Chapter 18: Cabin Fever

Published: 5/22/23

Words: 5,802

scotty26: The only reason they were "better"(?) is maybe because they don't rely too much on CGI and their budget wasn't north of 100M. Eh.

[cont.] There are times when you confused me with naruto but I'm guessing you gave him the memory wipe so you can write him as you want without being tie down to cano; which isn't a bad thing but it helps. It's 5am here so that will do for now

It's interesting that you bring up CGI - I recently watched a video that showed how Joker had a ton of CGI - the blood and cityscapes were all fake! I loved it regardless... I'm just a sucker for tight stories :P

As for the memory wipe, I wasn't really thinking about canon when I decided on that, I just have plans for it (though it is convenient). Some of these plans have already come into fruition, like the Sand Siblings remembering Naruto but not vice versa. Also, I think you and I are in the same timezone... :O

khaeild02: So beautiful that always continues to amaze me

Stay blessed brother

Roswelll: oho interesting versus match uhh what does it called again mix? oh choice, interesting choice

I appreciate it :)

First Day Back in the Village

For the first time in a while, Naruto found himself completely alone in the Leaf.

He lied on his couch, watching TV, waiting for Ebisu's introduction to his home.

C'mon, hurry up, man. I could be doing better things right now.

At precisely 11:00 A.M., Naruto heard his doorbell ring. He got up to answer, and sure enough, he found Ebisu standing there.

The lean man towered above the boy, whose head only reached his chest-level.

Naruto droned as he greeted, "So, what're you gonna teach me first, oh wise pervert?"

Ebisu crossed his arms. "That's Ebisu-sensei to you, young man. And I intended to start you off with walking on water, but if you're not feeling too enthusiastic..."

Naruto bounced, jumping up and down as he frantically said, "No, no, I'm enthusiastic, I swear! I'm gonna walk on water come Hell or high water! I swear! I'm enthusiastic!"

Ebisu stopped Naruto by placing his open palm on the boy's crown, telling him, "Alright, then, the sooner we start, the better!"

The duo just as soon sprinted out of the apartment.

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Hot Springs

Naruto pouted.

"Hot springs? I don't mind as long as you're payin' for the time, but why here?"

Ebisu chuckled. "Because..."

He slapped Naruto on the back, shoving the boy into the scalding water below.

He immediately jumped back out, crying and screaming, swearing, "You bastard, what're you doin' to me?! You can't just assault me like that!"

Ebisu winced. "Hey, pipe down, will ya?! It's a public spring, I don't want people thinking I'm raping you, for God's sake!"

Although still literally steaming, Naruto relented, partly due to respect for Ebisu for his ability to be blunt without insulting him.

Ebisu sighed with relief when no one approached, and explained, "Alright, I admit I was just having fun, but we really are going to use the hot springs to train you. It's a method I've developed that maximizes risk and reward, along with incentive, while also easily gauging your ability. I mean, you don't wanna fall in that water again, do ya? I've had it specially raised to the hottest temperature possible."

Naruto frowned. His reluctant newfound respect for this man was rapidly growing. "You're crazy. But you make sense..."

Ebisu chortled. "Alright, Naruto, here's the rundown: I know you've learned to walk on walls already, so I'll use that principle as a springboard for this. As you step on the water, try to employ the same chakra balance that you would use for walls, and adjust for ripples and flows and such. It'll take a while to properly implement it, but we do have all day, so all I ask for is your diligence."

Naruto smirked. "Alright!"

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Forest

A small log cabin rested on the shore of a flowing river, only a few hundred feet away from a crashing waterfall.

An outdoors dojo was situated on the river side of the cabin, adjacent to its front. The dojo had two practice dummies as well as wooden posts for maneuver training.

Sakura was working alone on her taijutsu, whereas Sasuke was also training with Kakashi to walk on water, still to the lack of success he'd attained with this same training in the Land of Waves.

After a few minutes, Anko stepped out of the cabin, though without her coat, and with her hair down instead of tied up. It flowed a few inches past her shoulders, covering her neck down to her shoulder blades.

Sakura even momentarily stopped training when she spotted the jonin.

She's so pretty...

Anko licked her lips and strutted over to Sakura. She leaned down, whispering, "You know, that bastard Orochimaru gave me the exact same mark on my neck. Would you like to learn how to harness some of its power for your own?"

