章 9: G
Chapter 260:
They traveled to the roof for their match and though the space was
small, it was equally so. It didn't take long for Tenten to feel that
quicksand. She couldn't even manage to make Haku use his jutsu, let
alone his weapons. His speed alone outmatched her, the foreign boy
parried everything, and she felt the pressure like she was drowning in
it. In the end, Haku didn't break a sweat, Tenten never landed a strike,
and she couldn't stop disparaging thoughts repeatedly asking, 'how
can I be so weak?'
Crouching beside the huffing Tenten, Haku asks, "do you understand
now?"
"…No," Tenten growls. "Why are you so good? Why is Naruto? And
Neji-kun, Lee, and Guy-sensei? And everybody, but me!"
"I can't speak for your teammates or 'everybody,'" Haku calmly voices.
"However, I can tell you why Naruto-sama is strong."
Sitting up, Tenten demands, "tell me. How did he beat Zabuza?"
Taking this conversation indoors, Haku and Tenten settle around the
dining table before they speak. Tenten has a bag of ice against her
bruised cheek as Haku articulates, "it's not about the strategy Naruto-
sama used to beat Zabuza-sama. It's about his mental fortitude." At
Tenten's drawn in eyebrows, Haku answers, "Naruto-sama has an
innate understanding of who he is and isn't afraid of his capabilities."
She sarcastically asks, "why would he be? Why would anyone be
scared of being that strong?"
"Our deepest fears are not rooted in our inadequacy," Haku wise
counsels, "humankind's deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond
measure. Most people you come across in life are content to simply
have a place in society. They are content to conform and with good
reason. To do so is much easier to live with; it's accepting, sociable,
and comfortable-"
A tired and hurt Tenten accidentally let slip from her lips, "sheep,"
surprising and scaring her at the same time.
Haku has the decency to let it slide as he continues explaining from
across the table. "But playing small doesn't serve the world. It serves
the interests of others at the expense of your self and your dreams.
Zabuza-sama and Naruto-sama may be polar opposites, but neither
men have such fears. They don't accept conformity. They are daring,
and without hesitation, would fight death itself for what matters to them.
That is the key to their strength."
Tenten takes a minute to consider Haku's words before asking, "and
you can make me that strong?"
"I can only show you the way," the boy responds. "You must be the one
to walk it, and crucially, without fear."
Tenten sags her shoulders and with deep resignation, answers, "…
well, it's not as if I have a choice."
"Good," Haku voices before declaring, "your first task is to kill a
homeless-"
"I'm not killing a homeless person," Tenten calls out. "Why do you keep
saying that?"
"Tenten-chan," Haku patiently starts. "The largest area of improvement
isn't your body, but your mind. You have too much fear, and if you're
going to be a weapon worthy of the strongest opponents, you need to
change your mindset."
"To that of a killer like Zabuza?"
"Not necessarily," Haku returns truthfully. "I myself do not engage in
killing."
"See," Tenten huffs.
"After I killed my father who had killed my mother before trying to kill
me, I didn't adhere to it as readily as others might have." Tenten looks
at Haku's serene face, and couldn't believe such a calm and beautiful
face would say something so horrible. Her own father may value
money over many things but even he would attempt to kill his own
daughter.
"Still," Haku continues. "That event did brake me enough for Zabuza-
sama to mold me into his weapon. Both Naruto-sama and Zabuza-
sama have gone through mental barriers I doubt you've ever neared,
hence why I suggest murder. No one will miss a homeless person-"
"I'm not killing anyone," Tenten calls, already feeling sick to her
stomach at the way Haku wants to train her. Tenten then asks, "is there
another barrier that doesn't involve murder?"
Tenten can't help but be jealous of the beautiful boy as he quirks his
neat brow in thought. She couldn't believe how unfair his beauty is as
the boy mutters to himself, "you're so innocent, there should be
something… oh!" Haku then happily asks, "have you had- wait, do you
have a boyfriend?"
Startled, Tenten's voice stutters when she asks, "what? Why?"
"Do you," Haku maintains.
"N-no," she hesitates to respond.
Continuing to his invasive questioning, he asks, "do you have someone
you love?"
"I… I don't have to tell you that," she defends.
"Then this conversation is over-"
"Wait, wait," she calls before he even gets up. Nervously, she blushes
to admit, "I… sort of like someone… but… he doesn't feel the same."
"I see," Haku mumbles. After a moment of deep thought, Haku nods
and merrily tells Tenten, "well, if you're opposed to murder, then having
sex with Naruto-sama is your only other option."
Dropping the bag of ice, Tenten slams her palms on the dining table,
shaking the wood, as she sits up, the movement of which knocks the
chair back, and yells, "WHAT! HOW DO YOU- …WHY WOULD YOU-
WHAT!"
Standing himself, Haku raises an easing palm to settle the pretty girl's
shocked countenance as he explains, "I am not holding your hand
through this, Tenten-chan, nor will I explain this multiple times. I'll say
this once and give you the week to think it over." He waits several
moments for her to object, but the only sound from her is heavy
breathing.
"Sex is something intimate," Haku starts. "It's a social bond you share
with a significant person you relate well with. In some respects, it's the
very vulnerable heart of you as an individual… that level of sensitivity
will kill you in battle. As you are, you are all about your feelings; your
fears, your insecurities. All of that needs to be dialed back a substantial
amount so you can stop thinking about how you feel and instead
concentrate on the outcome that must happen. The burden of murder
would be a good dampener, but loveless sex works well enough."
Haughty and blushing, Tenten tries to argue, "first, I don't agree-"
"Says the sheep who lost," Haku interjects.
Visibly upset, Tenten struggles to swallow her pride to utter, "…Even if
you believe that's what I need, why Naruto-kun? W-why n-not… y-y-
you?"
Shrugging the little her question actually matters, Haku answers the
wildly blushing girl, "you're not my preference. Also, Naruto's the only
person I know in Konoha, we live together, and as his tool, I obviously
serve him in any way I can."
With tight animated fists, Tenten cries out, "but SEX!"
Chapter 261:
With gravitas that cut through her reservations, Haku palpably
vocalizes, "you want to change but you don't want to sacrifice. Zabuza-
sama, Naruto-sama, myself, and many other strong warriors had to
sacrifice who they were to become who they are. I guarantee you no
legend you met was born that way. They were made into being; forged
into being. I can understand your hesitance to murder someone, but if
you're unwilling to sacrifice even this in order to cross beyond your
comfortable boundaries, then I don't know how to train you. You have a
week, then I will expect an answer."
Though Tenten expected Haku to leave after clearly explaining his
position, the confusing boy sits back down. Confused, Tenten looks at
the boy with a curiosity that clearly says, 'what more is there to
discuss?' Answering as if it was the most obvious thing in the world,
Haku asks, "how do you expect to run your shop, alone, while
simultaneously continuing your career as a kunoichi without
assistance?"
NARUTO
The second Naruto opened his door, he was surprised to see Sakura
waiting for him. He's supposed to meet her along with Kakashi and
Sasuke at their spot on the bridge and he wasn't looking forward to it.
He hadn't seen Sasuke since their match two days ago and now he
knows what happened to Sakura by Ino's hands. Looking at her tired,
angry, yet lovely face, Naruto isn't sure what to expect but they say
their farewell to a studious Karin before leaving.
