Author's Note: What's up bitches! I have been resurrected yet again! Ah, haha! Ah, haha, haha~!


A Different Road

Arc One: Genin Buntai

Chapter Six: Princess Gale


A very young Inuzuka child with orange hair and an embarrassed blush emerged from the bush after several long and quiet moments, looking like she got caught with her hands in the cookie jar.

Rin couldn't help but find it adorable. She was just sooo cute!

Shiba fidgeted, now clothed in casual wear ― that being a bright-colored dress, as one would expect for her age. It was white and orange in color, accompanied by a black coat with white fur lining, white kneesocks, and black and orange sneakers. Upon the back of her coat was the kanji for "inu" in orange.

"Well…?" Rin crossed her leg over her other and folded her hands against the now protruding knee, brow rising above her eye.

"I jus' wanted to see what all the fuss was 'bout," Shiba muttered, unable to maintain eye contact as she continued to squirm.

Rin rolled her eyes in amusement. She could smell the bullshit. "Oh, please," she chuckled, "there's nothing wrong with having a crush at your age. It's a bit early, admittedly, but far from unheard of." (1)

Shiba only squirmed some more at her teasing tone, her cheeks turning bright red, much to Rin's amusement. That and her body language told the ANBU captain all she needed to know: Shiba indeed had a major crush on Naruto.

Rin didn't know for how long, of course, but she suspected that it stemmed from her time in the Academy. Naruto had a few of those, from the look of it. One or two civilian girls, one from the Aburame clan, and even the Hyuuga Clan heiress!

It was uncertain how long that attraction would be retained with him no longer attending, but Naruto was a bit more popular than one would suspect, thanks to his never-give-up attitude―particularly among his former underclassmen. The guy simply seemed unaware of all the attention and interest he gathered from girls his age.

Patting the bench she was sitting on, she smiled at the girl.

"Come here, Kitten."

Shiba puffed up her cheeks, not appreciating the adorable nickname. Which only made everyone in the oefanization that much more likely to tease her with it.

As she shuffled up to Rin, Shiba managed to mumble.

"M'not sorry."

That brought out a hearty laugh from the ANBU Captain.

"Oh, I'm sure you're not. But that's okay. I used to be a wee little girl with a heart-thudding crush too. I know what it's like."

''M'not!" Shiba protested with a blush as she turned around and parked her rump on the spot.

"Sure you aren't." Rin cooed, reaching out to thread her fingers through the girl's orange locks.

Shiba pouted up at her. "I mean it."

"Sure you do." Rin nodded sagely.

Shiba used puppy eyes ― she needed to make Rin believe her!

It wasn't very effective!

"Now then, how much did your mamma teach you about making babies?"

Shiba blinked.

Rin was staring her down with a grin that was growing ever larger.

Shiba whimpered.


"It is easy to lose track of time while training," Higurashi said, an eyebrow raised yet with a touch of reproach in her words. "Especially when you find it fun."

The Aburame girl was sitting in seiza on the porch and had little Aito snoozing in her arms while Naruto was busy tending to the garden a scant few meters away. Kishu, meanwhile, was taking a nap as she rested from that morning's training session, sprawled out inside the house.

"Yeah," Naruto replied sheepishly, completely missing the small chiding tone. "Feels kinda weird that I'd miss it, though. I'm usually watching the news religiously for any signs of a new movie."

"Story of my life," Kakashi chimed in, checking in on his students as he quite suddenly appeared, as if out of thin air, with one hand stuck in his pocket and the other holding up the ever present smut. Kakashi sighed wistfully. "...You have no idea how many times I've taken some time off just to catch back up on Icha-Icha," he finished with a nod.

Naruto, meanwhile, visibly jumped at his sudden appearance, much to the man's amusement.

"K-Kakashi-sensei!?" Naruto blurted out, waking Kishu up in the process who yelped as she spun over, slipping off the porch and planting face first into the dirt. "Don't sneak up on us like that!"

"I just walked up like I normally do," the older man chuckled, "It is you, my little minions, that need to learn to be more observant."

"We're not minions." Kishu grumbled, pushing herself up and dusting her clothes. She wanted to go back to napping.

Kakashi eyesmiled, "I have a certificate from the Academy, stamped by the Hokage himself, that says otherwise." He chirped, making her give him a gimlet eye. Kakashi continued nonplussed, "So how are my minions doing?"

"We're stuck babysitting." Naruto grumbled, "What do you think?"

As if on cue, Aito started crying and of course, Higurashi did her best to calm him.

