Okay so I got excited and decided to write another chapter... sue me. Anyway I will be sure to bring up the mental exhaustion caused by the shadow clone training jutsu... at a later point seeing as how I think the Fox would just repair any damage done, now that the two work in tandem.
To Answer you questions:
Guest: I will do that, Maybe, Possibly in the future. Yes that is a good way to clarify... seeing as how I personally think that until after graduation Naruto only had Iruka, and with the few lies the Fox told, he would probably just leave. And finally for your last question probably.
TigrezzTail: No I am not leaving it out... I just forgot... tehe. But I also gave my reasoning as to why I will leave it out for now in the above. Thanks for reminding me though!
SinOfDisaster: Oh they are all sure he died... but is he truly dead?... that's the interesting question.
Naruto, The Runaway Chronicles
Chapter 8
"Halt who goes there?" A guard asked as the Leaf ninja casually walked up to the castle.
"Um... hi... we're guests of Lord Hiyoto, he asked that we present ourselves to him when we arrived." Kakashi stated.
The guard stared at him with a cautious look for a moment before turning to share a look with his fellow guardsmen.
"Wait here." The guard ordered as he entered into the castle.
A few moments went by before he returned and nodded to the other guards.
"This way." He motioned as the other guards stood aside for the Leaf ninja to enter.
The Leaf nin, were on their toes, keeping a close eye on their surroundings. The guard led them to the main hall which was modest in appearance, with only a few elegant statues or portraits to add any sense of ambiance. The throne was empty but at it's side stood Lady Hiyoto who was smiling down at them.
"My Lady." The guard stated with a bow.
"Thank you for bringing them, you may return to your post." Ayane informed him with a smile as she walked towards the Leaf ninja.
"Yes mam." The Guard said before turning and leaving.
"Welcome to Aski, honorary guests from Konohagakure. I am Ayane Hiyoto, Lady of this house. My husband has pressing business with the Raikage at the moment, and regrets to inform you that he cannot, greet you as of yet. For now I will serve as your guide and escort." Ayane informed them with elegance.
"Forgive me for my straightforwardness but is lord Raikage here?" Kakashi asked.
"Yes... he is one of my husbands long time friends and he is here to offer his blessing to my daughter and her soon to be betrothed." Ayane replied, which caused all of the Leaf ninja to stiffen slightly.
"So... ah, thank you for allowing us into your home, and we once again extend our deepest apologies to your daughter for our actions." Asuma stated with a polite and formal tone of voice.
"Think nothing of it, My daughter loves the challenge and to fight two powerful Jonin was like a dream come true for her." Ayane said with a smile and a shrug.
"So... when's the wedding?" Kakashi asked, after a moment.
"The morning after tomorrow. My daughter's fiancee will be arriving that morning and we will have them wed immediately." Ayane informed them.
"That seems a little quick." Kurenai noted.
"Yes well, my husband in getting on in years and doesn't wish to hold the throne any longer. On the day of her wedding he will relinquish all of his lordly duties onto her and her husband, and they will begin ruling." Ayane told them as she made a motion for them to follow her out of the main hall.
"Well... if that's the case then it's truly an honor to be allowed to witness such an occasion." Kakashi stated with a polite eye smile.
"True." Ayane agreed as they continued to walk.
"So...what will you do with us, for the duration of our stay, if you don't mind me asking?" Asuma asked.
"We've made preparations for you to stay in Aski. You will be given free reign to do as you please, though of course we will keep an eye on you, since you are foreigners. I can give you a tour of the castle, and I'm sure you would like to speak with Naruto." Ayane informed them. Most of the younger generation stiffened at the mention of Naruto's name.
"My lady... if you don't mind me asking, what does Naruto do for the Hiyoto clan. Your husband said that he was one of your daughter's body guards?" Kurenai asked, by now all of the Leaf nin were focused on Ayane intently.
"That is simply it. He was hired to do a few jobs for us about two years ago. My husband liked what he saw, and offered Naruto the job." Ayane replied like it was nothing special.
"So... how long have you known Naruto, my Lady?" Sakura asked, the first of the younger gens to speak.
"For about two years. Though he spends most of his time watching over Nayumi or hanging out with my husband. So you'd have to ask either of them if you want to know more about him." Ayane replied.
"How is he?" Kakashi asked in a compassionate tone of voice, that somewhat took Ayane off guard.
"Tired." Ayane replied as they exited the building through a wide door, that led into a large open training field.
