Adult-FanFiction.org : Naruto

Underneath The Leaves	By : ChaCha92 Category: Naruto AU/AR > Het - Male/Female Views: 4798 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Don't own anything in the Naruto universe. Some dude in Japan does. Make no money on my stories either.

Chapter List
- 12
- 13
- 14
Early mornings have never been Tsunade’s favorite time of the day. It’s an ungodly time typically spent preparing for some unpleasant task or event later in the day. Or it’s a wasted opportunity to sleep off the fun from the night before.
Even if neither case is true, like today, she still detests presently sitting in her office, glaring at Sasuke and Sakura as they arrive on time to submit their written report detailing their part of the mission.
Without a word, the blonde accepts the proffered document from Sakura’s hand and skims it. As she reads, Sakura glances around the room.
“I’m surprised Naruto and Kakashi aren’t here yet. It’s par for the course with Kakashi, but she’s always on time,” she quietly comments.
“Why do you sound surprised?” Tsunade asks, not raising her eyes from the report. “This is Kakashi we’re talking about.”
“Kakashi being late is typical, but not Naruto,” Sakura retorts with a glare.
“I’m not,” Tsunade waves off distractedly. “Naruto is still recovering from her hypothermia, which could still be messing with her system. Besides, as the senior of the two and captain of the mission, it’s Kakashi’s duty to write the report. And being this is Kakashi, I’ll be lucky to get it before the week is out.”
Sasuke snorts in agreement as Sakura grins.
“Looks like everything’s in order,” Tsunade declares, finally looking up at the two before pinning her gaze on Sakura. “Today you have to report to hospital supply master to help with the annual inventory.”
Smiling in sympathy at Sakura’s groan, Tsunade continues.
“I know. It’s boring, but it has to be done and since no one can leave until it‘s complete you should go over there immediately to get started on it.”
“Yes, shishou,” Sakura sighs in resignation nods before leaving the office.
After Sakura leaves, Sasuke eyes Tsunade expectantly, waiting for her to dismiss him.
“Patience,” she intones with a smirk. “I’m not done with you yet.”
Quirking a brow, he silently wonders what tediously obnoxious task she has in store for him. He hides his surprise when Naruto and Kakashi enter the room moments later. Once Tsunade erects her privacy shield, she signals everyone it’s in place.
Naruto promptly steps forward and hands in their report. Both Sasuke and Tsunade arch a brow in surprise.
“What?” she asks, wondering what their looks are for.
“Your report is on time, gaki.”
“Yeah, of course,” Naruto drawls in confusion.
“Not when Kakashi is involved,” Tsunade retorts.
“Oh,” the redhead replies in dawning realization.
“She wrote the report,” Kakashi rolls his eye irritably.
Both Tsunade and Sasuke relax and nod in understanding.
“Your attitude is not encouraging me to turn in the reports sooner,” Kakashi replies coolly.
“An exploding tag up your butt wouldn’t get you to turn them in sooner,” Sasuke snorts, earning a glare from the jounin and smirks from the other two women.
“All right,” Tsunade interrupts. “Let’s get down to business.”
For Sasuke’s benefit, she rehashes everything Naruto and Kakashi had gone over during their oral report, explaining the conclusions they’ve drawn before finally getting to the point. After outlining the mission for Sasuke, she pins him with her steely gaze.
“Infiltrating Danzo may be even more dangerous than your time with Orochimaru. Let me make it very clear, I’m not ordering you to do this. This may be a golden opportunity to finally get someone inside Danzo’s organization. However, now that he is our prime suspect in the massacre and in the attempts on Naruto’s life, we may be able to obtain our proof against him by other means.”
Everyone in the room remains silent, giving Sasuke a chance to think about it.
“Aren’t you concerned I may be tempted to switch to Danzo’s side?” he asks, after a few minutes.
Naruto snorts and rolls her eyes.
“If that were the case, you’d have jumped ship at his first offer.”
At Sasuke’s incredulous look she smiles and shakes her head like it should be obvious.
“If it were only about revenge, you could’ve taken up Danzo’s offer and annihilated the village from within. It would’ve been so easy it’s not even funny. You obviously want to know the truth, which is why you’ve stuck with us through all the bullshit of completing your probation and becoming a chuunin. Then you survived the brain melting, tedious task of going through all those boring account records and dusty files.”
Tsunade and Kakashi chuckle at her more than accurate description of their investigation. Even Sasuke can’t help smirking.
“If you were so weak to be tempted and manipulated by Danzo,” Naruto continues, jabbing a finger at him in emphasis. “Then you’d have already become Orochimaru’s bitch and we wouldn’t be having this conversation now would we? So, no, we aren’t concerned.”
Tsunade can’t help laughing outright.
“I can’t wait until you becomes Hokage just to hear what kind of speeches you’ll give to the council.”
Naruto’s only answer is a devious grin that sends a shiver down everyone’s spine. Giving her head a quick shake, Tsunade takes control of the conversation.
“I’d rather not have you take this mission at all, Sasuke. It’s not because you’re the last Uchiha or because of your past. It’s just too dangerous and I don’t want to risk a valuable shinobi who has more than proven himself on attempting to capture a slick viper like Danzo.”
Sasuke considers everything for several minutes.
“I accept the mission,” he finally states. “We are almost at the end of the investigation without much to show for it. Even if we find hard evidence, Danzo may easily maneuver his way out of it. Orochimaru was patient, but he’d get too caught up in his emotions when he thought he won and that’s when he made his mistakes. Danzo’s weakness lies in the fact he likely thinks himself untouchable and is overconfident in his ability to manipulate others.” Pausing again in thought, he adds, “If this is the only way to get some real proof he was behind the murders, then so be it. I won’t let Danzo continue getting away with his crimes.”
Everyone stares at him in surprise before Naruto recovers first.
“Maybe I ought to have Sasuke write all my speeches when I become Hokage,” she quips.
Sharing her grin, Tsunade hands several folders to a smirking Sasuke.
“These contain everything we have on Danzo and Root. It’s not much more than an academy student can look up in a textbook. Unfortunately, Danzo is that good at covering his tracks. You are not to say anything about this mission to anyone except those in this room. Once you successfully infiltrate Danzo’s organization he’ll keep a very close eye on you, so expect your home to be bugged and someone following your every move.”
“I already check for that stuff on a daily basis out of habit,” Sasuke snorts. “Even if Danzo questions it, I’ll just say I don’t believe the Hokage trusts me and add it to my list of complaints against the village.”
Tsunade smirks.
“Great way to play it. It’s unlikely you’ll be able to come and make regular reports to me, so you’ll have to rely on Kakashi and Naruto to do it for you.” Hardening her gaze, she emphasizes, “Under no circumstance are you to reveal any of this to Sakura.”
“Why?” he asks in surprise.
Kakashi takes over to briefly explain the conclusions they’ve collectively drawn about Sakura.
“We aren’t accusing her of anything,” he points out, “But it’s too risky right now to just dismiss our doubts.”
Sasuke is stunned they all are suspicious of Sakura but after a moment’s consideration he nods.
“It makes sense,” he agrees. “I have no problem keeping Sakura in the dark about this, but that may be old prejudices influencing me. However, I always felt she was far too interested in things that weren’t any of her business, which is why I didn’t tell her about the receipt I found at Kakeru’s estate.”
“That is another reason we want to keep Sakura in the dark,” Tsunade points out. “At this stage of the game none of us can afford to take unnecessary chances.” Golden eyes meet the gaze of each shinobi. “Be careful about where you discuss the investigation and watch your backs. If all goes well, things are about to become more dangerous.”
