Disclaimer: I do not own any of the content following this statement. All titles, names, and plots are owned by Masashi Kishimoto.
Warning: The following will contain material that some viewers may not find suitable. There will be smut, graphic explicit sex, lemons at random moments, character deaths, and multiple pairings. There will be no additional warning as without reading the smut what little plot there is will not make any sense. You have been warned.
Author's Note: I put a lot of thought into this and I hope it shows. With that, lets get on with the show.
Can our inner demons love
Chapter Forty
Redheads are Crazy
Having been singly focused on getting to the village for the last four days Naruto was so happy to see the gates he was surprised when Sakura wiggled free and dropped from his back. "I want to walk in myself.", the girl said not even looking at him as she took the lead. Glade she had regained her strength Naruto jogged behind as Ino and Sakura ran ahead as if this was planned.
Crossing over into the village Sai disappeared without a word, Naruto turned to Kakashi who shook his head at what was going on and said, "I will report we are back to the Hokage, make sure everyone is OK." Running to the nearness building Kakashi headed to the Hokage tower to make the Hokage aware that Kumogakure was on the brink of civil war.
As Kakashi jumped to the nearest roof and vanished over the buildings Naruto looked over at his two remaining teammates, Ino was already hugging her father, and was it seemed in a deep conversation and checking on Sakura, she was wrapped around Hinata of all people like her life depended on it.
Hinata gave a soft smile to Naruto over Sakura's shoulder but didn't move to come to greet the blonde as he stood there alone. "Man you messed up if you got both of them mad at you.", said Izumo the gate guard as he played cards with his best friend Kotetsu.
"Don't give the guy a hard time Izumo, he's young still, he will figure it out.", said Kotetsu slapping down his card with a winning hand.
"Well he better hurry up then, once they turn Jonin he's going to have a hard time getting into those pants.", the two guards laugh at their own joke, Naruto didn't know what they were talking about so he ignored it like so many other things he has in his short life.
Naruto looks at the two eternal gate guards and said, "Don't you guys ever go on missions or anything, you're always here?" Grinning at his own come back Naruto laughed at the two guards playing cards.
Kotetsu put down his cards and said, "Some people call us the Hokage's errand-boys,", he looked at Naruto and got a grin out of Izumo, adding sagely, " Guarding Konoha and the villagers it is the best mission you can get as a shinobi." The pride showing on the two shinobi's faces said it all as they went back to playing cards with one eye on the gate.
Naruto rubbed the back of his head not able to think of any comeback, he turns and starts to walk to Sakura who was still wrapped around Hinata when Gamakichi pops up in a cloud of smoke and said, "Yo!,", waving his hand, the young orange toad had grown and was now at eye level with Naruto. The blonde looked over at Sakura and back to Gamakichi and said, "What up, I don't have any food on me right now."
"That's OK, I am on a mission to find Jiraiya and take him to the Hokage, it's important, can you help.", said Gamakichi, his normal light-hearted nature replaced with a more serious tone. Looking around Naruto could see that Jiraiya was missing from the crowd at the gate, he had thought his sensei would be there to great him but once again he was wrong. Thinking this must be important Naruto waves to Sakura and jumps on Gamakichi's back and said, "Let's first try the Blue Lilly hot-springs, they have an open bath in the back." Giving the location to the springs Naruto uses he chakra to grip onto the back of the toad getting ready for him to leap off.
Gamakichi decided to show off his new skills makes a quick hand sign and jumps as they are transported to the backside of the Blue Lilly women's bath house. Naruto looks around and doesn't see his perverted sensei but as he is about to tell Gamakichi they will need to try the next bathhouse he hears giggling coming from the top of one of the trees overlooking the fence.
Putting his hands on his hips he looks up into the tree to find the source of the sound and when he spots the wooden shoe of his missing sensei. "Hey come down from there!,", yells Naruto to no effect. "Dam perverted sensei always got to do this the hard way,", he said taking a running start and jumping up to dropkicks the tree, the mighty Ginkgo tree shakes but no sensei falls to the ground.
Dusting his pants off Naruto gets ready to try again when Gamakichi grabs his arm, "Yo, let me give it a try,", said the large orange almost red toad as he hops a good distance from the base of the tree.
He takes two large leaps and on the third launches himself halfway up the tree and slams into the tree trunk with a resounding 'Bang', that shakes the Ginkgo tree to its roots. The sound of screaming women as branches, leaves and a large toad fall around them along with the tell tail thump of a body falling from a tree on the other side of the fence lets everyone know there was a peeper.
Jiraiya runs over to Naruto all red face holding a pen and notebook in hand, "Dammit kid that was some prime research you just ruined, this better be important." Gamakichi joins them in the back allay leaping over the tall fence and shaking the water off his back as joins them.
Hearing the sound of running women coming to take their righteous vengeance on the peeper, Naruto points to Gamakichi, "I don't know, it's his mission, not mine, I just came to help."
Seeing a mob of women coming around the corner, clearing ready to turn anyone found near the back fence into mincemeat Jiraiya said, "Ok, kid I believe you let's get out of here."
The two shinobi jump on the back of the toad and with a jump and a timely hand sign they fly over the heads of the enraged women and puff into a cloud of summoning smoke. The screams of outrage still ringing in there ears.
Landing in the middle of the Hokage office, Tsunade gives them a curious look as they are shook off the back of the mighty Gamakichi and he yells out "Yo! Hokage you got anything to eat, I found him for ya."
Know that when she sent him on his little mission there would have to be a fair payment Tsunade had a bag of candy and other snacks behind her desk. Lifting the large bag that could easily hold a couple of hundred pounds of stuff she tosses it over into the waiting arms of Gamakichi.
"Thanks, Hokage,", said Gamakichi, "Been nice doing business with ya.", and with a grin, he disappears in a cloud of smoke.
"You know it's not nice using my own Summons against me Tsunade, said Jiraiya flopping down into a chair to make a couple of quick notes in his little book before he forgets anything. Some of the woman running down the alley hadn't bothered to put on any cloths and had giving him an idea about a new chapter in his upcoming book.
