Disclaimer: I do not own "Naruto" or any other characters related to the series
Chapter Twenty-seven
"Toss that wooden flank to me!" Karibi waited while three men lifted a slab of wood towards the her, the jonin taking it with ease. She nodded a "thanks," to the three before she placed the plank of wood on the rooftop and began to nail it down securely. A trail of sweat rolled down her temple, but the kunoichi didn't mind it while she worked. It wasn't until the sun rose high above the horizon and the streets began to fill with the hustle and bustle of the villagers that the woman slowed down, leaping off the rooftop for water.
"Hard at work, I see." Smiling at the familiar voice, the redhead turned on her heel and watched as her closest friend approached her, a new edition of Icha Icha Paradise in his hand; a recent gift from the writer, himself.
"Yes, well, I'm sure it's something you're unfamiliar with," the young woman teased, wiping her brow with the back of her hand before she leaned back against the wall. She raised a brow at the way the gray-haired jonin stopped with hardly a step between them. Her weary eyes tracked the man's every move closely, the wily smile on his covered face making her chuckle.
"Someone's feeling bold today."
"Aren't I always?" Kakashi released a chuckle before he brushed past the woman and stood beside her. He pressed his own back against the wall, lifting his head to gaze up at the blue sky.
"Looks like the reconstruction's going well."
"It's been moving faster since a few of us have volunteered to help," the Uzumaki explained, taking another gulp from her water bottle. Her eyes bounced from one villager to the next before they drifted towards the man to her left. She eyed him while he stood a hair closer to her than he normally would.
"...What's wrong?"
"Nothing." His instant response made her insides churn.
"Kakashi—"
"Do you have other plans after this?" The redhead let her brows furrow with confusion, the man deflecting her questions and concerns more than he normally did.
"...Most of the day will be spent with Naruto. He asked me to continue helping him train. I may try and teach him a few things." Kakashi nodded, amusement gleaming in his visible eye.
"Someone seems to be acclimating to the idea of being a teacher." Karibi scoffed.
"Hardly."
The two stood in a comfortable silence for a few more minutes before the moment was broken, the concern that had buried itself within the young woman sprouting wildly inside of her soul. "What are you doing?" Kakashi turned his head to face his friend, watching as the uncertainty oozed out of her gaze. He could feel her anxiety wafting from her body, and he couldn't blame her; they could always see through one another so easily.
"...I have some unfinished business to deal with today." With wide eyes, Karibi watched as Kakashi leaned forward, his masked cheek brushing against her bare one. A shiver ran down her spine as his lips lightly traced her ear.
"Have a good day for me." And then, he was placing a soft kiss to her cheek and walking away.
Karibi was left standing in the aftermath for five, long minutes.
§
Her mind was filled with confusion and worry while she sat on her usual stool at Ichiraku Noodle stand. Her finger tapped lightly on the counter while she waited for her guest to arrive. She didn't mind his tardiness in this instance, there was so much on her mind in that moment.
Five minutes longer, and Naruto finally arrived.
"Sorry, Ribi-chan!" Said woman blinked before she looked back over her shoulder, an expectant look on her face as Naruto smiled sheepishly at her with a hand behind his hand. "I was catching up with Konohamaru," he explained, his words rushed and packed into one breath; a relieved sigh fell from his lips when he noticed the exasperation fade at the name he mentioned.
"Sit, Short-stuff. Don't worry about it." Patting the stool to her right, Karibi waited for the genin to sit. With a grin, he hopped up on to the seat and waved at Teuchi and Ayame. The three began to chat, catching up since the last time they had seen one another; it had been since before the chuunin exam. Karibi rested her cheek against her palm and let her arm rest against the counter, watching fondly while Naruto beamed at the ramen shop owners. He explained his early morning routine to the pair before he began to dig into his pocket, in search for the coupon that he had promised he would use.
His face paled at the realization it was lost.
