Did you know that Kirigakure has a beach? I sure didn't, but after Chōjūrō and Suigetsu showed us around Kirigakure, they decided to take us to the beach, where Naruto lowered his basket onto the ground to allow the fox kits to crawl out. The fox kits had grown rather restless since this afternoon, to the point that this detour from the tour had been all to allow the kits to stretch out their legs.
Up until now, the kits were only allowed in closed spaces. When we were on the ship, the kits had managed to climb out of the basket and had taken their first, experimental steps in Naruto and Sasuke's room. Naruto had been so proud, but so worried at the same time, since the rocking motion of the ship kept making the kits lose their balance. Here, the kits were stumbling around, not very accustomed to the sandy ground beneath them. While the ship wasn't exactly the most stationary place for anyone, the floor was at least solid, unlike the sand.
Once the kits had grown used to sandy ground, they started to grow playful after noticing how strange and new the sand was to them.
"They grow up so fast-ttebayo…" Naruto was extremely proud.
"Oi, you might want to do something about Yuu, because she's heading toward the water," Sasuke suddenly said.
And right Sasuke was—Yuu, the albino fox kit, was dashing over to the extremely dark waters crashing gently against the shore. The sight of the movement and the sound probably attracted her and it set off a chain reaction, with the other kits following after Yuu.
Naruto sputtered and quickly made a bunch of shadow clones that sped over to the kits, barely managing to prevent them from getting any closer to the water. Seeing that his babies were no longer in any danger, Naruto sighed loudly in relief.
"That was really close," Haku remarked.
"Can foxes swim?" Suigetsu asked.
"I don't think so—not at this age…?" Chōjūrō looked so unsure. "Umm…it still wouldn't be a good idea for a small animal to get anywhere close to the water. It's really cold…"
"Certainly feels cold, here." I adjusted my scarf, shuddering slightly when a particularly cold breeze brushed against my skin.
"But it's getting brighter…?" Sasuke commented on the sudden change in coloring of the sky.
"Ah, looks like you're in luck!" Chōjūrō exclaimed. "Kirigakure never really gets a lot of sun, but we do get sunsets."
"It rarely happens, though," Suigetsu added. "They're more common in summer, but the same thing usually applies. For a brief moment of the day, the mist and sky clear up and you get to witness this beauty."
The brilliant hues of red, orange, yellow, and pink stretched across the horizon as the sun slowly began to set. The lower the sun kept going, the more luminescent its reflection in the dark blue waters became. It was so strange, that such a gloomy, dark and misty village could have such a beautiful sunset.
"Hmm…" I thought for a moment deciding to kick off my blue sandals so that I could feel the sand beneath my feet. It was cold, but I definitely got a nostalgic feel from this. It had been so long since I've last been on a beach. There really aren't any beaches in Konohagakure—only rivers, ponds, and lakes.
Wave country definitely had a lot of beaches, though none of us had any time to check them out, as we were rather occupied with other things. So to be in this situation was certainly uplifting for me. It definitely made everything that I went through on that ship (that goddamned seasickness) worthwhile.
"I guess we really are lucky…" That's a nice thought to consider for once. I adjusted my glasses, pausing for a moment afterwards before my eyes diverted to the side, focusing on Sasuke.
Sasuke was rather distracted by the sunset to notice what was going on…which made it oh, so tempting to push him before running off across the sand. I might have pushed Sasuke a little harder than usual as he ended up flopping onto the sand. I quickened my pace as I heard Sasuke yell loudly that he was going to get me for what I had done and soon started chasing after me.
I ended up bumping into Naruto (the actual Naruto—the clones were busy keeping the kits away from the water), which urged him to chase after me as well.
"Run, bitch, run—ahahahah!" Suigetsu cackled.
"Suigetsu, behave!" Chōjūrō scolded his teammate lightly. "Remember Haku…"
"I still am curious," Haku stated.
That shut Suigetsu up.
If I wasn't busy being chased after my friends, I would have laughed—actually, the fact that I was being chased after my friends made me laugh. It was just nice to do something so childish every once in a while…
"Whoa!" Holy crap, why?!
Thud!
"Blek!" Eeeugh, I got sand in my mouth! Ick, get it out!
"Gotcha, dattebayo!" Naruto exclaimed.
"Told you I'd get you for it…" You sure did, Sasuke—wait, no!
"Ow!" Crud, that forehead poke hurt. Almost as much as these two bozos landing on me, but I didn't mind that. "Please get off…"
"Sorry!" Naruto apologized.
"Hn…" was all Sasuke said, but he did get off of me, like Naruto.
I spat out some sand and wiped my mouth before getting up. I felt the annoying sensation of grains of sand brushing against my skin. The sand must have gotten into my clothes when Sasuke and Naruto tackled me onto the ground…
"You hurt?" Sasuke asked, looking me over as he did. "Tell me so I can heal you."
"I'm fine—just have some sand in my clothes." Uugh, how annoying! "Thanks anyways."
Naruto helped me brush some of the sand off my back. "So what do you think of Kirigakure?"
"Rather dark and gloomy, but this sunset is very pretty." Oh, so pretty…if only we had a camera…ahh, I guess being here to see it isn't so bad.
…
When Ao finally came to fetch us, Haku and I were busy building a sand castle, Naruto and Suigetsu were playing with the fox kits, and Sasuke was having a rather good time talking with Chōjūrō. Ao did a headcount, even though all six of us were present—he probably just wanted to make sure Suigetsu didn't kill any of us.
"Surprised you actually listened for once," Ao remarked.
"I didn't feel like it," Suigetsu simply said.
Or more like Haku would have frozen your ass if you tried anything funny, Suigetsu.
"Just follow me—the Godaime wishes to meet with all of you again," Ao told us. "She has taken the liberty of assigning your accommodations during your stay in Kirigakure."
Is that why Kakashi made us store our backpacks into a sealing scroll before we disembarked? Huh...didn't think we were staying longer in Kirigakure, but if it means avoiding seasickness, I'm totally fine with it!
…
Apparently, Mei's idea when it came to assigning us our accommodations was to reserve us a couple of rooms at her favorite place in Kirigakure. That place just so happened to be a rather extravagant inn known for its hot springs. I have never been to such a fancy place—and the only experience I have is with video games (looking at you, Persona 3 and 4), and numerous anime episodes. Though, to say I wasn't ecstatic would be a goddamn lie.
It was so weird to see Kakashi and Zabuza in yukata—even more so, because even in a yukata, Kakashi still kept his mask. I did find it strange that Mei wasn't with them, but I decided not to think too much about it and just went to my room, which I had to myself, since Kakashi said we all had our own rooms to ourselves (which is pretty awesome).
The first thing I did when I went into my room was change into the yukata placed out for me to use. My clothes were pretty sandy and I felt like taking a bath to warm myself up. It wasn't that chilly outside (at least—I don't think it is), but my body was more accustomed to the warmer weather in Konohagakure.
Though, it was shortly after I had finished cleaning myself up and was making my way out to go take a dip in the hot springs that I finally found Mei. Let's just say it was awkward for me to come across the Godaime in such a situation, because like, holy shit—this was something out of an ecchi manga!
I may or may not have ogled Mei after coming across her in the hot springs—which totally made my situation even more awkward when Mei found out I was staring at her. Then she made the comment of, "Don't worry—I'm sure you'll grow some when you get older."
I don't even know if I want to grow any, considering how big they can possibly get (*cough*Tsunade*cough*)…
…
Dinner was a hell of a lot better than I thought it would be, even though my face was still rather red (I don't know whether if it was from the hot springs or embarrassment, because Mei brought up what I had told her when I first met her). The food was at least tasty, Mei looked absolutely stunning in that yukata (she winked at me because she caught me staring—I need to stop doing that), and Chōjūrō, Suigetsu, and Ao joined us for the occasion, with Chōjūrō suggesting to Naruto to start moving the fox kits onto solid food.
"When they're older, they're gonna be little killing machines." Suigetsu looked at the kits in awe as they tore up the grounded up meat on the plate that was set down for them.
