Team Aeternum: From Heaven to Hell
Chapter 5: Animosity
I do not own Naruto.
Chapter Start
Making – and breaking, some might add – glass is an intricate art form. One cannot add too much heat, in fear of the final product shattering immediately, while keeping in mind that too little flame will not allow the glass to harden – only making a mess in the long run.
The same way of making – and breaking – glass could be used in everyday life as well. You see, human concepts are a lot like glass in terms of frailty under heat and clarity under a cool flame; too much heat will shatter a person's concept of something they expect, while not enough heat will only cloud the judgment of human concept.
There has to be a balance; an equilibrium, if you will, to get the strongest glass with the perfect clarity.
In layman's terms a perfect example would be: a child has a toy and it plays with the toy every day; clearly showing a possessive animosity towards it. Suddenly taking that toy away would make the child cry more often than not; too much heat. Alternatively, if the child were to break the toy, cry, and then get another one, the child would soon learn to cry to get another one. If this continues, the child would forego the value of the toy because the child would need to cry to get another one, right? That is the child's clouded concept due to no consequences for its actions – along with the parent's in all honesty; too little heat.
Finding the balance is difficult, sure, but the results are worth it.
How does this relate to the current events, you may ask?
Well, you see, when Shikamaru bluntly replied that Team Gai was going to be replaced on this mission, it was as equivalent as dousing a glass shard with napalm before setting it ablaze with a flamethrower for an hour.
He didn't explain why, he didn't take their feelings into consideration, he did not use tact.
In short; too much heat. Way too much heat.
Team Gai's concept of ownership of this mission was shattered immediately and was now left with broken pieces.
"W…What did you say?" It was Tenten who reacted first; mostly because she failed to understand what was going on.
Shikamaru didn't reply, instead he continued to eat at a nice, relaxed pace. The Nara was not fond of repeating himself, so he let one of his friends take over from here.
When something breaks, there is no getting it back to its original shape or value; it is what it is – broken. Naruto and Shino knew this, with the only difference being that Naruto would attempt to glue it back together, while Shino would rather toss it out. Naruto cared, but still understood the situation while Shino had a more honest point of view.
"As he said, we are here to replace your team for the rest of the mission." Shino replied curtly as he set his pair of chopsticks down. "As of right now, Team Gai is relieved of their mission in Wave." The Aburame finished.
Tenten winced from the second consecutive blunt reply. "B-But that doesn't make any sense! Why would we need a relief team here?" The bun haired girl looked to her sensei for clarification.
There was a sudden silence for a moment. The trio stopped eating before looking at each other. They then looked at Gai.
"You don't know?" Naruto asked as he wiped his face with a napkin.
"Know what?" Neji narrowed his eyes.
"The reason we're here is because the village received a distressed signal coming from your team two days ago." The blonde explained. Team Gai nodded, as if telling Naruto to continue.
"…No, that's about it, really."
At that point, Lee, Tenten and Neji slowly – and I mean slowly – turned their heads towards their sensei, who despite all the pain, attempted to crawl away into the safety of the bedroom he slept in.
"Gai-sensei!"
Gai turned around, a face of sadness and shame greeted them.
"I can explain…" And so he did.
Shortly after the battle with Zabuza, Gai had collapsed in what he would describe as "a most unyouthful side effect" of his techniques and injuries. Through sheer "youthful willpower" Gai managed to write the report before sending it off via messenger hawk – the distress signal. The damage done to his body wasn't anything too severe, but thanks to those injuries his ability to fight would be hampered for at least one week. Not wanting to fail a mission he deemed "inspirational" – Tazuna's dedication to finish the bridge to save his village deeply moved Gai – he did not hesitate to call for help just in case.
Gai admitted that this was a difficult decision to make since he believed in his student's abilities, but as a Jōnin, he had to alert the village. Gai had been planning on telling his students at some point, but he had not expected for the relief team to arrive so early.
The trio listened intently to Gai's words and confirmed that he was, indeed, without a shadow of a doubt, "eccentric" – as Yugao had put it. Hell, the man had said the word "youth" at least twenty times since he begun talking, and his green spandex made Gai the embodiment of the word eccentric.
Gai was in the middle of apologizing to his students for the 68th time when Hana came up behind the trio and slammed Shikamaru's head against the wooden table.
The Nara did not look fazed, but instead donned a straight face.
"I suppose I deserve that, Inuzuka." He admitted.
"Damn right you do, jackass! I said I would handle it!" She pressed her hand harder against his head, making the wooden table splinter in the process. The straight face Shikamaru had stayed the same though.
"I'm assuming 'Just to spite you' isn't a good enough reason –" Shikamaru retorted before his head went through the table at the amount of force Hana's hand used.
Hana growled out in exasperation.
Naruto and Shino resumed eating as if all was normal around them.
Tazuna, Tsunami and Inari – the young boy – simply looked on in confusion.
"Ninjas are really weird…" Inari whispered.
"That they are, my boy… that they are." Tazuna replied as he picked up a cup of sake before downing it. Tsunami had to agree with him.
~ xxOxx ~
Eventually, everything calmed down and the ninjas moved the conversation outside on the dock behind the house as to not disturb the family. Gai had to move with the help of a crutch in one arm and Lee's shoulder in the other. Currently, the two teams were conversing in separate groups. Naruto was talking with Gai and Lee, Shikamaru was being "nagged" on by Hana - Neji was there too conversing when they were not arguing - while Shino "talked" with Tenten - nodding where appropriate and the like.
