Author's Note: Sup, bitches! We got a new chapter for ya! This one was so fun to write, I must say, lol.


A Different Road

Arc One: Genin Buntai

Chapter Three: Survival Training


As the din of battle rang across the training ground, Higurashi was seemingly running for dear life as she took cover in the treeline, her cheek already aching from a mean sucker punch.

Of course, he came after her first.

Naruto, meanwhile, was the current focus of Kakashi's hand-to-hand teaching methods, blocking him from pursuing her.

Kishu and Byakkomaru, both woozy from… something their sensei did, managed to snap out of it when Kakashi tossed a string of shuriken at them.

They were farther back, the former on all fours while the latter was standing on her back. Cursing under her breath and dodging sideways, chakra flowed through her coils and into her dog, helping him mold his and cast the Inuzuka clan's most famous technique.

Two yips and a poof of smoke later, the canine took on her form in its entirety, clothes and all.

Then, the shapeshifted dog and his owner bolted in opposite directions to try and attack Kakashi from both sides. If this man truly wanted to know what they were capable of, then they would show him!

Kakashi himself, meanwhile, was impressed by the attempted pincer attack and remarkable coordination thereof, given their inexperience. But he was more than ready for it.

Kicking Naruto away, Kakashi hopped back at the last second and grabbed Kishu and her doppelganger's wrists right as they both took simultaneous swipes at him, before slamming the two right into each other, face first.

"Don't rush in against a superior opponent," he chided.

Putting some distance between himself and his opponents while his genin got back on their feet… and hands in Kishu's case, he took a half-whimsical defensive stance.

To their credit, they had all recovered by the time he did so.

"Well now… that didn't work as intended." Kishu muttered to herself, rubbing at her aching left cheek; that was going to be bruising in a couple hours.

Naruto's eyes narrowed on Kakashi before glancing at his teammate.

"Hey, Kishu."

"Hmm?"

"Remember the prank I pulled on that prick, last week?" (1)

Kishu's nose scrunched up before nodding. How could she forget? Her eyes practically burned at the memory.

"Yeah. I do."

"I have a few on me."

''..."

Whine...

"No," she deadpanned.

"It might work."

Kishu scowled. ''...you owe me dinner."

"Deal!"

Of course, Kakashi wouldn't have let this conversation go down right in front of him if he were being serious, but he wanted to know what they were capable of… and he was rather pleased to see them using their heads.

They were already more coordinated than he expected; clearly, the Hokage knew something he didn't.

But then, Kakashi started hearing a little tune being played and when the sound reached his ears, he immediately began to feel rather groggy.

The music was from a shamisen and the singing that accompanied it clearly came from Higurashi. And in that moment, Kakashi knew exactly what she was doing.

"Komori Uta no Jutsu," he muttered in recognition. Art of the Lullaby… as the name implied, the basic genjutsu in question was one that lulled its target to sleep. That was not a bad idea on her part, but there were two issues with it: one, she revealed her position in the process; and two…

Kakashi forced himself to stay awake and formed a single hand seal, before spiking his chakra.

"Release!"

And thus, her chakra was purged from his system.

...she wasn't able to put him to sleep quickly enough. The girl noticed immediately and her music came to an abrupt end as Higurashi flinched. (2)

Alas, by then his two other cute little genin had already made their move; Kishu and her nin-ken charging at him again, while Naruto threw a small collection of some home-made smoke bombs at Kakashi.

He allowed himself to be 'hit'.

The smell hit him in an instant. It wasn't the worst thing he'd smelled by far, but it was still very unpleasant to be standing in the middle of. Quite a good idea from the blond, he had to admit.

And then he stepped back, dodging a wild rush by one of the Kishus. The other, which he knew was the actual Kishu, came at him from behind. Kakashi ducked beneath her, letting the girl fly over him before reaching out and snatching her foot from the air. With a casual toss, he sent her on a one-way express flight into the river.