"Wait a minute!" Naruto began to frantically dig through each pocket of his pants before he dug through the pockets of his jacket. Karibi blinked and watched with slight amusement as the blond began to flail around, tugging her jacket off and shaking it out on the ground. "I swear, I just had it!" The redhead rolled her eyes, exchanging a knowing look with Ayame before she chuckled and turned her attention to the genin.
"Naruto, it's fine. I can just—"
"No! I said I would take care of lunch this time, and I meant it! Believe it!" The older Uzumaki rolled her eyes, shaking her head but letting the boy do as he pleased.
Things between Naruto and Karibi had been going swimmingly. Even after the passing of the honorable Third Hokage, the two had found themselves much closer than they had been before. There was a plethora of reasons for this change, but the specifics didn't quite matter to either of them. Karibi was just happy to wake up in the morning without being covered in a sheet of sweat, and Naruto was relieved to find Karibi still around by the time he woke up.
The times of running away and causing a ruckus had truly passed them by.
Slapping herself on the forehead, the 22-year-old looked away with embarrassment, Naruto hazardously yapping to himself while he attempted to strip off his pants and flail those around with his jacket. The guardian of the young boy muttered to herself about his sad behavior before she paused. With doe-like eyes, the woman stood to her feet, scuffling past the flaps that hung from the entrance of the shop. As Naruto jabbered on about the coupon he had misplaced, Karibi's amethyst eyes remained glued towards the direction in which she had come from.
A presence in the air made her heart sink.
"Hey! Ribi-chan! I found it!" Tearing her eyes from the road, Karibi turned back to Naruto. His grin made the heaviness over her shoulders ebb away, a small smile spreading across her face.
"Where was it?"
"Funny story! I was in the middle of the training and then I remembered we were going out for ramen today!" He retold the story of his misplacement of the coupon while tugging his clothes back on. And all the while, Karibi shook her head and chuckled.
Not once did Naruto notice the gleam of discomfort in her eyes.
§
"Teuchi-san! I'm trying to ween him off of this 'ramen only' diet. You're not helping the cause!"
"Ah, sorry Kari-san! I just want to make sure he's getting enough in him for all that training he's been up to!"
"Oh, he's eating plenty! And more, if you ask me."
"Hey—ow!"
"What did I tell you about talking with your mouth full of food, idiot."
Even with just Karibi and Naruto at Ichiraku, it was as lively as ever. Laughter filled the air while Ayame helped her father prepare the noodles, Naruto grinning and Karibi smiling before she shook her head. For a bit of time, she had forgotten about whatever ominous energy she had felt previously. For the first time in a long time, she was merely living in the moment with Naruto. And it was easy, and it was fun. It was filled with happiness and free—something Karibi rarely experienced.
"I don't—"
"Well, would you look at that! I can't believe I'm seeing it with my own eyes!"
"Huh? Ero-sennin?" Jiraiya faltered as he always did when Naruto used that moniker. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to see it myself. The kid with the all-ramen diet." The blond beamed while the redhead beside him scoffed.
"Don't encourage him, Jiraiya."
"Karibi, looking as healthy as ever. And might I say, you're just bea—"
"You can keep your weird crap to yourself." Jiraiya smiled sheepishly.
"F—Fair enough." The sanin took a seat on Naruto's other side, and before long, he had joined in the ruckus of laughter that had been stirring before.
After two more bowls of ramen—one on Jiraiya and one on the house—the three waved goodbye to the shopkeepers, heading down the street at a leisurely pace. "If you two don't have anything planned, I'd like to borrow Naruto for a bit." Said blond blinked, Karibi eyeing the older shinobi warily.
"But I wanted to train with Ribi-chan today!" Karibi said nothing while Naruto pouted at Jiraiya; the sanin kept his gaze on Karibi.
It was in that moment she remembered the ominous chakra.
"Naruto, why don't you go ahead and hang out with Jiraiya for a bit." That made the blond gap.
"But—But Ribi-chan—"
"Don't worry. Just humor the old guy for a little. He's clearly feeling lonely and needs some attention." Naruto snickered while said "old guy" scoffed.
"Hilarious."
