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Dragonsoul	By : UmbreonMessiah Category: Naruto > General Views: 999 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. All characters from Naruto are property of Masashi Kishimoto. Any original characters are property of their respective owners. There is no profit to be made with this story, it is purely for entertainment purposes.

Chapter List
- 1-Dragonsoul
- 2-Chapter 2
- 1
- 2
Dragonsoul

Chapter
1

Dusty shelves lined the walls of a forgotten
room in the Hyuuga estate. Every unclean inch of it
was an affront to all that the clan stood for, an insult to its very nature. It
was imperfect, a monument to a time of failure and disgrace that the clan could
never recover from. A memory that Hyuuga Hiashi gladly kept in order to remind the elders that
despite their rampant bureaucracy and power grabs, the true will of the Hyuuga clan was not something they could control. There was
a time where their cheap tricks and manipulation had the ears of not only Konoha�s elite, but also its ruling class. Those times were
behind them now, forever stained by a single act of rebellion.
�You haven�t touched it at all.�
Hiashi stepped to the side as his
daughter, Hyuuga Hinata, stepped back into her old
room. Her bright, lavender eyes flickered back and forth over the dirty corners
and unkempt windowsills, trying to spot anything her mind did not recall.
Satisfied that her assessment had been correct, she stepped forward into the
room, disturbing the musty air with the purity that always seemed to follow in
her footsteps.
�Hanabi refused to
allow me,� her father said with a smile. �She also threatened the maids.�
Hinata stifled a giggle. �I can�t imagine that
went over well.�
�It didn�t.�
A small cloud of dust billowed towards the
ceiling as Hinata pulled one of her old drawers open. She was actually
displeased that no one had cleaned her old room since she had left, but she
kept quiet about it. It would have upset her father and sister to know she was
disappointed that her room had ended up in this condition, especially
considering how far Hanabi went in order to keep it
untouched. She also felt it would be improper to complain to her family about it,
seeing as she had relinquished her ties to them not long ago.
Rummaging through her old things produced a
small, leather-bound notepad. It left behind an empty spot in the sea of dust
as she picked it up to examine both its covers. She quickly recognized it as
her old journal, a place where she kept the thoughts she dared not share with
others. She opened the neglected chronicle, flipping through pages until she
reached blank space. A glance at the last recorded date caused her to gasp and
snap the booklet shut.
I haven�t used this since the day before I was
supposed to marry Katai.
�Has it really been a year?� she whispered to
herself.
�Is everything all right, Hinata?� Hiashi asked, taking a step into his daughter�s room.
�Yes, it�s fine father,� she replied in the
rigid, respectful tone she had been raised to use. �There are just...a lot of
memories in here.�
Taking a step towards the north end of her
room, Hinata stepped in front of the luxurious mirror that hung on the wall. It
too was graced with a mantle of dust that seemed to place it in another period
in time. She quickly wiped the surface with the arm of her jacket, peering at
her reflection inquisitively. Her body was superimposed over images of each
time she had approached the mirror, starting from the day she had received it.
Even the phantom of a year ago seemed nothing like her. Compared to the ghosts
of yesteryear, Hinata was no longer the shy, timid creature she could always
remember being.
Though she discarded her introverted
personality thanks to Naruto, it was only recently that she fully embraced her
newfound confidence. Gone were the puffy jackets and sweaters that concealed
her figure, replaced with form fitting black shirts or more traditional Hyuuga-style battle attire. Since she had renounced her Hyuuga name though, she had taken to mixing her old
clothing with newer clothes in order to imitate the styles of the average
villager. She refused to give up her heritage so easily, but she knew she could
not hold onto it so tightly. As she stood in front of glass that told tales of
years gone by, she adjusted the purple over shirt that adorned her black tank
top, giggling slightly towards the girl that had once been dressed in an
overbearing beige sweater, crowned with a surprisingly awkward mop of dark
hair.
�You�ve come a long way,� Hiashi
said as though he could read her mind.
�You think so?� she asked humbly. �Sometimes I
still feel like the same little girl. The same little failure...�
Hiashi reached out and held his daughter
by her shoulder gently, shaking his head. �Nothing could be further from the
truth.�
Hinata smiled, reaching up to squeeze her
father�s hand affectionately before returning to her task. She gathered up
various things from her room, including her recently rediscovered journal, and
placed them in a small bag she had left at the sliding door to her room. She
took a final look around the deserted abode before closing her eyes and taking
a deep breath, smiling anew as she turned away from her memories and back into
the light of day.
�Let Hanabi have my
room,� she said. �I don�t plan on coming back any time soon.�
�Please reconsider,� Hiashi
pleaded. Hinata simply shook her head again, taking the step out of her old
room and back into the main garden of the estate.
�I�ve already made up my mind, father. Please
respect that.�
�It�s not that,� Hiashi
frowned. �You�re not safe. You know the threat you represent to the elders.