"He's hungry," Kishu grunted, lying back on the porch and petting Byakkomaru as he whined about the noise.

"R-right, then," the other girl muttered, fumbling through the diaper bag for a bottle she'd prepared. The little bub stopped crying almost immediately upon spotting it.

"How do you keep doing that?" Naruto asked, impressed and annoyed at the same time.

Kishu shrugged, stretching her back like a cat before lying back down, "Experience, I guess? Dunno; I can just tell."

Naruto glanced over to Higurashi and noted that she seemed to be doing just fine.

And for some reason, he couldn't help but think that she looked kinda pretty, taking care of the kid? He didn't know why…

He didn't notice her start to squirm under his gaze before returning to work on the garden.

Of course, being the hormonal preteen she was, Higurashi simply couldn't help but come to the conclusion that Naruto was imagining her tending to a baby with brown hair and whisker marks, along with all the steps necessary to get to spawning one such rascal.

"So… um…" she began awkwardly, thankful for the ability to mostly control her blushing as she stared at him. "We… we should go make one― I mean watch it together if possible."

She looked away from him and from Kishu's grinning mug, who caught her slip of the tongue and wiggled her brows lecherously.

Naruto perked up at that, not catching it at all. "Sounds like a good idea, actually," he quickly said, beaming at her.

Then, his cheeks burned as he realized how much that sounded like a date. "I― ah, I meant… exactly what I said." He finished lamely, no idea what else to say.

"I approve," Kakashi chirped, waving his precious at them. That clan wasn't going to rebuild itself, after all, and a certain redhead would strangle him beyond the grave if she didn't get posthumous grandbabies at earliest convenience. Then, just to make things more interesting…

"Perhaps you all should go, so you can get more comfortable around each other."

"Haven't seen any of the Princess Gale movies, to be honest," Kishu pointed out.

Higurashi frowned slightly at that, having wanted to make it a private outing between her and Naruto.

"Ooh! We should have a movie night at my place!"

Higurashi's expression did a complete 180 at that. Kakashi bit down a chuckle when he saw her eyeballing Naruto with poorly concealed interest.

Oh, Kushina would be so proud of her baby boy!

"Wouldn't mind," Kishu grunted, stretching as she got ready for the next training session, giving up on resuming her nap.

"Do a good job and you three will have the weekend off when our mission is done."

"Really?" Naruto perked up.

When Kakashi nodded, he pumped his fist into the air.

"Aaalright! Let's do this guys!"

His teammates and instructor simply could not contain their amusement at that.


Later that night, Naruto was shambling around groggily as he had the night shift. Having spent all of his energy cleaning the house and tending to everything so enthusiastically, he simply had nothing left at this point… or felt like it, at least. But it was his turn to do the night watch, damn it! He signed for this and he was going to see it through!

FWOMP!

...Right after he pried himself off of the sofa.

Grumbling to himself, he did precisely that, only to land on the floor with a resounding thud.

"No wonder Kishu's always napping," he muttered.

Then, he perked up upon hearing a splash.

Curious, he heaved himself up and searched for the source of the sound, walking through the house and finally outside. And once he found it… the boy immediately froze.

Someone was in the pool…? Frowning in annoyance, he figured it was probably just an animal. They did live in the middle of a damn forest, after all. It was probably a racoon or some shit, but still. He should check it out. (2)

He didn't look forward to dealing with a dead animal in the pool, but he also didn't want to make one of his teammates suffer through that. They were still girls, after all.

And with that thought in mind, Naruto wandered back into the house and towards the pool.

As he emerged from the back door, he noted that it was rather quiet. The cicadas hadn't come out to sing quite yet and the birds were sleeping. The moon was out, illuminating the backyard quite nicely for him and there was nary a single cloud obscuring the stars.

It was quite peaceful, really; was this why Kishu liked being up at night?

Then, Naruto perked up as the sound of sloshing water reached his ears and he was reminded of why he was here. Frowning, he ventured off to the pool to see what was going on.

Only, once he was there… he froze again.

And stared.

A lot.

Quite a bit, one might say.

His mouth agape, his eyes widened and his little soldier stirred awake.

All the while, the blond stared.

For, unlike what he suspected, it wasn't some random critter that was dipping in the pool… but it was his teammate, Kishu.

His teammate, Kishu… who was naked.

…She was skinny dipping!

Naruto didn't even notice that he was approaching her ― his little friend tugging him towards the naked, attractive female through the power of hormones and instinctual urge to breed ― until he tripped over a lawn chair with a loud yelp, which shook his head against the ground… and him out of his daze in the process.

