Ramen Doodles
By Andrew J. Talon
Disclaimer: I do not and probably never will own Naruto or any other copyrighted works mentioned in this story. I am not writing this for profit.
Author's Note: When I have writer's block, I often write a lot of random snippets of ideas, omakes, and continuations of other author's ideas that kind of petered out. As I'm afflicted with a bit of writer's block regarding Key Through the Heart (again), I've decided I'm not going to leave you guys in the lurch. Therefore, enjoy some writing I've been doing over at The Fanfiction Forum.
Here's some more of the Star Trek 2009/Naruto fusion idea, which MandalorianJedi wrote a significant part of. Enjoy!
The shuttle came to a landing in the Konoha's large shuttlebay, and Naruto's headache was just getting worse.
"Urgh..." He felt Sakura take his right arm, and another pair of arms took his left. His looked over to his left, and his eyes widened as a second woman appeared, superimposed over the one helping to support him.
"H-Hinata...?"
The blue-haired woman blushed a bit. "Don't w-worry Naruto..."
"Geez you're heavy," Sakura complained as they maneuvered the woozy blonde out of their row into the aisle. The rest of the cadets and trainees filed out with them, hitting the deck and quickly heading to their assignments. The entire cavernous bay was alive with activity, such that no one paid the trio any mind.
Throughout it all, Naruto kept staring between the two women. The awe of the Konoha herself was still there, but competing with it was the feeling that something wasn't quite right.
Hinata Hyuuga... Navigator, USS Konoha... No, wait. Heiress to the Hyuuga Clan... She loves me...
Hinata blushed harder, especially when as they moved into a corridor and they pressed closer together. "Ah... Something wrong?"
"Ugh... I'm..."
"Oh shit," Sakura muttered, and quickly grabbed Naruto by his lapels and shoved him into a nearby open hatch.
"AH!"
Naruto managed to catch himself, but a familiar chakra signature pushed him to hide. He peeked out from around a stack of boxes, and his eyes widened at the man Sakura and Hinata were standing at attention for.
"Lieutenant Uchiha, sir!"
Sasuke... That bastard was looking over Hinata and Sakura with a restrained expression. It was uncomfortably like the uncaring look on his face that he'd worn when he'd first seen him again after those three years...
Wait, what am I thinking? That prick's been on my ass since I entered the Academy. Smug self-righteous...
"Cadet Haruno, you should be in Sickbay. Cadet Hyuuga, you're late to the bridge," Sasuke stated in a measured tone. Naruto could tell though that he was annoyed-No matter how aloof he seemed, he could always sense Sasuke's emotional state. It was downright annoying to know someone like that so well. He was nothing like his older, fun loving brother.
"Sorry sir, I-I'll be right there!" Not betraying anything, Hinata rushed off, leaving Sakura to stare down Sasuke.
"Well, Doctor?" Sasuke asked, slightly emphasizing her title. Sakura, bless her heart, stayed right where she was.
"I'm afraid I need to check on some medical supplies in the storage bay," Sakura said.
"Then why are you not doing so?" Sasuke asked.
"Ah... Well..." Sakura looked down and to the side. "Sir, it's a bit... Personal."
"Then it should not have any bearing on your duties," Sasuke said.
"No sir!" Sakura continued. "But I would like to point out that you can be a bit... Intimidating."
"Intimidating?" Sasuke asked.
"Well, yes sir," Sakura managed. "You do have a habit of... Looking through someone's soul..."
Naruto finally got the picture-Sakura was trying to buy him time to get out of here. But how? He looked about, but his clouded vision made it difficult to get a real good look at his surroundings.
"Your... Melodramatic choice of words not withstanding, you should get to work," Sasuke said. He stepped into the cargo bay, and Sakura immediately rushed in front of him.
"Ah, wait! Why the rush?" Sakura asked.