Naruto seeing the mission is done turns to leave to find Sakura when Tsunade calls out, "Wait right there Naruto, I have a new mission for you and that pervert over there.", she points to Jiraiya still writing away, he didn't even bother to look up at the indignity of being called a pervert, he was a super pervert, Dammit.
"Oh come on Granny, I just got back from two missions, can't I have a day to rest, hell I need a shower at least,", Naruto whines but goes to stand next to his sensei knowing it was useless to fight the system.
Hearing three knocks on the door Tsunade yells out, "Come in.", as she pushes back her chair to watch the incoming show. Having sent Kakashi on a little mission of his own when he showed up with the report on Kukogagure he walks in with two Anbu who have a girl between them, she had ankle chains on so she could only take small steps with a thick leather belt over her gray prison shirt, her hands were chained to her sides with a final chain running up the back of the belt to a steel collar around her neck. With a wooden dolly running across her mouth tied with a small leather belt, she was unable to say a word as they half walked half dragged her into the room. The girls bright red hair was a complete mess as it looked like it hadn't be washed in days or even weeks. With half her face hidden behind this red veil she looked like a small wild animal.
Naruto just staring at the parade as it entered, never having seen anything quite like this he wasn't sure if he should be upset at the Hokage or worried about who this girl was. Her wild red hair was a mess covering most of her face and with her head down he had no clue who this could be but he felt nobody should be treated like this and felt he should do something about it.
Once the girl was placed in front of the Hokage's desk, Tsunade waved telling the Anbu to leave the office and once the click of the door rang out she said, "Naruto Uzumaki, I would like you to meet Tayuya Uzumaki." Tsunade's grin was from ear to ear and the girl shook the hair out of her face and turns to Naruto screaming something into her gag. She made a move at Naruto but the chains in Kakashi's hands held her back. Her small frame was unable to move Kakashi one inch to matter how hard she tried.
Naruto looked at the slender redhead in chains and looked back at the Hokage. "What are you talking about, I got a sister?". This caused everyone in the room to start laughing as the redhead in question did her best to hop over to Naruto, clearly with every intention to kill him.
Laughing Kakashi pulled her chains and got her back into place as Tsunade slowly stopped laughing and said, "Dammit Naruto, not every Uzumaki is your sister or bother, Hell your only half Uzumaki yourself. There were thousands of Uzumaki before the fall of Uzushiogakure."
Coming to stand next to the girl but not too close as she did try to kick him Naruto said, "So you know who my parents are?"
Tsunade sat back in her chair and looked at Naruto like he had two heads then over at Jiraiya who just surged his shoulders and started writing on a new page of his little book.
"I told you that all Jinchuurki of the Kyubbi were Uzumaki women including your mother, didn't you go look in the shinobi library to read up on the history of the village, all the Jinchuurki are listed there.", said Tsunade, she was more than a little disappointed in the oblivious blonde at this point. If he wants to be Hokage he is going to have to start thinking. She wasn't in the habit of repeating herself so she figured he heard her the one time she told him.
Seeing he didn't even think to go look she reached for a bottle before saying, "Hell kid even my own grandmother was an Uzumaki, she was married to the first Hokage", Tsunade was now really feeling disappointed in the overactive blonde, he had professed his devotion to becoming a Hokage but didn't even know there history.
Naruto stood there like a fish out of water with his mouth open and flapping in the wind. 'Why didn't anyone tell me,', he kept thinking but then realized they did in their own way. 'Time to grow up there kid,', said the fox, and for once he wasn't laughing at Naruto.
Closing his mouth and for once thinking about something besides ramen he said, "So how do you know she is an Uzumaki?"
Downing her glass she just looked at him, seeing once again he never even looked up his own clan in the clans' archives. Jiraiya stood up deciding to cut the kid a break before Tsunade really lays into him. Placing his hand on Naruto's shoulder he turned the boy to look at the fiery girl who was currently trying to chew he way through the wood in her mouth.
"There are certain traits that all pure-blood Uzumaki have, one the red hair, two the pale skin and three,", Jiraiya moved Naruto closer to the girl who then kicked him in the shin, "A hell of a temper.", he finished as Naruto jumped back rubbing his leg.
"And we did a DNA test to be sure and she is a pureblood, your distant cousin or great aunt twice removed, Hell kid she is so far from blood family I wouldn't even think about it.", said Tsunade feeling the hit of the booze as she drank the whole bottle in one go. Whenever she talked about clans and family it forced her to remember her own lost clan and the children she never had with Dan. Forcing herself not to cry she pulled out a new bottle from the storage seal in the draw.
Jiraiya seeing that Naruto was lost in his own thoughts at this point decided to find out if what he was thinking was right or not, "So,", he said getting Tsunade attention, "She agreed to talk then,", knowing the T&A has been trying to get the girl to tell them what she knows about the hidden bases Orochimaru had around fire country. All she had done was laugh at them saying Orochimaru did worst to her as a reward for doing a good job. Having been told not to do anything damaging to her they had backed off.
"Ya kind off,", was the Hokage's answer as she put her feet up on her desk, Jiraiya hoped she didn't fall over backward in her current state. Looking down at the short girl with Kakashi holding her chains tight he wondered what kind of deal she was trying to make. He didn't trust anyone that willingly worked for his old teammate and the curse seal only made it worst.
"What's the deal then? She trying to get her freedom or something.", he asked sitting one hip on the desk looking with the Hokage at the two Uzumaki who were currently in a staring match.
'He may not have the hair but he sure does have the temperament.', thought Jiraiya as Naruto would not back down from the girl pulling at her chains.
"She wants to go with you and show you the bases herself, said she wants payback for all the things Orochimaru did to her but I think it's just a ploy to get free.", said Kakashi, having talked to his friends in T&A when he went to get the girl. They had a running bet on how many shinobi would be killed before the end of this mission. Kakashi didn't ask from what village as T&A had a twisted sense of humor when it come down to who dies.
Jiraiya turned to look at Tsunade and said, "So you agreed to this?", thinking even a drunk Hokage would think twice about this one.
"Ya, sounds good to me, but first you got to get the curse seal off of her, you know so Orochimaru doesn't feel her coming or whatever.", said Tsunade, Jiraiya picked up the bottle to check what she was drinking and found it was pure white lighting in a bottle. Knowing she was going to be checking out soon Jiraiya figured hell why not, life has been boring lately.
