Alternating between FIREBRAND and this is pretty tiring. I decided to focus on this since I wanted to take a small break from FIREBRAND. In this, I figured skipping training would help quicken the plot, since nobody likes much filler. Yes, it helps grow the character's development, but most of it is filler. Plus, Jiraiya wasn't available.
I will say this, Naruto has learned a new skill which may help, though he's not willing to reveal what it is. I also want to add that this will be a chapter with no fighting, with the exception of the beginning, the sole focus being Naruto letting go and having fun for a change and growing in some shape and/or form, Kureha being the one person who can change him. Like I said, their relationship is of importance to the blond Genin.
Ayane, as you know from reading "Vulnerable Butterfly" is the love interest, but it takes a few years to build it up, as well as create some ups and downs that affect their relationship. This is one of the memories that was put into "Vulnerable Butterfly."
Naruto and Momiji's ninpo training was described to be hell. On the first day, they were to climb up to the top of a mountain by the end of it while carrying large weights on their hands, without relying on anything but their own strength. After that, the two were sent to a cold environment, where they had to keep a fire that was warming their bodies alive, using their ki to feed it, without letting the fire go out of control.
On Days 3 to 6, Ryu had the two fight him at the same time, wanting to improve their combat by allowing their muscles to think for them. The combat also helped to strengthen their ki energy. Naruto started off very slow, with Momiji being the only one capable of standing up against Ryu. Since Naruto was someone who plans and anticipates what his opponent will do, his training was suspended until he learned to fight while letting his body think and react to attacks like him.
On the second day of his suspension, Ayane had to come over and help him out. Like Ryu, Ayane didn't hold back, changing her movements and the direction her strikes were going at the last second whenever Naruto anticipated her movements. While Ryu was calm, Ayane didn't have the Hayabusa Ninja's patience, wanting Naruto to improve as soon as possible. After 2 days of getting his ass kicked, the blond developed a technique that compensated for this weakness, which was enough for him to overcome this handicap and best the kunoichi in combat. Ryu, having watched their fight, congratulated him before resuming his training the next day.
2 weeks later
Night
Naruto and Momiji ran at Ryu at the same time as they threw several punches and kicks at the Hayabusa Ninja. Underneath his mask, Ryu smiled as he effortlessly blocked, parried, and avoided their blows before kicking Momiji back and catching Naruto's fist, punching him in the throat, and roundhouse kicking him in the face. Utilizing her ki, Momiji uses the ninpo, Autumn Flame, to fire a fireball at Ryu as Naruto utilized his ki to make it stronger, using a wind ninpo.
"Very well done...But..." Ryu blocks it by creating a wall of water, surrounding the area with steam in the process. Naruto and Momiji quickly clear the area by blowing it away with a focused burst of ki. Back to back, the two deflect a few shurikens hurled at them, anticipating what the ninja plans to do next.
Noticing Ryu's shadow, Naruto and Momiji roll out of the way as Ryu strikes the ground with his left fist. In a two-pronged attack, Naruto goes for a right punch while Momiji goes for a kick. Quickly, Naruto changed his punch into a hold, surprising the Hayabusa ninja as the blond holds his right arm, keeping him in place as Momiji strikes the back of his left leg, bringing him to his knees. With another smile, Ryu turned into smoke, revealed to be a clone.
"Momiji, Naruto, you've both done an above excellent job keeping up with your ki training. Naruto, you may have had some hiccups that hindered your progress, but I'm glad you were able to overcome them," Ryu told him. "Remember, while it's not a bad thing to anticipate your opponent's movements, that takes a second or two for your brain to get the signal, allowing your opponent a single moment to respond. It's important to let your body learn to move, to react to your opponent's attacks and defend, not just to condition. That's all I'll say. Starting tomorrow, you'll have 4 days of rest. You both earned it working hard from Day 1. After the break, we'll get started on advanced-level Ninpo. If you manage to learn them, I may be able to teach you the master-level ones." Before Ryu could turn to leave, Momiji stops him. When he asked what she needed, a now-shy Momiji asked if he was available for the upcoming Ninja Festival (2 days).
"I am on guard duty, but I plan to take time off after."
"What's this Ninja Festival?" Momiji looks at Naruto, surprised that he didn't know about it. Ryu tells him it was a two-day festival where all of the powerful ninjas gather in one place and celebrate. "While the Hidden Villages have their own festivals, the main one is held at the Chuuma Village."
"Is that why we're taking a break?" Ryu nods yes once more before telling him it was a very important festival for every ninja village.
"Your village celebrates it too, how do you not know about it?" asked Momiji. Naruto tells her he didn't really care about the village festivities because he usually focused on himself and that he never pays attention to the celebrations held within the Hidden Leaf.
"You said the Hidden Villages have their own festivals, and that the main one is held at the Chuuma Village. Why do the Hidden Villages have their own separate festivals?"
"It's mainly due to pride, jealousy, and animosity towards the villages they feel are inferior or superior to them." Naruto formed a frown on his face when he heard that. Typical Hidden Village thinking, most likely from the previous wars that were raged between villages. "Only those villages who consider each other allies and equals can attend the one in Chuuma Village. You should come to celebrate it."
"I'm not a fan of large crowds, not to mention that-"
"It'll be fine," Ryu assured Naruto, having interrupted him on purpose. "I think you'll like it. I assure you, you have nothing to worry about attending the festival. Trust in my words."
"..."
Kureha's House
"I'm home..." said Naruto, opening the door in front of him. Kureha walked out from the kitchen and, with a smile, welcomed him back as he and the shrine maiden entered the kitchen, ready for dinner.
Smelling the contents of the pot that was boiling over the fire, Naruto asked Kureha what she made. "If I remember correctly, you told me you liked ramen. I decided to try my hand on it and this is it," said Kureha, preparing a bowl for herself and the blond. Taking a slurp from the noodles, Naruto's eyes lit up as he noticed how the noodles were made using potatoes and how the beef bone broth was light but refreshing, noticing a tint of spice in it.
"I could say that this ramen tastes better than the one at Ramen Ichiraku."
"That's good to hear. I was scared that it'd turn out bad," said Kureha, Naruto telling her she was a great cook, and that even if it turned out bad, he'd still eat it. When asked how his and Momiji's training was going, Naruto told her he was learning very important lessons that helped him master his ki control, adding the part where Momiji had a better understanding of them than him.
"It's to be expected, seeing as how you were born in the Hidden Leaf. That means that, between you and her, you work the hardest."
"Thanks for noticing...So far, we managed to beat Master Ryu's clone."
"That's a good start. Do you think you could beat the real one?"
"No, I don't see myself ever beating him... Kureha, what do you do during the Ninja Festival?" The shine maiden tells Naruto she handles temple duties during the festival but has time after to have fun during the remaining two hours of the first day, with the second day giving her more freedom before ending the festival with a yosakoi dance.
"Were you going to ask me to come with?" Naruto nods his head yes, telling her it was going to be the first one he was going to attend. With a smile, the shrine maiden gently ruffled the blond's hair. "I can make time for you after my shrine duties are done, and I can ask to take time off for the second day of the festival."
"...The two weeks I've been staying with you...You've been very kind to me... Why? What's was your reason other than to be nice and to be someone I can come home to?" asked Naruto.