Even if they no longer have the sway they used to, they still think you�re
dangerous. They�ll use any means necessary to prove it. And
to get rid of you. I cannot protect you outside of these walls.�
The pale-eyed girl bit her lip as her father
spoke. She could not deny that everything he said was true. Konoha
had become a different place after last year�s fiasco at the wedding and as a
result the Hyuuga elders were in a state of disarray.
Some knew that their place at the head of the pack was in jeopardy, and thusly,
resorted to any means necessary to stay in power as long as possible. It was an
uphill battle that they were all destined to lose, but they still held some say
in Konoha�s political circles. They would do anything
they could in order to maintain what little power they still had left.
One of the tactics employed by the Hyuuga elders had resulted in an almost village-wide
assault on Tsunade�s character. She had been labeled
weak and unfit for duty, and more than once the daimyo had attempted to remove
her as Hokage. So far, none of these endeavors had
resulted in anything but ruffling the feathers of villagers and shinobi alike.
Yet, there was always the danger that Tsunade would
be replaced by someone whose ear was bent towards the wrinkled mouth of a Hyuuga elder.
In addition, there was this nagging feeling
that someone was always watching Hinata when she was not within shouting
distance of a public establishment. She had always known it was the Hyuuga elders watching over her, waiting for the perfect
moment to excise her like a rotten tooth. The danger that they represented was
why Hinata had moved out of Naruto�s apartment, and
into the care of another family that was more than willing to look after her
and protect her.
�I know,� Hinata admitted solemnly. �But I�ll
be all right. I didn�t become a shinobi for nothing. I�ll be okay, I promise.
Now I have to go... Hana is waiting for me.�
Hiashi looked his daughter over once more,
a gleam of pride in his eyes as he nodded to her. They exchanged one last look
before Hinata finally gave in and bowed to her father, turning around silently
and leaving the compound without so much as a goodbye.

�You okay?�
Inuzuka Hana
growled gently as Hinata exited the Hyuuga compound,
scratching one of her dogs behind its ear. Kiba�s
older sister kept her face stern, eyes drifting to the right slightly as though
she were keeping a close eye on the bushes just outside the compound. The
ex-heiress noticed immediately, nodding to Hana
curtly and clutching the bag to her chest tightly.
�Yeah, I�m fine,� Hinata said softly. �Thanks
for waiting.�
�Not a problem.�
Together the pair of kunoichi
walked through the crowded streets of Konohagakure.
No matter what horrible things happened to the village or its people, the
citizens never seemed to let on that anything was out of the ordinary. For as
long as Hinata could remember, the villagers had put on a brave face in order
to work through any trouble that came their way. They showed extraordinary
strength for ordinary people, which caused a feeling of pride to well up within
the once pampered kunoichi. It always made her feel
good to know that a person did not need power or wealth to do what was right.
�You�re being followed again,� Hana muttered softly as they walked.
�I know,� Hinata said. �But it�s just Neji this time. You can relax.�
The dog-user almost asked how Hinata could possibly
have known who was tailing them, but quickly realized the silliness of the
question and dropped it. Secure in the knowledge that one of Konoha�s best jounin was watching
over them, Hana allowed herself to relax as they made
their way past the shopping district. Minutes later, Hinata beheld the splendour that was the Inuzuka
household. Others would look at her strangely for insinuating that the humble
homestead that acted more often as Konoha�s
veterinary clinic than a house splendorous, but Hinata ignored those voices. To
her, the Inuzukas�s home was the greatest place in
the world. She was still overjoyed that they had offered to take her in when
she had asked.
She still had a lot to make up to them, in her
mind.
�Sure you didn�t leave anything behind?� Hana asked as they approached the gates.
�I�m sure,� Hinata nodded.
Not needing anything more to be convinced, Hana opened the gate to her home and ushered Hinata inside,
just like the very first time the white-eyed girl had come to live with them. Together
they walked up the small pathway and up the wooden porch, taking a moment to
greet Kuromaru as the enormous canine paced across
the front yard. The large dog�s presence meant that Tsume
was back from her mission, and since Kuromaru wasn�t
waiting for them or presenting any letters, it meant that she was perfectly
okay.
�You�d think I could stop worrying about my
mother so much,� Hana rolled her eyes, making Hinata
giggle.
Despite Hana�s
concern for her mother, the conversation the two of them shared as they crossed
paths was short and to the point. Tsume�s mission,
though top secret, had been a resounding success according to her, which left
both Hana and Hinata quite happy. The way that Hana and Tsume acted around each
other brought about by a sense of family that Hinata had sorely missed while
she was a part of the Hyuuga clan. She knew her
father cared deeply for her, but there were far more bad memories than good
ones nestled within the nooks and crannies of her old compound.