"Just a few hours," Karibi stated evenly; she turned and began to stroll away. "A few hours and then we start our training, got it?" Naruto began to bounce on his toes out of the sheer excitement he had flowing within his veins. He nodded enthusiastically while Karibi threw a wave over her shoulder. And Jiraiya merely watched with a smile.
These two were rather interesting.
§
The second she had rounded the corner, Karibi was sprinting as fast and as far as her feet would carry her. With one leap, she was on the rooftops, avoiding the traffic of people on the streets. Her heart slammed against her chest as she jumped across the way gracefully, landing in front of a mass of green that had been making its way down the road.
"Kari-chan! I've—"
"Guy, there's trouble!" She didn't waste time explaining or going any further. She merely continued down her path; she wasn't even sure if the man had heard her.
It took him a few minutes to register the message, but he had heard her loud and clear.
Karibi grit her teeth as she followed her instincts and headed for the impressive pressure of chakra. She nearly faltered when she felt a waver in a familiar chakra, her face nearly paling; whatever unfinished business Kakashi had been talking about, this was it.
Landing in the thick of the trees, Karibi remained unseen to the eyes. Her chakra was untraceable, and she was as silent as a dark night. Through the leaves, the woman could see Kurenai and Asuma standing on the water with Kakashi in front of them. It was quiet—far quieter than Karibi liked. And as she took note of the intruders of the village, her chest tightened.
Kisame Hoshigaku and Itachi.
Itachi Uchiha.
This makes much more sense. Why Kakashi had left her in the dark.
Not wasting another second, Karibi leapt out from her coverage. Her hands were already creating seals, Kisame's eyes wide as her shadow flew over his head. The bottoms of her sandals pushed off against the railing she landed on, giving her another several feet in the air. There was hardly any time for anyone to react as the kunoichi landed a hair behind Itachi. The Uchiha didn't even flinch, a sharp point suddenly pressed against his neck.
Karibi narrowed her eyes as she held her open palm out to the Leaf traitor. A thin needle of ice protruded from her open hand, extending out to the pulse of Itachi's neck. She remained silent for a few seconds, Kisame watching from a distance with a snarl on his face.
"Release him. Whatever you're doing to him, let him go now." She had been referring to Itachi's Tsukiyomi.
"Ka—Karibi?" Kurenai called out, Asuma nearly biting through his cigarette.
"What the hell is happening?"
"I know you're not deaf, Uchiha. I said let him go!" the woman nearly yelled, the point of her ice needle digging further into his skin; a drop of blood dribbled down to his collarbone.
"Karibi the Reaper."
"Huh. Not impressed." Kisame smirked from where he stood, his sword propped up against his shoulder. Karibi let her leer venture towards the rogue Mist ninja before she rolled her eyes.
"Shut the hell up. I'm not concerned with you." Abruptly, her free arm was held out behind her, her hand open and another needle stretching out from her palm. She kept her eyes on the back of Itachi's head, though she could still feel Kisame's real presence from behind.
The Mist ninja stood motionlessly with his sword above his head and Karibi's icy point aimed right between his eyes.
"I'm giving you another three seconds to do what the fuck I tell you!" It was quick—falling back into the person she was before Naruto.
The creature born out of agony and despair.
Itachi remained silent for one moment. His eyes remained on Kakashi, but his thoughts were on what the woman had told him. After another second, a gasp erupted from the Copy Nin, the man's shoulders slumping and his breaths heavy.
Karibi was satisfied.
"An Ice Release jutsu. Interesting, seeing as you do not possess a kekkei genkai and are still able to create ice spontaneously." Itachi was truly enthralled. "However, I suppose that makes sense, Uzumaki-san." The redhead ignored the murderer before her eyes flickered up towards Kakashi.
He was collapsing to his knees.
"Kakashi? What is it? Can we open our eyes now?" Kurenai questioned urgently, Asuma grunting as he waited for an answer.
"If you pull anything funny against those two, right in front of you, I will stab you through your throat, pour your blood into a glass and drink happily from it," Karibi hissed in a low voice; her words nearly made her comrades shake. "So, if we're all on the same page—Kurenai, Asuma, open your eyes." After a few apprehensive seconds, the pair did as told.