"If I had to say...it's because I wanted to help you open your heart more..." Naruto's eyes widened when she said that. "You're someone whose heart is a bit closed off to others. From what you told me, you were a little boy who cried a lot, who meant no harm to others...I know it must've been hard for you from the beginning before you were forced to grow up. To close your heart. While it's been opened up, it's only a small crack. I want to be the one to help you to fully open it, to be the best version of yourself...I care for you, Naruto."
"Just now...What did you just say?" asked Naruto, an expression on his face telling the shrine maiden he was caught off-guard by her reason.
"I care for you..." When asked why he wanted to know, Naruto told her it was nothing as he focused on his ramen. Kureha only smiled at him, knowing the answer as she resumed eating her ramen. Arriving home late, Momiji opens the sliding door leading to the bedroom. Seeing Naruto fast asleep with Kureha, who was holding him like a little kid being held by his mother, brought a smile to Momiji's face.
The next day
Morning
With Kakashi
As the sun rises, the Copy Ninja slightly struggles as he climbs a high cliff with one arm restrained. As he neared the top, Kakashi lost his footing, finding himself holding on to a small piece of land with his right hand. With two fingers still holding on, he has no choice but to use the First Gate to temporarily increase his strength, allowing him to lift himself back up and reach the top of the cliff. Noticing a pair of feet standing over him, he looks up to see Sasuke looking down at him.
"So you finally made it here..."
"Yeah..."
Dragon Lineage Shrine
Morning
With Naruto
"You don't have to help me clean the shrine during your time off Naruto. I can handle the cleaning-"
"I don't mind. With the two of us, it'll be done quicker." Kureha only smiled when Naruto said that. "Besides, I feel at ease when I'm helping you..."
"Hmm? You say something?" asked Kureha, Naruto telling her no. "...Naruto, do you have anybody to go to the Ninja Festival with? Perhaps a girl?"
"Maybe..."
"Maybe mostly means you do. Who is it?" Kureha tries to pressure Naruto into telling her, but he ignored her as he focused on cleaning. "...You're as stubborn as Ryu's father...Well, if you're having trouble asking her, how about I ask one of my friends from the Ameno clan to hang out with you?" Naruto tells the Hayabusa shrine maiden he was fine.
"And why do need to go with a girl?" Kureha tells Naruto how going with a girl made going to the festival all the more special.
"As a boy your age, you should have someone you-" Before she can finish, Ayane arrives, saying hello to Kureha before facing Naruto.
"When did you become Kureha's chore boy?"
"Very funny Ayane," Naruto responds. When asked how his training was going, he told her, "I'm doing good, thanks for-" Without warning, Ayane throws a ki-enhanced punch at Naruto, who catches it in his left hand, infusing it with his ki to counteract Ayane's. "thanks for asking."
"Looks like your ki control has been perfected under Master Ryu's care...It's not as strong as mine, but with more training it'll continue to improve."
"Who knows, I may be more than your equal soon," said Naruto, earning a blush from Ayane, the Hajinmon kunoichi's expression catching Kureha's attention.
"Don't get cocky just because you learned a few new tricks..." she told the blond before turning around to hide her face. "Training aside...do you know of the Ninja Festival?" Naruto tells her Ryu informed him about it yesterday.
"What do you plan on doing?" Naruto tells Ayane he wasn't sure since he never celebrated it before. "So you're a full-on novice to it..."
"Yeah...Though one thing's for sure: I plan on meeting Kureha later when she's done with her duties. But...If it's no trouble, do you think you can accompany me around the festival until Kureha's done with her duties?" Ayane and Kureha had surprised looks on their faces when Naruto, in his own way, asked the former out.
"O-Of course! I'm sure an idiot like you would be lost in thought when it comes to celebrating these kinds of events!" said Ayane, the girl trying her best to act proud about it. When Naruto thanks her, she tells him, "Let's meet at the entrance on the night of it. Don't make me wait."
"I'll be sure to be early for you," said Naruto, with the shy kunoichi telling him he had better as she prepared to leave. "By the way...during the festival...I would like it if you..."
"Hmm?"
"...Forget it." Naruto wonders what Ayane was about to say before she walked away. Facing Kureha, he asked her what she thought Ayane was about to say.
"This festival's surely going to be interesting..." Kureha tells Naruto with a smile, the latter wondering what was going on in the smiling shrine maiden's head. As she made her way out of the village, Ayane sees Kasumi smiling at her up ahead, the Tenjinmon kunoichi congratulating her sister on getting the blond to go with her.
"Although...you failed to tell him you wanted Genra to meet him during the festival." Ayane tells her sister to shut up.
"At least he said yes..."
"You also failed to tell him the other meaning of the festival, that it's a marriage hunting ground for male ninjas, as well as spiritual ability users. However, a parent must approve of the husband in order to-"
"I know! Let's just go back and train."
"Very well, Ayane..."
"Also...after training...let's head the Hidden Leaf." This surprised Kasumi, who was never treated to anything by her little sister until now.
"You mean-"
"Yes, I'm treating you to that new barbecue restaurant you've been going on about that opened yesterday." With a happy expression on her face, Kasumi goes behind Ayane and gently pushed her towards the direction home.
With Hinata
Hyuga Residence
Noon
Hinata heavily pants, her hands on her knees, as she looks up at her smiling mother.
"You've been very fired up for the last two weeks, Hinata. I'm surprised you asked me to start training that day when you came back from the Forest of Death. You must really want to fight Naruto." Hinata tells her mother Naruto was no pushover, including how the Hyuga Clan has seen what he was capable of whenever he came over to train. The final part of the Chunin Exams starts with their fight first, and she wanted to fight him at her best. "Don't you worry Hinata. Between your father and I, I am the strongest."
"You? But Father said that-"
"Nope, I am," Yoshiko interrupts, sounding proud about it. "Anyways, the Ninja Festival's coming up Hinata. Do you plan on inviting Naruto to it?" Hinata turns red when Yoshiko asked her. "That face says it all."
"Sadly, he's not in the village right now...I don't even know if he's even going to attend it, or come back here for it," Hinata told her mother, sounding sad. "He's never celebrated the festival and...I've been meaning to bring him, but seeing as how he...doesn't like the Hidden Leaf..." Thinking about how to help her daughter, Yoshiko has an idea in mind. "Hinata, I was asked by an old friend of mine to come to Chuuma Village to celebrate the festival. How about you go there with Hanabi in my place?"
"Chuuma Village?"
"It's a village run by the Ameno Clan. Knowing Naruto's views on the Hidden Villages, he may take an interest in celebrating it at a village that's more welcoming of him. It's perfect. However..."
"However?" Yoshiko tells her of the many villages that are well-affiliated with the Chuuma Village, and that the village is mostly comprised of girls. Hinata's eyes widen when she heard that, picturing Naruto being surrounded by several beautiful kunoichi who may take an interest in him. "Mother, there's no way anyone would be interested in him like his teammate, and he's not one to have interests in just any girl who-"
"Are you sure? Not only are kunoichis from the Ameno Clan attending, but the ones from the Hayabusa and Mugen Tenshin are going as well. Even the Sword Maidens of Hinomoto are a sight to see. Almost any of those girls will catch his eye, preferably one who has the qualities he finds himself drawn to or seeks in a potential love interest." At this point, Hinata froze. "When it involves a boy you like, you're going to have a lot of competition, Hinata. You have to strike while the iron is hot." Yoshiko told her daughter.