"How bad does it hurt, Gai-sensei?" Naruto asked as he checked the older man. He didn't seem to have any external wounds from what Naruto could tell.
"It's nothing to worry about, Naruto-kun!" Gai said energetically. "Just a couple days of resting are all I need!" He stuck a thumb up, but winced from the action.
Lee had a certain look in his eyes. Naruto placed it under "admiration". "Gai-sensei, you're so cool!"
Naruto placed a hand over his chest - over a seal - before removing two little red bottles. "I could help with your recovery, Gai-sensei." He said as he held the bottles outwards.
"Oh? And what would these be, Naruto-kun?" Lee eyed the bottles curiously.
"These little babies are health potions." Naruto said simply.
"..." Lee looked confused.
Naruto smiled slightly. "When ingested, the potion increases the repair of any damaged tissues by increasing the amount of blood cells in the body, thus healing any kind of wound."
"...?" Lee smiled but still looked confused.
"It... It makes your body feel good." Naruto explained slowly.
Lee went wide eyed. "Oh! That sounds most excellent!" He grabbed the bottles from the blonde's hands. "Here you go, Gai-sensei!"
Gai looked at the bottles quizzically before putting them in his pockets. "I thank you for your concern, Naruto-kun, but I think I shall save them for another day. After all, I could use this pain as conditioning!"
Lee praised his sensei as Naruto laughed awkwardly.
"Okay..."
Leaning against the small shack just a couple of feet away from his sensei was Neji, with Shikamaru sitting down in front of him - the Nara's legs dangling off the edge of the dock - and the Inuzuka standing next to the Nara. Her dogs flanked Shikamaru from all sides.
"I don't see why you're so pissed off, Inuzuka. It worked out fine in the end, didn't it?" Shikamaru sighed as he crossed his arms - more than a little irritated to his close proximity with Hana's canine friends.
Hana let one of her sharpened claw-like nails skim through the surface of one of the vertical logs that composed the dock. Her nail easily carved into the wood, digging into it as she made a straight line across.
"What kind of world do you live in, baka? The way you put it seemed more like they failed the mission and we were here to clean up the mess!" She growled out once more before sighing. She glanced at the Hyūga before shaking her head again.
"I apologize once more, Hyūga-san."
Neji didn't answer. He did believe that she was right, however. Neji could not accept that his team was getting replaced and would refuse the action from happening.
By force, if need be.
To add to that, the Hyūga was more than a little displeased at the Nara at the moment.
There is such a thing as tact, after all. Yet the Nara disregarded the notion completely. By Neji's point of view, the Nara was his team's priority enemy.
"I live in the ninja world, Inuzuka. What's the point of sugar coating anything in a world where we have to follow the orders given to us?" Shikamaru countered. He then tried to move one of the brother's head away from his lap, but failed to do so.
"Hn." Neji couldn't help but agree with the Nara at that statement, for it was true. Neji could care less if he were called a hypocrite right then and there; if the circumstances were swapped, he would have said something similar to Shikamaru's words - maybe even worse.
Maybe he wasn't so bad, Neji thought as the Nara clearly understood the line between being a professional and being polite.
The Nara may know the difference between the two, but still ignored both and ended up being an ass for it.
Neji smirked internally.
"Oi, Inuzuka! Get your delightful dogs away from me!" Shikamaru rolled his eyes as the third and final brother took a nap against Shikamaru's back. The other two rested on his laps.
"They're just tired, Nara. Give 'em a couple of hours and they'll be good to go." Hana smiled at the sight of her dogs sleeping peacefully on Shikamaru.
On the farthest end of the docks stood Shino, overlooking the water's surface. The water was clear and the moon's reflection could be seen perfectly from the water. Next to the Aburame was Tenten - her body leaning against an upright log; the log itself was tied to another log perpendicular to it that held a lit lantern. Her massive scroll rested at her feet, giving her back a much needed rest at the moment.
Tenten basked in this rare moment of silence for as long as she could - the word "silence" did not usually exist in most of her team's missions. The bun haired girl glanced over to the boy near her and wrinkled her nose in distaste.
As far as she knew, Shino - she heard the blonde say his name back in the house - was arrogant, rude and cocky. His stance alone literally screamed a stoic background and had a touch of superiority due to his silent nature. Not that Tenten minded the silence, mind you, but considering the only sentence she had heard from the Aburame was the one back at the house, she had to wonder what kind of person he really was.
A dick, most likely.
Tenten had her arms crossed across her chest as she leaned back some more. Her hands gripped the material of her clothing even tighter as she furrowed her eyebrows in thought.
She was mad. Mad at the way these three nobodies came along; mad at her sensei for doubting his team and mad because their first C-rank-turned-A-rank mission could be taken away.
'Gai-sensei got injured on this mission and for what? Just to get it taken away? Hell no.' Tenten thought bitterly. She closed her eyes for a moment before glancing at the Aburame, only to get startled to see him facing her.
Or so it seemed, at least.