Sakura blushed. "What? I-is that okay? Wouldn't that give the curse more influence over me?"

Anko waved a hand. "Not if you use it properly. I don't use it too often on principle because I can barely stand the thought of that son of a bitch, but for your sake, to help you become stronger? I can set aside my own vendetta."

Sakura smiled. "Well, alright, then! How can we train for that?"

Anko stood straight up and told her, "First, let's get away from the boys so our lady time isn't bogged down by them."

She called out, "Hey, Kakashi! I'm taking the girl to another location for training! I've got meals packed, so don't wait up!"

Kakashi watched Sasuke fall into the river again and replied, "Go ahead, stay safe."

Anko cocked her head. "Come on, Pinky, follow me."

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Down the River

A few miles down the river was a wooden bridge level with the ground. A few meters ahead of that bridge was a steep, albeit short drop. The short drop was no more than 10 feet, and was a long-eroded part of the land that had since gone dry due to the water eroding even deeper land in the middle of that section - the same width as the rest of the river. Beyond that drop, after another few meters, was another waterfall.

Anko led Sakura to the middle of the bridge and stopped there. Although the bridge was sturdy, it swayed, even if a little bit, with the lightest movement.

Anko commanded, "Hold your hands out."

Sakura did as commanded. Anko rubbed her own hands for a few seconds, then rested them over Sakura's palms. When Anko slowly lifted her hands and brought then back to her sides, a small purple sphere no more than a few inches in diameter lied in Sakura's hands.

Anko explained, "That is the aura of cursed chakra. Unlike regular chakra, cursed chakra is comprised purely of what we call chakra acidity. This means that it's volatile, and can be used to enhance techniques as well as a weapon in and of itself."

Sakura gulped. "Well, what do I do with this?"

Anko stepped back and suggested, "Well, let's try something easy. Summon a clone."

Sakura nodded, and when she separated her hands to perform the handsign, the pulsing cursed chakra was caked onto her palms.

She then created the clone, finding that barely any of her own chakra was used, and that the cursed chakra comprised most of the clone.

Anko winked. "Cool, isn't it?"

She then walked up to the clone, and tapped it. The clone instantly vanished in a puff of purple smoke. Anko grinned. "Shadow clone."

Sakura stammered, "B-but I've never made a shadow clone! I wasn't even trying to..."

"I know."

Sakura began to cheer as she tackled Anko with a hug. "Alright, Ms. Anko, that's so cool! Thanks so much!"

Anko laughed and responded, "And that's just the beginning, Kid..."

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Later That Evening, Hot Springs

Ebisu had stripped down to his underwear - still donning his sunglasses and bandana - due to the heat in the room, a luxury not afforded to Naruto, who was still wearing his trademark vest.

When Naruto fell into the water and came out screaming again, Ebisu congratulated the boy. "I think I finally saw you move an inch there, Naruto. Wanna take a little rest?"

Naruto insisted, "No way, not when I'm so close!"

As Naruto leapt back onto the water, Ebisu asked, "Hey, have you ever heard about Icarus? Escaped prison with wings built by his father? Guy flew too close to the sun? Got burned? Drowned?"

After Naruto was finished rolling around on the ground like a fish out of water, he sat on his knees and questioned, "Wait, he burned and drowned? What's up with that?"

Ebisu pushed his glasses up. "He got so caught up in the beauty of the sun that he flew too close to it, and the wings burned off. He landed in the water, where he promptly drowned."

Naruto smirked and scoffed. "Well, I know how to swim. I won't be drownin' any time soon."

As Naruto once again stepped into the water, Ebisu smiled.

He really gets it, doesn't he? At the same time, I'm left wondering if he actually understood anything that I said.

He watched the boy practice walking on water.

That's one step... Now 2... 3... 4... 5... Now turn around. Or... Don't. Oh, or... Do?

Naruto scampered back to the floor.

He ranted, "Oh, so what you meant when you were tellin' me about Ick'ras was that, like, if I kept goin' beyond the five steps you told me to, it'd be like him getting too close to the sun because he forgot his original goal, right?"

Ebisu faked a smile. Through gritted teeth, he responded, "Yes, that's exactly why I told you about Icarus."