Fifteen minutes into their walk, Sakura sighs before asking a nervous
Naruto, "do you know what I was doing all last night?" He doesn't
speak, however, he shakes his head, 'no,' to which she responds, "I
was comforting an uncharacteristically distraught and weeping
Yamanaka Ino."
Though the day is bright and perfect, Naruto mournfully responds, "…
she told me."
"I know," the lethargic Sakura yells. The streets they walk are lamely
populated with stragglers as Sakura continues. "The second I
threatened to do horrible violence to you, she finally tells me she
confessed everything to you and to leave you alone."
Stopping in their tracks, Naruto turns to her and admits his confusion. "I
don't understand Sakura. Why are you at her house? Why are you still
her friend? Is she still blackmailing-"
Raising her fist and prime to strike him, Sakura seemingly changes her
mind and sighs as she lowers her deadly fists. "No, baka," she calmly
answers. Resuming their walk, she listlessly informs him, "listen… I
was a bitch, like, a true-to-life bitch. And Ino was even colder. It wasn't
right what she did and I won't say otherwise, but, I can't say there
wasn't a clear benefit."
"And that is," Naruto asks.
"…I was- I learned I was obsessed," she starts, slowly turning to him as
she adds, "with Sasuke. I don't know how this happened, but I
convinced myself that he was the best thing in this world and I wanted
to be his everything. With those photos, Ino forced me to read a lot
about obsession… even now, I still hate her for it," she adds with a
small smile. "I learned, desire creates paradoxical effects, like, the
more you want something, the more you chase after the very thing that
eludes you."
"That sounds pretty familiar," Naruto repentantly admits to her. Her
green eyes say she understands he's talking about himself because
she chuckles and affectionately shoulder-checks him. Her cheeks
blush a pretty shade of pink, contrasting alluringly with her green eyes
under pink eye-lashes.
"Anyway," she continues. "Another effect is the more interest you show,
the more you repel the very object you desire. You know, that same
book also said that my approach was so strong, it likely had the effect
of making Sasuke uncomfortable. Can you imagine, Sasuke,
uncomfortable?"
"Yeah," Naruto chuckles to mentally picture, adding, "oh, man! It'd be
like telling the broody bastard the food he's eating was made with
love!"
Sakura and Naruto laugh together as they leisurely walk the serene
path to meet their teammates. Eventually, Sakura continues, adding,
"out of all the books Ino made me read, one said showing contempt
and disdain is the prerogative of the king. It makes people want to seek
your approval. Where the king's eyes turn, what he decides to see,
becomes reality; what he ignores and turns his back on is as good as
dead." Wondering about his own obsessed chase of Sakura, the pink-
haired girl adds, "I remember thinking that's exactly what it felt like if
Sasuke didn't look at me, didn't pay attention to me, like I'd die."
Nodding in understanding, Naruto asks with some amazement, "Ino
made you read all that?"
Lazily nodding, she answers, "yeah."
Naruto's mind couldn't help but think that seemed like a benefit. What
happened also helped him get over his obsession with Sakura, to
which Naruto comments, without embarrassment, "but she also made
you have sex with me."
"Now that I think about it," Sakura voices as her brain analyzes the
situation with that parameter. "I think she did that because she wanted
you to stop chasing me on top of showing me how little I valued myself;
sort of like a two-for-one." He nods at the objective assessment when
Sakura asks, "you remember asking me if I wanted to stop several
times? Well, she also gave me the option to stop or say no, but like
Sasuke's attention, I didn't want to feel the ''death'' of losing him, so I
always did it. All those experiences helped me realize how far I strayed
from the girl I used to be… the one in the park by Yoshino's on her
daddy's shoulders watching the Sakura trees bloom."
"You almost sound… okay with what she did."
"I hate that it took so much to make me see things differently," Sakura
admits to him though enjoying the birds flying above. "I still have a lot
of self-reflection to do, and training on top of that, but I wouldn't be in a
position to do so if it wasn't for Ino." Sakura steps in front of Naruto and
softly explains, as if defeated, "I don't know how you feel about Ino—I
mean she did something immoral and criminal—but I still trust her…
crazy as that sounds."
"So, you're okay," Naruto slowly asks. Taking a step closer to really
look at her, he emphasizes, "I mean, really, are you okay?"
Smiling the sweetest smile he'd seen in a long time, Sakura answers,
"yeah, Naruto. I am." He nods and they walk in silence until they see
their teammates, both of them-
"Am I seeing things," a shocked Naruto asks.
"That's… Kakashi-sensei," Sakura gasps. "Early!"
"The hell is going on," Naruto cries.
Chapter 262:
Naruto enjoys hearing Sakura laugh, and their talk, more than
Kurenai's arms holding onto him, made him feel okay about it all.
There's more to consider between Ino and himself, however, he feels
confident that time will heal this wound.
Sakura brings him out of his thoughts when she tells him, "you know
how I know you're going to be okay too?" Quirking his blond brow, he
shakes his head, and she responds, "Sasuke tried to kill you and you
don't seem to hate him, in fact, you still want to help him. On the
bridge, Zabuza nearly killed you, and yet, you didn't hesitate to ask me
to help him. Neither one of us hates Kakashi-sensei for neglecting us in
favor of Sasuke. This entire village practically hated you and yet, you
still want to protect them." Sakura becomes pensive for a moment, a
slight smile under her pink cheeks as she jests, "you might be too good
for us, Naruto."
Snorting, an embarrassed Naruto chuckles, "nope! Definitely not."
INO
Sweaty yet under her covers, Ino's mind was on a vicious loop. She
couldn't process anything but the repeating memory of her self-harming
confession. It's night time and she barely remembers admitting to
Sakura what happened with Naruto. She barely recalls her mother
bringing her food and sadly repeating how it was all her fault. She
doesn't remember eating, going to the bathroom, or washing. Ino
simply stayed in bed with a mess of tissues scattered all around her.
It even took Ino several minutes before she realized a tapping noise
was coming from somewhere, then several minutes after that to turn to
the irritating noise. To her horrid shock, Naruto is sticking on the wall
outside her window, looking at her.
Immediately, Ino's mind catalogs everything about her appearance
that's not up to her standards of public viewing. She could feel her
nose is red and stuffy, her eyes were puffy and irritated from all her
crying, her usually silky hair was a clumped mess, her skin felt oily and
lifeless, and she smelled… horribly. Nothing about her was attractive
and her immediate reaction is to throw the covers over herself.
With her trained ears, it's ridiculously easy for her to hear him enter her
room and walk to her bed. She can barely breathe and much too soon,
he's right beside her. He sits on the bed before placing his hand on her
shoulder and she can feel his warmth like she never knew how cold the
world actually is. Ino immediately felt his comfort and was aching for
more until he slowly tries to draw the comforter off her.
When Ino holds tight, Naruto lets go and slowly voices, "if you hadn't
told me, I never would've known." Ino is all too aware of that fact; much
to her emotional agony, however, she says nothing as he softly
continues. "Despite what you did, I still think you're a good person,
Ino… or you never would've told me."
Drawing courage from thoughts of his smile and Kurenai's approval,
Ino responds, "if I was a good person, I wouldn't have done that in the
first place."
"Maybe," Naruto responds. "But Sakura seems okay with it, and if she
can move past it—if she can trust you—then I want to as well." Ino's
sure he can feel her heart beating a mile a minute. It's suffocating
under the think sheet making her sweat worse, but, she didn't care as
long as she can hear him.
