Chapter Six: Kiss and Tell.
Sakura Igawa sighed to herself as she sat alone at a bar, staring absently down the bottom of her glass. Since she abruptly left her home she wandered around rather aimlessly with no real destination in mind, trying to find ways to distract herself as her nightmare kept on replaying in her head over and over again. She then decided to start drinking some booze to numb that dull ache in her chest and drown out her feelings... so far it wasn't working. "Ugh... why do I feel this way about Naruto-kun? It isn't fair. I don't want to hurt him or my sister's feelings... but it still hurts for me." She grumbled as she took another drink.
'I love my sister very much and I know she definitely has feelings for Naruto-kun, they click together really well... but is it wrong that I wish that Naruto-kun was mine? I want him, but I don't want to get between them. Why is it that the one person who could possibly be my first love has to be the only man that can't be mine?' The woman lamented in her mind and knocked back yet another drink, her face reddening from the alcohol.
Her musings and self-loathing were interrupted when a woman plopped herself down in the empty bar stool next to her and immediately ordered a bottle of some really strong booze. It seemed that the orangette wasn't the only one having a rough time. "Ugh. Why me? Why did I have to wait too long? Now he's gone." The newcomer muttered to herself rather glumly as she drank straight from the bottle and slumped forward against the bar.
"You having guy troubles too?" The Tomboy Taimanin asked since misery loves company as the old saying goes. The woman nodded slowly and gulped down some more of her drink with a sigh and then looked over towards the younger Igawa sister.
"Yeah, though it's my fault. Not his. See, there was this guy I liked. He was younger than me, but damn did he mean the world to me. I wanted to confess my feelings to him, but I kept putting off over some fucking excuse. I kept telling myself things like 'Now isn't the time' or 'Just a while longer'. Then... I waited too fucking long and somebody else claimed him before I could. I mean, I'm happy he found someone... I just wish that it could have been me, you know? I got nobody to blame but myself." The stranger muttered before taking another drink with a sorrowful expression.
"Huh. I'm in a pretty similar situation myself. My sister recently brought a guy home with her... and I think I'm falling hard for him. I really like him but I'm afraid of hurting him or my sister... and now I'm the one that's hurting, on the inside. Last night, I had a nightmare where I tried to seduce him in my own sister's bed with her sleeping right there next to him... then she woke up and was staring at me, judging me. He's so kind, caring, funny and really cute. I know it sounds cliché, but it's true. I feel kind of guilty." Sakura mumbled with a frown, causing the other woman to laugh softly.
"That does sound cliché. But... sometimes love doesn't make sense, right? I know it's probably stupid, but I really miss him and... I just wish I could've at least kissed him. At any rate, maybe you need to have a sit-down with your sister? Try and talk things through? If anything else you could clear the air. It'd be better than bottling things up and waiting till it's too late. Trust me. I waited too late and I regret it now... I just hope that he's happy. Names Anko by the way. Anko Mitarashi." The now identified Anko spoke with a sad smile and extended a hand to the orangette who accepted and shook it gently.
"Sakura. Sakura Igawa. And yeah, I should probably talk to her. Thanks. Oh, and... if you don't mind me asking, who was the lucky guy you had feelings for?" She asked curiously, wanting to keep the conversation going and take her mind off her worries.
Anko was silent for a moment as she pondered whether or not to tell the orange haired woman about her crush... then it clicked in her mind just who she was talking to and asked "Whoa, back up... Igawa? Are you Asagi Igawa's younger sister? That Sakura Igawa?"
"Yep. That's me. Why? You a fan or something?" Sakura asked and then noticed that her new associate had fallen strangely silent prompting her to ask "Is something wrong?" At her question, Anko seemed hesitant to speak further as her grip tightened around the bottle she was holding her face and demeanor suddenly becoming hostile.
"Yeah. You Taimanin. You guys pretty much get whatever you want at the snap of your fingers. You have it all. Money, fame, power, popularity. Hell, they're even making a damned video game about you people. If that weren't enough, you've got your pick of whoever you want to 'marry'. Your life is so damn perfect. And what do us regular people get? We're the ones who work our asses off and have to settle for less because we don't have your abilities or money. Or we have to suck up to you because of all the special treatment you get, on the Hokage's orders no less. What the fuck is it about you guys that make you so special?!" The woman growled out, her tone bitter and resentful.
The orangette blinked and was a little taken aback by her companion's sudden change in attitude and the rant directed at her and raised her hands up in a placating manner. It wasn't uncommon for many Shinobi to feel some sort of envy or jealousy towards the Taimanin, especially with the fact that the majority of women who join the organization have the pick of the litter when it comes to finding a man. Not to mention there was all the special privileges and luxuries they got simply because they were Taimanin. As popular and famous as they were, there were some that still resented them.