Once that was done with, Kakashi emerged from the smoke cloud and Naruto engaged him immediately. Kakashi recognized his stance and style in an instant. It wasn't anything quite as drastic as Gai's Gouken Ryuu, but it was far more effective than the basic shit they taught in the academy.

It was also the basis for the taijutsu Minato-sensei taught them. (3)

'You've been helping him more than you let on, Rin.'

Deflecting a kick aimed to unbalance him before lashing out with a mediocre punch that Naruto barely managed to avoid before Kakashi kicked him in the chest and shoved him away, Kakashi made it seem like he wasn't aware of Kishu getting out of the water and sneaking up on him.

"I'm not giving up that easy!" Naruto swore before diving back at Kakashi.

Byakkomaru joined his partner, silently prowling towards him as Kakashi quickly started to overwhelm the blond. Higurashi, meanwhile, was still busy recharging to take another crack at that lullaby technique.

It was her strongest genjutsu. No way was she letting it amount to nothing more than a momentary distraction!

Seeing that he was outmatched, Naruto quickly realized that he needed to do something before he got his ass whooped.

"Ooiroke no Jutsu!"

And so, there was a poof of smoke and Kakashi hesitated as his brain needed a moment to process the cute, busty, blonde bombshell stretching her limbs before him, utterly nude with her naughty bits still obscured.

This was immediately followed by a hot pain and blinding rage as Kakashi felt a foot in his groin.

"GAH!"

Then, the still-disguised Naruto did a complete one-eighty and tried to put some distance between himself and Kakashi, only to see said man appearing right in front of him… and sending the poor boy flying with a savage backhand that had the boy bouncing off the ground before coming to a stop in a dusty roll.

"Nice try," Kakashi squeaked in honest… albeit somewhat grudging praise. "I legitimately mean that." Truly he did; that really was the last thing he'd expected Naruto to do. (4)

His pride would never be the same after that exchange, but he was certainly impressed.

Unfortunately, that technique had also distracted Kishu and Byakkomaru, so they failed to capitalize on the opening.

Kishu wiped at the bit of blood coming out of her nose before turning her eyes back towards an unimpressed looking Kakashi. His lone eye narrowed on her and the dark-themed Inuzuka bit back a gulp.

"Even more so than allowing yourself to be distracted by an enemy, never, ever, let yourself be distracted by an ally."

"To be fair, I was just as surprised as you were… and she was hot." Kishu grumbled with a pout. Then, before Kakashi could retort, she and Byakkomaru charged him.

The silver-haired jounin sighed.

"You know… this is supposed to be a survival exercise," he lectured, as Naruto started throwing shuriken at him which he lazily grabbed between his fingers, much to the astonished gaping of his students.

And then… that music started up again. And much to Kakashi's surprise, it was a lot more potent this time. Clearly, Higurashi took the opportunity to put more effort into it.

Still not quite good enough, though...

And once again, the girl had revealed her position. But, Kakashi still had the others to contend with… and as he dispelled the genjutsu once again, they were on his ass like white on rice.

This time, however, Higurashi kept at it, and as long as she kept performing her technique, the threat of it taking hold would linger, meaning Kakashi would have to pause in order to dispel it repeatedly. Not something he'd like to deal with when he has two determined genin and their dog to fend off as well.

Even beginner techniques were deadly in the hands of a ninja, no matter their level of experience (or lack thereof)…

And so, he vanished in a poof of smoke.

Once again, Higurashi flinched upon sensing him disappear. She peeked around the tree she'd been hiding behind and saw that he was indeed gone. Then, she leaned back, her back against the tree… and nearly jumped out of her own skin upon seeing him right in front of her.

"Yo!"

"...mercy?"

"I'm sorry," Kakashi chuckled, "I don't know the meaning of the word~!" He smiled. "Just like you, apparently..." The man immediately noticed several-hundred small insects fade into existence around him, closing in with malicious intent. They were all the same species: a small, black beetle about twice the size of a horse fly.