Hinata excused herself as Tsume
and Hana tended to dinner. The stairs creaked as
Hinata ascended to the second floor, opening the door to her room and quickly
closely it behind her. One thing she had learned while living with the Inuzukas was that not only did they value their privacy,
but they were also incredibly loud. Closing her door was an attempt to mimic
the first quality while dealing with the latter. Hinata found that it was a
decent solution, aside from the side effect of isolating her in her room. She
would not have minded so much, were it not for the reason the room was
available in the first place.
That was something that had taken her quite a
while to get over.
Settling back into her cozy abode, Hinata
plucked the most interesting item she had recovered from her old home out of
her bag. She examined the cover of the journal once again, as if she were
trying to decide what to do with it. She considered disposing of it, hoping
that the various events transcribed within would disappear from her mind
entirely. Yet she was compelled to keep it, the grimy pages calling out to her
in a peculiar way. After a moment of indecision she walked over to the small
desk in the corner of the room and procured a pen from inside one of its
drawers.
�I have a lot of catching up to do,� she
whispered, letting the smallest hint of a smile crack from her lips.

Hatake Kakashi
was a man of mysteries. He was one of Konoha�s best
shinobi, as well as a victim and profiteer of circumstance. He was famous the
world over as the Copy Ninja, a man of a thousand mimicked jutsu,
and only one to call his own. He had more accolades than most Kages, and he had only just turned thirty.
It was in the moments where Kakashi
could reflect on his own history and accomplishments that he wondered why all
his really important meetings tended to happen in thematically inappropriate
places. He and his compatriot were currently standing on the roof of a building
not far from Konoha�s resort district. The steam that
came from the hot springs did a good job of covering both shinobi as they made
it to the roof, but Kakashi always wondered why these
conversations never took place some place he wanted to be, such as the miso restaurant.
�So the rumours about
Naruto are true?� the man sitting next to Kakashi
asked. He was a strange individual with incredibly piercing eyes, his visage
almost constantly framed by a stiff gray head guard bearing the symbol of Konohagakure. Few knew his real name, his best friends
often referring to him by long disused code names. Kakashi
knew him as Tenzo, but he much preferred the name the
Hokage had recently given him: Yamato.
�I can�t say anything for certain,� Kakashi replied, keeping his voice just loud enough to be
heard. �I know that the villagers are getting paranoid however, and things will
only get worse once news of his last mission gets out.�
Yamato�s gaze tilted downward in contemplation.
He�d been privy to the report of Naruto�s last
excursion, detailing his rather brutal victory against a band of missing-nin. Since the day of the Kyuubi�s
defeat, there had been concerns that the Fourth�s seal would not hold forever. Naruto�s missions had seen him acting far more violent than
normal on occasion, finally culminating in his most recent act of aggression.
Though no one would ever fault a shinobi for using lethal force, the way in
which Naruto had killed his targets seemed to be ripped straight from the pages
of a horror novel. Yamato shuddered as he wiped the images from his mind,
looking back up at Kakashi.
�So that�s why you requested me to take your
place and reform your team?� Yamato asked.
�No one would be more suited to handle it than
you,� Kakashi said, his solitary eye showing no hint
of emotion. �Besides, if I don�t step down, they�ll find a way to remove
me...by force, if necessary.�
Yamato realized that this was one of the rare
instances where knowing less about the situation was probably beneficial to his
health. He straightened out, looking Kakashi straight
in the eye. �But that�s not the only thing bothering you, is it? It�s about her.�
Kakashi sighed, looking upwards as though
he were searching Yamato�s words for greater meaning. �Yes. If the rumours are true, then Naruto isn�t the only person we
should be worried about.�
�So that�s what all this secrecy is about?�
Yamato asked, motioning to the rooftop.
�It�s not the only reason,� Kakashi
whispered. �Danzo�s in on this, too. He�s apparently
mobilizing Root.�
Yamato folded his arms slowly as he bit his lip
gently. �Root? There�s a name I haven�t heard in a
while. What do you suppose he has them doing now?�
�Hard to say, though I wouldn�t be
surprised if he�s planning on interfering with you somehow.�
�Wouldn�t be all that shocking.� Yamato sighed, turning his head
towards the Hokage�s Tower looming in the distance. �Any speculations?�
�Plenty,� Kakashi
chuckled. �But nothing concrete. I�ll tell you more if
I get anything, but until then, please watch over Naruto and Hinata for me.�
The two jounin
vanished without any further words, leaving the rooftop barren. Not far away, a
dark-haired boy sat on top of a rustic water tower, idly painting a picture in
a small sketchbook. His pale face showed no interest or thought about what he
was drawing, even as he finished the last streak of Kakashi�s
hair, capturing the moment of the Copy Ninja�s recent meeting almost perfectly.

A dazzling set of strokes finished the last
character on the line as Hinata let out a sigh, placing her pen down to look
over everything she�d written in the last hour. She�d been playing catch up
with her old journal, filling in the gap of information between her last entry
and when she had found the book again. Despite all the things that had occurred
in the last year, the former heiress found it all surprisingly easy to write
down. Her memories did not evoke terror or sadness like she had expected them
to. She was instead filled with an unusual sense of accomplishment, as though
she�d finally conquered all the negative thoughts and feelings that had plagued
her over the course of her life. She was happy, yet at the same time she
somehow felt empty.
