Alright. Buckle up for chapter 2, where I ramble on about things that probably don't matter. If you're expecting profound insights, well good luck. Let's dive into the abyss of my insights, or lack thereof.
Disclaimer time: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters, except for the ones I made up in my overactive imagination. This is just me playing in Kishimoto's sandbox so don't sue- my wallet can't handle it.
The thrilling revelation of Naruto's promotion to chunin yesterday had deprived the blonde of his sleep as he'd spent the whole night staring at his bedroom window, eagerly waiting for dawn to approach. Alongside Shikamaru, both genin stood resolute across the Hokage's desk, their gazes unwavering, with both their respective team sensei's behind them. The Hokage's gaze briefly assessed them, but a subtle smile played on her lips as she rose, prepared to give a speech.
"In the village's journey," she started, "We've faced wars, crises and losses. Yet, here we are, continuing to stand stronger than ever. Now, it's time for a new generation to take the lead."She declared, her voice unwavering as she continued, "The Hidden Leaf has seen the rise of greater individuals and today, Naruto, Shikamaru, you two become part of that legacy."
"As you step into this new role, remember that the village is with you and you are with the village. Your strength is our strength and your victories are our victories. Protect the village, your and comrades and most importantly, carry on the Will of Fire."the Hokage continued, her voice resonating with a sense of pride and responsibility. "I hereby, in place of the village and its people, promote you to the rank of chunin!"her voice echoed throughout the room, sealing the official promotion of Naruto and Shikamaru.
The Hokage, with a practised motion, tossed their chunin flak jackets to Naruto and Shikamaru. As the jackets sailed through the air, the expression on the faces of the newly minted chunin mirrored nostalgia of her own promotion. Today's focus however wasn't on her, but the achievements of Naruto and Shikamaru.
"I'm finally a chunin now! Can you believe it, Shikamaru!"Naruto exclaimed, still admiring his new flak jacket.
Shikamaru however, didn't look too thrilled at the promotion. "More work and responsibilities. I'm not exactly jumping for joy, Naruto."
The blonde however, wasn't buying it and slung his arm around Shikamaru. "C'mon, look at the bright side. We'll be going on badass missions, fighting badass people. What is there not to be jumping for joy?"
Shikamaru sighed at this response. "Honestly, where do you even get this energy from?"
"Ah, before I forget, there's something that you two should know,"the Hokage's voice interrupted their jubilation, gaining the attention of the newly-promoted chunins. "As a chunin, you'll have the liberty to choose the specific role you want to take on."
Shikamaru and Naruto exchanged puzzled glances before redirecting their attention to the Hokage, eagerly awaiting clarification. Tsunade exchanged glances with Kakashi, subtly nodding to signal for him to elaborate. The two chunin followed her gaze, focusing on Kakashi as he began to explain, "Chunin have different roles to align with their strengths. If you're good in close combat, you'll find yourself on combat missions. If you prefer a more discreet role, there's always the option of guard duty. If you're good at extracting information, then you'll find yourself in the information gathering department. It all depends on your strengths."
Shikamaru grinned. "Well if there's the option of guard duty, I guess I'll-"
Naruto playfully boinked Shikamaru on the head and gave a confident smile. "I think we're both okay with combat missions."
As Tsunade flashed a smile and swivelled her chair, she remarked, "Good. I'll look for and assign you to a team once I find one. For now, go off and enjoy yourselves. Stay for a minute Kakashi."
Seizing the opportunity, Shikamaru grabbed Naruto by the collar. "You idiot, what's wrong with-"
"Hey Asuma sensei, fancy some ramen?"Naruto cut in, completely ignoring Shikamaru's ire.
Asuma, with his cigarette lit, responded, "How about barbecue Naruto? My treat."
"Awesome!"Naruto slung his arm forcefully around Shikamaru. "C'mon you lazy genius."
In surrender, Shikamaru muttered, "How did it come to this?" as Naruto enthusiastically dragged him out of the office.
"You two became chunin?" Ino exclaimed, voicing everyone's surprise as Naruto and Shikamaru stood before the entire Konoha eleven.
"That's right!"Naruto declared proudly. "As of now, I'm your superior. So kneel to me, you worthless genin!"
Naruto immediately regretted his words as Sakura swiftly slammed her hand into his face, sending him flying into a nearby tree. He winced, feeling the sting on his left cheek, realising he might have overplayed his newfound authority. "Ok, maybe not kneel, but you get the point, right?"
"To be honest," Choji mused between bites of his chips, "I expected Shikamaru to be promoted but Naruto? That's a completely different story."