"I came here because I don't want to lose you," he voices and an
overly mortified, excited, sad, and happy Ino feels him try to remove
the thick blanket again, and Kami help her, she lets him. She allows
him to see her vulnerable face—mask-less—in all her unappealing
emotions. Rather than be disgusted by what must be a laughter-
inducing appearance, he smiles his genuinely sweet smile, and it
breaks her heart when he confesses, "it won't be as easy as before but
I think that's fine. I still want you in my life, Ino."
Rather than voice the immensity of the solace revitalizing her tired
veins and withered muscles, Ino just wraps her arms around his strong
neck and embraces him as hard as she can for as long as she can
until. She hates herself for sobbing in happiness, but she can't stop
how she feels. She holds him while he rubs her back, and eventually,
she succumbs to slumber from sheer exhaustion.
Chapter 263: Omiai
SASUKE
Walking the bustling and hectic streets of Konoha to his mandatory
counseling session with Yamanaka-san, Sasuke only registers a
person is walking right beside him when the chilling voice speaks,
"such a disappointment, Sasuke-kun."
To his credit, Sasuke continues his leisure pace with his hands in his
pockets despite the gut-wrenching alarm going off in his gut. The
young avenger didn't need to turn to know the elderly woman walking
next to him was Orochimaru in a disguise. He's more concerned with
how fatally distracted he's been for the past three days and mentally
chastises himself for his slip. Still, he couldn't deny what Naruto had
said shook him to his roots.
"My, my, my," the scratchy voice hums in amusement. Looking straight
ahead, Orochimaru notes, "nine babysitters just for you. It's almost as if
Sarutobi-sensei doesn't trust what you'll do."
"It's you they don't trust," Sasuke stated.
"Ambition frightens the weak," the legendary shinobi huskily returns.
"Are you frightened, Sasuke-kun? Has the impotent weight of the
ordinary horrified and robbed you of your ambitions?"
Again, Sasuke recalls Naruto's words during their team meeting three
days ago, and again, he's never been so confused. He recalls the
oddity of Sakura and Naruto arriving at the meeting spot together, their
laughter and how much their serenity annoyed him. The moment it
seemed to Sasuke like the Dobe was happier than he had any right to
be, it instantly made him think it's due to a false sense of smug
superiority because of his one win. Sasuke wanted to fight Naruto right
then and there, however, his body tenses at the recollection of the
blond's unexplainable power. His teammate may be an idiot, but his
strength is genuine.
When the team united, Kakashi started, "alright, team." It was the first
time they've been together since the prelims of the exam and Sasuke
recalls constantly having to keep his anger in check. Though the air
between them is tense, their oblivious sensei continued saying, "first,
let's congratulate Naruto for making it to the third round.
Congratulations, Naruto."
"Congratulations," Sakura yells with a bright smile, matching his as he
coyly averts his embarrassed gaze. Sasuke remained silent as Naruto
thanked them. Their sensei then added, "since you'll be facing Gaara, I
want us all to train you for your match with him since he seems to be
the likely dark horse."
Naruto seemed surprised by that, asking, "really?"
"Yeah," their pink-haired teammate calls out, agreeing with Kakashi. It
wasn't the first time he wondered why she was acting so differently
toward him and Naruto, but Sasuke didn't care as she asserted, "we'll
make sure you're at your best."
It did surprise Sasuke when Naruto curses, "shit."
"What," a concerned Sakura asked.
The team became curious when Naruto turned to Kakashi and
explained, "well, I thought you were going to train Sasuke so I made
training plans of my own."
Though angered by his insinuation, Sasuke was more interested in his
plans, promptly asking the Dobe, "what training?" He may have lost
once, but he wasn't going to allow a second loss to occur. He'd sooner
die than let Uzumaki Naruto think he was better than him.
"What I usually do," Naruto answered Sasuke with a non-committal
shrug. "Plus whatever my Godfather's teaching me."
"Godfather," Sakura repeated curiously as Sasuke asked, "who?"
"Just this old pervert I know," Naruto told them. "He stays outside of the
village for years, so I've never seen him, but he'll be here soon."
"…I see," Kakashi slowly says in thought, making Sasuke wonder if he
knows the identity of this sudden Godfather. Kakashi all but confirmed
his suspicion when the Jōnin asked, "is he really going to train you?"
"Yup!" Naruto beams as he added, "team 7 can still train together,
though. Like in the mornings maybe. But I think you should focus on
Sasuke and Sakura." Hearing his positive tone with his upbeat attitude
is always enough to make Sasuke ignore him, but, when Naruto
presumes to know what's best for him, Sasuke can't help but want to
place the loud idiot in his place. He remembered yelling in his mind,
'how does he not know he means nothing in this world! Why isn't he
died! Why aren't they all dead! Why is it only my family…'
Sakura lamented to admit, "I could definitely use the help."
"Who is he," Sasuke demanded to know. Turning to Kakashi, he points
out, "I thought you were supposed to be our only sensei. Does he get
special treatment? Does this mean I can search for my own sensei?"
"Sasuke," Kakashi voices. "Calm down. I am your only sensei, unless I
approve and the Hokage allows for a second, or even a third."
Rather than waste more time and effort on that query, Sasuke asks
what's at the heart of his anger. Turning to Naruto, he demands to
know, "why do you have so much power? You're not a better fighter
than me, you're an idiot most of the time, and your chakra control is
wasteful. There's no way you should've beaten me so how did you!?"
"I beat you because I had to," Naruto heatedly retorted. "Simple as
that. Even now you're still acting so stupid about this. I told you before
you aren't the only one suffering, so quit acting like it."
Sasuke hurled back, "why should I?" Kakashi steps close enough
between them to alert them both he'll stop anything that goes too far,
nevertheless, Sasuke yelled at the blond, "I don't care about anyone
else! Why would you even think it makes any fucking sense to care
about others when everyone in this damn village is so content to forget
the murder of my great clan? Why should I care one ounce about
anyone else's suffering when they're too weak to do anything about it
for themselves?"
Standing firm and confident, Naruto returned just as fervently, "to make
sure others don't suffer the same pain you did, you idiot! Instead of
crying about your tragedy like it's your only damn option or like it's
going to change anything, you should be more focused on fighting
what's out there."
With a calming palm on a huffing Naruto's tense shoulder, Sakura
hopes to defuse the heated exchange by asking, "what do you mean,
what's out there?" Sasuke had wondered as well but was too angry to
care then.
Chapter 264:
"Kakashi-sensei'll tell ya," Naruto answered her while eying Sasuke.
"There are all sorts of super-strong shinobi out there, way stronger
than me, you, Kakashi-sensei, or even Ji-chan. And they'll do anything
they can to destroy our village and everyone in it. They might even
have good reason to, not that it's right." Specifically focusing on
Sasuke, Naruto relayed, "and you're foaming at the mouth just to fight
me? Wake up already! The world doesn't revolve around you and your
revenge."
Eying the sky-blue of Naruto's stern eyes, Sasuke callously
proclaimed, "if this world ignores my pain, my revenge, then it shouldn't
exist."
"…Sasuke," Sakura sadly bemoans.
Shrugging, Naruto casually reasserted, "then I'll just kick your ass
again, you broody diva."
"Anytime," Sasuke hurled when Naruto voiced the confusing, "not that I
need to. You're not my priority but that doesn't mean I don't get where
you're coming from. We're teammates, so, I'll still help you."
