Naruto Tales: The Next Uchiha | SasuSaku, NaruHina, InoShikaTema, NejiTen +

XXXIV: Kiba's Naughty Princess

And when she did, someone was standing behind the fridge. He wore a black suit and fishnets in his chest, his leaf headband which served as a forehead protector tousled his hair, as if he'd woken up. From someone's bed, she thought. And he was crossing his arms as well as leaning against the counter and he was looking at her in a cocky way she felt the urge to smell him; his scent, which wasn't salty from humanblood. He was cool as crystal and sweet as candy-flavored peppermint.

"Well you're a new face." Kiba said. Chiruka knew him—the brunette she'd thought as a wolf, which was true. He still has fangs on both sides of his teeth and she wondered if ever wolves could hear and feel one's bloodpulse. "Since we didn't have the chance to introduce each other earlier, I'm Kiba by the way." He held out a hand.

Chiruka stared at him, before she registered belatingly that he was actually doing a friendly gesture. To her relief she was wearing gloves. The last time she'd probably done this was she was fifteen, before the boy she finds cute later on died of handshaking with a stranger.

She guessed life in the ninja world was too much for her, having forgotten to meet normal people and make new friends. "Chiruka," she smiled. And when she took it, Kiba kissed the top of her hand. 

She laughed. Sakura mentioned a boy somewhere in the village who slept with a lot of girls without his family's knowledge. "Are you trying to seduce me?"

He winked at her. "I have a thing for blushing impures."

Neji stood next to the door, staring at his cellphone. He had literally squashed every orange fruit he found in Sakura's house. He didn't know what's aggravating him anyhow, but it was like ever since that incident he couldn't think of any other good thing that's happened in his life.

And so he dialed the only phone number that was listed into his contact.

And waited...

"You have reached TenTen's voicemail. Leave a message."

Neji's heart skipped a beat.

She had told him Guren of the Crystal User was a very strict and stern master, and that her schedule was too tight.

"Hey angel," he said. "It's me. A lot of things have occured here in the village, and you were right about love. It is a weakness, but over the course of the weeks you have gone, I've realized perhaps... We outgrew scars that bounded us from our past, and we think of ourselves as broken glasses that cannot be fixed." He glared at the incomplete rookies with a frown. "On the brighter side, seems to me your departure was no disadvantage at all. I have begun to entrust my sister to Naruto, Tsunade-sama and the others have journeyed to the Land of Iron, plus, we've found Kakashi's daughter. Although it took us a decade to solve what the prophecy meant, apparently sensei doesn't have an idea yet." He grinned brightfully.

"You should really meet her. I could fetch you there, make a run for it. You can always come home, TenTen. Now that Sakura has figured a way to get us out of this mess...."

TenTen sat at her bed and listened to every word, smiling.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I've already missed Shika." Ino said with her arms crossed, staring at the Shogi board. She could feel everyone else's blood; pumping down their veins, but it never did starve her. He looked at Neji who came back after a few minutes. "Do you ever feel like you miss someone, but you can never get near them?"

"Yeah," Neji stared at his phone. "I do."

Sakura and Sasuke got down, and all eyes were from the pinkette to the raven. The whole place has gone quiet, enough of the chitchat, no more of the chips that were being swallowed. They just stared at the two of them in amazement, mostly Sasuke with looks of score and abomination.