Kikaichuu, one of the various species of bugs utilized by the Aburame Clan. They were hiding in the shadows. Clearly, this girl was practicing more than just music in her freetime… and she had a thing for genjutsu. But, one gas grenade later, the swarm and their mistress dropped like flies, all now unconscious.

Then, Kakashi returned to his original position, disappearing in another poof, so as to avoid stepping on Higurashi's bugs.

If Shiro-chan was anything to go by, the Aburame were quite fond of their respective "hives" for obvious reasons, so he didn't want to harm Higurashi's unnecessarily.

"One down, two to go~!"

Well… technically three, but whatever...

Naruto, Kishu, and Byakkomaru all flinched when Kakashi reappeared in his previous position, looking completely unbothered and unwinded by their exchange. "Sorry for the wait," he said cheerfully. "Shall we continue?"


Thirty minutes later, a roughed up Naruto, disheveled Kishu and a rather grumpy Higurashi sat before their instructor… though the Aburame girl's ever-blank expression made it hard to tell how displeased she was. Byakkomaru, meanwhile, was curled up in his partner's lap, happily snoozing away.

Apparently, maintaining that transformation for as long as he had took a lot out of him.

"I must say, I'm impressed," Kakashi praised. Their teamwork was remarkable for such a fresh unit, he had to admit. "You managed to hold up pretty well for fresh graduates."

Naruto and Kishu beamed, though the latter's expression was more schooled than that of her blond teammate.

Higurashi tilted her head, still staring at Kakashi.

''-That said, you are still fresh graduates. Which means you suck." Kakashi added, quite cheerfully.

...and that took the wind right out of their sails.

"And that's why I'm here," he continued. "As your instructor, it's my job to mold you three into respectable additions to Konoha's military." Kakashi started rummaging through his pouches.

"Here. Catch." He threw three scrolls at them, one for each. They caught the scrolls effortlessly.

"That will be your training regimen for a while," he told them, whipping that little, orange book out while he was at it. "What they teach you kids in the academy pales in comparison to what I learned, but it's thankfully not as bad as I'd thought if you lot are only considered average."

He eye-smilled at the trio.

"Still, though, I'll need to bring you three up a notch or two before I'm comfortable taking you out on the field, or giving you harder, more hands-on exercises. Your safety is my responsibility, too, after all." (5)

Naruto, Kishu, and Higurashi all exchanged glances before opening their scrolls and reading what they contained.


Later that day, once Kakashi dismissed his ducklings―after giving them another solid trashing, just to drive home how much they sucked―the silver-haired jounin made his way home.

Well, home was putting it generously. It was a rather spartan shinobi apartment, no bigger than Naruto's own.

Before he reached his destination, though, he turned to address the shadows he'd had all damn day… all five of them.

There were four men, all wearing masks, but Kakashi could name them all off the top of his head despite their distinguishing features being hidden behind the hoods and porcelain. And leading the group, sporting her fox mask, was Rin herself.

The men were Detachment A of his old ANBU unit with Rin now at the head in his absence. It made sense… One man in particular―the walking mountain of meat named Chouyama―had once been a jounin instructor himself. And all of them knew him well, so they were more than well-equipped enough to intervene if needed and knew when to do so.

This group was quite possibly the best one Hiruzen could have sent to keep an eye on Naruto… and especially Kakashi himself.

Someone had to make sure their former captain knew what he was doing… and snitch on him if he fucked up.

Kakashi flashed them a casual salute and an eye-smile. And with that, the five ANBU followed Kakashi to his apartment, the big guy with the bear mask needing to duck in order to fit through the doorway as he was that damn tall, and Rin addressed her former captain.

"I was pleasantly surprised," she admitted, one hand being placed against her hip. "You might actually make a decent jounin sensei."

"Oh?" The ever-flippant shinobi eye-smiled at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The smallest one among the men of Rin's team rubbed the back of his neck as he clarified. "No offense, senpai, but you're a slave driver."