Kishu immediately let loose one of her own, covering her chest as she turned around to face him while Byakkomaru rolled his eyes with an unamused whimper, having observed the approaching blond.

That boy really was an idiot… What did his partner even see in him?

"N-Naruto?!" Kishu hissed, doing her best not to wake up the whole neighborhood, scowling something fierce and glaring. "What are you doing here?"

"That's my line!" Naruto squawked, blushing like a ripe apple and trying and failing not to catch glimpses of her as he stared to the side. "I heard something in the pool and came to investigate!"

"And when you found it was me, you thought to get a closer look?! Are you an idiot or just a leech?!"

"I don't know what I was thinking!" Naruto fired back, turning back towards her with his own glare. "A naked hot chick right in front of me would do that!"

Then he blushed some more, looking away anew.

Kishu turned bright red and sputtered helplessly, unable to respond as her hormones and outrage fought for dominance. It took a while, but eventually, she managed to calm her tits and took a deep breath.

An atmosphere of quiet and calm once more descended over the area.

"So… you think I'm hot," she asked slyly, cocking her head to the side and watching him as he sputtered.

Kishu giggled.

"Tell anyone about this, and I'll kill you."

That tone was just a little too sweet for her to be joking…

"R-right," the blond muttered, visibly taking her word for it as he scrambled back to his feet and leaving her to do her thing.

When Naruto was out of earshot, Byakkomaru whined, complaining about his partner's taste in males.

"Oh, be quiet, you!"


Come breakfast the next morning, there was a palpable awkwardness between Kishu and Naruto. Byakkomaru was leering at the blond disapprovingly, too.

As much as dogs could leer at least.

And poor Higurashi couldn't help but be bothered by it. She was sitting across from Kishu, to Naruto's right while Byakkomaru was behind his partner and their sensei was leaning against the wall with his nose stuck in a book, occasionally giggling like a schoolgirl.

Something was off about how Naruto and Kishu were acting though… and Higurashi's adolescent mind was going a mile a minute despite her hive's assurance that there was no… physical evidence of something happening between them.

It was Naruto's turn to perform the night watch, after all… and everyone knew by now that Kishu was more active at nighttime…

Something happened between them, didn't it? Something important. Something that had not yet happened between herself and the blond…

Higurashi developed a small tick as several ― possibly lewd ― mental images started running through her head. Images of Naruto and Kishu, locked in a steamy, passionate embrace, under the moonlit sky… of Naruto flipping the girl on her belly and lifting her skirt to take the bitch from behind… of her later shopping for a new dress to accommodate the baby bump.

A vein started throbbing on her forehead, threatening to burst as the adolescent Aburame jumped to all of the wrong conclusions.

Watching all this silent drama unfold in front of him, Kakashi chuckled quietly.

Ah, kids… they would soon learn better.

"You okay, Higurashi?" Naruto asked, oblivious to her growing ire. "You're being a lot quieter than usual."

"I am fine," she said… through grit teeth, yet her tone remained flat and unassuming.

Naruto couldn't help but look at her oddly.

"If you say so," he muttered. "You just seem kinda irritated."

She remained silent, and the blond closed his mouth, seeing she wasn't in the mood.

The tension only rose from there, thick enough to cut with a knife. And then… Higurashi turned her gaze to Kishu, staring at her silently, accusingly, resulting in the goth girl choking on a slice of pancake after a length of time had passed and her team leader hadn't removed her gaze.

"I WILL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT I AM STILL A VIRGIN!"

At that, Naruto shuffled in place, feeling his cheeks redden at the sudden change in topic… while Kakashi burst out laughing.

He simply couldn't contain himself and it didn't help in the fucking slightest…

"Alright, that's enough, you three," he called out, taking a moment to calm himself. "You'll wake the baby."

How the fuck Kishu hadn't was anyone's guess… but upon hearing that, another silence descended upon the trio, this being an awkward one as they went back to eating and doing their best to pretend that exchange hadn't happened.


Later on, however, Higurashi was damn sure to get some answers…

That night, while the others were asleep, she ventured downstairs to confront Kishu while the Inuzuka was performing the night watch.

Stepping into the room, her eyes narrowed on the other girl's back.

"You're not going to let it go, are you?" Kishu asked, not even having to look at her to know it was Higurashi. It was more of a statement than a question, as she lazily looked over her shoulders at the girl..

Her canine companion yapped and whimpered questioningly.

"...I suppose I can't," Kishu sighed.

