Starting over

#44 Meeting Anko

Naruto POV

“It’s time that you met , a good friend of mine. I already told you about her Temari. She will be joining Suna after the exams.”, I said, while we were climbing the steep way to the top of the Hokage Monument. “Anko?”, Temari asked me with surprised eyes. “Yeah, the Hokage and Rasa already signed the papers, so she will be coming with us home after the exams.”, I clarified as we reached the top. Anko already stood on the fourth’s head looking over the village. We walked over to her and she turned around, showing that she had been badly beaten. I immediately got worried and rushed over to her.

“Anko! What happened?”, I asked, trying to heal her a bit with my limited knowledge of healing jutsu. “Someone talked about me leaving Konoha and a few of the chunin apparently didn't like that. I didn't really fight back, since I didn't want to risk me being kept here.”, the purple haired woman answered. I stepped aside as Temari came up next to me. My girlfriend had more practice in healing and so Anko’s wounds closed pretty fast. “Thank you.”, Anko said as the blonde girl took a step back. “Don't worry about it. I am Temari.”, Temari said holding out her hand smiling. “And I am Gaara. It is nice to meet you.”, the redhead added, after Anko had shaken Temari’s hand. “What do you say, we catch up over dinner? How about Yakiniku, my treat?”, I suggested, earning nods of approval from the others.

After we got seated, Anko and I caught up on what had happened in the months that we didn't write with each other. She told me that she had stopped getting missions from the Hokage, since she was no longer a shinobi of the leaf. So she had much free time to train and had started to develop a new jutsu that would enable her to use her interrogation techniques in a real fight. I was wondering how she would accomplish that, but she wouldn't tell me. I told her about how I had perfected my use of the hiraishin to the point that I could use while fighting and how I had begun to develop a better version of it, where I wouldn't have to mark the targets beforehand, but I wasn’t sure if it was possible at all. After we had caught up, Anko told Temari and Gaara a bit about herself, how we met and some stories about life as an outcast in Konoha.

We went out if the restaurant with filled stomachs. Luckily the owner had not noticed that I am the demon, although some customers had recognized me and had talked about me. They, however, didn't voice their worries and so we had an uneventful evening. Anko said her goodbyes and went into the streets. Temari and Gaara looked at me tiredly, informing me that we should also head to our hotel. I smiled and lead them through the streets.

“Good night.”, Gaara wished us as he went into his room, closing the door behind him. I smiled at Temari and took her hand pulling her into our room and into a hug. She giggled as I spun her around and pecked her on the lips. She put her arms around my neck and pulled me in for a long kiss, using her hands to keep me where she wanted. I let her be and kissed her back, relishing the love that she showed towards me.

After we separated I smiled at the blonde girl who was panting slightly, having exhausted herself, trying to keep our lips connected. She sat down on the edge of our bed while I was getting mine and Temari's pyjamas out of one of the scrolls. I threw them at Temari who jumped and squealed before laughing and throwing them back at me. I laughed and went over to her, handing the kunoichi her own pyjama before going to our bathroom, to change, giving her the privacy to change as well.

I came back into the room and saw Temari already lying on the bed, smiling at me. I grinned, before putting my clothes away and walking over to the bed. Temari put her arms out, wanting me to come into her hug. I grinned even wider, kneeling down over her and beginning to tickle her. Temari squealed and threw herself around, trying to escape my fingers, laughing and squealing silently. After a few moments I laughed and put my arms behind her back, pulling her on top of me and into a kiss.

“I love you.”, I said after we separated a few minutes later. “I love you too.”, Temari answered smiling. She put her head on my chest and closed her eyes. I looked at her and caressed her back, while listening to her breathing slowing down. After a few minutes I closed my eyes and focused.

“Hi Kura.”, I said entering my mindscape. The kyuubi lifted its head and looked at me from his place near the small lake. “Hello Naruto.”, the overgrown fox replied. I smiled as I walked over to him and sat down besides him. “I've noticed you are getting quieter over these last few weeks. What's up?”, I asked. Kurama sighed and looked in the distance. “It doesn't have to bother you.”, he mumbled. I looked at the orange being with worry in my eyes. “You are a part of me and I am a part of you, so it does have to bother me.”, I said. “You wouldn't understand.”, Kurama again tried to end the conversation. “I could try.”, I countered. Kurama looked at me with sad eyes and then stood up and went into the small cave.