"Hey now. I serve the village just the same as you. I was ready to lay down my life for the village when I volunteered for the Taimanin Initiative. I didn't ask for special treatment for favors, it just... came. Clearly you're upset and... wait... the guy you loved... did a Taimanin claim him? Is that why you're angry?" Sakura questioned at the end as she connected the dots. Still, it seemed a little strange that she suddenly lashed out like that, and only after she mentioned her name. Why was that?
"Yes. A fucking Taimanin. And I can't do shit about it." Anko spoke bitterly as she slammed some cash on the counter and then marched off, bottle in hand with some tears brimming in her eyes.
"Oh." Sakura said simply as she watched the purple haired woman go and felt her heart clench in sympathy. She could definitely relate to the woman's situation, having someone she liked being claimed by someone else.
'Man... the world sure is a small place, huh? Guess I'm not the only one who has to deal with this crap.' The Igawa girl thought sadly and sighed. After that encounter, the orange haired Taimanin took another drink, now feeling more alone and more miserable. Still, she did bring up a point... maybe she should at least talk to her sister before she ended up crossing a line? Who knows? Maybe Asagi could help her sort out her feelings? Regardless, she couldn't hold it in for much longer.
Her musings were broken when she looked up towards a nearby television and saw that her favorite talk show was on the air, the host was currently introducing this episode's special guest for the night. "... allow me to introduce, Naruto Uzumaki!" The host announced prompting Sakura to do a spit-take and stare in shock as the blonde teen was revealed to the studio audience.
'N-Naruto-kun?! What is he doing there?!' She mentally cried out in surprise, quickly wiping her mouth as she watched the program with great interest. She couldn't help but wonder how this was going to play out.
Minutes earlier. Crimson Tower Studios.
Naruto sighed to himself, inhaling deeply as he felt a pit in his stomach, feeling both excitement and anxiety as he stared across the stage. Once he was cued in, he'd make his entrance and take his seat next to the host Aishwarya. Still, he couldn't help but fidget nervously as he glanced at the live audience packed into the studio and the numerous cameras that would be broadcasting him across the entirety of Fire Country, maybe even beyond the borders of his own country.
Asagi was kneeling in front of his, readjusting the tiny microphone that was clipped to the lapel of his suit. She had a kind and reassuring smile on her face as she whispered to him "You'll be fine. Just focus on Aishwarya when you're on stage and pretend that nobody else is there. If things become too much for you, you can call me over and I'll pull the plug. I'll be right here for you the whole time like a guardian angel."
He rapidly nodded, his nervousness lessened by her words as he felt a bit of comfort from the older Igawa sister. She was right. He needed to keep his focus on the job at hand, this was his first appearance on national TV and he needed to make a good impression.
"Thanks, Asagi. That really helps. I appreciate it." The blonde thanked, receiving a sweet smile in response. She then pulled him in for a hug, pressing his head against her generous bust. His hands instinctively wrapped around her waist as she gave him a quick peck on the lips.
She then broke off the embrace just as some fanfare began playing when Aishwarya herself took to the stage, wiggling her fingers towards the cameras and blowing kisses towards the audience as she spoke "Good evening all my lovely viewers! Who do you love and who loves you?" The dark skinned woman asked as she put a hand to her ear.
"AISHWARAYA!" The audience shouted back, causing the talk show host to laugh and pose in a sexy manner.
"Yes! That's me, Aishwarya Lai, and tonight is a very special episode, we have a rather magnificent specimen of a guest that has graciously arrived on set. You may have heard of him in the news on TV or in the papers. He has recently partnered up with one of if not the most famous Taimanin to ever live. The living legend herself, Asagi Igawa the Almighty Taimanin! Let's give a big hand for Naruto Uzumaki! Come on down!" The host exclaimed with an exaggerated gesture as the blonde boy stepped onto the stage, waving nervously at the audience.
The studio was filled with thunderous applause, whistles and cat calls from the crowd as the young Uzumaki walked on stage and made his way over to his seat and sat down, trying not to let his anxiety get the best of him.
The host marched up to him and gave him a set of three kisses, one on each cheek then a quick peck on his lips. It seemed like that was her preferred method of greeting people... Definitely friendly. She then gave him a wink and sat down in the seat across from him in a smooth and elegant motion. "Naruto Uzumaki. Welcome to my show, 'Kiss and Tell'. So lovely to have you here tonight." She greeted as she leaned forward slightly, making sure her breasts were on full display.