Upon seeing Naruto's sheepish gesture, he sighed. "Look, I think you've done pretty well for your first day, Naruto. Let's go grab supper now."

Naruto stared at the man, deep in thought, before finally replying, "Yeah, okay."

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Ichiraku Ramen Bar

Old man Tenchi didn't have the hottest ramen bar in town - if he did, he wouldn't be running it as little more than a stall - but an argument could be made for it being the most aesthetically pleasing. Situated on the side of a relatively short road, the shop avoided congested traffic - foot or otherwise. Facing true North, the cycle of the sun from its rise in the east to its fall in the west was observed comfortably, and allowed for the restaurant to be naturally lit well into dusk. In the autumn weather, still feeling the remnants of summer, this could run all the down to only five hours being left in the day. The brown walls and red-accented decorations provided a sense of warmth and passion in the food being served. The bowls in which the food was served were ice white, almost enough to light up the dark, and they had intricate geometric oriental designs to hammer in their beauty.

Ichiraku Ramen, for all its low-key outward presentation, held inside a world of delectable and aesthetic delight. Such were Naruto's chief reasons for being a regular there - that, and the fact that he was always welcome at Teuchi's stall.

When the bowls presented by Teuchi and his daughter, Ayame, clinked on the polished wooden counter for Ebisu - who was now fully dressed - and Naruto, the latter had a sudden realization and facepalmed.

The sensei asked, "Hey, Naruto, what's wrong?"

The student answered, "I forgot... The doctor, she said I should diversify my diet..."

"Meaning?..."

"Less ramen, more straight meat and fruits and veggies."

Ebisu smirked. He slid Naruto's bowl over to himself, and ordered, "Teuchi, give my little friend here a small bowl of what he ordered, please!"

Naruto looked at Ebisu in bewilderment. The man coined, "Hey, she said less ramen, not no ramen. After this, I'll get you some real good beef, an egg, and... celery."

The blonde chuckled meekly and commented, "Y'know, I'm almost tempted to say that you're not so bad at all, Ebisu...". He cleared his throat. "Er, Ebisu Sensei."

Ebisu warmly smiled and jested, "Well, I'm almost tempted to take that as a morsel of a compliment."

When Ayame returned with a small bowl for Naruto, she noted the bowls in front of Ebisu and gave him a funny look with a raised eyebrow, almost as if to jokingly ask, "Seriously?".

Naruto and Ebisu clasped their hands together and prayed, "Dear God, thank You and the chef for this meal!"

Somehow, Ebisu managed to finish his meal before Naruto.

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Nighttime

Ebisu had taken Naruto on a walk that lasted nearly half an hour to reach their next destination.

This next destination was on a busier, longer street. It stood right on the corner, on the bottom of a three-story building, and the sign read 'SMILE BBQ JOINT'. It was much more sleek than Ichiraku, having a wide rectangular steel design, with glass doors. The inside had a ceramic floor with black chairs and dark glass tables, each with an overhead light. The lights had an orange hue that accented the gleam on the food.

Staring at the fat slab of meat on his plate, Naruto asked, "So you're gonna save me from malnutrition by killing me through overeating?"

Ebisu scoffed. "Come on, it's just one steak. Besides, I know you haven't eaten since I showed up, and that was this morning. So quit it with the snark and start eating. Each bite gets you closer to finishing!"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Isn't that true for every food?"

"If it is, then it's true for this food, too."

Naruto chortled. "Can't argue with that..."

.

Fifteen Minutes Later

After Naruto finished the steak, he was led to yet another restaurant by Ebisu.

This one was on the same street as the barbecue, and was a thinner building. Much like the barbecue, it was sleek, and had ample seating and lighting.

Naruto watched gratefully as he received a plate adorned with a celery omelette sliced pizza-style.

He turned to Ebisu. "Y'know, I'm really glad you're takin' this seriously.", he remarked. "I feel like Kakashi-sensei would've just made me do this myself, or be generally rude about it..."

I didn't even know I'd been feeling that way... Is Kakashi-sensei really that bad?

Ebisu replied, "Hey, now, my job is to specialize in these sorts of issues; I assume Kakashi approaches issues in his own way - that of a military team leader. Though, that doesn't excuse it. When I hand you back to him, just... Speak to him about it; he's not cruel by intention."