"I don't want your help," Sasuke proclaims, hating the blond's
sanctimonious preaching, mentally finishing, 'as if he understands!'
"Tough," Naruto snarled back. "You're still getting it."
Kakashi grips Sasukes agitated shoulder as he asked Naruto, "how?"
Naruto casually bewilders Sasuke by responding, "obviously, by talking
to his brother."
Sasuke challenged the blond on the spot before being held back by
Kakashi. The Avenger argued, laughed, and outright dismissed Naruto,
however, deep down, he wondered how serious the confident blond
was. He'd been wonder about that ever since then. Though they
celebrated Naruto's win and trained the two days after that, Sasuke
stayed in his mind, quietly turning over all the possibilities of Naruto's
assertion. Walking beside the disguised Orochimaru now, Sasuke still
wonders if Naruto can capture his brother.
As unbelievable as it is, it seemed Naruto knew something.
Considering the Dobe's familial relationship with the Sandaime, Sasuke
reasons he may have heard something important from him because if
anyone would know more about that night, it would be the Hokage. The
Avenger hates realizing he knows next-to-nothing about that night or
why such a bloody extermination had to happen. For years, the only
thing he cared anything about was murdering his wretched brother and
bathing in his still-warm blood for ending their family, their home. But
now, he also wants answers.
'What am I missing,' Sasuke wonders, and to that end, he demands to
know of Orochimaru, "what do you know about Itachi?"
"Far more than I can explain in the fifteen steps I have left,"
Orochimaru hums clocking the shinobi following Sasuke rearranging
their formation. "I'll only offer you this chance once, my dear boy, and
I'll expect an answer the next time we meet. Join me and all the power
you will ever need to seek your own forbidden knowledge will be
yours."
"If you want me to join you you'll have to tell me first," Sasuke retorts,
however, Orochimaru simply grins his wide and wicked smile as he
jests, "and where would the fun be in that? Ku ku ku."
With that, Orochimaru disappears smoother than air, to the level of skill
Sasuke even doubted the snake-nin was there to begin with. With
Sasuke's sixteenth step a masked shinobi lands in front of him and
directly asks, "was there a woman walking beside you?"
Looking around at all the colorful people scrambling through the
bustling streets, Sasuke honestly answers, "yes." It's not as if they
have the power to do anything against the Kage-level missing-nin as
he adds, "though there are many villagers all around us."
The masked shinobi asks, "was she suspicious?"
"No," Sasuke honestly answers. It's true Orochimaru withholds as
much as possible, but in an unorthodox way, that's not suspicious. It's
as if you can trust that you can't trust him and that's a welcomed
comfort to Sasuke. His masked guard seemed satisfied and allowed
Sasuke to continue to his sham of a therapy session.
KURENAI
Sitting beside Naruto on the oak coffee table in her low-lit living room,
Kurenai waits patiently until he finishes retelling everything that's
happened in the last three days. Though they've been meeting to help
Hinata, among other satisfying activities, Naruto had only recently had
a frank conversation with Ino earlier in the day and completing that
convoluted series of events. It troubled Kurenai to hear what Ino had
done, and by the end, she softly asks, "so, you're just friends?"
"For now, I think so," Naruto answers just as softly. "Ino wants our
friendship to be the top priority; which I agreed with because I definitely
don't want to lose a friend if I don't have to. She knows what she did to
Sakura is a hard thing to move past but she's willing to wait as long as
it takes for us to be comfortable again."
Pondering their arrangement, Kurenai asks with a hint of
apprehension, "do you think it might take you a long time to become
comfortable again? Maybe something more?"
Fortunately, Naruto didn't notice the hint of longing in her tone as he
casually shrugs his answer of, "not sure… but I get what she did and
that's a good place to start."
"Smart girl," Kurenai quietly remarks with a smirk. At the start of his
tale, Kurenai was ready to say goodbye to the physical side of their
immensely satisfying relationship, but she couldn't help but feel
relieved by the end. She was also a little angry at Ino's poor choices.
Though being a capable manipulator is an advantage in life as it is in
their profession, she couldn't agree with manipulating Sakura and
Naruto into having sex with each other. The only reason she couldn't
be furious with the beautiful Yamanaka is because of the intent and the
outcome. Kurenai could agree with treating obsessive attraction—as
both Naruto and Sakura clearly had—but not with Ino's method.
"As a woman and mentor, I'm disappointed in her," Kurenai admits,
continuing to keep her voice low. "But given what she went through, I
can sympathize. Because she confessed of her own volition, I can
believe she simply made poor choices. However, as a ranking
kunoichi, I would've reported her immediately after you told me."
Chapter 265:
"What," Naruto quietly calls out. "I get it was illegal, but, it was a
mistake and she apologized. Even Sakura doesn't mind now."
"I understand that, Naruto," Kurenai quietly comments. "Reporting her
isn't necessarily a bad thing. Whether some form of punishment came
of it or not, the Hokage needs to know these things. Every ninja in
Konoha has vulnerabilities that can be exploited by the enemy should
they learn of it. True defense comes from acknowledging your
weaknesses as much as your strengths so we can remain vigilant.
What Ino did was illegal, but, she likely would've only received a
warning, demotion, or sanction, and that's without mentioning, she's
hardly the first ninja to use their technique on a fellow ninja. In our
world, blame would certainly fall on Ino for what she did, but only half
of it. For being caught by surprise, Sakura-chan would share in the
blame as well."
"So then why won't you tell Ji-chan," Naruto asks.
"Think about it and tell me," Kurenai challenges him. Challenging
Naruto to think as often as she does, it makes her happy when he
doesn't fight her on it anymore. As Naruto takes a moment to think
about Ino and Sakura, she finds it more important now that he's going
to be his clan's leader.
It's obvious Ino would have the most to lose, but so too would her
clan's reputation, to which Naruto moans, "oh. Because the Hokage
would hear about what happened to Ino with that blue pill, which might
make her clan feud with the Akimichi, which would suck."
"Yes, it would," Kurenai mentions. The enchanting sensei scans the
couch before them from end-to-end as she nearly whispers, "I'll add it
to my black scroll."
She can feel Naruto eying the perfect posture of her fit frame, her
crossed legs in red silk pajama-shorts, her long, shiny, layered mess of
ebony hair for a few moments before he slides up against her. His
warm furnace of a body instantly penetrates her skin, warming her to
her core as he asks, "so, are you happy?"
Though she enjoys his warmth like the evening sun, Kurenai grows
suspicious as she rotates to him and curiously asks, "happy in what
way?"
Naruto moves away just enough to rotate his strong frame so as to
bring and lay his leg on the length of the coffee table, take hold of her
athletically slim waist and press her right side against his torso and
pelvis. Though she could've stopped him any time, especially with her
student on the couch in front of them, it seems incredibly likely that
their days together are nearly at an end… as she always knew it would
be. Though she played coy to his obvious arousal, she enjoys the way
his fingers comb through her ebony locks as he clarifies, "happy you
still have me all to yourself."
"Oh, Kami," she gripes in amused disbelief. With his left hand in her
hair, sweeping it over her shoulder, lightly pulling at the strong root
behind her sensitive ears in a way that reminds her of some of her best
orgasms with his hand in her hair. Her sexy frame begins to tingle and
softened, warming and priming for him despite the wrong situation for
it.
