CHAPTER EIGHT
YOU GOT THE JOB
They were all laughing when they regrouped outside of the restrooms. The mood was light. They had cleaned up as much as they could. Although, they still smelled really good. A combination of something flowery and fruity.
"Well, I guess we could always go to Walmart later," Kim mused, playing with her gray wig. She handed it over to Naruto for safe keeping.
"They have a stores that sells walls," shouted Naruto. Kim and Jade sweat dropped.
"No, there isn't. That's a hardware store. Walmart sells just about anything you might need. They have a food market, a clothing department, basic everyday needs, a pharmacy, hunting and fishing department-" Jade was cut off.
"Okay, Jade I think they get it. Walmart has everything," Kim stated the obvious. "Just tell us where we need to go next."
"Fine," Jade sighed out. "We're going to JCPenny, for two reasons." She stopped to make sure that she had everyone's attention. When she was sure she did, she continued. "Reason one, we can find all their clothes and underwear there. Reason two; I don't want to get banned from one of my favorite stores. Though we did have a hell of a good time back there. And lastly, there's a sale."
"That's three reasons," Kim intoned, eyes wandering from the upper floors to the dirty blonde.
"Shut up."
That having been said, they all headed to the other end of the mall. It took a lot less time to venture across the mall. That was only because it was still early on a Saturday morning, and all the pre-teens, teens and adults were either still asleep or at work. Thus, making all mall activity sparse.
They arrived at JCPenny a good five minutes later. Kim power walked the whole way, causing everyone to keep up with her fast pace. Though that was her normal walking speed. Who ever said short people walked slow, obviously had never met Kim.
The entire group was led to the underwear section of the store by Jade. The boys went their way to pick out some boxers, briefs, or whatever they wore. Kim and Jade stayed to help out with the girls.
"SENSEI! YOU SHOULD GET THE ONES WITH THE RED HEARTS! NAGATO, YOU SHOULD GET THE ONES WITH THE FROGS ON THEM! I THINK I'M GOING TO GET A PAIR OF THOSE TOO!" A voice shouted out, loud enough for the girls, and probably the entire store, to hear.
"Typical Naruto," Sakura stated, shaking her head. Hinata just blushed a deep red at the thought of Naruto wearing boxers with little cartoon frogs on them. The other girls just shared knowing looks.
"So," said Jade clapping her hands together. "Panties, bras, and sleepwear can all be found right here. The stuff here is okay, but when we find everyone suitable jobs and you all get your first paychecks, then I can take you guys to my favorite underwear store," she said with a gleam in her eyes. Kim rolled her eyes at that. The underwear was fine from there; it was just that Jade liked hers to be a whole lot more flashy.
"So does anyone need help with sizes? I don't know if the sizes are different where you all come from," asked Kim.
"The sizes seem to be the same as back home," Konan stated, looking at a tag one of the nearby bras. With that the girls continued on with their search. When they were done, they met back up with the boys. Hinata was blushing like mad, at the thought of Naruto seeing her undergarments, and attempting to hide them underneath a pair of pajama pants.
Kim went to check all the price tags of the things everyone had chosen, and tallied up how much everyone had left to spend. When she was done telling everyone how much they had left, they all continued their shopping.
Jade was running back and forth, making sure everyone picked clothes that weren't ugly. When she tried telling Naruto that orange was a fashion don't, much to Sasuke's delight, Kim had to jump in and pull her away. Kakashi was displeased to note that the store didn't sell face masks, but he did find a few scarfs that he liked. Sakura and Hinata were helping each other out. Konan had finished, and was helping Nagato. Hana somehow ended up helping Itachi. Deidara, done with his shopping, was arguing with an old lady who had told him to get a haircut when she found out that he was not a girl. Sasuke was trying to avoid his little, but growing, fan club, while trying to pick out some shirts.
After all that nonsense was over they headed over to check-out. They all paid for their things, got their bags, and exited the store. Back in the center of the mall, they were at a loss. It was 9:45 in the morning. Still too early for lunch, but they were all hungry. They settled for getting fruit cups from the food court. Sitting down at a table with their snacks, they were still at a loss.