"I am well aware that something happened," Higurashi stated, lips firm in displeasure. Upon seeing her teammate blush, she continued. "That reaction all but confirms it."

"-t'was nothing." Kishu muttered.

"Bullshit!"

"He-he… where was this spirit back in the Academy, girl?" The Inuzuka cracked a nervous grin.

It was almost jarring to see her like this, really. And a bit more amusing than it should have been. When she didn't receive a response, Kishu sighed. "L-look, he just… walked in on me is all. I underestimated his hearing and he came to investigate." Higurashi turned beet red at that, her wording evoking the mental image of Naruto walking in on Kishu masturbating… and then deciding to join her… Higurashi's eyebrow twitched.

She should probably stop reading so much Icha Icha…

…Nah.

Kishu continued, ignorant of her teammate's vivid imagination being at play. "He apologized immediately and left. I'm pretty sure he didn't see anything… and he promised that he wouldn't tell anyone."

She shrugged her shoulders, "Nothing happened, your crush is and remains a maiden waiting for you to despoil." She finished teasingly.

"If the matter was resolved, then why were you both acting as though you did something scandalous all day?"

"I-I was not!"

"You were too!"

Byakkomaru whimpered in confirmation.

This time, it was Kishu's turn to twitch violently. "Look, I… I was naked, okay?! Put yourself in my shoes, will ya?!"

At that, the mental images became far more lewd… and Higurashi did precisely as she was told, her brain blowing a fuse in the process. She rubbed her thighs together inconspicuously.

"M-my apologies…"

Without saying anything else, the Aburame robotically turned around and scurried out of the room.

She had some tension to relieve…

Kishu, meanwhile, just… stared oddly at her retreating teammate, not at all knowing what the hell just happened.


And from there, the mission more or less went without a hitch. Of course, there was a lingering awkwardness that clung to Kakashi's students, but it seemed to slowly fade and eventually, their client returned home.

Upon making sure that the baby was taken care of, she inspected the garden, and was rather pleased with the result.

She commended the team for a job well done, in fact, and even offered a service tip.

Thus, three very happy genin completed their first babysitting mission. Truly, a task for the most hardcore of ninjas.

Then came the fun part.

The report…

"What do you mean I have to write a detailed report?" The resident blonde asked incredulously.

Kakashi rubbed at his lone eye, feeling an onset of a headache.

"Naruto, saying 'We did the mission.' does not make the report valid. It can't be processed and logged like that."

The blond crossed his arms and stared defiantly at Kakashi.

"We… Were… Babysitting," he said, slowly, "What the heck am I supposed to write down? That the battle of early morning diapers resulted in casualties of our noses?"

"Troublesome as it may be," Kakashi said, "this is also part of the job. Think of it as practice for the day you need to report an important mission." He sighed, "And if you ever intend to become Hokage, it will only be more so."

"Babysitting!" Naruto repeated, believing that statement alone was enough of a response.

"...I would be happy to assist, as it may." Higurashi offered, her own report already compiled.

Kakashi shook his head at her.

"You will not. This is something he must learn to do on his own."

"But if I don't know how to do it, how do I learn it on my own?"

"Tough it out," Kakashi deadpanned.

Naruto groaned at that, but upon seeing that he had no choice, he did his best.

While he got to work, an impish grin tugged at Kishu's lips as she leaned in and whispered into Naruto's ear, just loud enough for the others to hear. "I'm sure your girlfriend would gladly reward you for a job well done if you manage to pull it off~!"

Naruto sputtered in response.

"G-girlfriend?" He glanced at Higurashi out of the corner of his eye, before blushing and looking away.

Kishu giggled, amused by his innocence. Oh, how she loved to tease him~!

"I… I would." Higurashi mumbled. Any other team would've failed to hear her… but Kakashi, Kishu and Naruto all had an enhanced sense of hearing, among many other things.

Feeling his ears redden, he sat down on the ground and started diligently writing out his report.

Of course, Naruto struggled a bit, but did his best to retell what went on during the mission, starting with how they basically agreed to work in shifts.

Kakashi gripped his neck with another chuckle… At this rate, the Uzumaki clan would be having a resurgence sooner rather than later… which was sorta the point in putting Naruto on a team with two girls that liked him. There were several instructors in the academy whose sole job was to keep track of stuff like that. Which boy was good at what, which girls did he attract. Which girls were more likely to settle down, which would chase their careers, etc, etc.

These shinobi were primarily members of the Yamanaka clan. Kakashi didn't envy their job. Yet, many a minor clan had been begotten and populated thanks to them.

