"Shikamaru figured it out, huh?" Tsunade mused, taking a sip of her sake. "Why am I not surprised?"
"Yeah, he cornered Ochibi-chan and everything," Naruto chuckled. "All it took was a bit of her chakra and he could see me. Then I taught Ochibi-chan here my technique of passing chakra to people, and she now no longer has to hold their hand for them to see me."
"Well, he's always been the smart one," the elder woman replied. "When Shizune got pregnant, Shikamaru took over as Kakashi's advisor, and he stayed after she gave birth, giving her time to raise her kid."
Naruto laughed. "Think of how much of his cloud-watching time he had to cut down!" The Fifth Hokage chuckled before looking at Chiharu, who smiled back happily.
"From what I heard," Tsunade took a sip of her sake. "He does his advising from the floor, prone."
"Ha! Between him and Kakashi-sensei," he chortled. "They'll never get anything done!"
Tsunade smiled, relishing in Naruto's glowing aura. "So," she asked. "How long have you been back?"
"Well," he smiled, patting Chiharu's head. "A couple of months before Ochibi-chan was born."
"I thought so," Tsunade mused. "Sakura did look a lot happier around that time. You have no idea what your death did to her." She took another drink. "Or to me…" She added under her breath.
"Hey! It's not like I wanted to die!" He protested with a pout. "It was a necessary sacrifice.."
"I know," she replied, looking up and smiling sadly. "I just wish there had been another way."
"Well, I wish that I had time to achieve my dream," Naruto replied, a twinge of melancholy in his tone. "I was so close too, just a couple of months and I'd have done it."
"Papa?" Naruto looked down to see his daughter crawling to sit on his lap. "What was your dream?"
He wrapped his harms around her frame and kissed her forehead. "I wanted to be Hokage, Ochibi-chan," he whispered, eyes distant with the memories of his constant declaration. "I wanted to be respected and acknowledged by the whole village. Like your grandfather, and Jiji, and Tobirama and Hashirama. I wanted to be the best out of them all."
"You forgot about me, brat," Tsunade growled, downing another sake.
"Bah, who'd wanna be like you?" He teased. "Always drunk, always gambling, always yelling at people, and always-ow!" Quick as lightning, Tsunade had reached over and flicked him on his forehead.
"-always super strong," he finished, whining and rubbing his forehead as Chiharu laughed in her father's arms.
"Chiharu-chan," Tsunade cooed, smiling at the happy girl. "You know the first time I met your father, I nearly broke his face?"
"What?" The girl cried out in astonishment. "Papa, you must have been really weak!"
"Oi! I was not-"
"Yes he was," encouraged the grinning Tsunade. This was a sweet revenge for all the times he'd given her hell during her time in office. "And he was stubborn and bratty and annoying and pissed the hell out of anyone he met!"
"I can hear you, ya know?" Naruto muttered, but his protest fell on deaf ears.
"But," Tsunade took another sip from her cup. "He had the strongest will and the biggest heart." At this, Naruto looked up, surprised. She took Chiharu's hand into her own. "He almost died just trying to prove a point to me, and it worked." A tearful smile made its way to her face. "Your papa saved my life, Chiharu-chan, I just wish I could have done the same." It was true, it had haunted her for many months that the grinning face that had changed her life completely had been in trouble, but she had been unable to do anything but sit in an office that was once hers, and wait with slipping hope for him to return. She'd seen him die before, and knowing that it was happening again made her heart bleed. Many nights were spent drinking away the memory of him, but as much she blamed herself, she could never imagine him blaming her.
Naruto took Tsunade's other hand. "Baa-chan..." he mumbled. He'd never heard her say such heartfelt things about him before. He had always felt her affection through actions and loud voices, and sometimes the hidden smile at the end of a reprimand, but never, never a speech like this.
"I never had the chance to tell you," she sniffled, continuing. "But I'm so proud of you."
"Baa-chan, you don't have to-" he started but she cut him off again.