This comment disturbed Naruto as he turned to Kakashi for solace. "Kakashi-sensei?"
"Well, they are the type of animal that hunts for food," Kakashi remarked.
"Oh…" Naruto simply said. "…Can my foxes tear this guy to pieces now-ttebayo?"
Holy crap, Naruto—where did that come from?!
"No, Naruto," Kakashi said firmly.
"They couldn't, even if they wanted to!" Suigetsu grinned. "It'll take more than that to take down a Hōzuki."
"A Hōzuki, huh…?" Zabuza seemed rather intrigued. "Never thought I'd see one of you guys again."
"Eh…what do you mean?" Suigetsu looked questioningly at Zabuza.
"Nothing really…" Zabuza still wasn't in a position to give away his actual identity. "So Chōjūrō, I hear you're one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist."
"Uh…yeah, I guess I am…" Chōjūrō averted his gaze, a light blush tinging his cheeks.
"And yet he's still a Genin." Ao sighed.
Mei giggled. "Ao, don't start."
"Godaime…!" Poor Ao…
…
…
One week is how long we were going to stay in Kirigakure. And Mei made it a habit to keep Chōjūrō and Suigetsu as our guards—a bit of a C-rank mission for them and a precautionary move for us. It certainly kept Kirigakure shinobi off of us. Meanwhile with Kakashi and Zabuza, the two were often with Mei, going off to who knows where—Ao never really answers when we ask him…
That aside, when Suigetsu learned that Sasuke and Naruto had also lost their older brothers, the three of them began to bond. It was…weird, because I walked into the room and found the three of them talking about what their older brothers would do and so on. I felt so out of place, even though I actually had an older brother—then again, Chōji isn't dead, but neither was Itachi…
But Itachi was gone and…yeah, I have every reason to feel out of place.
"It's okay, Chōko…you always have me." And Haku was being an absolute sweetie.
"That's very kind of you." I really appreciate it. "But I don't think Chōjūrō appreciates being ignored."
"I-I don't…" Chōjūrō frowned. "Did I do something wrong?"
"No, Haku probably didn't mean to." He isn't that type of guy…as far as I know. "Do you wanna get some sushi or something?"
"I'd like that…I think." Chōjūrō ended up looking at Haku for a confirmation.
Haku just smiled innocently and said, "It's fine—go ahead."
"You sure you don't want to come along?" I was kinda insinuating that you were to come along.
Haku just shook his head. "No, I'm fine…just keep an eye on her or else."
"U-Um…y-yes." Chōjūrō nodded his head vigorously.
We left shortly after that and had a good time eating out. It was just to interesting to watch Chōjūrō eat all that sushi with his shark-like teeth. It was so cute!
"Not everyone really appreciates the Kirigakure teeth," Chōjūrō told me as we were returning to the inn. "It's a preference and there are some people who file them down—but it's not really recommended."
Yikes—that sounds unpleasant!
"Do you like them?" Personally, I wouldn't mind having shark teeth.
"More or less…I think." Chōjūrō wasn't too sure. "Suigetsu does like his teeth. He says they make it easier to tear out someone's throat."
Okay, I didn't need that mental image. "Anyways, I know a number of people and children with Kirigakure teeth back in Konohagakure."
"Oh, people of Kiri descent?" Chōjūrō questioned.
"Yeah, that's exactly what they are!" I replied. "One of the children I know, Manabe Kazuichi, didn't like his teeth because the children would pick on him for it."
"That tends to happen from time to time in classes where the ratio of those with these type of teeth and those without them are unbalanced," Chōjūrō remarked. "It mostly happens when the amount of students with these teeth are the minority. Even here, it's more likely to get us the nickname of monsters amongst civilians, who never seem to possess these teeth."
"Really…?" So it's a shinobi thing as well?
"I don't know—there are a lot of things that go on in civilian families that are just as bad as those in clan families…" Chōjūrō frowned. He was being rather ambiguous, but ambiguous in this sense was better than being clear.
Because I don't think I want to know what he meant by that.
"The Godaime said she was going to fix that." A light blush tinged Chōjūrō's cheeks at the mere mention of Mei. "She says she was going to fix a lot of things—and I hope she's right. It would be really nice for people to be as kind as you…I think."
"You think I'm nice?" Aww, thanks! "Well, I think you're nice as well!"
Chōjūrō smiled nervously. "Ao-sensei said that being too nice won't work out too well in my shinobi career—especially after I became a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist."
"Screw what Ao says—Mei disagrees with him!" I could hear it in her tone… "That's why she acts that way when it comes to you."
"R-Really?" Aww, Chōjūrō's blushing again! "I never thought…!"
"It just comes to show that people care for you!" It's always a nice feeling to know that. "When you have that one person who is like that, it makes you want to protect them. And having something to protect is when you truly can become strong…or at least, that's what Naruto said Haku had told him."
"Haku is amazing, isn't he?" Chōjūrō sighed.
"Yeah…he is." Haku is also a very pretty boy with nice hair and great make-up skills. "So what was up with you looking at him after you took up my offer for sushi?"
Chōjūrō sputtered. "It's nothing!"
"Uh-huh…" I'm onto you…
…
…
Dinner was certainly interesting that night, when Suigetsu started going off about what Naruto told him in regards to becoming a tree, like Shisui had. Upon hearing Shisui's name, Ao had this reaction that looked almost as if he recognized the name.
"Is this Shisui…Shunshin no Shisui?" Ao asked.
Naruto made a face. "Shunshin no Shisui…?"
Kakashi coughed. "That was Uchiha Shisui's nickname."
"Oh!" Naruto nodded his head. "Yeah, that's him! He was my Nii-san-ttebayo!"
"I'm assuming you've had an encounter with him?" Mei looked questioningly at Ao.
Ao nodded his head. "I might have confronted him sometime in the past…how is he?"
"He's dead," Sasuke bluntly said. "Suicide."
A small bead of sweat rolled down the side of Ao's face. "OH…oh…I'm sorry for your loss?"
…
"Ao-sensei, you suck at condolences," Suigetsu remarked.
Ao scowled. "Shut up!"
"Anyways, he isn't really dead-ttebayo!" Naruto stated. "Shisui-nii said one doesn't truly die until they're forgotten."
"Heehee, you might want to be careful, Ao-sensei!" Suigetsu snickered. "If you're not careful, you'll be left behind while Chōjūrō and I mark our place in history."
"Suigetsu, that's not nice…" Chōjūrō frowned.
"So!" Mei decided to change the subject. "Mochi…how are you and Kakashi getting along?"
Zabuza nearly spat out his sake when Mei had asked him that.
"Mochi-sama…?" Haku looked at Zabuza. "What does she mean by that?"
"Oh, didn't your guardian tell you?" Mei's smile was mischievous. "He and Kakashi got married because Kakashi placed the ring on his left ringfinger."
Haku's eyes widened. "He did?"
"Wait, what's going on?" I'm confused…what's this about a ring—wait! "You mean that ring Sensei stole from me?!"
I'm still bitter about that, by the way…
"How are Kakashi and Mochi married?!" Sasuke was just baffled. "Kakashi?!"
Kakashi face palmed.
"Well, if your Sensei won't tell you, then I will." Mei smiled. "Did you know Kirigakure has a custom where if one accepts a ring from another and places it on their left ring finger, it legally binds them together in marriage…or an engagement, in case one of them isn't of age? Because there is such a custom…in fact, that is one of many—quite the popular one, out of them all."
Whoa…so Kirigakure is Ninja Vegas? Ahahhaa, oh my god—that is just so hilarious! "Pfft—ahahhahaha!"
"Don't laugh about it!" Kakashi snapped. "You nearly got engaged to Haku for it!"
What…but I wasn't going to place it on my left ring finger! "I was going to place it on my right ring finger! Why'd you put it on your left?! Why did you put it on at all?!"
If anything, this is karma for stealing a ring meant for me! Wait…how is Kakashi not married or engaged to Haku if he was the one to take it from the boy?