"...Mother, we're going shopping for a yukata later," Hinata told her mother, a competitive fire in her eyes.
Kureha's House
Night
For the whole day, Naruto was in Japan shopping for some fish, along with other ingredients for a dish he wanted to make, bringing Kureha along with using a seal that allowed him to appear in Jiraiya's Apartment in Tokyo and return to the Hayabusa Village. As they went around, Kureha found herself interested in owning a camera, Naruto buying a red one for her after Kureha told him how if one day either one of them were gone, a picture was a good way to remember someone and the good times they had.
Right now, Naruto had his headphones on, listening to "Dionysus by BTS" as he pulverized the fish guts with the heads and bones. Looking over his shoulder, a curious Kureha asked him what he was making, sounding excited.
"It's a fish ball soup I've been meaning to create. It'll take a while so please be patient till it's done," he told her. As he started boiling the water in a wok, Kureha waited silently as she views the pictures she shot with her digital camera.
After she got that camera, Kureha started snapping shots of him having a good time during their short adventure in Japan, sometimes including herself in those pictures, having the blond take her to different places in Japan, recording them through the photos she shot and the videos she recorded. Naruto didn't mind, seeing how Kureha was enjoying herself. He even smiled in a few pictures and vids.
Her favorite shot was the one she took with Naruto at Konno-Hachimangu Shrine, noting the sincere and happy smile Naruto took.
"This one is definitely being put into a portrait. This one too." The second shot she took had Kureha smiling as she hugged an embarrassed Naruto. Looking at the second picture, an idea came to mind.
With Hinata
Konohagakure
Hyuga Residence
"A girls' night out?" asked Hinata, Tenten giving her a nod as Ino and Sakura did the same.
"With you being the only girl in Konoha who's made it farther than us and the fact that you're planning to face off against Naruto, we feel that you need a little break from training," said Tenten. "There's this barbecue place that opened not too long ago, and I am dying to try it with all my friends."
"I'm sorry, but I-"
"She'd love to go with you guys," said Yoshiko as she walks out to meet with her daughter.
"Mother!?" Going over to her daughter, she whispered to her daughter, "Let me take care of finding a yukata for you to wear for the festival. Just focus on having fun with your friends, okay?"
"Okay..." Knowing her mother, she had a good eye for fashion. Turning to Tenten, Hinata agrees to go with her and the others.
Konoha Streets
"Oh, I can't wait to try out the food there!" said Tenten, sounding excited as she walks beside Hinata, Sakura, and Ino.
"By the way Sakura, where do you think Sasuke went?" asked Ino. Earlier, both she and the pink-haired kunoichi went to the hospital to visit him and hopefully give him some (romantic) flowers. To their disappointment, he wasn't in his hospital bed.
"I don't know. The only thing I DO know is that he's out training somewhere..." Arriving at the restaurant, the four come to a stop when they see Ayane and Kasumi arriving at the same time as them.
"It's her..." Hinata and Ayane thought to themselves as their eyes meet.
"It's you!" Ino shouts as she points at the Hajinmon kunoichi.
"Am I supposed to know you?" asked Ayane, raising a brow. She turned a bit red when Ino said out loud, "You're the girl Shikamaru told me about, the one who fed Naruto ramen at Ichiraku one time!"
"You never told me about-" Before she could finish, Ayane told Kasumi to zip it.
"Why don't you girls eat with us?" asked Tenten, telling them they can split the bill.
"Eat with you four? Why?" asked Ayane, sounding suspicious. "We barely know any of you, so why-"
"Because you know Naruto," Hinata interrupts, surprising her friends. "We were...curious if he acts differently with others out of the village and..."
"...No th-"
"Of course we'll join you!" said a smiling Kasumi, confusing her sister.
"Kasumi, what-"
"Listen Ayane, we don't have many friends our age. They also seem to know Naruto, like you, so that gives us something to talk about. I'd also like to point out that they promised to split the bill," Kasumi whispered to her sister. Looking at Hinata, Ayane lets out a sigh before agreeing to join the four.
Unnamed Barbecue Restaurant
"Smell that? The beef here must be aged well," said Tenten, drooling as she smiled to herself, Sakura and Ino wondering what to order.
"I don't know what to order. All of these look appetizing, yet...so many calories..." Looking at Kasumi and Ayane, Sakura was shocked to see the two order several large orders of meat for themselves. "Whoa! Wait a minute! Aren't you two worried that-"
"We'll get fat?" asked Ayane. Feeling her own bust, she told them, "Most of what we eat goes here, so we don't really worry about it." Sakura's eyes widened when she noticed Ayane and Kasumi's bust sizes before looking at her own.
"I...I see..." Sakura replied, sounding defeated.
"Even so, we just train as hard as we eat," Kasumi adds. "Now then...Why don't you girls order something so we can get this started, huh?" After ordering their food, Hinata decided to get straight to the question she wanted answered.
"Do you think you can tell us about Naruto?" asked Hinata. She wanted to know what his relationship was like with Ayane, seeing as how he talked about her a lot.
"All I know about him is that he rarely smiles, and he mostly looks bored and distant with everything most of the times I've seen him," said Kasumi. "Ayane knows more about him than me."
With Naruto
"It's delicious!" said Kureha, scarfing down the spicy fish ball soup Naruto made as Momiji noted how the spicy broth complemented the slight saltiness of the fish and the sweetness of the onions.
"If you wanted, you could open a restaurant instead of being a ninja." Naruto tells Kureha that, while it was tempting, cooking was a hobby. "You sure? You COULD drop being a ninja and go straight to that academy that's about cooking and be a great chef. What was that school called?"
"Totsuki Culinary Academy is what you're talking about, and I don't plan on backing down on being a ninja just yet."
"Food for thought," Momiji adds before drinking the soup in her bowl, blissfully humming to herself after finishing it and asking for seconds, handing Naruto her bowl for seconds.
"I got it," Naruto told her. After filling Momiji's bowl, Kureha gives Naruto her bowl, telling him she would like another bowl as well, with more fish balls.
With Ayane
1 hour ago
Unnamed Barbecue Restaurant
"This is quite the position you've put me in, Kasumi," Ayane told her sister, clicking her tongue in annoyance before saying those words.
"You make it sound like you don't want to talk about him. Do you hate Naruto?" asked Sakura.
"Don't assume things because of the mood I'm in...Unlike you four, I may know more about him than any of you, and I've seen him far less than you girls."
"What do you know about him?" asked Hinata.
"For starters, he never wears the Hidden Leaf's headband." When Ino asked what that had to do with knowing Naruto, Ayane said, "Really? You're asking that? You're all either blind or incapable of observing someone properly."
"What does that mean?" asked a now-angry Ino.
"If you must know, even the slightest of things can tell you about him. Naruto never wears the headband because he doesn't feel like he's one of you." This little piece of info caught the four Hidden Leaf kunoichis off guard, not considering the one simple thing about him held a bigger meaning. "While he's a bit chummy-chummy with all of you, he's not completely convinced that you're his friends," Ayane adds before turning her focus to Hinata. "The only one he seems to consider as a true friend is that boy from the Nara clan, the insect user, the "big-boned kid", and you."
"Me?" asked a surprised Hinata, pointing to herself.