"If we're all looking for jobs, save for Jade, then we should split up," Kim stated. At the looks on everyone's faces, she lamented. "It's not a good idea to work at the same place as your friends. You'll get distracted a lot, and get fired." Her and Jade exchanged knowing looks.
"I think I can get Deidara in at the Art Studio with me. I teach a sketching class there, maybe he could teach a class of his own. We've never had a sculptor before." The ninja that knew Deidara's version of art, raised an eyebrow at the blond.
"What," exclaimed Deidara, when he noticed the looks. They dared to judge his art. "You guys don't think I can do it, un?" It was Itachi that answered.
"We now you can teach them how to sculpt, but probably not without blowing someone up," said Itachi. Deidara narrowed his eyes at his rival, and stood up from his seat.
"I can do it without blowing someone or something up." With that he grabbed Jade by the arm, and left mumbling something that sounded like 'stupid Uchiha, always judging my art with those damn eyes.' Kim gave Itachi a disappointed look.
"What?"
"You don't have to be so negative," Kim said, getting after Itachi. "At least give him a chance before writing it off as a failure."
"I'm sorry," the eldest Uchiha apologized, shocking everybody at the table save for Sasuke.
"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to, but what's said is said. Though try being a little more supportive next time," Kim smiled. Itachi just nodded, face blank. "Okay, before I let you all roam around the mall; I have a few things to warn you about. Try not to mention the fact that you're from a different dimension, you'll probably end up getting locked in the loony bin. Don't mention anything about your ninja abilities. From what I've been able to come up with, your home dimension is similar to Japanese culture. So if anyone asks, you're from Japan."
"So long story short, we are to act like civilians, are Japanese, and try not to stick out and bring to much attention to ourselves," Kakashi summarized, throwing a not so subtle glance at the original members of Team 7.
"Pretty much. Do you guys think you can handle it," Kim asked nervously.
"We can handle it, dattebayo!" Naruto shouted, jumping up. With that said, or shouted, the group dispersed, and wandered off in different directions. Kim caught Hana before she could get too far, and gave her directions to the pet store.
After a ride on the escalator, Jade and Deidara were standing inside the Art Studio. They had to be quiet because of an ongoing water-color class, in one of the back rooms. Jade and Deidara walked around the art store, taking some time to admire and discuss some of the pieces that were out on display.
"Jade!" The two artists turned around to see a middle aged olive-skinned man with his arms spread open. He had graying hair and green eyes filled with wonder. He wore dark green pants, a white button-up shirt, a black blazer, and a gray scarf. He also had a camera hanging around his neck.
"Alex! It's so good to see you," exclaimed Jade, as she walked over to embrace the man.
"Jade, where have you been? I've had to cancel all of your classes. Your students are missing you," Alex said in his thick Italian accent.
"I was busy. My father cut me off, and I got kicked out of my apartment."
"That sounds terrible," he gasped. He began fussing over the girl, looking over every inch of her person to make sure she had been taking care of herself in the two weeks he had been out of town. "Are you all right? Do you have a place to stay?"
"It was, but I'm fine. Kim, you remember Kim, gave me a place to stay, so it's all good now."
"Ah! Kim! Such a sweet girl. Shy, but sweet. Very, very sweet," he smiled remembering the meeting with the awkward and clumsy girl. "And, who do we have here?" He was looking over at Deidara. Jade threw an arm around Alex's shoulder, and lead him over to the blond.
"Alex, this is Deidara. He's one of my friends that's going to be staying with me and Kim for an indefinite amount of time. I was wondering if you could give him a job."
"Jade, I cannot."
"What do you mean you can't?"
"I cannot. We are-" Jade cut him off.
"Deidara's an amazing sculptor. The things he can make out of play-dough are amazing! And that's just 'cause he was bored."