He blushed and chuckled nervously. "Ah, um... Thank you, ma'am. And, ah... thanks for inviting me to be on your show. It's nice to meet you." He stammered a bit, but his nervousness began to fade somewhat as the dark skinned woman gave him a warm and comforting smile, making it difficult for him to take his eyes off of her.
"You're quite welcome. I'm happy to have you here. First, feel free to call me Ai-Chan. Second, I have so many questions for you. Let's start with an obvious one, how did it feel when Asagi made the oath of marriage to you?" She asked with a little twinkle in her eye.
He laughed softly and replied while scratching his cheek "At first, I kept asking myself if it was all some kind of a dream. I never would have imagined in a million years getting picked as someone as famous as Asagi who is beautiful on the inside as she is on the out. She immediately welcomed me into her home, cooked dinner for me, cuddled with me, sang a song for me, bought me all the gear and equipment I wanted and needed, and earlier today we began our training together.
Her teaching was easy to understand and follow as she trained me. Overall, she is a truly amazing person and I have never been happier. I am both glad and honored beyond words that she chose me. Oh... I guess I rambled on a bit there." He spoke a little nervously at the end realizing he had been jabbering a bit.
His words earned a mix of laughter and 'Oohs' and 'Awws' from the audience. A camera then panned over towards Asagi herself who was using both hands to hide the blush on her cheeks, a tender smile on her face because of his heartfelt words.
"Wow. An unexpected and romantic love mixed with some rags-to-riches. Sounds like the makings of a good story. I am very happy for you both. Now, Naruto-kun, I want to ask you; you were something of a troublemaker back at the Academy, yes? Your pranks were quite infamous. What motivated you to perform these pranks?" The host questioned him, leaning forward with an eager grin on her face.
Naruto paused briefly and rubbed the back of his head. He should have figured a question like that would crop up. He then took a deep breath before he answered "Growing up, I was pretty lonely. A lot of people opted to... ignore my presence and act as if I didn't exist. Like I was some kind of ghost. So, I started performing pranks. The bigger and more insane, the more attention I got. I guess I kind of fed on the attention, even if I got in trouble for it. I guess, in my mind, it was better for people to scold me for my mischief than be ignored entirely."
Aishwarya slowly nodded her head and spoke "From the sounds of it, your pranks weren't just a cry for attention, they were practically a cry for help. You were trying to reach out in the only way you knew how. I don't think you're a bad kid, you're just misunderstood. I think people will have a lot more sympathy for you once word of this gets out." At the last part, she pointed towards the cameras for emphasis with a little smile and a wink.
"Next, I want to invite a guest here to share a few words and her own experiences with you." The dark skinned woman stated and then clapped her hands twice before announcing "Here comes our next guest! Ino Yamanaka! The fabulous heiress to the Yamanaka clan!"
A series of applause broke out as Naruto stared wide eyed when his classmate Ino appeared on stage, dressed to the nines like some sort of beauty queen while waving towards the crowd and cameras. He chuckled as he got up from his seat and warmly greeted his fellow blonde, but much to his surprise, Ino wrapped him in a hug which he returned and then the two sat down together on the same couch.
"Welcome to my show Ino-chan." Aishwarya spoke and was met with a polite nod.
"Thank you, Aishwarya. It's a pleasure to be here." The blue eyed girl spoke and then turned to look at Naruto, a smile on her face. The young heiress then giggled and added "I cannot believe that I'm on TV! Hey! Haruno! Try and top this!" She called out with a playful smirk, causing a few people to chuckle. Meanwhile, a certain Pink haired Fangirl was stewing jealously in her bedroom upon hearing this.
"So Ino, tell us about your time with Naruto. What you think of him." Aishwarya requested with a serene smile as she lazily twirled a lock of her hair.
"Naruto is... quite a character, but he's ultimately a good person. One thing that I always liked about him is that he treats everyone equally. Doesn't matter if you're a clan heir or not. To him, people are just people. As an heiress, it can sometimes be hard to make friends since they may only want to befriend me because of my status. Not Naruto.
Since he left my class, things have gotten almost unbearably quiet. One could always count on him to liven things up. More importantly though, after hearing what he said just now, about being alone... it makes me realize that I could have been a better friend. I was so focused on trying to impress Sasuke that I ended up neglecting a friend.
How stupid is that? Pursuing a boy that couldn't care less about me or my existence while ignoring a true and loyal friend who was practically screaming for help. The signs and red flags were all there... but me and everyone else just ignored it. I guess... what I really want to say is... that I'm sorry Naruto. For everything. No one deserves to be treated like that." Ino spoke, finally finishing her spiel.
The audience was silent and a few members of the audience looked at one another before looking back at the screen with sympathy in their eyes. It was clear that her words had a profound impact on them. After a few seconds one person started clapping, then another, and another until the whole room was clapping and giving a standing ovation.
