Masked Koi: Chapter 16. "Preparations"
Four Months Until Chuunin Exams
Naruto went through the seals again. Then, he expelled and guided his chakra to the Kakashi clone that stood before him and latched his chakra onto his. Naruto forced his chakra into Kakashi's chakra system as fluidly as he could, even if Kakashi's chakra system rotated in a different direction than Naruto's did.
Kakashi flared a bit of his chakra and Naruto's chakra was pathetically cast away. Naruto weaved through the seals again, sweat pouring down his face and one eye closed out of chakra exhaustion.
"Naruto, stop. You're going to pass out if you do that," Kakashi said.
Naruto didn't listen. He put in the last of his chakra and grabbed onto Kakashi's chakra. Kakashi sighed and flared his chakra hard enough for Naruto to flinch at his chakra coming straight back into his system. The boy blinked for a moment before his eyes rolled into the back of his head. Kakashi caught the boy before he fell and shook his head.
A few yards away, Ino and Haru were practicing running up trees and walking on water. Haru only needed to go up the tree a few times before making it up. The real Kakashi turned a page of his Icha Icha Paradise book, something he'd been unable to focus on well since coming back from their C-Rank mission. It hadn't really harmed any of his students except bruises that Naruto sustained and poisoning that was remedied by Nori to Haru, Ino, and himself. But still…
But the plot continued. Kakashi grinned under his mask as his eyes scanned the words.
Ino was still struggling with the tree-walking exercise and it didn't help that Haru was already perfecting walking on water and taunting the blonde girl. This only caused Ino to come crashing down onto the ground once more and get twigs and leaves and grass in her hair and staining her clothes.
"Haru, leave her alone," Kakashi drawled.
Haru pouted and promptly fell straight into the water, eliciting a laugh from Ino. Kakashi looked up and saw the sun beginning to set. His clone brought Naruto over, who was still unconscious, and puffed away. The boy was propped up against a tree and his chest rose and fell with each breath. Kakashi saw the same fatigue on Naruto's face as he did on Minato's before he'd gotten married again.
"Alright, team training dismissed," Kakashi said, not looking up from his book. With one hand he read and with the other he picked up Naruto and slung him over his shoulder.
"Where're you taking him?" Haru asked, trotting over with her clothes dripping wet.
"The Hokage's home," Kakashi said. "See ya," Kakashi disappeared with Naruto in a puff of smoke.
Naruto awoke with a jolt. He was in a dark room whose light came from the fading orange sun. He felt a pang of pain before he remembered what today was. He sat up and looked around. Where am I?
"Naruto."
Naruto froze at the voice. It all became crystal clear where he was. Minato's home. In his old room. Naruto closed his eyes and wished he hadn't woken up. Then he wouldn't be in a room with the blonde man whom he shared half of his genes with. If Naruto had had it his way, he'd never be related to him. Minato never acted like it.
"Naruto, I'm worried about you. Lately, you've been acting so strange and distant from me and it's breaking my heart," Minato said, doing his best keep a straight face. "Naruto, look at me. Please."
"Hokage-sama, I am a full-fledged ninja. Under Konoha law, I am an adult. As a result, I am able to make my own decisions and am not obliged to explain anything I don't wish to," Naruto said. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. As he was walking out, Minato caught his arm.
"Why are you angry with me? Is it because Nishiki isn't here? I know that she meant a lot to you but she was just an ANBU. Please, Naruto, answer me as my son and not my subordinate. If your mother were here—"
Naruto shook with rage. "You have no right to talk about either of them! You have no right to tell me how I should talk to you and I have every right not to answer you!"
Naruto jerked back his arm and sent his father a murderous glare. "I hate you!"
"Why?!" Minato stood and grabbed Naruto by the shoulders. "What have I done?!"
"Nothing!" Naruto screamed back.
"Then why are you angry?" Minato asked, tears rolling down his face. "If I've done nothing, then how can you be angry with me?"
Naruto began to laugh. His laugh echoed around the whole house. Naruto laughed until his sides hurt and laughed until his laughter turned to shrieks, empty shrieks with anger splattered across it. "I don't know how you became Hokage, but you sure aren't worthy of the title. The only person who was could've been Nishiki. You're nothing but an ant compared to her, you useless Hokage. And, if you can't figure it out you don't deserve the title of Hokage. But, I'll tell you this: you've hurt me my entire life and Nishiki was the only one who could make it seem as if you didn't exist. Nishiki was everything to me and you're not even doing anything to bring her death to justice. To me, Nishiki was everything. And I can't figure out why everyone looks at me with animosity and why the name Hatake Koi is taboo when she was the one who saved me!"