In unanimous agreement, Neji nodded his head, expressing doubts of Naruto's promotion to chunin while Kiba joined in, asserting Naruto's perceived lack of strength, sparking a heated exchange that was only halted when Sakura intervened, firmly gripping Naruo and Kiba by the hair. Hinata, in a quiet voice, offered her congratulations to Naruto on his promotion, earning a flinch when the blonde acknowledged her.
"At least someone appreciates my promotion," Naruto said, fixing his hair and glaring at everyone in the field. "Thanks Hinata.
After releasing a sigh, Sakura couldn't help but smile. "You know we appreciate you, Naruto."
"Indeed! In that case, once I'm healed, I'll train to be as strong as you are, Naruto!" Rock Lee declared, his fiery determination evident.
"Yeah, after you're healed. Let's get back to your hospital room." Tenten said, guiding Lee towards the direction of the medical facility, with Neji following suit, while Sakura mentioned visiting Sasuke, prompting the others to follow her.
"Sasuke huh," Naruto said, his voice drifting aloud. "Haven't seen him in a while. Might as well pay a visit."
Shikamaru leaned against a tree, his typical lazy demeanour on display. "Go ahead but don't tell him about the promotion thing, alright?" he warned, a note of seriousness in his tone.
"Why?" Naruto questioned, a perplexed tone in his voice. "It'll be fun to brag about."
"Just don't, Naruto," Shikamaru advised, the same tone of seriousness still there. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Bathed in the serene glow of the moonlight, the village lay quiet and tranquil. Yet amidst this calm, an unmistakable, mischievous laughter echoed through the air, originating from none other than Jiraiya. Positioned discreetly behind a wooden fence, he succumbed to his notorious inclinations, a telescope in hand as he indulged in secret observations of the unsuspecting women enjoying the soothing waters or the bathhouse.
As Jiraiya reveled in his dubious enjoyment, a tapping finger disrupted his focus. Ignoring it initially, he continued his observations until the realisation of the tappers identity made him freeze. Slowly turning his head, a sigh of relief escaped as he recognised the visitor.
"Thank the toads it you, Kakashi. So, what is it?" he asked, slowly returning to his peeping endeavours.
Kakashi reached into one of the pouches in his flak jacket, retrieving a scroll and handing it out to Jiraiya with a nonchalant demeanour. "Tsunade-sama sent me to deliver you this message."
Jiriaya swiftly snatched the scroll from Kakashi's hand, stuffing it into his pocket without diverting attention away from his peeping. "I'll read it later," he dismissed.
Kakashi sighed and turned his back to leave but stopped at a distance, calling out, "Before Tsunade-sama sent me, she made it clear I send her a message if I found you peeping," he said, the amusement evident in his tone. "Just thought you should know."
It took Jiraiya a moment to process Kakashi's words and when it finally hit him, he turned hastily, attempting to throw the telescope at the one-eyed jonin, calling him a rag but failed as Kakashi performed a shunshin and disappeared.
Jiraiya muttered a string of curses under his breath. Tomorrow would be a risky venture; facing Tsunade's wrath was not on his to-do list. Perhaps he could skip tomorrow, facing illness to avoid her wrath. That might just be his ticket to safety.
"What the hell happened to you?" Naruto asked, concerned, as he walked alongside Jiriaya who was sporting a bleeding face and a sizable pink bump.
"Let's not talk about it, okay?"Jiriaya responded, waving off the question with a dismissive gesture. It was the next day and after several hours of Tsunade's absence, he deemed it safe and ventured out for his peeping endeavours. However, what he hadn't anticipated was encountering Tsunade, casually leaning against the fence he had peered through the day before. Subsequently, he found himself on the receiving end of an immense beatdown from Tsunade, resulting in the bloody face and the pink bump on his head. As he nursed his wounds, he couldn't help but harbor thoughts of revenge against Kakashi for the unseen predicament he found himself in. Maybe if he tossed all of his Icha Icha novels into a bonfire, he'd feel a bit better.
"Where're we even going, ero-sennin?" Naruto asked with a puzzled expression. "You picked me up an hour ago and said that i'll be meeting my new time but all we've done is wander around Konoha."
"We're going to-"Jiriaya started, but he quickly realised that he had no idea where they were supposed to head. Tsunade had explained it after his beatdown, but the pain drowned out every word. It was embarrassing that Naruto knew about his beatdown, but getting lost with the kid was a whole new level of humiliation. If Tsunade finds out they were lost, who knows what additional suffering was awaiting him.
