The Last Chinoike [A NARUTO LOVE STORY]

Traveling to The Leaf

"Stop dragging your feet, Pervy Sage! I can't wait to get Hayami back to the Leaf so she can meet everyone!" Naruto shouted over his shoulder as he walked beside Hayami. 

"Oh pipe down, Naruto!" Jiraiya yelled in response. "Actually Naruto, would you mind talking with me privately for a minute?" Something had been bugging him about Hayami's situation. 'Might as well tell him what might happen when we get to Konoha...'

"Yeah sure," Naruto turned to Hayami who was smiling at the young man, making a quick blush rise to his cheeks. "Wait right here, Hayami, I'll be right back, ya know!"

"What do you want, Pervy Sage?" Naruto asked his master, all the while still watching the girl who was walking in front of him. 

"Listen, kid, do you remember what village I told you Hayami was from?" Jiraiya asked rather quietly.

"Yeah, um..." Naruto scratched his face, obviously not remembering the answer.

"The Land of Hot Water, Yugakure. Anyways, I really hate to burst your bubble but I'm not so sure she'll be welcomed into Konoha with open arms. There's a missing-nin from that village in the Akatsuki. From what I've heard he's a rather sadistic and odd fellow. The Land of Hot Water claims to be the 'Village that has forgotten wars' and they have never aided the Leaf in any way within recent years. They keep to themselves, no one knows too much about any internal affairs. I just don't think she'll get to stay there for long, Tsunade might even ask we bring her to-"

"Cut it out, Pervy Sage! Granny wouldn't do that. She'll meet Hayami and she'll love her just like we do! She's gonna stay there with me in Konoha and all my friends! She'll love the village so Granny can't send her back, Pervy Sage!" Naruto argued as he crossed his arms behind his head, feeling incredibly confident that the words he had spoken were true.

"Well, Tsunade does have a soft spot for the both of us but she is, first and foremost, the Hokage. She has a duty to look out for the village." Jiraiya retorted with.

"What're you saying, old man? Do you think she'd cause problems in the village? She'd never do that, ya know?" Naruto replied, turning his attention toward the girl who was walking in front of him and Jiraiya, thankfully out of earshot.

"I don't think she would do any harm, but get this through your thick skull, kid. She is the last survivor of a clan the Leaf knows nothing about, under the jurisdiction of two Lands that are not the Leaf nor the Land of Fire, she can fight and possesses a dojutsu kekkei genkai that rivals the Sharingan's genjutsu and has limits we just simply haven't seen yet. Do you need me to simplify that any further for you?"

Naruto had stopped walking and looked down at the ground, a pained expression on his face.

"Look, I know you're already starting to care about the young woman, and I'm not saying this to scare you. I just..." Jiraiya took a deep breath and sighed as he closed his eyes. "I just don't think she'll get to stay for long or you won't really get to see her, is all."

"How could you say that, I-I'm still not buying all that! I just know she'll be welcomed with open arms..." Naruto looked up at the woman whose long brown hair had stopped moving from side to side, signaling her cease of movement. He whispered more to himself than his master, "she has to be... I already promised her..."

"Naruto!" She yelled turning around, her big purple eyes housing a spark of happiness. Hayami waved her hand high above her head, "are you guys almost done chatting back there?" She never let the smile leave her face.

The blond shinobi's face began to heat up as a rosy blush made its way to his cheeks. A big, goofy grin also appeared as he started to jog back up to where Hayami was standing, watching him and Jiraiya. "Of course, I'll be back up in a second, ya know!" Naruto started to run forward when Jiraiya grabbed him by the collar.