"What do you mean?" Asuma asked nervously.
"Well..." Ayane started to reply but then stop and just shook her head before advancing.
Asuma, Gai and Kurenai all shared a look as they followed after her.
They walked to the far end of the training ground past some trees and began to hear the clanking of metal. As they cleared the few trees they spotted Naruto and Nayumi fighting.
Nayumi tossed three shuriken at Naruto, he easily deflected them and then dashed towards her. Nayumi did the same and the two clashed with Kunai in hand. The two entered a deadlock, and remained that way for several moments as the group of onlookers got closer.
"hm... Hey Naruto." Nayumi stated as she noticed her mother and the Leaf ninja.
"I know." Naruto stated with an angry glare.
"Hey don't get pissy at me, I was just..." Nayumi started to reply as she glanced back at the onlookers but stopped as she received a foot to her gut.
"Focus on me not them. We're still fighting!" Naruto growled at her.
Nayumi shot back to her feet and glared at him, but even her glare couldn't dissuade the look of pure anger on Naruto's face.
Suddenly Naruto dashed at her, he closed the gap between the two of them and engaged her in taijutsu.
"If you're trying to impress you're old friends, you should stick with what you're good at. You can't beat me in just taijutsu." Nayumi told him with a roll of her eyes. Suddenly she kicked Naruto in the gut and he popped.
"What..." Nayumi said in disbelief, she had, had her eyes on Naruto the whole time, their was no way he could have done the shadow clone jutsu. Suddenly the familiar sound of the Rasengan filled her ears. She spun around as Naruto dashed towards her, Rasengan in hand.
"Lightning Style: Discharge." Nayumi quickly weaved hand signs and dashed at Naruto. The two were about to clash when suddenly the oncoming Naruto popped.
Nayumi stared forward dumbly at the empty space in front of her when suddenly a sharp pain shot through the back of her head and she was eating dirt.
She writhed in pain for a few moments before glancing up to see Naruto standing over her. He had just successfully delivered a flying drop kick to the back of her head, and she was a moment or two away from losing consciousness.
"How is that for tiajutsu!" The Fox laughed at Naruto's victory.
"Naruto... you have some guests." Ayane said with a smile.
"Yeah... I think Nayumi needs to go to the infirmary. I'll take her there and get back to you guys later." Naruto said as he knelt down next to Nayumi.
"Oh... you're so fucking clever." The Fox said with a laugh.
"Anything to avoid them." Naruto thought in reply as he scooped Nayumi up into his arms.
"I will kill you for this." Nayumi whined, barely conscious.
"I'll see you later." Naruto said as he turned to leave.
"Oh no... I think I can take care of her." Ayane said as suddenly Nayumi was out of his arms and into hers.
"What?" Naruto said with a surprised look.
Ayane quickly motioned for a few guards that were following from a distance to approach. Ayane quickly passed Nayumi to one and he shushined away.
"Thanks a lot." Naruto huffed as he focused his attention of the Leaf ninja.
"Hi... Naruto." Kakashi greeted with a friendly eye smile.
Naruto stared at them with a neutral expression for a moment before taking a deep breath and politely bowing. "Greetings honorary quests. Welcome to Aski. I hope your stay will be pleasant." Naruto said with neutral formality.
"Oh... why thank you." Kakashi took the greeting in stride.
"Naruto... I would like to apologies on behalf of my team and myself. We had no right to attack you like we did, and we truly apologies for any harm we inflicted." Kurenai stated with a sad smile.
"No, problem. Just make sure it doesn't happen again. This is the house of Clan Hiyoto. And I, as one of princess Nayumi's personal guards, will not allow violence to enter into it's halls." Naruto told them with stoic formality.
"Well, said Naruto." The Fox complimented him.
"Thanks... I figure I should act like one of those Samurai from the movies." Naruto thought in reply.
"You have nothing to worry about. We don't plan on a repeat of what happened the other day." Kakashi informed him, giving his fellow Leaf ninja a look to emphasize his point.
"Well Naruto... I leave them in your capable hands. Please show them around. Daso will be out to see you as soon as his meeting with the Raikage is finished." Ayane informed him before vanishing in a poof of smoke.
Naruto simply made a face as Ayane vanished leaving him alone with the Leaf ninja.
-Meanwhile-
"How do you think he'll do?" Ay asked as he, Daso, and Bee, watched Naruto from the castle.
"I'm not sure. Though you must admit, that was pretty quick thinking, trying to use Nayumi as a means of escape like that." Daso replied with a smile.