Ino blinked, looking a bit taken aback, but smiled and waved her hand and then hugged Naruto once again as he spoke to her "Thank you Ino. It means a lot to hear you say that. Maybe we could hang out sometime?" At his question she smiled even wider and nodded in agreement.
Aishwarya had her hand covering her mouth, her eyes shimmering and even some tears forming, touched by the display. She wiped her tears away with a lone finger and said "I'm afraid that is all the time we have for you, Ino-san. Thank you for being here and joining us tonight."
The Yamanaka Heiress nodded and then stood up and headed backstage, waving at the audience once again and waved goodbye to her former classmate before departing. Aishwarya then cleared her throat and addressed the audience. "That was a wonderful moment. Touching. Truly touching."
The lights overhead suddenly turned crimson in color while the theme music of a certain famous killer shark began playing as Aishwarya covered her mouth in mock horror "Oh dear. It seems our next guest has arrived. He needs no introduction. He has been featured on the news every night since he snapped on a live broadcast. He is currently under heavy investigation by the Hokage himself. Additionally, in a recent poll he has been voted as 'Most despicable person in Konoha'. For those of you who don't know who this is, it is Naruto's former school teacher, Iruka Umino!"
Upon her announcement a series of boos and jeers echoed as the scarred Chunin himself appeared on stage, wearing his usual outfit minus the flak jacket and headband. There were signs of stubble on his face and it seemed he had been neglecting his personal hygiene of late. The disgraced teacher put on a fake smile as he waved at the audience, trying to put on a friendly and brotherly type of demeanor which nobody seemed to be buying.
'I didn't know there was a poll for that.' The whiskered teen thought as he glowered at his former teacher. He definitely wasn't happy about seeing the man again, but if he kept his cool it would certainly be possible to humiliate the man on live television.
"Thank you, thank you." Iruka said in a tone of voice that sounded like he was talking to children instead of adults. He then sat down and then addressed the young Uzumaki "How are you doing, Naruto?"
"A lot better since leaving your class." The whiskered teen answered bluntly, desperately wishing he could punch that stupid grin into the back of Iruka's throat and make him choke on it. Kami, he hated that fake smile.
"Let me see if I understand this correctly..." Aishwarya spoke and then paused as she held up some cards which likely had some notes or talking points for her to use as she continued "Naruto Uzumaki was in Iruka's class for nearly three years. On two occasions, Naruto failed the Graduation exam due to him being unable to perform the basic Clone Jutsu. Naruto claims that it is because Iruka was a bad teacher, though the teacher himself claims otherwise. Does that about sum it up?"
Iruka was quick to reply, still trying to maintain that facade of his. "Yes, and I still stand by the claim that I am an excellent teacher. I have been a longtime teacher at the Academy, my track record speaks for itself. Naruto's grades will certainly speak for him as well, I'm afraid."
Naruto narrowed his eyes, his lips forming into a thin line as his former teacher insulted him. "That's where you're wrong. My grades speak nothing about my actual abilities. All that tells us is that I'm an academic failure. I'll admit that I'm not much good at stuff like math and the like, but last I checked, stuff like that won't do much good in a life or death fight. Now then, I think it's time I called you out on your bullshit Iruka. How about you help me demonstrate the so-called Taijutsu stance you 'taught' me during my tenure at the Academy?"
The Chunin scoffed, crossing his arms his tone exasperated as he spoke "And what would the point of that be, hmm? What will this prove exactly? That I'm a bad teacher or a liar?"
"Both. Now quit stalling. Come on. Show everyone what you 'taught' me. Or you can go ahead and admit what you really are by refusing." The whiskered teen challenged with a cocky grin.
Aishwarya watched with interest, curious to see how things would play out. Iruka sneered and rolled his eyes as he muttered "Fine, have it your way." As he assisted the blonde into a rather awkward stance. Naruto had his fists raised and his feet were spread apart, but it was clearly not a very good stance, but a rather amateurish one.
The Chunin then turned his head to look at the camera. "See? He's clearly got no clue how to use this stance." He spoke arrogantly as he patted the blonde on the shoulder and stood aside. Many members of the audience were staring at the Chunin with a judging look, most of them weren't trained in combat but even they could see that stance was no good.
"Here is the stance Asagi taught me." Naruto stated as he demonstrated the stance that his partner showed him mere hours ago. He had one foot in front of the other and was crouching low, his fists raised and ready. It was clear that this was a much more effective and proper stance.
Aishwarya and the rest of the studio audience gave an 'Ooh' sound as the host spoke "My, what a difference! Almost like night and day!" At that, the whiskered teen nodded and then began his next demonstration.