"You, me, and Hinata-chan," he comments looking at the unconscious
girl lying peacefully on Kurenai's couch. As his right-hand grips her
mostly naked thigh, slowly massaging her hot inner leg muscle, he
leans in to whisper, "what do you think?"
"I think you've been talking to Anko," Kurenai responds feeling her
heart pump blood faster to her steadily soaking sex. Though she allows
his hands to tempt and tease her, she entertains herself by playing
hard to get.
She can feel his chest jostle against her arm as he soundlessly laughs.
His left-hand massages her long neck as he explains, "it's not like I go
looking for her." Taking control of her nape just under her jaw, he
applies a soft yet dominating grip reminiscent to more amazing
orgasms. Kurenai can't help but feel ashamed as she spreads her legs
just a little bit wider as he voices, "she just pops up when I'm alone and
makes me treat her to dango."
His left-hand leaves her neck to grab her arm and wrap it around his
back, further entwining their cozy cohesion as she leans against his
frame. Naruto's lips begin nibbling on her neck as Kurenai tries, "can
we not," all the while monitoring when Hinata might wake up.
Kurenai inhales deeply when his left-hand massages her back with a
focus on her lower flesh and his right-hand slides under the waistband
of her flimsy silk pajama short-shorts. His hot strong digits stroke her
lubricating lips with practiced ease as he cups her mound, whispering
in her ear, "why are you avoiding the question, Nai-chan?"
Regardless of past fantasies, she shouldn't be doing this in front of her
unconscious student; not when that student is so pure in her love for
the very boy she whole-heartedly enjoys fucking. However, as he
slowly strokes her pulsing pink lips, she asserts, "I'm not avoiding
anything."
"Let's not pretend," Naruto voices in her hair by her ear. Pressed
against him, legs spread and leaking at the apex, he couldn't be more
accurate as he affirms, "I can feel how much you want it. You're
soaking my fingers," he slowly adds as he slowly inserts a finger in her
hot love lane.
"You're mistaken-" She tries closing her eyes as his left-hand wraps
around to take hold of her erect nipple and supple breast.
"My sexy sex-sensei is hot and wet," his voice breeds into her ear. "Tell
me how bad you need my cock."
"N-Naruto…" Kurenai tries through her fogging attention that's splitting
between his lips sucking on the sensitive skin behind her ear, his
hands massaging and fingering her, and her unaware student. "Hinata
is right… there. Please, show some r-respect."
"I am," he insists. Adding a second finger curling inside her moist love
muscle, he denotes, "can't you feel how much respect I'm showing
your wet pussy?"
Closing her eyes to the steadily growing pleasure coil at her
womanhood, Kurenai weakly moans, "Naruto…"
He whispers, "I heard you fantasize about getting fucked in front of
your students," stunning her.
"Fucking Ankoooo- Mnn!" she utters before a pang of ecstasy interrupts
her.
He's stroking just under the quiver center of her G-spot as he
observes, "you're getting tighter… Tell me," he commands pulling her
nipple in tandem with his curl stroking fingers. "Do you want to be
watched while being fucked?"
"N-no," Kurenai manages to heave out.
"Mnnn," Hinata moans and Kurenai snaps her crimson-red eyes open
at the alarming sound.
In a panicked whisper, Kurenai cries, "Naruto! Stop-"
"Better say it now, Nai-chan," he calmly voices right next to her hair-
covered ear. "Or your precious student is going to see us."
Clapping her hands together to begin changing the scent of sex in the
air to normal cloth and wood odors with her genjutsu, Kurenai admits,
"yes, yes! Now stop- Mnn!" Kurenai looks down as Naruto removes his
toasty hand and she feels a thin piece of cloth against her sensitive
and leaking quim. "What was that?"
"Sensei," Hinata's voice carries to them.
"Just a little something I made," Naruto voices as Kurenai continues to
add her sensory-altering chakra to the air, amending what would
normally smell of sex to the normal scents of her living room and
concealing her rock- hard nipple, her stained silk pajama bottoms, and
Naruto's presence.
Sitting up and looking around, Hinata sadly realizes, "again."
Chapter 266:
"It's okay Hinata," Kurenai voices as Naruto raises his paired fingers to
his chest activating the cloth clinging to her juicy honey-hole. Kurenai
inhaled deeply when she felt the cloth begin to vibrate, instantly
thinking of his prodigious genius in Fūinjutsu. 'This is what he's using
his talent for,' she mentally yells as he controls the intensity and
direction of the vibration.
"I didn't even last a second," Hinata sadly realizes, hesitating to recall,
"I… I b-barely felt his w-w-warm hands and s-strong arms around m-
me b-before I passed out! I'm hopeless!"
"Nn, no you're not," a squirrelly Kurenai insists. Shifting closer to her
student, the aroused sensei instantly regrets it when the pleasure
makes her knees buckle. The blushing Kurenai maintains, "progress
may be slow, but it's s-still pr-ogress. You couldn't even handle…
knowing what was coming ah-and now you can hug him for a second.
You're getting better, t-trust me."
Kurenai doesn't let her panic show when Hinata leans forward in
concern, asking, "are you okay, Sensei? You're red… and you're
breathing heavily. Do you want to stop?"
"No," Kurenai answers. Kurenai crosses her legs as she takes Hinata's
hand and assures the beautiful girl, "no, I'm fine. We can continue. Are
you ready?"
Nodding, Hinata replies, "just give me five minutes," to which Kurenai
tenses as she acknowledges her student with a sexed-up, "mnn." Until
Hinata was ready for 'genjutsu-Naruto' to 'return,' Kurenai had to wait
hundreds of agonizing seconds with Naruto's Fūinjutsu vibrator making
her sex and legs shiver with micro tremors of pleasure. When the
Hyūga princess was finally ready, the genin performed the scripted act
of congratulating each other on making it to the finals before Naruto
hugs her. Hinata lasts slightly longer than a second before glowing red
and passing out. Naruto gently lays Hinata on the couch before turning
to her.
Kurenai was on the coffee table again, suffering muscle-weakening
pleasure coursing through her. His eyes were a darker blue and a blind
man could see how much he desired her. Mindlessly, Kurenai opens
her legs for him, only to realize how wrong the situation is for that.
Naruto's between her fevered limbs before she can close her legs,
taking her head by her shiny black hair and tilting it back as if to take
her plump red lips with his. She expected his lips—wanted his lips—but
instead, his hands massage her neck and scalp as he whispers, "you
didn't answer my question."
Closing her eyes to highlight the tingling of her sensitive scalp and
vibrating sex, she utters, "Naruto, this isn't funny-"
Naruto leans the last little bit to take ownership of her slack maw. Her
pink lips split wide for his rough probing tongue, tilting her head to
allow him as much access as he desired. By now, it was all too easy
for Kurenai to feel his want, his heat, his lips and hands, and returns it
kindly; to the point she's disappointed when he pulls away just enough
to contend, "laughter isn't the sound I want coming out of your mouth,
Nai-chan."
"Naruto- Mnnff," she sounds when he raises the potency of the
vibrating Fūin cloth against her sex and clitoris. In front of her
unconscious student elevating close to a powerful orgasm, Kurenai
rests her sweating forehead against his six-pack as her plump bottom
trembles in anticipation.
"There's my sexy-sensei," Naruto voices from above her as he
continues to massage her neck and head. Lowering himself to kneel in
front of her, he massages her shuddering thighs as he says, "I won't
stop until you're honest with me."