"A sculptor, you say." Alex put his hand to his chin, nails raking through the light stubble. "Come with me to the back. I would like to test your skills," he said walking away.
As Alex walked away, Jade stopped in front of Deidara. "Why are you being so quiet? In all the time I've known you, which is not very long, you're not one to be quiet. The only time you're quiet is when you're working."
"Sorry. He just creeps me out a bit, and what's with his voice, un?"
"You get used to him after a while. He's a really nice guy. He's Italian, so he has an accent," the blonde explained.
"That will take some time. So, he has an accent kind of like Kim, un. Kim's Italian, whatever that is, un?" The blonde bomber questioned.
"Not as long as you're thinking. You noticed her accent?"
The blond nodded. "She sometimes rolls her Rs."
"Kim's not Italian though. She's Mexican or Hispanic, they're both the same, I think. Though her accent is a lot less noticeable than Alex's..." she trailed off, before she realized what was happening. She herself had done it many times to her best friend. "Stop stalling!"
"It was working," he smirked. Jade grabbed his arm in a vice like grip dragging him off to the back room.
"I know he can be a bit eccentric sometimes, but you won't really see him around all that much. All you need to do is impress him with your skills, and you got the job. Just don't make anything explode."
The blond groaned sadly.
When they got to the back, Alex had everything set up already. The room was completely empty except for a single work table in the center. On the table was a large container of modeling clay among other things. Deidara immediately set to work sculpting. When he was finished he had created a replica of the mall from the outside.
Alex was moved to tears. The fine attention to detail and the perfect textures. Soon Alex had his arms around Deidara, and told him he had the job. The blond was scowling, while Jade was giving him a thumbs up.
Deidara had gotten a job at the Art Studio.
Sakura was bored. She didn't even have the first idea where to look for a job. She had been roaming around the entire mall, trying to find a store that caught her eye. Sadly there were none. Though there were a few places she made note of to go shopping at later, when she found a job and got paid.
The pink haired girl sighed. She would bet that no one, not even Naruto, was having the same problem as her. Then she decided that she would just enter all the stores until she thought of something.
She walked into a clothing store and started looking around. To be honest, she liked what she saw. The clothes in the store were really cute. She tried on a few outfits. Though she had the most fun trying on the hats.
"Is there anything I can help you with," a voice interrupted her thoughts. She looked up to see a woman a few years older than her, maybe in her early twenties.
"Yeah, a job would be nice," Sakura mumbled. Apparently the other woman still heard her.
"Well, if it's a job you want. You can have it," said the woman beaming, like the girl was the answer to her prayers. Maybe she was. After that last girl, she really needed to find a replacement.
"Are you serious?" There was no disguising the shock in her voice.
"Yes, I am. The last girl we had here quit because a fortune cookie told her to, or so she said." The pink haired girl had a look of disbelief on her face. "I know dumb reason. Though your hair might be a problem, I mean, it's pink."
"This is my natural hair color though. I wouldn't want to change it," she said fingering a lock of her hair.
"Well, I like you. You seem sweet. I'll higher you anyways." The woman smiled and led her to the check-out counter. She pulled out a sheet of paper, and handed it to her. "This is the store application. You already have the job, but I need to have one on file," she explained. "Can you start on Monday?" Sakura nodded. "Okay, I'll see you then at two." She walked out of the store grinning.
Sakura had gotten a job at American Eagle.
Hinata was having the same problem Sakura had. She was positively bored. She was getting tired of walking around randomly. The dark haired girl ended up taking the escalator up to the second floor. There she discovered a whole bunch of new shops.
As she was walking around, she had seen Jade and Deidara talking to someone. She was sure it was about him getting a job. She would even bet that Naruto was not having as hard of a time, as she was.
Hinata liked to cook. Maybe she could get a job at one of the restaurants. No. She specifically remembered Kim warning them before they dispersed, that working at restaurants were the worst jobs a person could get, and that they paid horribly.