"In case you hadn't noticed, Doctor, we are making preparations to launch," Sasuke returned. Oh yes, he was definitely annoyed now. And getting closer to Naruto's hiding spot.
Shit shit shit... How do I get out of this...?
"Well, um... Things seem progressing nicely, so I uh, I thought we could... Talk. Get to know eachother," Sakura said, her voice dropping in pitch slightly. Naruto's eyes bugged out. Was Sakura actually trying to seduce Sasuke?!
Oh yes, her body language had changed too. She was standing closer to Sasuke, looking up imploringly through those glasses she wore to look older, a slight smile on her lips. Naruto had to admit, it was rather sexy...
"Naruto, please... Bring back Sasuke... I-I love him..."
Naruto closed his eyes and resisted the urge to shake his head. When did that happen?! Sure, he suspected Sakura might be a little sweet on Itachi (though what girl at the Academy wasn't?) but Sasuke?!
"Exactly what are you implying, Doctor?" Sasuke asked, once more breaking into his thoughts. Sakura smiled, almost managing sultry but settling for pouty.
"Oh, just that I have entertained... Certain thoughts about you, and would like to share them with you. Feeling I have for you, developing ever since we first met-Hey!"
Sasuke brushed past her, now on a beeline for his hiding spot. Naruto mentally gulped.
Shit shit shit shit what do I do what do I do-?!
"Just a second, I'm pouring my heart out here!"
"I have no interest in, to use an even poorer metaphor, 'drink of your heart'," Sasuke said. Sakura gaped in surprise and anger, and once more rushed in front of him.
"Now wait just one damn minute! You're just going to brush me off like that?"
"I have no stake in your emotional outcry, Doctor," Sasuke returned. "This is our first mission and I expect you to operate with expected professionalism."
"And just asking for a few minutes of your time to perhaps admit my feelings to you is out of line?" Sakura asked flatly.
"... Very well, Doctor. Your feelings?" Sasuke asked expectantly.
"I... I'm very attracted to you and would like to engage in a romantic relationship," Sakura managed.
"Indeed?"
"Yes!"
"I would not."
Sakura actually looked crushed. "You... Would not?"
"No."
"... May I ask why?" Sakura pressed, even as Sasuke moved closer to Naruto. The blonde couldn't move, this close he'd be spotted in an instant. What could he do? He didn't have a holofield, he didn't have a...
"HENGE!" With a poof of smoke, Naruto transformed into a giant shuriken...
Naruto found his hands moving together into a symbol, and he closed his eyes. His chakra focused, sharpened.
Henge... With a silent poof, Naruto vanished into the form of a cargo container.
"Because I have no such interest in you, doctor. Nor would I ever. Nor would I have ever in the past," Sasuke said, pushing past Sakura to the back of the bay. He scanned the area with his keen eyes. Nothing.
"Oh hey! I bet I could generate plenty of interest in me out of you!" Sakura protested, not seeing where Naruto had gone but resolute to not break character. "It's not me that would have the problem though!"
"I sincerely doubt it," Sasuke said.
"You're right," Sakura replied flatly. "After all, I'm a doctor, not a blow up doll... Sir."
Sasuke merely raised an eyebrow, and, while he felt certain something was amiss, it was not to be found here. He strode out of the cargo bay without another word. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief, and began to look around.
"Naruto?"
POOF!
"ACK!" Sakura cried, clutching at her chest. "Wh-What the hell?!"
"Ah... Don't ask... I don't know how I did it either," Naruto said. He grinned. "Nice covering, by the way."
"Okay, first... Once more, you owe me big time," Sakura growled. "And second, Sickbay. Now!"
"Yes ma'am..." He grinned at her as they snuck out. "By the way, Sakura-chan... You generate lots of interest in me."
"Shut up!"
"So, how're you going to sneak me up there?" Naruto asked Sakura.