"OK, we'll take her, grab your bag kid we're heading out,", taking the chain from Kakashi Jiraiya pulled the girl back and headed for the door. "Hey wait for me,", yelled Naruto as he took his travel bag from Kakashi who somehow knew he would be needed it. Pulling out his newest porn book, Kakashi headed for the memorial stone for a couple of hours of peace and quite before the next mission.
…
Summoning Gamakichi at the base of the Hokage tower Jiraiya somehow was able to convince Gamakichi that taking them out of the village undetected via a reverse summons was part of the original mission and didn't require a payment. Naruto watched the exchange between the two as he side stepped a kick from the crazy girl and decide he would try to learn more and complain less. Jiraiya was going to find he was teaching his student some interesting life skills.
Now standing in a clearing some many miles from the village Jiraiya and Naruto looked at the chained-up girl wondering how they would be traveling with her in this condition.
"You know, we got to untie her at some point.", said Naruto looking at his sensei.
"I know but you haven't dealt with Uzumaki woman as much as I have.", Jiraiya said half-joking but in truth, these redheads were a pain in the ass when riled up like this one. He had found over the years it was best just to run and hide until they ran out of chakra, and for some that was a very long time.
Figuring now was as good a time as any Naruto removed the girl's gag and jumped back before she had a chance to use her teeth on him. She spits on the ground then tried to spit in his face, shaking her head to get the hair out of her eyes she said, "Fuck you, and fuck that toad and fuck that old man.", pointing at Jiraiya with her noise.
Getting a laugh out of Jiraiya she tied to hop / walk to him to give him a good kick when she fell on her face or at least almost as Naruto caught her on the way down getting a hand full of breasts for his trouble. She bit his arm as he pulled her upright and he screams, "What the hell was that for."
"No touching the merchandise unless I tell you, you pervert.", she yells back. Naruto notices she was a little red in the face now. "hey I wasn't trying to get a feel you were falling and.. ", Jiraiya got between the two and stopped them before they spent the rest of the day yelling at each other, he seen it before with Uzumaki, they will go all day and night if you let them, totally forgetting what they are fighting about and attaching anyone that tried to get between them.
"Enough!", Jiraiya yells, using a little lighten jutsu to get there attention, "Any more of this and the gag goes back on and I will carry you if I have to."
Tayuya stuck her tongue out but didn't say anything as she liked to be able to breathe, Naruto forgot what they were fighting about anyway so he backed off, he really wanted to know how Jiraiya did that jutsu and was making plans on asking him as some as he could.
Seeing Tayuya constantly blowing hair out of her face Naruto pulls a piece of string from his pocket and trying not to get bitten tied her hair back for her. Not knowing what his end game was she allowed him to do it figuring it gave her an advantage, being able to see and all that. As he pulled it into a messy ponytail he got a good look at her neck, it was all red and sore around where the metal caller was rubbing and the curse seal was plain to see just below her right ear.
"Hey no looking at my boob either you pervert, who the hell did that old drunk give me to.", Tayuya yelled trying to kick him but almost falling again, as she gave up and let him finish tying her hair back. It was nice of him to do that and she still couldn't think of why he did it or what he wanted.
"Jiraiya Sensei how are we going to get the seal off her, it looks like it hurts an awful lot.", said Naruto from behind the redhead. Getting a good look the seal was black as death but all the skin around it was red like it was burning into her all the time, "Fuck ya it hurt, it hurt like a bitch, you dumb fuck.", added Tayuya for good measure.
Taking a thinking pose on one foot Jiraiya looked over at the two and tried not to laugh as he could see she wasn't trying to pull away as much as before and Naruto was still playing with the ends of her hair trying to get the knots out of the ends.
"There is only one way I know of that works to remove the seal and you're the one that did it.", he said looking at Naruto.
Naruto jumped back from the girl and said, "I am not letting her shove her fist through my chest, I am not doing that again.", shaking his head no and waving his hands, "it's not going to happen." Tayuya thought that if that was the plan she was all for it.
"Not that you idiot, your chakra, your special chakra,", Jiraiya said not wanting to say the word Kyubbi and really freak the girl out. At least not yet, once it was over she would know, that was for sure.
"What special chakra!?" screamed Tayuya, "You fucking perverts are not sticking anything into me I don't want and I don't want HIS special chakra.", Tayuya said clearing thinking about something more personal than the nine-tail chakra.
"Listen, kid, I know some seals that will keep that mouth of yours closed for a long long time so stop it with the swearing or less.", said Jiraiya, it was funny for a while but even this was getting old.
Seeing she had nothing to say at this point Jiraiya called Naruto over to talk away from the red-headed monster.
"I know you don't remember how you did it to Sasuke but I think it was a simple forces expulsion using reversed osmosis.", said Jiraiya, seeing the look on Naruto's face he tried to think of another way to say it. Naruto's lack of any type of formal schooling was constantly getting in the way of him learning anything. One of these days he is going to visit that academy and they may need some new Sensei when he is done.
"God your really stupid aren't you, I can't believe I share blood with you.", said Tayuya from thirty feet away. This was the last straw for the blonde hero, every man has his breaking point and this bitch just found his.
Stomping over to her he got right in her face and yelled, "Stop it, I know I don't know stuff, they didn't teach me anything at the academy OK, they took my books, kicked me out of classes, and held me back for years, hell if I hadn't stolen the forbidden scroll I would still be back in the academy, so give it a rest will ya." He clearly pissed much more then Jiraiya thought he should be but the old shinobi could feel were it was coming from and stood back.
"So what we all got issues,", Tayuya said not believing the half of it.
"Issues, issues you say, how about my best friend tries to kill me, not once, not twice but three times, then my teammate begs me to bring him back only to then turn into a fucking sex crazy bipolar bitch that tries to fuck me to death one day and then won't talk to me the next. Hell, I think she is more gay than straight with the amount of time she spends sucking pussy.", now Jiraiya is thinking, here comes out the real Uzumaki blood.
