A day later, the group was walking down a path in a forest towards the village of Katabami. As they went, they were told more of the conditions the Kurosuki clan put them in and Rokusuke constantly complaining about the speed they traveled at. It seemed he was still holding out hope that their friend was alive even after being buried for so long, but his friends were more realistic and tried to make him see the truth.
It was near sunset when they walked out of the forest and saw a curry shop by the side of the road.
"What's this? 'Curry of Life Shop' huh? We can use that as our base. Let's see if we can spend the night here and get to business in the morning." Jiraiya said as they came to the shop and entered. An old woman who was cleaning the counter looked up when they walked in.
"Well, it's been a while since anyone's come here. I'm Sansho, welcome, please, take a seat. Would you like me to fix you something or you just want to rest a bit." the woman said with a smile.
"Thanks, I think we'd all like a bite to eat, how about the house special?" Jiraiya asked.
"Sure, I'll have some of my special curry ready in a minute." Sansho replied as she turned to a cooking pot. A few minutes later, they were all seated at two tables, Jiraiya and his students at one and the miners at another. Before them each was a glass of water with a spoon.
"So, that mountain we saw was the Katabami Gold Mine?" Naruto asked.
"That's right. So, what do you plan to do?"
"Well, tomorrow, we'll scout out the village, try to get an idea how many enemies there are, their positions and level, that kind of thing, then we'll come up with a plan of attack." Naruto said.
'He really is a bit more mature... the old Naruto would probably have wanted to just charge in head first, thinking everything would turn out ok.' Jiraiya thought to himself with a grin. Just then, Sansho walked to their tables with trays.
"Here you are. It's my specialty: the Curry of Life." The old woman said as she placed their plates on their tables. The sauce was black and bubbled, obviously spicy to an extreme. The group looked down at the curry before Naruto, Fu and the miners turned to Jiraiya and glared at him slightly.
"...What are you all looking at me for?" Jiraiya asked as he noticed the glares.
"Isn't it obvious?" Fu asked.
"You're the one who ordered this." Naruto said.
"Yes, well... let's just eat. We don't want to seem ungrateful." Jiraiya said, obviously not too pleased either and the others reluctantly nodded before they all took a spoonful of the curry and slowly took their first bites... then all their faces turned bright red and their eyes bulged. Seconds later, screams of pain could be heard outside the shop.
Everyone was paralyzed by the intense spices for a moment before the ninja recovered and quickly grabbed their glasses and drunk half the water in one gulp, gasping for breath afterwards. The miners still hadn't recovered.
"... Wow... that's some curry... " Jiraiya said to their host.
"Why thank you, it's famous around these parts. I remember the last Konoha ninja who came through here. He collapsed from exhaustion, but one spoonful of my curry and he was wide awake." Sansho replied with a smile.
"Yeah... I'll bet." Naruto said. 'I don't think anyone could sleep through that.' "So, you're here by yourself? You don't have anyone to help out around here?" Naruto said, thinking about using his shadow clones to help out. It might save them a bill, not that they couldn't pay, and it would be nice to help out the old woman. Sansho looked down sadly.
"... Well... I do have a son, Karashi... but he went off to join that Kurosuki family." she said sadly as she closed her eyes, thinking of her son. "I shouldn't have pushed him... always telling him to be strong and to stand up for himself..."
"What? Are you saying he just left you here to worry about him?" Fu was surprised.
"The jerk... don't worry Grandma Sansho, We'll get him back for you." Naruto said.
"Oh, you don't need to trouble yourselves."
"It's no trouble. We're here to take care of these guys anyway, so it's not like we'll be going out of our way or anything." Naruto replied and the shop owner smiled.
"Thank you, young man. You can stay here the night, free of charge if you like." Sansho said.
That night, Naruto and Jiraiya stayed in one room while the miners slept in another and Fu had her own room. Naruto was sitting on his bed and Jiraiya was looking out the window, both slightly tense. Something told them something was off. In her room, Fu had a similar feeling. Suddenly, the three heard loud footsteps down the hall.
"This is terrible!" Shouted one of the miners just before he opened the door to Naruto and Jiraiya's room. "Rokusuke's gone! He must have headed to town on his own!" Fu threw open the door of her own room when she heard this.