"We're, uhh, " he started, attempting to devise a plan to buy some time and locate their destination. "Uh, that way!" he exclaimed, pointing in a random direction.
"Huh," Naruto turned to the indicated direction. "Oh right. This way leads to the training field. They're probably there." he said, setting off in that direction.
Inwardly relieved, Jiriaya sighed, recognising that fate had favoured him momentarily. Yet, he knew it was only a matter of time before his temporary lack runs out. He had to find those two chunin, and fast.
Naruto chuckled nervously, his hand running through his hair as he faced Shikamaru, who seemed to be on the verge of a meltdown. The Nara's expression hinted at impending retribution, anticipating an explanation for the blonde's tardiness. Puzzled, Naruto looked around, inquiring about the whereabouts of their new teammates. Shikamaru sighed, pointing upwards, directing Naruto's gaze to two individuals sitting on a tree branch.
Looking up, Naruto spotted a boy with bushy black hair and green eyes, adorned with the standard chunin flak jacket, underneath it being a form-fitting, black moisture-wicking shirt. His lower attire consisted of well-fitted black pants and blue ninja sandals. He didn't look older than one year between him and Shikamaru.
Next to him sat a young girl who looked the same age as the boy beside her, with long white hair tied in a ponytail and brown eyes, with the standard chunin flak jacket and having the same attire as the boy beside her. The intense glare from the girl rubbed Naruto the wrong way, as if she were assessing him, while the other boy observed the two of them with a warm smile.
The duo gracefully leaped off the tree, assuming defensive stances. The boy swiftly manoeuvred past Shikamaru, darting towards Naruto with remarkable speed. The blonde didn't have time to react and barely dodged the jab the boy threw. The relentless assault kept him on his toes, but while on the defensive, he suddenly tripped, leaving himself wide open. The boy took advantage of this and threw another punch, but Naruto rolled over and quickly regained his footing. He still didn't understand what was happening, but if this was the way his new teammates said hello, then they were going to get along just fine.
The intense exchange continued, with Naruto managing to land a few hits while remaining mostly on the defensive. In a swift and unexpected move, Naruto dodged a punch thrown by the boy, simultaneously weaving the seals for a shadow clone. The clone materialised and held the boy in place, leaving him wide open as Naruto delivered a powerful kick to his gut, sending the boy soaring through the air until he collided with a nearby tree.
The girl, leaving her momentarily skirmish with Shikamaru, leapt off to help her teammate, leaving both Naruto and Shikamaru to finally process what had happened.
"What kind of greeting involves an all-out attack?" Shikamaru asked, scratching his head in confusion.
"I hear you," Naruto agreed, rubbing his sore cheek in the process.
A sudden surge of chakra caught their attention as they turned towards the girl and the boy, finding the source to be the girl as she glared furiously, particularly at Naruto, while the boy held her, wincing from the pain in his stomach.
"For a chubby kid like you, you sure do hit hard," the boy remarked, approaching them.
Naruto, uncertain whether it was an insult or a compliment, simply smiled it off, trying to dismiss the intense glare from the girl.
"I'm Kenta Morikawa," the boy introduced with a grin. "The fiery one's Ayaka Yoshida. Nice to meet you, uh."
"Naruto Uzumaki," he responded cheerfully. "And he's Shikamaru Nara."
Kenta extended his hand for a handshake, and Naruto shook it enthusiastically. Ayaka however, remained silent, still glaring at Naruto while Shikamaru gave a nonchalant nod of acknowledgement.
"So what kind of a hello was that? It's not everyday I get attacked by my own teammate," Naruto asked, scratching his head with a puzzled expression.
Kenta chuckled. "Ah, my way of saying hi can be a bit intense. Sorry about that. Just wanted to test you."
Naruto glanced at Ayaka, who still wore a stern expression. "Well, I passed the test right?" he grinned.
Ayaka however, brushed off the smirk from the blonde and turned to leave. "We have a mission tomorrow. Don't be late. Or else," She threatened and walked away.
"What's her problem?"Naruto asked Kenta as he watched Ayaka disappear from his line of sight.
Kenta sighed, rubbing his head. "It's a long story."
"Is he always like this?"Kenta asked Shikamaru, a look of concern crossing his face.
Shikamaru sighed, expressing his disappointment. "Get used to it. This is a daily thing when you're his teammate."
Deciding to get to know each other better, Naruto suggested grabbing some food while they shared more about themselves. However, Kenta wasn't prepared to witness Naruto devour a bowl of ramen in a single second and then immediately gulp down another.