"This is the basic Academy Clone Jutsu." The Jinchuuriki spoke and then cast the technique, creating a sickly and pathetic looking replica of himself and then he continued "Next is the Shadow Clone Jutsu." Upon stating this, he cast the second technique and easily created a dozen perfect duplicates of himself.
Iruka sputtered for a second, looking nervously towards the audience and the form of Asagi who was offstage before sputtering "What does that prove? You honestly expect an Academy teacher to have access to a forbidden technique like that?!"
At the disgraced teacher's question the blonde shook his head as he replied "Of course not, but that isn't the point I'm trying to make. The point is that I spent almost three years trapped in your class and learned nothing. Whereas I trained with Asagi just a few hours TODAY and already made a lot of progress.
Sometimes there are bad students and there are bad teachers. You Iruka, ARE THE WORST TEACHER! I want to know why. What did I ever do to you personally, that was so awful and so horrible that you would go out of your way to sabotage my education? To brand me as the 'Dead-last'? To constantly pair me up against Sasuke Every. Single. Day. Huh?! What do you have to say for yourself?" Naruto yelled angrily as his clones dispersed.
Iruka looked around him, his eyes wide in fear as he realized he had been backed into a corner, unable to answer his former student's questions. The scarred Chunin then stood up and shouted "This is all a bunch of lies and slander! None of this is true and I will not stand here and take these kinds of accusations!"
"So, you're just going to walk away from this without offering a single word in your defense, hmm? That's rather cowardly, wouldn't you agree?" The host questioned, her eyes narrowing dangerously. It seemed that whenever he was challenged or backed into a corner he would lash out like a wild animal and attack anyone and anything around him. Pathetic to say the least.
"I did not come here to defend myself. I came here to tell my side of the story. And it is a truthful story." The scarred Chunin argued, his voice rising in anger.
"Truthful eh? Then explain why you went so far out of your way to try and keep me away from Naruto and discourage me from partnering with him." Asagi asked as she marched out on the stage, her hand upon her blade and a scowl on her face, ready to leap to the Uzumaki's defense in case Iruka got any ideas.
"Because the boy is a walking disaster waiting to happen! He will only serve to drag you down and cause nothing but trouble. Trust me. The boy is a lost cause and the sooner you abandon him, the better." Iruka snarled out as the audience began booing at him.
"Seriously? What the hell is your problem? What did I ever do to you to make you hate me so much? What did I do that would make you want to sabotage my education?" The whiskered teen demanded as he rose from his seat.
"I will not say." The chunin hissed out, desperately wanting to say why he hated the whiskered teen but unfortunately for him, any mentioning of the Kyuubi was expressly forbidden.
"I'm afraid this is all the time we have for you Iruka-san. You have been a real delight. Truly a breath of fresh air. Goodbye." Aishwarya declared sarcastically with a sweet yet poisonous smile on her face. The scarred teacher looked like he wanted to protest but was forced to leave the stage due to being escorted out by a pair of security guards.
"Thank Kami, that's over. What a bastard." Asagi groaned as she and Naruto sat back down on the couch together, both of them glad that the scarred man was gone now. Hopefully this broadcast would further expose him for what he truly was to everyone that was watching.
"Agreed. He was the worst teacher ever." Naruto muttered, still a bit steamed over the encounter.
Aishwarya chuckled as she reclined back in her seat and spoke "Now then, we have just enough time for one more guest, so let's welcome..." The Dark skinned woman was cut off by the sounds of a gunshot and the sounds of screaming as Iruka stumbled back on stage, clutching at a wound on his stomach as he fell forward, a woman then appeared on stage.
It was a woman with purple hair, wearing a black tank top that leaves her stomach exposed, very short cut-off jeans that were left unbuttoned that were only held up by a military webbing belt, a pair military jungle boots without socks, and a pair of black fingerless gloves and a cross draw holster, She also had some sort of tribal tattoo on her shoulder. She was holding a Beretta pistol in one hand and a bottle of some sort of alcoholic beverage in the other, and she looked royally ticked off.
"Who's that? She looks very, very angry and most definitely drunk. Not a good combination." Naruto asked while the Almighty Taimanin stepped between him and the newcomer, ready to protect him and everyone else in case the new woman became a threat. The duo then took notice that the new woman was almost laser-focused on the dark skinned host who was holding up her hands in surrender, though strangely, she didn't seem at all threatened as she had a calming smile on her face.
"You bitch. You fucking canceled on me? You know what a pain in the ass this is? I'm not some fucking animal you can yank around at a dog-and-pony shit show." The angry woman snarled while pressing the barrel of her weapon directly against Aishwarya's temple.