Naruto is so red in the face at this point he looks like he is going to explode as he shakes his fist in the girls face, "AND,", he screams, "The most beautiful girl in the village spends two whole fucking months with me and once, yes once fucks me but its got to be with another girl in the room, what the hell, am I not good enough, don't I try hard enough.", Jiraiya can see Naruto's eyes turning red as the Kyubbi keeps feeding into his rage like its some kind of game. The fox was doing what it does best, causing trouble and feeding rage but maybe this time he was for the right reason.
"Then, Oh then after the girl of my dreams, the love of my life tells me she loves me too, THEN she stops talking to me for four days and the first thing she does is run into the arms of another woman. Dear God above do you hate me or what?", Naruto screams into the sky now with a red coat of chakra glowing around him.
"On top of all that, I get to spend time with YOU!", he said pointing at Tayuya who was beginning to look a little scared as she tried to back away. "You don't even know me and still you give me more shit in one hour than anybody else ever has, you think you know me, you think you know the pain I have, well let me show you about pain,", Naruto screams as he wraps his hands around Tayuya's neck like he is going to choke the life from her but before Jiraiya can reach him, he floods the curse seal with all of the built-up rage the Kyubbi had been feeding him. Seems the fox had a plan and this was it.
They both freeze in a pose of total pain as Tayuya and Naruto both let out a silent scream of agony. The pain wasn't physical but pure emotional torment, a lifetime of suffering let out in a moment of time floods into the seal and finds resonates in the girls past pains for she to had suffered all her life not at the hands of a whole village but at the hands of one man, Orochimaru had given her a lifetime of pain, a pain she would never allow anyone to see but now it was laid bare as their chakra merged with the Kyubbi's to kills the piece of soul Orochimaru burned into her.
As the bubble of Chakra forms, Jiraiya took a step back, then ten, then twenty until at fifty feet he watched it stop growing and turn brighter as a swirl of black chakra slowly at first then faster was pulled out of Tayuya's seal. The chakra seemed to fight back at first drawing back into the seal and then pulled back out farther again until it was drawn completely free of Tayuya to fight its last battle in the cage of red chakra the Kyubbi had formed about the two.
The Kyubbi was evil, hated given form but it was even in its hate like a winter storm is even in its destruction. No one person was ever its focus, no one village was its target, the Kyubbi just was, and any damage it caused was that of a tilde wave, not a knife pointed at your heart.
The two shinobi at the center of the bubble of rage could feel that now, an understanding of nature in its raw form, a nature that for once was focused on a single person, Orochimaru had gone against nature his whole life and now it was his time to pay in some small part for all that he had done.
Jiraiya could only watch and take note of what was happening as they floated up into the sky. Red lighting flared around them to hit a tree here and there burning it to the core but it was the blackness of true evil that was its target. The slim of chakra had risen to the top as if it could flee to some kind of safety. Red streams of chakra built around it until it was encased, the streams pulled and tugged breaking pieces away and reducing them to the nothingness from which there is no return.
The process was slow and clearly painful as the piece of soul fought with a determination of a lifetime spent caring only for self. After the sunset and the red glow lite the night sky was there a final burst of energy, Jiraiya was dumbfounded as he waited for them to drop but the bubble slowly pulled itself back into Naruto until their feet softly hit the ground, and then it was gone.
Catching the unconscious shinobi Jiraiya laid them down next to each other, prying Naruto's hands off of the girl's neck he checked and found no sign of a curse seal on her pale skin. Checking her pulse to find it strong and steady he noticed her skin was soft, softer than it should be, like that of a newborn.
Carrying them into the tree line for a measure of safety he made a fire and arranged them around it to wait and see who woke up first and if they had any sanity left within them.
….
"Hey, Hey wake up.", Naruto heard a voice calling him, a voice he knew but didn't, as he opened his eyes he could only see a pair of brown eyes staring back down at him with red eyelashes that reached past the corners of her eyes giving them an exotic look about them. Eyes he knew but didn't know why he wanted to simple stare into them.
Sitting up he looked at the girl he knew but didn't, to see her sitting free of any restraints, her long red hair was pulled back into a ponytail allowing her pale neck to be seen, it was smooth and had a healthy glow that even Naruto could notice.
She had changed her clothes to a black shirt with a tan tunic over top, he could see a pair of skin-tight black shorts that ended halfway to the knees and a standard pair of shinobi saddles. Looking around he noticed the sun was high in the sky, it was about noon or sometimes after he thought as he looked at Jiraiya cooking some meat over a fire and a pot of some type of stew bubbling to the side.
"Good morning or should I say afternoon,", said Jiraiya as he pasted a bowl of stew to Tayuya, she took it and then pasted it to Naruto to his great surprise. Those eyes again looking at him with a feeling of a deep understanding that he wished he understood.
"You need to eat, I think you lost weight from yesterday.", she said looking him over as he smelled the stew, rabbit, and potatoes, what no noodles.
'I ate the stew I looked at them over my bowl, this has to be a dream or something, she is way too quiet and Jiraiya hasn't made any move to restrain her. What if she tries to run, I don't feel like I am up to running her down right now. Dam what happen yesterday, I feel so worn out.' His wild train of thought was as unpredictable as his fighting style.
As Jiraiya handed Tayuya a second bowl she looked at it and said, "What no fucking carrots, what do you carry in that storage scroll nothing but porn."
Naruto grinned over his bowl as he drank down the last of it, so this wasn't a dream, and she was still that pushy redhead. Seeing he had finished Tayuya pulled the bowl from his hand and filled it back up to handing it back to him. "You need to eat,", she said turning back to her own bowl and not looking at him. 'Oh Oh, something is up,", thought Naruto as red flags started to wave around in his mind. The sound of the fox laughing in the back of his head wasn't helping him clear his mind and he did his best to push the sound away.
"What happen yesterday, the last thing I remember was yelling at you.", said Naruto hoping she doesn't remember any more than he does, he said a lot of things he wish he hadn't.
"What? You mean about your lesbian teammate or the blonde dreamboat that likes three ways.", she said with a blank look on her face, Jiraiya was snickering in the background but didn't say anything as he took notes in his little black book.
"Uhm, ya, but after that?", said Naruto knowing there was no taking it back and what the hell it was the truth.