�It still doesn�t feel quite right,� she
whispered, looking around her room. �But I can live with that.�
�Talking to yourself again, Hinata-chan?�
A loud yelp echoed through the room moments
before Hinata attempted to mount her chair once more. Quickly brushing the
frizz out of her startled hair, she turned to the windowsill to see Naruto
hanging off the edge with his characteristic smirk beaming at full power. The
fear that had welled up inside Hinata dissipated instantly, leaving a quirky
smile in its place.
�No more than usual,� she finally replied. �I
see you�re back.�
�They almost didn�t let me back into town,�
Naruto grumbled. �There was all this junk about the stuff I did and...�
The sentence failed to complete itself as
Hinata launched herself at her lover, wrapping her arms around his body and
pulling him from the windowsill into a massive hug. The two let their stress
melt away into the liquid hot kiss they shared, forgetting all the sadness and
difficulty of the last few days as they were drawn away into the torrent of
their emotions.
It was Hinata that ended the embrace, putting
her finger between their daring lips as she flashed another quirky smile at
Naruto, looking up at him with her pale eyes. "I knew I felt something.
I'm sorry."
"What're you sorry for?" he asked
defensively. "You couldn't have stopped it."
She wanted to say so many comforting things to
Naruto. She was deeply in tune with his emotional state, but he was burying his
thoughts and feelings where even the Kyuubi could not
drag it out. Regardless, Hinata knew no words would ever cheer the blond up
after the unspeakable things he had done in the name of his country. She simply
repeated her last action, hoping to drain away his suffering with her kiss.
�So how was the old place?� Naruto asked,
trying to change the subject.
�Depressing.� Hinata sighed and crossed her arms,
casting her gaze sideways in an irate manner. �They actually hadn�t cleaned my
room since I was there last.�
Naruto chuckled, reaching out with his hand to
ruffle Hinata�s hair. �You miss them, don�t you?�
Though she tried to hide her true feelings,
Hinata knew that trying was utterly pointless. She blushed sheepishly, grabbing
Naruto�s hand in order to hold it tightly. �Yes...so
very much. But I�ve made my choice.�
�I�m not gonna make
you second guess yourself.�
�I know you won�t.�
In that moment, Hinata was reminded why she
fell in love with Naruto in the first place. It was his determination �
determination that she now possessed � that had made her grow closer to him. It
was his unfailing devotion to her and his friends that cemented her feelings. A
year ago, she would not have thought it possible, but now she realized she
loved the miscreant more than she ever had before. It was a thought that
brought a once-familiar rosy tint to her cheeks as she reached up to cup his
face.
�You�re so cute when you�re noble,� she
laughed.
�Wait what?� Naruto blinked. �What�s that
supposed to mean!?�
Another kiss stopped his complaining, leaving Hinata lost in her thoughts again. Naruto had
changed since their encounter with Kakeru a year ago,
and he had ended up taking his job more seriously as a result. He smashed
through the chuunin exams with flying colors, dispelling many of the rumours that he would never amount to anything. His sense
of fashion had changed as well, much to the joy of half of Konoha
and the surrounding wildlife. Though he tried to retain his orange colors more
often than not, more serious missions saw him sporting more standard attire.
Greens and blues were as much a part of Naruto�s
wardrobe as the more revealing colors, marking his transition from playful
prankster to warrior. Most were not convinced, but Hinata knew enough about the
boy to know it was difficult for him to put on something that failed to make
him stand out.
�You shouldn�t worry too much,� Hinata giggled,
running her fingers through Naruto�s hair. �There are
so many other things we could be doing with this free time.�
�Like what?� he responded, his face curving
ever so slightly into a wicked grin.
�I think you can figure it out.�
There was a point in Hyuuga
Hinata�s life where the prospect of seducing her
boyfriend would never have occurred to her, let alone doing it in someone
else�s home. Yet the darker parts of her mind were at work, parts she normally
kept quiet and under control when around others. She was often ashamed of the
vicious influence that whispered horrid things into her ears, but there were
times where it encouraged her to do things she desperately wished she had the
courage to do alone. Whether or not she was weak for relying on it did not matter.
What did matter was that she liked what it was helping her do to Naruto.
She liked it a lot.

Tsunade was furious. No, furious was the
wrong word. She was enraged. She held the report of Naruto�s
latest mission in her hands tentatively, trying to decide whom she should
decapitate first. If they were lucky, she would not use the paper to do
it.