Once again, Hinata was as lost as ever. That was until she came across a pair of cute shoes on a store display. The Hyuuga heiress wasn't usually one for fashion, but she just couldn't resist at times. She entered the store. Maybe she could get a job at the shoe store. After further inspection of the shoes, she decided. Yes, she would get a job at the shoe store. She also decided that she would buy those shoes with her first paycheck. With that thought in mind, Hinata walked up to the man sitting behind the counter.
"What can I help you with," the man asked.
"I was wondering if you were, by any chance, looking for new employees," Hinata responded.
The man stood up from his seat. He looked Hinata, up and down. He nodded.
"Alright, you've got the job." He grabbed a sheet of paper from underneath the counter. "I want you to bring this back to me filled out on Monday when you start." He handed her the paper.
"Thank you, sir," she said walking out of the store.
Hinata had gotten a job at Journeys.
Nagato was wondering how he got into this mess. He never had to search for a job. He was a god, and he really should stop referring to himself as a god. He never had the need to search for a job. The red head had seen a few things that appealed to him. Then there was always the fact that they all could be stuck in a different dimension for an indefinite amount of time.
Konan was usually the one to take care of such basic needs. No. He wouldn't rely on his childhood best friend for something like that. He wouldn't abuse her kindness. By some miracle he was once again able bodied. Now it was his turn to take care of her. With that in mind, the red head set off with newfound determination... up until he slipped in a puddle of soda.
Though he had never shown it before, Nagato had a sense of humor. The only person alive who had ever seen it was Konan. The time he had spent training under Jiraiya, had corrupted his sense of humor. Just a bit. Especially, when he took him with him to go do research. That was why when he saw a certain store, he just had to go in and explore. He was having a blast.
"Are you by any chance looking for a job?" Nagato turned around and met a man in his thirties.
"Yeah, actually I am," Nagato said a bit confused. The man grabbed him by the arm, and led him to woman about his age. He had to fight the urge to treat him as a threat.
"I quit! You can give this weirdo my fucking job, you bitch," the man spat out. The woman just sighed as the enraged man stormed out of the store, knocking things down on his way out.
"I'll take the job, if you give it to me," stated Nagato, surprising the woman. "This does seem like an interesting place to work. I can start Monday." The woman nodded. She handed him an application.
"Have this completed, and bring it with you when you come in."
Nagato had gotten a job at Spencer's.
Sasuke had died and gone to hell. That was what he thought at least. He was minding his own business, and walking around the mall looking for a job. There was no Sakura and no Naruto around to annoy him. He was basking in the silence. That was until he realized he was being followed. At first it was one girl, then it was two, and then another and so on until they had formed a group. No matter where he went or where he tried to hide, they always managed to find him. It was almost as if they were part blood hound. He was a ninja for Kami's sake! It shouldn't have been so hard to evade a bunch of civilians.
Then an angel came to rescue him. Though he just liked to call her his sister. Kim was walking in in his direction. She hadn't noticed him since she was too busy trying to choose a place she wanted to work at. That was why she was surprised to hear someone call her name.
Sasuke's fan girls glared daggers at Kim. Although he didn't like them, he thought them lucky that it was Kim, and not Sakura, he had run into. He knew she grew out of her fangirl ways, but she still loved him, or so he thought. Kim felt a chill run up her spine. She looked to the side and saw a mob of teenaged girls glaring at her; despite being a teenaged girl herself, teenaged girl scared her. Then she looked to Sasuke.
"Um, what are those," she asked, gesturing to the glaring girls. It was really starting to creep her out.
"Fangirls," was his reply. She nodded like she understood, but she honestly didn't.
"Well baby brother, have you found a job yet?" The glaring fan girls smirked. So she was his sister.
"I'm not a baby; I'm only a year younger than you. I'm even taller then you. No, I haven't, not yet," he replied. The mob stopped glaring, and sighed dreamily at the sound of his voice. They had hearts in their eyes, and seemingly melted into puddles of goo. Kim could only stare.