Shino had felt the kikaichū on Shikamaru flee, causing the Aburame to turn to his direction. Shikamaru was fine, a bit wet, but fine. Apparently the Nara had said something towards Hana, resulting with him getting kicked out of the docks and into to the water. Without moving his head, Shino regarded the girl near him.
He had heard of her even before the mission was assigned to them. If he remembered correctly, Tenten was known for her obsession with weapons and the almost unfair precision she had when wielding said weapons. He glanced at the large scroll near her feet and wondered how many weapons she had at her disposal.
Shino could feel the anger in Tenten's eyes - his bugs squirmed from the sensation - but all he did was shrug mentally. He was barely about to face the water once more when he felt Tenten's glare soften into one of curiosity. She looked interested in something. Something in his possession.
"I-Is that a limited edition tactical explosive ordinance vest?" Her arms dropped to her waist as she leaned forward to get a closer look of the vest. She examined the vest thoroughly before placing a hand over her mouth.
"A s-sixth generation variant...?" She was shocked.
Shino tilted his head slightly. Was the vest that impressive? Sure, Shino loved everything about it, but it should be like any other vest, right?
Tenten noticed Shino's head tilt in confusion. He didn't know! She bit back a growl from escaping her throat. 'Having this kind of equipment and not knowing what it is?! What a waste!"
Shino felt Tenten's curious gaze turn into a furious glare, causing the Aburame to wonder if the girl in front of him was suffering from a seizure of some kind.
"Is something the matter, Tenten-san?" He asked the girl in front of him.
She nodded. "Can you tell me what you are wearing right now?" She pointed a finger at him.
Shino did not respond for a couple of seconds. "A scarf." He touched the material around his neck.
Tenten's eye twitched. 'Oh great, he has a sense of humor!'
She sighed. "I meant your vest." She pointed at the item in question.
"Why do I need to say it? You clearly know what it is." He replied after a pause.
"I'm wondering if you know what it is, funny boy."
Tenten raised an eyebrow when he didn't respond. She marked it off as him thinking his words carefully, and she appreciated that.
To a degree at least.
"I assume something about the vest interests you. I was not aware that this was a limited edition or a variant-"
"Sixth generation variant."
"...sixth generation variant." Shino corrected himself.
"I thought as much."
Shino raised an eyebrow. "How so?" Tenten was caught off guard by his quick response.
"A piece of equipment like this should be earned with experience, not gained as a gift." Tenten raised a finger and had her eyes closed as she said this, giving her the look of a teacher.
"Are you suggesting I do not deserve to wear this vest?" Shino didn't sound angry or fazed for that matter. His tone was a curious one.
"N-No, I'm not saying that. I'm just saying you shouldn't be using something you have no experience with. Even if it is a gift from your clan." Tenten stammered but held her ground.
Shino tilted his head. "What does my clan have to do with this, Tenten-san?" Tenten could feel Shino's eyes narrow. She recalled the moment she had first met Neji and noticed the similarities between that moment and this one.
"No, nothing, nothing." She quickly recovered.
"Do you perhaps doubt my ability with explosives?" He tried again.
"It's okay if you lack it; explosive tags are dime a dozen in most shops, anyway." She demonstrated by taking a simple explosive paper bomb out of a pouch.
"I happen to make my own." Shino countered with his own explosive tag; the seal holding the explosive being much more intricate. Tenten snatched the slip of paper from his hand.
She gawked at the explosive note.
"Y-You made this?"
He nodded. "Impressed?"
"Well yeah! This almost rivals the ones I make!" She stressed the word.
"Almost?" He replied slightly quicker than normal. Tenten happened to notice this but found his tone to be an interested one, not a sarcastic one or one of disbelief.
He genuinely wanted to know more.
She pulled out her own explosive paper bomb and motioned it over to the Aburame in front of her. He slowly grabbed the edge of the paper before bringing it closer to his face to examine the explosive. The seal array was larger - that usually meant novice work (according to Naruto) - but was excessively detailed in almost every aspect in a paper bomb. His eyebrow raised for a moment before he pocketed the explosive in his vest.
"Impressive work, Tenten-san." Shino nodded towards the girl, surprising her.
Tenten had raised an eyebrow when he decided to keep the explosive, but went wide eyed at the compliment. Don't stoic guys like him usually get upset when they get bested by someone?
Tenten worked hard to get to where she currently was in terms of skill and abilities - she knew how it felt to fail and pushed herself to overcome her shortcomings. In doing so, Tenten had become one of the best weapon users in her village - besting those older than her in accuracy and precision. A good portion of those that she has bested usually denied their loss and went as far as accusing her of "cheating".
The Aburame's cool misdemeanor was a surprise for her.
"Really? That's all you have to say about this?"
Shino shrugged. "What else is there to say?" Tenten picked up the feeling that he liked to answer questions with questions.
"So you're okay with my explosives being better than yours?" She prodded, secretly trying to get a reaction out of him.
Shino had already turned back to face the water when he answered. "I have more explosives than just paper bombs, Tenten-san. I encourage you to remember that." He offered. Tenten remained silent with the feeling that he would continue.
"However, I fail to recall the moment I called my paper bombs inferior to yours."
She rolled her eyes but smiled. "Oh? Then why would you keep my paper bomb if it wasn't superior?"
He answered immediately. "The same reason as to why you kept mine, Tenten-san." Was all he said before turning around to walk towards his friends.