"Damn it, Naruto! I'm a doctor, not a ninja! Now shut up and let me think…"
"You know, you say you're a doctor and not something else a lot..." Naruto remarked with a smirk. However, he was quick to silence himself and forced himself not to shiver at the fierce glare Sakura shot at him. Of course this was no easy task as he was shivering with a slight fever due to whatever the hell it was Sakura injected him with…
Luckily enough for him, it would be only a matter of moments before it would pass as for some reason he always healed quickly and was hardly ever sick, the exceptions being whenever he allowed himself to be Sakura's lab rat.
They never could figure out how or why this was, but it was something Sakura was always very quick and willing to exploit.
And then came yet another unbidden thought... 'Kyuubi'...
The engineering hull of the Konoha was very function oriented-The corridors were utilitarian with visible piping and tubes for the air ventilation systems, plumbing and other systems. A darker gray tone of the walls further emphasized the business-like nature of this section. All around them, cadets and trainees moved about their business, the occasional dark green of a Starfleet Marine appearing in a sea of red uniforms and gray coveralls.
"Turbolift, there we go," Sakura muttered, pulling Naruto into the lift. She quickly shut the doors behind them. "Deck 16!" She ordered, and away they went.
The hum of the turbolift seemed to make Naruto's headache worse, and his hands went to the sides of his head.
"What's wrong, Naruto?" Sakura asked, her face a mask of concern.
"Ugh... Just this headache..."
"Ah, sorry, you're going to have a few of those," Sakura apologized sheepishly.
"What the hell did you do to me this time!?" Naruto demanded in a whispered hiss.
"It's the vaccine to the Andorian Turpal Flu," Sakura said. "Be grateful I had it on me, the real thing is much worse."
"I don't see how," Naruto griped bitterly.
Sakura rolled her eyes. "Quit being such a baby! You wanted to get aboard... And you still haven't told me how you turned into a box. The flu doesn't do that!"
"I told you already, Sakura-chan, I don't know!"
"Sakura... Chan?" Sakura blinked, and then rummaged about in her medical kit for her tricorder. "Okay, now I'm really worried..."
"If you're worried about me, it must be bad..." Naruto tried to joke, but deep down he was starting to get worried. By the look Sakura gave him, she didn't find it funny either.
Sakura keyed the HUD on her glasses to her tricorder, and ran the portable scanner down his chest. A flood of data appeared on her glasses, supplemented by advanced chakratech within the tricorder itself to analyze the movement of life-force through her friend's body. Something odd was going on, but what she could not determine, she made another sweep this time moving upwards over his torso to his head. There was some sort of anomalous activity going on. 'The flu wouldn't do this...'
She would definitely need the equipment of the medical bay for this.
His chakra levels were far too high, his immune response was too strong, even for him. And then there was the significant change to his brainwave patterns. It was almost as if something was overwriting his thought processes...
No... Not overwriting... As his personality wasn't being replaced.
It was almost as if something was supplementing them, almost merging...
"You've got too much memory..."
"Huh?" Naruto asked intelligibly.
Sakura rolled her eyes. "The part of your brain responsible for telling time? It's acting as though you have another... fifteen years of memories."
"How is that possible?" Naruto asked with a frown.
"I... I don't know..." Sakura replied nervously. "There are rumors that a Vulcan mind meld might be able to do things like this to a mind, but the process is said to be very tricky and extremely high risk to both parties involved. Not to mention it would be impossible to do it to this degree without both parties suffering some sort of long term damage, even if done by a full blooded Vulcan..."
The turbolift came to a stop, and the doors opened.
Sakura glanced around, making sure there was no one in the passageway. Secrecy and time were both of the essence. Once she was satisfied there was no one in the immediate area, she pulled Naruto out of the lift and down the corridor, towards the medical bay.
The change was immediate, as here in the primary hull, the walls were brighter and the paneling more aesthetically pleasing. This was mostly like due to the fact that there were far more people living in this section of the ship vs. merely working there.