Itachi did nothing.
"You're going to answer my questions now, Uchiha."
"...I'm afraid I can't do that." The former Anbu clenched her jaw shut.
"Not good enough for—" The woman turned her head to Kisame and snarled, her arm now aimed for his shoulder; her ice pierced right through his flesh and bone. The rogue shinobi cried out in shock and unexpected pain, the former Anbu shaking her head before she narrowed her eyes; she tried to ignore the blood dripping off of her ice.
"I told you to stay out of the way." With a scoff, the redhead turned back to Itachi.
"What did you do to him?" What had he done to Kakashi?
The Leaf traitor remained quiet for a moment as he gazed over that the Copy Ninja. He watched as the man lifted his head, his wary eyes finally taking note of the woman behind him; the concern was obvious in the way they gleamed.
"It's a technique called Tsukiyomi. Not even Kakashi the Copy Ninja and his Sharingan could fight against it." Karibi did well to remain composed.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Again, the Uchiha took a moment to think.
"We are looking for something. And we know that it's here in this village." Immediately, Karibi's thoughts drifted to the younger Uchiha.
"This thing that you're looking for—is it Sasuke?" Karibi glanced to Kakashi, her friend still mentally intact. Everyone waited for Itachi's reply, assuming that his answer would be yes.
They were all utterly shocked.
"No. We are in search of the Fourth Hokage's legacy." Karibi's blood ran cold.
"What? What the hell is he talking about?" Kurenai questioned, her eyes wide and her body trembling; the tension in the air became thicker and thicker as the seconds passed.
Karibi's ice, cold laughter suddenly filled the silence, catching everyone off guard. Itachi remained cool and collected while Kisame winced, glaring at the kunoichi. Her head hung low while her shoulders shook with amusement. After a few seconds, she looked up, her red hair cascading over the front of her face.
"You were foolish to come for him." Sharingan eyes narrowed at the stale words spoken. "I'm going to have to kill you now."
Karibi didn't miss a beat, jumping into the air and thrusting her palms down towards the water. Two water clones of Kisame emerged from the river, though the Leaf shinobi's ice sliced right through the clones without trouble. Swinging her arms around, the kunoichi used the momentum of her movement to spin in the air, darts of ice shooting out towards the rogue invaders. Kisame quickly leaped backwards while pressing his hand against his injury, Itachi merely turning to face Karibi with a blank look on his face.
"Karibi, what do you want us to do?" Asuma barked, Kakashi panting as he tried to stand to his feet. His withered gaze trailed after Karibi, both eyes now exposed and in the open. He watched as she moved recklessly, her darts coursing through the Shadow Clone Itachi had created.
"They're after the essence of the Nine-tailed fox. And they're not alone," Kakashi explained, grunting while he tried to stand once more. "There are seven others who work with them." He recalled Jiraiya's words clearly.
"They call themselves the Akatsuki."
Itachi and Kisame narrowed their eyes at Kakashi's words.
"Kisame."
"Right." He didn't need to hear much else; Kakashi knew too much.
Without warning, the sword wielder was heading straight for the three Leaf shinobi on the water. Karibi narrowed her eyes, landing back on the water and shifting her attention towards the rogue Mist ninja.
"Fire Styl—" The redhead felt a presence behind her and quickly diverted her attack towards Itachi. His nimble hand knocked her fist out of the way, the other holding a kunai tightly. Karibi swiftly grabbed hold of the Uchiha's wrist, the end of the blade an inch or so away from her face.
"Severe Leaf Hurricanes!" Guy's booming voice brought comfort to Karibi's soul, a smirk spreading across her face; her complete concentration was now on Itachi.
Kisame skid against the water, though his chakra kept him from sinking. He was quick to roll back on to his feet, standing upright with an entertained grin upon his face; he bared his jagged teeth at the man who had knocked him back. "Well, well, well. Who do we have here?"