Naruto muttered, "I... I guess I'll do that."

Ebisu added, "And tomorrow, I'm taking you grocery-shopping - all my treat. It'll keep you healthy, and it'll make our goals more achievable."

Naruto blushed. "Gee, you're just the right amount of crazy and kind, aren't ya? Thanks..."

"Don't mention it."

Naruto's next obstacle was in the tragic discovery that healthy food didn't always taste good.

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Forest

Sakura and Anko had returned to the cabin a few short hours after learning about the cursed chakra, lest Sakura be overexposed in a short period. They spent the rest of the day on taijutsu, chakra-building exercises, and general jutsu.

After a shower and dinner, Sakura walked back to her room in the cabin - a quaint space with just enough square footage for a closet, a dressing table, a bed, a nightstand, and a TV on a shelf near the foot of the bed side of the ceiling. She plopped down onto the bed and turned the TV on, finding reruns of a prank show she'd seen again and again. She looked out the window next to her bed, and it finally registered that not only would her head be on the window side, but it was facing the now-dark forest and had no curtain.

Totally not creepy.

Lacking mental stimulation and a window curtain, she decided to leave the room to try and find something else to do. She knew Anko had a bigger room, but dreaded the notion of going inside without permission. She walked up to the nearest bathroom - the one designated for the ladies - and knocked on the door, as the fan inside signified that Anko was inside.

"Will you be long, Ms. Anko?", she inquired.

The muffled voice of Anko responded, "I'm just washing my hands. I'll be out in a jiff!"

Sure enough, after a few seconds, Sakura heard the fan and the light switches click off, as a casually-dressed Anko opened the door. She had switched out of her training gear and put on purple pajamas and a t-shirt.

She exited the bathroom and asked, "You need to use the bathroom?"

"Er, no, Miss. I just wanted to know if you had anything in your room, like a book or something. And a curtain for my window, if you can spare one."

"Is that it? Yeah, I can get you something. Follow me."

Sakura followed the older woman into her room.

Anko had a room all to herself - her relationship with Kakashi was on-again off-again, and it was currently off-again. It was a room much bigger than Sakura's. The closet was a walk-in, the TV was a flat-screen, the bed was queen-sized, and the windows were large and comfortably-placed.

As Anko rummaged through a chest, she informed, "By the way, Sakura, we'll obviously resume your cursed chakra training throughout this little trip of ours. Tomorrow, we'll examine the power that it has on its own."

Sakura nodded. "Yes, Ma'am."

After that, Anko pulled out a curtain with a rod. "Here you go, Sakura. I trust you can put it up by yourself?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

Anko also revealed a book - 'Tales of Life, Death, and Liminality', handing it to Sakura. "Take care of this, alright?"

"Yes, Ma'am. Thank you."

Sakura promptly returned to her room, plopped the book onto her bed, and set up the curtains.

The curtains covered most of the window, excluding a single inch of the top. Sakura didn't mind too much, but what did create a certain unease was the parting between the curtains - they separated at the bottom, leaving a small, albeit noticeable, gap.

She propped herself into a sitting position on the bed and looked at the book in front of her.

Life, death, and liminality.

She looked back out the gap in the curtains.

The void looked back at her. The more she stared, the more she felt as if someone was staring at her. Miniscule patches of light in the darkness became glowing eyes prying into her room, unconsentingly and unapologetically inching into her soul.

Sakura nervously gulped, and turned the volume up on the TV. She then began to read the book she had been lent.

Granted, she should have guessed the book's morbid content from its title, but it truly was in its own league of unsettling literature. Every word she read sent harsh chills down her spine, every twist and turn decimated her hope for the characters, and she even began to distrust the safety of the cabin she was in.

Sakura closed the book after a few minutes, unwilling to continue. She decided to hit the hay. When she returned from brushing her teeth, she turned the lights off, but kept the TV on at low volume for ambience.

However, she still could not ignore the naked gap in the curtains. When she was facing it, she returned to staring into the abyss. When she turned her back to it or the ceiling, she developed a feeling that some creature was spying on her from the window, lying in wait. When she lied on her back, the void called to her.

She decided to move her pillow to the other side of the bed, such that her feet were on the window side.

