The White Flash

The Land of Waves

            "Uchiha-kun," Ayumi called looking into the forest.

"What?"

She disregarded the voice behind her, leaving the group to wade through the bushes. "Uchiha-kun, wait!" The small shuffling footsteps rustled the leaves as the black animal scurried from Ayumi's grasp. "Uchiha-kun!" With two larger steps she bent and scooped the feathered fiend into her hands. Its wings flapped and angry quacks left its bill. "Got'cha," she snickered turning to make her way back to the road. As she peered through the trees, she noticed the group had stopped and were waiting in place. Ayumi avoided the confused onyx gaze and instead stood in front of her father. "Don't worry Papa, I caught Uchiha-kun before he wandered far."

"Yu..." Kakashi sighed, eyeing her new feathered friend. "What are you doing?"

"What do you mean?" Ayumi questioned innocently.

"What are you trying to prove, Loser?" Sasuke asked with a frown, arms folded over his chest.

"This." A mischievous smirk crossed her lips as she held the duck next to his head. The animal had settled, wings folded over her hands as it scanned its surroundings. Just as she thought, the butt of the duck was identical to the way the Genin styled his hair. Uncontrolled cackling soon flooded from the lips of Hiro, Naruto, and Kohei. The blond pointed at his teammate.

"That's hilarious! Sasuke's got duck butt hair!"

"Duck butt!" Hiro chanted, "duck butt!"

Sasuke glared at Ayumi, pushing her arms to the side. The duck quacked and flapped its wings. "Hey watch it!" Ayumi hugged the animal to her chest, carefully holding its wings at its sides until it calmed.

"Get rid of it," he glowered.

"No," Ayumi refused she smiled at the duck. "It's kind of cute. I think I'll keep it." She held the duck in the air above her head, "from this day forth, thou shalt be called Waddles-san."

"Are you going to take care of it?" Kakashi questioned, "if we're taking it home, you're going to buy everything for it."

"I promise I will Papa!" Ayumi grinned, shifting Waddles-san to her side with her arm over his side and supporting his feet.

"I don't want that thing coming with us," Sasuke frowned.

Ayumi looked at him, "why? Is he going to make you have an identity crisis?"

"Ayumi-chan, stop bullying Sasuke!" Sakura inserted herself between the Hatake and Uchiha, arms splayed out and green eyes narrowed with anger.

"Yeah, yeah." Ayumi sighed, turning her gaze from the kunoichi and beginning down the road. She reached into her bag for some rice-used for dinner over the fire. Flattening her palm, she held it in front of Waddles-san; who eagerly pecked at it.

"There it is." Tazuna motioned ahead of them. Her eyes landed on a wooden boat at the end of a pier with a man waiting on the dock. "He'll row us across."

"Across?" Ayumi echoed stopping dead in her tracks. "As in the water?"

Tazuna paused and looked back at her, "well the Land of Waves is an island nation, so yes."

Ayumi shook her head, "well it's been great meeting and guarding you Tazuna-san. It looks like you have enough ninja for this mission, so Waddles-san and I are going to head back home. I'll report to Jiji and probably escort those Chunin we left back there."