"The custom will apply to the guardian if someone, like Haku, has an age difference of at least six years," Mei explained. "Wouldn't want someone so young get married or engaged to someone who is much older, now would we?"
"No…I guess not." Sounds legit to me…as does Ninja Vegas—I can't believe Kirigakure is Ninja Vegas, like…why Kiri, of all places?! That's just so ironic!
"Naruto, are you okay?" Sasuke asked Naruto, who has yet to say anything.
A moment passed before Naruto turned his attention to Zabuza and asked, "Can I call you Tou-chan?"
Zabuza sputtered and firmly said, "No!"
Sasuke looked so done.
Haku looked guilty, since it was technically his fault this had happened.
I was just laughing my ass off because this was too hilarious!
Best. Mission. Ever!
…
…
If there was one thing about that kimono I bought Haku the day before we left Konoha, it's that my plan worked out flawlessly. Shortly after dinner, in which we all stayed behind to drink tea and converse, despite the awkward tension that came from Zabuza and Kakashi's accidental marriage (which is surprisingly common in Kiri when foreigners are involved), I got this great idea to get my koto and play us a song…
And I did just that, but not without bringing Haku along to tell him that the idea we had once talked about in his room was to go into motion. So after I had played my tune, might have sung a little…okay, a lot, Haku barged into the room, wearing a brilliant red kimono with a green obi and a yellow hairpin in his hair, carrying a pair of scissors in his hand, asking, "Am I beautiful?"
Naruto screamed…loudly. That was his reaction and I seriously wasn't expecting him to be that loud, because ouch!
"Thank you, Naruto, for the impromptu hearing test," Kakashi deadpanned.
I snorted before bursting into a fit of laughter. I had been waiting for this exact moment…I felt a little bad for scaring Naruto to this degree, but I just had to do it. I may or may not be a sadist, in a certain sense, because I really enjoyed this too much for my own good. At least Naruto didn't hate me for this…but he did refuse to speak to me until the very next day, when he said I got him good. Then he said he was going to get me back.
And he did…later during the day, when he spiked my onigiri with wasabi. Too much wasabi is gag-inducing, bleck…
"He got you good!" Shut up, Suigetsu.
"Ulp…" Still haven't gotten the taste out yet.
"Suigetsu, it isn't nice to pick on Chōko like that." Chōjūrō frowned.
"Meh…" Suigetsu scoffed.
I grabbed one of Suigetsu's water bottles and started drinking through the straw. This pissed off Suigetsu immensely.
"Hey, that's mine!" Suigetsu tried to swipe back his water bottle, but I swatted his hand away.
Then Naruto exclaimed, "Indirect kiss-ttebayo!"
That was about the fastest way to make Suigetsu blush and the fastest way to make me throw a water bottle. It's funny, how I wouldn't have given a damn about this sort of shit in my past life, but hey, that's what this new life did to me. I might have poked fun at Naruto and Sasuke's reactions to losing their first kiss, but I had a near freak-out when I realized it was almost me who had lost my first kiss.
Cultural differences are definitely a thing…especially when you grow up, learning that kissing is a rather intimate act. It's really hard to ignore it, even with the memory I had of my past life…
"You know it really doesn't count, right?" Haku tried to be reassuring.
"What if it does?!" Suigetsu snapped. "That means I lost my first kiss to the flat one!"
"Why were you staring at my chest?" And why is Naruto the orange one and Sasuke the masked one?! Why couldn't I get a nickname like the short one or something?! I feel harassed.
…
Suigetsu and I weren't on the best terms, come the next day. It got even worse when I was helping Naruto name the fox kits. So far, only six out of the nine fox kits have been named, of which Yuu was included. Blue was a female silver fox, Tohru was a female gray fox, and Kyo was a male swift fox. Yosuke was a male marble fox and Kakyoin (I was stuck between Noriaki and Tenmei) was a female platinum fox…I might have named her before I got a confirmation on sex…I thought she was male, okay?! The name just stuck…
Right now, I was looking over a male cross fox Naruto had just handed me.
"What do you think-ttebayo?" Naruto asked.
"Jotaro…" Because even now, I cannot forget what got me into this situation when it came to my lack of knowledge. Yare yare daze… "I'm gonna call him Jojo, for short."
It is official…I am trash.
"That's a stupid name." Oh screw off, Suigetsu—I don't see you contributing to the naming process!
"You said that about every name she's given a fox," Chōjūrō remarked. "Are you sure you're not just picking on her?"
"Well?" Haku looked at Suigetsu for an answer.
Suigetsu huffed and looked away. Yeah, he better…
I snorted and set Jotaro down onto the floor. I looked over at Naruto, who was currently looking at a melanistic fox in his hands. He was frowning as he looked at the kit's underside.
"I still can't believe anyone could do this to something so little-ttebayo…" Naruto was referring to the kit's defect, which, up until recently, we thought the kit was female. Instead, it turned out the kit was male, just—well…let's just say it won't be reproducing any time in the future.
"Remind me again why anyone would think it would be a good idea to do that to a kit so young?" I still don't understand. It's a miracle this kit managed to live this long…
"The less testosterone a fox has, the more beautiful its coat will be…remember?" Sasuke brought up. "Gatou wanted better coats…"
"I'm glad we saved them, dattebayo." Naruto smiled as he nuzzled his face against the kit's fur. "I wonder what name Chōko-chan will give you!"
"Ryuuichi," I immediately said. "What do you think?"
Naruto grinned widely. "I like it!"
"What about this one?" Sasuke held up a red fox that was currently gnawing on his hand.
I took one look at the red fox, felt myself smirk as I said, "Kurama."
"Ah!" Naruto gasped.
"What's wrong?" We all looked at Naruto, who had this strange expression on his face.
"Just now…" Naruto placed his hand on his stomach. "I felt so pissed off—even though I don't know why-ttebayo…"
It didn't take me too long to realize that Kurama, the one that was sealed inside Naruto, had heard me. I snickered as I imagined how annoyed Kurama must have felt…ahahaha, oh man, this is gonna bite me in the ass in the future! But it will still be worth it!
Probably…I don't care!
…
Dinner was certainly interesting, if you consider Suigetsu stealing my food interesting! God dammit, is he still mad at me for the indirect kiss—hey, hands off the masago!
"I swear to god, Suigetsu—if you steal my masago nigiri again, I will wound you!" I might have been a little passive when you took the sea urchin. I might have also been a bit indifferent when you took the halibut, but I draw the line at masago nigiri! "Touch my food again—I dare you!"
"Don't mind if I do!" Suigetsu, you little shit!
"U-Um…you can have my masago nigiri if you want…" Chōjūrō didn't even bother to wait for my response as he used his chopsticks to place masago nigiri onto my plate.
"How nice, Chōjūrō." Mei smiled.
Chōjūrō's cheeks heated up as he averted his gaze from Mei. "I-I just don't want them to fight…"
"I could easily handle that, you know," Haku stated. "Suigetsu-kun, are we going to behave or am I going to have to freeze you?"
"I'll behave…" Tears were quite quick to weld up in the corners of Suigetsu's eyes…geez, what a crybaby.
"Teach you to steal my masago nigiri…" I muttered to myself as I ate another piece of sushi.
"To be reduced to such a state—my, how you've fallen, Suigetsu." Ao smirked.
Suigetsu clenched his teeth, but said nothing.
"Maa, Ao-san…don't you think you're being a little too hard on Suigetsu?" Kakashi asked Ao.
"I don't see a problem," Zabuza remarked. "Coddling a Genin turns them soft."
Mei face palmed. "You guys are too much…why can't they be more like you, Kakashi?"
"Can I get some more tamago-ttebayo?" Naruto held up his plate, completely oblivious to what had been going on.
Sasuke took one look at Naruto's plate and sighed as he handed Naruto his plate. Naruto smiled widely and thanked Sasuke.