�What in the hell were you thinking!?�
she bellowed, slamming her hands on the desk hard enough to make the wood
crack. �You let him go in alone!? When you knew
something like this would happen!?�
Considering the history that Jiraiya and Tsunade shared, the
hermit was rather surprised at how tame his former teammate was being. Her
current outburst was the lightest he�d ever seen given the amount of trouble
that Naruto�s last mission had caused, and he was
quite grateful for that. All it would have taken was something else, no matter
how insignificant, and she probably would have claimed a few of his ribs as
casualties.
�Calm down Tsunade,�
he said. �Things could have been much worse.�
�Explain to me how,� Tsunade
snarled. �Tell me how it could get much worse than having documented
evidence that Naruto is a threat!�
�I don�t think my report said anything of the
sort!�
�It doesn�t have to!� The Hokage stood up abruptly, pacing over to her window and
slamming her fist against the window frame. �You and I both know that in this
line of work, bad things happen. There�ve been some missions where the only way
to get out safely was to commit near genocide. But this...this! This
makes him look like a psychotic murderer!�
Being a ninja meant that more often than not a
job required lethal force. Shinobi were trained from day one to accept that fact
and deal with it when the time came. Eventually, killing people became normal, and
no more than a passing thought was given to most kills in the line of work.
What Naruto had done to those bandits however, was not just lethal force. The
great Sannin would never admit it, but when Naruto
had unleashed the Kyuubi�s power during the mission,
he had become afraid. For the first time in years, the elder ninja had felt
terror. The boy had been beyond brutal in his execution of the thugs, going so
far as to leave a few of them to bleed to death with various organs and body
parts missing.
Killing was one thing. Sadistic murder was
another.
�You know how this is going to look,� Tsunade said.
�I do,� was all Jiraiya
could offer. �I don�t know what else I can say, Tsunade.
I can hide it if you want. Burn the report. I�ll make another one, and we can...�
�Hiding it won�t do any good.� Tsunade took her seat again, letting out an exasperated
sigh. �Eventually the news will get out. Most of the jounin
figured out why you�d been taking Naruto with you almost immediately. We can�t
hide this forever.�
�Then what do you suggest we do?� Jiraiya asked.
�I�ve already set something up,� Tsunade sighed. �Kakashi�s giving
him the briefing.�
�You mean him?� Jiraiya
blinked. �Are you sure that�s necessary?�
�And you think it isn�t?� Tsunade
stared her friend down for a moment before turning her gaze back to her desk,
running a finger up one of the new cracks. �There are other things that need to
be considered as well.�
�Like what?�
It occurred to Tsunade
that Jiraiya was probably feigning ignorance to the
subject. He was either testing her to see what her reactions were, or he was
trying to protect Naruto as best he was able. Given the startling developments,
she knew that there was very little he could do short of spiriting Naruto away
for another several years. Were he not Konoha�s
greatest informant, she would have accused him of being out of touch.
�Like Hinata,� she said gravely. �There�s no
telling what kind of an effect all this is having on her.�
�Don�t you have people watching her?� Jiraiya asked. �I thought that was a priority for you.�
�It was,� Tsunade
scowled. �At least until Hinata realized that people were tailing her. It�s
very hard to spy on a member of the Hyuuga clan,
especially one as well-trained in recon and espionage as Hinata is.�
�I get the feeling there�s more to this,� Jiraiya grumbled. �I haven�t been gone that long,
have I?�
�Far too long if you ask me,� Tsunade replied cleverly. When it was apparent that Jiraiya did not understand her intention, she continued.
�Hinata has been incredibly secretive involving her connection to Naruto and
the Kyuubi. Yet, despite how much it bothers me, she
hasn�t done anything wrong so far. I can�t find a reason to spy on her.�
The look in Jiraiya�s
eyes said he was more concerned than he let on, but nothing came of it. �You�re
sure about this? You�re not worried?�
�I�m plenty worried,� Tsunade
corrected the hermit. �I�ve been worried about her and Naruto since this whole
problem began. There�s simply nothing I can do that�s within bounds.�
�And what about out of bounds?�
The Sannin had known
each other long enough to know what the other was thinking. Tsunade
leaned forward slightly, looking up at her long time friend with apprehension.
�You mean without council or Daimyo approval, I assume.�
�Indeed.�
�Why are you so worried about her?� Tsunade asked cautiously. �You only act this way when
something�s bothering you.�
�I just have a bad feeling is all,� Jiraiya admitted. �Isn�t that enough?�
�Not this time, I�m afraid.�
Jiraiya dropped the subject, turning around
to face the door. �All right then, you win this round. But if anything happens,
just tell me, all right?�
�There�s another reason I asked you here.�
�And what might that be?�
A moment of disturbing silence followed as Tsunade quietly rose to her feet, walking over to Jiraiya so she could whisper into his ear.
�Naruto�s
sixteen now.
Don�t you think it�s time he knew the truth?�

�I win again, Forehead-girl!�
Sakura scowled as Ino
practically paraded around the barbeque restaurant. The medic could hardly be
blamed for not excelling at the ridiculous games that the blonde chuunin
developed in her spare time, but Ino would hear none
of it. As far as she was concerned, Sakura had lost fair and square, which made
Ino the victor. That, in Ino�s
books, was cause for celebration.