“Hai,” all three reply.
“Dismissed.”
After leaving Tsunade’s office and walking out of the tower, Sasuke invites Naruto and Kakashi over to his house for tea. Knowing he wants to talk about what just happened both readily agree and walk with him back to the Uchiha district.
Within a half hour all three settle with their tea in Sasuke’s living room.
“You still floored by your mission, teme?” Naruto shrewdly eyes him.
“A few months ago I was a missing nin and sworn enemy of this village,” he arches a brow. “Now the Hokage is offering me a delicate mission to protect this village. Shouldn’t I be surprised, dobe?”
“Not when Naruto is the one nominating you for the task,” Kakashi replies easily.
“What?” she asks at Sasuke’s surprised look. “You left all those years ago for selfish reasons, but you’ve grown a lot since then, teme. Even if you’re doing this mission for purely selfish reasons, you need to discover the truth once and for all in order to move on. Which, when you think about it, negates the selfishness and turns it into something necessary. ‘Sides, you can’t do that if you betray the village again. And whether you admit it or not, you like being a part of the village and all the nutcases that live in it. Here you don’t have to worry about getting killed if you give your loyalty to the wrong person ‘cause, c’mon, the Akatsuki aren’t the type of ninja who are about solidarity are they?”
Nodding, Sasuke smirks, conceding her point.
“Whether your leaving was the right choice or not,” Naruto continues. “You were going to do things your way. We just had to wait for you to realize you still had a home to return to. And you’re surprised you’ve been given this mission?”
Sasuke gapes at her stunned before bursting into laughter. Kakashi and Naruto exchange worried looks and wonder if he has finally lost it.
Within a few minutes the last Uchiha regains his composure.
“How ironic. The one person who understands me best is the one everyone dismissed as being so clueless she didn’t know which way was up. It wasn’t the Hokage, it wasn’t the council and it sure as hell wasn’t the fan girls, but my tomboy rival who never had any family to begin with.”
Cocking his head slightly, he looks at her pointedly.
“Remember when I told you bonds distracted me from the goals, desires and emotions that mattered?” At her nod he continues. “I wasted more time and effort fighting those bonds when you were right, they only make you stronger. That’s why you improved when I felt like I was standing still. I still can’t profess any real love or loyalty to the village, but that is due more to not knowing what either of those things mean anymore.” Piercing both his teammates with his gaze, he adds, “However, I know you’d both lay your lives down for the village and because of that I’ll do this for you. Not just to discover Danzo’s role in my family’s death.”
Silence reigns again while they process his words before Naruto breaks it.
“You better not get your ass killed by Danzo. We don’t want any guilt trips ‘cause you’re doing this for us and, ‘sides,” she smirks. “You have a reputation to uphold. How could you survive Orochimaru and not Danzo? Getting killed by Danzo would just be lame since you haven’t shown this village what a real badass you can be.”
“You’re going to make his head swell, Naruto,” Kakashi chuckles.
“That happens all on its own,” Naruto scoffs. “‘Sides, I can easily deflate it by kicking his ass.”
“Yeah right,” Sasuke snorts.
Naruto wags a scolding finger at him.
“Remember our last match up that brought your ass home. I’ve got all the ANBU as well as two Sannin to back up my claim.”
“She’s got you there, Sasuke,” Kakashi drolly replies.
Smirking despite himself, Sasuke throws his hands up in surrender.
“I don’t feel in the mood for a rematch right now.”
Naruto grins back.
“Any time and any place, teme.”
Still amused, Sasuke decides to change the subject.
“I’ve been wondering for awhile, but why is your ANBU persona Ermine and not a fox?”
“Isn’t a fox too obvious?” she asks, scrunching up her face in confusion. “ANBU are supposed to be anonymous and having the fox mask would just scream out who I am. Hell, might as well wear my old jumpsuit with my name written across my back.”
Sasuke cringes.
“Don’t remind me of that horror.”
“That was my favorite outfit,” she bites out with a glare.
“Yeah, you liked to look like a redheaded pumpkin,” he retorts. “Just seeing you in that outfit made my eyes hurt.”
“He has a point, Naruto,” Kakashi agrees before she can retort. “Unless a person was colorblind, you did make for a rather painful sight.”
Naruto glares at them before crossing her arms and pouting.
“Everyone has their own style that was mine.”
Chuckling with Sasuke, Kakashi leans over and ruffles her hair, causing her to swat his hand away in annoyance.
“Now’s probably a good time for another subject change,” Kakashi suggests, ignoring Naruto’s scowl. “Although Danzo is adept at being steps ahead of his opponents, he’s obviously a man of habit. In order for Sasuke to be successful in his mission, we have to figure out as much of his pattern as possible.”
“True,” Naruto nods, adding, “We already know he’s probably overconfident since he’s been doing whatever the hell he pleases for years without penalty. I’m sure he thinks he can control and manipulate Sasuke.”
“We can’t analyze Danzo until I’m around him enough to observe his habits and mannerisms,” Sasuke counters. “There’s no point in discussing it when it’ll only be speculation that will likely be wrong. We should wait until I have something to share so we can analyze him better.”
“Sounds good,” Kakashi agrees. Glancing out the nearest window and noting the time, he adds, “We should get going.”
“Yeah, I’ve got a couple of things to do,” Naruto nods, rising from the sofa to start gathering up their dirty dishes. “We’ll help you clean up, teme. Will you be coming over to the monthly social at the Zodiac tonight?”
Sasuke rolls his eyes as he and Kakashi pick up the rest of the tea things to carry into the kitchen.
“Yeah, I’ll be there or I’ll never hear the end of it from you and Ino.”
“Damn straight,” Naruto quips setting the cups she carried onto the kitchen table.
Sasuke insisted on washing the dishes, effectively chasing the two out of his home minutes later. As they walk together in silence, Kakashi glances over and studies Naruto for a minute.
Feeling his gaze she looks over and meets his inscrutable gaze.
“What?”
“Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider joining the T & I dept?” he asks, innocently.
She scrunches her face up in bemusement.
“Why do you say that? I wasn’t being the least bit intimidating towards Sasuke.”
“No,” Kakashi drawls, “But you have a knack for getting people to do things that clash with their desires. Despite the allure of learning the truth about his clan massacre, Sasuke never would’ve returned to the village and complied with his punishment. He also never would’ve agreed to infiltrate Danzo. Revenge was his focus. Everything else was secondary. Yet you brilliantly convinced him all this is what he wants, despite the fact he buried himself so deeply in denial that he was convinced otherwise.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t want the village to have a weak foundation supported by lies,” she replies, ignoring her blush. “Allowing the lies to continue undermines what generations of shinobi have sacrificed their lives for. Yeah, the Hokage guide and support this village, but it’s the shinobi who are the lifeblood.”
Looking up at the early afternoon sky, she places her hands behind her head and explains further.
“There was no one else left that Sasuke would’ve listened to that could convince him to open his damn eyes. In a way, I was always his failure, the one wall he could never get over except when he got lucky and he knows it. I scratched his hitai-ate instead of going for the kill at the Valley of the End. It cost me the match, but that scratch hung with him a lot longer. Without a clear-cut victory against me, he couldn’t believe he was strong enough to take on Itachi.”
Dropping her arms back to her side she shrugs.
“That made it easier to get him to listen because we’re equals now.” Looking knowingly at Kakashi, she adds, “Sasuke would never listen to you because you were his superior who had far more experience, skill and knowledge than him. Anyone else was inferior, so he wouldn’t have listened to them either.”