The man in question wore a monkey mask and had a long, golden ponytail. He was about the same height as Rin, who wasn't particularly tall for a woman, though she wasn't incredibly short, either.

"A slave driver, hmm?" Kakashi muttered, getting a rapid nod in response from said ANBU. "I'll keep that in mind when I return to ANBU." He eyesmilled again, "Obviously you aren't working hard enough, Inohiko."

The ANBU visibly paled even behind his mask.

"Just try not to be too rough on them," the big guy cautioned. "Your students still have some growing left to do. If you're not mindful of that, it could cause problems for them as they do."

Kakashi offered him a deadpan.

"I'm not that brutal, Teach," he protested, referring to Chouyama by his old nickname. The man in question had a lot of experience in education and was responsible for showing many an ANBU the ropes when they first joined―himself included, once upon a time. "I've also been doing my homework on the matter, so that shouldn't be an issue."

"It better not be, Bakashi." Rin said, before stepping closer and poking him in the chest and pushing her old teammate back slightly. "Otherwise you and I will have words."

She was rather protective of Naruto.

"Believe you me, I would gladly take everything you had to dish out and more if I fucked up that badly," he replied, eye-smiling at her. "I'll be asking you for advice when it comes to their health when I need it, too. And if you're not available, I'll ask a healer who is."

"Good."

"Speaking of new recruits, though," he said, "How's filling in the empty slot going?"

"The Pup was selected for Detachment C," she replied with a shrug.

"Really?" That was surprising. "So, she's already done with her training?"

"Damn girl was like a sponge," Chouyama commented, drawing a few chuckles from the others. "She's still got some physical and ninja art training to do, but as far as ANBU doctrine goes, she's ready."

"Good to know," Kakashi chirped. "I hope she fits in well, then. Surprised she didn't end up joining Detachment A as your shoulder loli, to be honest." (6)

"...You're never going to stop teasing me about her are you?" Chouyama snorted goodnaturedly.

"Possibly." Kakashi then turned his attention to Rin. "So, I take it that Shiro-chan is taking your original place, then?"

"She is," the brunette confirmed. "She's adjusting well, despite the abrupt promotion."

"Good to know," Kakashi repeated.

Shiroari was an adaptable woman, so he had no doubts that she'd do just fine.

The group then descended into a comfortable silence, before Rin awkwardly broke it. "Uh… so," she began, hesitating for a moment, before a frankly, shit-eating grin stretched her cheeks. "How are the family jewels holding up?"

The other ANBU had mixed reactions to that, most finding it more amusing than they should have while Chouyama looked sympathetic.

"I managed to walk it off," Kakashi replied with a halfhearted chuckle. "Though I don't think I'll ever live that down."


While Kakashi and the ANBU continued to chat it up, the boy had a deal to uphold and as he and his teammates entered the more urban part of town, he turned his attention to Kishu.

"So… about that dinner I owe you," Naruto began awkwardly, not really knowing how to go about this. "Are there any preferences I should know about?"

"Not too picky, though I do tend to need a lotta meat," she replied, humming with hands held together behind her. She then shrugged. "It's an Inuzuka thing."

A side effect of the minor kekkei genkai sported by said clan was that they needed a lot of meat in their diet―quite a bit more than most people, in fact. For that reason, she also happened to be the tallest girl in their class… and the most developed.

"Ah, alright," Naruto said.

"That said," Kishu continued, giving Naruto an impish grin, "I don't mind ramen."

Ah… now, she was speaking his language.

As the blond perked up, Kishu giggled, before turning to Higurashi. Though the girl in question was stoic as always, Kishu knew full well that she was not happy.

But, before the Inuzuka could say anything, Naruto beat her to it.

"You wanna come with?"

Higurashi perked up at that, before averting her gaze. "If you would not mind," she muttered evasively.

"Of course I don't," he told her, looking confused. "It's why I asked."

"Awww~!" Kishu cooed, leaning closer. "His innocence is just so adorable!"