"I am… Mmmn," Kurenai moans, bending down to rest her hot
forehead against his. She opens of lust-filled crimson eyes to gaze into
his, feeling so close to the pleasure exploding in her as she proclaims,
"I said it! I said it already! It's an old fantasy!"
"I didn't mean about your fantasy," Naruto softly voices, licking a bit of
saliva at the corner of her open pink lips. "I want to know if you're
happy about us not having to stop." His strong hands slide to her back
before gripping her fleshy buns. "I want to know if you're happy to keep
cumming around my cock," he professes as he swiftly pulls her off the
coffee table to land on his cock-restrained lap. Her legs on either side
of him slows down her descent but can't stop her pleasure-riddled love
pocket from plowing against his pitched tent. With Hinata laying down
just in front of her, Kurenai refused to answer and they stayed that way,
gyrating, cuddling, and massaging until Hinata regained
consciousness.
Naruto never allowed her to orgasm for the rest of the hour, keeping
her close to the edge until the end of Hinata's special training where
she bid her student a goodnight then dragged Naruto upstairs and rode
him to one of the most cosmically satisfying orgasms she's ever had. It
was only after she came down from her euphoric high that she realized
two things; Naruto hadn't cummed yet and he made clones of her
students. In front of three clones henge'd and acting like her students
like Hinata, Kiba, and Shino, Kurenai felt wrong, dirty, excited,
shameful, and fantastic as she lived out an old fantasy to a night of
amazingly fringe orgasms.
NARUTO
"FINALLY!" Naruto yells, wind whipping through his blond hair and
blaring in his ears as he lands on the wide back of a tall, broad-
shouldered shinobi with a bloom of spiky white hair that reaches down
to his waist. He wore a red haori with yellow circles on each side over
an outdated shinobi uniform, hand-guards, and wooden sandals.
Naruto yells, "I found you!"
"Wha tha-" a crouched Jiraiya hollers, slamming his hand against the
wooden barrier separating him from his bathing research to keep from
hitting it face-first. Leaping to his feet, the white-haired man twists
around to reach the blond stuck on his back, bellowing, "who are you!
Get off!"
Whirling around, Naruto holds on tightly as he happily communicates,
"I've been looking everywhere-"
Managing to grip the orange sleeve of Naruto's jumpsuit and pull,
Jiraiya cuts him off, asking, "who the hell are you," as the widely
smiling Naruto energetically asks, "nee, nee, where have you been?
What have you been doing? Were you peeping just now? Where are
my presents!"
"Quit hanging all over me, brat!" At the ruckus created around the
woman's outdoor bath, it was inevitable screams and cries of peeping
interrupt them. Laughing throughout the ride, Naruto doesn't let go as
Jiraiya speeds away. The elder shinobi sprints with the vigor of a
youthful man as he escapes the bath's security through the busy
streets of Konoha, leaping from building to building with practiced
ease. Once they were safe in a nearby park hidden by a thicket of
trees, Jiraiya finally manages to pull Naruto off and hold him up by the
white collar of his orange jumpsuit.
Chapter 267:
It's the first time Naruto's seen his father's sensei up close and thinks
the red lines under his eyes that extend down his face like blood-tears
is really cool. Naruto expected the horned-forehead protector to be
etched with the Konoha leaf symbol rather than the word, oil.
Overjoyed to see him, Naruto happily caterwauls, "you owe us a
looooot of presents!"
"See what you've done… whoever you are," Jiraiya yowls at the blond.
"You've jeopardized my valuable research!"
Laughing, Naruto corrects, "you mean your peeping? I can't believe
you really do that!"
"Can't believe-" Jiraiya starts to repeat when he realizes a more
important thread to argue. "That's a complete misrepresentation of my
art!"
Hanging by his collar, the jovial Naruto remarks, "your art is going to
put you on a watch-list if you don't stop."
Unceremoniously dropping Naruto on the earthy park ground, Jiraiya
proclaims, "that's never stopped me before. And a young fool like you
is incapable of comprehending how amazing the adult world is."
"Yeah I can," Naruto protests.
"Ooh, is that so," Jiraiya mewls skeptically, scratching his chin. The
elder walks around Naruto, inspecting the blond from top to bottom
before sharing, "if that's true, then you've no doubt had the honor of
discovering my amazing contribution to the world." He hops back,
landing on one foot that produces an unexpected loud clacking noise
with his wood-sandals. Sinking his hand into his red haori but doesn't
pull it out right away as he yells like the ringleader of a carnival,
"behold young one! All my diligent research has empowered me,
Jiraiya the Gallant, to scribe the most accurate novel known to man, far
and wide, the great, the amazing… Icha Icha Paradaisu!"
The orange book he pops out in his triumphant pose is instantly
familiar to Naruto who yells with a pointed finger, "Ahh! I read that!"
"How-" Jiraiya gasps before realizing, "ho, ho! Young you may be, but
you possess the energy of masculinity in you!"
"I didn't know that was your book," Naruto huffs, recalling the book in
Kakashi's hands as well as the time he skimmed through it before
Kurenai agreed to teach him.
Striking out his open palm, Jiraiya announces, "your adulation is
unnecessary, shōnen!" Bringing his hands proudly on his hips, the
elder specialist proclaims, "the long hours of research, the late nights
filled with sake, gambling, and women; it's my divine calling to have all
that fun for men everywhere! Looking in your eyes, I can see how
amazed by my masterpiece you are-"
With squinted eyes, a bored Naruto flatly states, "not really."
As if wounded, Jiraiya grips his chest, wailing, "blasphemy! Sacrilege!"
"Wha," Naruto startles to sound, retorting, "it's not my fault your book
doesn't work."
Waving away the blond critique, Jiraiya practically spits, "Bah! What
would a child know!?"
Happy to take offense, Naruto calls back, "shut up! I know a lot!"
Shaking his head at the young, innocent, inexperienced child with a
hint of sadness, Jiraiya pats Naruto on his shoulder, comforting him as
consoles, "it's okay, shōnen, all men must begin somewhere. First,
you're happy to discover your appetite for the elusive female temple,
then reading about them further wets that gnawing hunger. Soon, you
barricade yourself in your room, beating your tadpole all the way into
your twenties. It happens to the best of us; nothing to be ashamed of."
Grossed, Naruto shrugs off the elder's hand, calling back, "tch, I don't
need to do that!"
"Nonsense," Jiraiya asserts with confidence. "Everyone knows if you
don't blow your bank every once in a while, you'll get so backed up,
your ball-sack explodes."
"That's not true!"
"Is too-"
"Genin Uzumaki Naruto," they hear before a masked shinobi lands on
the grass before them. Naruto can tell he's Ji-chan's guard as his
masked teammates land behind him. Relaying their directive, the lead
orders, "your presence has been requested by Sandaime-sama."
Slumping his shoulders in defeat, he asks, "can it wait?" Glancing at
the white-haired sage, Naruto groans to the team, "I just found my
Godfather."
Shocked, Jiraiya yells, "Godfather?!" Naruto wonders how long the old
pervert is going to play this charade as the man retorts, "who said I
was your Godfather?" Naruto snickers as he panics and spouts,
"whoever she is, she's lying!"
"Uzumaki-kun," the masked Jōnin repeats with more authority, to which
Naruto asks Jiraiya, "can't you come with me, Ero-sennin?"
"Ero!" The petulant adult crosses his arms as he huffs, "brats these
days have no respect for their elders. You're welcome to take him,
shinobi-san."