"They're a bit creepy." Sasuke nodded. "Since I'm here and I want to make sure you don't end up getting raped or kidnapped, why don't we continue our search together," offered Kim. Sasuke nodded, and internally sighed in relief. He would have protection from the fangirls.
Together they continued their job hunt. Though Kim was still wary of the mob of girls that were following them. Sasuke stopped walking when he noticed that Kim was no longer beside him. He turned around and saw her talking to someone inside of a clothing store. She walked back up to him holding a sheet of paper in her hands.
"I got a job," Kim sang, dancing around Sasuke. He only smirked at her antics. She had a pretty singing voice. He wanted a sister, he got one. Only thing was, she tended to act a bit like Naruto at times. Though not as bad as his best friend, he was on a whole different level.
Then she suddenly pulled him into the store directly across from the one she was just in. They both came out a few minutes later. Sasuke had a sheet of paper in hand.
Kim had gotten a job at Forever 21.
Sasuke had gotten a job at Hot Topic.
Once Hana got the directions to the pet store, she immediately made her way there. She had thought she had gotten it better than the others. While the others, excluding Jade and Deidara, had to go search through all the stores in the mall, she knew exactly where to go. She was feeling excited. That excitement wore off as soon as she met the manager of the store. Low and behold, the manager turned out to be that gossiping woman from the other day. Hana couldn't help but recognize her from her time as a cat. She just hoped she didn't have to work near the woman.
"Why, hello. How can I help you," the old woman greeted, eyes still as intense as Hana remembered.
"Hello. I was wondering if you were still hiring," Hana said politely.
"Aren't you just a sweet little thing," the woman gushed. "Do you like animals?"
"Yes, very much. I'm actually studying to become a vet," she explained, heading Kim's warning, and coming up with a lie that wasn't to far from the truth. Back in Konoha, she already was an established veterinarian, though one never did stop studying.
"Really, now? Maybe since you're studying animals and medicine, you could warn some of these pet owners about the dangers of dying their pets all the colors of the rainbow. You know I once saw this one woman walk in here with the most adorable little dog. When she walked out he was green. Green! Can you believe that? Then there were these two girls. They walked in here with pink and blue cats. How can the-"
Hana tuned the old broad out. She was getting a bit irritated. Kim and Jade were her friends. They were giving her a place to live, lending her their clothes. Heck Kim's father gave her money to get started. So, yes they were her friends. How dare this old hag, gossip about them.
"Here you go sweetie." The woman handed her a sheet. "Fill this out; bring it back on Monday when you start your trial period. Now I have to get back to work."
Hana had gotten a job at Pet Smart.
Naruto was having the time of his life. Even though they were in a different dimension, the original Team 7 was back together. That was all that really mattered to him. Hinata and Kiba's sister were with them too, along with three formerly dead and one still alive Akatsuki members. He knew he could trust Nagato and Konan. Deidara seemed to form a bond with Jade, so maybe he could be trusted in time. Sasuke and Itachi had most definitely formed a bond with Kim. If Sasuke trusted his brother, then so would he with no questions asked. He was just glad to have his best friend and rival back.
He was exploring all the stores. He would walk in one look through all they had to offer, and then back out. Like a few others Naruto was making a mental list of all the things he wanted to buy. In true Naruto fashion he was as loud as usual, though he was trying not to cause too much of a ruckus.
In the end he was just leisurely walking around, with his arms behind his head. His stomach chose that moment to rumble. With a new problem arising, Naruto abandoned his job hunt in favor of finding a snack. Those cookies from that one stand he had passed by smelled pretty good.
As he was walking away from the cookie stand, a man called out to him. Naruto was confused. He had a few cookies shoved into his mouth, and could only point to himself silently asking if the man was referring to him. The man nodded his head, and motioned for the blond to walk over.
"Hey kid, are you by any chance looking for a job." He continued before the blond could reply with his answer. "Look kid, I manage a video game store, and the guy I hired keeps scaring off all the customers. I did some research, and found out that most people don't want to buy their games from a middle aged man that still lives in his mother's basement. You on the other hand are young and cheerful looking. I'd bet you'd attract a lot of customers... It's settled you're hired." The man gave him an application to fill out and left, telling him to come in on Monday.