"Damn, at this rate, he'll get himself killed. So much for strategy, if we take our time now, he's dead." Naruto said as he stood up.
"Let's go. We need to hurry." Fu said.
Rokusuke ran towards the village, intent on digging up his friend. Hoping against all odds that he had somehow survived all this time. Unbeknownst to him, he was sensed by Raiga's partner, Ranmaru, as Raiga stood on a cliff overlooking the town.
"Someone's coming, Raiga." Ranmaru said from his place on the swordsman's back.
"A pity... it seems we'll have to hold another funeral." Raiga said sadly, sniffling a bit at the end.
It was early morning when Rokusuke finally made it to his village. The sun had barely begun to rise. He snuck in as quietly as he could and was trying to dig his friend out. He sat there at his grave on his knees, his hands bruised from digging, but he didn't care.
"Hang on, Kanpachi, I'll get you out." Rokusuke said.
"Need a hand?" a voice asked. Rokusuke looked up and saw he was surrounded by seven black cloaked and hooded figures. He yelled out in shock and fell back, knowing there was no escape.
Naruto and Fu rushed towards the village. Fu was cursing herself for not placing an insect on the man to track him. They had both seen the way he was acting, although they thought he would be smarter than this, she should have taken a precaution.
As they ran through the forest, Fu sent out a wave of insects ahead of them to collect whatever information they could before they arrived.
They reached the village a few minutes later and looked down to see a group of villagers being forced into harsh labor while four black cloaked men, members of the Kurosuki family as they had been described, watched over them. Their eyes narrowed as they saw these people. Like the miner had told them, they were basically slaves; they had little to no rights. While they watched, several of Fu's insects flew to her and she held up her hand and allowed them to land on her arm.
"How many are there?" Naruto asked and Fu paused for a moment as the insect relayed all the information it had gathered to her.
"There're a total of fourteen spread throughout the town. Nine of them are together, those four down there and one off by himself. Most of them have low chunin level chakra, one has less than the average genin... that's probably Karashi, and the one on his own has mid-jonin level reserves. That one must be Raiga." Fu said, frowning as the insect informed her of something odd. "But... there's a second chakra signature on Raiga."
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked with narrowed eyes.
"It's like there's someone strapped to his back under his cloak." Fu responded.
Before either could ponder the meaning of this, their eyes widened as an old man who was being forced to work was suddenly unable to stand anymore. He fell over and all the raw ore he was carrying was spilled on the ground. The four thugs surrounded and threatened old man with a funeral if he didn't pick up the ore and get back to work.
"Alright, looks like that's our cue. Let's try to take these four out as quietly as we can." Naruto said and Fu nodded before they each made a hand sign and created a single shadow clone, the now four teens then traveled underground with a jutsu.
The four thugs watched with smirks, some laughing as the man frantically gathered the spilled ore before their eyes widened as four pairs of hands shot out of the ground and grabbed their ankles. They didn't even have time to cry out in shock before they were pulled deep underground, where they were covered in and drained dry of chakra by Fu's insects, their cries muffled by the ground.
The old man looked where the men stood in disbelief for a few moments before Naruto, Fu, their clones and the unconscious criminals emerged from the ground in front of him.
"Ok, tie these guys up and cover their mouths." Naruto ordered the clones as he threw them some rope. "You alright old man?"
"You... what have you done?" the man said fearfully. "They'll give me a funeral for sure!"
"Don't worry, we'll take care of them." Fu said before they all looked up as they heard a gong.
"What's that? Did we set off an alarm?" Naruto asked.
"No... it's a summon... their calling us to a funeral." the old man said.
"A funeral... do you think?" Naruto asked Fu.
"Rokusuke." Fu said. She then mentally called out to her insects, calling one back for an update.
"Yes, I heard they captured him this morning."
"The last nine members of the gang should be over there." Fu said.
"What about Raiga?" Naruto asked as the insect returned and she reached out her hand and let it land on her finger.
"He's not there... he must still be off on his own somewhere." Fu replied.
"Alright come on, let's save this guy and take out all of the underlings while we're at it." Naruto said and Fu nodded before Naruto turned to their clones. "You two make sure these guys don't do anything funny."
Raiga looked down on the funeral from a cliff. He loved funerals... they brought people together in mourning and remembrance.