They continue walking in silence for a few more minutes.
“Is that the reason why you tried so hard to save Sasuke?” he asks. “Or did you have other reasons when it would’ve been much easier to kill him and be done with it?”
Naruto considers her response.
“No, it’s not the only reason,” she admits. “I’ve never given anyone the real reason why I struggled to save him. You’re probably the only one who’ll understand. It’s said there’s a fine line between love and hate, often being different sides of the same coin. Sasuke and I hated each other so much, but we wanted and needed acknowledgement from each other. When we finally did, basically that made all of us family. Team 7 was my first real family, the first to acknowledge me. So, I’d do everything to save and protect you guys, even from your own stupidity.”
She smirks at Kakashi’s grin.
“Sasuke was lost and I wanted to help him find his way again. As much as his actions pissed us off, he’s still one of us and we have to help each other, otherwise we really are nothing more than tools. It’s also a shameful tragedy to lose our own over something so stupid.”
Naruto’s gaze drops in sadness.
“It’s too bad we couldn’t do the same for Itachi.” Looking up with determined eyes, she adds, “The least we can do is correct the misconception he’s nothing more than a murderous traitor when it’s so obvious he never was.”
Reaching over and grabbing her in a headlock, Kakashi ruffles her hair.
“That is why you’re going to make a great Hokage. You haven’t let yourself become jaded and forgotten what the ‘Will of Fire’ means.” He releases her and watches in amusement as she smoothes out her hair before adding, “Don’t forget that as much as you consider us family, we consider you family. At least, I do.”
Climbing the stairs to their building, Naruto smiles warmly before smirking.
“That goes without saying. We’re far too dysfunctional not to be family.”
Laughing, Kakashi nods.
“It was my luck to get stuck with a team saddled with the most problems.”
“True, none of the other jounin sensei seemed to have as much trouble with their teams as we had in ours.”
“At least we can’t say it’s been boring,” he sighs resignedly.
“Yep,” Naruto agrees as they enter their apartment. As she slips off her sandals she asks, “Are you going out later?”
“I might be stopping by the Zodiac later for a few drinks with some of the other jounin.”
“Great,” she grins. “With Sasuke there and if a pool table’s open, maybe we can play a round.”
Kakashi rolls his eye.
“I don’t envision a pool game between you and Sasuke being anywhere near friendly.”
“That’s because he’s a teme,” she sniffs haughtily. “Anyway, I’m going to take a nap, but will be up in time to help you make dinner.”
“All right,” Kakashi nods as she disappears down the hallway.
Making his way over to the sofa, he stretches out with his trusty Icha Icha in his hand.
The night is going great as far as Naruto’s concerned. All the K-11, plus one teme, is there and Genma is actually behaving himself for once.
They all congregated at the Zodiac, a bar owned by Shikamaru’s equally lazy, older and far more lecherous cousin Shigure. She’s certain she’s not the only one who ever occasionally wondered what it is about the Nara clan and drinking. Shikaku is still considered a champion stool ornament. However, unlike Shikaku and Shikamaru, Shigure wasn’t as proficient a ninja or as shrewd a tactician and decided to support himself by opening his own bar.
Not dwelling on that thought for long, she divides her time between Genma and her friends, doing her best to not give him an excuse to be an ass. She’s not going to have him going off on how she’s neglecting him or some such crap.
Genma seems to be in a particularly good mood and is fine hanging out with Raido, Kotetsu, Izumo and Aoba when he’s not ribbing Kiba and the others. Naruto doesn’t fail to notice how he ignores Sasuke. That’s fine with her. The teme is ignoring him with equal prejudice.
Walking back over to where Genma and his friends are sitting, he pulls her close when she’s in range to lean in and speak in her ear.
“It looks like the tables are going to be busy for awhile,” Genma states, using one arm to gesture at all the occupied pool tables. “We’re going to head over to the Lucky Leaf and see if we can get on a table there, maybe get in a round or two.”
Naruto liked the Lucky Leaf. It isn’t as bright and open as the Zodiac, but it’s a good place to go if you aren’t feeling that sociable.
“Great,” she replies. “I haven’t seen Jin in awhile. I can bug him at the bar while waiting for my turn to play.”
“Why don’t you stay here since tonight is your monthly social with your friends?” Genma suggests, surprising her. “You were excited about tonight because all the rookies are here for once. And I doubt we’re going to get on a table there. If it’s busy here, chances are good Jin’s place is hopping. We’ll probably end up coming back anyway.”
“Yeah, but,” she begins hesitantly. “I wanted to spend time with you tonight, not just the others.”
Grinning, he leans in to kiss her.
“Don’t worry about it. Even if we get on a table, we’ll probably be back in an hour or so. Or, knowing you, you’ll probably get annoyed at someone and come join us anyway.”
“Yeah, probably,” Naruto smirks before leaning in to kiss him again. “Okay, go have fun. I’ll see you later.”
As Genma and the others leave, Naruto heads back to the crowded tables the rookies had pushed together to accommodate all of them and their significant others. Even Sakura showed up tonight with her boyfriend Ritsu in tow.
After nearly an hour of torturing and teasing her favorite targets, it’s not long before it’s her turn to head over to the bar and order the next round of drinks.
Her grin widens as she sees Yamato and Anko sitting with Kakashi.
Looking up, Shigure notices her approaching.
“The same for everyone, Naruto?”
“Yeah, please,” she nods to the dark haired man as she stands next to Kakashi.
She spends a few minutes chatting with him, Anko and Yamato before a familiar face catches her attention out of her peripheral vision. Glancing over, she’s surprised to see Raido, Kotetsu and Izumo playing at one of the pool tables. Blue eyes search the immediate area, but no Genma. Excusing herself, she walks over to the guys.
“Hey Raido, where’s Genma?”
“There weren’t any tables open at the Lucky Leaf,” he explains. “So we came back here when none would be opening anytime soon. Genma wanted to finish the drink he ordered before joining us.” Holding up his cue stick, he asks, “Want to join us? Us two against Izumo and Kotetsu?”
“Sure,” Naruto grins as she steps off to the side to select a cue stick from the rack.
At that moment Aoba enters the bar and walks over to Raido after spotting him from the doorway.
Raido frowns at the other jounin in confusion.
“Where’s Genma, Aoba?”
Failing to notice Naruto at the cue stick rack when he came over, he blithely shrugs.
“We’re probably not going to see Genma anymore tonight. He’s too busy with a busty blonde he met at the Lucky Leaf and you know how much he likes blondes.”
Aoba frowns at Raido’s stricken look until he hears a distinctively familiar female voice behind him.
“So how busy is Genma getting with this blonde?”
Swallowing nervously, Aoba slowly turns around and comes face to face with an expressionless Naruto waiting expectantly for his answer with her arms crossed.
“Shit,” he mutters under his breath before stammering louder. “Uh, G-Genma was just talking to the blonde.”
“What kind of talking?” she asks innocently.
“They’re flirting, nothing more,” he reluctantly replies, knowing he’s screwed.
Cocking her head, Naruto considers his words.
“Nothing more. Hmm.”
Leaning her cue stick against the table she turns towards the door.
Reaching past Aoba, Raido grabs her arm.
“Don’t go overboard, Naruto. You know how much of a flirt Genma is.”
Taking a deep breath Naruto nods.
“That’s why I’m not going to kill him. I’m going to give him the benefit of the doubt ‘cause he may only be window shopping and not sampling the merchandise. But,” her gaze hardens. “He’s the one who wanted to continue our relationship and I did want to go with you guys over to the Lucky Leaf, but he wouldn’t let me. So why is he spending time with someone other than me?”