The man in all green smirked proudly as he stood up tall, one hand behind his back and the other held out in his stationary position. There was a determined shimmer in his eyes as he gazed up the Mist ninja, his attention flickering towards Karibi and Itachi for just a second. "The Leaf's fiercest beast in battle. I'm Might Guy."
Kisame let out a hearty laugh while placing his sword against his shoulder. He glanced over to his comrade, Itachi still stuck in a stand-still with Karibi; she was a fearsome thing to behold. "Don't underestimate him, Kisame," came his teammate's warning; a grunt soon fell from his lips after as Karibi pushed back against his force.
"If you think I'm going to let you get away, you're going to be very disappointed." Karibi growled at Itachi, the Uchiha realizing his mistake the moment he had made it.
This woman had an extremely personal relationship with the jinchuriki; she would fight to the death for him.
"Guy!" Karibi didn't have to look to know Kakashi was out. It was in the way that his chakra flowed and moved that she understood. He was down for the count. And her friend didn't need to ask to know what it was she was asking of him. He merely knelt down and carefully hoisted his unconscious friend up over his shoulder.
"What they must've put him through." Narrowing his eyes, Guy kept his eyes on Kisame knowing full well that looking in Itachi's direction was dangerous; as long as Karibi was keeping him busy, they would be fine.
"I've sent word for the Anbu Black Ops!" Guy called out, Karibi grunting as she pushed Itachi another step backwards; her gaze remained on his neck. "Kurenai, get Kakashi to the med corp. While you do that, Asuma and I will take care of Kisame."
"What about Karib—"
"Out of everyone here, she has extensive training with Kakashi and his Sharingan. And truth be told, I wouldn't want to fight her if I were them, anyways." Guy smirked. "She has that look in her eyes."
"...Kisame. Let's go." Itachi was smart. Smarter than anyone would know. And the truth was, he and his comrade were not here to start a fight they didn't plan to finish. They had greater matters to deal with, and dealing with the Leaf Anbu would only prolong their stay. Itachi had meant this to be a quick and easy mission, and now things were getting out of hand. And so, it was time to end things before they begun.
However, the Uzumaki in front of him had plans of her own.
"Didn't you hear me the first time?" Karibi moved swiftly, shoving Itachi back and spinning around on her heels. "You're not going anywhere!"
Kisame was stronger in raw strength, but Itachi was much faster and played his game strategically. And so, she aimed her forces towards the former, kunai in her hands and eyes locked on to the rogue Mist shinobi. Her pupils shrunk when Itachi suddenly appeared beside his teammate, hand placed on his unharmed shoulder. The young man gazed at her, the woman avoiding his Sharingan eyes.
In a cloud of smoke, the two disappeared.
"Bastards!" Karibi skid to a halt, her blood and adrenaline pumping wildly in her. Her eyes darted around, her concentration set on finding the two who had escaped.
"Karibi!" Said kunoichi paused at Guy's heavy voice, his eyes watching her closely; any more, and he was sure she would be lost to them.
Taking a steady breath in, the woman relaxed. She ignored the weary glances she received from her friends, her thoughts lingering on Itachi and his search for Minato's legacy.
His search for Naruto.
Her hands were balled up into tight fists, her jaw clenched shut. His words echoed in her ears, Karibi blood pressure suddenly sky rocketing once more. It wasn't until a hand was clasping on to her shoulder that the darkness faded into the light. "Karibi." Guy gazed gently at his friend, Kakashi still hanging limply at his side. "We have to get Kakashi help." Guilt swam through the woman as she nodded, carefully cupping the man's face in her hands to examine his features; his lax expression was almost deceiving.
"...Let's go." And with that, the five disappeared.
Hello all! Happy post-Turkey day! I hope everyone was able to enjoy the day and you guys were all able to eat a plethora of whatever you wanted!
It's been a long wait since I was able to actually update this story. I apologize for the extended wait, but as whoever is reading may already know, my streaks of posting and then disappearing are inconsistent. But I am back! So there is no need to worry about that!