"Shut up Naruto," she hissed. "Don't spoil it." She took another sip of sake and gave him a shaky smile. "I'm so proud of who you've become, and what you've done in life, and how many people's lives you've touched. I haven't always played a big role in your upbringing, but I'm still so damn proud of you." She felt a hand on her knee and saw Chiharu reaching out to give her a hug. Pulling the girl in, Tsunade finally let her tears fall, and felt herself in the comforting hold of the ghost who she loved as he wrapped his arms around the two of them.
"I'm so damn proud of you, Naruto," she sobbed, her voice nearly a whisper.
"Thanks Baa-chan," Naruto whispered, barely holding back his own tears. "I love you."
"I love you too, Gaki," she choked out. "I really do."
::::::
"Good morning Chiharu-chan."
Chiharu cast her sleepy gaze to her left and spotted her classmate walking next to her.
"Mmm…" She mumbled, too tired to form any words.
"Did you sleep well?" Her friend asked, used to Chiharu's wordless answers.
"Mmm…" Came the same reply.
"That's nice," she continued. "Are you ready for today?"
"Mmm?"
"The first day of our final exams! Today we're doing the written test."
Chiharu stopped in her tracks, her foggy mind completely awake now. "Hitomi," she whispered. "Say that again?"
The girl in question turned around to her frozen friend. "Chiharu-chan?" She asked, worried. "Don't tell me you didn't study?"
"Aaah!" Chiharu dashed forward, grabbed Hitomi's hand and sprinted to the academy, mentally berating herself along the way. Why did she spend the whole night reading that stupid manga instead of studying? It wasn't even a phenomenal manga, it was mediocre at best. Sure, the protagonist might have been really hot, but that could have waited, graduating from the academy could not.
Once they reached their classroom, Chiharu formed six clones that immediately started tearing through her textbooks, skimming at a speed that would make her mother proud. They would read one chapter at a time, popping into smoke while the original retained the information, pestering a poor Hitomi, who seemed completely overwhelmed with what was happening, with questions on what she didn't understand. Her lavender pupils seemed to be spinning out of control.
"Hitomi!" Chiharu would fire off. "Chapter 23 of the weapons textbook says that kunai are preferred for traps while shuriken are used in cornering the target. Why?!"
"Um!" Hitomi would struggle to reply. "Th-that's because sh-shuriken-"
"Never mind, I got it!" The blonde would interrupt. "Next question."
For the whole of 30 minutes that was how their conversation went. Other students were starting to waltz into class, completely used to Chiharu's antics. It wasn't unusual to see the prankster cramming for a test the day of, although this being the deciding test for whether one could graduate from the academy, they thought she'd put a little more effort into studying. A boy with walked up to Chiharu, smirk on his face, ready to tease her about her last minute preparations. His crimson hair swayed as he walked, bringing attention to his dark eyes.
"Oi Chiharu," he started. "Just give up, there's no way you're gon-" an elbow met his jaw and sent him flying to the wall, leaving an imprint of him on the piece of concrete.
"Not now, Michio! I'm busy!" Chiharu yelled, not at all deterred by the interruption. "Hitomi! How do you solve question 37?!"
"Um... Michio-kun…" Hitomi looked worriedly at their classmate.
"Ignore the Fuckface, Hitomi!" Chiharu barked. "Question 37!"
She just barely managed to finish studying as Shino walked into the classroom, wearing his visor and his chūnin vest. He observed a sweating Chiharu and a dizzy Hitomi seated at the back.
"Hee hee," Chiharu wheezed. "All done."
"Alright class, settle down," ordered Shino. "Take your seats."
"Chiharu-chan," squeaked Hitomi. "I still don't understand how you're able to retain so much information and process everything so quickly."
Chiharu grinned. "It's a bloodline limit that I received from my mum," she whispered back. "Haruno women have a second mind, sort of like an inner voice that reveals itself as a second personality. It's usually used as deterrent for interrogation techniques, but it's also used to process information. Inner-Chiharu organises the information while I feed it to her."