Raido has no answer, but is relieved she’s not intent on killing Genma. He doesn’t want to see her catch any flak for justifiably beating his friend for his stupidity.
“Please be careful,” he asks, releasing her arm.
“I will,” she promises with a reassuring smile before leaving.
Watching her disappear out the door, Raido turns his attention back to Aoba.
“What the fuck didn’t you tell Naruto?” he demands, crossing his arms.
Aoba shrinks a little under his glare as Kotetsu and Izumo move around to join him in the interrogation.
Before the bespectacled man can answer, another smooth voice interrupts.
“What did Aoba fail to tell Naruto?”
Closing his eyes briefly in dismay, he looks over his shoulder and pales to see Kakashi flanked by Anko and Yamato. Sobering realization creeps into his brain that any way he looks at it, he’s not going to survive this night.
Swallowing thickly he stutters out his answer.
“G-Genma st-stayed at the Lucky Leaf to flirt with a blonde with a n-nice rack.”
“You fed that bullshit to Naruto, Aoba,” Raido snaps. “Now what did you hold back?”
Anxious eyes flit nervously about the now quiet bar, fully aware everyone is focused on him.
Yep, he’s not going to see another sunrise.
“Genma was doing more than talking,” he reveals reluctantly. “They were getting pretty hot and heavy. In fact, Jin tossed them out because their little floorshow was getting too x-rated. I got fed up with trying to talk sense to Genma and get him to return back here, so I left him.”
As the silence stretches out, Aoba considers whether it’s possible to escape.
“Genma’s gonna die,” a voice calls out.
“Nope, he’s gonna end up in traction,” Anko confidently declares
“Naruto’s going to make sure Genma never has kids!” another voice yells.
As different voices call out possible outcomes, Shigure whips out his writing pad and takes bets while everyone else falls to discussing the latest development.
Ritsu looks around confused.
“Everyone seems so sure Naruto and Genma are going to break up,” the fresh faced, shaggy haired brunet comments.
“Why are you confused?” Sakura asks. “It’ll happen.”
“Naruto is so easy going and forgiving, how can you be so sure?” he counters.
“Naruto tolerates much, but infidelity is something she doesn’t,” Neji answers the young chuunin.
“That’s why Naruto will dismember Genma into tiny pieces,” Ino chimes in.
“It is a little unyouthful to go to that extreme, though,” Lee declares.
“It’s even more unacceptably unyouthful to cheat on the woman you profess to love,” Gai corrects his protégé, prompting Ino to grin and snuggle up against his arm.
Noticing some of the others staring, he winks and flashes a thumbs up while ignoring the grimaces from the rest at their public display of affection.
“She won’t dismember Genma,” Shikamaru muses thoughtfully. “She’ll embarrass the hell out of his ass.” Turning to Kiba, he asks, “Isn’t that right?”
“No shit,” he growls, turning a deep crimson.
His hair is still growing out from having his mom basically shave everything off to get rid of the horrifyingly bright fuchsia color. It proved too hard to wait until it grew out when Akamaru and all the Inuzuka companions kept snickering every time they looked at him.
“Naruto has given Genma far too many chances for her not to exact some form of revenge,” Shino points out.
“Whatever it is, it’ll be one hell of a show,” Tenten comments.
“It must be humiliating for Naruto,” Hinata sadly observes. “To believe wholeheartedly in Genma and give him the opportunity to work on their relationship only to have him to trash it in such a public manner.”
All smiling and sniggering stops as everyone sobers up at Hinata’s words, some nodding in agreement.
“You’re right, Hinata,” Choji pipes in, grasping her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. “But once Naruto exacts her revenge, she’ll feel a lot better and will eventually forgive him. She’s not one to hold grudges.”
“We’re gonna have to help Naruto find a better boyfriend the next time around,” Sakura declares.
Discreetly catching Sasuke’s eye, she lets him know she means him.
During the entire exchange he sits quietly, half listening to the animated conversation while plotting how to avenge Naruto. Sakura’s comment breaks him out of his reverie and reminds him that Naruto is now available on the market. Now he has a chance with her.
“As tempting as that is, forehead, Naruto is not going to like us interfering with her love life. And I can’t blame her,” Ino points out reasonably.
“Her track record on picking good boyfriends is really poor, Ino-pig,” Sakura retorts.
“Hey!” Choji protests while Neji glares at her.
“Well, neither of you are with her anymore are you?” Sakura asks, looking between the two young men.
“Our breakup was amicable and neither Choji nor I ever mistreated her,” Neji arches a brow, silently daring her to contradict him.
“Okay,” Sakura acquiesces apologetically. “And I’m sorry for speaking without remembering that, but you can’t deny she might need some help finding someone. She’s too nice and tolerates too much.”
“We are treading in some very dangerous waters and it’s best to stay out of Naruto-chan’s love life,” Gai reasons.
“Exactly,” Shikamaru agrees. “We haven’t even gotten the official word they are broken up yet. Naruto has surprised us more than once already by choosing to give Genma another chance. Even if they do break up, she’s not likely to be interested in another relationship right now. It’s better to let her handle things her way.”
Everyone agrees and continues speculating on the situation while Sakura backs down, knowing the idea has already taken root and it shouldn’t take long for her to be able to manipulate things.
A solid plan is already forming in her head. Depending on how events play out between Naruto and Genma, she may be able to get the baka and Sasuke together. All she’ll have to do after that is fire up Genma’s jealously, so when she or Sai can finally kill the baka they can blame it on the senbon user.
Meanwhile, Kakashi and the others squeeze Aoba for information. Kakashi is worried about Naruto, but after Raido explained how she promised not to go overboard with Genma he relaxes a little. She’ll only give the ass exactly what he deserves. His concern is for her emotional well being because of the events of the last two days. She certainly doesn’t need this shit from Genma. He just needs to know what else Aoba is holding out on.
It doesn’t take long to break Aoba. He may be a very good jounin, but he knows better than to fuck with Kakashi.
“So you’re saying Genma has been seeing someone else for awhile, Aoba?” a deceptively calm Kakashi queries.
Aoba reluctantly nods in confirmation.
“For a couple of months and their dates always involved more than flirting and making out.”
“Why the hell were you helping Genma cheat on Naruto and lying to her this whole time?” a shocked and angry Raido asks.
“It’s between Genma and Naruto,” Aoba snaps defensively. “I just happened to be there. It wasn’t like I was helping Genma cover it up or anything.”
“You knew but didn’t say anything and that’s the same thing,” Kotetsu accuses.
“Yep, and that’s how Naruto will see it anyway,” Izumo agrees.
Anko adds her two ryo.
“If she doesn’t, Iruka will when he hears of this and everyone knows nothing is scarier than Iruka in Mother Bear mode.”
Aoba pales, looking like he’s going to pass out.
“Where would Genma take his floozy if they were kicked out of the Lucky Leaf?” Kakashi asks, having heard enough.
With a resigned sigh Aoba answers him.
“As hot and heavy as they were getting they wouldn’t have made it far. Genma’s favorite public spot is the notorious Fuck Tree.”
Anko rolls her eyes.
“That’s everyone’s favorite public spot, Aoba.”
“That’s the tree that looks like two people having sex right?” Izumo asks uncertainly.
“Yeah,” Kotetsu confirms. “Remember ANBU had to make it part of their regular early morning patrol route because a lot of people use it as a sort of lover’s lane.”