"Huh? What are you on about?"

Higurashi had a similar reaction, her cheeks turning bright red, though it was hard to tell beyond that.

Cute.

"You alright?" Naruto asked, stepping up to her and peering at her face in concern. "You're all red."

It took a lot of effort from Higurashi to keep a straight face.

And far, far more so for their Inuzuka teammate…

"I am fine," she muttered, squirming a bit. "It is nothing you need to worry about." She could hear her heart pounding as he drew closer.

Fortunately for Higurashi's steadily climbing blood pressure, Kishu chose that moment to intervene and catch Naruto's attention.

"Shall we head to that ramen stand I see you visiting all the time?"

Naruto perked up at that and grinned, turning his attention to Kishu. "Sounds good!"

Higurashi herself wasn't certain if she wanted to be thankful or upset, but ultimately settled on… relieved.

As Naruto turned in the direction of his favorite food joint, Kishu glanced over her shoulder and winked at Higurashi before strutting off after the blond.

And the Aburame girl had no idea how to react to that, blinking owlishly beneath her shades.


As Naruto arrived with his teammates in tow, the brunette behind the counter couldn't contain her surprise.

She was a fairly young woman, only about six years older than Naruto himself, with long, brown hair and chestnut eyes. She had a round, but girly face and a healthy, shapely build. The woman wore a simple, brown dress under her white smock. A matching handkerchief held her hair back so it wouldn't get into the food she served.

Overcoming her surprise, she smiled warmly at Naruto, who was like the little, mischievous younger brother to her. "Hello Naruto. Who are your friends?"

"Hey, Ayame-neechan!" Naruto greeted. "These are my new teammates, Aburame Higurashi and Inuzuka Kishu."

He gestured to both of them, respectively and the puppy in Kishu's arms yipped.

"And this is Byakkomaru," his partner added with a giggle. "Pleased to meet you."

"Same," Higurashi said with a respectful bow that Kishu mirrored.

"The feeling is mutual," Ayame replied with a friendly smile. "I'm Ichiraku Ayame. I do hope you're getting along with Naruto-kun." Leaning over the counter, she smiled at them good-naturedly. "He can be a bit of a dunce at times, but he means well." (7)

"Ayame-neechan!" Naruto protested, ears beginning to burn.

The waitress let loose a delighted laugh.

"We have been!" Kishu chirped.

"He is easy to talk to," Higurashi added, glancing at the blond.

Ayame's smile widened, her woman's intuition telling the older brunette that these two would become good friends of his in the near future.

"Now that introductions are out of the way," she said, leaning back from the counter, "what will you two young ladies have for dinner?"

"Something with meat. Lots of meat." Kishu's comment was followed by an excited bark.

"Inuzuka special, then," Ayame giggled.

It was practically common knowledge among those in the culinary business that the members of said clan were practically carnivores, so most restaurants and the like had special items on their menus.

"Salt ramen," was Higurashi's tone-neutral order.

Ayame smiled and wrote that down. This girl struck her as the type who was easy to please. "And you, Naruto-kun?"

"Miso!"

"The usual, then," she commented, looking amused. "It should be done shortly." That said, Ayame walked into the back, to hand the orders to her father.

When she was gone, Byakkomaru hopped onto the counter and seized the opportunity to approach Naruto and Higurashi. Seeing how they and his partner would be working together for a while, it was a good idea to get to know them.

He sat down between Naruto and Higurashi and yipped, looking at the two of them expectantly.

Higurashi tilted her head, uncertain about what to make of the ninken's actions. While Naruto just stared at Byakkomaru before looking at Kishu.

"Is there something wrong with your dog, Kishu?"

His ears drooped and a cartoonish tick mark appeared above the dog's head at that.

"There's nothing wrong with Byakkomaru," Kishu told him, quickly coming to her partner's defense. "He's perfect just the way he is."

