Naruto performed the reverse summoning jutsu and disappeared, then reappeared at a dense and colourful woodland surrounded by tall tree-like stems that bore a humungous single leaf which grew nearby a river stream that was fed by several cascades emerging from massive folded-spiral plants. It was where he appeared the first time he arrived at the Toad-Sage village.
Mount Myoboku had similar weather conditions to Konoha, however, the air here felt cleaner. The river stream caused the air to be humid and cool, and the deep breath he inhaled, filled his lungs with the fresh crispy scent of the surrounding vegetation and dew. If it wasn't for the cuisine, Naruto would have enjoyed spending more days here.
Naruto exhaled the deep breath he'd taken and made his away upon a familiar path towards Lord Fukusaku's home. He had walked midway when a loud commotion attracted his attention, coming from beyond a cliff ahead. He stepped towards the edge to gauge the cause of the raucous and found his summons had been engaged in a battle below.
Gamakichi and Gamatatsu were fending off three giant centipedes that were almost as tall as the Toad Mountain's trees. Their reddish-brown bodies were worm-like and segmented with each segment covered in a hard exoskeleton shell. These enormous creatures had numerous pairs of legs that extended along their length. Naruto estimated them to be over two or maybe three hundred pairs each. Additionally, his summons struggled to fight them, as they were taking a defensive stance due to their opponents' sharp pincers containing a potent and poisonous venom.
Gamakichi was fending off one of the centipedes on the left. He had his opponent in a lock hold at the neck to avoid its snapping pincers from sinking into him. The giant centipede was using its weight to close in on him, but he kicked the giant crawly worm with sufficient force to send it flying backwards and freeing Gamakichi to attack.
He leapt above the centipede to land right behind him and driving his katana into its head then slashing it halfway down its exoskeleton. The hard shell of the centipede's body cracked open and allowed the toad's weapon to be embedded deeper into the bug's flesh.
A rancid and pungent scent had seeped into the surrounding air as an acidic substance that was its blood, oozed out of the centipede. The arthropod writhed in a snake like motion with its many legs scraping at the air as it collapsed with a loud thud onto the ground on which it stood. Its blood which had a molten like property to it, had incinerated the surrounding vegetation and leaving craters in its place. Gamakichi hopped several feet backwards to avoid meeting a similar fate to the ground.
The yellow toad was having a more difficult time as he was facing the two remaining opponents. He struggled to penetrate his foe's armour, and the second remaining centipede was crawling up behind him, recognizing the opportunity to strike. That was when Naruto's shadow clones descended onto both centipedes with his Rasenshuriken imbued with sage mode. "Gamatatsu get out of here!" he cried when the bugs had been distracted by the blond's sudden appearance. The centipedes' armour began to crack, and their gigantic bodies were disintegrating by the force of the wind slashes the jutsu was causing. The spin of the wind shuriken was containing the acidic blood from splattering all over the place, and the shrieks of their enemy had been muffled by the ever-increasing whirring and buzzing sound of the Rasenshuriken as it gained more momentum.
The forest was quiet once more, until it had been disrupted by Gamatatsu's airily chime, "Hey, Naruto! Oh man you sure showed up in the right time!". "Oh, yeah. Hey Naruto. What brings you here?" Gamakichi asked. "Gamakichi, Gamatatsu, man what were those creepy things!" Naruto remarked bewilderedly. "Meh. You can thank the swarm of locusts that thought it was a good idea to fly to a toad village for that. Those centipedes followed them here to feast. We ate most of them but there's still more if you're interested." Gamakichi proposed.
Naruto shuddered at the thought. "No thanks… I'm good" he said apprehensively. "I'm on my way to Geezer Sage's place on important business from Konoha" the blond disclosed. "I see. Well, we'll walk with you then." Gamakichi decided, and Naruto proceeded with his summons along the path once more.
"Say, Naruto, you don't happen to have any snacks on you, do you? I dream about tasting that chocolate minty swirl ice cream!" Gamatatsu gaily inquired. "Always thinking about your stomach. Sorry Gamatatsu, I don't have any snacks on me" Naruto responded amusingly. "Oh, man." The yellow toad droned. "Next time, I promise I'll bring a treat with me" Naruto said to cheer the toad. "Alright! I want Ice cream!" the toad chimed back at the vow. Naruto chuckled and said, "Ice cream it is".
When they arrived at Lord Fukusaku's home they heard loud shouts being cried out, "It's not ready yet, Pa. Wait until I serve the rest of the meal!" with the sound of a wooden spoon being smacked onto the table. 'Oh no!' Naruto mused alarmingly, as he realized they were just about to eat. He started to retreat backwards as he explained to his summons, "You know, I actually came to meet Giant Gramps Sage. I'll just come back to say hello later." expressing a sheepish grin before he turned to make a break for it.