Naruto pushed him away and left the house, leaving Minato in his son's old room to cry and cry. His two children came toddling in and began to cry at the frightful sight of their father crying. Yori and Mikiko were unable to console the man, who realized for the first time in thirteen years that he truly needed Uzumaki Kushina.
Three Months Until Chuunin Exams
"Sakura, I'll be honest with you," Shisui said. "You have better chakra control then either of your teammates, but you're weak. You lack muscle mass and you lack confidence in the skills you do have. Your memory and kunai accuracy can only take you so far. Chouji and Shikamaru might still be struggling with water walking, but you're struggling with taijutsu."
"Sensei…" Sakura said quietly. "I—"
"But, I'm not a slacker like Kakashi is. As my brightest student, I'll train you in genjutsu and taijutsu. It'll be hard given the time frame, but if you're willing to train from dawn till dusk every day and even after missions, I have confidence you'll be able to deliver," Shisui said.
"What about ninjutsu?" Sakura asked.
"The three you already know are very versatile. And, Chouji and Shikamaru already have ninjutsu techniques. There's no need for you to learn them right now. You'll be strong enough with genjutsu, at least," Shisui said. "I'll be training you one on one. Chouji and Shikamaru will train with their fathers, honing their skills in ninjutsu. Be here tomorrow an hour before the sun rises."
Two Months Until Chuunin Exams
"Watermelon infused sake! Jounin sensei only! Watermelon infused sake!"
Nori looked up, and her Genin followed suit. She never showed her team much emotion, but this time she grinned like a fox. She trotted over, giddily, and took a watermelon from a Chuunin. The watermelon was cut so that a fourth of it was cut and the fruit from the inside of that was cubed and placed inside, where the rest of the watermelon fruit had been turned into an icy slush with sake mixed in. A small red umbrella with her name on it stuck on the white inside of the rind and a clear straw and plastic spoon sat in the mixture. She raised the straw to her lips and drank the sweet liquid.
"Sensei, how come you get free drinks like that?" the black-haired black-eyed boy, Aki, asked. It was more like a pout, though. Nori gestured vaguely.
"Nori, get me one!" Gaara ordered. Nori looked at the girl. It's alcoholic, but maybe the Ichibi's presence alone could render the alcohol null. I don't want to take a chance though. If Gaara destroys a shop in a drunken state, not only will she be even harder to restrain, but may not truly remember the incident and force me to pay. Wait…I'll have to pay regardless. And I don't earn a whole lot because I drag these kids on missions even with my Jounin-sensei compensation. I'm too nice; I give them a larger portion than I give myself. Damn…
"No," Nori said simply. "No alcohol till you're twenty-one, Gaara-sama."
Next to Gaara, Aki and Kankuro, who normally fought, exchanged a look of fear. Gaara's temper was something everyone feared. The two never got along, but only when the fear of Gaara came into play. They gulped, praying that Nori wouldn't end up like her drink.
Gaara's eyes widened. "I'm the Kazekage's daughter! I'm your responsibility! Getting me a drink is the least you could do, ugly!"
"Ugly?" Nori mocked. "I'm not the prettiest woman around with a flat chest and my black hair and black eyes are nothing to boast about, but I'm certainly not the ugliest. But true, you are my responsibility. For two more months."
"Two months?" Aki asked.
"The Chuunin Exams," Nori said. "Train hard. I've taught you two enough," Nori glanced at Aki. "Aki, report here tomorrow an hour before dawn. I'll help you brush up on your genjutsu skills. Gaara-sama, Kankuro, you two are allowed to train on your own."
"You aren't training me?" Gaara asked. "That's grounds for betrayal!" Gaara scowled. The sand around the rock that Nori sat on crept up the rock and wrapped around Nori's legs and stomach. Nori placed the watermelon on her head and made sure it wouldn't fall by summoning chakra to her head so it would stick. Then, Nori made a simple seal with two of her hands and water was expelled from her hands, the chakra points on them really. The sand became soaked with water and rendered Gaara's chakra infused sand useless.
"Sensei, how did you do that?" Kankurou asked.
"That's a secret," Nori smiled. "But your chakra nature isn't water, so if you want a pool in the middle of this desert, you'll need me. Then again, it might evaporate. Team meeting dismissed. Gaara-sama, come with me. I'll buy you something kids can drink."
"I'm not a kid!" Gaara pouted. Nori rolled her eyes but started walking off with Gaara following.
