Yakiniku Q? Naomi, along with her new team entered the shop bustling with hungry costumers. All five of them sat down as Gai handled the orders.
"Seriously? A diner?" Tenten raised a brow. The server came to their table and placed the food they had ordered. Gai grinned and held his thumb up. "The perfect place to bond and form relationships!"
"A place with a good amount of people, not too tense, but not too moderate." Naomi mused verbally. "Gai-sensei have a great perspective."
"Wah!! As expected of Gai-sensei!!!"
"Lower your voice, dumbass. You're disturbing other people."
Might Gai smiled ever so brightly as he grab his cup of beverage and brought it up. "Today, we welcome Uzumaki Naomi as part of Team Gai, as well as celebrate her graduation from the academy!" The four genin attended the Jonin's every word with exhilaration. Even the cold and stoic Neji. "Let us work together as a team and treat each other like family." Gai turned to the blonde, cup still raised. "I as your new mentor will guide all of you until you become strong ninjas. Until then, we'll be in each other's care, Naomi. Cheers!"
Tenten, Lee, and Neji raised their own cups. The expressions that they wore were different yet all feelings alike. They all looked at Naomi who was speechless from the message. She seemed to appear perplexed for a while before imitating their actions and putting on a well-trained smile. Everyone's cup clinked together before they sip into it with a jovial mood. "Cheers!"
Naomi stiffly sips. "..cheers,"
"Man, I wish Kakashi-sensei treated us to some food too 'ttebayo." Naruto slumped his body and he leaned his head towards his sister's shoulders with a sigh. Naomi patted his head gently, "Is Naruto gonna be sleeping in Naomi's bed tonight as well? Do you want her to sing you a song?"
"Mhm, I want to listen to Ami's voice forever!.."
"Alright then," The siblings moved to lay their backs onto the bed. Naruto, as usual, hugged his sister tight while the latter laid still. The moon shone, bright enough to light the dark lit room. Naomi started humming a tune before singing fully along with the rustle of trees and wind outside.
"Goodnight, sis.."
Naomi's blank face stared at the ceiling of their bedroom. When she felt Naruto's breathing evened, indicating that the boy was sound asleep, her mind briefly went back to how her new mentor and team-mates had treated her kindly. So kind that she had doubted their genuine gestures for a moment. She was ashamed for even thinking that they were being fake, but her mind subconsciously did so, after all the misfortune and negativity life had thrown at her.
"Sleep tight, Naruto."
That evening, she surmised that she was indeed a toxic person.
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"Excellent work as always, Zaragoza. It is a good thing your genin team had gone back from a mission the same time as those suspicious figures were lurking at the border of Konoha." Danzo grinned and nod, obviously pleased. He leaned his back to his throne-like chair. "It seems that.. letting you have an outside life benefited ROOT in many ways."
"I am a ninja of Konoha. It is my job to keep the village safe at all costs, ROOT or not." Danzo heard the girl mutter behind her mask. "Yes, of course. That is the ultimate goal of this organization after all." The old man paused as he glanced sternly at the masked team-captain who had her head facing the floor out of respect. "Howbeit it seems as though your objective is being shaken little by little by some distractions. Now, I'm having second thoughts of wether to..."
Zaragoza immediately knelt a knee down. "Rest assured, Danzo-sama. I don't turn back on my word, my motive and determination would never fade for as long as I ought for."
"Indeed, the skills and strength you possesses had never dulled despite being involve in different kinds of relationships and had instead improved even without any proper guidance." Danzo closed his eyes and placed his hand on his chin. "Still, we could never be too certain. So in order to make sure that your loyalty still lies within this organization, an exchange of secrets shall prove it."
The still kneeling captain in-front of him took a few seconds before nodding in agreement.
"Hmm let's see..." the old man hummed in thought. "One particular day in my late teens, I had accidentally brought the ninja tools owned by the academy and never had the courage to return it back." [Completely fictionalized fictional]
This cunning old bastard..! That's not even highly confidential!
Danzo smirked. "Silly old me... Now, it's your turn, Zaragoza. Care to share your most dirtiest secret? The one that you desperately tries to bury together with you in your grave."
Zaragoza tensed at his implications. As if he knows something, knows more than he led her on. No, he absolutely cannot know my ulterior motives for joining ROOT. A lump was made in her throat, if he ended up finding out then all of her hard work would go to waste. And worst, she could be killed at any moment by him.
"I.. have none, Danzo-sama. Just a childhood wish of mine is all." She said in haste. The old man let out a hum as he kept a stern gaze on her. "Oh, then no need to be shy. I'm your superior and elder. Being a little childish is normal for your age."
Behind the mask of her literal mask, Zaragoza wanted to clench her fist or even just her teeth to redirect her irritation. This man was on to something. He was puttin her on a spot where he would be getting an evidence for his suspicions. So she didn't move an inch, she stayed still with a stoic face as she spoke, trying her best to sound embarrassed. "I.. dreamed of being a singing artist." Zaragoza quickly added: "of course, that was, before I realized that my life is far from being the average.." wether that information was true or not, Naomi was unsure.