"An explosive's ability cannot be determined by the way it looks, but by its potential in combat." He finished as he walked past her.
Tenten was surprised as she couldn't find his explosive tag in her hands, but instead found it among her own explosives.
'When did I put it in with the rest?' Tenten thought in confusion before smirking.
The guy was a dick alright...
...but at least the dick knew his stuff.
~ xxOxx ~
Now that some of the tension had come - and gone - the two groups stood before one another. Team Gai stood tall - Gai slightly slouched from the pain - with Lee, Tenten and Neji wearing a determined look. The other group stood up like a defensive wall as Naruto, Shino and Shikamaru stood up straight with their arms crossed; their faces more relaxed than that of Team Gai's. Hana stood behind the trio as the brothers napped at her feet.
"So..." Shikamaru clicked his tongue. "...what happens now?" He sighed internally. He had a talk with his team a moment before they this and he was told to stay quiet this time around. He supposed it would make things smoother, but with leniency comes the aspect of being a push over and the Nara did not want that for his team. Far from it, actually.
As far as the other team went, however, Shikamaru could not accept abandoning this mission.
"We are not leaving this mission." Neji replied as he stared down the Nara defiantly.
"Our mission is to be a relief team; to get you guys back to Konoha in one piece while we focus on the objective left behind." Naruto tried to reason with the other team.
"And our mission is to protect the client until the bridge is complete." Tenten argued. "As you can see, our team is nowhere near critical condition. We can still go on."
"Can you say the same for your sensei?" Shino cut in. "Are you doubting his judgment?" The Aburame pulled the game changer; his smile was hidden behind the scarf.
Team Gai stammered as they collectively looked towards their sensei, who in turn gave an apologetic smile.
The argument was in the trio's favor as of right now.
The area went silent for a moment. Tenten looked discouraged while Neji looked livid. The trio made sure to keep their faces as neutral as possible to keep the tide in their side.
"I do not doubt Gai-sensei's judgment..." Lee had a look as if he had struck gold. "...but there might have been a chance that his judgment could have been clouded from his injuries from the battle with Zabuza!"
The trio grimaced internally as Team Gai picked up momentum. Gai had placed a praising hand on his pupil's shoulder. Tenten could have hugged Lee right then and there while Neji nodded in agreement.
"That's right! Gai-sensei wrote that report as soon as he regained consciousness from his injuries - his judgment could have been wrong at that time! Right, Gai-sensei? Tenten followed up; Lee's momentum pushing her.
Gai smiled as he put a hand on his chin. "I suppose that could very well be true..."
'What the fuck is happening?' Shikamaru cursed as the advantage switched over to Team Gai in a flash.
Time to recover. "Do you seriously expect us to believe that Gai-sensei was not in his complete senses when he wrote an extremely detailed report of the current events of this mission?" Shikamaru attempted to rein control back to his team's side.
As a general rule in debate, once an opponent begins to curse or raise his/her voice in their approach, they lose the argument instantly. Shikamaru knew this so he kept his cool to counter and to evoke Team Gai into messing up.
"And in that detailed report, Gai-sensei stated to have injured Zabuza to an inch of his life. Zabuza will be out of it for at least a week - giving Gai-sensei enough time to recover before another fight ensues." Neji countered.
Shino walked forward, closer to Team Gai than to his own team.
"That is under the assumption that Zabuza's accomplice would not interfere or the assumption of Zabuza's estimated recovery time. If Zabuza were to recover from his injuries before Gai-sensei does, what then?" He pushed his sunglasses up with a tip of his finger. "Would you three be able to fight Zabuza, the man who almost defeated your sensei, and an accomplice with unknown abilities as a ninja?" Shino countered successfully once again. The trap had been set.
"We will not lose if it were to come to that." Neji replied sternly. The trap had been triggered.
Naruto walked next to Shino, his presence backing up the Aburame's.
"Are you seriously going to risk Tazuna's life and the future of his village with a cocky answer like that, Hyūga?" Naruto applied pressure to Team Gai's argument. "Are you that sure of your abilities?" Both groups were fighting for the advantage.
Neji sneered before walking towards the blonde. Once face to face, the Hyūga started his defense.
"I am confident in my team's abilities to see the rest of this mission successfully. I cannot say the same for you three, however. Your skills are unknown and that places doubt in my eyes. As you say, how could I risk the future of this village by leaving it in the hands of those that I do not trust?" He jammed a finger on Naruto's chest before finishing.
"From what I remember, you three dropped out from the academy all those years ago."
Tenten and Lee smirked victoriously before walking over to Neji's side.
'Oh shit, this is bad.' Shikamaru cursed. Their next words had to be chosen with care.
Naruto did not let his face show any emotion. He needed to keep calm.
Naruto was not ready with a comeback, but luckily for the blonde Shikamaru started.
"A good reason to doubt us, Hyūga. But as you said, I too am confident in my team's abilities..." he popped his neck. "...and am more than confident that this mission will end successfully once it is in our control."
Shikamaru opened the door for Shino to step in. "This mission was given to us by the hands of the Hokage." He popped his fingers. "He found that our abilities impressive enough to warrant a mission such as this."
"Can you seriously doubt the Hokage's confidence in our abilities?" Naruto let a grin form on his face. "We are ready for a mission such as this and the Hokage himself has acknowledged the fact."