It was during this time that our dinner was interrupted by a Kirigakure hunter-nin barging into the room. Mei seemed rather tense when she saw the hunter-nin enter the room.
"Mizukage-sama—we have finally returned with the requested target." The hunter-nin was most likely female, based on the feminine tone of their voice and figure, though one could never be too sure...
It's always best not to assume, after all.
"Is he…alive?" A small bead of sweat rolled down the side of Mei's face.
"He is unconscious, but otherwise, still alive," the hunter-nin replied. "We've restrained him and given him enough suppressors to keep him down for a few days. Be warned, though—he is still very dangerous. Not many of us returned alive, so do keep your guard up, Mizukage-sama."
Mei nodded her head. "I will keep that in mind."
"What do you wish for us to do with him?" the hunter-nin asked.
"Is he with you right now?" Mei stood up from her seat, adjusting her yukata right afterwards.
The hunter-nin nodded. "Just outside the door…"
"Then bring him in," Mei told the hunter-nin. "Feel free to leave afterwards."
"But Mizukage-sama!" the hunter-nin protested.
Mei smiled. "It will be fine…Kakashi of the Sharingan is with us."
The hunter-nin stared at Mei for a moment before turning to look at Kakashi, who just waved back. The hunter-nin stared at Kakashi for a moment before nodding and leaving the room. A few minutes afterwards, a group of hunter-nin entered the room, carrying the body of an unconscious dark, brown-haired male who was restrained. Fūinjutsu might have been used on the bindings to keep the male restrained.
Before they had all left, the hunter-nin from earlier handed Mei a scroll, saying that it contained the target's weaponry. After they had left, all attention focused on the unconscious male in the room who seemed rather familiar to me…
"Is that Utakata?" Zabuza finally spoke.
"That is him," Mei replied.
"I've never known Kirigakure for bring back missing-nin alive," Kakashi mused.
"That's because we don't!" Suigetsu exclaimed. "Godaime, why is he still alive?"
"Suigetsu, calm down!" Chōjūrō tried his best to calm the Hōzuki down.
"Looks like I have some explaining to do…" Mei smiled wistfully. "Just where do I begin?"
"Start by explaining why you had hunter-nin track Utakata down," Zabuza said.
"I guess that would be a good place to start," Mei said before sitting back down at her seat. "I don't know exactly when Utakata had left the village—probably sometime before I became Mizukage—but when it came to my attention that he had left the village because of the treatment he had been receiving, I just had to bring him back…to apologize."
This had caught Naruto's attention. "What treatment?"
"How do I say this without saying too much…?" It seemed as though Mei was trying to hide something, but Zabuza had other plans.
"Utakata is one of Kirigakure's jinchuuriki," Zabuza bluntly stated. "He is the Rokubi container."
"He wasn't exactly treated the best in Kirigakure…" Haku must have sympathized with Utakata, who probably was unwanted as Haku in Kirigakure.
To hear that must have elated Naruto to a point. Naruto was quick to dash over to Utakata's side and started poking at him, trying to get him to wake up. It must be the idea of having someone who was like him motivating Naruto to wake up the Rokubi container.
"Ah, so that's why you mentioned my name," Kakashi said as an afterthought, though he did seem rather strained to have Naruto around another jinchuuriki.
Mei face palmed. "Since the cat's out of the bag, I might as well tell you that the Yondaime was our Sanbi container…"
"Should you really be telling them such classified information, Godaime?!" Ao seemed rather nervous.
Mei just huffed. "It's my call to reveal classified information…"
And such classified information made Naruto grin widely. He was probably happy to hear that someone who was a jinchuuriki, like him, was capable of becoming a Kage. He continued trying to wake up Utakata, only for Sasuke to pull him away from the jinchuuriki.
"Didn't you hear what the hunter-nin had said?!" Sasuke scolded Naruto. "This guy is dangerous and killed many of the hunter-nin that were after him."
"But I want to talk to him-ttebayo!" Naruto protested. "He can't be that dangerous—plus the Mizukage wants to apologize to him, and for that to happen, he needs to be awake!"
"Are you sure it was fine to let everyone else leave, G-Godaime?" Chōjūrō looked nervously at Mei.
"There's a reason why I became Godaime Mizukage and it isn't because of my good looks." Mei smiled as she flipped her hair. "I'm very capable of defending myself, as well as this hidden village, if the moment calls for it."
"Heeey, he's waking up, dattebayo!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed.
"Wh…Where am I?" a very sluggish voice asked.
Utakata lifted his head off the floor, narrow pale golden eyes struggling to focus. I'm not exactly sure what was going through his head when the first thing he saw was Naruto's blue eyes. All I could say is that Naruto caught him completely off-guard, based on his reaction. Basically, Utakata had immediately backed away from Naruto, his eyes somewhat wide and alert.
"I'm not gonna hurt you-ttebayo…" Naruto frowned.
"Why am I…still alive?" Utakata seemed perplexed.
Mei face palmed. "Are you kidding? They were supposed to have talked to you—you're alive because I requested that you be brought back alive."
Utakata blinked, narrowing his eyes as he looked at Mei. "Who're you?"
"I'm Terumī Mei, the Godaime Mizukage," Mei said with a smile. "And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried about you when I found out that you left our village."
Utakata had an expression of disbelief on his face. "Wha…? I…"
"Are you hungry?" Mei gestured at the array of food on the table.
"Mei, I think you're freaking him out with your hospitality," Zabuza suddenly said.
Utakata turned away from Mei and looked at Zabuza, then at Kakashi, and finally, everyone else. It seemed as though he had only just realized that there were more people than he had originally thought were in this room. That is understandable, considering the hunter-nin had mentioned they got Utakata on suppressors that should keep him down for a few days.
"Can he stay in my room tonight-ttebayo?" Naruto asked as if he didn't just ask the Mizukage if she could let him room with a missing-nin jinchuuriki.
Why does Utakata look so familiar to me—oh, I remember now! Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 3…yeah, I remember my friend making a comment about the choice in weapon and attack Utakata had…I believe they were bubbles? Eh, I don't really know…the only reason I even recognize Mei was because of that game and I only briefly ever saw Utakata's picture.
Heh, I suck so much at that game, you don't even know…
"C'mon, eat up!" Mei said as she tried to feed Utakata a piece of sushi with chopsticks.
Ao sputtered. "Godaime, are you sure you should be doing that?!"
"Hmm…" Mei thought for a moment. "Maybe you're on to something…but on the other hand—open up!"
Utakata's face was about as red as a tomato. "I-I'm not hungry—you're probably trying to drug me."
Mei frowned. "I am not…hey, Chōko—come here."
I did as I was told and was soon told to open my mouth, which I did. Mei ended up feeding me the sushi she had tried to give Utakata and I was quite fine with that…then Naruto repeated what he had said the other day.
"Indirect kiss!" Stop making me blush, Naruto!
My face lit up with a luminescent blush as I swallowed down the piece of sushi in my mouth, almost choking in the process. I covered my face afterwards in embarrassment.
"That's twice already, flat one!" Suigetsu exclaimed.
"Why were you looking at my Genin's chest?" Kakashi sounded rather annoyed.
"Ha~, I didn't think about it that way~!" Mei giggled. "But I don't think indirect kisses count…unless you want them to?"
The look that Mei gave me afterwards nearly made my heart race. Oh god, this lady was too much…
"Anyways, as you can see, this food isn't drugged…in fact, we're all eating it," Mei told Utakata. "Now try not to be so stubborn and just let me feed you."
"I'd rather you not!" Utakata snapped.
"Hum…I wasn't expecting you to be so volatile…" Mei frowned. "Of course, I wouldn't blame you, after how the village has treated you."
"It must have been hard, huh?" Naruto looked sympathetically at Utakata. "For people to look at you like you did something wrong, even though you didn't do anything…it's hard, isn't it-ttebayo?"