“Ah, right,” Izumo remembers with a nod. “I remember the Hokage was tired of complaints about underwear left hanging off the tree as trophies.”
“Well, who wants to go to the park and see someone’s nasty underwear waving around like that for everyone to see?” Kotetsu reasons.
Ignoring the conversation, Kakashi turns to Yamato.
“Stay here in case Naruto comes back. I’m going to try to find her before she does something she’ll regret. Unless she wants help, then that’s fine too.”
“Yes, sempai,” Yamato acknowledges.
“Want me to go with you just in case to help with Genma, Kakashi?” Raido offers.
“No, stay here. Genma may head back here, especially if she breaks up his little tryst.”
“Sure,” Raido smirks.
Kakashi turns to Aoba.
“It’s a good idea for you to call it an early night because if Naruto talks to Jin, she’s going to know about your involvement.”
Catching the implication, Aoba grimaces and wishes everyone a hasty goodnight before disappearing out the door followed by a nonchalant Kakashi.
While chaos ensues back at the Shuriken, Naruto is busy investigating Genma at the Lucky Leaf.
She knows the owner Jin well enough to trust she’ll get a straight answer from the self-described old, fat, bald guy. She has a sneaky feeling Aoba was holding out on her, but she can easily deal with his ass later. He has never been one of her favorite people because of his condescending attitude when he isn’t being indifferent toward her.
Originally Jin was one of the people who still secretly disliked the redhead because of the demon she carried. However, he watched her long enough whenever she was in his place with the intent of seeing how evil she really was. Eventually he realized she was anything but demonic.
On slow nights when the guys were too engrossed in their game and shut her out, she’d come over to the bar. Even when he was rude or ignored her, she still kept attempting to engage him in conversation. She caught him off guard when she asked about a photo of a girl he had tucked among some of the knick-knacks on display between the bottles lining the wall behind him. Without meaning to, he told her about his daughter and that she had married and lived in the capital.
Naruto genuinely congratulated him when he revealed his daughter was expecting her first child. What fully won him over was when Genma sauntered over and asked who the hot looking chick in the picture was and Naruto decked him, scolding him to be more respectful of Jin’s daughter. Jin was genuinely surprised she’d defend someone she never met instead of being angry at Genma over calling another woman hot. Since then, Naruto became one of his favorite customers.
As reluctant as he is to tell her about her two-timing boyfriend, he gives her all the details, feeling she deserves to know the truth.
“I’d say Genma’s been meeting the tramp here for the last month or so. At the most, two,” Jin explains. “And I do mean ‘tramp’ because I’ve seen her making the rounds. Especially if the guy is a jounin. She’s got a thing for the high ranked nins.”
Jin gives Naruto a minute alone while he takes care of another drink order before stepping back over to where she’s sitting.
“They’re definitely more than just friends, kid. Friends don’t go making out in the back corner. If that’s not convincing enough, Genma had one hand stuck up her skirt and the other stuffed down her blouse while one of her hands was stuffed down his pants. I’ve never seen friends do that.”
Naruto’s smirk echoes his smirk as he continues.
“The final straw was when she kneeled down on the floor in front of him and starts unzipping his pants. I kicked their asses out. I don’t run that kind of place. They didn’t care who was watching. I doubt they made it back to either of their places. I’ve heard the Fuck Tree was a frequent haunt for Genma, so they probably went there.”
Recognition lights up her eyes, making him figure the idiot must’ve taken her there too. Deciding not to embarrass her further, Jin doesn’t comment.
“If you don’t believe me ask Aoba. He’s been in here often enough with Genma and the tramp.”
Swallowing thickly, Naruto manages a small smile.
“Don’t worry, I believe you, Jin.”
Jin feels bad seeing the anger and pain simmering in those beautiful blue eyes, but it’s better than lying to her.
“I’m sorry about not telling you sooner, kid, but I hadn’t seen you for a long time. And you know I don’t venture out of the bar much.”
“It’s okay, Jin. Besides, it’s been pretty busy for me, so I’ve been scarce,” she assures him. “I know now and that’s what’s important.”
The older man smirks when he notes the determined, vindictive glint in her eyes as she bows her gratitude.
“Thanks for telling me, Jin.”
As he watches Naruto leave he knows that fool Genma is in for it. He feels no pity for a moron who’d throw away a great relationship with a catch like that. Shaking his head he knows he’ll be hearing all the gossip from Shigure tomorrow.
Naruto remembers where the Fuck Tree is, but just in case she enhances her sense of smell to track Genma from the bar. She easily picks up his distinctive scent, which is quickly overpowered by the cheap perfume his tramp is wearing. The reek is so heavy Naruto can almost see it and it’s not long before she stops tracking by smell because the stink is giving her a headache and making her eyes water.
Arriving at the park, Naruto hides in a cluster of trees with an excellent view of the infamous Fuck Tree. Enhancing her night vision with chakra she swallows against the bile rising in her throat at the sight of the noisy couple barely concealed by the shrubbery at the base of the tree. There is definitely no question they’re doing more than just making out.
Closing her eyes against the disgusting sight, Naruto takes a deep breath while deciding on what to do. Turning away, she bites her thumb and quickly summons two small toads.
“Hey Gamahaku and Gamahiro,” she warmly greets the twin albinos.
“Hiya, Naruto!” Gamahiro, the more outgoing of the two waves cheerfully. “What’s up?”
“I’ve got a job for you two.” She gestures over her shoulder. “I need you to sneak over to that couple and steal just the guy’s clothes. You can tell which is his because it’s a jounin uniform. Take everything except his boxer shorts and sandals and bring them to me.”
“What’s in it for us?” Gamahaku, the surlier of the two demands.
“Candy when the job is complete. I’ve been practicing making bug candy. Ma taught me during my last visit to the mountain. I’m getting pretty good at it. I’ve even got dragonflies!”
Twin sets of pink eyes light up.
“Dragonflies?” Gamahiro asks. At Naruto’s nod, he adds, “Count me in!”
“Me too!” his brother eagerly nods.
Within minutes the twins come back with their prize. After getting the clothes she gives them their reward before they return to the mountain. She then creates a shadow clone.
“Give me a five minute head start then come out of those bushes,” she instructs, pointing at another cluster of shrubs near the couple. “You’ve got to be seen by Genma,” she emphasizes with a pointed look.
“No prob,” the clone acknowledges with a lazy salute before moving off to get into position.
Satisfied, Naruto turns and heads back to the Shuriken.
On her way she sees Kakashi approaching from the opposite direction. He stops and waits for her to get closer then falls into step next to her as she continues walking.
“Are those Genma’s clothes,” he asks nonchalantly after a few steps.
“Yep.”
“Is Genma still alive?”
“Yep.” After a moment she adds, “Uninjured. For the moment.”
He nods his head in understanding.
“Need help carrying out your self-appointed mission?”
She gives him a cunning grin.
“No thanks. Just sit back and watch the show that’s set to begin in a little while.”
Kakashi nods again as they reach the Shuriken. Stepping forward he holds the door for her. An expectant hush settles over the bar as all eyes fall on her when they enter.
“Get a life,” Naruto rolls her eyes.
“We have a life, it’s just not as interesting as yours,” Kiba calls from across the room.
Naruto can’t resist joining in the laughter at the Inuzuka’s smart assed response.
“Yeah, but the real show won’t start for several minutes, there’s some prep work first,” she calls back.
Waving off any further questions she steps over to the bar. Glancing up over to the wall behind the bar she waves Shigure over as Kakashi settles onto a stool next to Yamato.