"Cancel? Nothing was canceled. You appearance was rescheduled. Big difference my dear." The purple haired host spoke soothingly, still maintaining a calm appearance... and making a gesture that seemed to translate as 'keep rolling' to the cameras.
"Revy. Stand down. You were given a second chance, don't throw it away. I'll overlook you shooting Iruka, but if you cause further harm I'll be forced to intervene." Asagi spoke in a warning tone while the now named 'Revy' took a swig of booze and glared at the Almighty Taimanin and spit back defiantly "Back off Queen Bee. And what the fuck is an 'Iruka'? I only shot some whiny ass little bitch."
Both Naruto and Asagi glanced behind her, taking note that the aforementioned Iruka was currently bleeding all over the stage while twitching. Ignoring him, the blonde asked "Can someone please tell me what's going on? What's this Revy woman's problem? Who is she anyway?"
The one to answer his questions was the gunslinger herself who replied "The names Revy, you little shit. I was a smuggler not so long ago, got pinched and put in the clink for shooting some people after a job went horribly wrong. After a while, some big shots started rounding up inmates with combat capabilities and experience, myself included. We were given the choice of signing up with this 'Taimanin' shit and earning a get-out-of-jail card along with some other swanky bonuses. I wasn't about to rot in a cell, so I jumped aboard. What they didn't fucking tell me was that I was gonna be fucking strut around like some pansy-ass poodle! I only agreed to this shit to get those assholes off my back, and what does this little princess do?! Fucking cancels on me!"
"Rescheduled." Aishwarya corrected and Revy growled in response "Shut the fuck up."
"If you'll let me explain, you'll find out that this whole misunderstanding was caused by a miscommunication." The host explained calmly, meanwhile in the background the audience members seemed rooted in their seats, unable to decide whether to bolt out the doors or watch and see how this situation plays out.
"Not another fucking word." Revy muttered bitterly. Off to the side, Naruto was pursing his lips as the situation only intensified, knowing that it was only a matter of time before everything spiraled out of control. He then stepped forward and stated the first thing that came to mind "You're not really angry at Aishwarya, are you?"
At his words, the gunslinger rounded on him and growled "What was that shit stain?" She pointed her weapon at him which caused Asagi to tense up, almost ready to pounce upon the tattooed woman but was stopped when the blonde put a hand on his partner's shoulder to stop her.
"You're angry because you feel like you've been lied to. Like you've been tricked. Right?" He guessed, and when he saw the way Revy's eyes narrowed and her teeth grit, he knew he was right.
"How would you fucking know?" She questioned, not bothering to deny his claims.
"Easy, been lied to a lot by people over the years. Though for you, I think it's more than that. Isn't it? I think the real reason you're so angry is because that you're lonely." The whiskered teen spoke and this time his words struck a chord.
"Shut the fuck up! Who are you to talk, huh?! Don't you dare fucking tell me how I feel, asshole!" Revy roared and fired her weapon, the bullet striking the floor next to his feet and making him flinch, though not out of fear but instead, annoyance.
"You get angry when people try to empathize with you as well or try to connect with you. Like you're afraid of letting people in. Is that because you're afraid of being betrayed? Being hurt? Did someone betray or hurt you in the past?" Naruto continued on, his voice becoming more stern as he took a step towards Revy.
"Fucking shut up! Don't talk like you fucking know me! You don't know shit, brat!" Revy shouted and fired two more shots. Both rounds were fired into the ground.
"I know how it feels to be alone. I almost reached a point that I was ready and willing to accept anyone that gave me even so much as the slightest bit of attention. You? You push people away because you're scared of getting hurt or betrayed. When people try to befriend or care for you, you end up hurting them and that just makes you angrier. More specifically, you get angrier at yourself. Is that right? Tell me, why are you so angry?" He questioned and the gunwoman responded with a loud scream of anger and fury.
"FUCKING SHUT UP! You wanna know why I'm so angry?! I'm angry because I feel empty inside! I feel empty inside because I'm angry! I'm angry because I can't understand what I'm feeling. Because I'm angry at everything around me! Because I don't know who or what to direct it at! I already killed my fucking asshole of a father and the fucking fuck-wit cop that raped me... I have nothing..." Revy spoke the last part almost brokenly as she lowered her pistol. Perhaps it was the booze, maybe it was the Jinchuuriki's words, maybe it was the raging storm of her own emotions or a mix of these things. Regardless, something in her cracked.
Naruto nodded solemnly, understanding her pain and anger. In his head, he knew she was dangerous, but also understood that she needed help. She was suffering and hurting inside. He then stepped forward and gently removed the weapon from her hand and placed it on a nearby table. He then pulled her into an embrace "I kinda know how you feel in some ways, maybe not in the exact same way, but still... probably better than most people."