Why does that sound…oh…I see. Haa…it's so weird—hearing words you said to someone repeated by them towards someone else. It's rather touching, because it just shows how much of an effect your words had…
Utakata looked at Naruto, trying to figure out what exactly was it the blond was trying to get at. It took Utakata a couple of seconds to put two and two together, because his eyes widened slightly. Looks like two jinchuuriki had just found each other…
Dinner might have gotten a little awkward after that, what with Mei trying to feed Utakata. Then Naruto suggested he do it and even then, it was still awkward. Sasuke suggested they just free Utakata of his bindings, but Ao quickly shot that down.
"It's not as if he can do anything, with Kakashi around." Did Sasuke just…oh my gosh, I think that's one of the rare times Sasuke is actually open about his trust in a person's ability. It's always an eye-opener, and, not to mention, a huge boost to one's self-esteem.
Kakashi sure looked proud… "I'll make sure of that."
"See? It's gonna be okay, dattebayo!" Naruto was trying to be positive for Utakata, who was still trying to figure out his situation.
Being part of Kirigakure and having to deal with such a situation that conflicts with the usual way of life must be mind-boggling. I mean, if it was enough for Utakata to question why he was still alive…
And that is basically how we made room for one more at the table. Utakata might have been quiet, but he seemed somewhat calm—maybe even looked a bit content to be accepted.
I wonder what the Rokubi is…
…
…
Utakata was still rather wary after that. He still had to be restrained, but it was mostly as a precaution because people took Utakata's return a little negatively. You had adults bringing their children back into their houses, people closing up their shops just seeing the poor guy pass by, and then there were a few children who tried throwing rocks at Utakata.
Of course, Naruto was pissed off immensely and tried to defend Utakata…but Mei beat him to it.
"I am truly ashamed at how the people of Kirigakure act toward a man who has served our village loyally—who has protected and served us—before you all pushed him out of the village." Mei had looked so disgusted. "For someone like him to turn away from the village he once protected is just something that shows how low we have fallen. Instead of treating him like this, you should be welcoming him back…because I am."
Mei's little speech struck a chord within the people of Kirigakure. To see the Godaime Mizukage defend someone who was seen as the village pariah is quite the eye-opener. In fact, you had children who were throwing rocks at Utakata walking over to the man and apologizing right to his face for what they had done. A little girl even gave Utakata her toy shuriken as a way of saying sorry for how her parents had treated him.
A lot of change was happening to Kirigakure and I think it's amazing we were here to see it. Naruto certainly seemed content, if a bit envious, but he mostly just patted Utakata on the back and said, "It's going to get better, dattebayo!"
Utakata took one look at Naruto and smiled. "You might just be right…"
…
…
It was sad to say that all good things must come to an end eventually. During our last remaining days, Naruto and Utakata bonded rather nicely, with Suigetsu and Chōjūrō taking the time to acquaint themselves with one of their village's jinchuuriki. Sasuke was nearby, not taking his chances with Utakata, but eventually allowed himself to lower his guard a notch.
Utakata had a rather interesting time with Naruto's fox kits and, overall, had a rather good time spending it with us—people who treated him like a person from the very start, even knowing he was a jinchuuriki. He rarely talked, preferring to listen and just enjoy the moment.
On the day we left on the Lapis Lazuli, Suigetsu was trying his hardest not to cry, but failed. Chōjūrō tried comforting Suigetsu, only to get snapped at by him. Ao was about ready to criticize Chōjūrō's actions and Suigetsu's reaction, but Mei put an end to it before it could even begin. Kakashi was making sure we had everything on us—that we didn't leave anything behind at the inn. Zabuza was mostly at Haku's side, saying something to the boy that made him smile and nod.
Sasuke was already talking about switching out of Kakashi's clothes and ditching the mask the immediate moment he headed back to his and Naruto's room. And I was just mostly waving and saying goodbye to the people we had met. Naruto was doing about the same, save for the fact that he was struggling to keep his kits in one place. Independent kits were probably going to be Naruto's downfall at this rate.
I seriously wasn't going to like the ride back, but Haku said he already had medication on him for my seasickness. Here's to another week of being sedated…yay.
Mei, Utakata, Ao, Suigetsu, and Chōjūrō all stayed at their spot, even long after the Lapis Lazuli had started moving. They watched us leave, Suigetsu telling us to come back sometime in the future. Mei was someone who wholeheartedly agreed with Suigetsu's suggestion.
"We'll be seeing you!" Mei shouted. "You can count on that!"
"Hey—Hōzuki!" Zabuza suddenly exclaimed. "My name ain't Mochi—it's Momochi Zabuza!"
Having said that, Zabuza took out his sword from the sealing scroll he had on himself and dispelled the transformation concealing his jagged teeth. The look on Suigetsu and Chōjūrō's face when they realized the person who had been amongst us was one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, owner of the Kubikiribōchō, was absolutely priceless.
Once the shock had passed, Suigetsu started screaming, "You better watch your back! I'm gonna take that sword from you one day—I can promise you that!"
"I'll believe it when I see it!" Zabuza yelled back. "I won't be going easy on you! Here's to hoping you take after your older brother!"
"Fuck off!" Man, Zabuza was good at pissing people off.
When I told this to Zabuza, he just grinned as he pulled out a roll of bandages from his pocket. "It's how I get people to stop holding back."
"I can see that." My middle-school band teacher was great at pissing her students off in order to get them to play better—which they did. Ha…I miss my time as a band geek in my past life…
"By the way, Chōko, you're rooming with me this time around," Kakashi said as he placed his hand on top of my head. "Haku will be with Zabuza…"
"Does this have to do with the fact that you and Zabuza are technically married?" Kirigakure customs are sure weird! But oddly sweet, if you think about it…
"Yes," Kakashi didn't hesitate to say. "That is exactly it. Now come along—I'm sure it's going to be a rough week for you. Let's try to get you comfortable before things get rough."
Wow, no wonder Naruto wants to call Kakashi, father…which must be pretty awkward, considering the Daddy Issues Kakashi must have in regards to Sakumo. Speaking of which, I should try not to trigger anything in regards to such for Kakashi. Don't want to get on his bad side, or anything—noo, bad times.
"Hey, do you think we're going to see these guys again?" I really did have fun, despite the disputes I had with Suigetsu. They were rather entertaining, now that I'm away from him…
Kakashi nodded his head. "Oh, I definitely think so…now let's go."
…
The ride back to the Land of Fire went as well as I had expected it to be. Seasickness still sucked, the medication kept me sedated, and Naruto's kits were causing chaos—what? Yeah, independence really did up the difficulty in Naruto's life when it came to being a parent for nine fox kits. Every once in a while, I would way up to hearing Naruto calling out to one of his fox kits—Kurama's name seemed to be the name called out the most, which I found oddly hilarious.
Seriously, that decision is definitely going to bite me in the future, but I just don't give a damn.
…
…
Unlike the ride to Kirigakure, the ride had only lasted seven days and I was quite pleased to be back on land when we disembarked. Captain Mikuri was a little sad to see us go, because we really did grow on him, but he did say that, in the future, he would always be there to give us a ride. Kakashi really appreciated the offer and said he would keep it in mind.
When we had disembarked, it was quite early in the morning. Without any need for darkness to conceal our previous missing-nin associate and his dependent, we could pretty much just move on forward, without taking any breaks. We managed to make it to Konoha by the time the sun was starting to rise.
Kotetsu and Izumo were practically sleeping on each other when we came across them. It must really suck to get work so early in the morning, but I guess that's what the life of a Chuunin entailed…
Chuunin…those exams are still going to be an issue, but I can worry about that later, for now, we were just happy to be back in Konohagakure. When we had arrived back at Naruto's place, the first thing any of us did was go to sleep. We didn't stay asleep too long, since we still had a mission to report at the Mission Assignment Desk, but Kakashi said we could do whatever we wanted to after that, because he was going to give us a month off.
It was a reward for all the hard work we had done, according to what Kakashi was telling us as we were making our way to the Academy.
"You've been through too much—you three really deserve a break." Kakashi smiled at us. "Besides, I promised Neji-san to make sure you guys were completely free on the day we had left, so a month should be enough for the four of you."