�Do you have to be such a bitch?� Sakura
growled. �Seriously, it�s just a game.�
�A game you lost!� Ino
squealed, bouncing on the balls of her feet. �You remember our deal, yes?�
Sakura�s pink locks did nothing to hide the
blush that came to her cheeks. �I never agreed to that!�
�Oh, yes you did!� Ino
grinned, standing proudly with her hands at her hips. �You said if I beat you
you�d ...�
�Ino, sweetheart,
that�s enough.�
The blonde instantly sank back into her chair,
pouting deeply. �Sorry Chouji, I got carried away
again.�
Akimichi Chouji
was a burly young man whose weight was only exceeded by his courage and
devotion. Others would have said at one point that that was saying something,
but that was before Chouji had almost died trying to retrieve
Sasuke, and well before the majority of them learned
he could snap them in half like twigs from forty feet. His size belied his
agility and his creativity, making him something of a �surprise bomb� as Ino had once called it. He was the embodiment of his clan�s
philosophy, and proud of it, too.
�It�s all right Ino,�
Chouji breamed. �You�re
still getting the hang of it.�
�I have to say, Ino-pig,�
Sakura teased, �you certainly have been getting more...reserved.�
�What!?� Ino
shrieked. �I have not!�
�Yes you have!� Sakura laughed. �That�s the
first time you�ve done something like that in almost a week!�
�Oh, goodness. I think I feel my heart stopping!� Ino clutched her chest, making mock choking sounds as Chouji and Sakura just rolled their eyes. Eventually she
stopped, leaning forward with her chin pressed against her palms. �Seriously
though Sakura, there�s a reason I asked you out here in the first place.�
�And what would that be?�
�Well, far be it from me to try and pin female
stereotypes on anyone,� Ino began, �but you haven�t
gone out with anyone in almost a full year! I mean, whatever happened to you
and Lee?�
�We just didn�t work out is all,� Sakura
grimaced, recoiling from Ino�s sudden outburst. �I
guess we just weren�t as compatible as I thought...why do you care so much?�
�I�ve seen the look in your eyes,� Ino whimpered. �You�re lonely, and nobody should be that
lonely.�
�Hey, just because you need to run around and
fool around with guy after guy doesn�t mean I have to, Ino-pig.�
Ino stared hard at her friend for a moment before
leaning closely, talking in barely a whisper. �Sakura...are you just not into
guys? Because if that�s true, you don�t have to be
all-secretive. We�re friends, right? I mean, I don�t mind if you�re...�
�NO!� Sakura yelped. �No! Kami
no! I mean...no, I�m not. It�s just.... how do I explain this?�
Ino shook her head. �You don�t need to. I think I
understand.�
�You do?�
�Yeah, I do,� Ino
smirked. �Now you run along. I�ll cover the bill.�
Sakura took a moment to survey the amount of
food that the three shinobi had consumed, and panicked slightly. �Are you sure?
I mean it�s...�
�It�s nothing compared to some of the
bills I�ve paid before,� Ino chuckled. �Now hurry up
and get back to the hospital. Your shift starts soon, doesn�t it?�
In the face of one of Tsunade�s
rants, there was no need for convincing. Sakura left with enough speed to knock
several grills over, thankfully hurting no one. Ino
spared a small laugh at her friend�s expense before turning to face Chouji, who was glaring at her condemningly.
�Was that really necessary?� he asked.
�Of course it was!� Ino
cried defensively. �How could it not be necessary?�
�Well, like Sakura said,� Chouji
teased, �not every girl needs to fool around with guy after guy to be happy.�
�Oh, hush up you!� she growled, glaring at her
teammate angrily. When the moment of rage passed, Ino
blushed lightly before leaning up and kissing Chouji
as deeply as she could given her position, then
quickly returned to her meal.
�You didn�t tell her about us,� was Chouji�s only response.
�I wanted to,� Ino
whimpered. �I want to tell everyone. But I just...�
�Nervous?�
�I don�t know why. It�s not you, it�s...�
�Just relax,� Chouji
smiled, patting Ino on the shoulder.
�Shikamaru knows,
doesn�t he?�
�It�s Shikamaru.
Would you expect him not to?�
�You�re the best, you know that?� Ino blushed, returning to her barbeque pork.
�You keep telling me, anyway,� Chouji laughed.

Tsume ascended the staircase slowly, her legs a bit
stiff from a full week of active duty. What she needed was a long bath. She was
more hungry than tired, and figured that her luxuries could wait till after a
nice, warm meal. Hinata deserved to eat as well, so she decided to fetch the
girl herself, rather than have Hana run all over the
house.