Gamakichi and Gamatatsu stared at his back with dumbfounded expressions, but the sound of a door opening and a raspy voice calling his name made Naruto halt in place, "Naruto-Boy! I knew I heard a voice I recognised outside. You always had impeccable timing. Ma and I were just about to have dinner!" the blond's face turned into a bluish green colour when he realized it was the Geezer Sage. His shoulders slumped, "Oh boy…" he whispered frettingly as a feeling of nausea was beginning to take over him, robbing his face from any colouring. It was too late to leave now…
"Oh, Naruto dear! You just couldn't stay away from my cooking!" Lady Shima merrily tolled at the boy sitting at her round table that was quickly running out of space as the Lady Geezer placed more dishes of various insects before him. Naruto took a massive gulp to prevent himself from throwing up when she placed a bowl of spider and grasshopper soup before him. 'Believe me, not from a lack of trying' he begrudgingly mused.
Dreading the predicament before him, Naruto attempted once more to escape being force-fed the cuisine of invertebrates, "ha-ha, oh well you know me, but I really can't join you for dinner, as much as I love your cooking Lady Geezer Sage, but I really gotta go see Giant Gramps. I'm here on an important mission from the Hokage and it just can't wait!" he sheepishly grinned. That ought to get him out of struggling to stomach the worm soup she'll no doubt force down his throat.
"Nonsense. Lord Great Elder would have no qualms with waiting. Besides, this is his naptime. We'll go with you once we finish this delicious meal Ma has prepared." Lord Fukusaku insisted. 'Oi!' he mused despairingly as the nauseated and fretful expression returned to his face once more.
After enduring the horrific dinner, and Ma smacking Naruto for hurling several times on her carpet, he made his way with Ma and Pa to meet with Elder Gamamaru to request that he grant entrance for Kakashi, Sasuke, and Itachi to the Toad Village so they may meet with him.
"Hey Giant Gramps Sage! Long time no see!" Naruto barked excitedly at the ginormous elderly toad that sat upon an equally ginormous throne made of stone and adorned with ornate carvings and inlaid with precious stones. The elderly toad's eyelids narrowed over his huge yellow irises. Elder Gamamaru's eyesight had deteriorated which is why it had become much more difficult for him to recognise acquaintances as well as his subjects.
"Ah well if it isn't… um… eh… Who are you again?" the Elder Sage questioned with a frail and raspy voice. It appeared to Naruto that the toad who had lived over a millennium had gotten even older since he had last seen him 2 years ago.
"Come on Giant Gramps! It hasn't been that long! It's me, Naruto" the blond remarked.
"Ah, yes, yes, Naruto… uh?... um?" Gamamaru attempted to recall the name. More than just his eyesight had deteriorated over the years; Gamamaru was becoming even more forgetful than usual. Still, the blond was irritated as each time he had visited the Toad Village, he had to go through the same routine greeting, in which it would take them a good amount of time to remind the giant fossil of who Naruto was.
"Uzumaki" Naruto filled in for him with a hint of resentment.
"Of course, of course, the Child of Prophecy that had already been fulfilled. It is I who had summoned you here to… um… uh?" the Great Lord Elder stuttered as he strained his brain for a recollection of some lost memory that doesn't exist.
"Um, you didn't summon me at all Giant Gramps, I came to see you by the request of the Hokage. He wants permission to visit this place to speak with you directly, along with Sasuke and Itachi Uchiha" Naruto divulged, and Lord Fukusaku and Lady Shima both gasped simultaneously.
"Naruto-Boy, did you say Itachi?" Fukusaku questioned. News of Itachi's return hadn't reached the mystical village, and Naruto hadn't thought to send them word of this revelation. "Oh, that's right, you haven't heard yet! It was actually old man Super Gramps and some other fire lady who brought Itachi back. They gave him a second chance in life, said he should live his life this time around, or something like that. Anyway, if it's alright with you Giant Gramps that they come here, you can ask him all about it yourselves." The blond explained.
The giant toad nodded his bulbous head covered with warts in acknowledgement "Ah, yes, I have foreseen this. I will present you with a reading the next time we summon you, Naruto Uzumaki. You shall have your answer then." Gamamaru informed him.
"Um, how long is that going to take exactly?" Naruto questioned.
"That depends, you know Lord Elder gets his premonitions from his dreams, and rarely do toads dream. I will perform the reverse summoning myself when we have an answer for you, Naruto-Boy" Lord Fukusaku responded.