"Oh, come on," Naruto groans. "You can peep on women later so, so,
won't you come with me now?"
"Genin, Uzumaki," the masked Jōnin repeats louder before adding,
"our Hokage has requested your presence."
Struck with an obvious idea, Naruto crosses his fingers and calls out,
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Twenty clones pop into existence before
eighteen immediately dispel. When two Narutos remain, the one near
the Anbu tells the clone, "you stay with Ero-sennin and make sure you
don't lose him." The Anbu however, don't fall for it and strike the one
who hasn't moved from beside Jiraiya. When his clone burst, Naruto
whirls on the elite guard, yelling, "ahh! What the hell!"
"Genin, you've been given a direct order-"
"Yeah, yeah," Naruto chimes, waving him off before turning to the tall
pervert and commanding him, "don't go anywhere!" His stern pointing
lasts as long as he's able before Naruto leaps away with the team of
elite guards. When Naruto leaves with the Anbu, a green frog on
Jiraiya's scroll, hidden underneath his long spiky hair, hops off the
rolled-up paper and pops back into a smirking Naruto. Turning to his
godfather, Naruto remarks, "thanks for not telling them."
"I didn't do it for you," Jiraiya asserts. "I only thought to ask you a
question and they were interrupting, is all."
Happy to hear, Naruto quickly asserts, "the answer's yes."
Hands on his hips, Jiraiya eyes Naruto skeptically as he replies, "you
don't even know what I was going to ask."
With a shrug, Naruto responds, "meh, I'm sure whatever it is, the
answer'll be yes." Counting with his fingers, Naruto asks and answers,
"do I know who you are? Yes. Do I know who my parents are and that
you taught my dad? Yes and yes. Do I know about my other chakra?
Yes. Do I know how to use Rasengan? Yes. Do I know you're a Toad
Summoner and you're going to teach me Kuchiyose no Jutsu so I can
learn Sage Arts just like tou-chan? That's a fat hell yeah!"
Chapter 268:
Stunned slack-jawed, Jiraiya's eyebrows are high under his forehead
protector and his mouth is stuck open, as if to ask, 'how,' but couldn't
sound more than the H noise. At Naruto's innocent smile, Jiraiya finally
bursts in sheer gut-busting laughter, eventually affirming, "you… you're
something else, kid! Now I feel embarrassed," he adds, scratching the
back of his head. Naruto is elated to hear as Jiraiya admits, "I wasn't
sure how meeting you would go but I never could've predicted this."
Though it's great to meet family, Naruto recalls Naru-nii explain the
details around learning summoning and sage arts. In hopes of
becoming stronger and faster than his future counterpart, Naruto
quickly bids, "Sweet! Now teach me!"
"Hold your horses," his elder responds pumping out a palm. "First, tell
me who told you all that. I spoke with the Sandaime about you, so I
know it wasn't him."
"Uaahh," the blond bemoans, slinking at his crushed haste. "Can't we
just start? I want to get to Mount Myōboku already."
Snorting, Jiraiya muses aloud, "don't kid yourself. You may know far
more than I expected but there's no way you're making it to Myōboku
anytime soon. So, come on. Spill it."
"Don't underestimate me, Ero-sennin," the blond declares with a fist
pump.
"Will you knock it off with the Ero-sennin-" Jiraiya tries to say as Naruto
cuts in, "I'm a lot stronger than I look."
"I'll be the judge of that," the elder sage is happy to remark. "Since
you've gathered all this intel, I guess it only makes sense I teach you
Kuchiyose, but, forget about Myōboku for now. I'll give you to the end
of the week to summon anything stronger than a tadpole. If you can't
do that, you tell me everything."
After all the insight and chakra-control training Naru-nii's given him,
Naruto knows in his mind, body, and chakra that it takes about half-a-
tail of chakra to summon the Toad Boss, so Naruto chimes back, "when
I summon Gamabunta on the third try, you're going to give me and
Karin every present you've missed out on."
Quirking his white brow in confusion, Jiraiya asks, "Karin? Who the hell
is Karin?"
"Uzumaki Karin, my cousin," Naruto answers. "She did the math—
she's good at that stuff—and was nice enough to skip the first five
years since we'd be too young. So, let's see… ages six to sixteen,
thirteen holidays and two birthdays per year, times ten years, at an
average of about twenty-seven hundred ryō per present… you owe us
four hundred and eighty-six thousand ryō in missed gifts."
Raising his long arms in a huge X over his head, Jiraiya yells, "get out
of here! Even if you were foolish enough to think I owed you, why
would you ever think I owe her anything?"
One of Naruto's best fantasies has always been getting a present on
his birthday and giving others a present on theirs. Simple though it may
be, he's never had that. Casually answering as if it's the most obvious
thing in the world, Naruto returns, "because we're family and we love
each other and we give the people we love presents." Aside from
grumbling, Jiraiya remained quiet against that logic, to which Naruto
adds, "plus, you're part of our clan."
Quirking his brow, Jiraiya returns, "since when did I agree to that?"
Naruto simply smiles as if it was a foregone conclusion. Shaking his
head, Jiraiya grumbles, "ugh, you turned out to be such a cheeky brat.
Fine."
"Sweet," Naruto hollers before asking, "where's the contract? Let me
sign it?"
"One thing at a time," the strong elder tells him. "Let's move
somewhere more remote," and they shunshin out of the little park.
TEMARI
Three of the Sandaime's elite guards land in the semi-circular office
with an orange-clad blond boy between them and Temari already hates
him and his outlandish clothes. Even if she's dressed in her usual
purple kimono that ends mid-thigh with a red slash keeping her light
armor tight to her bodice, it's all new and presentable. Her sandy blond
hair may still be in four ponytails but it's clean and lustrous. As she
expected, she senses the guards remain near, hidden behind the
panels of the walls as the Hokage waves Naruto over and purposely
points to the space beside his chair.
'The old man doesn't trust us,' Temari thought as Naruto takes his
place beside his Hokage. 'Of course he wouldn't. I wouldn't either. Not
when it comes to the village's strongest weapon.' Despite her
observant thoughts, Temari still feels all the necessary pieces are in
place to make her plan succeed. Initially, she was baffled by the task
demanded of her and didn't know how she could manage such a
convincing con-job within the time frame given, however, she honestly
surprised herself. 'It makes sense and there's no way they can
rationally decline.'
"Hey, Ji-chan," Naruto casually calls, surprising her as the blond takes
notice of them. She can feel Kankurō's curiosity at the relationship
between the Jinchūriki and the Hokage, however, she remains
focused. Naruto greets them, "hey Temari-chan, Face-Paint," irking
Kankurō effortlessly. Temari is happy he doesn't rise to the provocation
as Naruto asks, "what's up? Hey, is Gaara coming too?"
"No, Uzumaki-kun," Temari answers.
"You can call me Naruto," he tells them with a smile. It bothers Temari
how he can just smile like that, as if he didn't have a monster inside of
him.
"Naruto-kun," Hiruzen begins with his slower yet alert voice. "Had you
known Temari-san, Kankurō-kun, and Gaara-kun from before?"
'Vague question, intentionally singling out my name with the -san
suffix,' Temari immediately picks out. 'Had Uzumaki spoken with
Sandaime-sama about them? Is this just a show for their benefit? Why
single me out using -san rather than -chan? What does he know?