Truly, they provided a generations-long-term service to the village…


Later on, both Naruto and Higurashi were blushing up a storm as they found themselves back at the ramen stand. A promise was a promise. Naturally, Ayame was more than a little amused by their awkwardness.

"Awww~! They grow up so fast." she sighed, leaning against the counter with a happy grin on her face, "Make sure you don't forget to put me as the godmother, okay?"

"A-Ayame-nee-chan!"

"Sorry, I couldn't resist~!"

"You're not sorry!" Naruto pointed a finger at the waitress accusingly and with a scowl, who merely giggled into her hands.

"So…" Higurashi squeaked, quickly changing the subject before the mental images fried her brain. "I do not recall if I have asked… What is your favorite Princess Gale movie so far?"

Naruto turned to stare at her oddly.

"How did that never come up before?"

Higurashi shrugged.

The blond thought about it. "I'd have to say Boneyard," he replied. "I mean, sure, it's not popular, but that one's the movie that got me into the series."

"Interesting…" It was an unconventional choice to be sure, but Princess Gale and the Boneyard did have its cult following. Everyone had their own niche… She wouldn't judge.

"How 'bout you?"

"Mine is Princess Gale and the Bandit King."

"Not a bad choice," Naruto chuckled. A lot of people liked that entry. They say it was the one that saved the series, though he wouldn't go that far. Sure, Frost Dragon wasn't as good as the others, but it wasn't terrible.

"I very much liked how she was portrayed in that one," Higurashi elaborated. "It showed how much she had grown as a character in the wake of the previous entry."

"Yeah, the body count in Frost Dragon was pretty brutal," Naruto mused aloud. "Made me wonder how they were gonna go from there, now that half the original cast was dead."

"I see…" That sounded very much like how she felt at the time. "I was certainly hesitant at first, but it turned out to be the height of the series for me. The song she sang was nothing short of heartwrenching."

"Explains why you were practicing Gale's Lament on your shamisen," Naruto commented with a smile. He'd recognized the tune immediately.

Higurashi couldn't help but blush at that. "So… are there any other reasons why you are so fond of the second entry?"

"It was…um… influential?"

"That one's the reason why Naruto has a weakness for the petite ones," the waitress chimed in impishly, looking for ways to add oil to the fire between them.

It was only partially true, but the reaction she got was nothing short of priceless. She needed more oil, clearly. And something else that was flammable…

Naruto looked at her with the face one might give to their cruelest betrayer, "Ayame-nee-chaaan!"

"Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho~!" Ayame laughed exaggeratedly. (4)

Higurashi blushed ever harder, feeling a bit more confident now. Her bust wasn't entirely flat anymore, but it wasn't something to write home about either.

"...We should make plans," she said hesitantly. "Now that we have the weekend off, it would be wise to establish when to be at your place and what to bring."

"Why don't we all meet together at my place in the morning and spend the day together?"

"Kishu is unlikely to be awake in the morning."

"...True." Naruto let out a thoughtful hum. "We should let her know ahead of time… probably meet in the late morning… like maybe 10am."

"That would be the best course of action," she agreed.

"Or your other teammate could just sleepover at Naruto's place." Ayame offered, hiding a shit-eating grin behind her hand.

Her words seemed to do the trick, however, as the Aburame girl suddenly tensed, and looked up at Ayame with a subtle scowl. And yet…

"Ayame-nee-chan! What is it with the teasing?!"

"I think we should all meet at noon and spend the night." Higurashi stated before he could deny the option.

"...Eh?"

It took Naruto a moment to process what Higurashi had said.

"That would… give us time to… to… take a break between movies and prevent burnout?" she continued, expertly pulling an excuse out of her ass at the last second… ignoring the amused looks from the waitress. Her cheeks then turned bright red as she continued. "We could also… get to know each other better."

"Oooh-la-la~!"

Naruto groaned in embarrassment at Ayame's tone of scandalous interest and Higurashi paused.

"...I may have said too much."


Naruto panted, sweat pouring down his forehead, as he and his teammates stood in front of a lax Kakashi, who didn't seem like he'd even noticed all of their attempts at punting his face in.

In fact, he was still reading that damned book of his! It was utterly infuriating!

Besides him, his two girls were practically dead on their feet, their stamina a far cry from his own. Higurashi especially; she was far from the physical type, after all. She was swaying dangerously on her feet.

"Dammit! Why can't I still hit you?" Naruto almost snarled.