"Hmph... that was pretty quick thinking on the boys part. Poor Nayumi had no idea what hit her." Ay replied with a laugh.
"I can feel the tension from here. Though I wonder, is that anger, or is it fear." Bee stated his eyes locked on Naruto.
"Yes... I wonder what he is thinking right now." Daso mused aloud as he focused on Naruto.
-Back in the field-
"So... uh... how have you been Naruto?" Kakashi decided to finally start this monologue.
Naruto stared him down for a few moments, his gaze was as piercing as it had ever been. It even caught Kakashi off guard at how keen his eyes had become, that was one of the few marks of a good shinobi, eyes like a hawk.
"What are you gonna do?" The Nine Tails asked Naruto.
"... … … … I'm gonna do what Lord Daso told me to do. I'm gonna be good. If I be good, and just wait this out and make it to the wedding... then I'll be free from them." Naruto finally replied as he lifted his gaze to the sky and took a deep breath.
"I'm fine. How have you been?" Naruto replied as he refocused his attention on them, and smiled. The smile took them all off guard.
"Umm... well I've been fine. Thank you." Kakashi replied a little surprised by Naruto's sudden change in attitude.
"Well, that's good. So... how has Iruka sensei been?" Naruto asked, deciding to stick to stuff he cared about and just go from there.
"Iruka has been fine Naruto... though, he has been very worried about you." Kakashi replied, with a little compassion.
As much as it pained them the rest of the rookies and Jonin held their tongues. Naruto was actually communicating with one of them, so as much as they wanted to speak up, they all knew it was best to hold onto whatever good grace Naruto might allow.
"Well... when you get back, you can let him know that I'm fine. So he doesn't need to worry so much. If he wants, he can come out and visit me here. I haven't gone very far from Aski in a while, and with all that's happening I don't think I will." Naruto told them, keeping his grin.
"Uh... well okay, sure. I guess I can let him know that. So what's new?" Kakashi decided to keep the conversation going, though as they spoke the mood may have lightened but the tension got even worse. Most of the younger generation struggled to keep their mouths shut, as Naruto's demeanor turned positive which only served as an invitation for questioning and convincing. Team 8 was the only one that was different, they were watching Naruto intently, trying to see if they could tell if this was a ruse or not.
"Nothing much. Been training real hard. Going on missions. Chatting with the furball... you know the usual." Naruto replied with a shrug.
"Furball?" Kakashi said with a bit of confusion.
"You mean the nine tails?" Sakura asked out of reflex, as she and the rest of the rookies began to fill with worry.
"Yeah." Naruto replied boardly.
"You're talking to the nine tails now? When did this happen?" Kakashi asked nervously as he picked up on what Naruto meant.
"It happened a while ago. You be surprised about the stuff we talk about. For reasons I can't fathom, he really wants me to get laid." Naruto said with a laugh. And all of them knew, immediately that he had to be joking,
"Look at their faces... they think you're kidding." The Fox laughed.
"Yeah well..." Naruto thought back without much care.
"You think I'm kidding but I'm really not." Naruto said with a giggle as he began to walk towards the tree line.
"Um... okay." Kakashi said with a look of befuddlement, as he and the rest began to follow him.
"So are the rest of you going to talk, or is Haruno and the copycat ninja the only ones with a voice?" Naruto asked as he reached the tree line and sat beneath a tall tree.
"Sorry... they're just trying to take things slowly. They don't want to upset you or anything." Kurenai apologized.
"No need to apologize. It's fine if their nervous. Everyone has those moments. I was pretty nervous when four Leaf ninja jumped me while I was in the middle of meditating the other day." Naruto responded with a sour look.
Team 8 all adopted the same look of embarrassment, at their previous rash attempt to bring their friend home.
"Ah... don't feel bad, I'm just fucken' with ya." Naruto said with a laugh, which again lightened the mood even further.
"You are doing very well Naruto." The Fox commented, as it felt him suppress more of his anger. It had been a long time since he had felt Naruto do something like this. Before the valley of the end, Naruto did it subconsciously. Whenever someone treated him poorly or tried to do mean things to him, he would simply bury his anger and laugh it off, which would usually lighten the mood enough to stop him from getting into more trouble. Since the Valley, the Fox had stopped Naruto from doing that. The two of them did a lot of soul searching together, and they realized that, ever since Naruto first started doing that, his perception of the village became more and more positive.