“Hey, Shigure, can I borrow the stuffed deer head hanging over the bar for a little bit?” she asks, pointing up at the mounted buck head. “I promise not to damage it and it won’t even leave its mount.”
“Is this part of a prank?” he asks, warily.
“Yep,” Naruto happily answers.
A sunny smile spreads across his handsome face.
“Certainly! Let me get the stepladder for you.”
Naruto is glad she wore jeans. It made climbing the ladder so much easier. She’s utterly oblivious to Kakashi, as well as many of the male patrons of the bar, appreciating the view her tight fitting jeans gave them.
Draping the rest of Genma’s uniform across the top of the ladder, she unzips his flak vest. Carefully she manages to wrap it around the tines of the deer’s right antler before zipping it up again.
Catching on by this point, some of the other patrons call out suggestions or make comments. Everyone watches in amusement as she ties the hitai-ate onto head and around the ears the same way Genma wears it. Picking up the shirt, she ties the sleeves of the shirt around the neck of the buck, making it look like a big, blue bib.
Climbing the ladder a little higher, Naruto tosses a leg over the top to straddle it. Leaning one arm on her knee she holds up the pants for everyone to see.
“Impaled on the other antler or draped?”
A unanimous chorus rings out.
“Impale his ass!”
With a mischievous grin, and to much cheering, she shifts back around to face the deer. Holding the seat of the pants taut she jams them over the tines of the left antler.
Dusting off her hands, she is about to climb down when Anko stops her.
“Wait! You’re missing something!”
Glancing over her shoulder curiously, Naruto watches Anko step over to whisper in Yamato’s ear. Laughing, he nods his head and extends a finger to create a long, thin wooden replica of a senbon.
Seeing what he made Naruto laughs as Shigure picks it up and hands it to her. Adding the final embellishment to the deer’s mouth, she finally climbs down. Shigure removes the ladder as she steps around the bar to view her handiwork.
Anko drapes her arm over the redhead’s shoulder.
“It’s the spitting image of Genma. Even has the same blank expression.”
Everyone laughs as the door opens. They turn as an irate Genma storms over to Naruto. Knowing smirks break out as no one fails to notice he’s fully dressed.
Dropping her arm, Anko shifts to face Genma, but Naruto’s restraining hand and slight shake of her head makes it clear she doesn’t want her to interfere. Stepping around Anko to face Genma, Naruto places both hands on her hips, waiting for him to speak first.
Stepping closer he leans into her personal space.
“What the hell are you thinking?” he growls.
Naruto isn’t the least bit intimidated.
“I’d like to know the same thing, Genma.”
Neither acknowledges the silence that falls over the room as everyone watches the drama unfold.
“I won’t be the butt of one of you stupid pranks just because you’re bored!” he snarls.
“It’s got nothing to do with boredom,” she drolly replies, cocking her head slightly. “And you’d know all about butts since yours was waving around reflecting the moonlight to blind any unfortunate passerby.”
Turning a deep red while the room titters and laughs at her dig, Genma vehemently protests.
“It wasn’t what you thought! You should’ve asked me what was going on instead of pulling a stupidly childish stunt out of jealously,” he points accusingly.
“Jealously?” she repeats incredulously, both eyebrows shooting up. “Of what? A woman I didn’t know about? And I wasn’t about to interrupt when you were obviously busy. As for it not being what I thought, there’s no way in hell you’re going to convince me you two were practicing taijutsu ‘cause that had to be the craziest taijutsu I ever saw.”
She smirks as Genma seethes at the surrounding laughter. When he opens his mouth to protest, she cuts him off with a raised finger.
“On the bright side, your track record of never having broken up with a girlfriend remains intact ‘cause our relationship is deader than that deer.”
She points to the deer head decorated with his clothes.
As he sputters in outrage at what she did, Naruto forms the sign of the ram.
“Kai.”
Touching the back of his shoulder, laughter, catcalls and whistles grow louder as his henge drops, revealing he’s wearing nothing more than boxer shorts decorated with multi-colored frogs.
“Nice undies!” someone calls out.
“Yeah, a present from his last girlfriend,” Naruto quips before disappearing from the bar.
“Shut the fuck up!” Genma angrily snaps while quickly reestablishing his henge.
Glaring momentarily at the deer head he turns and stalks out of the bar when he realizes Naruto has left.
The bar fills with the animated conversation and laughter over what happened. However, Kakashi is disturbed by Genma’s sudden, unexpected exit. Glancing over his shoulder at Yamato, the expression on the younger man’s face reflects his concern. Nodding his head in silent understanding, both slip off their stools and leave the bar.
Watching the grim looking men leave, Raido decides to follow.
No one notices Sasuke tailing them. The rest of rookies are too caught up in their discussion of Naruto and Genma. He isn’t about to let Genma hurt his future girlfriend anymore, nor get away with the humiliation he’s already heaped on her.
Desperately needing to be alone and blow off steam, Naruto heads for her favorite training ground.
There’s so much more she could’ve said, but most of it are things that had already been said too many times before. She hates giving up on anything, but even she recognizes their relationship is a lost cause.
It is done. They are over.
What hurt more is to be played the fool. The one thing she clearly said she wouldn’t tolerate is exact thing he had to pull in the most humiliating way.
She takes out her frustration and anger on one of the thick wood posts, pounding and kicking them mercilessly.
She’s not looking forward to the comments. She doesn’t want anyone’s pity and sure as hell does not want to hear anyone say, “I told you so,” or, ‘You really should’ve known better.”
She knows all that, damn it, she knows it.
Naruto is so caught up in beating the shit out of the defenseless posts that she almost doesn’t notice Genma enter the training grounds. Taking a deep, calming breath she turns to glare at him.
“What the hell do you want? You’ve got a new girlfriend already. You don’t need me to be your fool anymore.”
“We need to talk,” Genma demands, stalking over to her.
“Now you want to talk?” she snorts, derisively. “Gee, didn’t seem interested in talking when you decided to knock sandals in the park with another woman. If you wanted to talk, you could’ve said you didn’t want to be with me anymore. Had plenty of chances. I’d have been fine with that.” Jabbing a finger at him in emphasis, she snarls, “Every time we talked you insisted on continuing our relationship, so, really, what the hell do you want?”
“It wasn’t what it looked like!” Genma protests.
His face snaps hard to his right and his left cheek stings where Naruto slapped him.
“Like hell it wasn’t what it looked like!” she shouts. “I saw it myself! And you’d taken me to that tree before, so I know you don’t go there to star gaze!”
Rubbing his cheek he glares at her.
“Maybe if you didn’t act like a smothering prude interested in being with other people over me, maybe I wouldn’t have had to go elsewhere!”
Narrowing her eyes at him dangerously she opens her mouth to reply when Sasuke’s voice cuts her off.
“Regardless of how a woman acts, it’s still low to cheat.”
Both turn to see Sasuke standing near Kakashi, Yamato and Raido.
“Stay out of it!” Genma snarls.
When Sasuke takes a step forward, Naruto points at him with an intense glare.
“It’s between us. I’m handling it.”
“As usual, you’re not doing a very good job,” he glares back.
“Stand down and stay out of it, Sasuke,” Kakashi sternly orders.
Seeing the serious look on the older man’s face makes it clear he means it. Reluctantly Sasuke steps back.
Turning her fierce gaze back onto to Genma, Naruto’s tone becomes sarcastic.
“Poor baby! Must have it rough. It’s always someone else’s fault. Whenever I’m affectionate, you say I’m smothering. Whenever I call you out for acting like an ass, you call it nagging. My favorite is whenever I’d so much as say ‘hi’ to any of my male friends, who I’ve known for years, I’m cheating.”