'Time to end this.'
The trio each pointed a finger towards Team Gai.
"Our mission, given to us by the Hokage, is to provide relief towards Team Gai from their current mission. As stated by the laws of our village, any team that sends a distress signal and/or a call for help will be subjected to an immediate retreat back to the village to recover. From this moment on, the protection of Tazuna - the client - will no longer be of Team Gai's concern." The trio announced simultaneously, bringing the debate to an end.
Hana released a breath she didn't know she was holding. 'Screw being a ninja! These three would be absolutely terrifying in court!'
Lee was at a loss of words.
Tenten scowled.
Neji narrowed his eyes with anger.
Eyes are the windows to the soul, as the saying goes. They are also a window for the past - the challenges faced, the hardships endured - and a path into the future. The simplest of body movement could be considered the same as eyes in the terms above.
Tenten's hands were still except for the slight jerk of her index fingers as she glanced at her shuriken holster around her leg for a split second. Lee's eyes steeled themselves as he put his body weight on his toes rather than on his heels. Neji's knees buckled slightly, getting ready for anything.
The trio barely noticed these movements before glaring at the opposing team. Their hands slowly got into position.
"Enough!" Hana and Gai interrupted the stare down before it could escalate any further. The Inuzuka was now in between the two groups – her dogs standing beside her.
The trio reluctantly relaxed. Shikamaru shot Hana a look.
"Why did you get in the way, Inuzuka?" He groaned.
"Because if I didn't, a fight would have broken out, baka!" Hana sighed in irritation before turning towards Team Gai.
"Gai-sensei, maybe there's something we can work out."
"I agree!" Gai nodded.
Deep in the woods surrounding Wave...
The moon was out.
It was peaceful, the woods in this area around Wave, I mean. While the small village struggles in poverty and famine, nature thrives with life of all shapes and sizes. The woods in this place are vastly different than those around Konohagakure - where those trees are massive and leafy, these are tangled and barren. While not exactly awe-inspiringly beautiful, the swampy marsh lands hold so much life that it is undeniably gorgeous in its own right.
Instead of admiring the view, pair of soft, pale hands was busy picking up herbs and foliage before depositing them into a small woven basket.
The action was done meticulously; so precise and accurate that it looked mechanical as the hands separated the herbs from the stem.
A twig broke from behind her; about six meters away, she calculated. She suppressed her instincts and simply turned around, faking a surprised expression.
'Blonde male, five feet seven inches, ninja from Konohagakure...' Her mind summarized the boy before her instantly.
"You startled me." She feigned a shy voice; her hand was inside the basket holding a senbon lightly. There was a chance she hadn't been discovered yet and she would gladly take it if it meant no bloodshed.
The blonde gave an apologetic smile as closed his eyes before he waved his hands in front of him. "G-Gomen, I didn't mean to scare you, miss!"
Her eyes darted back and forth on the trees nearby, scanning for any others. Once the area was clear, she smiled.
"It is fine. Do not worry about it." She saw him relax before he raised an eyebrow at her in a curious manner.
"So what are you doing here at such a late hour, miss? It isn't very safe." The boy looked around as he spoke.
"Perhaps not, but I must pick these herbs before sunrise." She explained calmly as she raised a herb to show the boy. The boy widened his eyes slightly.
"Those are medicinal herbs, right? Someone you know injured?" The boy got closer to inspect the herb; all the while the senbon in her other hand was ready to be used.
He must have noticed the small tension form around her when he neared, for he stopped in his tracks. "Whoa, calm down. I'm a good guy." He pointed to the headband around his neck as if it backed up his claim. He went down on a knee and extended a hand, expecting to receive the herb.
She had to fight back the urge not to tense up further and instead had to follow up with her innocent façade. She forced herself to relax before handing over the herb with her right hand.
As he grabbed the herb, his hand brushed past hers causing the girl to visibly tense from the foreign touch. He didn't seem to notice as his full attention was on the herb in his hand. She didn't expect for him to answer so quickly.
"This is used for pain relief on torn muscles and lacerations... Someone you know injured?" He asked again, seeing as how she did not answer him in the first place.
The best types of lies are the ones hidden beneath truth.
"Hai... Someone precious to me was injured recently..." She trailed off.
"Someone precious, huh?" The blonde repeated her words before nodding slowly.
"Let me help you."
She was confused from his remark. "What?"
"Let me help you pick herbs for your friend." He stood up on both legs.
"May I ask why?" She looked up at the boy's figure from her seated position.
The moon was behind the boy, shrouding his face in a veil of darkness.
"Because I too... have people who are precious to me." The conviction behind his words surprised her.
The blonde helped her pick some herbs in silence. As several minutes passed, she began to actually relax around the boy; either he was not aware of who she was or he was the best actor she has ever seen.
"Where are you from?" He asked suddenly. His back was facing her as he picked several herbs.
"I live around these parts." Her answer was smooth yet vague.
"Outside of Wave?" He replied but kept going. "Wouldn't it be safer within the village?" She didn't respond, allowing the boy to remember his first day in the coastal village. There were so many pickpockets and thieves - and that was during the day!
"...never mind." He corrected himself swiftly, earning a small laugh from her. Her laugh, even if it was small, brightened up the mood significantly - to the boy at least.