Enter the era of Itachi and Kisame and the Akatsuki! This is the part in the series that always gets crazy with things that will unfold and what it truly ignites for all the characters! It's so interesting to plop Karibi into the middle of it! I tried to make sure the plot still made sense with the series but also made sense as things with Karibi involved won't exactly be the same. There is going to be a lot that happens, and starting from here, there are going to be a lot of moments between Naruto/Karibi and Jiraiya/Karibi. I hope that whoever is reading looks forward to that! In the flip side, things between Karibi/Kakashi take a backseat. Even as I write this, I get sad LOL But not to worry, as the story continues on and the plot progresses, it will all come together. I hope that you guys will enjoy what I have in store for this story as we get into the thick of things!
And just as a side note, in light of the way the world has been and just the climate of things, I hope everyone stays safe and that we can all share a little love with each other!
Thanks again for whoever is reading, following and favoriting! I appreciate the support and am happy that you are enjoying this story thus far!
Reviews:
bored411: Thank you for reading and reviewing! Death is always such a sensitive topic and people always manage it in different ways, so I just wanted to make sure that I wrote that part of the series well. I'm glad to hear that you think so! Now that we're getting to this part, it's going to lead to Tsunade, and it's going to be a fun time seeing how Karibi and Tsunade engage with one another XD I hope that you'll enjoy what's ahead with them!
WindyCitySlayer1: I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed the chapter! I hope that as you continue reading and as the story goes on, you continue to read and enjoy! I will work my hardest on this project! I know that I'm in and out of posting and then going missing for a bit, but I do plan to continue this and push through. I appreciate your patience and I hope you will continue to enjoy as you read. Thank you for reviewing!
AnimeFrkGrl: I think in a perfect world, people would be able to really forgive and forget, but unfortunately for Karibi and Jiraiya, that's just not the case LOL Karibi's nature isn't quite the forgiving type, and she sometimes holds a lot of pride which may also get in the way of that. But their relationship is something that they are both building up and trying to work on, and I'm glad that you see even the subtlest of ways that they are trying! Writing the funeral piece of the series was interesting. Any scene where death or sadness is involved I think is important to try and really get across because it's a big piece of the story. Especially since it's Third. I remember watching it during the show and just being so devastated! And it's a genuine relief to know that you are able to get the same sort of emotions by reading this! Being a reader, it's always great to be able to connect with any kind of story you're reading like that! You are so kind with your words, and I appreciate the support and love that you give for this story and my writing! I am trying my best, and although it's not perfect, I am so happy to know that you really do like the writing as well as the plot of this! People have their strengths and their weaknesses with anything that they do! So I understand your difficulties with writing humor as I have the same issues with just as you said, smut and "M" content! Thank you again for your support and your kindness! I will continue to work on this and do my best, and I hope you will continue to read and enjoy this story!
kaaeiful: Hi there! Yes, he did stay with Karibi in the hospital! I honestly have so much fun writing the fluff between Naruto and Karibi. There wasn't much of it in the beginning, so I am taking full advantage of the moments that I can have them together now! And as for Kakashi and Karibi, their relationship really just sort of wrote itself after a certain point, and I think after everything they've been through together it gets easier to see and write just how much they mean to each other! I have talked with readers and reviewers, and although it's something that I am not as strong with, there will be mature rated chapters coming up! Can't say when, as right now we are getting into some knitty-gritty things with Akatsuki and Naruto, but there will be more between Kakashi and Karibi to come! Thank you for taking the time to read this story and thank you for leaving a review!
creativesm75: Hello! Thank you for reading and thank you for taking the time to review! I'm glad to know that you are enjoying this story so far! There is still so much ground to cover and a lot more that happens, but I am excited to continue on with the series and with Karibi in mind! I appreciate your support and I hope that you will continue to read and continue to enjoy this!
Meepus: Hi! Thank you so much for giving this story a chance and reading this! And thank you so much for such kind words about my writing! In all honesty, there is still so much that I can improve on, but I'm working hard to do my best and make sure that I get the best I can with this story! This is a hobby I picked up that I didn't realize I would love and enjoy so much, so I'm glad that I decided on this! Thank you for reading this, and thank you for supporting!