�I�m no cripple,� Tsume
had said to her daughter. �I can go get Hinata myself, thank you very much.�
The wild woman chuckled softly as she recalled
the face her daughter had made only moments ago. It was good to see that good
spirits still existed in Konoha, considering all the
things that had happened to it. The village had gone through some rough times
and was definitely beginning to show it. That didn�t concern Tsume too much. There were other things more important than
politics and power struggles.
Family, for one.
Tsume approached Hinata�s
door and knocked on it lightly, only to have the polite gesture backfire. The
door swung open, having not been closed properly, catching Hinata in the middle
of changing clothes.
�Tsume-san!� Hinata yelped, covering her chest
with the shirt she was about to put on.
�Oi, sorry about
that,� Tsume said, blushing only slightly and turning
her head to the side.
�No, it�s okay,� Hinata squirmed. �I�m the one
that didn�t shut the door.�
A quick glance around the room showed that
Hinata definitely hadn�t been in a hurry to do much when she got back. It was
still littered in random things the girl had procured from her old home, with a
small notebook opened on her desk. The clothes she had been wearing earlier
were piled in a corner, looking lonely and forgotten.
�Anyway, dinner�s ready when you are,� Tsume said. �No rush or anything.�
�Arigato, Tsume-san.�
The door clicked shut as Tsume
left Hinata to her devices. A second later however, the door opened again as Tsume poked her head through, wearing a somewhat devilish
smile. �Oh and by the way? Naruto is welcome to dinner as well.�
As soon as Tsume
left, the pile of clothes in the corner of Hinata�s
room exploded into a cloud of smoke, leaving a naked Naruto in their place. The
blond looked at his girlfriend sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.
�Damn. She�s good.�

Dawn was the time Tsunade
hated the most, especially on Sunday mornings. She had learned several things
in her long lifetime, and one of them was that no matter how hard she tried, Shizune would always find a way to ruin a perfectly good
sleep with something as trivial as work.
�Good morning, Tsunade-sama!�
Sandy tresses gave the fifth Hokage some decency as her niece and secretary barged into
her living quarters, pulling the drapes open to bathe the room in vile
sunlight. Tsunade hissed much like a vampire,
throwing her hands up to shield her face from the offensive daylight.
�Haven�t you ever heard of a Sunday?� Tsunade growled. �I wanted to sleep in!�
�Maybe you�ve forgotten that you�re Hokage,� Shizune giggled. �You
don�t get to sleep in.�
Tonton squealed happily in Shizune�s grasp as Tsunade gave
the small pig its morning pat on the head, pulling on her green jacket to make
herself at least appear decent. The two women wasted very little time, putting
together a small breakfast before getting down to business. Shizune
handed Tsunade several files, to which the blonde
woman groaned.
�You can�t seriously expect me to start
figuring out mission assignments all ready,� she said flatly.
�Don�t blame me because you were up all night
with Jiraiya-sama,� Shizune
chimed, pouring Tsunade some tea. �By the way, what were
you two up to, if I might ask?�
�Certainly not what you seem to think we were
up to.� Tsunade swatted her niece on the head gently,
knocking away Shizune�s goofy grin. �It was important
business.�
�Involving...?� Shizune
probed.
�Naruto.�
�Anything I should know about?�
�He could be in a lot of trouble,� Tsunade explained. �And we�ve considered letting him know
who his father is.�
To this, Shizune
nearly dropped her plate. �Wh-what!? B-But I thought...�
�He deserves to know, Shizune.
The elders, councils...they don�t have any right to tell the kid he doesn�t
deserve to know who his father is.�
�Are you sure this is legal?� Shizune asked. �They might claim you�re violating the
decree set down by the Sandaime.�
�To hell with them,� Tsunade
snarled. �The decisions they�ve made about Naruto treat him like he�s property.
We�ll let him know, even if we have to do it secretly.�
Silence followed Tsunade�s
words, killing the conversation entirely. With nothing else to do, the Hokage picked up one of the scrolls that Shizune had brought, and began reading through it. The
angry scowl she had been making slowly faded away into an amused smile as she
read one of the details of one of the missions.
�This will make an excellent starting point for
the new Team Seven,� Tsunade grinned.

Yamato tried as hard as he could to hide the
consternation he was feeling. He had never actually met the members of Kakashi�s team before, but their reputations preceded them.
The idea of someone taking the white-haired jounin�s
place would be difficult for them to accept, even if it was only temporary.
Though Naruto and Sakura were accustomed to working with other shinobi, they
had done their best to avoid tampering with their original team makeup. The
only exception they had made was with Ryumoto
Yakusho, who had acted as a provisional replacement for Uchiha
Sasuke. Yamato had wanted to avoid bringing up the
subject of a third team member as well, but even that seemed out of his
control.