"How was your friend injured, if you don't mind me asking?" He asked after a short pause in silence.
She tensed slightly.
"He was hurt...by some bad people..." She trailed off, hoping she didn't make it sound suspicious.
"Bandits?"
She swallowed. "H-Hai...bandits..." Her voice wavered, yet she didn't know if it was real or fake.
The boy must have noticed the weight of the subject for he changed it immediately. "Well, regardless of what happened, I think he's very lucky."
"Hm?"
"He's very lucky to have someone like you looking over him." He clarified simply.
She felt heat rush to her face for a second before she suppressed the feeling.
The boy kept quiet, perhaps to let her speak. She took the chance.
"You said that you have precious people of your own, correct?" She asked from behind him.
"That's right." He nodded before turning to face her. He smiled.
"I have my family, my teachers, my two best friends and their families... Those are my precious people..."
"And what makes them precious to you?" She added, curious to see his reasoning.
His eyes dimmed, deep in thought as he relived the past. "I used to be an orphan, you know? No family and no friends to speak of. I felt as if I was hated by everyone." He stopped for a moment as he grabbed a handful of grass before letting it go in front of him.
His eyes began to regain their color. He smiled softly.
"...but then I met two kids my age and before I knew it they became my best friends - brothers even. I wasn't so alone anymore since then..." He held out a blade of grass before letting it go with the breeze.
"Their families were so nice to me too and I was happy at that moment. Then two people entered my life and adopted me! They adopted a kid they didn't know!" He laughed.
"They... They gave me a chance... Something nobody had ever given me before and I took it without looking back." He paused before looking at her.
"The reason they are precious, is because they accepted me." His words were followed by another calm gust of wind.
The blonde's words resonated with her on a personal level, striking her odd.
"Then you and I are a lot alike..." She whispered loud enough for him to hear her. She stood up. "Your precious people are very lucky to have someone like you."
She glanced at the moon. "But I am afraid it is my time to depart from here." She turned away from him, the basket on hand.
"Wait!" The blonde called out. "What's your name?"
She had stopped walking. "My name is Haku."
"Nice to meet you, Haku-san! My name is Naruto!" Haku heard him introduce himself.
"I enjoyed your company, Naruto-kun." She replied kindly with a bow after she had turned to face him.
"I had fun too, Haku-san. Can we meet again?" Naruto's voice sounded hopeful.
Haku had already formed a polite decline to his offer in her mind.
"I would like that."
Eh? What was that about?
"Great! How about tomorrow?" Naruto smiled.
Haku was more than just a little confused as to why she accepted his offer.
She did not reply, instead she nodded slowly.
"All right! Same time same place?"
She nodded, not entirely trusting her voice at the moment.
"Maybe I can introduce you to my friends I mentioned earlier! I'm sure you'll get along great!" Haku had to suppress a gasp from escaping her mouth.
'He's a future enemy.' She reminded herself.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Haku-san! I hope your friend recovers soon!" He flashed another smile.
'No, you do not.' Haku nodded once more before leaving the area. Her body felt numb.
Naruto smiled. "What a nice girl." He sighed before readying the seals. He still had a job to complete, after all.
Once the area was tagged sufficiently, Naruto expelled himself; sending the memories back to the original.
The area was silent, but not empty. An owl, white as snow, was perched on the highest branch of the tallest tree. Without warning, it took off towards the ground where it snatched a single mouse.
The world is a cruel place, after all.
Back with the trio…
"Oi, Naruto! Say something about this, will you?!" Shikamaru snapped his fingers in front of the blonde's face, snapping him out of the trance-like state he was in.
Naruto shook his head. "Huh, what? What's going on?" He looked around. In front of him was Team Gai; the students were arguing with their sensei. Hana was next to Gai attempting to explain something to the students.
"It appears we are going to separate into groups." Shino replied from Naruto's right.
"What? How come?"
"Gai and the Inuzuka made an arrangement together. Team Gai is staying on this mission while we run support instead of relief." Shikamaru sighed.
"That doesn't explain why we're splitting up into groups, though."
"Some crap about 'raising moral' or whatever." Shikamaru shrugged. "And what was that about, Naruto?"
"What do you mean?" Naruto tilted his head.
"You blanked out for a solid five minutes earlier! What happened?"
Naruto got flustered, his memory replaying in his head again. "I think... I think I made a friend."
"?" Neither the Nara nor the Aburame expected that from the blonde.
Before they could ask any further, Hana came up to them. Behind her was a more relaxed, yet still angry, Team Gai.
"Now that everyone is more or less situated with the agreement, Gai and I have made the group arrangement."
The trio looked at one another with discomfort.
"I will be in the group consisting of myself, Neji and you." Hana began and pointed a finger at Shikamaru.
"Great."
"I know, right?" Hana chided before continuing. "The second group will consist of Tenten and Shino-kun."
Tenten sighed, but only as she came to terms with it. "Try to keep up, bug boy." She remarked with a grin.
Shino nodded. "I'll try my best."
"And the last group will consist of Lee and Naruto-kun."
"Yosh! Let's get along, Naruto-kun!" Lee exclaimed with a winning smile.
Naruto followed up with his own smile. "This could be fun!"
Team Gai was feeling better about keeping their mission, but still felt resentment when it came to sharing it. For now, they'll tough it out, but who knows for how long?