"I remember when I first met Rokusuke... it's a happy memory." Raiga said.
"Is it?" Ranmaru asked.
"Yes, I remember the smile he gave when we liberated the gold mine... that's how I'll always remember him." Raiga replied as tears fell from his eyes.
"Will you hold a nice funeral for me too?"
"Don't talk like that. You're not going to die. Besides, I don't need a funeral to recall all the good times we've shared."
"Raiga, they're coming."
"Good, I want to see who he brought to rescue him." Raiga said as he wiped the last of his tears away.
"There are three of them... one of them seems to be watching... be careful, Raiga." Ranmaru warned. Even Jiraiya couldn't hide from his abilities.
"Don't worry, I will... after all, you'll be there with me."
Naruto and Fu arrived to see the group of thugs in a large graveyard digging a grave for Rokusuke. They frowned as they watched them prepare to bury the man alive and thought that all these graves marked where someone suffered the same fate. Already having a plan, the two created four shadow clones each. The Jinchuriki and three of their clones then spread out silently using 'Earth Style: Underground Move Jutsu'. After moving into position, they waited a few more moments before making their move.
Several of the thugs chuckled to themselves as they dug the newest grave before they sensed something. They turned to see a pair of teens rushing them. They charged to meet the them and were shocked when everyone who met the three ahead of the group were all defeated in seconds. They were weak by ninja standards, many genin could defeat them, but it was still more than enough to subdue a village of civilians.
One jumped to the side to avoid an axe kick from Fu only to suddenly be finding a whip of water wrapped around his waist and arms. He barely had time to voice his surprise before electricity flowed through the water and he was shocked into unconsciousness. Another was suddenly blasted away by a powerful ball of wind. Two more clones came from the came out of the ground in-between them, separating the remaining criminals. The thugs were quickly dealt with. In under a minute they were all on the ground unconscious.
"Huh, that was easy." Naruto said.
"They had decent reserves, but they were poorly trained." Fu observed. "Alright, you guys get Rokusuke out of there." the clones all ran towards the coffin the miner was locked in. As they did, Naruto looked over at the last remaining gang member standing, he was using a grave marker to shield himself. "So, I'm guessing you're Sansho's son, Karashi." Fu said as she looked at the young man.
"Huh... yeah, what of it." Karashi asked, crossing his arms and acting tough now that they weren't hostile.
"How can you just leave that nice old lady alone like that? Do you know how much she's worried about you?" Naruto frowned at him.
"So what? Besides, their leader is a great man, he liberated this village."
"What's your definition of liberating?" Fu asked. "This is basically slavery. How can you work for these people?"
"Because now I'm part of something powerful."
"Really, so are you strong now? You hid behind your allies and let them do all the fighting for you." Naruto said. "Either you're still weak, or deep down you know this is wrong." Karashi looked up at him. "Besides, if you really want to be strong, then you need to be able to stand up for yourself. And what is it you plan to do with that strength? Do you really want to be strong at a cost like this? What if your mother did something to anger Raiga? Would you just stand by and let them bury her too?" Karashi knew they were right, but he was still too afraid to go against the Kurosuki or try to stand on his own. He decided to act like he had truly seen the error of his ways and see which way the wind blew.
"You... you're right, I've been a fool. Please, forgive me." Karashi begged.
"Fine." Naruto said as his and Fu's clones walked to them with Rokusuke. Both saw through Karashi but knew he wasn't strong enough to really do anything. "Alright, you guys know the drill. Tie them up, stay here and watch over them. Rokusuke, you alright?"
"Yeah... thanks for saving my life again... I'm sorry but I just couldn't leave my friend buried alive like that." Rokusuke said.
"I understand... for what it's worth, I'm sorry we couldn't save him." Fu said and the miner nodded. "I shouldn't have to tell you to stay here." The green haired girl then walked over and looked around before looking up at a cliff. "That's all of them... all that's left is Raiga."
"Good, then let's finish this." Naruto said as the moved at ninja speed up the cliff, leaving behind the miner, the thugs, the wannabe and their clones.
Naruto and Fu arrived at the top of the cliff and looked around. They were on a rocky plateau and seemed to be alone.
"Do you know where he is?"
