon, then?!" Suigetsu certainly seems shocked.
All Haku did was giggle and place his hands on my shoulders. "She gave me this ribbon…in exchange for the one she is now wearing in her hair."
Chōjūrō looked at Haku and I, then paused for a moment before tapping Suigetsu on the shoulder and whispering into his ear. I don't know what it was that Chōjūrō had said, but Suigetsu's eyes went wide and he had an understanding look to him.
"I guess boys can wear ribbons, too," Suigetsu muttered.
"You two look nice, by the way…" Chōjūrō said shyly after turning his head to avert his gaze.
"Thank you!" Haku sure sounds happy.
"Since you all seem to be getting along, I'll be going." Ao didn't even bother giving his team a warning, as he was already making his way back to the Mizukage's office, most likely. He did stop for a moment and looked over his shoulder at us, but only to shout, "There better be six of you when I see you guys again!"
I did not like the sound of that…
"Don't worry, Suigetsu won't kill you…probably." Thank you, Chōjūrō, for saying that!
How comforting…when it comes to Kirigakure, if someone says another is capable of killing, they probably are…because this village is known for being quite violent. Fuck.
"Meh, they're not worth my time." Oh, thank god…
"Good…because otherwise, I would have had to kill you." Haku, nooo—put those senbon away!
"Is that a threat?" Oh great, Suigetsu looks pissed and—hey, shark teeth! Man, it's been a while—oh my god, focus, Chōko!
"Suigetsu…" Chōjūrō frowned. "Ao-sensei is going to get mad at you if you kill anyone."
And that pretty much confirms that Suigetsu has killed before. Seriously, how comforting…
"He started it!" Suigetsu pointed at Haku in a manner that reminded me of a little kid. "Who's a little kid?!"
Shit, did I say that out loud?! "I said nothing!"
"Bullshit!" Suigetsu snapped. "I'll have you know I'm thirteen!"
Oh, well that's one way to get an age confirmation…
"Chōko-chan's also thirteen-ttebayo," Naruto remarked.
"Sure doesn't look like it," Suigetsu said as he unlatched one of the water bottles off the belt around his waist. He brought the straw-like extension at the top of the water bottle to his mouth and started drinking through it.
"Well—look who's talking!" I seriously have a death wish…
"What did you say, bitch?!" Suigetsu scowled.
"Umm…aren't we supposed to be taking them around Kirigakure?" Chōjūrō smiled nervously, revealing his own set of sharp teeth. "It's almost lunchtime anyways, so we should go get something to eat."
Growl.
For once, that was not my stomach, but actually Suigetsu's stomach that had growled…quite loudly, at that. All attention focused on him for that.
"Grr…" Suigetsu scowled as a light blush tinged his cheeks. "Shut up!"
"We won't talk about it if we go get something to eat," Sasuke decided to take advantage of the situation.
Suigetsu stared at Sasuke for a moment and nodded his head. "Let's go, then…"
"Haku, you can put the senbon away now…" Please don't antagonize the Hōzuki…who is surprisingly shorter than even Naruto and Sasuke.
"I'm taller than you, at least." Suigetsu patted me on the head for that. "Heh…"
Okay, if he's seriously thinking of pulling that on me, I'm going to punch him.
"I definitely feel taller whenever I stand next to you." Oh, that is fucking it!
"Chōko, no!" Sasuke, yes!
SPLASH!
…
…
By the time we had finally started walking, everyone had come to an agreement to keep Suigetsu and I away from each other. If there was one thing I finally understood, it's why Karin got so pissed off at the Hōzuki… For the love of—the guy is literally asking for it!
If I could physically punch him, I would!
"You are seriously lucky that you have that technique of yours keeping you from getting seriously maimed!" I am not fucking kidding.
You best wipe that shit-eating grin off your face, little boy!
"Still taller than you!" Suigetsu taunted me, almost as if he read my mind about what I had said about him.
Normally, I don't mind being called short or any variation of it…it's when someone deliberately tries to make fun of me for it when I start getting mad.
"Don't worry—you'll get taller eventually-ttebayo!" I don't want to hear it coming from you, Naruto! You're supposed to be the short one of this team, not me!
Yes, I am bitter about this because it's what shoved me into this situation… Hey, Chōko, Edward Elric just called—he wants his rage back.