"Maa-maa… you gotta learn to relax, Naruto. You're ruining the mood and I'm getting to a very important bit." Kakashi said, nose still stuck in that book of his, "Chill and calm or something like that."

"But this is maddening!"

"Well of course. You're still a rookie after all. Besides, your teammates are unable to continue…" he said, snapping his book closed with a solid clap. "Speaking of... Higurashi."

The Aburame grunted.

"You fail the test."

Question marks popped up above all three of their heads… although the ones above Higurashi and Kishu looked like they were one breeze away from falling over.

"What'dya mean, she fails the test? What test?!" Naruto demanded, quick to his friend's defense.

"She's not the only one. All three of you fail. Hard. I have half a mind to send you all back to the Academy, actually." He added, no longer acting amused. Yet the tone was purely banal and conversational, like one might use when commenting on the weather being nice.

That caused them to flinch.

"The test was about teamwork," he elaborated. "You three pushed yourselves without thinking about your teammates' condition. Higurashi, as team leader, failed at coordinating the rest of you. As a whole, all three of your failed to keep an eye on your comrades."

"But you didn't tell us there was a test." Naruto whinged, shoulders slumping.

Kakashi looked at him as if he was a lower lifeform.

"If I told you this was a test, then that would have defeat the purpose of this test." he explained slowly, "Learn to use the stuff between your ears, Naruto. You won't get very far in this life if you don't pay attention to―''

The blond rolled his eyes, "I know, I know. Look underneath the underneath…''

"Obviously, you don't. Because then we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"I will endeavor to try harder," Higurashi interjected before they could get into an argument… and Naruto ended up landing himself a punishment. Sensei was clearly winding him up. "As team leader, it is more my responsibility than his. I will also do my best to help my teammates learn from this experience."

That and she'd already promised to help Naruto with anything he was having trouble getting down. Not just because she liked him, of course…

Not at all…

Kakashi stared at them, long and hard, for an uncomfortable minute.

Then he nodded, and pulled out his precious once more.

"Training session is over for today. Enjoy your weekend." he said, much kinder than before, "Team Kakashi, dismissed."

And with that, he spun around and started to slowly walk away.

Naruto opened his mouth to say something… but before he could, he instinctively tried to catch his girls from falling to the ground when their feet gave out from under them.

"Ngggh… I'm so tired…" Kishu groaned, head lolling against Naruto's shoulder as he lowered her to the ground gently.

"Today was rough…" Higurashi mumbled.

"Don't worry, we'll all feel better when we get back to my place."

"Phrasing…" Kishu grunted.

Unfortunately for them, Higurashi was far too tired to realize how her words might be interpreted. "I look forward to it now more than ever."

And most unfortunately, Naruto was no better off.

"I promise to help you feel better."

Kishu groaned in embarrassment for their sake. Why was she the only one normal on the team?!

Near the edge of the training field, Hatake Kakashi came to a stop, his ears twitching as he listened in on his student's conversation… a good thing he did it, too!

Apparently, he had a stop or two to make on the way home now.

He began to wonder if Lord Hokage's plan might be going a bit too smoothly for their comfort… but, in any case...

Naruto, your mother would be so damn proud!


Of course, the trio didn't go straight home. With how hellish the day had been, they took a bit to rest up before expediting their plans, opting to meet up at Naruto's place after getting cleaned up and grabbing some changes of clothes.

One would think that no parents would allow their daughters to spend the night at a boy's house at their age, and if they were of the more noble ― read: upstuck ― clans, this assumption would be correct. But Higurashi and Kishu's clans possessed different cultures to those of, say, the Hyuuga or Sarutobi.

The Inuzuka was more like a pack of wolves in a way, everyone therein raised more by the clan than by their respective parents, and having more of a live fast, die young mindset.

As such, many of Kishu's clanmates were egging her on, commenting on how cute any of her pups would be, especially those of that cute, roughish blond boy on her team. In fact, this was one of the main reasons she teased Naruto so much! She quite often needed to vent after everyone at home teased her so!

The Aburame, meanwhile, had a far more logical mindset as one would expect. They only cared for "foreign sensibilities" and the like to the bare minimum extent and were thus very quick to point out how much of a boon his seed would be to their genepool, based on the sheer weight of his chakra at such a filial age.

Not to mention, being active shinobi, they were considered adults by the cultural standards of Konoha as a whole. …With all the decision making to go along.

Needless to say, both girls' faces were bright red as they made their way to Naruto's apartment. Byakkomaru also stayed behind, urged by the clan matriarch to give his partner some… privacy, much to Kishu's embarrassment.