"You removed the curse seal just like you did on Sasuke, it was quite the light show let me tell you.", said Jiraiya, "You have been out for almost 36 hours", pointing at Tayuya, he said, "This one just woke up about an hour ago, she seemed calmer so I let her out of her chains."
"Ya that old pervert had his hands all over me, you better kick his ass later.", she said but with a small smile on the side of his mouth, Naruto knew Jiraiya, he wouldn't have done anything, he had a type that didn't include small redheads, more like big busted blondes.
Pushing back some stray hair behind her ear Tayuya watched Naruto like a hank until he finished his second bowl. Satisfied he was full she turned to finish her own bowl.
'Something is up with her,", though Naruto as he got up to take care of his morning business behind some trees, as he returned to camp Jiraiya was putting all the cook pots and bowls in a storage scroll and kicking dirt on the fire.
"We still have half a day before sunset so let's get a move on. Red here said we have at least ten days to go to find the first base and I want to get there when the sun is up.", said Jiraiya.
Picking up his mission bag Naruto put it over his shoulders as he jumped into the trees following the other two as they headed south. "So where are we going anyway.", said Naruto catching up with the other two, It was interesting having to wait for each jump so they could talk in the air.
"Fire Lake, there is a base between Black River, and Fire Lake.", said Tayuya as they launched into the air again. "Never been there, how about you pervy sensei?", ask Naruto.
"Kid I have been everywhere, it's on the way to River Country", was Jiraiya replied. The rest of the day was spent keeping up with the Sannin as he pushed harder to make up for lost time. There was something he wasn't telling them and Naruto didn't know how to ask.
As the sun hide behind a mountain to the west Jiraiya started looking for a good camping spot, traveling at night after what those two kids have been thought was not a good idea he felt. "Over there, see that large oak, we will camp there,", he said turning toward the large king of the forest, scares of past lighten bolts told a story of age and also survival for this ancient tree.
Setting up camp the three hurried before losing the last of the sunlight, with a fire started Jiraiya pulled out his cooking pots. Naruto seeing Tayuya pounding stakes into the ground to support the tent Jiraiya gave her, walked over to his Sensei.
"I have to go and take care of,", he paused to check Tayuya was still busy using a rock to beat on the poor tent's metal stake, "my uzine problem, OK." Looking to Jiraiya stirring his pot the older man said, "Go for it kid, I am surprised you lasted this long after yesterday's light show."
As Naruto headed off into the woods Tayuya didn't think anything of it until he was gone for some time, as Jiraiya handed her his dam stew she ate and kept looking around for the blonde fool. Finely losing her patience she said, "Where the fuck did that idiot go."
"He used a lot of chakra to burn that seal out so he has to get all that uzine out of his system", was Jiraiya's blunt reply. Tayuya stood up and looked around like she could see Naruto in the dark but he had moved a considerable distance from the camp.
"So you're telling me he is out there.", she made hand motions like she is pumping, "All by himself."
Jiraiya looked at the girl like she was a little crazy and said, "what did you expect?". Yes, what did she expect, him to try to rape her like every other shinobi of the sound tried to do. Many tired, many died or wish they had but a few succeeded and they made her hate stronger until nobody tried to touch her ever again.
Thinking about it some more she asked, "So what the fuck do they do in Konohagakure, hand jobs all day?" Jiraiya stared at the fire and stirred his stew, the truth was complicated but oh so simple to say, "No, most teams have a female member to help with it." But the truth was more than that, more than he wanted to say and it killed him a little inside every time he thought about it.
"That is what he was talking about then, his teammate likes to play both sides,", she let out a giggle that turned into a full-on laugh the more she thought about it if she was Naruto she would be pissed too.
She thought she had a hard life and she had by any measure but his life now that was a whole new level of shit show, all of his pain had truly been not of his making, unlike hers, and that was worst than any self-inflicted torture.
Poking at the fire with a stick deep in her own thoughts she looked up as the sound of crushing leaves drew near. Naruto walked into the firelight with his trademark smile, his hair was dripping wet and he had his jacket in his hand.
"What the fuck happen to you?", said Tayuya, sounding almost like she was worried.
Spreading out his jacket next to the fire he gave a short laugh and took a bowl from Jiraiya, "There is a small river or brook I guess about ten minutes that way, so I stopped and took a bath."
Shoving food in his face he let his hair dry in the firelight. Tayuya looked at the fool and stood up.
"Fuck, I need a bath too,", she grabbed her travel bag and headed out, stopping at the edge of the firelight she turned to look at the two men. "Don't either of you two perverts come peeping on me." Then turning, she heads off in the direction Naruto had pointed to.
"What's up with her?", said Naruto not having a clue to what was going on. He almost made a clone to follow her encase she ran away but Jiraiya had placed his hands over his before he could make the hand sign for a shadow clone.
"Kid, I have been studying women all my life and I still don't get it.", said Jiraiya adding some more wood to the fire. He knew she would come back, but not why and that worried him.
It was almost an hour later when a wet and almost happy Tayuya came walking back into camp. Now it was her with the wet hair sitting by the fire, she had changed her clothes and was now wearing a black crop top shirt displaying her pale toned belly with a blue pair of shorts that seemed to be panted on her as every curve was clearly visible.
After fluffing her hair in the heat of the fire she tossed it back and started tying it into a messy ponytail, her nipples pushed into her shirt as she leaned back, clearly no longer wearing a bra. Being a small girl she still has a nice set on her for her size and in truth didn't need a bra for any real support.
'They would fit nicely in the hand,', said the fox getting a grunt of agreement from the blonde boy. Why the fox seemed to be so interested in Tayuya was a question Naruto wanted to ask once he had the chance.
"What the fuck you looking at you old pervert,", said Tayuya but leaving Naruto alone as if saying it's OK to stare. Jiraiya looked her straight in the eye and held it there until she felt like looking away but didn't "I am not looking at anything that interests me little girl.", said the old shinobi as he stood up. "I think it's my turn for a bath", with a puff of smoke he was gone with a body flicker or summons they didn't know.
"Fucking old bastard, what does he know,", said Tayuya looking down at herself in the firelight, standing up she asked, "What do you think, I am woman enough, right?"