"You really ought to be careful about enraging Chōko," Haku suddenly spoke. "It'd be a shame if you couldn't keep yourself hydrated in order to keep up with Chōko."
Suigetsu blinked a few times and then grabbed one of his water bottles, loudly exclaiming, "The hell—it's ice-cold!"
"How in the…?" Chōjūrō scratched the back of his head.
"I'll tell you how—he's from the Yuki clan!" Suigetsu glared daggers at Haku. "I thought your clan was wiped out!"
"I guess not." Haku smiled. "Do try to be carefu, now."
"Haku...why did you do that?" We're in a hidden village where people still have mixed feelings about those with kekkei genkai, you dunderhead!
"Well, I was always curious if it was possible for a Yuki to freeze someone from the Hōzuki clan." Dude—that's morbid.
"K-Keep him away from me!" Suigetsu ran behind Chōjūrō, who seemed rather perplexed regarding the situation.
"Just so we're clear—we're indifferent to those with kekkei genkai." Chōjūrō wanted us to know that. "I am not so sure about the others, but…I'll protect you if anything happens. The Godaime did request us specifically to watch over you."
"We're tour guides!" Suigetsu piped up. "We're supposed to guide—not protect and I sure as hell am not protecting someone who just said he wanted to freeze me."
Oh my god, is Suigetsu crying? Aww, when he isn't being a little shit, he's kinda cute…
Drop that train of thought now, Chōko—before you regret it!
"No one's freezing anyone…" Well, at least Sasuke's being level-minded— "Unless you don't behave, Suigetsu."
Spoke too soon.
"Geh…!" Suigetsu was practically cowering behind Chōjūrō at this point.
"So are you going to behave or not?" Sasuke looked sternly at Suigetsu.
"Ugu…" Suigetsu choked back a sob.
"Well…?" Wow, Sasuke looks freaking intimidating in those clothes and mask…
Suigetsu bit his lip and then buried his face into Chōjūrō's shirt. Muffled sobs could be heard seconds afterwards, as Suigetsu started bawling his eyes out, his arms now wrapped around Chōjūrō's waist. Chōjūrō looked absolutely horrified and gave us this look that just screamed, "Help me!"
"So long as you behave, Haku won't freeze you…right?" Sasuke turned to Haku.
Haku smiled sweetly. "Right!"
"There, there…?" Chōjūrō tentatively patted Suigetsu on the arm. He seemed so unsure about how to comfort Suigetsu…
"Did you really have to make him cry-ttebayo?" Naruto asked Sasuke.
"No…but it got the job done, didn't it?" Wow, Sasuke, just wow…on a scale of one to even, I can't. I just can't…
I face palmed. "Naruto, ask Suigetsu if he wants to see your kits."
"Hey, hey—you wanna seem 'em-ttebayo?!" And there went Naruto, being his usual overexcited self when it came to his fox kits. I'm surprised they've stayed asleep as long as they have…
…
I have a very faint feeling that this is Kurama's work, but I don't want to acknowledge it—not yet. So I'll just push those thoughts out of my head for now…and try and help Chōjūrō out with Suigetsu—man, this is freaking weird.
Just what is it about this thirteen-year-old Suigetsu that makes him different from the one I vaguely know about from Shippuden?!
…
…
Fun fact: Suigetsu likes animals…and when Naruto showed Suigetsu the kits, Suigetsu stopped crying and just stared at the sleeping bundles of somewhat colored fluff. Since then, Suigetsu followed Naruto closely as we all made our way to a restaurant Chōjūrō was leading us to for lunch.
We only stopped by at the restaurant to buy ourselves bento boxes before leaving to return to our previous location, which was at that unspecified training ground. We ate our lunch there, enjoying the privacy the place gave us. It was around that time that Sasuke brought out Hanī, with Miriku, to help Naruto feed the kits. And when Naruto asked Suigetsu if he wanted to bottle-feed one of the kits, Suigetsu couldn't even make a proper response because he was speechless.
My god, this is so fucking weird.
"I apologize for the way Suigetsu has acted…" Chōjūrō sighed. "He's probably still bitter that his older brother picked me to inherit the Hiramekarei over him."
"The Hiramekarei…?" I questioned.
"One of seven swords, of which belong to the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist," Haku explained. "I'm assuming you're one, Chōjūrō-kun…?"