Higurashi hesitantly reached out and presented her hand to the dog and he sniffed her before licking the woman's knuckle. Encouraged by that, she scratched his ear, much to Byakkomaru's enjoyment.

"He's just trying to get to know you is all," Kishu added.

"Oh, okay," Naruto muttered thoughtfully. Then, he looked over to Higurashi and mirrored her actions.

Byakkomaru cooed approvingly and sniffed him, as well, before licking his knuckle.

"He has acquired some unwanted friends," Higurashi noted.

"Oh for fuck's sake, again?" Kishu wined.

Byakkomaru whimpered, not looking forward to the treatment.

"I swear, you're the most delicious thing in the world to them."

Naruto turned to Higurashi and frowned in confusion at her constipated-looking expression. "Is something wrong?"

"I… wish to assist," she told him hesitantly. "But doing so may startle you."

She could practically see the question mark floating above his head. Higurashi sighed and lifted one hand, extending her forefinger.

Then, there was some movement, as if something was trying to push its way out… and as it turned out, it was. Three squelches later, a trio of small, beetle-like bugs emerged from underneath her skin and crawled to her outstretched finger to face their mistress.

"Search and destroy with extreme prejudice," she commanded.

They flew off and buzzed towards Byakkomaru, disappearing into his fur. He only blinked and cocked his head in response.

Then, as she produced a handkerchief from a pocket in one sleeve to wipe away the blood left in their wake, she explained.

"When a child of my clan is born, they are offered to one of several bug queens to become a living hive," she said. "Each one being a descendant of The One who Blessed―a mighty bug demon whom we worship. She is the one who gave our ancestors the ability to commune with bugs and in exchange, we grant her children a home. The hives obey our whim… within reason and help us in other ways and in exchange for that, we provide them with a warm shelter and a portion of our chakra to feast upon."

As she tucked away the handkerchief and used a bit of hand sanitizer she also had on her person, Higurashi presented her unblemished hand. "Of course, this comes with a minor healing factor as well. We are just as susceptible to being stabbed in the heart as anyone else, but not quite as likely to bleed out from such a wound."

"That's kinda cool," Naruto commented.

The poor girl sputtered helplessly, turning bright red. She was not at all prepared for that reaction, but it did wonders for her anxiety.

"I… I am glad you feel that way," she muttered, taking a moment to compose herself. "Truth be told, I was afraid of how you might react to this information. Most find it… unsettling."

"Does it hurt when they pop out like that?" Kishu asked, looking curious.

"Not anymore," Higurashi replied, mimicking a shrug. "Generations of this practice have resulted in a dulled sense of touch… for the most part. Some things are harder for us to feel than others. I have also developed a high threshold for pain since childhood, so my memories of when it did hurt are quite fuzzy."

"Sounds like you'd be a pretty badass in a fight," Naruto commented.

Higurashi's blush returned as she averted her gaze. "I am more suited for long-range combat, but thank you for the compliment."

Naruto grinned at her, a finger scratching at his whiskers.

Before he could reply, though, Ayame returned with their orders. And of course, she was quick to notice a rather flustered Higurashi. At first, a thoughtful look came over her face as she hummed to herself.

Then, deciding the opportunity was too good to pass up, she opted to do her older sister's duty.

"So… when can I expect the baby shower~?"

Higurashi froze while Kishu snorted into her food, coughing as a result.

"Ayame-neechan," Naruto whined, face turning red from second-hand embarrassment. "Don't tease them…"

"Ohoho. 'Them'?" Ayame repeated with a smirk, much to the blond's dismay. "Someone's being ambitious~!"

Naruto groaned at that, hiding his now burning face behind his hands.

"I'll need to get to know him first," Kishu said after recovering… and then she decided to join in with an impish grin. "He did make a good first impression, though~!"

Naruto groaned again, his voice muffled, "Not you too!"

"Sorry, couldn't resist."

"Ooh, I like you girl," Ayame chirped, flashing her a thumbs up, "I approve!"