Now Naruto was forced to openly look over at the little redhead in her painted-on shorts and crop top, it seems like she wanted to be on display as she turned around in a circle and then placing her hands on her hips stared down at the sitting blonde.
"Well, say something.", she said to the frozen blonde, now what to say, he really didn't want to get hit or worst and she was great looking but can he say that, is that what she is asking for or does he play it safe and say she looked OK, dear god, women, his head was going to explore with all this thinking.
"You look really nice.", he said getting ready to run if need be.
She gave him a smile and sat back down by the fire, "Thanks", she said pulling off one of her sandals to look at the bottom of her foot. She had seen him tense up as if he had to run away from her, that was a story she would be pulling out of him, it felt wrong is so many ways and she wanted to get to the bottom of it.
"Something wrong with your foot,", ask Naruto figuring it was safer than asking about anything else especially the way those stay hairs fell around her face to give her an almost soft look.
Still looking at her foot she said, "Ya, it's all your fault, here feel this.", with that she held out her hand when he didn't move she waved it at him so he reached out and held her hand in the firelight. Dam now he is thinking like a character in prevy sensei's books.
"Wow that's soft.", he said without much thought behind it, her hand was soft, way softer than anybody's hand but for the princess's but she doesn't count as he thought she was Ino when he was touching her. Oh, the games he has to play with his own emotions.
"Ya I know, whatever you did to me healed everything, I mean look at the blisters on my foot, it's like I am some soft little princess that hasn't worked a day in her life.", said Tayuya holding her foot up in his face, "Wow those look like they hurt,", he said, seeing the bright red sores, some of them as big as his thumbnail. Pulling her foot back she took off the others sandal to rest her feet.
"Don't get me wrong I feel great, not a scratch on me, even the old scares are gone but now I have to start over again.", she said looking at the bottom of her other foot, giving Naruto a show of her flexibility alone with a few other thoughts he didn't want to have about this ex-enemy shinobi.
"Maybe Jiraiya can heal you or something, he knows a lot of Jutsu,", said Naruto.
Tayuya snapped her head up to look at him and said, "I am not letting that old fucking pervert come near me, he was on the same team as Orochimaru and I don't trust him."
"What do you mean, Tsunade was on the same team and she is the Hokage now,", said Naruto defending his Sensei.
"Ya, look how that has that worked out for you? I didn't hear about how you got special training, learned a bunch of new Jutsu, or even get help learning everything you missed at the academy. Hell, she just sent you off on your third back-to-back A-rank mission without your team for god sake.", Tayuya's little rank hit hard as he looked back on the last year. Ya nothing really changed with him bringing Sasuke back and getting promoted, Kakashi still doesn't train him and Sakura is training day and night with the Hokage, what does he get, mission after mission.
Jiraiya burst back into the camp cleaner and happier than before, seeing the two at the fire give him a dirty look he figured it was best to stay out of it and head to his tent for the night saying, "We got an early start so you better be rested."
The two teens share a look and Tayuya said, "For once that old fool is right, I am going to bed.", turning she grabs her sandals as she craws on her hands and knees into her tent giving Naruto a great look at her ass, 'dam that looks good', said the fox, 'Will you stop that, since when do you care anyway, you been quite for the last 6 months.', thought Naruto.
He can hear the fox laughing before the fox said, 'I have been enjoying the shit show of your life but this one, she sees you for you.' As Tayuya turned around and gave him a quick look before closing the tent tight Naruto says to the fox. 'What do you mean by that, she is just another crazy woman that wants something from me.'
'Pup, you got a lot to learn, this isn't one of those academy girls that is forced to chase you around like an attic looking for a fix. She is Uzumaki and that allowed me to blend your chakra together to kill that evil slime, you know her now and she knows you, you both just don't know it yet.' said the fox
Not getting his meaning and too tired to care this late at night Naruto crawls into his own tent to hopefully not dream about crazy redheads and their way too-tight shorts.
….
The next morning as they break camp Naruto can see that Tayuya has on her gray tunic over her top but still has on that way too tight blue shorts, thankfully the tunic is long enough to cover most of her assets. She is hobbling around the camp in clear pain as her feet must be killing her. Naruto was about to ask Jiraiya if he can help when the whited-haired Sannin said."What's wrong with your feet girl."
"Fuck off, there isn't anything wrong with my feet, just a little sore is all, stay away from me you toad loving ass.", said Tayuya, getting a look from Jiraiya at her sudden tirade so early in the morning.
"Fine but you better keep up.", said a pissed-off Jiraiya, 'I am too old to put up with this bullshit.', was his only thought.
Fully packed they jump into the trees heading to Fire Lake, after ten miles of none stop jumping, Naruto can see Tayuya is having a hard time keeping pace with the now pissed-off Jiraiya. Jumping over next to her he can hear her little cries of pain each time they land.
As they pause for Jiraiya to check their location on his map against some landmarks they can see in the distance Naruto looks down and can see blood on Tayuya's exposed toes.
"Get on my back, I can carry you,", he says to the redhead at his side, she gives him a heated look and he can see she is fighting back from sayings something but looking to her own feet she gives in.
Climbing on his back she wraps her arms and legs securely around him and looking over to Jiraiya she said in his ear, "Just don't let that pervert touch me." Clearly not trusting the old teammate of Orochimaru. "He's not that bad you know.", said Naruto jumping off to follow Jiraiya as he turns a little to the west. Naruto can't believe how light she is and starts to think she must be underweight or something as he feels her embrace him.
"If you knew what I know you wouldn't be saying that, Orochimaru is evil and that old fool let him get that way.", was Tayuya's reply.
…
Three days later they exited the forest, it was high noon when they stopped, a small town could be seen in the distances as the trees thinned out into open farmland. Jiraiya looked over that the two teens but didn't say a word about the way the little redhead that was wrapped around Naruto. He could see the dried blood on her feet and knew she wasn't just faking it to get a free ride out of the naive blonde. Tayuya had tried every morning to keep up with them but by the afternoon her pride gave out and she climbed onto Naruto's back without a word between them.
"That should be Smoke Village, we will stop there for supplies and see if we can pick up any news about what is going on in the area.", he said jumping down to the ground and walking over to the dirt road that lead into the village.