"Yes...I'm surprised he hasn't decided to become a runaway ninja from all the crap this village gives him, which I find pretty admirable. To think he makes more friends with people from outside the village than inside of it. If you knew him, you'd know that he loves to write books, he can sing, dance, and play the piano, he hates bitter melon, and that he was once in love with someone." Sakura, Ino, and Tenten's eyes widened when she said he loved someone.
"He...He never told me that," said Hinata, wide-eyed.
"Yes. While you've done quite a good job keeping him sane, there's one problem I have with you, Hinata Hyuga. While you're his friend, to not approach him, back when he was only six years old... when he needed someone...You let your cowardice get the best of you. You did nothing to help him at that time, and it angers me. You were just as afraid of him as the villagers back then, not being brave enough to approach him until you were certain instead of pushing through that uncertainty." Hearing this, Hinata looked down in shame. She was right, if she wasn't so timid back then when they were younger, she could've done more. She even admits to being scared of the blond back then, because the villagers told the kids to never approach him.
"And to add insult to injury, I recall him telling me how Sakura said he would never get girls to like him. " Facing Sakura, Ayane continued to speak her mind. "Who the hell do you think you are, telling someone that? Did you know that Naruto has had a few girls confess to him while he was out of the village? One of them (Haru Okumura) even kissed him on the cheek."
"He's gotten that far?" Ino asked.
"Of course he has, but he doesn't tell you because you wouldn't believe him either way," Ayane told Ino before turning her attention back towards Sakura. "Sakura Haruno, you're the worst. You're his teammate, but what have you ever done for him or for the team as a whole? You are nothing but dead weight. If I were still a Genin, I'd always have his back and the others'. To be sitting at the same table as you looks like the start of a bad joke." Hearing what Ayane had to say saddened Sakura as she looks down at her empty plate.
"Hey, that's too far-" Ino stops when Ayane turns to her. "And you, you also did nothing to be friends with Naruto when you were young. It was only through Hinata that you decided to go celebrate his birthday. To only go because she would be the only girl at the party? I never heard of a stupider reason for going anywhere than that. I bet if Hinata wasn't his friend then, you wouldn't have gone anyways. The only birthday you and Sakura would go celebrate would be Sasuke Uchiha's. How's getting him to notice your girlish charm going?" Ino looked down in shame as Ayane takes a second to calm herself.
"You've all seen him as the serious, calm, bored, and insulting person he is. Always listening to music, ignoring insults towards him. If you truly knew him, you'd know he has a great sense of humor, he has a very nice and genuine smile and he has a fear for ghosts...I could go on and on with what I know from what I've seen out of him...To not show this side to others...To not open up... I can understand why he would lock these things about himself away when he's inside this village. It makes me angry to know that there are people like you, in this village, who forced a 6-year old like him to grow up on his own..." The girls were silent as the servers arrived with their orders.
"You wanted to know about him, there you go."
2 hours later
With Hinata
After eating with the two Mugen Tenshin kunoichis, the four girls walked side-by-side as they think about the things Ayane told them. While she said it in a rude manner, the Hajinmon girl was right about them.
"He works with and talks to us, and we never once tried to understand and know him. We see only the serious and annoyed Naruto, never what's truly behind that personality of his," said Sakura. "He's still a stranger to us..."
"We always listened to what the villagers say about him, and never considered how far it'd affect him," Ino adds. Hinata stayed silent as she recalled Ayane's analysis on her, and she was right. Had she approached Naruto all those years ago, back when he needed someone, and not hesitate, could she have stopped him from being the person he was today?
"Hey...we'll see you girls later, okay?" Turning to Hinata and Tenten, Sakura and Ino say bye to them, leaving the two of them alone until it was time for them to go their separate ways.
"That girl, she really chewed you three out, huh?" said Tenten. "I'm surprised she didn't say anything bad to me. I wonder-"
"Tenten...What she said...Do I even have the right to still be Naruto's friend?" asked Hinata, sounding sad. "Ayane was right about me. While I may not have done anything bad to him back then and now, I was just as scared of him like everyone else in this village, listening to whatever they said about him." Seeing Neji's cousin all wracked with guilt, Tenten cheers her up.
"Hinata...Everything she told you was all in the past, a time you can't change, no matter how much you want to. But you've made up for it by making friends with him back when the two of you started going to the academy, and by building up that friendship you have with him. If you still feel the way you are now, it's best if you get it off your chest and talk to him about it." The Hyuga girl looked nervous when Tenten suggested she tell the blond ninja.
"Tell him about it?"
"No way to get past it other than confronting Naruto. I'll even keep an eye on you to make sure it's done and maybe be emotional support if things go south," said Tenten, wanting to do whatever she could to help the girl.
"Mmm..."
With Ayane
"Ayane, you could've gone a little easy on them instead of being very straightforward like that." Ayane tells her sister if she wasn't frank with what she said, the girls would never change or learn from their mistakes. "True, but-"
"You have your way of getting through to people. I have mine." Hearing her answer, Kasumi closed her eyes as she forms a smile on her face. "Come on, let's go home so we can sleep and get ready for the festival tomorrow."
"Excited are we?"
"Shut up..."
The next day
With Naruto
Hayabusa Clan Village
3:00 pm
"Festival food?" Kureha tells Naruto how one of the Main House's cooks collapsed from eating one of the members' horrible cooking, passing out from it. "She was in charge of preparing some food for the festival. It's only until 5:30 pm. I figured since you are an excellent cook, I'd ask you to help them out. The Main House promised to make it up to you."
"They don't need to pay me anything. I'm willing to do it for free," he said, Kureha smiling at him as she thanks the blond. "I guess we're heading there early."
Chuuma Village
4:35 pm
Listening to "Nevermore (feat. Casey Lee Williams and Adrienne Cowan)", Naruto followed Kureha to the Main House Residence, getting curious looks from the villagers, along with the kunoichis on and off duty. He could hear some of the girls giggling as they comment on how cute he was with one another, noting how another handsome male had arrived to help out with the festival.
"This really is a kunoichi village..." Naruto whispered to himself, just as he and Kureha arrived at their destination. The clan's elder, Shigure Ameno, greets them as Naruto paused his music before resting his headphones around his neck and saying hello to the elder, bowing to her in respect.
"I'm glad you could come and help us," said Shigure. Let me show you to our kitchen so you can get started."
Ameno Clan House (Main)
Kitchen
Looking over the clean and spacious kitchen, Naruto comments on how well maintained it was.
"Will you need any help with cooking?" Naruto tells the elder he was fine preparing the food on his own. "Very well then. Kureha, let's continue with the festival preparations." Kureha waves goodbye to the blond before closing the kitchen door.
"Since it's a festival...Curry buns should be a good choice," he told himself, putting a sack of potatoes on the counter as he individually peels the skin off them by using his ki and forming it into wind blades. He then took out some marbled beef and sliced it into cubes, dicing some onions after.
"I should start on the dough..." Noticing two presences, Naruto throws a shuriken near the slightly opened kitchen door.
"Show yourselves..." Seeing the door open, Naruto was met with a girl his age, along with a girl who was a year younger than them. The first girl had green eyes and purple hair that was tied in a side-ponytail with a shuriken-like hair decoration. The second girl had blue eyes and hair, which was tied in twin tails held together by kunai-like hair decorations.
"Why are the two of you spying on me?" he asked the two.
"Sorry," said the older girl. "We sensed powerful ki and came to the kitchen to see who had it."
"Using ki to quickly decrease the amount of time it takes to prepare the ingredients...How genius!" said the younger girl.