Though once he let the anger crawl forward, the memories of his abuse at the hands of the villagers returned with all too much clarity. It even surprised the Fox to finally feel and see what the villagers had done to him, without his memories being clouded by all those suppressed emotions.
Authors note:
(For those of you that don't understand what I just said, let me clear it up a little bit, since it's harder to say in the story. At a certain age, which I will get into more later, Naruto began to bury his hatred for the village and hide it behind a mask of laughter and happiness. Naruto also did this in accordance with his memories of prior abuses, so when he thought back on them, he didn't feel angry, he just felt sad or lonely. He kept suppressing his anger, at the abuses he suffered until finally, after the valley of the end, that subconscious act, ceased to happen. He no longer hid his anger behind a wall of laughter, so now that he thinks back on the abuse he's suffered he sees it with clarity.)
End Note:
"I hate doing this. I have a right to be pissed and I should be able to exorcise it." Naruto thought back, as he held his smile.
"I know... but if you get into a fight now, then things could spiral downward. We want to send the Leaf a message, but you aren't strong enough to send the message you want to send, so we'll have to rely on Daso and the Raikage to send the message for us, and in order for that to work we need to follow the plan." The Fox rationalized it for him.
"I know... it just sucks. It reminds me to much of how I used to be. Running around like a damn fool, pretending the cuts and bruises didn't hurt. Pretending that all of the anger and rage, directed at me, didn't make me feel like a monster." Naruto responded, though this time he actually had to clench his fist to hold back his anger, he was able to keep his smile but the more perceptive Leaf shinobi, noticed the subtle change in body language.
"I get it. Just keep doing what you're doing. Daso won't make you suffer through this for too much longer." The Fox encouraged him, as well as it could.
"I know. I just hope the old man, sees what he needs too and get's his ass down here soon." Naruto replied, fully aware that from some unknown location Daso was probably watching this exchange.
"Are you alright Naruto?" Kakashi decided to ask, as he noticed Naruto's fist clench, which he remembered was something Naruto did to hold back his anger.
"Fine... just thinking about stuff." Naruto replied though he trailed off at the end, and stared out across the training field, towards the castle.
"Naruto... what happened to you?" Sakura finally couldn't take the waiting anymore, and decided to get the answer they were all looking for.
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked with a tilt of his head as Sakura stood a few feet in front of him.
"I mean in the valley? What happened to you there. Why didn't you come home?" Sakura asked, her eyes keen and focused.
The other Leaf ninja all eyed Naruto intently, waiting for his answer.
"What? Didn't the Uchiha tell you how my tenant managed to break through the fourth's seal in time to save me? Didn't he tell you how it took the power of the Nine Tailed demon Fox, to change the course of that battle?" Naruto asked, as his smile was replaced with a scowl.
"I told them about the Nine Tails, Naruto. We want to know what happened afterwords? After you and I clashed, and I lost consciousness?" Sasuke clarified, at hearing his voice it took all of Naruto's nerve not to shoot the Uchiha a glare that would peel flesh from bone.
"I told you what happened. The Fox saved my life. I fell... over thirty feet, and slammed my head into the stone floor of the valley. If it wasn't for the Fox, I would have died there. Luckily it was able to use it's power to heal my body, and get me the hell out of there." Naruto replied with a bit of anger.
"Naruto..." Kakashi said in a low whisper, as a look of sadness crept across his face.
"Wait.. that doesn't make sense. How did the Nine Tails get you outta the Valley?" Kiba asked with a confused look.
"Let me clarify. I fell, and hit my head. I was in a coma. When one is in a coma, they tend not to be able to do much of anything. So while I was checked out... the Fox took over, and got me out of there." Naruto explained with a slight glare.
"The Nine Tails possessed your body? How is that possible?" Asuma asked with immense concern.
"Don't you listen? I. WAS. IN. A. COMA." Naruto spelled it out for him.
"Wait... Naruto... when you hit your head... did anything else happen to you?" Sakura asked as realization as to why there was little to know recollection on his face when they first met, came to her.
"Yeah, an angel descended from heaven and freed me from my own stupidity." Naruto replied with a bit of distaste.
"Did you... suffer from amnesia, after that fall?" Sakura asked, and suddenly the rest of the group understood what had made Naruto change. (or they thought they did.)
"I only lost a few memories. Everything after the academy, and bits of the graduation exams." Naruto replied as he stood.
"Oh Naruto..." Kakashi stated with a sad look.