In her apartment, Nori spread out like a starfish on her couch. There was a knock and the Jounin skipped over, knowing who it was. She opened the door and saw a tall man with a scroll on his back and white hair trailing down his back and beady black eyes.
"Jiraiya-sama," Nori said warmly. "Is it done?"
"Yes. I don't think this volume would've been as interesting if you hadn't helped. I'm grateful for your help, Nori. Too bad you couldn't have helped by being one of my…subjects. I owe you one. What can I do to repay this honor besides the first copy?" Jiraiya handed her a copy of the second volume of Icha Icha Paradise.
"You're going to the Konoha Chuunin Exams, right?" Nori asked. He nodded.
"Well, that's all I need. I'll see you there," Nori said.
"Yeah. I'll be heading to Konoha now, so I'll look into getting you a nice apartment. See ya," Jiraiya said before Nori closed her door.
One Month Until Chuunin Exams
Naruto went through the same seals he had been for three months. He was able to latch onto Kakashi's chakra much easier now and was less likely to be expelled so quickly, but it was still very much an uphill battle.
"Good. Now, I received a request to teach you something. Watch closely," Kakashi said.
"Wait. You can't teach me something new if I haven't mastered what you've been trying to teach me," Naruto protested.
"Naruto, we're pressed for time. Not very many people have a knack for genjutsu. Only three people from Konoha had such a skill for it. Don't beat yourself up. Even I'm not very good at genjutsu. I'm average for a Jounin. However, my ninjutsu skills are something that has made me a prominent figure. Now, look and watch. I have a feeling you'll be able to do this in a week or two, even without shadow clones," Kakashi said.
Naruto quieted down and didn't protest anymore. Kakashi held his left arm with his right and chakra became visible in his left hand. Then, Kakashi began to rotate the chakra and eventually ended up with a blue ball of condensed and violently rotating chakra. Kakashi enjoyed the look of awe and wonder on Naruto's face, something quite rare in the critical boy.
"It's called the rasengan," Kakashi said. "It's simple to understand but hard to master. It took Jiraiya-sama three years to master it. First, expel chakra from your hand. You can hold your forearm if you need better control. Second, you condense your chakra. Lastly, you make your chakra spin. It took me almost a year to master it, so if you take the rest of the month, I won't hold it against you," Kakashi said. "Here."
Kakashi held out a letter. Naruto took it and ripped open the envelope. He turned the letter over and read it. His face reflected no emotion, but his eyes did. Kakashi watched as a mixture of anger and hurt swirled around in his stormy eyes. Naruto sighed and allowed fire to come to his fingertips and engulf the letter. A breeze carried the ashes away and scattered them across Konoha.
Elsewhere, the other two members of Team 7 were practicing taijutsu on one another. Grunts and punches and kicks could be heard from across the training ground.
"I'll try it," Naruto said. A few clones appeared next to him. "Guys, you're to do the jutsu I'm doing. Our information will be shared and we'll master this jutsu in five days," Naruto smirked at Kakashi. The man eye-smiled at his cute little Genin's determination.
"Good luck, Naruto," Kakashi said.
One Week Until Chuunin Exams
"Finally!" Gaara smiled widely. Aki smiled softly at the display. When we were little, Gaara always smiled at everything, even if the villagers told her to die. I hope Gaara will be a little nicer to us, especially Nori-sensei, since we're in a more hospitable village, climate-wise.
"This is Konoha. It's really pretty in fall and spring. Lots of tourists come and there used to be a really nice kimono designer for reasonable prices and there's a small bamboo forest and they sell Black Thunder here since it won't melt!" Nori said excitedly. "I wish I could live here…"
Aki looked at his sensei. Nori was a good teacher, and she'd taught him ninjutsu and taijutsu and he was grateful for it, but she sometimes made him confused. Had she been here that many times that she knew little spots and touristy things? He knew the Kazekage favored her for caring for Gaara and overseeing her training along with his and Kankuro's, so maybe she was the Kazekage's escort on diplomatic missions. Maybe.
Nori was smiling and looking around and Aki couldn't remember a time when she showed this much emotion. Nori turned around suddenly. "Here's your Chuunin Exam passes. And, here is the address to the apartment you three will be sharing. For now, you two can walk around. Have fun!"
Nori ran over to the two Chuunin that sat at the gate. She was like an excited child in a candy store, Kakuro thought. He sweatdropped and walked past with his team.
"Izumo-san, Kotetsu-san, here's my pass and my Genins' passes. I heard the Hokage got remarried. Is she pretty?" Nori asked. Izumo and Kotetsu looked at her but didn't feel nervous. Her enthusiasm was contagious.