"That's so cool…" Hitomi mumbled.
"It's actually pretty annoying," Chiharu rolled her eyes. "She has a habit of yelling whatever is on her mind and doing that when its least appropriate."
"I heard that, bitch!"
"Like," Hitomi asked. "She's talking to you now?"
Chiharu nodded. "She just said that we better get some ramen after all that hard work." Hitomi snickered at that.
"Damn right I better get some fucking ramen."
"Uzumaki Chiharu!"
Chiharu looked down to see her sensei looking at her, his usual stoic expression on his face. "H-hai, Aburame-sensei?"
"The test is about to start," his baritone voice flowed smoothly throughout the room. "I'd appreciate it if you could refrain from speaking to Hitomi-san over there. Why? Because the act of talking can allow you to be accused of cheating, and cheating is a-"
"Yeah yeah," the blonde cut in, waving her hand. "I got it, I got it! Let's get this show on the road!" She grinned at him.
"O-okay," he mumbled, thrown off by her interruption. He should have been used to it by now, but the fact that his disruptive student was so similar to her father always made him speechless. "Take one and pass them around," he instructed as he handed a stack of papers to the front row. "Do not start until I tell you to."
"Hai sensei!" The class echoed.
::::::
"Good morning Chiharu-chan."
Chiharu cast her sleepy gaze to her left and spotted her classmate walking next to her.
"Mmm…" She mumbled, too tired to form any words.
"Did you sleep well?" Her friend asked, used to Chiharu's wordless answers.
"Mmm…" Came the same reply.
"That's nice," she continued. "Are you ready for today?"
"Mmm?"
"The second day of our final exams! Today we're doing the combat test."
Chiharu stopped in her tracks, her foggy mind completely awake now. "Hitomi," she whispered. "Say that again?"
The girl in question turned around to her frozen friend. "Chiharu-chan?" She asked, worried. "Don't tell me you didn't remember?"
"Aaah!" Chiharu dashed forward, grabbed Hitomi's hand and sprinted to the academy, mentally berating herself along the way. Why did she spend the whole night playing that stupid video game instead studying? Sure, the graphics were awesome and she totally wanted to know what the mystery prize for winning that level was, but-wait…combat test? Who the hell needs to study for a combat test?
"Goddamit, Hitomi," Chiharu huffed as she slowed her pace. "You scared the crap outa me."
"I didn't do anything…" Hitomi protested weakly.
"Anyway," Chiharu continued as the duo walked into the academy. "I can't wait to see who I'm paired up with." They strolled up to the white board in the middle of the hallway. On it was the list of students and who their opponents would be for the exams. "Unarmed combat," she read out, scanning the page for her name. "Jinmaru! I got paired with Jinmaru!" She jumped up in excitement, a confused Hitomi by her side.
"Is…is that a good thing?"
Chiharu turned around and Hitomi could see the fire in her friends eyes. "It's time for revenge," Chiharu grinned manically. "Sweet, sweet revenge." Hitomi decided not to enquire the cause for revenge and instead looked for her own name on the board.
"Oh no…" She said softly. "I'm paired with Metal Lee…" That got Chiharu's attention.
"Oh, Uncle Lee and Aunty Ten Ten's kid!" She smiled. "He's a nice guy, I'm sure he'd be a great opponent."
"Yeah, but he's also really good at Taijutsu," Hitomi replied worriedly. "And he's really fast.."
"Yeah but you're really fast."
"And he's really strong..."
"And you're really smart."
"But he's got Rock Lee-san as his dad…"
A hand came down and slapped the girl on her back, knocking her out of her worried trance. Her eyes snapped to her blonde friend who smiled at her comfortingly.
"It'll be ok," she was assured. "Just do your best! Marks aren't awarded for winning anyway, it's all technique and adaptability." Her pale eyes landed on Chiharu's broad grin and she found herself smiling with her.