"I'm just awesome like that," Kishu chuckled half-jokingly to hide her own embarrassment. Honestly, this was a first, but pleasantly so.

"...I think I preferred you when you were quiet and moody." Naruto sighed.

"I get that a lot."

Byakkomaru let out a yip in agreement.

"Quiet you," Kishu muttered with a childish pout.


After they all finished the meal and had a bit more smalltalk, Kishu looked up at the clock. "Well, would you look at the time?"

Byakkomaru looked at his partner in confusion, head askew.

"Guess I better get back home and give someone a bath," she said. "Don't want him to get fleas again."

Said someone whimpered in annoyance.

"We shall see you tomorrow, then," Higurashi told her with a polite nod. Of course, her little friends had discreetly returned home themselves by now.

"Guess we'll be heading out too."

"Oh no, no. No need." Kishu quickly stepped in to stop the blond's train of thought, "You and Higurashi should get to know each other some more."

Higurashi stared at her owlishly as Kishu winked at her.

Of course, Ayame got the hint and was more than eager to help out. Naruto needed to find himself a girl, after all, and do so quickly as his career was of the "live fast, die young" variety. With a somewhat naughty giggle, the ramen waitress decided to chime in. (8)

"That would definitely be a good idea," she said. "Knowing as much about your peers as you can is very good for teamwork and cohesion."

"Hmmm… I guess."

That made sense to him…

Naruto turned to Higurashi and gave her a questioning look. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Not at all," she replied after a moment of quietly staring at him.

With a sly grin, the Inuzuka slipped out before her teammates realized she was gone.

"So…" Naruto said, taking a moment to think. "About you liking music..."

Higurashi perked up at that.

"Would you happen to know the Princess Gale theme song?"

The brunette cocked her head at that. "I would need more practice before I could perform that," she said. "It is a rather complex melody."

"I figured," Naruto mused aloud. He didn't know much about music, but even he could recognize that it probably wouldn't be an easy tune to play. "Wait… did you say more practice?"

A faint smile tugged at Higurashi's lips.

And from there, a rather long conversation quickly took off between them, as Naruto and Higurashi found that they had a common interest in the series. (9)


Much, much later, well after night had fallen before they even realized it.

"Oh, wow," Naruto muttered, finally realizing that it was getting dark, as he pulled out his wallet and put down the ryo needed to pay for their meals. "We went on for a while."

Higurashi blushed at that. Though it was still faint, she now sported a more prominent smile. "It has been fun," she said. "Though we should likely return home before it gets too late."

"Agreed."

Then, as he and Higurashi got up and prepared to part ways, Ayame chimed in.

"Now, hold up," she called out. "What kind of gentleman lets his date walk home all alone~?"

"W-we weren't on a date!" Naruto protested, looking embarrassed. "I mean, we barely know each other…"

"Close enough if you ask me," Ayame cooed, batting her eyelashes effeminately. "Call it practice for when you have yourself a girlfriend~!"

Naruto turned bright red and sputtered incoherently, trying and failing to muster up some kind of rebuttal.

"There is no need," Higurashi told him. "I do not wish to impose."

"I mean… it's not that I mind, I just don't wanna make you feel like I'm trying to hit on you."

'But what if I want you to hit on me…?' Higurashi averted her gaze, embarrassed by the thought. Was it too early to think that? She wasn't quite sure, but suspected that it was… despite her year-long crush on him, their interactions in the academy were… limited. "I… would not mind," she muttered hesitantly.

"See? It's not a problem," Ayame said, her impish grin only widening as she clapped her hands. "Go on! Escort the lady home~! Shoo― shoo!"

Naruto and Higurashi exchanged a glance and stared at each other awkwardly for a moment. Then, the former gestured for his teammate to lead the way and she obliged without another word.

Both descended into an awkward and yet somewhat comfortable silence as Naruto escorted Higurashi to her compound. After a while, though, the latter spoke up.

"Today has been rather nice," she said.

Though she truly meant it, the sincerity of that statement was masked by her ever-even tone.