Revy's eyes widened for a brief moment before she allowed herself to awkwardly return the embrace, allowing the whiskered teen to hold her, not remembering the last time someone had gotten this close to her. She was about to break the hug when he spoke again "It's okay, you can cry if you need to."
She then froze, looking him in the eye. His eyes were blue, kind and filled with an understanding and warmth that no one had ever shown her. No pity, no scorn, no contempt. Just compassion and a desire to help her. She sniffled a bit and held back her tears and slowly sank to the floor, leaning her head on the whiskered blonde's chest and allowing him to wrap his arms around her.
Asagi had remained silent throughout the whole ordeal. She honestly had no idea what to make of the scene. She could have easily taken the woman down but decided against it and remained quiet. Instead, she chose to watch. Something told her that this was not a situation where her blades were required. This was a matter that should be handled gently and Naruto had everything under control.
The rest of the audience stared on in shock and surprise at the scene unfolding before them. No one, not a single soul had expected something like this to happen. Most were speechless. Some people in the crowd had tears in their eyes. Revy sniffled a bit and broke the hug before looking Naruto in the eyes once more and stating matter-of-factly "You're a real piece of work. Don't think I got your name."
"My name's Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki." The whiskered blonde replied, earning a small smirk from the purple-haired gunslinger.
"Well, thanks... Naruto. You've got balls. Back home, people usually kept their distance from me, especially when I had a gun in my hand. You? Didn't so much as flinch. Hell, you were willing to get up in my grill. I'll give ya points for that." Revy spoke and gave the teen a genuine smile before her attention was turned towards the dark-skinned host.
"What the hell are you looking at?" She questioned, causing the host to shrug and reply "Nothing, you're just quite a beautiful young woman. A very lovely lady."
The tattooed gunslinger stared at the woman with a look of skepticism and then flipped off the dark-skinned woman while muttering "Screw you, I'm going home. Need to think about some shit. Yo, Naruto... I'll be seeing you around 'kay?"
Naruto smiled and nodded his head as the purple haired woman exited the studio and once she was gone, the Jinchuuriki turned his attention towards the host who was smiling brightly at him.
"Now that was quite an unexpected development, wouldn't you agree ladies and gentlemen?" The host questioned, getting nods from the audience.
"Help. Still bleeding here." Iruka weakly called out as he tried to get someone's attention
"Oh right. I forgot about you." Aishwarya said dismissively before she snapped her fingers causing some paramedics to appear from off-stage and commanded "Would someone get him to a hospital and have him taken care of? He's bleeding all over my stage."
The paramedics did as instructed and removed the injured Chunin from the studio while the host turned her attention towards Naruto and stated "Heh, that was quite an unexpected development. Despite what transpired, you bravely stepped forward and were able to diffuse a very tense situation. My hero!" The dark skinned woman then leaned forward and kissed the blonde on the cheek which made him blush profusely.
"Unfortunately, due to that unexpected interruption, our final guest appearance will have to be canceled. Apologies for the inconvenience, however we will have a new special tomorrow evening and will be featuring a new special guest." The host announced, and the audience cheered in agreement, all of them wanting to get home after that unexpected turn of events.
She was about to close the show, when suddenly a familiar figure rushed onto the stage "What do you mean my appearance is canceled?!" A male voice yelled out, the owner being none other than Sasuke Uchiha who had a bandage across his nose after his last encounter with the Uzumaki.
"Kami, not this guy again." Naruto muttered as he face-palmed wondering why in Kami's name that Sasuke of all people had to be invited here.
"Erm... who is this angry child and why is he on my stage? I certainly didn't approve of this." Aishwarya stated as she scowled a bit and began rifling through her notes and cards. A stagehand then rushed next to her and whispered something in her ear, prompting the host to speak out "That's Sasuke Uchiha? From the way people talked about him, I was expecting some sort of godly Adonis, not some little emo boy. Boring. Get this unimportant side character off my stage."
"Unimportant? Do you have any idea who I am?" The Uchiha shouted angrily at being so readily dismissed.
"I haven't the slightest idea Bubuke Gazpacho." She replied, while in the background both Naruto and Asagi were barely holding in their laughter since not only had the show host immediately disregarded the Uchiha but also got his name wrong after already hearing it.
"Who are you talking about?! That's not my name! It's Sasuke! SASUKE UCHIHA!" Sasuke shouted angrily while Asagi and Naruto were doing their best to keep a straight face, though Asagi was starting to have trouble holding it together and was trying not to laugh, which was something she'd never thought she'd be doing.