"Yeah," she took a deep breath. "It'll be alright."
::::::
"Jinmaru! Chiharu! Please step forward!"
A manic grin found its way to a whiskered face as Chiharu cracked her knuckles. "Oh Jinmaru~" she sang while approaching the frightened boy.
"U-um Chiharu," the boy stammered. "T-take it easy o-on m-me, k-kay?"
"What?" She continued to sing. "No way! You're a tough guy! I can't take it easy!"
"Both of you!" Shino ordered. "Greet each other." The two students held up two fingers in front of their chests in the traditional Shinobi greeting and bowed to each other.
"Yeah," she concluded. "You're a real tough guy. Reaaaal tough."
"N-no," he unconsciously took a step back. "Y-you got it wrong."
"Real big balls too!" She was still smiling, but Jinmaru could see murder in her eyes.
"W-wait," he held his hand up. "What're y-you talking a-about?"
"You had the balls," she growled through gritted teeth. "To steal my ramen."
"W-wait!" He cried out.
"Begin!" Shino yelled, cutting his hand down.
"You don't steal ramen from an Uzumaki and live to tell the tale!" Chiharu shot forward, her fist cocked back, ready to attack.
"Wait!" Jinmaru raised his arms in an attempt at defence, and a thought crossed his mind before he lost consciousness. What ramen?
::::::
"Good morning Chiharu-chan."
Chiharu cast her sleepy gaze to her left and spotted her classmate walking next to her.
"Mmm…" She mumbled, too tired to form any words.
"Did you sleep well?" Her friend asked, used to Chiharu's wordless answers.
"Mmm…" Came the same reply.
"That's nice," she continued. "Are you ready for today?"
"Mmm?"
"The last day of our final exams! Today we're doing the jutsu test."
Chiharu stopped in her tracks, her foggy mind completely awake now. "Hitomi," she whispered. "Say that again?"
The girl in question turned around to her frozen friend. "Chiharu-chan?" She asked, worried. "Don't tell me you didn't remember?"
"Aaah!" Chiharu dashed forward, grabbed Hitomi's hand and sprinted to the academy, mentally berating herself along the way. Why did she spend the entire night trying to foraging for that weird fruit in the Northern Forest of Konoha? It was outside the borders and it smelled absolutely terrible, but it only dropped from the trees at midnight, and it tasted heavenly. But instead of picking weird-smelling fruits from the floor, she should have been studying for her jutsu test. Hold up…Jutsu test?
"Goddamit Hitomi," Chiharu huffed as she slowed her pace. "You've got to stop fuckin' scarring me like that."
"I never do anything..." the poor girl whined softly.
"Anyways," the blonde grinned in interruption. "I wonder what jutsu I should perform today?"
"Aburame-sensei says that today we'll be tested on the basic techniques every shinobi must know," Hitomi recited diligently. "Like the transform technique, the clone technique, the – are you listening?"
"Huh? Oh yeah," Chiharu replied, her eyes still focused on the bandaged boy that was sitting at the far corner of the classroom. When their eyes met, Jinmaru quickly diverted his gaze and looked forward. "I guess I really was a bit harsh on him, huh?"
"Who, Jinmaru?" Hitomi followed her friend's gaze. "Yeah, m-maybe you should a-apologise."
"But he stole my ramen, Hitomi!" Chiharu hissed. "It's unforgivable!"
"J-just say you're s-sorry, Chiharu-chan," Hitomi urged her friend.
Steeling her resolve and swallowing her pride, the whiskered girl took heavy steps forward and stood in front of the boy. "Hey," she mumbled. "I'm real sorry about yesterday."
"I don't even know what ramen you're talking about!" He cried out indignantly.
Chiharu looked down in supposed shame. "It…" she managed through gritted teeth. "It was two years ago! I was really hungry and Mama made me special ramen that I could take with me to school! And you ate it before I could!"