"It has been," Naruto agreed.

Another pregnant silence descended between them.

A half-way fidgeting Higurashi then broke it. "Tell me, what do you think of our new instructor?"

"Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto wondered, "I uh… He seems cool enough? I dunno much about him, so I can't tell ya more than that."

"That is quite fair…" The brunette cocked her head inquisitively.

"What about you? What'd you think about him, Higurashi?"

"He is… unusual," she replied. "I could see us getting along quite well with him." Higurashi pondered for a moment. "His taste in reading material leaves much to be desired though; Paradise is by far the most boring entry in the Icha Icha series."

Naruto almost tripped.

Almost.

"E-eeeh?!"

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


DMS Notes and Trivia:

1: Since they were in the same class in this one, I'd imagine Naruto having a rivalry with Neji, similar to the one he had with Sasuke in canon but far less friendly.

AdV: Team Gai will be recurring characters.

TenTen will get her chance to shine!

DMS: Especially TenTen. Poor girl needs more love.

2: Given that she's named after a tree cricket, I took the idea of musical ninja and ran with it. As such, Higurashi is partially inspired by Tayuya and partially inspired by the bard class of various fantasy games―most notably Dungeons & Dragons.

She basically channels her genjutsu through her music, allowing her chakra to ride the sound waves and reach her target from afar more easily.

3: Figured Rin would help him out if she were alive… as much as she could with her other duties, of course.

4: Possibly the most Naruto thing Naruto had done in the Fourth Great War… and possibly all of Shippuden was the Reverse Harem distraction he used to deck Kaguya. Were it not for the Kakashi vs Obito fight, I dare say that would have been the best damn thing to happen in Shippuden since Pein invaded Konoha.

As such, I can't help but be baffled by how often I hear "fans" of Naruto complain about it. O.o

AdV: Honestly, it's great, but it just feels out of place in such a 'titanic' battle… and that's a negative for said titanic battle, because Sexy Jutsu is a staple of the series. If it's awkward, it's not the fault of the jutsu.

5: Needless to say, Kakashi actually takes his job seriously in this one, lol.

AdV: AU, Rin's alive, he's different. Never had a team of genin before tho…

6: We need more shoulder lolis in anime… any recommendations would be quite welcome, by the way, lol. The only ones I can name are Eri (My Hero Academia), Kusajishi Yachiru (Bleach), and Riful of the West (Claymore).

…Homicidal ones are preferred because I'm weird. XD

7: I'm not sure if her surname was ever confirmed in canon, but fuck it, we're going with that, lol.

8: Alright, bitches, time for a rant.

Yes, I bring this up every time I'm doing this in a fanfic, but this dead horse cannot be beaten enough as far as I'm concerned: sending legally-recognized children into armed, military combat is not something a functioning society would do!

That being said, upon graduation, a genin is considered to be an adult by the standards of Konoha. The forehead protector was established in the very first chapter of the manga to be a badge of adulthood, was it not? Despite Naruto not being a minor despite that… yeah, no. If he wasn't considered old enough to at least start making babies before being sent into battle, especially with their birthrates, a multitude of clans would've gone ext―oh, wait.

Yeah, call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure that practice would've been abolished after the presumed majority of Senjuu kicked the bucket. Just saying.

AdV: We just decided to have the Senju be a thing in this one :P. Expect cute Senju Waifu in the distant future.

DMS: My assumption is that they've effectively gone extinct in canon, but that's not the case in this one. =3

9: Yes, the Princess Gale is a straight up franchise in this AU. And yes, Naruto is something of a fanboy. Hot chick doing badass things… and he is 13. Need I say more?

AdV: Oh man, reminds me of my Xenna-fanboy days :D.

That, Star Trek and SeaQuest are probably why I learned English so easily in school.

DMS: Xena, Warrior Princess; Claymore; Kimbery from the Power Rangers… So many badass waifus! XD


Parting Notes: And that's another one done!