"Wouldn't really call it genius. Though I guess they never thought about utilizing it to make things a little easy for cooking preparations."
"You must be the substitute cook." Naruto nods his head yes, earning a smile from the older girl. "Thanks for coming to help. Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name's Sagiri Ameno."
"And I am her cousin, Hibari Ameno!" said the younger girl, Naruto telling her she was being loud and to keep it down a bit. "Sorry. So what's your name?"
"Naruto Uzumaki, nice to meet you both," he told them as he resumed getting the ingredients ready for cooking the curry. Looking at the ingredients, Sagiri asked him what he was making. "Curry buns."
"You need help?" asked Hibari.
"Absolutely not," he told her in a calm manner. "The two of you can watch, but you can't help." When Sagiri promised they wouldn't interfere with the cooking process, he calmly refused them again. "Besides..." The blond surprised them when he produced 5 shadow clones.
"I can produce clones pretty well." As he focused on cooking, the girls started asking several questions about himself, starting with what village he was part of. "Hidden Leaf."
"Hidden Leaf? It's rare to see ninja from that village here," said Sagiri.
"I can understand the reasons why..." As Naruto and his clones continued working, he continued to answer the two girls' questions.
5:36 pm
"Finished," he told himself, satisfied with his work. Noticing the two hungrily eying the buns, he allows them to try one.
"Thank you for the food," said the two girls. Once they take a bite out of their curry buns, the exploding flavor of it envelops them. "Mmmmmm!"
"The outside of the buns is crunchy, and the curry filling has a mild but pleasant spiciness to them...These will definitely sell!" said Hibari.
"That's good to hear," he told her. Checking his phone, Naruto whispered to himself, "I'm running late as it is..."
"Did you say something?" asked Sagiri.
"No...Let the elder know that I'm done. I also wrote down the recipe for it just in case the clan wants to make more. I'll be heading to the festival now."
"Of course, it was nice meeting you, Naruto. Have fun at the festival," Sagiri told the blond, who nods his head yes and leaves the kitchen, though not before grabbing a curry bun to go.
"He's very stoic, don't you think?" Hibari asked Sagiri.
"Yeah, he also has a very calm but overwhelming presence, as well as a dark and violent one. Perhaps we should go check out the Leaf Village's Chunin Exams. I'd like to see him in action." Taking another bite from their curry buns, the girls felt electricity flow through their bodies as they savored the taste.
Ninja Festival
5:45 pm
Arriving at the entrance, Naruto found Ayane waiting for him, his face flushing immediately when he saw her. The Hajinmon kunoichi wore a purple yukata with lilac designs, and her hair was worn in a small ponytail style. Scanning for the headband he gave her, he saw that she wore around her left wrist like a ribbon. Noticing him, Ayane formed an annoyed look on her face.
"You kept me waiting for 15 minutes. So much for being sure to be early for me."
"It couldn't be helped," he told her, scratching the back of his head with his right hand. "I had to go to the Ameno Main House to prepare some curry buns for the festival."
"You were at the clan's Main House? You probably took long because you had some beautiful girls with you while you cooked."
"Like that would get in the way of my focus," Naruto told her. "Besides, none of them interest me."
"Really?" asked Ayane, Naruto nodding yes to her before handing her a warm curry bun.
"That was what I was making before I got here." After eying it for a few seconds, Ayane took a bite out of the bun, her mood improving a bit as she enjoyed the food in her hands, a satisfied smile on her face. "Good, huh?" Realizing she made a face, Ayane went back to a frowning face.
"It's alright...Since you brought this to me, I guess I'll let you being late slide. Just don't do it again," she told him before they entered the festival. As soon as the kunoichi finished her bun, Naruto asked her where Kasumi was, and if anyone else from her village was at the festival.
"Kasumi waited with me a bit, along with Hayate-sama, before I let them go in without me. Shiden-sama and Ayame-sama are here as well, along with my father, Genra."
"I see...Why do you put -sama at the end of your brother's name? Back at the Forest Tower, you said his name without the honorific." Ayane tells Naruto how he was her superior now after he was chosen to lead the clan in the future, meaning she had to put it at the end of his name out of respect for him and his position.
"If I had an older brother or sister, I don't think I'd put -sama at the end of my sibling's name, regardless of rank and position..." Looking at Ayane from head to toe, Naruto noticed how refined she looked. "You look very lady-like...wearing that."
"It's my first time wearing something like this. I wanted to come here in my shozoku, but Kasumi insisted I wear this. Honestly, this looks ridiculous on me." Naruto tells the kunoichi he didn't think so.
"I think it looks beautiful on you. You're a very pretty girl, Ayane." Her cheeks now a faint shade of redr, Ayane decided to not comment on it as she pointed at a fish-catching game she wanted to try out. As the kunoichi made several attempts to get a fish, only to fail, Naruto couldn't help but find Ayane acting like an annoyed child to be cute. His focus quickly changes when he sensed someone watching him, turning around, only to see no one.
"Naruto..." Turning back to Ayane, he asked her if she was done. "Yeah."
"Naruto hey!" Turning to their left, they see Kasumi and Hayate (18-years old) approach them.
"Kasumi? And..." Looking at Hayate, Naruto, asked who he was.
"I am Hayate, Kasumi and Ayane's older brother." Naruto's eyes widened when Hayate introduced himself for the first time. "It's nice to meet you."
"Y-You too..." said a slightly tense Naruto, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
"I've been meaning to meet you during the Chunin Exam Finals, but this should be perfect." Facing Kasumi, he told her she should go have some fun with Ayane, wanting to have some guy time with Naruto and get to know him. Smiling, Kasumi takes her sister's hand and tells her, "Let's go check out the prize booths."
"I wonder what sort of games this festival has this year..." said Ayane, following her sister as Naruto and Hayate took this time to know each other, the blond making sure to wipe the sweat off his forehead when Hayate wasn't looking.
"Is there a particular reason why you wanted to meet me?" asked Naruto. Hayate tells him he wanted to see the blond in person and confirm a few things and see what kind of person he was.
"I find it very suspicious that you, a boy she only met for over a month and counting would let her stay at your place, let alone give her a spare key to it," Hayate told the blond genin.
"I wasn't going to let her stay at a hotel. I figured she'd be better staying at a place belonging to someone she can trust is all..."
"Is that right?" Hayate asked him, giving him a look that seemed like he was peering into the blond's soul to make sure he was speaking the truth. With a smile, Hayate tells him how nice it was of him to trust Ayane and be her first friend outside of their village. Naruto could only let out a sigh of relief once the two kunoichis' older brother smiled.
"I would like it if you kept watching over Ayane for me whenever she comes to the Hidden Leaf and during missions. She can be a bit of a handful, even for me. It'd also help if you two continue to be friends." Naruto assures him he could handle her and that he could trust her in his hands. "Who knows, maybe you two..."
"Hm? You say something?" asked Naruto, Hayate telling him it was nothing.
"Step right up and try to hit all five targets at the center!" Turning to a stall, they see a male genin attempt to hit the five targets, only to hit two at the center. Seeing how the targets were placed, Naruto could tell that getting all five targets hit dead center would be impossible to achieve. However...
"I'm going to try that game stall," said Naruto, walking towards it as Hayate followed him.
With Ayane
"Hey Ayane, you thinking of getting any charms from the festival?" asked Kasumi.