But all this achieved was giving her cold feet - figuratively, as she was wearing a blanket. Eventually, however, the sensation of the warm blanket gave her comfort, as if it could protect her from the sinister elements.

Then it began raining.

Rain, on its own, was fine. Sakura was a big girl - she had no reason to fear such a normal and healthy weather condition.

But this specific rain, for some reason or another, seemed to be knocking on something on the cabin's exterior. Sakura could hear the repeated thud, thud, thud of whatever was being knocked upon, and it felt eerily as if someone was tapping directly on the window.

But the window was secure. No wind was coming in, nor rain. Sakura chalked it up to the call of the void again, and allowed the noise of the TV to lull her to sleep.

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The Next Morning, Dawn

By sunrise, the rain had stopped.

Whenever Sakura woke up, the first thing she always did was open the window to let the sun in. As this room faced east, she knew the sun would shine directly in during the morning hours.

So she sat up in bed, yawned, and stretched her arms before pulling off the blanket. She reached over to the nightstand - which was now nearer to her feet - to grab the TV remote before lying back down and turning the volume up. The same show was running, which was a calming factor for the girl.

After that, she crawled over to that side of the bed on her knees and grabbed the curtains.

What Sakura didn't expect, when she opened the curtains, was a long, thin scratch running along the height of the window.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!"

Sakura had shrieked so loud that she had woken up the entire cabin, prompting the other residents to storm into the room.

Anko, whose room was nearest, came in first, questioning, "Sakura, what's wrong? What happened?!"

Sakura ran out of bed and hid behind Anko. She tugged at her shirt and pointed at the window. "There's something outside! It scratched my window!"

Now arriving, Kakashi and Sasuke - both in a black t-shirt and boxers - watched curiously as Anko walked over to the window. The woman crawled onto the bed and opened it, then looked down and sighed.

She turned around and stated, "It's just a small branch from the tree behind the cabin. It must've fallen and scratched the window.". She sighed again. "I'll put some duct tape on it."

She walked past an embarrassed Sakura and past the boys, the younger of whom sarcastically hissed, "Thanks, Scaredy-cat. I was hoping someone would cut my sleep short.", before storming off back to his own room.

Kakashi was more sympathetic. He placed a hand on Sakura's head and ruffled her hair, telling her, "It happens. Next time, just make sure you're in actual danger before you scream like that.", before shuffling back to his own room.

Anko glided back into the room with scissors and a roll of duct tape, and just as quickly covered the crack and left.

Sakura blushed in embarrassment as she stared at the window.

Good job, Sakura. That was a totally measured response.

She facepalmed, and decided to get her day started.

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Hidden Leaf

Naruto rolled and fell out of bed when he was awoken by the sound of his doorbell ringing. He scampered up to his knees and picked up his alarm clock, reading it with the red sun of the dawn.

6:00 A.M.? Who's visiting me this early? Oh God, it's Ebisu, isn't it?

He sighed, and rose to his feet, returning the alarm clock to his nightstand.

He dragged his feet through his bedroom door, towards the front door, and stood on his tiptoes to see through the peephole.

Yep, Ebisu... It should be a crime to be up this early.

He unlocked the door and opened it, grudgingly asking, "What's up, Sensei?"

Ebisu ruffled Naruto's hair and ordered, "Come on, brush your teeth, do your ablutions, drink some water, and get dressed. We're going grocery shopping."

"... Now?"

"Yes, now! We don't want you to have a late breakfast, do we?"

Naruto hung his head down. "Okay... ". He gestured to the inside of the apartment. "Come on in and wait, please."

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An Hour Later

Ebisu and Naruto had shopped at a local 24/7 convenience store. Although not everyone's first choice for groceries, it had a wide selection of different food groups, with the only catch being that most of the unprocessed food had a short shelf life. It was no issue for Ebisu, who intended to use the ingredients he bought on that day, for the purpose of testing out Naruto's pallette.

Upon returning to the apartment, Ebisu laid out Naruto's breakfast: a glass of raw milk, a fried egg sandwich, and a thick slice of beef meatloaf. Although it wasn't the best thing he'd had - his taste for ramen still taking precedence - he enjoyed the meal, and certainly felt full and energetic.

Once Naruto was done, Ebisu commanded, "Lock up and follow me, Naruto. I've got another set of training for you before we continue walking on water."