"Is that supposed to mean something to me, Karuke Cochika?" The purple haired host asked with a blank face.
"You're doing that on purpose aren't you?! Are you messing with me?!" The raven-haired teen growled out, feeling greatly insulted by her antics and attitude.
"Why would I do that? I literally have no idea who you are." The dark-skinned woman spoke with a shrug.
"This can't be happening. How does this not ring a bell?! You know what, I'm tired of playing this game! I'm Sasuke Uchiha, heir of the Uchiha clan!" He shouted and everyone went silent.
"Nope. Doesn't ring a bell. I guess your clan isn't all that important. Sorry Mamaduke Ichiya." Aishwarya spoke and then snapped her fingers, which prompted security to begin dragging the Uchiha off the stage, much to both Naruto and Asagi's amusement.
"Wow. I don't think I've ever seen anyone screw with Sasuke like that. Really irked him that you pretended to not know his name." The Jinchuuriki noted with a chuckle, his words earning a raised eyebrow from the dark skinned host.
"Pretended? My dear, I honestly don't know his name." The woman clarified and Naruto's jaw dropped and exclaimed "But then... why did you-"
"Keep making up names?" The purple haired beauty finished the blonde's sentence before answering his question "No particular reason at all. Just found it funny." At that, the Uzumaki face-vaulted, once he got up from the floor, he couldn't help but laugh a bit. With that said and done and his time on the show finished, he and Asagi decided to head home for the evening.
Meanwhile. Hokage Office.
"Stupid Iruka. Couldn't keep your damn mouth shut, could you?" A certain silver haired Chunin muttered as he turned the dial on the safe, trying to get it open so that he may steal the Forbidden Scroll. He had originally intended to use a certain brat as a scapegoat for the theft, but not only had he been taken by that damned Taimanin but Iruka's idiotic antics had also landed him in hot water as well. Both of these factors had forced him to accelerate his plans before it was too late. If his connection to Orochimaru was discovered, he'd be trialed, court-martialed and executed.
After a few more moments, he managed to get the safe open and reach inside procuring his prize. He then heard a giggling noise behind him, prompting him to slowly turn around his hand reaching towards the giant shuriken strapped to his back as he saw a girl with pink hair casually sitting on the desk. "Ooh, whatcha got there? That something nice?" The girl asked with a gleeful smile.
Mizuki couldn't allow for any witnesses to identify him and lunged towards the girl, her eyes now glowing a deep crimson color as she spoke "Ohh? You wanna play with Feli?" Then, in a flash, the sounds of flesh tearing and blood splattering was heard as his head was sliced clean off his body and rolled to the floor while the girl giggled manically as the body fell.
"Oops. I broke it already. Too weak." The girl muttered with a whimsical sigh as she began poking around in the open safe, ignoring the Forbidden scroll. "Trash. Trash. Trash. Smutty trash. More trash. Ooh? What's this?" She asked herself as she pulled out a folder that was marked 'Uzumaki/Namikaze'
She flipped it open and began reading the contents, as she skimmed over the words, she smiled all the brighter and spoke to herself "Huh. Interesting. Some pretty interesting stuff in here. Might be useful later." She then looked towards the last part of the folder which had the picture of a certain whiskered teen. "He's cute. I wonder if he might wanna play with Feli? Feli has been so bored lately."
She giggled to herself again and then peered once more into the safe until she found what she was looking for... a file titled 'Edwin Black'. Just what she needed. She grinned almost maniacally to herself as she struck a match and dropped it on a stack of papers that were conveniently sitting on the desk.
"Whoopsies! Accidentally burned all the boring paperwork. What a shame." She muttered with a giggle, not even caring that the fire would spread to the rest of the room, nor that the body of the head and body of the Silver haired Chunin would be incinerated along with the office. She then quickly fled from the room, not wanting to get caught by the guards or any patrolling Jonin.
"Ah, now then, where were we?" The pink-haired girl asked herself as she skipped away merrily while humming a tune to herself, the folder and file under her arm, completely ignoring the growing sound of flames and alarms in the distance. "Things are gonna get really interesting soon. Feli is looking forward to playing lots~" She sang to herself as she disappeared into the darkness of the night, leaving no trace of her existence. A sinister giggling filling the air as the Hokage office was rapidly consumed in the growing flames.
End Chapter Six.
Taimanin Series: Asagi Igawa, Sakura Igawa, Kamimura Maika, Mizuki Shiranui, Mizuki Yukikaze, Yatsu Murasaki, Koukawa Asuka, Oboro.
Black Lagoon: Revy.
Witch of Steel Annerose: Aishwarya Lai.
Prison Battleship series: Naomi Evans, Rieri Bishop.