"So that's why... that's why you're acting like this?" Sakura asked as he walked past her. He suddenly stopped, and his anger quickly shot up once again, it took every ounce of self control he had not to lash out and scream his response in her face. Once again Kakashi and the other Jonin noticed the increased tension in Naruto's body language, as both his fist clenched in anger.
"Yes... the loss of my memories helped to sever what ever connection I might have had to that hell hole." Naruto spat at her in reply as he continued to march through the group.
"But... But, Naruto... you can't possibly... me... mean that about the village." Hinata stuttered out as he walked past her. He suddenly stopped and the group immediately felt an almost carnal killing intent flood the field.
"Oh believe me Hyuuga... I mean it." Naruto shot her a death glare that caused Hinata to stumble back a few feet, right into Tenten, who stood behind her, and who also took a few steps back from Naruto.
"What did the Fox do to you?" Sakura stated without thinking.
"Take it in Stride!" The Fox ordered, as Naruto nearly spun around and attacked her.
"Why the hell should I? No one talks about you like that! You were the only one there for me, and I'll be damned if I let this bitch or anyone else blame you for anything!" Naruto spat in reply.
"You humble me Naruto. You're friendship is more then I deserve. And I thank you for wanting to protect me. But you needn't worry, there is nothing this little brat could say about me, that could hurt what feelings I do have." The Fox replied, politely.
"The Fox saved me... Pinky." Naruto replied, with a glare.
"Let's calm down. We don't want to start a fight." Kakashi tried to dampen the tension but to little avail.
"Naruto... the nine tails is evil. It attacked our village. It killed the fourth Hokage. Everything it does, it does to hurt others." Asuma stated with a distant look.
"Oh come on." Kakashi whined internally, as he felt sides beginning to form.
"Well it saved my life. How do you explain that?" Naruto shot back.
"You're it's host Naruto. Of course it would want to keep you alive. When you lost you memories, it probably took that chance to manipulate you." Shikamaru stated, eying Naruto intently.
"Damn... Nara's are smart. But your only half right, when you say I manipulated him. I just helped him see clearly. You all did the rest." The Fox thought, as it monitored the situation.
"Oh go fuck yourself with a rusty pipe Shikamaru. You don't know anything." Naruto fired back at him, with a scowl.
"Shikamaru's right Naruto. The Nine tails is a Malevolent Force of nature. It's nothing but selfish. It saved you only so it could survive." Kurenai added in her two cents.
"Oh... not you too, dammit." Kakashi hissed once again. He was flabbergasted as to how blind his comrades were. They couldn't see it, the way Naruto spoke about the great beast, it was his savior, his protector. And they were trying to convince him it was nothing more then a monster.
Kakashi was stuck... he certainly had no love for the nine tails, in fact he hated bijuu more then most, not only did the Nine tails attack his village, but it also killed his sensei, and indirectly, another bijuu was responsible for his teammates death. So he had every reason to join his comrades in trying to convince Naruto that the beast was evil, but he just couldn't. Kakashi spent every single day trying to live up to the standard that Obito had set for him. And Obito would have never allowed himself to be ruled by hatred. And because of that, Kakashi could only try and mediate this argument, and hope that his comrades didn't say anything to truly upset Naruto.
"Again, I reiterate. Go fuck yourself, though instead of a rusty pipe, you can go fuck yourself with a cactus." Naruto spat venom at her.
"Naruto, please don't be mad at Kurenai or Asuma sensei, they were alive when the Nine Tails attacked the Leaf, it must bring up such horrible memories for them." Hinata tried to calm Naruto down, and surprisingly... it worked.
Naruto stared at Hinata for a moment before taking another deep breath and letting it out. "I apologize, Kurenai, Asuma, Shikamaru, The Nine Tails has been nothing but good to me, since I've known it, but I often forget that it is not the same to everyone."
Kurenai, Asuma and Shikamaru all looked taken aback by the sudden apology. They obviously hadn't expected things to settle down.
"Look... regardless of your feelings, the Nine Tails is my protector, my partner, and my sensei. And anyone who disrespects it, will meet my fists. So to anyone else who wants to talk about how evil it is, listen to me, I. DON'T. CARE." Naruto informed them, with bold resolution.
"Those deep breaths... those are meditation techniques. I wonder... where did you learn those? … … … … … … Wait! Did he say Sensei?" Kakashi thought, as he looked up at Naruto with surprise.
"Na... Naruto? Did you say the..." Kakashi began to ask with immense worry, when suddenly Daso and the Raikage appeared out of nowhere.