Naruto read over the sheet. He shrugged his shoulders, and swallowed the cookies he had in his mouth. He thought that was easy, and walked away.
Naruto had gotten a job at GameStop.
Konan was scowling. Cat calls and whistles were being sent in her direction. She was generally a kind and caring person, but even she had her limits which she was slowly reaching. Anymore and she would snap and give those perverted men the worst paper cuts of their lives. She remembered Kim's earlier warning, not to draw too much attention. So, getting back at those horrid men was out of the question. She figured she could just ignore them all, and hope she found a suitable place to work at soon. Very soon.
Even though she was a nice girl, Konan had taken a liking to body jewelry. The look on Nagato's and Yahiko's faces when she came back one day with her navel pierced was hilarious. When Nagato had created his six paths, she was the one who had placed all the chakra rods in. She had to admit that she had a bit of fun placing them in. That was how she ended up, looking over a display of body jewelry.
"How can I help you?"
"Are you hiring," was her immediate reply.
"Do you have any prior experience with a piercing gun?"
"I pierced my own navel and lower lip. So, I would like to think I do." The bored woman handed her a sheet of paper.
"You got the job. Fill this out at bring it in with you on your first day of work. You start Monday," said the woman, flipping to the next page in her magazine.
Konan had gotten a job at Body Jewelry & Piercing Corner.
Kakashi and Itachi had bumped into each other, and decided to continue their search together. Kakashi had tried getting a job at a book store, but then he was told that he wouldn't be allowed to read during working hours. Something similar had happened to Itachi, when he was told that he would need to get a haircut, he walked straight out. The two men were walking together in silence. That was until they were both suddenly pulled in different directions. The thought to not react violently lingering in the back of their minds.
"Do you think this smells good," asked a fairly attractive blonde older woman. Itachi couldn't help but remember the same question being asked to his brother, before a soap war broke out. Not wanting to seem rude he replied.
"Excuse me?"
"It's just, an attractive man like you would know what smells nice," the older woman purred seductively. On the inside Itachi's eyes were as wide as dinner plates. He was sent back into a time when he still resided in Konoha. A time when he used to be stalked by creepy fangirls. He coughed.
"Well, I wouldn't know much about what smells good," he replied a little awkwardly.
"I just thought that a fine man such as yourself, would know what he likes," she purred, fluttering her eyelashes. He took a deep breath.
"If you wish, I will help you find a suitable scent," he said in a monotone. Before he knew it, he had a line of women lined up behind him, all wanting some manly assistance. He couldn't help but wonder if Kakashi had found himself in a similar situation.
"I need the opinion of a man," purred one of the four women, who had napped Kakashi.
"Really," he said in his lazy drawl. The women giggled, and fanned their faces.
"And who better to give us their opinion, than a strong and mysterious man, such as yourself," one said latching herself onto his left arm, and another onto his right.
"A very, very strong man," the fourth said. Kakashi put his book away.
"Well if you insist," he said lazily, but interested. They giggled.
The women led him around the store. They picked up random articles, of things they were interested in. They were blushing and giggling. They took their things to the check-out counter. Waving goodbye to Kakashi then left.
A woman walked up to him, with Itachi in tow. The two newcomers stopped in front of Kakashi.
"I have no clue what the two of you did, but I want the two of you." They both gave her raised eyebrows at her forward request. "I-I meant, that I wanted the two of you to work for me. You," she pointed to Itachi. "You brought in so many customers today, and you," she pointed at Kakashi. "You got those four women to actually buy something. They come in here almost every day, and they never buy a single thing." She handed them similar sheets of paper. "I manage both of these stores. I want the two of you to come in on Monday with these sheets filled out." The two nodded as the woman walked away.
Itachi had gotten a job at Bath & Body Works.
Kakashi had gotten a job at Victoria's Secret.