"I can walk on my own just fine, you know," Naruto said sarcastically.
"Excuse me, who has the PhD in something other than stupid?" Sakura asked.
"I hate to break it to you, Sakura, but while you may be a doctor, I know my own body better than anyone!" Naruto shot back. 'Leave it to Sakura to be such a worrywart... Just like when I used the Rasenshuriken on that freaky Akatsuki dude...'
The thought made Naruto pause. He didn't remember that happening, and yet... He did...
Sakura looked at him with growing concern for a moment before tugging on his arm. "C'mon, before someone sees us!"
Sakura pulled him over to a biobed in the back of sickbay, avoiding the bored looking nurse on station. Thankfully it seemed nobody needed medical assistance at the moment.
"Climb in," she ordered him.
"Sakura, I don't have time for this..."
"Do it." Naruto didn't have to hear the implied 'now' to know that if he didn't comply immediately that there would be hell to pay.
Working swiftly with the grace of a practiced hand, Sakura lowered the canopy and began to manipulate the controls.
"Sakura?"
Shizune's voice startled Sakura.
"Y-yes, Shizune?" Sakura answered, though she mentally cursed. Fortunately it appeared Shizune was in a bad mood, and hence she stalked over to her desk and began angrily punching through reports.
"Who have we got today?" She asked flatly.
Sakura's mind froze in panic, trying to think up a response.
Shizune grumbled, most likely over Iruka and Anko... And suddenly, the quick witted doctor had it!
"So, um... Did you see the captain?" Sakura asked. Shizune's eyes narrowed and she took a deep breath.
"Oh, he's fine... Just fine," she hissed.
"The major again?" Sakura tried.
Jackpot. Shizune sucked in another deep breath, and began to rant.
"If there EVER was someone... Urghh!" Shizune let out an irritated groan. "And the way she flaunts herself around... Practically throwing herself at him like, like... some...."
"Whore?" Sakura offered, sparing a quick glance at the display on the biobed. The readings should be done soon. She just needed to keep Doctor Senju busy for a while longer...
"Yes, like some brazen, haughty, disgusting whore!" Shizune ranted. "Seriously, why does the Capitan tolerate her?"
"Ah... Well, they are old friends," Sakura suggested. 'C'mon you stupid machine, hurry up...!'
"Humph... I don't see how," the Head Doctor complained. "The Captain is the sweetest, kindest, most noble person I've ever met..." Shizune then briefly paused to sigh dreamily. However, her mood quickly changed from dreamy to nearly snarling and foaming at the mouth in a split second. "I won't let that tramp get her vicious disease-ridden hooks into him! He deserves some better than that, someone, more wholesome, more like..."
"More like you?" Sakura asked, restraining a sigh. 'Almost there, almost there...'
"Oh, heavens no!" exclaimed Shizune, however, her blush betrayed her. "I... I don't think..."
Sakura could barely contain her smirk.
"You know you and the Captain would make a perfect match!" Sakura said with an encouraging grin. "And we've seen how you look at him."
"Oh, b-but I couldn't... I mean..." Shizune stuttered. "I mean, he's so... And I'm just plain, boring Shizune..."
"No no! You're not!" Sakura said immediately. "You're very smart, and compassionate, and you've always been a good teacher to me. You just need to, you know... Catch his attention a little better."
"But how?" asked Shizune depreciatively. "Nothing I could do could possibly compete with... Her..."
It surprised Sakura at how much venom and contempt that sweet, kind hearted Shizune used when referring to Anko, who was rarely, if ever, mentioned by name. So, Sakura decided to pull a Naruto to both cheer up her beloved teacher, and keep her distracted.
"Really Shizune... You're selling yourself short. I mean, you have a better figure than she does," Sakura suggested. "It's just hard to see through your standard uniform."
"Humph... Have you seen the size of her chest?" asked Shizune incredulously. "It's a wonder she can walk around without falling over!"