"Wait," Jinmaru looked at her with wide eyes. "You…you held on to a grudge for two years?"
"Mama only did that when she had time!" She was still going strong. "And now that she's back in the hospital, I never get ramen for lunch!"
"You didn't have to pummel me into the ground!" Jinmaru fired back, standing up now.
"Yeah?" Chiharu leaned forward, eyes burning with fire, ready to fight. "What would you have me do when you took my precious ramen?"
"U-um Chiharu-chan," Hitomi meekly tried to pull her friend back to no avail. "Y-you were t-trying to a-apologise?"
"You shoulda talked it out!" Jinmaru crossed his arms across his chest and huffed. "If I knew that I woulda bought you ramen."
Immediately, the fire in Chiharu's eyes dissipated and was replaced by the shine of happiness. "R-really?" Chiharu asked, nearly salivating at the thought. "All I can eat?" Oh this was going to be good.
"W-well," Jinmaru was too stunned by the sudden change in demeanour that he could hardly find a suitable reply. "U-um –"
"Thank you! I'll see you after the exam! Ichiraku's here we go!" The hyperactive blonde bounded off to her seat, leaving a confused Jinmaru behind with a disappointed Hitomi.
"Y-you're gonna regret that," she sighed as she went to join her rejoicing friend.
"What did I just get myself into?" he mumbled, more to himself than to anyone else.
::::::
"Team 7 will consist of Hitomi, Chiharu, and Michio."
"What the fuck?!" Chiharu's enraged scream rang through the classroom. "Why do I have to be paired with this piece of shit?!" She pointed her finger at the redhead behind her.
"Why?" Shino hummed. "Because while Michio got one of the best scores in the class, you happened to achieve one of the worst. In order to balance the abilities of each team, we had to put the two of you together."
"The worst?!" She spat venomously. "I aced every fucking test!"
"Oh for crying out loud, blondie," Michio grumbled. "Shut up already."
"You dirty little-!"
"Chiharu," her sensei spoke calmly. "It is true that you have excelled in the tests. You completely obliterated your opponent in Taijutsu, and produced 10 clones when I asked for 1, and aced your written test. However, such a performance only proves to me your blatant lack of obedience, control, tact and finesse. The tests weren't graded according to how well you did, but how you did them. Furthermore, you've shown that all the knowledge you've learned in theory has remained that way – theoretical. We are training ninjas, not warriors."
Finding herself speechless, the whiskered girl slumped back into her seat, grumbling about bugs and assholes, while Shino, pretending not to hear, continued to read out the names of for the next few teams.
"Just don't get in my way, idiot," she heard her archenemy whisper to her. Spinning around, Chiharu lodged a strong fist into his jaw and sent him crashing into the wall.
"Bite me, asswipe," she growled.
Swearing under her breath, she sat back down, ignoring Hitomi's worried look. After hearing that she had been placed in the same team as the epitome of arrogance, she was in no mood for conversation. How long was it before she could take the chūnin exams? With her skill, probably two, one of she was lucky. But her dad and his friends had set high standards during her time, so she doubted luck was on her side. After that she'd have her own missions, away from this brat of a redhead and the stick up his ass.
"Your new jōnin instructors will meet you back here after lunch at 1300 hours sharp." Shino concluded, placing the lists of teams on the table. "Good luck."
Awesome, she thought to herself, eager to set her long term plan into action. Three years of hell with the piece of shit behind me, or two years with good behaviour. Our sensei better not be late.
A/N: I'm soooooo sorry for this late post, y'all! The truth is that I was in Japan, making full use of my 14 days of leave from the army. And let me tell you, ladies and gentleman, Japan is amazing. It's gorgeous and wonderful and the people are beautiful and kind and hospitable that I wish I could stay there forever. Also, thank you all who reviewed, it surprised me and made me feel really happy^^ Anyways, I made this chapter a little longer as an apology, so I hope you guys enjoyed it! I really love writing Chiharu, she's so me!