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Village Walls

The walls of the village sat much lower on the east and west than the north. Whereas the north side of the wall towered 60 feet high, the east and west were only about 10 feet, as these sides were already harder to penetrate. The south side is where the hokage mountain was, around whom the east and west wrapped with ample space for mass travel - even if not often taken upon - on each side.

On the outside of the wall was a desired path - an unofficial road marked by foliage that had been pressed on by people's feet. The village was much too long to run around for a reasonable person, so most of the beaten path looped back around about twenty miles in.

Ebisu commanded, "I want you to run as many laps as you can around this path."

Naruto looked up. "As many as I can?"

"As many as you can."

Naruto sheepishly chuckled. "What if I can't run any?"

Ebisu sighed. "I'd be disappointed; you seem to be pretty serious about training, and I'd hate to find that it's false."

Naruto stammered, "Wh--wait, no, I'll do it! As many as possible!", and immediately began to sprint.

Though people were free to come and go, there was low risk of running into someone on this path. People barely left the village as it is - the village had everything: farms, houses, forests, springs, rivers, businesses, fun places, really everything most people could ever want. Most people who left were doing so for business, camping, or visiting a nearby village, and even then they came back once they were done. And today seemed an especially slow day, as when Naruto passed the wider road out of the northern village gates, he hadn't seen a single person leaving or arriving.

That's why Naruto didn't expect to run into anyone on this path.

It's also why he was flabbergasted to have found not just one or two, but three people running the exact same path behind him when he looped around the east end of the path.

The group easily caught up and ran beside Naruto. He looked at them and realized that it was Might Guy, Neji, and Tenten. The blonde remembered that Guy - the closest of the bunch - was his own sensei's rival, but also remembered Neji's vendetta against him. He didn't feel too strongly abkut Tenten - who was in the middle - either, other than the dear that she might resent her loss to him, but he felt that since they had clearly been running faster than him to catch up this early, and were slowing down to run alongside him, that he should strike up conversation.

However, in the time that it took the boy to come to this conclusion, Guy spoke first. He bellowed, "My youthful rival's youthful student! I assume you are also training for your part in the chunin exams?"

Naruto found that he also had to nearly yell as he answered, "Er, yeah. I gotta run around this whole thing until failure."

Guy laughed. "Failure? Kakashi's really lighting a fire under your ass, isn't he?"

"Nah, he's in some evil forest trainin' Sasuke and Sakura with Anko!"

"Evil forest, you say? Then, Ebisu must be training you! We met him as we started our laps!"

"Yeah, it's Ebisu! And... The forest isn't really evil, the word just felt apropos, for making conversation, y'know?"

"Well, just don't worry about the training, Ebisu is quite possibly the greatest elite sensei this village can afford!"

"He is? How'd I end up with him?"

"Kakashi must be paying out of pocket! Trainers like Ebisu aren't allowed to receive public funds unless it's authorized by the hokage, and he wouldn't permit that in a case like this, lest it set a precedent!"

Guy then turned to his genin. "My springs of youth! Let's see if we can keep this gentleman's pace until his little legs give in!"

Naruto blushed.

Neji scoffed. "It shouldn't be long; those with the weakest wills have the weakest hearts."

Tenten muttered, "Neji... Be nice."

Naruto, who hadn't heard her, shouted at Neji, "And I suppose those with driest personalities have the driest voices, too, right, Fruitcake?!"

Neji grimaced. "I am not a fruitcake."

This time, Naruto scoffed. "You sure about that?! 'cause from here on out, you're gonna be lookin' right at my ass!"

He sped up and deliberately ran in front of Neji, with 20 feet of space between the two.

Neji, in turn, also sped up, but kept pace a few feet behind Naruto.

The blonde looked back and taunted, "Is that the best you can do?!"

Neji responded, "Moron! By running behind you, I'm minimizing air resistance, meaning I can run with less pressure on me and not get so tired!"

Naruto blushed again. "Oh, yeah?! Well, what if I just..."

He brought his foot forward into the air, then dug it into the ground, and quickly followed with his other foot. He skidded through the dirt and before he could stop, felt something hit his back as he himself fell backwards.

Naruto looked up and saw Neji's chin, realizing that he himself had landed on the older boy.