"Be that as it may..." Sakura temporized, "Your body is much better proportioned than hers is. And it's not just that, you need to show more confidence in yourself!"
"You're right, Sakura! I just need to be a bit more assertive, and show that harlot who is truly worthy of the Captain's notice!" Shizune declared with a renewed fire in her eyes.
"So, why don't you start by going to the Quartermaster and asking for an adjusted uniform?" Sakura suggested.
"B-but, I couldn't!" Shizune replied in a scandalized tone. "I mean, wouldn't that be a bit... Forward?"
"Not at all! It would be very assertive, and in stark contrast to how Major Mitarashi behaves." The screen said the scan was nearly done. She had to get the CMO out of here before it opened up. Sakura sighed. "And the new clothes will help with that. I'm not saying you should try flaunting everything you have, just small adjustments here and there to accentuate everything you want the Captain to notice."
The screen's indicator lights turned bright green, indicating completion of the full scan.
"Are... Are you sure it will work..." Shizune asked with uncertainty and hope. "Do you think he would notice me more?"
"Positive, but if you don't act soon, it might be too late," Sakura both assured and warned her mentor. "Who knows what Major Mitarashi might be up to right now."
Steeling her resolve, Shizune's posture noticeably straightened. "I won't lose to her!"
Shizune left Sickbay, looking very determined. Sakura let out a sigh of relief, and opened the heavy medical scanner up.
"You know, if this Doctor thing doesn't work out for you, you could always become a matchmaker," Naruto said with a grin.
"Oh shut up," Sakura said, turning to the display screen and quickly looking through the results.
"I know, I know... You're a doctor, not a love guru..." Naruto said in a mock exasperated voice, before chuckling at his own joke. For reasons he couldn't fathom, Sakura didn't look very amused.
"That isn't funny! And that's my catchphrase!"
It was finally Naruto's turn to roll his eyes. "You know, you could learn to lighten up a bit more."
"Quiet, I'm a little busy..." She grimaced. "Dammit... This tells me nothing!"
The results gave her the symptoms, naturally, but no cause was forthcoming. Sakura let out a frustrated growl and pinched the bridge of her nose, pushing up her glasses just a bit.
"So... Nothing?" Asked Naruto.
"No... Definitely something... But whatever it is, it's something our diagnostics have never come across before," answered Sakura. She then got a strange glint in her eye, one that Naruto knew all too well.
'Uh oh...' he thought to himself.
"No, absolutely not!" Naruto declared. "It's bad enough I let you inject me with random things all the time in the name of science and your GPA. I will not let you turn me into some sort of specimen to be poked, prodded and dissected."
"Oh come on Naruto! It wouldn't be anything really invasive, I promise!" Sakura pleaded.
"Uh-huh!" replied Naruto, "Last time you said that, Kiba was walking funny for a week!"
Sakura had the grace to blush. "Ah, well... That didn't go quite as planned..."
Naruto gave her a stern look.
"Oh, c'mon, Naruto!" Sakura pouted.
"Not happening!" exclaimed Naruto. "Now, we've wasted enough time here, I've got to hurry and find Iruka-sensei."
"Iruka... Sensei?" Sakura gave him a weird look.
"Err... Umino-taichou... Dammit... You know who I'm talking about!" Naruto snapped.
"Maybe I should do another scan, just to be sure you're all right," Sakura said.
Naruto sighed in frustration. "Look, I feel perfectly fine. Even my headache is getting better. There's nothing to worry about."
"There's ALWAYS something to worry about out here! And especially about you!" Sakura growled. "Now, you lay RIGHT BACK on that table, now!" She pressed her hands against his chest to push him back down.
Naruto grumbled about something or another, but complied anyway, as Sakura began the process once more.
"Doctor Haruno?"
"ACK!" Sakura jumped.
'Dammit!' she mentally cursed. Couldn't people just leave her alone while she examined the stow-a-away she brought on board?