Midnight...
Things settled down once the clock struck the twilight hour. The others soon went to sleep in the various guest rooms inside Tazuna's home while the trio opted to sit on the roof. The air was fresh and cool and the slow clapping of the water hitting the shore complimented the atmosphere.
The trio was quiet; pensive about their next objective.
"Phase two?" Naruto asked as he got on his feet.
"Let's do it." Shikamaru nodded.
The trio then instantly disappeared from the rooftop and appeared in the village center. The seals were functioning!
Naruto smiled at his friends before tapping his wrist twice. The other two nodded before they teleported around Wave; hitting every seal they could before stopping right at the edge of the shore on the opposite side of the village.
"Our objective should be five miles west from here." Shino recalled before he ran on the water's surface.
They ran for about ten minutes when they reached their destination.
Heavily armed guards patrolled the catwalks that surrounded the outer walls of the building. All three floors of the building were being patrolled one way or another. On the roof were spotters armed with heavy duty searchlights that scanned the area constantly.
This was their objective.
Gatō Company Headquarters
Chapter End
Chapter 5 is up! I liked this chapter for several reasons:
The rising tension between the trio and Team Gai, fem!Haku introduced and the trio's secret objective is close to being revealed! My, oh my, things are heating up!
Anyways, I have received some questions concerning the ages of the trio and the time period. Here's the explanation:
I rose the standard graduation age for the academy from 13 to 17 for several reasons. The first reason was to make sure the main characters (Naruto, Shino and Shikamaru) could have a realistic growth in strength throughout their training without being left behind by the other characters still in the academy. Basically, the events from the original canon – before Shippuden – are all going to happen where they normally would with the only change being the ages of some of the characters.
Speaking of time, from this point on in the story there will be no more major time skips and time will not progress forward. The story will be following the general rule of most media (cartoons, animes, t.v shows, etc.) meaning weeks/months/holidays can pass in the story, but no one will age, nor will anyone notice the passage of time.
What does this mean for the events that happened during the three year time skip? Nothing really.
On a side note, all the omakes are canon in this story. They serve to show how the trio functions with one another with their team, parents etc.
If there are any more questions please leave me a PM and I'll make sure to answer them. Please review!
Thank you for reading, and as always, have a good day.
-TheRedGhillie
P.S
Omake Ahead! :)
Fun in the Sun for Everyone
"Are we almost there, Jiraiya-sensei?" A sixteen year old Naruto asked as he and his friends followed Jiraiya and Yugao.
"Kid, I swear I'm going to bop you a good one if you keep asking that." Jiraiya groaned for the fiftieth time this past hour.
Jiraiya had promised to take the team out for a mini-vacation as a reward for making a team combination jutsu.
The destination?
The beach!
"Are we almost –"
*bop!*
"Ow…"
"I warned you, Naruto." Jiraiya laughed as he walked up a steep incline. "We're almost there!"
Jiraiya was leading the way, behind him was his partner Yugao followed by Naruto, Shikamaru and Shino.
"There it is! The beach!" Jiraiya exclaimed cheerfully as the forest had suddenly ended and in its place was now nothing but sand and the ocean.
Naruto cheered as he ran down the slope, followed closely by Shikamaru and Shino.
"Little brats…" Jiraiya laughed as he looked over to Yugao. "Ready to hit the beach, Yugao?"
She smiled. "I can't wait!"
Yugao was glad. She loved the beach, she loved the sun, and Kami knows it has been far too long since she has had a break!
As the two teachers made their way down the slope into the beach, the trio had already finished changing into their bathing suits. Naruto was wearing a simple pair of orange and white swim shorts, Shikamaru was wearing a gray pair of swim shorts and Shino was now donning a pair of green swimming shorts.
"See you in the water Jiraiya-sensei, Yugao-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed as they ran past their teachers towards the ocean.
"Yeah, yeah." Jiraiya waved them off as he entered a changing booth.
Yugao grinned as she entered her own changing booth.
"You better not peek, Jiraiya." Yugao warned the older man as she undressed.
"What kind of man do you think I am, Yugao?" He sounded offended.
"I think you are –"
"Don't answer that." He cut in before she could finish.
Surprisingly, Yugao finished changing first. She was now wearing a purple floral-print two piece bathing suit. The color matched her hair and she liked the cute flower print it had.
"Jiraiya, you doing okay in there?" Yugao knocked on the door to his changing booth.
"Just about…. READY!" Jiraiya exclaimed as he burst through the door wearing nothing but a white, form-fitting speedo. He looked at Yugao and gave a thumb up. "Looking good, Yugao! It matches your hair!"
Yugao blanched as all the color from her body disappeared.
"Absolutely not!" She yelled before grabbing Jiraiya's smiling face with her hand and then tossed the pervert back into the changing room.
All was quiet for several seconds.
"I'm guessing you didn't like it?"
xxOxx
Naruto, Shikamaru and Shino were in the water, diving deep into the depths to see who could last longer without air.
Why?
Because they could, that's why.
Naruto was standing on the ocean floor – a shallow place in the beach at about 25 feet underneath the surface – with his arms crossed. In front of him was Shikamaru, who instead of standing decided it would be better to sit down. Next to them was Shino who was inspecting the ground for anything interesting.