"Alright, I guess I'll just head back now and report to Kakashi Sensei" Naruto stated, but Lord Fukusaku beckoned him to stay a little longer, "No need to leave in such a hurry Naruto-Boy, what do you say we engage in a friendly spar of Frog Kumite? I can teach you some more new tricks" Pa suggested.
'New tricks?' the blond mused. That would give him an advantage against Sasuke… Naruto mulled it over in his head. He should probably head back, but there wasn't anything urgent for him to do back home. Besides, he should probably have a few tricks up his sleeve for when he battles both the Uchihas to test that new barrier Kakashi mentioned. Then there was planning Itachi's party that Hinata and Sakura probably already started on... "That sounds good to me, Old Geezer!" Naruto accepted too eagerly, happy to stay away from Konoha for a while longer in case Sakura and Hinata are still prepping for the party. The last thing he wanted to do is get in the way of those two, nothing would be deadlier! He even preferred gobbling Ma's cooking than be around when those two activated their party planning mode.
Ino was dragging Itachi to the sixth store that sold male clothing for most occasions. Their shopping spree had turned into a personal challenge when he had tried on the fifth outfit that Ino handed him amongst a pile of options at the first store they had visited. Each time the elder Uchiha emerged from the dressing room, he looked drop dead stunning in whatever outfit he tried on. With a flabbergasted look and a dropped jaw, Ino proclaimed, "Is it impossible for you to look bad in anything?"
Which is why Ino was handing him florescent coloured dress shirts, "Here, try this on" she said challengingly, and Itachi raised an eyebrow at her as he claimed, "Ino, while I trust your impeccable style, these colours would make me standout and I'd rather dress in a more inconspicuous outfit. I thought you approved of the first item I had on, why must we continue searching?" Ino shoved the items harder into his arms and pushed him towards the dressing room, "Those aren't for the party" she stated.
"Then why do I have to try them on?" he questioned, confused by her insistence.
"Because I want to test something out. Every single one of those shirts is a fashion mishap!" she half explained, making the Jonin Commander more baffled by why she was insisting he try them on, "I don't understand, but something tells me I should just go along with what you want" he conceded, and went into the dressing room to put on the tacky shirts.
When Itachi stepped out wearing a bright-florescent yellow shirt, Ino's eyes widened into saucers and glistened like stars. Her mouth dropped open once more as she chimed, "There's no way! Is there nothing that doesn't look incredible on you?!" she yelled. A confused Itachi stared at her with a deadpan expression, 'wasn't it the point to look presentable?' he mused. He was having a difficult time understanding what she wanted.
She was a little jealous. Itachi had a superpower she wished she did, which was to make anything look good, but she also enjoyed making Itachi play dress up for her. He was like her personal doll. One that was very pleasing to look at…
"Um… do I still need to try on the other shirts?" he asked hesitantly. Her shoulders slumped and she droned, "No… let's just get the outfit you liked most" she declared the end to her personal challenge, and Itachi was looking pensive, "There's too much to choose from, why don't you pick the one you liked most?" he decided. "It doesn't matter, you look great in all of them! I bet you'd look incredible in a burlap sack too!" she said in a begrudging tone.
"Uh, Ino? Did I upset you somehow?" Itachi asked, he was confused by the whole interaction. Hadn't she approached him and insisted that they go shopping? So why was she being mad at him now? Did she regret her decision? "I could always just finish shopping myself if you want to go" he stated and moved to grab the first thing he found on a nearby rack.
Although, Ino believed he'd look fantastic in that outfit as well, it was still a fashion disaster, and she would not allow Itachi to leave the store with anything that wasn't up-to-the-minute. "Absolutely not!" she chimed determinedly and placed his selection back on the rack. She grabbed his hand and dragged him all the way back to the first store they entered and asked the attendant to wrap the first outfit she made him try on.
Itachi was confused by everything that had transpired since they started their spree. It was becoming apparent to him that Ino was such a fickle creature that he might not ever understand. If she liked the first outfit, then why didn't they purchase it from the start?
In Ino's mind, Itachi was perhaps the most good-looking man she had ever seen. His looks are far superior to Sasuke's and add to it the fact that he could make absolutely anything look good, made her somehow believe he might not find her appealing as she did him. She was projecting her insecurities. It was a ridiculous thought though, because Ino was one of the most sought out beauties of Konoha. Even someone as socially oblivious as Sai had considered her beautiful enough to pursue her romantically. That ended disastrously though…
It was an entirely awkward and ludicrous affair. In fact, to this day, Ino has no idea if she could even blame Sai for it or not. Nonetheless, it was clear that she had to end her relationship with him regardless of who's to blame.