"You know our names…" Kotetsu said slowly. "You must've been a guard on Kazekage-sama's visit last summer, right? I think I remember you. And, yes he was remarried. I suppose Yori-sama is pretty, but her orange eyes are a little cold compared to yours. Yours are warm."
Nori smiled. "That's good to hear. Do you know where Kakashi and Shisui-san are?"
"They should be with their Genin teams on the training grounds. Good luck to your team in the Chuunin Exams," Izumo said, waving at her as she walked away and waved back.
Kotetsu and Izumo looked at each other. "She's hotter than that waitress almost four years ago."
"But, she said Kakashi-senpai and Shisui-senpai's names and they're also Jounin. I think those two will get her faster than we'll be able to even get her address for a messenger hawk," Kotetsu said.
"And, our pay doesn't supply us with enough for that kind of expensive luxury," Izumo said sadly. "Damn."
Nori perched herself up in the tree. No one can see me…Now I'll be able to launch a surprise attack and no one will know that the great Nori of Suna got them!
She chuckled lowly to herself and crouched lower and her shoulder blades nearly touched and her hands held onto the branch in between her feet. She watched a blonde man run over to Kakashi and Shisui, who were talking about their Genin and the Exams and recommendations. She squinted a little. It's the Hokage! This is priceless; I get to scare Kakashi and Shisui in front of the Yellow Flash! Kami-sama, thank you for this opportunity.
Shisui looked at Kakashi out of the corner of his eye and imperceptibly shook his head. Minato was frantically explaining something but stopped when he saw the two Jounin not paying attention in the slightest. Minato followed their eyes and saw a figure in the trees. It just so happened that the tree hadn't been getting enough water and had almost no leaves.
"Nori, we can see you," Shisui said. "You can…come over here, if you want." He smiled uncomfortably.
Nori didn't move. Lies. Kakashi shifted in his posture from leaning into his left leg to his right and turned his head so he was looking straight at the woman. She acted like she didn't hear Shisui. "Hey, Nori. Did you want to talk about something?" Nori narrowed her eyes. Lies. They can't possibly see me.
Minato walked over and held up a hand. Nori didn't look at him. A few moments went by. "Oh, Hokage-sama! I didn't see you there. It's a nice day today isn't it?" Nori did a front flip and landed on her feet perfectly and gave an award-winning grin to the three Jounin on the training ground.
"Nori, right? You're the one who wanted the report on Naruto?" Minato asked. Nori nodded. "Bright boy you've got there."
"Is there any reason you were in the tree?" Minato asked, his words sounding clumsy. "Did you need help finding your way around Konoha?"
"No, I'm fine. Kakashi, this is for you. The second copy with the author's signature. Try not to binge read it in one whole night," Nori held out the second volume of Icha Icha Paradise. Kakashi's eyes lit up like Koi's golden ones did. He was speechless for a moment.
"N-nori, how did you get this? The second volume isn't due to be out until two months…" Kakashi asked, his voice light with shock.
Shisui and Minato felt uncomfortable being in the very presence of the erotic book. Nori looked like an innocent woman that didn't dabble in that sort of dirty stuff, but apparently looks really weren't something to judge something on. The two sighed in discontentment. Kakashi suddenly drifted off somewhere with the book, much to Nori's chagrin. What did I just tell him…
"I don't have anything for you, Shisui-san," Nori scratched the back of her head with a small laugh. "Sorry."
Aki decided to walk around on his own. He found a store that sold pocky and entered with his hand rubbing a few coins together nervously. He noticed another person his age standing before the last package of pocky and on an impulse, Aki stuck his hand out and grabbed the end as the other person was clutching the top.
The person turned with the identical indignant face that Aki had and glared with identical intensity that Aki did.
"It's mine," the two declared in sync.
Shock spread across their faces, from their light skin to their navy blue shirts to their white pants and right-handed kunai holsters to their hitai-ate to their blue shinobi shoes to their strange short unruly black hair that stuck up in the back and framed the sides of their face.
"What…" Haru mumbled. It's like I'm looking at myself, especially since I finally cut my hair. Everyone keeps calling me a girl and it's pissing me off. It even says 'male' on my ninja registration but no one even glances at it and ignores me when I try to tell them. Still, I've got to find Kakashi-sensei and ask him about this.
"You're…" Aki trailed off. I might not have any memory of any family but our resemblance is striking…no, it's impossible. I've got to find Nori-sensei to ask her about this.