Naruto was confident he was going to last longer underwater and his cocky grin showed it. Shikamaru smirked because he knew he was going to win, not Naruto or Shino. Shino didn't really care so long as he didn't lose.
It was the stare down of the century between Naruto and Shikamaru, both friends eyeing each other, not showing any weakness whatsoever. Naruto went wide eyed as he saw a jellyfish get close to Shikamaru from behind. Shikamaru almost laughed when he saw a fairly large, fairly angry turtle approach Naruto from behind.
*crunch!*
*zap!*
Naruto fell to his knees as the turtle crushed the back of his left leg with its jaw. He screamed in agony but only large bubbles of oxygen came out.
Meanwhile, Shikamaru fell on to his stomach from the painful sting that came from the jellyfish, the shock made him scream out causing him to lose all the oxygen he had left. The back of his head will never feel the same way ever again.
Naruto and Shikamaru both floated back to the surface of the ocean.
Shino had not been paying attention for he found something interesting on the floor he stood on. There were some parts that felt like the ocean floor and some that…didn't. He tapped his foot on a certain spot repeatedly when he saw something from the corner of his eye move. He tapped it once more and saw the ground he tapped begin to flutter.
This wasn't the ground, Shino concluded before tapping the spot once more.
This is the eye of a giant octopus, he concluded as several massive tentacles came into view.
Huh.
xxOxx
"Wow, I guess Shino won, huh?" Naruto was impressed as he held the turtle that bit him in his hands.
"Yeah I guess so, but he doesn't need to show off." Shikamaru grumbled as he massaged the back of his head.
Naruto and Shikamaru were still in the water, waiting for Shino to resurface.
"Oh I think he's coming up now." Naruto exclaimed as he saw something heading upwards.
It just so happened to be Shino, swimming as fast as he could.
"Run away, giant octopus." He warned as he made a beeline for the beach shore.
"What did he say?" Shikamaru asked.
*SPLASH!*
From behind them, the giant octopus surfaced.
"Oh crap." Naruto said before following in Shino's footsteps as he swam away.
The giant octopus shot out a tentacle and captured Shikamaru before grabbing Naruto and finally catching Shino. The beast roared before it swung it's captives around the air.
xxOxx
Yugao was relaxing on the beach; a pair of Shino's sunglasses adorned her face. She had spread out a large towel on the sand so she could rest on it and placed one of those large umbrellas over her for shade. Jiraiya was next to her on the sand, making what appeared to be a snowman made out of sand.
A sandman?
A sandman.
Yugao had made Jiraiya change into something more fitting for a public place. In his case, he was made to change into a pair of white swimming trunks with a frog pattern.
"Would you look at that, Yugao? The boys are fighting a giant squid." Jiraiya remarked casually as he placed a sand carrot onto the sandman's face.
Yugao yawned. "That's a giant octopus, Jiraiya. Squids have six tentacles and have a pointy head." She replied.
The rest of the beach goers were acting pretty relaxed about the giant freaking octopus attacking and paid no mind to it.
"I'll go get an ice cream for us, take care of sandman." Jiraiya told Yugao as he walked to the snack shack several yards away.
Yugao nodded but rolled her eyes underneath the pair of sunglasses. She often wondered how one of the most powerful ninja alive could behave like such a… child. She glanced at the sandman and chuckled at how ridiculous it looked.
She removed her sunglasses when a young man, tall dark and skinny came up to her. "Hey babe, what are you doing with that clown?" Yugao assumed the clown was Jiraiya. "Don't you want to have some fun? Me and the guys are having a volleyball game nearby and we were wondering if you wanted to play?" He winked at her.
Yugao could have thrown up right then and there. Before she could answer, the young man noticed her leg and recoiled. "Oh gross! What the hell!" He said in disgust before walking away.
'It's not that bad, asshole,' Yugao thought in irritation as she frowned. And in reality it really wasn't. Her leg had healed completely except for a gash-like scar that took up a third of her leg.
"Bastard."
Yugao was surprised to hear Jiraiya say her thoughts. He had just come back and was holding two ice cream treats – a red one and a purple one.
He handed her the red one – cherry flavor; her favorite.
"It's fine Jiraiya, I'm used to it." She took a lick of the cold treat.
Jiraiya scowled before smirking. He made some hand signs as he looked at the game of volleyball being played by the asshole and his friends. Suddenly, the ground beneath the game caved in, causing the players to sink.
The players were now buried neck-deep in sand. Jiraiya thought he could see them crying.
He laughed a mighty laugh. Yugao laughed as well.
"Thank you, Jiraiya. That was sweet of you." Yugao smiled before she enjoyed her ice cream treat some more.
"My pleasure." He replied casually as he took a bite of his purple ice cream treat.
Jiraiya and Yugao looked at the peaceful scenery of the beach; the waves crashing against the shore, the seagulls flying by, the hyper malevolent giant octopus currently thrashing the ever living crap out of their students… Ah, the tranquility was so relaxing.
Jiraiya looked at sandman and put a hand on his chin. "Say Yugao, do you think sandman needs some friends?"
Yugao slowly turned her head to face him. "Sure, but that needs to wait for the next omake."
"The next what?"
Omake End(?)
*Remember, these omakes are canon to the story!*
Please review.
Do it for sandman.
Please and thank you!