Placing her hands on her hips, she takes a step forward.
“I’m wondering how I’m being a prude when you always kill the mood. Remember, the one time we were getting it on pretty good, ironically at the Fuck Tree, and you got pissy, completely ruining the mood?” she asks, pausing to give him a chance to answer.
When he only glares, she briefly flicks her hand to point at him in emphasis.
“You don’t? Let me refresh your memory. I recall thinking you were teasing and when I asked you to quit fucking around you got upset. Instead of shrugging it off and getting back to the fun part, you kept angrily insisting you weren’t teasing, long after I apologized for misunderstanding you.”
Naruto rolls her eyes at the memory.
“Afterwards I sure as hell wasn’t convinced to ever let you in my pants, regardless of how frisky you were feeling. And that’s all you wanted, wasn’t it? You never wanted a relationship. And I don’t mean marriage either. Just two people enjoying each other’s company. Not your definition of a roll in the sack and on to the next chick.”
“Gee, silly me for thinking we meant more than that,” she drawls, slapping her forehead in mock realization. Glaring hard, she adds, “I gave you all the space you wanted. I never made any demands on your time. You got to hang out with your friends whenever you wanted. I even ignored when you treated me like I’m too stupid to participate in your grown up discussions about your war experiences. So, what I really want to know is how the fuck does that give you the excuse to cheat?”
“What the hell am I supposed to think?” Genma cuts in shouting. “You move in with Kakashi and every time I turn around you’re off fucking another guy!”
As the last word passes his lips, he goes sprawling in the dirt when Naruto decks him hard enough to bruise his jaw.
“Your insecurities about loving someone combined with alcohol exponentially enhances your stupidity to the nth degree,” she growls In a low voice.
Enraged, Genma quickly clambers to his feet and backhands her, forcing her to look the other way briefly. When she straightens up, she’s angered to see Sasuke and Genma grappling and scuffling.
As the others close in to help break up the fight, she yells, “Butt the fuck out, teme!”
She moves closer to help grab one of the morons. As she reaches for Sasuke, Genma takes a swing at him. He ducks under it, causing Genma’s fist to nail Naruto right in the nose.
Too stunned to process what happened she falls back onto the ground, vaguely noting the bastard broke her nose. Rapidly her entire world centers on the pain as she curls on her side, clenching her eyes shut while gingerly cupping her hands over her profusely bleeding nose.
Pissed Sasuke ignored his order and at how badly the fight escalated, Kakashi, Raido and Yamato grab the brawling men and try pulling them apart. Being the larger of the two idiots, Kakashi helps Raido grab Genma’s arms.
Unfortunately, the enraged man breaks free of their grasp and races back towards Sasuke who breaks free of Yamato at the same time. The two wildly throw punches at each other as the others close in again.
Before they can reach them, the two combatants are suddenly and violently thrown apart into the trees at opposite ends of the clearing.
Confused, Kakashi turns to see what separated them. His heart freezes in his chest.
Crouched down on all fours and growling ominously, Naruto’s slitted red eyes flick between Genma and Sasuke as they slowly emerge from the trees. The single tail of the demon cloak swishes anxiously behind her.
“Shit,” Yamato tensely mutters just loud enough for Kakashi to hear, echoing exactly his silent sentiment.
Both men share a look. The mokuton user is the only other person present to understand how dire the situation just became.
Using field signs, Kakashi gives Yamato his orders. The younger man nods and without taking his eyes off Naruto eases closer to Raido. He absently notes her bloodied nose still looks broken when normally all her wounds heal instantly in this mode.
When he reaches Raido, Yamato keeps his voice low.
“Get Genma out of here quickly and quietly. Knock him out if you have to, but get him the hell away. Do not run or turn your backs on her.”
Knowing now was not the time to ask stupid questions Raido nods as he fearfully watches her.
“Naruto has gone a little feral and if we panic, we die, right?”
“Pretty much,” Yamato replies.
With Naruto focused mostly on Sasuke, Raido is able to move swiftly towards his friend. However, once he’s close enough, Naruto’s eerie eyes lock on them.
“Keep your mouth shut and follow my lead if you want to get out of this alive,” he whispers to a shocked looking Genma.
Genma finally looks at him and opens his mouth to protest, but Raido cuts him off.
“It’s not a fucking joke! I’ll knock your ass out if I have to, but it’s better if we get the hell out now.”
Years of working together taught Genma to never question Raido when he uses that tone. It saved his ass countless times for him not to listen now. Keeping a wary eye on Naruto, both men carefully make their way towards the entrance of the training ground. It takes all their self-control not to bolt when Naruto steadily prowls after them.
Meanwhile Kakashi moves closer to Sasuke to give him his orders.
“Go home.”
Out of the corner of his eyes, Sasuke glares at him.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he defiantly hisses.
“You’ve caused enough problems tonight by not following orders earlier,” Kakashi glares back with a growl. “You’re to let us handle this and get your ass home.”
“Naruto is pissed at Genma not me,” Sasuke scoffs.
“This is Kyuubi’s rage triggered by her anger,” Kakashi pointedly explains. “So the fox is currently in charge. Naruto may have forgiven you, but Kyuubi is notorious for holding grudges and is not nearly as forgiving. Genma hasn’t pissed off the Kyuubi like you have. So unless you want to guarantee the complete end of the Uchiha clan tonight, get your ass out of here.”
The defiant look drops from Sasuke’s face as his gaze shifts back over to Naruto who stopped moving to watch Genma and Raido leave. A red haze of foul chakra envelopes her. He can make out the long fox ‘ears’ twitching in all directions as the tail undulates behind her.
This isn’t the first time he’s seen her like this, but now he knows exactly what it means. Memories of their fight at the Valley of the End flood his mind and he swallows hard as the implications finally sink in. That was a particularly vicious battle and it’s not likely the demon has forgotten. He also knows that as an Uchiha the Kyuubi is not fond of him, so it is quite probable if he sticks around he’ll die.
Without looking at Kakashi, he nods and gets as far as ten steps toward the entrance before Naruto attacks without warning.
In a blur of motion she races across the field at him. Sasuke barely manages to leap out of the way, but is promptly caught off guard when she instantly appears in front of him and nails him with an uppercut to the chin that sends him airborne.
With a sadistic grin she crouches on her haunches to track his trajectory across the clearing.
Yamato takes advantage of her distraction, causing wood pillars to burst from the ground in an attempt to subdue her.
Far too familiar with his technique, Naruto easily summersaults clear as they slam into the spot she just vacated. Red eyes glare at Yamato as a low, warning growl rumbles from her throat.
Charging forward, she resumes her attack on Sasuke. Despite activating his Sharingan he barely manages to keep out of range of her slashing claws. She gets close enough to catch his clothes and rip tears in his shirt. He glances down briefly when she pauses to watch him flip and leap away twice. It disturbs him greatly she slashed across the crotch of his jeans, creating an uncomfortably obvious horizontal tear not only in the pants, but a snag in his briefs. It only confirms that Naruto is merely toying with him.
Kakashi charges her with a chidori, forcing her to flip backwards out of the way and alight on top of the wooden post she was beating on earlier.
Too busy snarling and hissing at Kakashi standing several yards away with his chidori still raging around his hand, she fails to realize her mistake.
Yamato uses the post to his advantage as thick vines and branches emerge from the wood, briefly securing her in place. Startled, she slashes at her restraints, but it’s too late as pillars erupt from the ground, finally trapping her.