Considering that we've been doing missions for nearly five months, now, it was good to hear such news from Kakashi. Oh man, I'm totally going to spend most of it sleeping in!
"Of course, we'll still train, every now and then," Kakashi added as an afterthought.
I'm still going to sleep in, even if it means waking up in a tree, because Kakashi has done that at least once to me…the jerk.
…
The Sandaime was rather glad to see all of us back in one piece and told Haku and Zabuza to come with him once we were done with our mission debrief. By the by, it was thanks to Naruto's report that Kakashi and Zabuza's accidental marriage came into light, which certainly amused the Chuunin in the room to a good extent. The Sandaime sure got a good laugh out of it before leaving the room with Zabuza and Haku. Shortly after he left, Kakashi bonked Naruto over the head.
"What was that for, dattebayo?!" Naruto clutched his head in his hands as tears streamed down his cheeks.
"For bringing up a topic that should have died the exact moment we stepped into Konoha." Kakashi looked rather annoyed, and it was probably because his accidental marriage with Zabuza was going to be the talk of the town by the end of the day. "By the way—Chōko…go home."
I blinked a few times and nodded. "Y-Yes!"
"You can come over later, but you have to make sure you check in with your parents," Kakashi told me. "And don't forget to pick up your payment."
Yes, Dad…
…
…
I nearly bumped into Chōji as I was making my way to the Akimichi compound. After receiving a spine-cracking "welcome back!" hug from my older brother, we went our separate ways, since Chōji had to go meet up with his team. And when I got home, I received another spine-cracking hug from Mama. She was really happy to see me back home, safe and sound.
"You must be exhausted," Mama said as she looked me over. "Why don't you go to your room and go to sleep? You should rest up."
"I will, Kaa-chan…" I said before yawning and rubbing my eyes. Bluh, two hours of sleep is not enough for me just yet.
"Sleep as long as you want—just make sure to wake up for dinner." Mama smiled at me. "I'll be making your favorites."
Wait a second… "Does this include dessert?"
Please say yes—please say yes!
"I'll be making green tea daifuku for you." Mama patted me on the head. "Now go to sleep."
Dinner hype! It was certainly an extremely interesting time to be at the Akimichi clan dinner table that evening, when Chōza brought up the news he had heard from his coworkers in regards to Kakashi and Zabuza's accidental marriage. I honestly feel bad for Kakashi…not so much Zabuza, since I may or may not be slightly bitter about the haircut. Then again, I have Zabuza to thank for Team Spiky hair…
…
Come the next day, when I arrived at Casa de Uzumaki (I'm gonna start calling it that for the sheer amusement of how it sounds), Kakashi said to get ready because we were going to be taking a team photo today. I blinked a few times, grinning inwardly when I realized this would be a great time to do something interesting.
And so when Team 7 went to take a team photo, Kakashi was amused to see Sasuke, Naruto, and I mimic the way his hitai-ate was used to cover his left eye. I even took off my glasses for the occasion. There was seriously something about our team photo this time around that made Kakashi want to have more than one copy on him. I think Kakashi found it endearing how we were trying to be like Sensei.
It was enough for Kakashi to pull us into his room (which he rarely ever lets us inside of) and show us some of the clothes he still had on himself from the past. I was expecting to see more Young Kakashi clothes…I got a huge slap in the face when Kakashi handed me Nohara Rin's clothes.
"Sensei…why do you have a girl's clothes on you?" I'm not saying you wouldn't look good in them or anything, but… "Seriously, what the heck?"
"Coping mechanism," Kakashi simply said as he pulled out Obito's clothes and handed them to Naruto. "A way of keeping a part of my teammates on myself…it helped ease the trauma of losing them."
Not by much, from the looks of Kakashi's expression, but enough to keep him moving forward.
"Is that an Uchiha clan symbol?" Sasuke asked as he looked at the back of Obito's jacket, which Naruto was trying on—it fit him well, surprisingly.
"That's right—I never did tell you guys." Kakashi ran his hand through his hair. "Those clothes belonged to my best friend, Uchiha Obito. He…was the one who gave me this Sharingan eye."
"I've always wondered who you got your eye from…" Sasuke trailed off. "What was he like?"
"Maa, he was like Naruto—right down to sharing the same dream of becoming Hokage." Kakashi smiled, his right eye curved upwards.
"You must really miss him-ttebayo…" Naruto remarked. "Heey, can I put his clothes on?"
"It's fine by me." Kakashi certainly seemed nonchalant about Naruto trying on the clothes of his dead best friend. "You can try on Rin's clothes if you want to, Chōko."
Hmm…should I or should I not?
…
Yeah, I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious about how I look in Rin's clothes. "I'll be in my room—knock first if you need me."
"Be careful with those clothes—please." Kakashi seemed really attached to them. "And Sasuke, you can—"
"I'm already on it…I still have your clothes anyways." Sasuke tried to sound annoyed, but the smile of his face said otherwise.
About ten minutes later, when we returned to Kakashi's room, Kakashi used Shisui's camera to take a picture of us without giving us any warning. It was around that time that we actually got a good look at each other and holy shit, Naruto looks like a blond-haired, blue-eyed Obito!
…I'm a little slow, okay? Though, I was the one to have pointed out amongst my group of friends, in my past life, that Obito and Naruto wear inverted colors of each other. Of course, this was during a game session where I played as Young Kakashi and a friend played as Young Obito—oh man, that irony involving that Ultimate Jutsu Finish, ahahha, ahhh…good times.
"In case any of you guys were wondering, here's my team photo," Kakashi said as he handed Sasuke a framed photograph.
Naruto and I were quick to look over Sasuke's shoulder for this. It was weird—seeing Kakashi with both of his eyes. Naruto was rather disappointed to see that Kakashi still wore his mask. As for myself, one thing I noticed is that Rin had facial markings…I had facial markings. There is absolutely nothing awkward about finding out you are the Rin expy in some way—nooope.
Okay, maybe it was, but seriously, I had almost forgotten about her facial markings—and isn't the Nohara a clan made up of medic-nin?
"They are indeed," Kakashi said as he brought his hand down on top of my head to ruffle my hair.
"You look cute as a kid." There, I said it.
"Thanks—I think you look cute as well!" Kakashi smiled. "Of course, I think all of my Genin are cute."
"You never said the Yondaime was your Sensei-ttebayo!" Naruto exclaimed. "What was he like?! Was he as awesome as people said he was, dattebayo?!"
Wow, this must be pretty awkward for Kakashi. Of course, all Kakashi did was chuckled and ruffle Naruto's hair.
"He was exactly as people say he was," Kakashi replied. "Namikaze Minato, Konoha's Yellow Flash, was someone who earned the title of Yondaime Hokage."
"Better him than that snake-bastard…" I muttered under my breath.
"I still can't believe you said that about him…" Sasuke snickered.
"What did Chōko say about Orochimaru?" Kakashi looked intrigued.
"Yeah, what did she say-ttebayo?" Naruto never did hear of my death-wish-inducing outburst.
"If I recall correctly, she said, and I quote, 'You're the Sannin that got butt-hurt because he wasn't chosen to be the Yondaime.'" Sasuke was definitely grinning after he had finished saying that.
"Did you really, Chōko-chan?" Naruto was shocked.
"I don't regret saying any of that…okay, maybe a bit." I mean, it pissed off Orochimaru to want little ol' me dead.
"That's my Genin." Kakashi honestly sounded so proud when he said that.
"At the time, it was extremely scary…" Oh man, those nightmares were not fun… "But in hindsight, it was pretty funny."
"Like how you punched Orochimaru in the crotch!" Kakashi brought up.
I made a face at this. "You're never gonna let me hear the end of it, are you?"
"Not while I'm alive." Kakashi smiled. "Anyways, let's focus back on the Yondaime…you know, he was a lot like you, Naruto."
Naruto's eyes widened slightly. "Really-ttebayo?"