"Not yet." Fu replied. She sent a command to her insects to return and update on Raiga's position. Suddenly, a thick mist appeared out of nowhere.
"I know this... it's the Hidden Mist Jutsu." Naruto said as he looked around. Fu nodded, having read about the technique and sent out a swarm of her insects.
Raiga looked down on them from a ledge overlooking the plateau, observing the two teens that had decimated his gang.
"What do you think, Ranmaru?"
"It's incredible. They have enormous chakra reserves. One of them seems to be manipulating insects... my illusions won't work on them." Ranmaru said.
"I see... are you ready, Ranmaru?"
"Yes, Raiga."
Fu had called back one of the insects that had managed to land on Raiga when she sent them out. She looked up at the nearby cliff.
"Up there." Fu said, pointing to the cliff.
"Got it! Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" Naruto called out before he unleashed a gust of wind that blew away the mist and tore across the plateau towards Raiga. Raiga skipped backwards and focused chakra to his feet to anchor himself to the ground. He held up his arms to shield his face as the blast of wind hit. Raiga grunted with effort as he channeled as much chakra as he could to keep from being blown away. While he and Ranmaru had been talking about Rokusuke's funeral and watching the following events, the insects Fu had tagged him with, twelve in total and ten still remaining, had been draining his chakra. While such a small amount of the bugs could only do so much, they had been working on Raiga for a while now.
Naruto and Fu kicked off as fast as they could towards the cliff and quickly ran up to where Raiga stood as the mist began to cover the area again, drawing their swords as they went. Naruto reached the top first, jumped into the air and came down with a downward slash meant to cut Raiga in half. Raiga brought his blades, covered in bandages, together in an X formation to block and channeled lightning through them as Naruto channeled wind through his. The blades met with a clang and the two stood their ground.
"You seem strong... and your eyes show such determination." Raiga said. "I may hold a funeral for you after this is over."
"You're the one who's going to need a funeral, pal." Naruto said before the both jumped back. Naruto slashed his sword repeatedly, creating three blades of wind but was shocked when he heard a young voice predict his movements and warn Raiga, who then easily dodged his attacks.
"Raiga! Behind you!" the voice called out and Raiga spun around to block a flame covered slash from Fu. Fu summoned a water blade to her left hand while holding Okibi no Yaiba in her right and mimicked Raiga, canceling the fire and channeling lightning through her swords and the two clashed in a fierce exchange of swordplay. Fu had a speed advantage but Raiga's ally predicted her every move and warned him, allowing him to dodge each strike before Naruto joined the fray. Raiga quickly found himself outmatched trying to fight the pair together. He channeled as much chakra into his legs as he could and jumped back. After about a dozen feet before he impaled his Kiba blades into the ground, not only to slow him down but also to prepare an attack.
"Lightning Funeral: Feast of Lightning!" Raiga yelled before a wave of lightning bolts cut through the ground towards them Naruto countered with a slash of his Hisho Taichi, unleashing his Tempest Wind attack. The whirlwind tour across the ground and dispersed the lightning.
Fu slashed her sword, creating several dragons of fire as Naruto charged forward. The dragons twisted around him and flew towards Raiga. As Raiga dodged the first two, the third reared up and dive bombed him and he jumped back to dodge.
"Raiga, he's right in front of you using the flames as cover." Ranmaru warned and Raiga brought his swords together.
"Ninja Art: Lightning Ball!" Raiga yelled and he threw a ball of pure lightning at the blond. The ball hit as Naruto came out of the remnants of the fire and electrocuted him.
"He's a clone!" Ranmaru yelled and Naruto turned to smoke. "To your right!" Ranmaru warned and Raiga turned to see a twisting cyclone carving a path towards him. He jumped to the side and Naruto lunged forwards intent on impaling the man. Raiga blocked with his left blade and attacked with his used his right to attack with a stab of his own. Without Fu's aid, Naruto quickly found himself on the defensive as Raiga's two swords gave him an advantage. Raiga went for a downward slash but had to disengage and jump back to dodge another fire dragon before being attacked from two sides from Naruto and Fu.
He dodged a stab aimed at his stomach from Fu and blocked a slash from Naruto. However, Naruto followed up that slash with a kick that Raiga barely managed to dodge. Unfortunately for the swordsman, the kick hit the bag on Raiga's back and Ranmaru was sent flying.