"We are still in Fire country so no need to hide you're a Konohagakure shinobi.", Jiraiya said walking quickly down the road with almost a skip to his step. 'There must be a bathhouse in this village,', was Naruto's first thought.
Entering the village with Tayuya still on his back Naruto looked around hoping against hope there was a ramen stand around, even bad ramen was good ramen in his book. Jiraiya found what he was looking for and headed down a side street with Naruto in tow. Pointing to a small shop at the end of the alley Jiraiya said, "Take your girl over there, it's a herbal medicine shop, then we can meet at that fish market later.", he finished by pointing back the way they came to the smelly shop on the corner. Leaving them on their own he headed out to find who knows what trouble in this little village in the woods. "I am not his girl.", yelled Tayuya at Jiraiya back as he walked away even as she pulled herself closer to Naruto's back as he walked to the medicine shop.
Exiting the shop Tayuya looked down at her now bandaged feet with a bag of extra salves and rolls of bandages for later. The nice old lady had taken great care in showing her 'Boyfriend' how to wrap her feet and apply the salves. She had played the part of a weak little girlfriend whose mean boyfriend had forced her to walk all this way. Poor Naruto didn't know what to do or say as the old lady yelled at him on the proper way to treat a girl as nice and sweat as Tayuya.
It took all of Tayuya considerable willpower not be burst out laughing at the look on Naruto's face. "You did good in there, I thought you were going to lose it a couple of times,", said Tayuya as they walked down the street side by side.
"It didn't help with you acting so, so, Ugh girly you know,", was the flustered boy's reply.
Tayuya just gave him a sideways look through her hair, over the last ten miles of jumping her hair had broken free of its ponytail again and was flowing around her head like a flame. Naruto liked the look but didn't dare say anything, still not understanding this weird girl at his side.
As they came out of the alley, with no perverted sensei insight the two teens decided to explore the village a little more before looking for the white-haired shinobi with strange footwear. Like who wears wooden shoes anyway.
Naruto was searching for a Ramen stand, any ramen at this point but Tayuya had other ideas after watching Naruto struggle with paying the old lady at the herbal shop, seems math was a big challenge for the overactive blonde.
Locating the store the old lady told her about Tayuya headed into the book store in search of a solution, as they walked in Naruto just stood around looking at the pictures on the walls until Tayuya found what she was looking for, she got Naruto to pay the clerk so they could leave.
"What did you get,", he asked looking at the shopping bag in her hand, "Don't worry about it, I will show you later, by the way the clerk said there is a Ramen stand around the next corner.", she said. With ramen so close Naruto totally forget about the book store and jogged ahead before coming back to walk with Tayuya, she was healing but not up to running after him and not Jumping all day at least not for a couple of more days.
"Sorry,", he mumbled as he returned to her side but it gave her a warm feeling that he cared enough to come back to her as they headed to the ramen stand to fill that endless pit he calls a stomach.
After way too many bowls, more than she wanted to count she paid for the meal as she found he would overpay if he can't figure out the right amount. That reminded her of the little mission she gave herself. After what he did for her removing that curse seal she felt she really needed to pay him back somehow.
Taking a seat at a tea house, across the street from the fish market Jiraiya wanted to meet at, Tayuya pointed out she would like to wait here and not at the smelly fish store, plus it gave her a table to use on her new mission.
Ordering tea and a small cake to keep the waitress happy she pulled the book from her bag and laid it out in front of Naruto. "I want you to look at this and tell me when you reach a part you don't understand, OK.", she said opening the first page of the children's math book.
Looking at the pages of numbers and cartoons of fish being added up to bigger fish Naruto pushed the book away, "I don't need this stuff.", looking over at Tayuya. "You want to be Hokage then you do need this stuff, that old lady does paperwork all day right, well what do you think is on that paperwork,", pointing down at the book, "This is what is on that paper work, numbers and a lot of them so read and tell me where you get lost dammit", Tayuya said finally losing her temper with the ramen obsessed blonde.
Giving in Naruto starts to flip pages as Tayuya drank her tea and nibbled on a piece of cake when he landed on a page halfway into the book with a table of numbers label,' Multiplication Table', he froze and looked up at her. "The last time I saw this they kicked me out of class for farting, but I didn't I swear.", he said looking over to Tayuya as she leaned forward to see what page he was on.
"OK, then we start here, so do you know what 1 times 1 is,", she said holding her finger on the first line. Naruto looked down and then back up to her and asked, "Why are you doing this?"
Not wanting to tell him the truth that she felt his pain and it was so much like her own it freaked her out she thought fast for another reason to use and then remembered what the old lady Hokage had said.
"We are clan mates, you're the only one I know of so we got to take care of each other and I don't want any clan member of mine not knowing basic math so, what is 1 times 1", she said not wanting to give him a chance to overthink this.
As the hours went by and Tayuya ended up drinking way too much tea the sunset on the two of them without any sign of Jiraiya. Slapping the book closed Naruto looked up and said, "I am so done with this, can't we do something else?" Feeling the same but also feeling they had made great progress she put the book back in her bag and said, "So what do you have in mind? AND don't say Ramen."
Seeing the defeated look on his face she knew that is what he wanted but he said, "No that wasn't it but we should go find that old fool, did you see any bathhouses around?"
"Don't know, I will go ask the waitress.", said Tayuya as she walked away.
Returning Tayuya sat back down and started putting her things back in her bag, "There is a Baishun Yado just outside of town, it seems there Geisha are kind of famous and that old bastard took this little side trip to visit it.", said Tayuya, Naruto expected her to be all mad about this but she was just taking this as normal for Jiraiya.
They walked for about an hour talking mostly about all the types of Ramen Naruto had eaten on is travels with Jiraiya before finding the Morning Dew, Geisha House. It was impressive in its size and seemed to have about hundred guest inside and out walking the garden paths. They asked around and were able to find Jiraiya in a private bar with three ladies sitting around drinking on traditional tatami mats.
"Dammit sensei, I thought we were leaving today.", said Naruto as soon as they walked into the room. Getting disapproving looks from all three ladies sitting with Jiraiya Naruto snapped his mouth shut. Tayuya seemed to be a little more calm about this and bowing said, "We have a long way to travel still, don't you think we should be going?"