"Charms?"
"You know, for things like success, good health, maybe even-"
"Why would I need charms for something I can achieve on my own?" Ayane asked, finding the charms ridiculous. Don't tell me you're planning to get one." Kasumi eyes shifted focus elsewhere when Ayane said that. "...Of course, you'd be interested in stuff like that."
"Well...yeah," said Kasumi. Stopping at the temple to buy the charms, the two girls notice Momiji coming out of the crowd, satisfied with her purchase. She was wearing a yukata with an orange-and-white flower design, a gold obi tied into a chōchō knot, black sandals with red straps, and a red flower in her hair.
"I managed to get one..." Momiji whispered to herself.
"Momiji?"
[Persona 3 - Mass Destruction]
Momiji stops in place, turning her head to meet Ayane and Kasumi's curious gazes, her mouth wide open, unable to say anything as sweat slowly poured down her face.
"Oh, Ayane, Kasumi, fancy seeing you two here!" said Momiji. Looking at the charm in her hands, Kasumi asked her about it, the kunoichi hiding it behind her back.
"Charm!? I don't know what you're talking about!" she nervously told the girls.
"You just hid it behind your back," Ayane told her. "What charm did you get exactly?"
"Nothing! Nothing you girls should know!"
"Momiji." The kunoichi freaks out when Ryu appears behind her. Quickly Momiji turns to him, hiding the charm from him. "Are you enjoying the festival?"
"Yes, I am! Thanks for asking, Master Ryu!" she told him, her face red as she looked down at the ground. Quickly, Kasumi takes the charm out of Momiji's hands and looks at it.
"AHHHHH!" screamed the shrine maiden. Looking at it, Kasumi said, "Oh, so you got a relationship charm, huh...Who is it for?"
"None of your business..." said the blushing Momiji, demanding that Kasumi give it back, who gently tossed it back to her after noticing the way she was acting in front of Ryu, getting an idea.
"Hey, Master Ryu?" When asked what she needed, Kasumi asked the Hayabusa Ninja if he was still on duty, who tells her he was but would be off-duty once the fireworks show ended. "Momiji, why don't you tag along with Ryu on his patrol for a bit?"
"Oh, I don't want Momiji to give up some time to-"
"It's fine! I-I don't mind helping you out, Master Ryu! After all, someone has to watch your back, just in case!" said Momiji. "There's still tomorrow, right?" After thinking about it, Ryu allows her to accompany him on patrol. As Momiji followed her master and crush, she thanked Kasumi in her mind.
[Music End]
"Momiji likes Master Ryu, doesn't she?" Kasumi nods yes in response to Ayane's question. "How did that happen?" Kasumi happily tells her sister, "Who knows...Perhaps I should help you-"
"Absolutely not," Ayane interrupts in an abrupt manner.
With Hinata
7:30 pm
"So this is the Chuuma Village?" asked the Hyuga girl, arriving with Hanabi and Tenten.
"Wow..." was Tenten's only reply as Hanabi goes ahead of them and says, "Hinata, I'm going to go try out the takoyaki stand!"
"Hanabi, you shouldn't-" Tenten stops her, telling her to let Hanabi go off and have fun.
"She'll be fine. Let's enjoy ourselves as well, and look for Naruto." As the two girls visit some of the stands, Hinata noticed several beautiful girls in attendance. Looking down at her white and lavender yukata, she wondered what Naruto would think about her yukata. Noticing this, Tenten teased her, asking her if she was wondering whether Naruto would like her if he saw her now or have nothing to say at all.
"Eh!? I-I wasn't-"
"You were Hinata, I can read you like a book," said Tenten. "Don't worry, I'll stand with you as support, just in case you start getting nervous."
"Oh, if it isn't Yoshiko Hyuga's daughter..." Turning around, Hinata and Tenten look down to see Shigure Ameno looking up at them. "Welcome to Chuuma Village's Ninja Festival. I haven't seen you since you were just a little baby."
"Who...Who are you?" asked Hinata, the old woman introducing herself before telling her that her daughter was friends with the Hyuga girl's mother. "How is Yoshiko?"
"She is doing well, thank you for asking," said Hinata. Tenten introduced herself to the elder, bowing to her after. When asked where Hanabi was, Hinata told Shigure she went off on her own. "Shigure-sama, by chance, do you happen to know someone named Naruto?"
"Oh, are you his girlfriend?" asked the elder, Hinata turning red as steam came out of her ears.
"N-N-N-No, we're not dating! Not at all!" she told her, waving her arms up and down.
"If you want to know, yes, I know him. He helped make some delicious curry buns for the festival. However, I don't know where he-"
"Look at him go!"
"How is that kid not full!?"
"Speak of the devil," said a smiling Shigure. Hinata and Tenten rush over to a large crowd of people spectating an eating contest. Maneuvering through the crowd, Hinata and Tenten had surprised looks on their faces as Naruto out eats a Chunin, scarfing down plate after plate of hot dogs, grilled squid, and beef. The other 10 contestants had passed out from eating too much.
"No...No more..." said the Chunin, passing out after he watched Naruto take three grilled squids and stuffed them in his mouth.
"We have a winner!" yelled the announcer as he took a deadpan-faced Naruto's left arm and raised it in the air. Looking at the 45 plates stacked near the blond, the girls wondered how he developed an appetite like that.
"Naruto!" Noticing Hinata and Tenten, the blond asked them why they weren't celebrating the festival back at the village.
"Hinata's mother gave her and her sister invitations to come here. For me, I know one of the kunoichis here," said Tenten. "Figure a nice change of scenery was needed."
"Where's Hanabi?" Hinata tells him how Hanabi went off on her own to have fun before asking Hinata if they should look for her. Hinata assures Naruto that Hanabi would be fine and that she could handle herself. "Hmmm...I guess with Ryu and other Ameno kunoichis on duty it should be fine...No, I think we should find her and have one of you with her."
"You could be right," said Hinata, following the blond as the three started looking for Hanabi. While they searched for her, Hinata decided to strike a conversation with Naruto.
"Other than that eating contest, what else have you been doing here at the festival? Are you enjoying yourself?"
"So far I've checked out many of the food stands with Ayane and watched her fail at goldfish scooping. After that, I hung out with her older brother, Hayate, trying out many of the festival's game stalls. We even had a small competition that ended in a tie before he went back to his duties. To answer your second question, I'm enjoying myself here."
"It's good to hear that you're enjoying yourself...Listen, last night, Tenten, Sakura, Ino, and I had dinner with Ayane and Kasumi at the Hidden Leaf and..."
"What?"
"She was very accurate with what she said, with the exception of me, for some reason," said Tenten. "Hinata's very bothered about what she said about her."
"What did she say to you exactly?" asked Naruto.
"She...called me a coward. The bad part about that is that it's true...Naruto, I could've been friends with you sooner if I wasn't such a coward. I mean...you needed someone to be your friend all those years ago and I...I..." At this point, Hinata started to tear up as Naruto calmly listened on.
"I was just as afraid of you as the villagers, I could've done more for you, but I just listened to what they and the other kids said about you..."
"She really knows what to say to hurt people...Hinata, you're very brave right now, telling me about this. Looking back on that, and hearing your point of view, I can understand how you must've felt, wanting to approach me back then, but unable to act upon that want, along with the fear of being ostracized by not just the village and your friends, but your own family. You were put in a tight spot."