"One of the only remaining in Kirigakure, unfortunately…" Chōjūrō frowned. "Everyone else has either left this village or died, like Suigetsu's older brother, Mangetsu."
"How long has he been dead?" Sasuke was a little blunt when he had asked.
"It's barely been a month," Chōjūrō replied. "And I don't think Suigetsu has gotten used to being on his own, as he was always by Mangetsu's side."
That…is honestly heartbreaking to hear. I turned to look at Suigetsu, who was currently bottle-feeding a fox kit. He was quite enthralled with his position, nodding his head every once in a while to respond to some of the things Naruto was telling him.
"So what you're saying is that he's taking it out on you because he misses his older brother and is jealous you got one of the only remaining possessions that were left of Mangetsu?" That sounds about right…
Chōjūrō furrowed his brow. "…I never thought of it that way."
"He's probably venting as a way to cope," Sasuke suggested. "And you said he was always by Mangetsu's side?"
"Correct." Chōjūrō nodded his head. "In fact, Mangetsu was Suigetsu's Jounin-sensei. When he died, the Godaime transferred Suigetsu onto my team."
"Ah, so that's why he's so disrespectful of Ao-san." Haku seemed to understand. "He probably views Ao-san as someone trying to replace Mangetsu-san."
I'm not even going to question why Haku would know something like that…nope, nope, nope!
"Grief can do that to a person…" Sasuke would definitely know about grief…in fact, I would, as well.
I cleared my throat. "Anyways, since Suigetsu is still used to being by Mangetsu's side, I think it's safe to assume that the way Suigetsu is acting towards all of us is the same as if he was still by his older brother's side."
"Meaning…?" Sasuke looked questioningly at me.
"He's being a little shit because he's used to his older brother bailing him out when he gets in trouble." Suigetsu reminds me a lot of the Takemi triplets, in the sense that they were the way they were because of how well they worked together when it came to causing havoc for the Genin and their Jounin-sensei. The more I think about it now, the more it makes sense as to why the Takemi triplets' reign of terror came to an end, because Riku started crushing on Sasuke and left his sisters on their own, which threw off their teamwork and so on. "Which certainly backfired on him today."
"He isn't the most mature Genin I've worked with…" Chōjūrō sighed. "Though, I shouldn't be talking, either… Almost fifteen and I'm still a Genin—how embarrassing."
"Wait, you're almost fifteen?!" Holy crap, I thought you were thirteen—you're freaking short for your age! Well, so is Haku and—wait...I think Chōjūrō and Haku are about the same height…huh…never mind, I guess.
"Depressing, isn't it?" Chōjūrō frowned. "I managed to become a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist before becoming a Chuunin."
Wow, is the pressure in Kirigakure to become a Chuunin that much higher than in Konoha?! Oh my god, I'm really glad I wasn't born in Kirigakure.
"Well, the Chuunin exams are coming up in Konoha!" I tried to cheer Chōjūrō up. "Maybe you can try your luck, there!"
"Problem…we need a third member in Team Ao and I don't think Kirigakure is ready to participate in anything at this moment…" Chōjūrō scratched the back of his head. "Though, thanks for the offer—I really appreciate it."
"It's nothing—just smile a bit more, okay?" You look cute when you smile…it's the teeth.
Chōjūrō blinked and managed to smile nervously. "Like this?"
"Close enough…" I smiled back. "I like your glasses, by the way."
Finally, I've been waiting to get that off my chest!
A light blush tinged Chōjūrō's cheeks. "Um…likewise…"
Aww, that's the first time anyone has ever complimented me on my glasses! "You're so nice! Hey—how to you fight with your glasses?"
"I, uhh...have these keeping them in place." Chōjūrō tapped on the protectors covering his ears. "If that's what you're asking..."
I actually wasn't, but holy crap—maybe I invest in something like that for myself! "That's actually pretty cool!"
It would certainly prevent the Velma situations I've been having from time to time...
Jinkies.
"So about that tour?" Haku suddenly brought up, his tone somewhat firm.
"R-Right!" Chōjūrō sputtered. "Umm…I think we should wait until those two are done feeding the kits…"
It certainly seemed like a bad idea to separate Suigetsu from that kit he was holding…
…
…
…
A/N 3-24-18 Chōko's comments about her glasses are brought to you by someone on spacebattles giving me legit criticism about her glasses falling off her face, so now do expect Chōko to like...eventually do something about it. She might take the Chōjūrō at this rate, but yeah!