Naruto kipped back up, took a deep breath, and blew a long raspberry on the grounded Hyuuga.

Neji facepalmed before he rolled and stood back up. He then stormed over to Naruto and growled, "You better pray that you lose in the first round of the exam, because if I have to fight you, I'll make you wish you were never born!"

Naruto scoffed once again and furrowed his brow. "Yeah, I bet you'd know what that feels like, asshole!"

The boys pushed their foreheads against each other, both gritting their teeth and growling, as Guy and Tenten caught up.

Guy stepped back and let the girl work her magic. She forced her way between the boys, pushed them apart, and turned to Neji with a stern look.

Much to Naruto's surprise, she actually slapped Neji straight across the cheek with no fear.

More surprising than that, Neji did not respond.

Even more surprising to Naruto was when Tenten turned around and slapped him, too.

Naruto rubbed his red cheek as Tenten stepped back and scolded, "We're human beings, not animals! No snarky remarks, Neji! The both of you should know better than to be playing these stupid games, and I'm ashamed that I have to tell you this!"

Neji and Naruto both looked down and simultaneously said, "Sorry..."

When Naruto looked back at Tenten, he inquired, "No disrespect, but..."

Tenten glared. "But?..."

"Well, if you won't be participating in the last part of the exam, why are you trainin' with Guy and Neji?"

Guy answered that question. He boomed, "Even if Tenten isn't on the same level as her peer, she's still a part of this team! I'd have Lee here, too, if he wasn't in the hospital."

Naruto looked back down again.

Would Kakashi-sensei have had that same attitude if I'd lost?

He looked back at Neji and felt a twinge of sympathy for the boy - perhaps the shared pain of getting slapped could be a bonding experience. He stood up straight, keeping his hands in his pockets. He avoided eye contact as he said, "By the way... I'm sorry I made you fall like that."

When Neji, shocked through and through, questioned, "What?!", Naruto inhaled deeply, then turned around and began sprinting on the path again.

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Hot Springs, Afternoon

After lunch - a few slices of banana bread, which Naruto spared no complaint about - Naruto had returned to walking on water.

Ebisu watched with pride as Naruto approached the water.

He set one foot down, adjusted his chakra, then brought forth his other foot and did the same, just as instructed. With deep, slow breaths, he accustomed himself to the water, and began bringing one foot in front of the other. With time, he increased his speed ever so slightly, graduating to a casual walk by the time he reached the other end of the water. Just as casually, he began to walk back to the origin.

However, halfway through, a loud crash broke his concentration, and he fell back into the water - which he could have sworn was somehow hotter than the day before.

He rushed back to the solid ground, rolling around as his scalded skin turned a redder shade.

Ebisu, meanwhile, was berating the source of the crash.

"Come on, old man! You thought this was the women's area, didn't you?!"

The old man in question was suddenly enshrouded in a puff of smoke, and an amphibious arm smacked Ebisu straight across the jaw.

When the smoke cleared, Naruto saw that it was Jiraiya, who summoned a toad to knock Ebisu out.

Naruto heaved, "What the Hell... Are you doing... Here?"

Jiraiya answered, "It's simple; I've got a mission, and I want you to accompany me!"

Naruto was still breathing heavily. "What?"

What kinda mission? Why now?

He questioned, "What's the mission?"

"We just gotta bring ol' Granny back to the village!"

Naruto gulped.

Who the Hell is Granny? If it's his gram-grams, she's probably old as a bat! Is it really so important?

He inquired, "Why me? Can't you get 'er on yer own?"

Jiraiya rolled his head. "Old times' sake, please?..."

Naruto scoffed and smirked. "Alright, but only if Ebisu says so. And he's gotta come, too."

Jiraiya cringed. He looked at the unconscious man, and back at Naruto.

"Fine..."

The place where Sakura and Anko go down the river to practice cursed chakra is based on one of the fighting stages in Naruto Ultimate Ninja 3 on the PS2. It's called "No. 44 Exercise Ground: The Forest of Death". Though it's name after the forest of death, it really looks like any other forest if you just ignore the tower in the back. So... You guys can totally pretend it's not in the forest of death for this story, right? Right??!

Excuse me.

Anyways... I have a lot of happy memories with that game (and a few other Naruto games), and that particular stage feels like a home away from home for me.