"Lord Jiraiya has paid for the night,", said one of the Geisha in her flowing silk robs and painted face. She looked like she walked out of a panting of the royal count.
"Please forgive us, we didn't know,", said Tayuya bowing again to the room.
Jiraiya reached into his robs and pulled out a small bag of money and handed it to Naruto, "Get yourself a room we can leave tomorrow.", clearly more then a little drunk Jiraiya grinned at the two teens as they left the room.
Once outside Naruto spun around and said to Tayuya, "What was that all about, you acted so nice and not even a swear word. You feeling OK?"
"Dear god you really are a dumb fuck aren't you. Those were Kiru Yoru Geisha, the great night assassins of the Yakuza Clans. That old fool must be cutting some deal with them or something. You insult one of them and you will find poison in every teapot and bowl of ramen for the rest of your short life.", said Tayuya in a low voice pulling Naruto away from the building.
"But we are Ninja, we shouldn't be afraid of them.", said Naruto once Tayuya stopped pulling him down a garden path.
"Before there were Ninja the Kiru Yoru ruled the night and if you think they lost any of that power you really don't understand women.", said Tayuya, "They don't use flashy jutsu, they using something much more powerful, sex, they have been known to turn whole countries against each other for the love of one women so learn respect for the oldest profession."
Returning to town they soon found some rooms to rent over the tea house and after Tayuya allowed Naruto to binge on Ramen until he was full they headed back for good nights sleep. She still couldn't understand were he put all that food, clearly there was a jutsu involved as the human body couldn't hold that much liquid without exploding.
All the next day they spend an the tea house or as Naruto started to call it the 'class room' as Tayuya would not stop for a minute until he finished all the lessons in the math book. It was late afternoon with the sun heading behind the mountains when Naruto stretched his arms over his head and said. "I think we need to go find Jiraiya, he said we would be living today."
"Let me go use the restroom and we can walk back, I drank so much tea I don't think I will be able to sleep at all tonight.", said Tayuya heading into the building. Naruto walked out into the street to see if the old man was walking around looking for them when he felt a hand land on his shoulder.
"I knew you would be dumb enough to come here after releasing so much chakra, Samehada was able to smell your chakra for miles,", said the blue-faced demon of the mist, Kisame the last of the seven swordsmen of the mist was laughing at his own joke as stood over the blonde boy. Naruto froze feeling the shark-like man's fingers digging deep into his shoulder. Struggling to get free he was held in place by the shark man, "Come on kid just come with me and I won't have to cut your legs off or anything. We just want your tailed beast.", laughed Kisame easily holding the blonde from running away.
"Excuse me, sir, would you like some tea,", said the waitress in the outdoor tea house Naruto had just exited Naruto tried his best to turn and warn the unsuspecting girl when Kisame turned to yell at the foolish woman.
"Listen girly you had better run a…", he started to say as Tayuya threw a large pot of boiling black tea into his face. She had also added a fist full of crushed red peppers and anything else she could find in the kitchen when she ran back there to grab the pot. The mixture of spices burned into his eyes and the water blistered the skin of his face, screaming in pain he covered his face with both hands as Tayuya grabbed a Kunai from Naruto's pouch and stabbed it into the blue monster's throat.
Knowing this wouldn't kill him but at least buy then much needed time Tayuya screamed in Naruto's face, "RUN!", jumping on the boys back as he took off, "Make some clones, lots of clones and hide our tracks,", she said as he headed out of town, with a swarm of clones heading in every direction, even some attaching Kisame to keep him busy as blue blood ran down his neck covering the black cloak he was wearing.
Not slowing down for a second Naruto hit the tree line a mile from town and keep going with more and more clones covering his tracks while others making false tracks leading down the road he hoped they can lose the blue madman.
Riding on Naruto's back Tayuya kept an eye on the trees behind them but not seeing any wave of water or even a pissed off blue face behind them she was beginning to think it worked, it was getting darker by the second and she hoped that would help, "Do you know how to suppress your chakra.", she asked the blonde as he jumped from tree to tree.
"Are you kidding me, they barely taught me tree climbing, chakra control was my worst subject.", Naruto said not slowing down. "Then you betting move faster,.", was Tayuya only reply as distance was there only hope now. "With your chakra strength and that Samehada thing being able to sense you miles away I think you need to put at least 10 miles between us before it can't find us.", she added for good measure.
Speeding up as fast as he can Naruto said, "How do you know that?"
"Easy chakra drops at the square of the distance times the power level divided by the intensity of the user so given your power levels and assuming that thing is above normal sensor I say ten miles or so we should be safe.", said Tayuya like it was normal to know chakra intensity theory.
"How do you know all that?", asks Naruto again still not believing her.
"Math, dammit, Math, so run.", she said giving up on him getting it any time soon.
Given his current speed and the Kyubbi healing him from exhaustion as fast as it can she figures to just let him run until he drops. She tries to contain some of his Chakra with her own to hide their trail but had no idea if it was working or not.
Running in the dark was never a good idea and running at full speed was even worst, they learned this the hard way when they popped out of the tree line and found themselves flying off a cliff. With a river, fifty feet below Tayuya had time to say. "I hope you can swim.", as she launched herself off his back hoping to find the other side of the river just as they hit the strangely black water,it was freezing as it was flowing down out of the mountain glaciers of earth country.
Kicking his way back to the surface Naruto looked around for Tayuya, it was dark, cold and the river was moving faster and faster as he starts to climb onto the moving surface when he hears a roaring sound. As he gets one foot up on the water a wave hits him and he falls back into the swirling water, pulling himself back to the surface the roaring is all around him and suddenly he is in the air again falling with the water as he heads over and then down a waterfall into the blackness below.
Curling into a ball he only hopes Tayuya was able to make it out as he hits the bottom and millions of tons of water push him deep into the bottom of the river bouncing around the rocks and dead trees the undercurrent pulls him down to the bottom and pins him there as he blacks out.
…
I am back, the plan is to go come up with a story that is new, fresh and full of sex but still have a plot. Please review if you do or don't like what is happening.