The men that Ino Yamanaka dated had a certain trait in common. They were social outcasts. Perhaps that was what made them appealing, because the blonde just couldn't stop herself from taking on these men as a project. Her latest conquest had been Sai, and he had more issues than any other guy she liked or dated before.
However, Sai was a handsome guy, and more importantly, he really liked her and put in so much effort to make their relationship work as well as effort to becoming less socially awkward. His determinations massively backfired though when he took a remark of hers to the extreme.
Ino and Sai had been dating for a few months when she suggested they spice things up a bit between them. This of course, sent him on a mission to figure out what that meant. His search mostly entailed asking his teammate, Sakura, what Ino meant by this, and reading books about the topic. Sakura informed him that Ino meant she wanted to spice things up physically between them, and the books he had found on the topic explained to him that 'spicing things up' meant BDSM.
Although he had been sceptical at first, he wondered if he was wrong to doubt his reservations about Ino's request. After all, Sakura had confirmed that the blonde meant it about their physical relationship. The thing was, Ino just wanted to move on to fooling around more so they would be more intimate with each other, but Sai had taken it to the extreme.
Ino came home one day to find Sai dressed in nothing but a black leather thong and handcuffed to her bed. He had an outfit just as revealing placed for her to wear and a whip laid out beside it. Her intended initial reaction was to scream, but the sight had been so astonishing that she just stared at him speechless for a while until she mustered the ability to ask what the hell he was doing!
After talking it out, she realized that Sai was just too much for her to handle. So, she ended their relationship. Poor Sai. She did feel bad for him, after all she should have been clearer with him about it all, but nevertheless, it had made it clear for her that she wanted to be with someone who wasn't as clueless as Sai had been. She wanted a relationship that could move forward more smoothly, and it didn't help that most people around her were already getting married and starting that chapter of their lives.
"Ino?" Itachi called her out of her thoughts, "huh?" she said flustered, "Are you ready to go?" he asked again. She hadn't heard him the first time he indicated he was done with his transaction. "Ah, yeah, let's go" she responded.
"I just need to purchase some new gear; do you mind if we head out of the village? I could always go alone if you do" he inquired, "You get your gear outside of Konoha?" she responded with a question in return. "My family acquires its weapons from a special supplies shop that's located in an abandoned city nearby. I'd like to check on Nekobaa, she was the old lady running the store and used to be a dear friend to me as well." Ino smiled at him and nodded as she said, "I'd be happy to join you. When was the last time you've been there?" she inquired some more as they headed towards the village's main gate. "a few weeks before I died the first time" he casually responded.
"Ah, the first time, so that was before your showdown with Sasuke." She casually remarked back. Truthfully, his response kind of flustered her a little. This was a very unusual conversation they were having, but she wanted Itachi to feel comfortable enough to talk to her about such things.
Surprisingly to Itachi, it felt natural for him to talk to Ino, and so he nodded, "Sasuke paid her a visit before he found me" he informed her, which was enough for her to understand it was how he managed to lead Sasuke to his whereabouts back then, but she asked to confirm this, "She helped lead you to him?" and Itachi nodded, but this prompted another question, "Did she know the truth about you?"
Itachi considered her question for a moment before responding, "She suspected it, but I never confirmed anything to her". Ino wondered how close their relationship must have been, if she refused to believe that Itachi was a criminal, and she made that remark aloud, "You must have been close if she suspected something was off" and Itachi confirmed, "Yes, I used to run errands for the family, and she helped me put together a special missions book for Sasuke to help him train when I wasn't around" he disclosed. Ino recalled that memory from when she probed Sasuke, "Oh that cat encyclopaedia thing!" she chimed and he chuckled then corrected, "Paw encyclopaedia".
However, another thought was now forming in her head as she chimed it out excitedly, "Oh she must know a ton of stories about you from when you were little then!" Itachi halted just before the main gate and turned to look at her and said, "I guess so, but why does that matter?" in a nonchalant tone, and she said, "Because, I'm curious to know more about you from those who knew you before" with a smile as she walked over to Kotetsu and Izumo to sign off leaving the village for an errand. Itachi approached them to do the same, and then they were both off to secure the gear and meet with Nekobaa.
Shikamaru had entered the Hokage's office carrying a large stack of papers which had obscured his vision, but he was already familiar with the logistics of the office and its clutter to make his way safely to the desk. "I got another round for you to sign. Now I know what you're going to say, but I already screened the papers to bring you only the most urgent ones to sign, or else I'd be making several rounds back here" the Nara chimed defensively.
