A Growing Affection

Chapter 49: AAAnnnddd CUT!

"Who the heck are you?" Naruto demanded angrily.

"Gamazashi," the amphibian replied in a stern yet feminine voice, "And you are quite obviously Naruto Uzumaki."

"Where's Gamabunta?" he barked, even more off put by lecturing tone.

"The chief is busy, so he redirected your summons to me," she told him.

"Wait, you guys can do that?" Naruto's anger faded in confusion.

"Only the chief and elders can do that," she sighed, "Otherwise I would have forwarded your call to 'Kichi or 'Tatsu. Anyway, why am I here?"

"To help me deal with those two," he pointed to the frog and porcupine, who were waiting for direction. Unfortunately, the two Cloud shinobi were dumbstruck by Naruto's summoning of such a large animal without an inscribed seal, so they did not attack.

"Especially that big frog," Naruto continued, "I figured Gamabunta would want to knock him around for talking smack about the Toad Clan."

"Oh, he was, was he?" 'Zashi turned her attention to the other frog, a dangerous glint in her eyes, "Get off, Naruto."

"What?"

"I won't be able to fight as well with you up there," she explained, drawing one of her swords, "So you deal with the big spiky mammal, while the two of us have a little talk, amphibian to amphibian."

"Naruto," Sakura hailed him as she and Hinata ran up. The boy leapt down, landing near his teammates. In the same instant, Gamazashi hopped up, shifting her first sword to her tongue, and drawing one more in each hand. At the apex of her jump, her tongue darted out, blade first, at the Kawazuomo's left eye. The frog pushed off with both left legs, skipping to the side just enough to avoid the sword. In the process, he nearly dislodged his summoner.

"Hang on, Tashigi," the frog ordered imperiously. The girl quickly and nervously dropped to one knee, placing her left hand on the frog's head for support

Sakura hefted one of the fallen trees, as if it were nothing more than a baseball bat, and swung it at the porcupine. The quilled critter's feet dug in, and it accepted the blow without complaint. The trunk lodged in its spines, and the animal spun away, ripping the impromptu club from the medic's hands even as its barbed tail veered towards the trio.

"Now what?" Sakura asked worriedly as she rolled away, "That thing just took one of my best shots without even flinching."

"The quills block and cushion attacks, while punishing anyone who gets to close," Hinata observed as she dodged another attack, "I don't think any of my techniques will get through."

"The Odama Rasengan might be able to drill through, but I don't know if it would do much damage to something that size," Naruto agreed.

"It isn't how much damage," Sakura suggested, "as much as where you hit."

"Yeah, but this guy's pretty light on his feet," Naruto grimaced as the porcupine's spikes sliced through his left bicep and pectoral, "And the Odama Rasengan ain't exactly my fastest move."

"Care to introduce yourself?" 'Zashi mocked, swinging her right hand sword horizontally, and her left hand weapon vertically. When the green amphibian jumped back to avoid the twinned slashes, the toad's tongue stabbed out her third sword again. Caught in mid air, Kawazuomo could only catch the sword with his left hand, nearly losing a finger to the blade.

"Or should I just call you 'Froggy'?'

"I have no name to give to a toad," he smirked imperiously, "Particularly a dead one."