Leaning against his chair, Shikamaru casually addressed the matter at hand. "So what's up with Ayaka? She doesn't seem to be a fan of either of us. Mostly Naruto."
Kenta's expression shifted to a more serious one as he offered insights of Ayaka's feelings. Sensing the change in mood, Naruto paused his ramen feast, eager to listen to Kenta's explanation.
"Well, we lost two teammates about a month ago during an escort mission to Kusa no Kuni. We were ambushed by unidentified shinobi and two of our teammates used themselves as bait so we could escape. One of them was her childhood friend, Kaito," Kenta explained. "Ever since then, she's been dealing with depression and the Hokage gave us a break from missions, until we learned we were getting new teammates. That's when she snapped and rushed to make the Hokage reconsider."
"OK," Naruto started. "But that doesn't explain why she hates me so much."
Kenta, nodding to himself, replied, "This is just my assumption, but I think you remind her of Kaito."
"Isn't that like a good thing?" he asked, puzzled. "I'm basically a second version of her childhood friend. Why would she hate me for that?"
Shikamaru sighed, realising the complexity of the situation. "Resembling someone's deceased friend brings back painful memories Naruto. It's not your fault, but understanding where she's coming from might help you navigate things with her."
Naruto, still puzzled, responded, "So I just have to, not act like her dead friend, right?"
Shikamaru and Kenta exchanged glances, both sharing a subtle sweat drop and the blonde's lack of understanding. "Is it always like this?" Kenat asked.
"You have no idea," Shikamaru responded, conveying the unique way of dealing with Naruto's state of dumbfoundedness.
"Anyway," Kenta said, rising to his feet as he prepared to leave. "Just don't get on her bad side. And I don't think interacting with her will do you any good but do what you can. Either way, I'm rooting for you." And he left.
Shimaru observed Naruto with a knowing gaze before commenting, "You're going to do the exact opposite, aren't you?"
"Yup. How am I supposed to warm up to her when I don't interact with her? Just doesn't make any sense."
Shikamaru rolled his eyes, acknowledging Naruto's distinct way of socialising. "Good luck with that. I'm sure you'll be more on her bad side than her good one."
"Watch me," Naruro declared, standing up confidentially. "She'll warm up to me by tomorrow."
Before he could make his exit, a cough interrupted him and he turned to find the source to be Teuchi, who was giving him an unusual look. He glanced back at Shikamaru.
"I'm not paying."
Damn Nara.
Ayaka's hair danced in the breeze, tears reflecting in her eyes as she reverently laid flowers on the graves of her departed teammates, Hiyori and Kaito. A subtle smile emerged through the lingering sadness as she sat down on the green grass, wiping away the evidence of her grief.
"Hey Kaito, Hiyori. Feels like ages doesn't it? Life's been a rollercoaster of emotions, and I'm sure you'd both scold me for it - not the healthiest way to cope."
She paused, carefully choosing her next words.
"We have new teammates now," she said, glancing at Hiyori's gravestone. "One as smart and lazy as you, Hiyori." She shifted her gaze to Kaito's resting place. "And one as dumb and unpredictable as you, Kaito." She paused, the tears starting to flow. "It's hard, you know? Seeing those two, I just couldn't stand there and look at them any longer." she expressed with a heavy heart.
"I don't hate them; it's just… I don't think it was right for you two to be replaced. It would've been okay if it were me and Kaito but Hokage-sama said she had a plan. It's just not that simple." She took a deep breath to calm down. "I miss you two so much. I don't know if I can really move on. I've cried myself to sleep, had nightmares of that day, it's too much."
Rising to her feet, Ayaka spoke with a gentle determination. "Though it's tough, I'm certain neither of you would want me to give up. It'll take time to adjust though, but I'll get there. Be with me, Hiyori, Kaito."
As Ayaka walked away, a gentle breeze rustled through the leaves, momentarily causing her to glance at the village's memorial stone. Unbeknownst to her, a freshly formed grave adorned the landscape, nestled beside the resting places of her two departed comrades, silently marking the passage of time in the village cemetery.
And cut! Chapter 2 is officially in the books! Thanks for reading my literary shit-it's like therapy, but with more ninja shenanigans. Your virtual applause is making my day.
Note: There was no unexpected visit from the ninja pizza delivery during the writing of this chapter. Apparently, they got lost on the way to deliver a pepperoni jutsu special. If only the characters could summon pizza as easily as they summon jutsu, it'd have been a cheesy chapter!