"Ah, sorry," the large engineer said. He rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Err, could you look at this rash I've got? Nothing serious I hope but I just wanted to make sure..."
Sakura sighs. "Fine... Right over here..."
Naruto then used the momentary distraction to slip quietly out of the med bay. There was just no way in hell he'd end up like Kiba...
Meanwhile, Starfleet Command was giving the USS Konoha the clearance to depart. Many within the Space Dock itself watched as the Federation's most advanced ship began to slowly begin its departure.
"Thrusters only, Mr. Sai," Iruka ordered, leaning back in his chair ever so slightly. "No need to rush right out of the gate."
"Aye, sir," said Sai emotionlessly as he punched in a few buttons seemingly at random.
When Konoha was nearly clear of the Space Dock, Captain Umino gave the order. "One third, impulse power."
"One third, impulse, aye, captain," replied Sai in that same monotone voice that tended to creep Iruka out. He knew he wasn't the only one as Naruto had commented on it time and again. But then again, that's how those recruits from Admiral Danzou's specialized training program were. If anything, Sai was one of the more responsive ones.
"Two thousand, three hundred meters from space dock, Captain," Hinata reported in a rather steady tone. Iruka noted that she'd been extremely nervous and jumpy since she came onboard, but whatever had been bothering her seemed to have been sorted out.
At least she seemed less depressed. The only reason why she even signed up for the Konoha Student Voyage was because Naruto was supposed to be the Cadet Captain under his watchful eye. However, the controversy of Naruto's crowning achievement had gotten him black listed from this shakedown mission, pending possible expulsion from Starfleet Academy. The fact that it was her cousin, a man she often looked to as a brother, pushing for Naruto's expulsion had not made things any easier on her.
Iruka spied Neji, who was at his station every so often sparing Hinata a look. Ever the proud, yet protective cousin, he let just a bit of affection emerge that only someone who knew Vulcans could detect, and even then the look was gone so swiftly that one might have missed it entirely, or otherwise discounted it as a simple figment of their imagination, unless they were looking for it.
Iruka sighed.
Ever since they had met, Neji and Naruto had never liked each other. The problem only magnified itself once Naruto met Hinata and befriended her. Instantly, Hinata had become enamored with her fellow space cadet, and anyone could see from miles away that she greatly admired him. However, it seemed as if Naruto's latest achievement was the final straw.
Naruto Uzumaki did the unthinkable, he beat the unbeatable, no-win scenario, a program meant to test the capabilities of prospective commanders and monitor how well they dealt with the pain of loss. A program designed, implemented and proctored by Neji Hyuuga himself.
When Iruka asked Naruto how he did it, Naruto's reply was "I was just lucky, I guess."
Had it been anyone else, Iruka would have taken it for foolish bravado and suspected foul play. However, Naruto wasn't one for cheating, and thus, despite how 'illogical' it seemed, Iruka truly believed that Naruto got through it by sheer dumb luck.
Neji, however, had not seen it that way. He had immediately declared it impossible that anyone could beat his program, and at the hearing that followed, things turned nasty. He still couldn't believe Neji brought up the death of Naruto's father. Or the fact that Naruto actually preceded to punch Neji in the middle of the hearing.
Multiple times.
Well, then again, Naruto had always been a bit of a hothead, which was probably why Naruto's class had been one of the most competitive classes Starfleet had seen in quite sometime. Sure none of them really stood out like Vice Admiral or Captain Hatake or even Commander Uchiha (Itachi), but the overall quality of recruits in that class were much higher than any seen before them.
Still, as much as he hated to do it, Naruto had to be grounded. There would be other training flights, as they couldn't just let their officers brawl amongst themselves, and especially not in front of a review board.
"Civilian traffic has been diverted, captain," Ino reported from the communications console. "Skies are clear, window is open."
"Very well," replied Iruka. "Let's see what she can do."