"Hi everyone. Good to see you've made it here. Sorry I took so long, we were just finishing discussions about the wedding." Daso greeted them with a jolly smile.
Upon seeing the Raikage, the Jonin immediately bowed, while their students out of reflex followed suite. "Lord Hiyoto, Lord Raikage." Kakashi stated, with a bit of worry.
"So you are Kakashi of the Sharingan eye... I've got to say, I expected you to be taller." Ay mused as the leaf ninja rose from their bow.
"Um... thanks." Kakashi replied not knowing what to make of that statement.
"Welcome to the land of Lightning Leaf ninja. Know that you are here as Lord Hiyoto's personal guests. That does not mean I will take any shit from any of you. So if you don't want to be reintroduced to your village wall, traveling at over a hundred miles an hour, I recommend you be good, and avoid any further mishaps." The Raikage addressed the Leaf nin, with authority, that in many ways, dwarfed lady Tsunade's.
"Of course Lord Raikage. We wish to avoid any conflict, and are only here to meet with out old friend, and get a few answers." Asuma explained.
"Yes... well I have a few questions that need answering as well." Ay responded as he took a step towards the group.
"God, this guy is strong. He almost emanating power." Neji thought.
"If we get into a fight with this guy we're boned." Shikamaru feared.
"What is this guy, a shaved ape?" Ino thought in regards to Ay's stature.
"What kind of questions?" Kakashi asked.
"Why is the Leaf so interested in this boy?" Ay asked simply.
"What?" Kakashi asked stupidly, as he shared a look with his fellow Jonin.
"You heard me. Why all the trouble to bring this kid back to the Leaf? He's at best a high end Chuunin. What, the Leaf gone too soft to order the death of their rogues anymore?" Ay asked, with narrow eyes.
"Um... no. It's just... well you see, Naruto isn't a rogue. He's just a missing ninja, and he's a good friend of Lady Tsunade's, so she asked us to bring him home. Not to mention, he was rather close with the rest of us." Kakashi replied, hoping the Raikage didn't know about the Nine Tails part.
"Oh... well then. I hope you get this settled so the Leaf can get the hell outta my country. I don't care if you wanna talk to him, but I will have no further violence on the Leaf's behalf. You are lucky that Daso has pardoned you or I would have you all killed and sent back to your Hokage in pieces." Ay replied with a bit of venom.
"Of course Lord Raikage. No violence what so ever. We will leave after the wedding ceremony is over, and not a minute later." Kakashi assured him.
"Good, now then. Are you alright Naruto? We felt you KI flare up a few moments ago?" Ay asked, with genuine curiosity. All the while the Leaf ninja were praying that the Raikage had no knowledge that that was in fact a portion of the Nine Tails KI as well.
"Yeah I'm fine. Leaf's just pissing me off." Naruto muttered.
"Idiots." Ay stated.
"I know right?" Naruto agreed with a smile.
"Well... I'm sure we've all had a long day. Who's hungry for some lunch?" Daso asked. The Leaf ninja stood silently for a moment before a loud grumbling could be heard.
"Sorry guys." Choji apologized with a little embarrassment as the rest of the group made faces.
"Ah good, then let's get going. I'm sure we're all starving. I wonder when Nayumi will wake up." Daso mused as he, Ay, and Naruto all turned towards the castle and began to walk towards it.
"I didn't hurt her to bad, did I?" Naruto asked with a bit of regret.
"She'll definitely feel it tomorrow. But that's fine. It builds character." Daso responded with a grin.
"Eh... she's gonna murder me isn't she?" Naruto asked hesitantly.
"Probably." Daso responded, lightheartedly.
"Oh boy." Naruto muttered as they continued to walk.
"So... Naruto... Any new girls in your life?" Kiba decided to ask.
"No... any for you?" Naruto decided to respond, and return to talking about shit that didn't matter.
"No not really. There was this one girl, but she freaked when she met my mom." Kiba replied.
"Eek... you're mama's scary." Naruto muttered.
"I know... that's what I keep telling her." Kiba replied with a laugh.
"Well... at least he can still BS with the boys... or at least Kiba. That's a good sign, but still... that anger he displayed earlier. That wasn't just hatred, it was pure rage. This is going to be harder then we thought." Kakashi thought internally as the group made there way to the castle, which surely held even more obstacles for the Leaf, to overcome in their quest to return their friend home.
Okay... that's it for this chapter, let me know what you think and I hope you enjoy. LATER!