The ANBU operative was not sure what to make of
the dark-haired boy who had been selected to be the team�s third member. His
skin was deathly pale and uncharacteristically thin, evoking images of
isolation and malnutrition. The fact that he seemed to be interested solely in
his scroll and paintbrush made him seem even more awkward. His name was
apparently Sai, but Yamato figured that was just a
codename, much like his own moniker. Yamato also had other suspicions about Sai�s origins and why he would be a part of Team Seven, but
chose not to do or say anything. There was something unearthly and terrifying
about the silent painter that made Yamato even more anxious than he already
was.
�I still don�t get why we have to remake the
team! It�s fine the way it is!�
Naruto�s unmistakable shout echoed across
the clearing as he emerged from the side streets along with Sakura. A large
orange overcoat hung down to his ankles, patterned with black flames at the
bottom in homage to the fiery passion of the people of Konoha.
The rest of his attire was completely black, save for the blue of his hitai-ate and geta, which clashed
horribly with the rest of his ensemble. It took everything in Yamato�s power
not to swear profusely at the sight, being the only person present with any
knowledge of how frighteningly similar to the fourth Hokage
Naruto appeared.
Sakura, on the other hand, seemed to have been
taking fashion tips from her best friend. True to a promise she had made to
herself, she was once again denoted it by the scarlet clothing she wore. Her
incredible medical skill was overshadowed by her rather provocative attire as
she had traded in her modest clothes for something far more risqu�. The only
sleeves her top had were the ends of her fishnet halter top, a vestige of the criss-crossing fabric wrapping around the upper half of her
midriff. Her black shorts were now graced with a partner in the form of a red
half-skirt that held on to her hips tightly and draped down her right leg. Her
left leg was left completely exposed, showing off the creamy skin and toned
calf muscles that did not do her true strength any justice.
�I�m sorry Naruto,� Sakura said exasperatedly.
�It�s not like I have any control over it!�
The two almost began an argument when they
noticed that they had company. Putting the issue aside for the moment, the two
original members of Team Seven walked towards the bridge that marked their
usual meeting place and greeted their new leader with as little chagrin as
possible.
�Good morning,� Sakura smiled pleasantly. �I�m Haruno Sakura.�
�Uzumaki Naruto,�
Naruto grunted.
�It�s a pleasure, I assure you,� Yamato said.
�I�m Yamato, and as I�m sure you�re aware, I�ll be acting as the leader of your
team until Kakashi returns. I understand that these
might be difficult circumstances for you both, but I hope we can at least
remain civil.�
�Well, I can�t speak for Naruto,� Sakura
growled, giving her teammate a deadly glare, �but I haven�t got any problems
with it. Kakashi-sensei is a busy man, and the
village needs all the hands it can get.�
�He didn�t need to find a replacement,� Naruto
complained. �We could have just as easily done these missions on our own.�
�Don�t be rude!� Sakura shouted. �What�s gotten
into you, Naruto?�
�It�s perfectly understandable,� Yamato
chuckled. �I just hope I can live up to Kakashi�s
reputation.�
�Are these two the ones I�m to work with?�
The original members of Team Seven tilted their
heads to see around Yamato as Sai spoke up. Both of
them took a moment to evaluate the slender male before turning their eyes back
to Yamato.
�Who�s this guy?� Naruto questioned.
�This is Sai,� Yamato
explained cautiously. �He�s been selected to be your teammate.�
An uneasy feeling radiated from Naruto and
Sakura as Sai introduced himself. The enigmatic
appeared to be a blank slate, his face showing absolutely no reaction to his
new teammates� disdain for his presence. Several words were left unsaid between
the three until Naruto took a step forward.
�Don�t get too excited about being a part of
our team,� Naruto said. �It won�t be permanent, I promise you.�
�I had no intentions of getting comfortable,� Sai replied, his eyes turning towards Sakura. �You...share
his feelings, yes?�
�I do,� Sakura nodded. �We don�t mean to sound
harsh. It�s just...�
�How interesting,� Sai
hummed, turning his back to them. �I certainly hope you won�t let your feelings
get in the road of your job.�
Yamato�s eyes widened as Naruto panicked,
grabbing Sakura by her shoulders to prevent her from slugging Sai. If the pallid boy noticed, he certainly did not let on
that he had, ignoring the both of them as he began to walk towards the town
gate.
�S-so what�s the mission?� Naruto asked,
putting all his effort into restraining his friend.
�We have a request from a town on the border of
the Land of Waterfalls,� Yamato explained. �It seems they�ve been having a
problem with a group of missing-nin who have resorted to petty crime. It�s a low-end job, but it�s
what we were given.�
�Whatever,� Sakura huffed. �Let�s just get
going.�
The group made its way to the gates of Konoha, taking time to make sure they had enough supplies
for the journey. When they were certain they were ready, they bid farewell to
the guards and headed out into the wilderness.
Ahead of them, Sai
finished a small picture he�d been drawing. He took a moment to look at it and
the picture on the page next to it, comparing Yamato�s face now to the way he
had drawn it previously. With nothing new to add, he closed the sketchbook,
slipping it and the evidence of his spying into the small bag on his back.
�
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