Iruka sighed as his thoughts turned back to what had happened next. He had been overridden on his decision not to assign a new cadet captain, as all the other positions were filled, there were no other candidates fully qualified to take Naruto's place without restructuring the entire cadet command crew, which would have delayed the mission even longer than Naruto's hearing had. And so Neji had been added as a last minute addition to the crew, taking Naruto's place to serve as a liaison between the cadets and the commissioned officers on board.
"Captain?" Itachi asked. The Uchiha officer's voice was soft, not wanting to stir Iruka in a way that would embarrass him.
"Yes, Number one?"
"Course and speed, sir?" He asked politely. At times, the slightly manic Uchiha could be very thoughtful and professional.
Iruka rubbed his right temple. He would think upon these things later, right now he had to focus.
"Set a course for Benehime Station, Warp Two.." Iruka ordered with a slight smirk. "Hit it!"
The Konoha's massive warp engines glowed with powerful energies, and around the great ship, her warp field flashed into the visible spectrum for a moment almost too brief to measure. Space/time bent and the great starship left Einstein's universe with a flash.
"Warp five, sir," Sai reported mechanically.
"Try to contain your enthusiasm, Sai baby," Ino teased from her station.
Sai's face scrunched up momentarily in confusion as if working out some sort of complex problem.
"I was only giving a status report, Miss Yamanaka," Sai replied in a tone that was both very plain and yet slightly puzzled, "And your nickname for me is inaccurate, for I am not a baby, nor do I act like one."
Ino let out a small giggle, which only served to confuse Sai further, before turning back to her console and amusedly mumbling, "Sheesh... I'd almost swear he's a Vulcan..."
Itachi raised a pointed eyebrow. "What was that you said, Miss Yamanaka?"
Ino blushed under the scrutiny of the half Vulcan First Officer, but managed to direct one of her more charming smiles towards him. "Nothing, Commander Uchiha."
Itachi smiled just as charmingly back, and nodded. "Good to hear."
'Oh boy... His smile is as sexy as Naruto's...' she noted, her blush darkening.
The turbolift doors opened, and Sasuke entered, looking as prim and proper as ever. Gazing around the bridge for a bit, he almost immediately spotted the Captain and his brother and strode purposefully towards them to make his report. "All spaces have been thoroughly checked and cleared, as per my instructions. Everything seems to be in order."
"Good work," Iruka said, smiling slightly. "At ease, Mr. Uchiha."
"I am at ease, Sir," the stoic Uchiha replied, his face an emotionless mask of perfect professionalism. Iruka quirked an eyebrow, and spared a quick glance towards Itachi. It took a moment to realize that Sasuke wasn't joking.
"Well, take your station then, Mr. Uchiha. We've got a while to go."
"By your leave, Captain," Sasuke replied, before coming completely to attention and exiting the bridge the same way he entered.
"You'd think years of exposure to Naruto would have gotten him to lighten up, even a little bit," Iruka sighed, ignoring the tightening muscles of Neji's jaw at the mere mention of the bane of his existence.
Hinata, in turn, blushed just a bit at the mention of her crush.
"He wishes to prove himself to father in anyway he can," replied Itachi, "Little Sasuke will settle for nothing less than perfection. Despite the fact that Sasuke's class ranking is second only to Naruto's, I highly doubt he'll be mimicking any of Naruto's mannerisms anytime soon."
"Let's hope not," Iruka chuckled softly.
As Iruka and Itachi were discussing Naruto, Sakura turned back to the biobed where Naruto was laying down at. The scan had to be complete by now.
However, instead of finding her best friend and yet another completed full body scan, she found an empty biobed and an incomplete scan that had barely reached 3 percent.
"Oh that bastard!" Sakura hissed to herself venomously.
Two decks up in a nearby ladder well, Naruto felt an involuntary shudder travel up his spine. 'Looks like Sakura knows I'm gone...'
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