She struggled not to swallow a lump in her throat when suffocating silence consumed the old man's office. There was no doubt about it anymore, Danzo was suspicious of her. Not that he hasn't always been, however before, his suspicions were that of her person, her end-goal in joining root. Now, on the other hand, he has caught a whiff of her backstabbing. In other words, she was in a fragile position at the moment. A little slip up could lead to her exile.
Finally, after a long and uncomfortable silence, Danzo dismissed her nonchalantly. Zaragoza very well knew that a questioning (interrogation) would not be the end of it. Soon, she would find herself being on her guard even at her home.
Zaragoza stepped out of the office, unconsciously releasing a sigh of relief. Thinking back to her plans, the evidences she had garnered were still not enough to put a high ranking man who is second to the current hokage to death, even putting him behind bars would be a struggle.
Now that Danzo was openly being iffy of her ambitions and her person entirely, she must form a back-up plan as well as an emergency plan. She responded with a curt nod as members of the organization passed by her, formally greeting her as she is one of their recognized superior.
As an outsider to this world, Naomi is extremely cautious to only interact with characters she had seen and know of in the anime. Resulting in her only personally knowing Sai whenever she is in ROOT's base of operations.
Zaragoza decided to explore every nook and cranny of the hideout, as she had mused, for a plan in case of emergencies. Exits and secret chambers would greatly benefit her. Her walk was not short at all, given that the base was as huge as a mall in a modern era.
"Captain." A voice she recognized, Zaragoza turned around coming face to face with the pale raven. "Hello, Sai." The fellow ROOT nodded and tagged along her little walk. He did so naturally, without the slightest bit of discomfort. Though the awkwardness of his nature was still ever so present.
Zaragoza's mind flew over to the boy's talent and potentials. Currently, he has one of the most unique techniques in the organization, a rare ability that even Zaragoza was intrigued by. However, she couldn't help but think about his full power. Sure, in the future he would be one of the most powerful Jonins alive, but Zaragoza knew that even the adult version of himself in the anime was undeveloped since nobody really helped him realize of how powerful he is.
Curiosity kills the cat. Unfortunately to grim reaper, she isn't just a cat. She was a fox. Both metaphorically and literally.
Behind their masks, the two were not frowning nor were they stretching their lips. It was almost funny how their expressions are limited (except when Naomi have to put on a facade). Purple eyes turned to the boy in ROOT uniform. "Sai, do you ever wonder what your life will be if you were never bound to this place?"
Said boy stopped and looked at her. He seemed to be taking his time, struggling to form an answer from his thoughts. "That.. Why do you ask so, captain?" He tilted his head with innocence.
"The mind is the key to knowing a person." She started, arms folding. "Intelligence, mannerisms, as well as opinions are what unfolds a person's psyche. However, many people forget about the most important part."
Sai blinked twice and put a hand under his chin to show his abstraction. "..and what might that be, captain?"
Zaragoza stepped towards the pale boy. Every steps echoed throughout the dimly lit hallway. Sai stay stilled in his place. Patiently and curiously waiting for his captain's next words. The blonde's lips loomed over Sai's ear, whispering the answer clearly.
"Creativity and Imagination."
Zaragoza retracted back and put a hand on one of his shoulders, patting it as she walked away. "Have a peaceful day, my favorite kohai."
The words and musings of his senior never left the boy's mind for the next couple of days. He had always took her for a straightforward person, however, he had doubts about that now.
- - ┈┈┈┈∘┈˃̶༒˂̶┈∘┈┈┈┈ - -
"Ugh, why do we have to be tangled up with these chores-like-missions again, haven't we done a mission outside the village even with a new member?"
Tenten rolled her eyes at the Hyuga's groans of words as she continued picking up scattered trashes on the ground. "It's necessary, well at least for Naomi. She's a fresh graduate and that obviously means that she'll have to start getting used to doing small missions before— you know what I mean." The weapon-skilled girl's explanation ended with a sigh after seeing the disinterested look from the Hyuga. "That one time was an exception since there was a shortage of teams to do the mission." She muttered.
"Worry not, Naomi-san! I, Rock Lee, your teammate, will always be here to help you whenever and wherever you need!!" From the distance but still within the area, Tenten suppressed a scolding directed to the boy in the green suit. Glancing to the girl Lee mentioned, she suppressed a curious chuckle when for a split-second, the Uzumaki's face went comically blank. "Then, Naomi will be in your care, Lee!" The blonde responded with a cheerful smile and at the same time, Tenten heard a click of a tongue from the Hyuga.
"What is it now??" She asked exasperatedly.
The pale-eyed boy said nothing and merely continued his work with a frown. Tenten nodded multiple times with a sigh, "silent treatment huh.."
"That's it, Lee!! How chivalric of you to devote yourself into protecting other people!!" Tenten turned around to see Might Gai doing exaggerated actions to match his words. "Chivalry is found in youth they said! And you have proved it to us today, Lee!!"
"Gai-sensei!!!"
"Lee!!!!"
Yeah no. Tenten couldn't listen to those two any longer without the possibility of going crazy. But.. their team sure had gotten livelier than before. Tenten wondered what the cause might be....