And when they arrived at the complex, Kishu and Higurashi were both rather surprised to find their sensei leaning against the wall, seemingly waiting for them.

Noticing them, the man grabbed something from his tool pouch and tossed it to them, and the two girls brought their hands up to catch the items. A pair of boxes...

"My intuition tells me these might come in handy… Don't go having too much fun, my lovely minions."

And with that, he was gone in a swirl of leaves.

Kishu and Higurashi exchanged a glance, before looking at the discreet boxes. Opening hers up out of curiosity, Kishu saw another box inside, a little black and red one with hearts on it. The label read "Fiery Passion: Extra Durable Protection".

Kishu stared at it for several more seconds, before awkwardly clearing her throat.

"I… Uh… I think these are condoms…'' The heat in her cheeks alone could've kept Konoha warm for a full winter.

"A popular brand," Higurashi added. "Ribbed for her pleasure, too."

Kishu didn't want to know how she was aware of that former bit of information… but one thing was for damn sure: Higurashi's plans for her relationship with Naruto were much… spicier than the Inuzuka girl could have ever suspected. (5)


Naruto didn't quite know how to react to the blushes on their faces when his teammates arrived.

"Did… something happen?"

"Not at all," Higurashi answered just a little too quickly. At least for her standards.

"Just some clanmates teasing me," Kishu muttered, averting her gaze. "Nothing to worry about."

"Hmmm…." Naruto squinted at them suspiciously.

When his stare didn't end even after half a minute had gone by, Kishu started wobbling in place while Higurashi felt something quivering in her.

''...Hmmm… 'kay." And with that, he beckoned them inside, offering them both a pair of house slippers when they entered.

The two girls obliged without a word, accepting the slippers, and taking a moment to look around… one for more innocent reasons than the other.

His apartment was a studio, just big enough for one or two people. There was a modest kitchenette with a bathroom in the back, the latter containing his closet. A large mirror with handlebars in the main room clearly made it clear that he had a queen sized folding bed. The room in question was also fairly large, sporting a tv stand, coffee table, and sofa with just enough room to accommodate the bed when it was pulled down. The apartment even had its own, little balcony.

All in all, it wasn't a bad place to live in. Especially for a clanless orphan.

Off to one side, Higurashi spotted a modest bookshelf sporting his movie collection. All seven of the current Princess Gale movies could be found in a neat, little row. That and a few odds and ends aside, though, it looked rather barren.

She couldn't help but smile faintly at the sight of their team picture sitting proudly in a modest frame on top.

Her smile faltered when she didn't see any other pictures. She looked around… indeed, she didn't see any.

Her gaze returned to the picture.

Standing there, on its lonesome, it looked sad. She realized in that moment that they were his family...

The thought did wonders for her imagination, and the Aburame kunoichi shivered.

Oh, how she wanted to give him that family. But it was too soon for them to do such a thing quite yet… no matter the teasing or her own bodily urges.

But then, Higurashi spied something.

Another picture, hiding behind a lamp on his night stand. She'd overlooked it earlier…

Tenderly, she pushed the lamp aside to get a better view once she walked up to it.

"Hey, Naruto, who's the hottie?" Kishu's voice came from over her shoulder, peering at the image and wolf-whistling. (6)

Higurashi was momentarily startled. She hadn't heard her. Her colony was slacking.

"Huh?"

Kishu picked it up to clarify. Naruto tensed like a taut string.

"The sexy redhead with the big tits." She wagged her eyebrows.

Naruto… smiled.

It did not reach his eyes.

''...That's my mom."

Kishu froze.

"Ah…'' she clicked her teeth, suddenly feeling like she wanted to curl up in a dark ditch, her stomach dropping. She was being an ass, wasn't she? ''...right, makes sense."

There was a moment of silence; she didn't fail to notice how he didn't relax until she put it down again.

"Sorry." She mumbled.

"It's ok. I never even knew her."

Both girls thought that he sounded bitter, despite his tone.

"No, I mean it. It was insensitive of me― I should've known better." She hadn't looked close enough to see the resemblance, if there was any… but it should've been obvious. Why else would he have the image of a grown woman in his place?

"It's fine. I'm not angry. Just… don't mention it."

Kishu shifted awkwardly and nodded. "...Alright."

Though Higurashi was silent throughout the exchange, her mind was going a mile a minute as she connected the dots. She didn't show it, but her heart wept for her poor teammate. She couldn't imagine what it was like…

Completely oblivious to his quieter teammate's thoughts, Naruto, in a sudden one eighty, looked a bit sheepish as he changed the subject.