When he laid the stack of papers down, he found that Kakashi's chair had been empty, and the office bore no sign of the Rokudaime. "He got away again!" he bellowed in disbelief, "This is becoming such a drag" he placed a palm to his forehead as he contemplated over his decision to take up the advisor position. Had he known Kakashi would be such a handful, he might have reconsidered his request, although he suspects when Naruto takes up the position, he would be equally challenging if not more.
Sasuke was making his way down the village centre when a wave of nostalgia had hit him unexpectedly as his eyes fell upon a familiar ramen shop, Ichiraku's. He recalled the many times in which the idiot would insist they'd eat here back when they were genin just fresh out of the academy. He had been so sick of eating here, and often he would vow never to eat ramen again. He never understood how the loser wouldn't eat anything but.
Yet, he found himself craving the steamy bowl of savoury broth and tender noodles. How long had it been since he last had one? Oh, yes it was just before the final round of the Chunin exams. Such a long time ago…
He made his way to the shop and found that someone else had a similar thought for lunch. Kakashi was waiting patiently as Teuchi placed his hot steaming bowl of Miso Ramen before him. "Ah, well if it isn't my favourite former student" Kakashi greeted Sasuke, and Teuchi chastised him with, "Now there, Lord Hokage, it isn't right to have favourites".
"Yes, you're right, but I can't help it. I have a soft spot for the brooding type" Kakashi remarked.
Sasuke stared at him stoically.
"Have a seat, Sasuke. Tell me, what can I get you?" Teuchi asked, and Sasuke sat on a stool that was two seats next to his former Sensei then said, "I'll have a Miso Ramen" nonchalantly. "One Miso Ramen coming right up! Oh, and Ayame and I are happy that you got your brother back" he said with a smile, Sasuke nodded his gratitude, and Teuchi headed to the back to prepare the bowl.
Kakashi stared at Sasuke who had his gaze directed at particularly nothing before him, but he could feel the Rokudaime's eyes fixed on him. After a long moment, the Uchiha turned to meet his gaze, and said emphatically, "Did you want something?" and Kakashi let out a sigh. "I guess I was overreaching if I expected you to open up to me about things" the silver-haired man droned.
Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him then asked, "What are you talking about?"
"Why, your date with a certain medic of course!" he chimed much too happily.
Sasuke was now looking baffled, "How did you even know about that?" he asked incredulously, and Kakashi answered matter-of-factly, "Well, when you become Hokage, you know more… things. It is my job after all to know what's going on in the village."
Sasuke scowled at him and retorted, "I doubt relationships are things that a Hokage must know" with a sneer, but Kakashi rebutted with, "You're wrong, that is top priority information. For example, if one of the village's highly skilled shinobi is away on a mission, or is no doubt targeted by enemy shinobi, then coming after their loved ones is one way to get revenge. As Hokage, I must ensure that said loved ones are kept safe."
'Am I expected to believe that crap?', Sasuke knew his old sensei well enough to know he enjoyed poking his nose in other people's business, and that their safety and wellbeing, was a secondary concern. "If anyone thinks of coming after Sakura, they'll have hell to pay" Sasuke remarked emphatically. "Oh, so it's serious between you two, then" Kakashi remarked amused that he was able to pull information out of the most reserved Uchiha.
Boy did he know how to push his buttons. He couldn't believe he fell for that trick. Grabbing lunch at Ichiraku's was beginning to seem like a terrible idea. Sasuke returned to his previous position of facing nothing in particular. Kakashi took advantage of this to finish his bowl, and soon Teuchi returned with Sasuke's meal. Kakashi moved over to sit next to the Uchiha, and Sasuke was beginning to look irritated which amused the silver-haired man even more.
"Ease up, I'm actually glad you showed up here. I want you to join me on a little mission" Kakashi disclosed and prompted Sasuke to meet his gaze once more with a raised eyebrow. "Finish your meal, and I'll tell you all about it on the road." Kakashi asserted.
The Uchiha was now more intrigued than annoyed at the Hokage, and wondered what the mission he had in mind was.
Author's Note:
If you haven't read 'The Birds and the Bees' yet, then do check it out. it is a one chapter crackfic that tells the story of Kakashi giving the talk to Sasuke and Naruto.
I also have another ItaIno fic called You Came Back, but this one is for a mature audience only. It's an AU where the massacre never took place. it also has a KakaSaku pairing in it, so if you don't like that pairing then this story isn't for you.
Next chapter:
More Kakashi shenanigans and ItaIno take a trip...