"Yes." Is Kakashi seriously doing what I think he's doing? "The both of you have unconquerable spirits and fierce ambitions, and unwavering loyalty toward Konoha and their loved ones. The two of you also had a knack for creating questionable techniques…"
"What kind of techniques?!" Naruto was quick to ask, a bit excited.
Kakashi chuckled. "Nothing like yours—it was the complicated names he came up for them."
"Oh thank god!" Sasuke seemed relieved. "I was starting to question the Yondaime when you had said that."
"Hey, Kakashi-sensei—you never did show us what your Oiroke no Jutsu looked like, dattebayo…" Way to ruin what should have been a touching moment, Naruto.
Kakashi stared at Naruto for a moment before narrowing his eye and saying, "Out of my room. You can return the outfits later—they look good on you."
It was shortly after saying that that Kakashi made a couple of shadow clones that were quick to pick all of us up and took us outside of Kakashi's room. As soon as Kakashi was aware that we were all outside, he closed the door on us, his clones dispelling themselves right after. I blinked a few times before turning to Naruto, looking at him with an expression that said, "You couldn't have waited, could you?"
Naruto laughed loudly as he rubbed the back of his head. "Nope!"
"Typical Naruto…" Sasuke sighed. "Say…you want to go around town in these clothes and see if anyone recognizes them?"
"The Nohara clan might recognize Rin's clothes, you know…" And that alone, in itself, would be awkward.
"We'll book it if that happens," Sasuke waved it off. "So…ramen?"
"Hell yeah, dattebayo!" Naruto was always up for some ramen and since the kits were asleep, that meant Naruto had the freedom to go where he wanted to, for the time being.
…
When we made our way to Ichiraku Ramen, Teuchi got a blast from the past that nearly made him drop the ramen the was going to serve Tenten—by the way, we all had the luck of coming across Team Gai at such a place.
"Ah, such youthfulness!" Gai exclaimed. "For a student to look up to their Sensei!"
Gai was referring to the fact that Sasuke was wearing Young Kakashi's clothes—mask and all. Though, when Gai looked at Naruto and me, he paused for a moment…then smiled.
"You two remind me of someone!" I'm not sure if Gai was being oblivious or playing dumb…it was probably the latter and—
"Hi, Lee." Holy crap, please don't pop up in front of me so suddenly like that.
"Welcome back!" Lee exclaimed as he held my hand. "It's good to see you again after all these months, but I guess you can say distance makes the heart grow fonder?"
"That's absence!" Tenten corrected. "Say it right!"
"Also, I think your new haircut is cute!" Wow, Lee, trying to score some brownie points, aren't we? "I heard that a missing-nin cut your hair?"
"Yeah, and that missing-nin is living with us-ttebayo!" Naruto exclaimed.
"He's not a missing-nin anymore," Sasuke said. "After today, he and Haku will officially be part of Konoha, once the meeting with the council finishes."
Haku told me that the reason why the Sandaime had wanted him to pass off as female was because the council had already tried setting him up with possible matches to start having kids. With them thinking Haku was female, it threw a wrench in their plans and I don't know why, but the fact that Hiruzen deliberately sabotaged the council's plans is hilarious. I wonder how that meeting is going, by the way…
I should ask Haku when he comes home and— "Hello, Neji!"
Neji said nothing as he pulled Lee away from me. He looked at me, his brow arching as he asked, "Did you get a new outfit…?"
I blinked and shook my head. "Nope—I'm just borrowing these for the day. In fact, we all are! These are the clothes of Kakashi-sensei's teammates when they were our age."
"I certainly noticed!" Gai grinned as he gave us a thumbs-up.
"You three sure do look a lot like them…" Teuchi remarked as he looked over us. "Sasuke and Naruto, especially…it's such a shame that Rin and Obito weren't here to see this—they would have loved to see you three."
Man, that is just a heartbreaking comment—Obito would have loved to have his own mini-me. I'm not so sure about Rin, but she'd definitely find Sasuke adorable.
"Hey, Chōko-chan—tell Neji-san what Kakashi-sensei told us the other day-ttebayo!" Naruto told me.
It took me a moment to remember that Kakashi was going to give us an entire month off. "Right—Neji, Kakashi-sensei gave us an entire month off since we were so busy. He did it so you had more time to spend with us!"
Neji blinked. "Is that so…?"
"Yup!" I nodded my head. "Kakashi-sensei said to make some time for us! Just let us know when you're free, I'm thinking of making lunch or dinner for the occasion!"
Neji looked at me for a moment before turning to Gai. "Gai-sensei…?"
"Do not worry, Neji—I will refrain from choosing any more C-ranks so that you may have time to catch up with your friends!" Gai exclaimed. "In fact, hearing that my rival gave his team some time off has made me consider doing the same for you three!"
"R-Really?" Tenten looked ecstatic. "Does that mean…?"
"Indeed!" Gai nodded his head. "But training will still be a thing and I still expect you to show up at our usual meeting place in the morning!"
Tenten made a face. "Oh…I see…"
"Thank you very much, Gai-sensei!" Lee certainly seemed happy.
"Though, I will give Neji a few days off since Kakashi did promise him time to catch up with his friends." Gai looked at us for this. "There is nothing youthful about keeping good friends away from each other."
"Why don't you guys go out for lunch or something," Tenten suggested.
Hmm…that does sound like a good idea. "Hey, what do you two think?"
"Lunch sounds fine," Sasuke said. "So long as it isn't ramen, because we're having that today. Fried tofu is fine, though."
Naruto pouted. "Fine…when do you want to meet up, Neji-san?"
"In a couple of days…?" Neji seemed so unsure.
"I'll make sure to send Neji to you, so don't worry." Tenten smiled. "And Lee, don't you dare intrude on them."
"Tenten—I am appalled that you would think I would do something like that!" Lee looked genuinely hurt.
"Just making sure…" Tenten stated. "Now sit back down—your ramen is getting cold."
And that is how we ate lunch with Team Gai…not as bad as it would have been, but then again, we haven't been around Gai and Lee for that long to exhaust us like when we were babysitting Michiko.
"I guess I'll see you around…" Neji told us as he and his team were about to go their separate ways.
"Yeah!" I said. "Half an hour before noon sounds good…right?"
"Right." Neji nodded his head. "Did you like the sunflowers?"
Oh, I had almost forgotten about them. "Yeah, I did! They sure cheered me up when I was down in the dumps, getting seasick."
"It was pretty bad for her-ttebayo," Naruto remarked.
"I am seriously glad to be off that ship…" I huffed.
"Kirigakure was an interesting place to be, though…" Sasuke smirked. "Hey, Gai…"
"Yes, my eternal rival's student?" Gai looked at Sasuke.
"Have you heard of Kakashi and Zabuza's marriage?" Oh Sasuke, you are so evil!
Gai stared at Sasuke for a moment before tears started streaming down his cheeks. "Once again, my eternal rival has beaten me in something!"
"Do not fret, Gai-sensei!" Lee tried to reassure Gai. "I am sure you will find someone soon!"
"Don't worry…the marriage is only going to last until Zabuza makes the switch in villages," Sasuke brought up.
"The marriage was purely accidental," I added.
"Did you know Kirigakure has a lot of customs that get people married-ttebayo?" Naruto asked as if he had learned something new, which he did.
"Really?" Tenten seemed surprised. "I never thought Kirigakure would be that type of place…"
I shrugged. "Neither did I, but go figure…"
"What happened when you were in Kirigakure?" Neji finally asked.
"I'll tell you when we're having lunch together, okay?" It only seems fair, since we'll be doing a lot of catching up then.
…
…
So far, Team Blast From the Past was going rather well and I managed to avoid getting spotted by a Nohara. Sasuke seemed to be getting a lot more attention from his fangirls, considering his masked appearance gave him a mysterious allure. Ino sure seemed to appreciate it when we dove into Yamanaka Flowers to escape Sasuke's fangirls…
"Looking good!" she told all of us, winking at Sasuke for an extra measure.
"If this is what Kakashi wore when he was my age…do you think he also had fangirls?" Sasuke was honestly curious.