"Raiga!" Ranmaru called out.
"Ranmaru!" Raiga yelled, worried about his only friend.
Without Ranmaru's aid and now running dangerously low on chakra, he was now at a serious disadvantage and was quickly overwhelmed by Naruto and Fu's combined swordplay. Fu covered her blade with flame and slashed downwards at Raiga, who blocked with both his blades, leaving him open to a upward diagonal slash from Naruto. He skipped backwards but suffered a shallow cut across his stomach and chest from Naruto's sword.
Fu sheathed her sword and made a hand sign, creating three shadow clones who threw shuriken as they drew their swords and charged.
"Do you really think that will help you?" Raiga yelled, enraged at the loss of Ranmaru as he deflected the projectiles. "Ranmaru, hang on! I'll come and get you as soon as I'm finished here." Raiga blocked a slash from a clone when the clone he had locked blades with smirked. Before he could react, the three clones exploded, sending him flying back and leaving him wide open as Naruto lunged forward.
"Don't!" Ranmaru yelled but it was too late and Naruto impaled Raiga through the chest. Raiga coughed up blood and looked weakly at his opponent.
"I guess... I'll be the one needing the funeral after all..." Raiga said as he coughed up more blood. "Hey... please... take care of Ranmaru..." These were the swordsman's last words, his body went limp as he said them and he breathed his last, his swords falling to the ground.
Naruto and Fu looked at the man, slightly remorseful. Both of them had realized whoever was helping him was likely a close friend. Naruto created a clone ordered it to seal up the body and the swords in two separate scrolls before he and Fu walked over to where Ranmaru lie on the ground in a bag. Fu's insects swarmed around the bag, ready to attack if whoever was inside proved hostile.
"So, this is who was helping Raiga? He must have a dojutsu." Naruto said as he walked over. Fu nodded and she unzipped the bag, revealing the boy.
"You're the one who was helping him?" Fu asked, surprised to see he was so young, but what truly surprised them was the look in the boy's eyes. A look they had seen in their own, a look of someone who had no meaning in their life. Someone with no reason to live.
"Yes... we were together... since that day..." Ranmaru began before he told them of how he had met Raiga.
"That day?" Naruto asked.
"... I lived in a village, in a shabby cabin. I've always been frail and I have no memory of my parents. I survived only because the other villagers took pity on me and left me food. But even though I was so weak, I had a power no one else had. My eyes allowed me to see the outside world But when they found out about that power, they stopped helping me. I would have starved to death, had it not been for Raiga. One day, he and a group of ANBU came to the village in search of a traitor. With my eyes I saw him, crying. He, too, had no meaning in his life. He took pity on me and took me with him. From that day forward, I was his eyes and he was my arms and legs. We've always been together ever since. But now that he's gone, my life has no meaning." the Jinchuriki's eyes widened as they heard this. Naruto was reminded of Haku, the boy who had put him on his path and taught him what was truly important. "You have a job, don't you? Please, finish it."
"You can't be serious." Fu said.
"Ranmaru... I knew someone just like you once." Naruto said sadly. "Ironically enough, he also helped one of the seven swordsmen." Fu remembered hearing this before. "He was Zabuza's apprentice Haku. He saw himself as nothing but a tool and thought that, once his usefulness to Zabuza was outlived, his life would lose all meaning. When I beat him and he thought he wasn't strong enough to remain Zabuza's tool, he asked me to kill him."
"Then you've already heard this before. I can't go on alone, without a purpose." Ranmaru said, looking up to the sky.
"Is that what Raiga would want?" Naruto asked and Ranmaru turned to him.
"Ranmaru... both of us know what that's like." Fu said. "We were both shunned in our villages for reasons we had no control over. Almost no one cared about us. Most people just wanted us gone. We had nothing to live for, until we found people who understood and accepted us. Ranmaru... Raiga's last words were to ask us to make sure you lived on... if you don't want to continue living for yourself, do it for him."
"But... I can't go on alone like this."
"Then find new people who accept you." Naruto said. "There are lots of people here who would help you. I'm sure the old woman at the curry shop outside of town would treat you like family. And you could always come to Konoha. Unlike Kiri, they love bloodline holders there and I'm sure Grandma Tsunade could help you with your illness." Ranmaru said nothing. "Well, at least give it a shot."