"Even so, I..."
"Hinata, all of that is in the past. Don't let it get in the way of now. This, the present, is what matters now. Us friends, hanging out like this. While you can't change the you in the past, you can change the you who's here now, and so far, she's doing a great job at it, and at being my friend." After he said what the now-crying Hinata needed to hear, Naruto gives her a small smile as Tenten smiles. Wiping away her tears after bawling her eyes out, Hinata shares a smile with them, just as Hanabi shows up.
"Naruto?" Turning to Hanabi, the blond says hello to her. Noticing Hinata's swollen eyes, Hanabi asked Naruto what he did to make her cry.
"I just helped make her feel better is all," he said, adding how Hanabi shouldn't assume the worse. "Well, now that the four of us are here, why don't we hang out a bit before-"
"Naruto!" Turning around, the four see Kureha walking towards them, with Naruto surprised she wasn't on duty. "Oh, are these girls your friends?" The blond responds with a yes, a welcoming smile on his face.
"Kureha, you're done early?" The shrine maiden tells Naruto that she wanted to finish up with her duties quickly so she could spend some time with him. Looking at the girls, the shrine maiden tells Naruto the three of them looked beautiful in their yukatas. Hinata turned red as Tenten and Hanabi thank the woman for the compliment. "Don't you think they look stunning in their yukatas, Naruto?"
"They do," he said, making Hinata happy to hear he thought her yukata looked nice on her.
"Oh this calls for a group picture!" said Kureha, clapping her hands together before telling them in an excited tone, "Come, let's all get in the shot!" After taking a group picture, Kureha joined Naruto, Hinata, Tenten, and Hanabi in partaking in the festival's festivities, with Naruto paying for the girls and the shrine maiden. When going to buy the charms, Hinata was disappointed to find out that the relationship charms were all sold out, going for a good luck charm instead. At one point, a jonin from the Hidden Mist Village tried to grope Tenten's butt, only to get his ass handed to him by Sagiri, who was just passing by, making friends with her and Hinata in the process.
After Sagiri left to explore more of the festival, Tenten asked Naruto if a girl like Sagiri was his type, much to Hinata's unease. Naruto, thinking she meant the type of opponent, told her, "Yeah, definitely." Finally, Naruto and Tenten had a match to see who could hit the most targets at a game stall, ending with the two winning most of the top prizes, along with a ban.
9:46 pm
"Mmmm, this chocolate core is so smooth..." said Tenten, as the others tried other snacks she and Naruto won at the stalls. Naruto was a bit silent as he was in deep thought. Noticing this, Kureha asked him if he was okay.
"...Perhaps...I should check out the Hidden Leaf's Ninja Festival tomorrow." This response surprised the girls as Kureha forms a smile on her face.
"Did I just hear this right? Naruto is going to celebrate the festival back in the village?" asked a surprised Tenten. "He usually doesn't join in on any celebrations within the Hidden Leaf..."
"Are you sure?" asked Hinata, Naruto responding with a nod.
"Well, if you're going, I might as well join you," Kureha tells Naruto, the blond asking her who would replace her in the yosakoi dance tomorrow night. "I'll ask Omitsu later on, don't worry." Getting up, she thanks the girls for allowing her to join them before preparing to leave with Naruto to go find Momiji, knowing of a spot where they could watch the fireworks together.
"Sounds good," he said. "I just need to use the restroom first. You can go ahead." Kureha nods at him before getting up and leaving. As soon as Kureha and Naruto were gone, Neji, Yoshiko, and Hiashi appeared.
"There you girls are," said Yoshiko, Hinata surprised that they showed up. "I thought you, Neji, and Father couldn't come."
"Turns out there were more invites sent to me, but I got them later than the ones I gave you and Hanabi, ehehehe..." said Yoshiko, awkwardly scratching the back of her head while smiling. "Are you girls enjoying the festival here?" Hanabi voiced how fun the festival was at the Chuuma Village, telling her parents they should celebrate the festival here from now on.
"I'm enjoying it here very much, Mother," said Hinata. Moving her head towards her ear, Yoshiko asked Hinata if she had any luck with Naruto, the girl blushing red at this question. Seeing this, Yoshiko happily asked her for the details as the Hyugas and Tenten head towards a spot that would allow them to view the fireworks better, just as Naruto returned and saw them leave.
"They're watching the fireworks with the Hyugas, huh..." Turning around, Naruto begins heading towards the spot he was supposed to meet Kureha and Momiji. He stops in his tracks when he heard boxes falling down along with some screaming. Rushing towards it, he sees a little girl crying, having just being saved by Ayane, whose feet were stuck under the boxes. As the mother of the little girl checked on her daughter, Naruto helped get the boxes off of Ayane.
"You okay?" he asked her.
"Yeah, I am fine. Those things didn't even- AH!" Checking her right foot, Naruto noticed a little bruising around the ankle. With a small smile, Naruto tells her he'll treat her foot.
"I can do it myself," she told him, Naruto telling her to not be so stubborn and allow him to help as he got a handkerchief and started bandaging her right foot.
"That was nice of you. To save that girl from the falling boxes." Ayane turned red as Naruto continued treating her foot. "...Hinata said you called her a coward. Mind telling me what that's about?"
"I was angry she wasn't friends with you sooner...Otherwise, you'd..." Naruto smiles at and tells her, "I understand, just remember to pull back your "punches."
"Sometimes you have to be tough with people, or else they don't learn from their mistakes, or improve..." Wanting to change the subject, Ayane asked him what he was doing for the fireworks.
"I'm watching it with Kureha and Momiji. I was about to head there until I heard the boxes drop...There we go. Can you walk?"
"No...Seriously what the hell were in those boxes?"
"Who knows..." he told her, getting up.
"I'll be fine...Just...go meet up with Kureha for the fireworks..." To her surprise, he told her no. Next thing she knew, Naruto turned around and crouched down, telling her to get on his back. "What? But what about Kureha? Won't you miss-"
"I spent some time with her in Japan for a while before coming here. I'm sure she'll understand. Hurry..." Though a bit hesitant, Ayane slowly walks over and wraps her arms around Naruto as he carried her to where he was supposed to meet the shrine maiden.
9:58 pm
As Naruto carried her, he told her of his time in Japan with Kureha, sounding happy as he talked about it, telling her of the places they visited and the pictures she took using the camera he bought for her.
"You make it sound like she's your mother..."
"You're not wrong there..." Naruto told her with a smile. "She does have that motherly presence...Did you have plans to watch the fireworks with someone?"
"I was going to watch it with Genra..." she told him. "Though I couldn't find him."
"Is that right..." Ayane sighed before telling him how she and her "father" would watch the fireworks together every year.
"You don't want to watch it with Kasumi and Hayate?" Ayane told her that, as a Hajinmon kunoichi, they don't celebrate it with the Tenjinmon. "That shouldn't stop you from watching it with them."
"Even so, it's the rules."
"Well, it's a stupid one, if I must say so myself...Are you okay? Your leg?"
"No...It still hurts," she told him, burying her blushing face into his back. In truth, she was able to walk, but she wasn't going to pass at this moment now. "I should be fine, as long as Genra and I are looking up at the same sky...Also..."
"Also?" Before she could say more, the two hear the fireworks explode above them. Looking up, the two viewed the bright colorful lights that illuminated the starry night sky.
"They're beautiful..." Naruto said to himself as Ayane looked at him.