"Sooo… It's not much," he said, addressing them both, "but it's home." And this was certainly better than the alternative.

Another moment.

He was trying to lift the mood.

The girls shared a glance. 'Go along,' they thought in unison.

"I like it," Higurashi commented. "This is rather… comfortable." She caught herself at the last second, before choosing the word intimate.

That would have sounded far more lewd than intended.

Naruto beamed, happy that Higurashi liked his home. "Thanks," he said. "I did my best keeping it in tip top shape despite living alone."

She smiled faintly at that.

"I'm sure a certain someone will be glad to do that for ya when you snag her," Kishu teased. "So, where do we plop our bags?"

Naruto shrugged. "Wherever, I guess."

Higurashi removed her satchel and music case, placing them by the tv stand and out of the way, while Kishu plopped her backpack by the sofa.

"I brought snacks, by the way," Kishu pointed out. "Mostly jerky."

"I have brought sweets," Higurashi stated. "I also have a deck of playing cards in my satchel for when we take a break between movies."

"...Do I smell a game of strip poker?" The Inuzuka girl was not at all disappointed by the reactions of her teammates. "Sorry, couldn't resist."

''..." Higurashi didn't know whether she should be irritated or grateful that Kishu put such an idea into their heads.

"I'm game if you are." Naruto said, turning their heads to stare at him.

He shrugged.

He was getting tired of the teasing…

The instinctive embarrassment would even out with the potential to see naked girls. He wouldn't deny that his teammates were cute… and sexy… and that he wanted to see them naked.

…and again, he was getting really tired of the teasing.

"...I think that would be a wonderful idea," Higurashi added, smiling faintly.

Kishu swore that was her version of a sadistic grin as she suddenly felt… less confident as it were. She hadn't actually meant that― she had some modesty dammit! Stripping for her cute teammates wasn't on her list of priorities quite yet!

But, being the Inuzuka she was, Kishu wasn't about to back down.

"You guys are on! There's no way you're beating me, the reigning champion of Strip Night Poker in my clan!" She bullshited.

"And what do we get if we win?" Naruto asked.

"That's obvious! Losers have to… Have to… Hmm…'' She rubbed her chin in thought. They two stared at her, waiting. ''...Guess it's not that obvious."

"You don't lose when you run out of clothing," Higurashi said, her mouth acting before her brain. She paused. Then, when the girl saw Naruto's poorly hidden interest, she forced herself to commit. "You are eliminated once you have lost one more hand."

And since she was on a roll…

"Losers must then pleasure themselves in front of the others."

"I may have said too much?"

When Naruto and Kishu continued to gape at her, she almost prayed for the floor to swallow her up… but, straightening her back, she stared at them neutrally, defiantly.

Mini-Naruto most certainly approved… and did not go unnoticed, much to the blond's dismay, with the tent that was suddenly pitched in his trousers.

"Y-you're on," Kishu declared, her tattooed cheeks ablaze.


DMS Notes and Trivia

1: A lotta people seem to forget this, but interest in the opposite sex usually first surfaces around the age of 11 on average, but becomes more apparent around age 12, wherein the kid is usually starting puberty.

...Which is why I advocate for proper sexual education early on. The last thing I'd want my kid to do is learn that sex makes babies the fun way, if you catch my drift.

That said, though, early bloomers do exist. I was only 8 or so when I had my first crush. Just saying.

2: When writing this scene, I simply couldn't help but find it weird how few of the local fauna we saw in Naruto, given that they live in the middle of a forest. You'd think there would be more birds, bugs and rodents roaming about, at least… and no, that one time we saw Neji birdwatching with his Byakugan was not nearly enough, given the sheer length of the series proper… and having them all confined to the Forest of Death makes no sense.

Even in El Paso, we had a shit ton of pigeons; we saw them every week or so, at least, and in rural Tennessee, you'd see squirrels and rabbits all over the damn place. And pigeons. Lots of pigeons. They even have a town named Pigeon Forge, I shit you not.

AdV: You could say budget/animation… excuses!

4: I can fucking hear that mental image…

AdV: Ah yes― the Ojou-sama laugh.

5: Again, it's always the quiet ones. Hilariously, I was one such case. XD

6: No, Google, we did not mean Mushu! Dishonor upon your cow!


Parting Notes: And that's that for now! Fuck, does it feel good to finally have another chapter done, lol. Apologies for the drought; real life continues to get in the way, but I continue to defy it! Until next time! :)