For a moment the entire post is completely obscured by the tangled, wooden mess. Having released his chidori, Kakashi pulls his hitai-ate back over his eye. He calmly steps forward as Yamato releases the jutsu and an unconscious Naruto awkwardly topples off.
Catching her, Kakashi gently eases her onto the ground. Joining him, Yamato crouches down on the other side of her to assess her injuries.
Walking over, Sasuke stands close to Kakashi while looking down at Naruto’s still form.
“I remember ordering you to go home,” Kakashi states without looking up.
Sasuke can hear the underlying bite in the deceptively calm tone as the jounin continues.
“She won’t be unconscious for long and it’s possible seeing you could trigger her again.”
With grudging acceptance, Sasuke turns to walk away. He doesn’t get far when he hears Kakashi’s voice.
“We will be discussing the importance of following orders at a more convenient time.”
“Hai,” Sasuke acknowledges without looking back and leaves the training ground.
“It’s odd Naruto’s broken nose hasn’t healed yet,” Yamato comments as he gently turns her face towards him into the beam of his flashlight. “The same goes for the bruise on her cheek where Genma backhanded her.”
Kakashi nods just as Naruto begins stirring awake with a groan. She opens swelling eyes to look at Kakashi and Yamato in confusion before remembering what just happened.
“Shit, I lost my temper didn’t I?” she mumbles, gently covering her face with her hands.
Smiling, Yamato tries assuaging her guilt.
“You actually had it very well controlled until Sasuke got involved.”
“I haven’t lost control in years and it’s stupid to let it happen now,” Naruto protests. “I could’ve killed someone like last time.”
“Last time doesn’t count, Naruto. If you hadn’t, we would’ve all died on that mission and the man you killed was collaborating with our enemies,” Kakashi reminds her.
“Do you know why your nose hasn’t healed yet, Naruto?” Yamato asks, distracting her.
Closing her eyes briefly she sighs heavily.
“The fox is being an ass. It’s my punishment for staying with Genma so long when it warned me to dump his ass a long time ago. It’s bad enough I’m going to hear that over and over again for days, but I have to get it from the damn demon too,” she grouses.
Yamato smirks as Kakashi gently grabs her chin and guides her face toward the light of his flashlight.
“Your nose is too swollen now for us to take care of it, so you’re going to have to go to the hospital.”
“Just great,” she drawls sarcastically. “That guarantees the entire village will know by sunrise.”
Chuckling both men help her up. Once it’s clear Naruto can move on her own Kakashi turns to Yamato.
“Go home and rest since you have a mission in the morning.”
“I don’t mind, sempai,” Yamato replies.
“Knowing the type of missions Baa-chan likes to give you, you need to go home,” Naruto mutters guiltily, sounding congested. Stepping forward, she hugs him. “Thanks for helping me. I’m sorry for being such a pain in the ass.”
“Don’t apologize, Naruto. None of this is your fault,” Yamato assures her while returning her hug. “Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?”
“Nah, I’ve got a hard core mother hen right here,” she smirks, jerking her head toward Kakashi who rolls his eye in response.
“Okay, then,” Yamato agrees reluctantly. “I’ll check on you when I return.”
Parting ways at the entrance of the training grounds, Naruto and Kakashi walk to the hospital in silence. Glancing at her watch she’s surprised it’s barely eleven. It feels like it’s much later. Lucky for them it’s a slow night at the hospital when they arrive, so she got in to see a medic quickly.
Unfortunately, said medic turns out to be Kagura, one of the flakiest, chattiest, gossipy medics in the place.
Naruto cringes when the bubbly medic steps into the exam room, knowing news of her injury will hit the street before morning. It’s not that she doesn’t like the younger medic. The petite, green haired woman has treated Naruto before for minor injuries, so she’s definitely a capable medic. There are just some days like today when Naruto isn’t in the mood for her overly cheerful, chirpy demeanor and her over eagerness to hear all the salacious details.
While examining her, Kagura asks the usual round of annoyingly obvious questions before finally getting down to business.
“Alrighty, Naruto, can you tell me what caused the injury?”
Naruto decides to keep it simple.
“I got caught up in an altercation between my boyfriend and another shinobi.”
“Really? Who? Why were they fighting?” the medic asks in breathless excitement.
“You don’t need to know, Kagura,” she tersely states with a glare. “I’ll include it in the incident report I’ll have to file with the Hokage later.”
“Sorry, Naruto!” the chastised medic apologizes while blushing furiously. “I’m just asking.”
She works to reset Naruto’s nose quietly for a few minutes.
“They were fighting over you weren’t they?” she eagerly asks. Pausing in the treatment she clasps her hands together under her chin and squealing, “How romantic!”
Kakashi can’t help chuckling as Naruto glares daggers at the oblivious medic.
“Oh my god! That is so sweet! I mean how many guys fight over girls nowadays? It’s so chivalrous!” Kagura obliviously chatters on, not bothering to wait for a response as she finishes treating Naruto’s nose.
Naruto only half listens as the medic switches to blathering on with her warnings and injury care. Everything else is more crap about how cool it is to have two men fighting over her.
The redhead’s thoughts are occupied with how hellish the next few days will be. Kagura will certainly shoot off her mouth. Once it reaches the ears of everyone at the bar tonight they’ll figure out most of what happened. She’s not looking forward to the comments and gossip fueled rumors that are sure to spread.
It’s only the fact Kagura has another patient to treat that spares Naruto from further torture. Escaping with Kakashi, they leave the hospital in silence.
Kakashi muses on the situation as their footsteps echo in the night. Although there’s great potential to milk a few laughs, he knows Naruto won’t find any of it funny. He noticed that as jovial as she seemed earlier at the Shuriken while dressing the deer, much of it was forced. She didn’t joke as much as she could have and was too quick to disappear, a clear sign she could no longer face the situation.
Despite not having much experience with break-ups due to the fact he never had anything resembling a relationship before, Kakashi witnessed enough of them to know they tend to be more public and dramatic. There’s usually a lot more shouting, shoving and crying. Sometimes there’d be a really entertaining catfight between the old girlfriend and the new one. Then usually the man or the woman would spend the next few days lamenting the loss of their relationship to anyone who’d listen.
Leaving out the fact her nose got broken and the demon cloak came out, Naruto’s breakup with Genma is actually fairly tame. She certainly won’t lament to anyone about the end of the relationship. If anything, he might have to force her to talk about it. Knowing her, she’ll avoid discussing it and hold it all in like usual.
Soon they’re walking through the front door of their apartment, much to her relief.
“G’night, Kakashi,” Naruto quietly mutters and without sparing him a glance, heads directly to her room.
With a resigned sigh Kakashi heads for his room, deciding to turn in because the following day looks like it’ll be a long one.
Shishou- master. Tsunade is the master medic who taught Sakura.
Fuck Tree- In Bisbee, Ariz. there's a tree along the old highway that supposedly looks like two people fucking. I’ve driven by it, but I was driving up a very narrow, winding road with a steep drop with a friend who doesn’t give you a chance to do much of anything. So I didn’t get a chance to look at the tree long enough to get a good look or a picture. There was nowhere to park and we were already late for class.
Anyway, the tree is a purported lover’s lane and supposedly the county sheriff’s deputies have to cruise the tree every morning because people attach their undies to the tree.
Ryo- Old Japanese form of money that is used in the Narutoverse.
Sempai- mentor.
Kai- Japanese for “release.” You see and/or hear this when a character is breaking a genjutsu, for example.
Mokuton- Wood release. Yamato possesses the rare ability to make wood.
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Underneath The Leaves