"Yeah...They are, aren't they?" said Ayane. As the two watched them together, Genra watched them in secret, smiling to himself behind his mask. At other spots, Hinata watched the same fireworks with her family and Tenten while Kasumi and Hayate watched it with their parents. After the fireworks show was over, Naruto made it to the spot where he was supposed to meet Kureha, finding Momiji there with her.
"There you are Naruto!" said a smiling Kureha, noticing the blond carrying Ayane on his back. "So you were with Ayane? I guess you watched the fireworks with her?"
"Yeah, she hurt her leg earlier...How is it, Ayane?" She tells him she could walk now and to set her down. Setting her down, Naruto asked her why her face was red.
"Just...a small fever. I'll be fine." As Naruto went over to talk to the others about their night, Ayane turned to her right to read a sign explaining the many charms people could get at the festival. One of them was the relationship charm. "A man may propose marriage by offering his relationship charm to a woman...How simple and ridiculous can these things be?"
"So did you win anything during the festival?" Kureha asked the blond.
"I won mostly sweets, plus this charm I got from winning the top prize at a shuriken stall," he answered, holding it up, surprising Kureha and Momiji.
"Naruto, that's a-"
"However, it's not something someone like me should be carrying." Turning around he called Ayane's name.
"What is it?"
"Here, you can have this." Ayane reacts quickly when Naruto tossed the charm to her, catching it in her hands. Looking down, her eyes widened when she realized he just tossed her a relationship charm. At the same time, the two shrine maidens turned red in the face.
"Oh my..." Kureha said to herself, her left hand over her mouth.
"Wait...WHAT!?" Ayane shouts, her face turning tomato red as she looked up at Naruto before looking down at the charm. "You're not serious...about giving me this, ARE YOU!?"
"Why wouldn't I be? I want you to have it," he told her. "Besides, I think someone like you would like it." Backing away a bit, Ayane turned redder.
"What? You're...You're serious!?"
"Of course I'm serious. Why wouldn't I-"
"Kyahh!" yelled Ayane, putting her arms behind her. "My sash..."
"What about it?"
"It's...un...unraveling..." Naruto's eyes slowly widened as he yelled, "EHHHHH!?"
"Oh my..."
"Do-Don't worry, I'll just go over and-" Ayane stops him, telling him to not come near her as her cleavage is exposed. "I...I can do this myself!"
"No, you can't!" Turning to Kureha and Momiji he asked them to help Ayane, only for them to look the other way as Kureha told him, "You should do it Naruto. After all, you have to take responsibility for her now..."
"I don't get what you mean, but okay." In an instant, Naruto appeared behind Ayane as he helps her fix her sash.
"It's your fault my sash unraveled." When asked how it was his fault, she told him he just had to give the charm to her.
"It's just a charm, I mean it's not like...I..." Turning to the Charm Board, Naruto read about the information about each one before noticing the information about the charm he gave her. Caught off guard, Naruto, now red in the face, accidentally lets go of the sash. The left sleeve of Ayane's yukata droops down, exposing her back and her left breast.
"IT"S NOT WHAT YOU THINK!"
"MY SASH!"
10:15 pm
Hinata asks Naruto how he got a black eye as he stood next to Kureha, Momiji, and a blushing Ayane. Tenten, Hanabi, Hiashi, Neji, and Yoshiko all wondered about it as well.
"I ran into something is all," he told them.
"You ran into something all right. My fist," Ayane thought to herself. The blond assures them he would be fine and that the black eye would disappear within an hour.
"There you are, Naruto." Ryu walks towards them, Sagiri, Hibari, and Shigure with him. "How was your first Ninja Festival?"
"It was good. I...plan to go to the Hidden Leaf's tomorrow if that's okay with you."
"I don't mind, just remember that you need to return to the Hayabusa Village after," said Ryu.
"I'm glad that you enjoyed the festival here in our village. And as the head of the Main House, I, Shigure Ameno, would like to personally thank you for helping the clan with the festival. You are free to come to our village any time you want."
With Ayane
Later
Mugen Tenshin Village
As Ayane entered Genra's house, the man himself welcomes her home. He is troubled to see Ayane angry with him, asking her why she was making that face.
"I was looking all over for you at the festival, and I couldn't find you," she told him.
"Apologies, Ayane. I didn't want to get in the way of your little date." Ayane turned bright red when he said that.
"You...You were watching?" Genra rubs his chin with his right pointing finger as he told her, "From beginning to end. Never thought I'd see the day where you went on a date with a boy, and the day you'd be "proposed to."
"You...You're the worst!" Ayane angrily shouts, running to her room in embarrassment.
"Perhaps I teased her too much...If she's serious about him...I should look into this Naruto Uzumaki a bit more."
With Naruto
Hayabusa Village
Kureha's House
Kureha hummed to herself as he looked over the photos she took on her camera, smiling as Naruto entered the room, having checked and found his black eye gone earlier.
"You take good pictures?" Kureha nods yes before asking if he wanted to see them. Naruto says yes and sits next to her, looking at the pictures on the camera.
"Are you sure you want to go to the Ninja Festival back at the Hidden Leaf?" Kureha asked Naruto.
"Yeah, I'm sure," he said, sounding confident as Kureha smiled at him.
"To think the exam's finals are in less than a week...Naruto..." Turning to her, the blond wondered what she was going to say. To his surprise, Kureha kissed him on the forehead before telling him, "Do your best to train hard for the finals." Though red in the face, he gives her a wide smile and tells her, "You got it."
Finally, now I can start writing for the chapter with Gaara, and maybe some part of the final exams.
Yes, it's confirmed that the Ameno Clan from 'Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs" is part of not only the 458th Universe but part of the Ninja Nations. One other thing, Naruto has NO interest in Sagiri or Hibari Ameno. Just making sure everyone knows that.
Regarding Hinata, she didn't do anything wrong, yes, but her being afraid of Naruto like the other kids, back when he was either 5 or 6, is something that I wanted to explore. It could have been possible for Hinata to help Naruto, had she approached him earlier and became his friend. Though it's impossible to know for sure if it could've saved him from being forced to grow up so early of an age.
As I wrote Road to Journey to Now and this, I forgot to mention his headband. As I wrote this, I figured it was a good idea not to edit it into an earlier chapter, as it helps support what Ayane knows that others don't know.
Wearing the village headband, for me, is like you're a part of something. Like you belong. Naruto, in his case, chooses not to wear it to show that, while he was born and raised in the Hidden Leaf, he's not a part of it, he's not one of the villagers. Who knows, with his decision to celebrate the festival in the Hidden Leaf, he may wear it at some point.
The song Naruto listens to, "Nevermore (feat. Casey Lee Williams and Adrienne Cowan)" is from RWBY Volume 6. I felt that the parts involving freedom, a boy who lost his way and how said boy would see the light of day explained Naruto as a character who was in darkness but slowly comes towards the light.
I have disliked Sakura for a pretty long time, but as you get older and see more of the character, you get used to them and start liking them. Again, with Ayane, girls like Sakura and Ino start changing, becoming better. I was planning to have the next chapter be with Sakura and Ino being nice to him, only to annoy Naruto, but I've decided to have that for the finals and for the invasion of Konoha. It'll be told in Part II.
Regarding Naruto's new skill I mentioned early above, it's not really much but it's based on a game I have played that I can't seem to master personally.