"... Ok... Raiga wanted me too, so I guess I'll try."
Naruto had a clone pick the boy up and the group returned to town. The clones they left behind had long since finished with the remaining gang members and tied up the other members of the Kurosuki family. Karashi hadn't tried anything either. After being thanked by the people of the town, the Jinchuriki, along with Ranmaru and Karashi, returned to the Curry of Life shop, where Karashi was given Sansho's 300% spicy punishment curry. Ranmaru decided to stay at the shop, where he was welcomed by grandma Sansho and the now truly reformed Karashi and Jiraiya, Naruto and Fu quickly made an excuse to leave when Sansho offered them extra spicy curry as a reward.
"So, how'd we do, Ero-sensei?" Fu asked, curious of how he evaluated the way they handled their mission.
"Well, you did a pretty good job. You planned ahead and got a good idea of the enemy forces before making your move. You took out the first group as quietly as you could and avoided detection as you moved through the village but were forced to move early due to Rokusuke. You saved him and had back up and escape plans ready and took no chances with your own safety or that of the villagers. You made sure Ranmaru wasn't a threat before trusting him and you managed to take down a member of the Seven Swordsmen. I'd say, you handled it like a chunin. Speaking of Raiga, what do you plan to do with his swords? His bounty's double if they're included and you already have a sword."
"I think I'll keep his them, might find a use for them later." Naruto said. "Fu should take the bounty. I don't really need it. I have more than enough to live off of from my casino winnings." It was true, he did still have about 60 million left. And with his luck at gambling, he would have no trouble making more, he was only banned from casinos in that one town in the Land of Rivers.
"No, Naruto. It was a joint effort so let's split it."
"You could have taken him alone." Naruto pointed out. It was true. Alone, Fu may have been forced to go three tails, but that would have been more than enough.
"Fu, just keep it. Like he said, he can easily make money with his luck. Now come on, after we collect Raiga's bounty, we're heading back to that clearing we found those three miners in."
Though it took some more convincing, Fu was eventually talked into keeping the bounty. Jiraiya also decided to send them after a few more bounties for practice and real combat experience before they returned to Konoha. After they reached the clearing, they worked on learning new jutsu and perfecting everything they knew. Four more months and they had become fairly skilled with seals, high chunin to low jonin level with genjustu and Naruto's space-time jutsu abilities had improved. Their other skills showed normal improvement, they always had Jiraiya's weight seals on, further improving their physical abilities and Naruto learned to use the Kiba blades and their lightning powers. They also went on three bounty hunting missions for experience. The first being a low jonin with a bounty of 10 million Ryo, the second had been worth 7 million and the third being a group of eight chūnin level missing Nin and bandits led by a low jonin, together these ninja were worth 14 million. That particular job showed good planning skills as the group had taken many civilians hostage to use as slaves and they managed to save them all. Naruto couldn't convince Fu to keep all of it and the 31 million was split between them.
There was still a little over half a year left before it was time to return to Konoha and Jiraiya decided that it was again time to take a week long break, this time in a resort town with hot springs on the outskirts of the Land of Fire.
The two had grown a bit, Naruto now stood at 5'3 and Fu at 5'2. Fu's clothing style was mostly unchanged aside from the fact that her bandages had been replaced with fishnet armor that didn't cover her midriff. Naruto's tracksuit had been replaced with one that had black where the old one had blue and around the zipper.
Naruto walked through the town alone. Jiraiya was off at a peeking on a hot spring and Fu was relaxing in another hot spring... which Jiraiya made sure was far away from the one he was at because 1) she threatened to use a water sword enhanced '1000 years of death' if she caught him peeping on her and 2) the last time she caught him peeping on a hot spring she wasn't in, she got Naruto and shrieked as loud as she could: "EEK! PERVERT! THERE'S A PEEPING TOM PEEKING ON THE HOT SPRINGS!", which resulted in Jiraiya being beaten senseless by a hoard of angry women while Naruto and Fu laughed their asses off at the spectacle.
Naruto had been thinking about Fu. He had never connected with someone as well as he had with her and he couldn't deny he thought she was attractive. They had grown very close over the past two years since they left Taki, talking about their experiences, likes, dislikes and sharing various troubles and laughs, and he really liked spending time with her.