"I think he might have, dattebayo…" Naruto wasn't too sure.
"By the way, hello Ino!" It's good to see you again! "We're back in Konoha!"
"Oh, I could tell." Ino smiled as she walked out behind the counter to give me a hug. As we were hugging, she whispered into my ear, "So did Kakashi-sensei and that missing-nin really get…you know?"
"Yeah, but it's temporary and the whole thing was accidental," I explained. "Kirigakure sure has a lot of weird marriage customs."
"My father told me about that," Ino remarked as she released me from her embrace. "So…I heard Neji-san gave you some flowers…?"
"Yeah, he did!" I smiled. "Speaking of him, the guys and I are gonna go eat out with him in a couple of days so we can catch up on lost time!"
"Really?" Ino arched her brow.
"Really…right Naruto, Sasuke?" I looked at my teammates.
The two of them were about to say something, but they stopped, looking at tad bit nervous.
"I dunno…" Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "I forgot about the kits-ttebayo…"
"Kakashi did say he was planning on building a pen for them in the backyard…" Sasuke said. "I'll be helping him out—it's the least I could do for what he has told us about…you know. These clothes…"
Oh…I see. "So are you really going to make Neji and I go on our own without you two?"
"Why don't you just bring him over for dinner, dattebayo?" Naruto suggested.
That…sounds like a good idea! "That would be a perfect time for Neji to get acquainted with Zabuza and Haku!"
"So what are you going to wear?" Ino suddenly asked.
I turned around and found myself looking at a rather giddy Ino. "Clothes?"
"Why don't you wear something cute?" Ino proposed.
"But I usually wear something cute." I crossed my arms. "It's called my attire."
Might not be the most feminine thing I've ever worn, especially since I'm pretty much wearing the same clothes as Chōji, but I'd be lying if I said they weren't comfortable.
Ino laughed. "I will go through your closet and make you wear that kimono if you can't find anything else."
Oh shit…not the Saionji kimono— "Fine, I'll wear that dress Haku got me!"
"Good!" Ino smiled innocently. "Tell me how it goes when it's all over."
I don't see what's so damn interesting about Neji and I catching up…okay, maybe hearing about the fact that we met Kirigakure's jinchuuriki was interesting enough. "We'll see…"
…
…
By the time we got back home, which was sometime in the late afternoon, Zabuza and Haku were already home. At first glance, nothing seemed too off…then we noticed the particular hitai-ate on Haku's forehead.
"Is that…?" I was at a loss for words.
Zabuza seemed extremely proud as he placed his hand on Haku's shoulder. "Guess who made Genin?"
"I am no longer a civilian!" Haku smiled. "Your Hokage tested me as soon as the meeting was over and handed me this hitai-ate. I look forward to serving your village!"
"That we have no plans of ever leaving," Zabuza added. "It's peaceful enough and lacks all the customs that made Kirigakure a difficult place to live in…"
"Not a fan of your village's customs?" Sasuke smirked.
Zabuza looked blankly at Sasuke. "You try having to avoid would-be-suitors trying to trick you—there's a reason why I was always at Mei's side!"
"And yet you got married to Kakashi-sensei…" Naruto remarked.
"Brat, if you don't drop it now, I will make sure you'll regret it." Zabuza glared at Naruto.
"You try anything funny and you guys have to find a new place to live in," Kakashi said as he made his way downstairs. "Even though this is Naruto's house, I still have a say in who gets to stay here…for the most part."
"Yeah, about that…unlike Haku, I'm on probation for a month, so you'll be keeping an eye on me…" Zabuza said as he handed Kakashi a scroll.
When Kakashi opened the scroll, he looked over it, his expression blank. Once he was done reading the contents, he looked at Zabuza and narrowed his eye. "Try anything funny and you'll be sleeping outside."
"Wow, you definitely sound like a married couple-ttebayo!" Naruto, stop pissing off Zabuza!
"Permission to hit your Genin over the head?" Zabuza looked at Kakashi.
Kakashi sighed. "Permission granted—try not to give him a concussion."
"With pleasure!" Zabuza laughed.
"Oww!" Naruto yelped.
…
…
A couple of days have passed since then. Life had certainly gotten interesting, now that Haku was a Konoha-nin. One of the things he had told us was that he had been assigned to a team.
"I'll be meeting them sometime tomorrow," Haku told me as he helped tie my pinafore, because I was going to be wearing the Viola dress (as I have nicknamed it) for the lunch meeting I was going to have to go alone with Neji for…because Sasuke and Naruto were unable to come, after all.
Sasuke was in fact helping Kakashi out with building a pen for the foxes outside in the backyard and the kits were completely awake, with Naruto having his hands full with them.
"I wish you good luck with your teammates and Jounin-sensei!" I smiled at Haku before thanking him.
It was at that moment that we heard someone knocking on the door.
"That must be Hyuuga-san…" Haku's smile looked a bit strained for some reason, but I didn't really think too much about it.
"I'll get the door…thanks again for helping me out!" Maybe now, Ino will get off my case…
…
When I opened the door, I was expecting to see Neji. Instead, what I got was an extremely pale-skinned boy with black hair and black eyes who was wearing the fakest smile I had ever seen.
"Hello, is this where Hatake Kakashi lives?" the boy asked.
I don't know what the hell is going on, but something must have fucking deviated in order for freaking Sai to show up three years before his actual appearance.
…
…
…
A/N Told you this chapter would be longer than the one before it! :3
So basically, in this chapter, you get the appearance of Utakata, who is definitely still alive and not dead and confession time—Mei and Utakata were, previously, characters I only knew of because of a Naruto game, which I have since gotten better at…I play a mean Utakata. :3
That aside, you guys really took me seriously last chapter when I suggested Zabuza/Kakashi—I just wanted to see who and who shipped the pairing, dang it! I plan on keeping Kakashi single, for various reasons aside from personal. The next time I suggest a crack pairing, unless chemistry exists (which you will know), then don't take me seriously! :C
In any case, the kits have been named and yes, there are many references that come with them. Try to point them out, because all of them, including Ryuuichi (just look up his name), are there! Of course, the Jojo one is obvious, but yeah… Kurama may or may not be an exception, but aside from that, Chōko deliberately named the red fox Kurama.
So Team Blast From The Past is a thing—you got Sasuke continuing to wear Young Kakashi's clothes—mask and all. Then there's Naruto wearing Obito's clothes, and finally, you have Chōko wearing Rin's clothes. I hope that's enough of a mental image for all of you and I was sadly disappointed to find out that Sasuke in Young Kakashi's clothes wasn't a thing—I really hope Naruto in Obito's clothes is a thing because I have a MIGHTY NEED (*HINT* *HINT*).
I also made the family, whatever Rin was part of, a clan of medic-nin, because why not? And the engagement and marriages are off—and Chōko never found out about hers, by the way! Oh, and there was a reference when it came to the red kimono.
And if you can't tell, Haku is still a tad bit jealous, even though the engagement is over. I hope you don't mind the cliffhanger I gave you guys with Sai, but yeah, his presence is a result of a divergence. Speaking of which, it might not seem apparent, but more divergences are occurring. Once you reach the point of normalization, you will see how this comes into play…that is all I can say and for this point, normalization is the Chuunin exams.
Anyways, shout out to RadonMax for not only being reviewer #510, but also leaving a fanfic snippet of this fic in their review! Feel free to look at it, readers! Shout out to KeiGinya for being reviewer #520 and mingkurosakikagegami for being reviewer #530! Honorable mentions go to Shikyo no Kyoufu for referring to the harem route in regards to Chōko's game being strong, which is honestly a funny thing to imagine like—it's just hilarious to imagine Chōko as one of those reverse harem protagonist. And of course, I can't forget xlovelytinkx, a silent reader who decided to take the time to review! I really appreciate it when a silent reader reviews, so thank you so much! And thank you so much, everyone, for continuing to review, readers! ^^
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, because I sure did! So until next time everyone, KD out! XD