May be a shorter chapter, but I consider this the character establishing chapter for Chōjūrō and Suigetsu—especially Suigetsu. Prior to writing this fic, I didn't know much about him, which meant Chōko also didn't know much about him. He is part of the territory of the unknown when it comes to Chōko knowing about future events and so on—Chōjūrō could count as well, since Chōko doesn't really act as if she recognizes him. She acts as if he was someone she had just met. Keep that in mind for future references.
In any case, Suigetsu is thirteen years old and has not been captured by Orochimaru just yet. At the same time, Suigetsu is still dealing with the fact that his older brother, Mangetsu just died, and is rather bitter over the fact that Chōjūrō got his sword, the Hiramekarei, of which Mangetsu was presumed to have wielded before Chōjūrō.
And considering that Mei is Mizukage, she assigned Suigetsu onto the team with the person he'd probably least wanted to see: Chōjūrō. Bit of an agitator for Suigetsu, and he's taking it out on Chōjūrō, who is someone who lets it happen.
What I'm trying to say is that Suigetsu isn't exactly the character he'll be in Shippuden just yet…and considering what's happened in this chapter (as well as Naruto), he probably won't be the same person he was in Shippuden. He's immature right now, and is still accustomed to being by Mangetsu's side. By the by, due to personal reasons, thirteen-year-old Suigetsu ended up being shorter than everyone but Chōko—if only because Chōjūrō is not only getting pushed around by someone younger than he is, but also by someone who is shorter than he is. It's just the mental image that makes it work.
Of course, do keep in mind that Suigetsu is still capable of murder and retains his love for killing. He still likes cutting things, which is something he most likely developed from being alongside his older brother, Mangetsu. And he definitely still has his cowardly side—it's more that Suigetsu is emotional about it. Again, he is thirteen, and it's been only a month since his older brother has died. He's only lucky that Orochimaru hasn't gotten his snakey hands on the Hōzuki just yet. By the by, Chōko does not know this is what happens to Suigetsu—this is information she has no details on, so just a heads up.
Also, guess who also had older brothers and lost them? Sasuke and Naruto…you're gonna be seeing some bonding of some sort come the next chapter—I can guarantee that. I'll make sure the next chapter is longer than this one.
Anyways, how's that dramatic irony going for you, knowing that Haku and Chōko are engaged, but Chōko not knowing it herself and not really seeing the signs that Haku is giving off of being a protective and jealous husband? Because Haku was definitely jealous with how well Chōko and Chōjūrō were getting along, even though the two were just being chummy. And in case you haven't noticed, Chojuro and Suigetsu are aware that the two are engaged—that was what the whispering was.
Oh and a friendly reminder—the engagement and marriages are only valid until they head back to Konoha, where Zabuza and Haku will make the switch to villages. The customs only apply if at least ONE person is from Kirigakure, which will not be the case when the switch occurs. Hope everyone understands!
Moving on, shout out to suntan140 for being reviewer #480, xela521 for being reviewer #490, and TheSecretNames for being lucky reviewer #500 and holy crud, 500 reviews?! You guys are seriously awesome! Honorable mentions go to Ryu Kitsune Bard84, Uchiha Salad, who I nearly killed last chapter (I AM SORRY, NOT SORRY—ALSO, Kakashi best waifu), KeiGinya, and Leafy365! Anyways, thank you guys so much for the feedback!
To be honest, with the recent shipping of Zabuza/Kakashi, I might consider it…might—it's just SO cracky and yet, if you guys think it has potential, I'll go for it (or not, I just want to see how many of you guys actually ship it). I mean, the only reason the marriage thing happened between them was because Kakashi being engagement-block bit him in the ass. But yeah, it's up to you guys if you think it has potential. Again, I just want to see who actually ships it, since it's SO cracky.
EDIT: Okay, let me make it clear that I just WANT to know if ANYONE ships Zabuza/Kakashi, because I am curious. I don't have any intentions of following through with the pair, I was just trying to see if anyone actually ships it, but people seem to keep taking me seriously, so I hope this message clears it up.
In any case, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I'll try to get the next one up soon, so until next time! KD out! XD