Could he have received a report about our official royal hawk sending a
message and receiving a rapid response from father? What has
Hiruzen-san guessed?' Temari's mind was a flurry of tactical questions
she'd assign probability percentages to. Most of her immediate
concerns have a low percentage of possibility, but none are zero. 'Even
if the elder suspects Suna's sudden interest in Uzumaki is because
we've guessed the orphan is their Jinchūriki, that doesn't mean he
knows how perfect my plan is for the annoying blond is and how it'll
doom their dominating village.'
"Nope," Naruto easily answers, sweeping her out of her thoughts. "I
just heard about them."
"Were you aware they're the Kazekage's children," Hiruzen asks.
"Really," Naruto asks, eyes growing large as he turns to the Sand
siblings in genuine surprise. Temari has long felt Uzumaki-kun is
honest to a fault. It seems impossible for him to hide his emotions in
sudden situations and she truly believes he hadn't known of their
lineage. "Sweet, so, Gaara's the son of a Kage?"
It was an odd and obvious question he asks in amazed wonderment,
continually confirming to Temari how dim the blond is as Kankurō
points out, "that's what being the children of Kazekage means."
"Yeah, I get that. I just thought it was cool," Naruto lips with a
melancholy smirk. For some reason, Temari felt as if the thoughtful
blond was withholding a tidbit of intel. She's always been good at
reading people Uzumaki-kun is nothing exceptional. The blond
continues to ask, "if Gaara's not showing up, what's going on? I was in
the middle of meeting Ero-sennin."
Chapter 269:
As a woman, Temari is repulsed by Uzumaki for openly meeting with a
pervert. It makes her worry about what she'll have to do with him in the
latter part of this scheme. Hiruzen laughs softly with a nodding head
and as an observer, Kankurō is simply confused. Without knowing who
this pervy sage is, Temari voices, "I didn't mean to interrupt your
meeting."
"I'm sure you'll see him again," Hiruzen conveys to the boy. "I called
you here for an important matter. That is to say, Temari-san has
requested your attendance in this diplomatic meeting. She's invited her
brother, Kankurō-kun, and Jōnin-sensei, Baki-san, to be her witnesses.
It's also why Mitokado Himura and Utatane Koharu from Konoha's
Council are here as well."
The blond turns to the elders seated in opposing seats at the side of
the warm room, seemingly cut off from the main group. Seemingly
acceptable, Naruto slowly mouths, "okay. What's up Temari-chan?"
"I'd first like to say, thank you very much," she begins with a bow that
her brother and sensei emulate. "All of you, for taking the time to meet
with us and indulge my selfish request."
"It's our pleasure to have you," Hiruzen voices with his genial smile.
"Like wind and fire, Sunagakure and Konoha are allies and I consider
Rasa-san to be a friend. What would you like to discuss?"
Clearing her throat, Temari fakes a bit of blush to her cheeks as she
reveals, "I'd also like to apologize. This will be a personal and deeply
embarrassing request."
"Please, continue," Hiruzen directs.
Nodding, Temari asks Hiruzen and by extension, the room, "I'm curious
if you're familiar with the custom of Omiai? If I recall correctly, the trend
was abandoned by your nation's code of civil conduct."
"Mnn, it's been quite some time since I've heard that term," Hiruzen
slowly voices, tilting his head as if eying into the past of all his out-of-
date knowledge. "In my youth, the practice had only just been removed
from common circulation. While not illegal today, peace between clans,
villages, and nations made the practice unnecessary for many decades
now."
From the side of the oval office, Koharu voices to the room, "Land of
Wind has also ended its practices of arranged marriage."
Whipping his blond head to his Hokage, Uzumaki seems shocked to
hear that. Though it's an official diplomatic meeting, a wide-eyed
Uzumaki seems to have no qualms repeating loudly to his superior,
"arranged marriage?"
"Not quite," Temari voices. "That's a common misrepresentation. Omiai
is more aptly a meeting opportunity or series of meetings with serious
considerations for the possibility of marriage; not forced marriage.
Basically, a man and a woman are introduced to each other to consider
the process of courtship. But many think of it as arranged marriage
because Omiai has more to do with the family or businesses involved
than actual love."
"It's matchmaking," Kankurō dismally adds. Though enthusiasm for the
plan would be appreciated, it works in their favor if Kankurō appears
very much against it.
"Currently, 6.2% of marriages in our nation are still being arranged via
Omiai," the glasses-wearing Himura adds from his seated place at the
fringes of the room.
"…Okay," a flustered Naruto slowly accepts, still clueless as to what
arranged marriages has to do with him.
Everyone else seems to understand her direction as Hiruzen voices
with a tone of consideration, "I see. Rasa-san is interested in a
transnational marriage between his daughter and Naruto-kun."
"Wait, what," a stunned Naruto blurts out as the elder Koharu speaks,
"Kazekage-sama is quite bold."
"Too bold," Himura adds before the Sandaime—while patting Naruto's
shoulder in solace—voices his displeasure, "Himura." The glasses-
wearing elder remains quiet as Hiruzen continues, "I was unaware your
father believed in such a custom, and while I would not pass judgment
on his authority to lead to the best of his ability, in this matter, I cannot
agree with his request. Not only do we not practice Omiai in Konoha,
but Naruto-kun is also very special to me and I would not make such a
demand of him, even to further cement our friendly relations."
"I understand completely, Hokage-sama," Temari replies. Having
already planned for that result, Temari continues, "our honorable father
does indeed believe in the old custom to form and protect strong
military alliances among villages or even nations as a means to ensure
mutual support, however, he has not requested Naruto-kun as a
candidate for my Omiai."
With squinted eyes, Naruto mumbles, "I'm so lost."
"Please continue," Hiruzen requests.
Considering Naruto's lack of knowledge on this, Temari nods and fully
explains, "as you may or may not know, our nation is a major power
among the five due to increased capital per worker, advancement in
puppeteering labor, a highly skilled and educated workforce, supportive
policies by our Kage, and most importantly, a good world trade
environment." Though all of that helps Suna and their nation, all of that
pales in comparison to her father's magnet release fishing for gold
deposits deep within the sand, however, Konoha doesn't need to know
that state secret.
"It's no secret most of our land is unsuitable for agriculture," Temari
continues, displeased by admitting to their enemies one of Suna's
many disadvantages. Temari feels an urge to hit Uzumaki for looking at
her empathetically, as if his sympathy had any value to a proud ninja of
the Sand. "Because Land of Wind lacks many raw materials and farm
goods needed for industry and energy, our honored father must make
mutually beneficial alliances and positive relations with others; trade
enterprises, prosperous villages or clans, and if the circumstances are
ideal, even other nations."
"I understand the Yondaime's challenges quite keenly," Hiruzen
acknowledges. "As allies, we will, of course, do all we can."
'You mean when your economy isn't suffocating our own very nearly to
our demise,' Temari mentally berates the elder. "And Sunagakure is
incredibly grateful," Temari thankfully responds with a bow her bother
and sensei imitate. She continues to explain to the room, though more
for Uzumaki's benefit, "in order to strengthen our position, our honored
father covers our deficits-trades with our surplus-trades, as many
nations and villages do, and for the good of the village, Kazekage-
sama would utilize the practice of Omiai to secure a suitable match for
the only daughter of the Land of Wind's Kazekage."
"And you're cool with that," Naruto gasps to ask, quickly following it
with the obvious, "what if you don't love who your tou-chan picks?"
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