As he was consumed with his thoughts of his mint-haired companion, he walked by a stand and something caught his eye. The stand had all sorts of decorations, ornaments and masks, but what had come to his attention was an orange hair clip. Naruto couldn't help but think how it would match the green-haired Jinchuriki's eyes. The stand owner, a middle aged man, noticed the teen looking at his wares and, after waiting for a few moments to see if something would hold his interest, spoke up.
"Hey, kid, see anything you like?" The proprietor asked.
Naruto's head snapped from the ornament to the man. "Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess, that hair clip."
"Huh?" the man looked at the orange hair clip. "Ah, got yourself a girlfriend?"
"What, no, I mean, she-" Naruto sputtered. "I just, there's this girl I know and I think she'd like it, that's all."
The stand owner smirked knowingly and chuckled. "Heh, whatever you say kid. It's 80 ryo." The blond paid for it and left.
Naruto walked around town for the rest of the day, he had some snacks, played some games and bought some souvenirs. It was a few minutes before sunset and the sun was just over the horizon, painting the sky orange and the clouds a rusty red. He jumped to the top of a building searching for his friend to find her sitting on a nearby roof, watching the beautiful scenery.
"Hey, Fu, what're you doing up here?" Naruto asked as he landed nearby. Fu turned to look at the boy.
"Oh, hey Naruto, just watching the sunset." she responded, looking back towards the sun. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"
"Huh?" Naruto answered dumbly before looking to the sky. "Yeah... it is... I'm surprised I never noticed it before."
"In Taki, I would almost always climb to the top of the sacred tree and watch the sunset. It helped that I didn't have to worry about the glares up there." Fu said and Naruto nodded.
"... Oh yeah, I got you this." Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled out the hairclip he'd bought. The girl looked surprised at the gift.
"You got this for me?" Fu asked as she took it and looked at it in her hand. "Why?"
"I thought it would look good on you, it matches your eyes."
"My eyes?" The green haired girl raised a brow.
"Yeah, when we first met, I was drawn to them. You have beautiful eyes, Fu." Naruto elaborated with a smile, causing Fu to blush before giving him a slightly annoyed look.
"You're just saying that because they're your favorite color." Fu stated and Naruto shook his head.
"It's not just that. From the moment I saw them, I thought they was something striking about them. Not just the color, it's just... I don't know. I always thought they were stunning." Fu's blush deepened from the blond's words. "I also noticed that they had the same look mine used to have. I knew you had been through the same thing I had - that hell called loneliness. That's why I couldn't leave you like that." Naruto smiled. "And yeah, they are my favorite color." He said in a playful manner, causing Fu to giggle.
"Thank you, for that and the hairclip, this is the first thing anyone's ever given me." Fu said with a heartfelt smile before she attempted to put it on.
"Here, let me." Naruto reached with his hand. The green haired girl handed him the hairclip and Naruto placed it above her right eye. "There." The blond smiled. "It suits you perfectly, you look really pretty." Fu's blush deepened as Naruto gaze turned back to the sky. Since they left Taki, the two had grown closer and Fu had begun to recognize that her feelings for the boy may be deeper than friendship. After a moment of thought, she made a decision.
"Naruto..."
"Huh?" Naruto turned to face the green haired girl, only for her soft lips to land on his in a delicate kiss. It was a small, chaste kiss, but it still managed to bring a deep blush to both of their faces. It was over almost as quickly as it began with both of them jerking back as if scalded. Fu turned her face away in embarrassment.
Naruto opened his mouth to speak, however, his mind was so disjointed that he couldn't even form a proper sentence. "Fu... I... uhhh... What..."
Fu turned back to him, uneasiness coursing through her as she struggled to tell him how she felt. Her heart wouldn't stop beating as she tried to voice her feelings. "Naruto... I... I like you... I mean..." The green haired girl closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before opening her eyes and staring into the blond's cerulean pools. "I want to... I want to be with you."
Naruto's eyes widened in astonishment at Fu's admission. This girl, whose presence he'd come to enjoy even more than Sakura's, felt that way about him? Finding it hard to voice his thoughts due to his shock and the emotions coursing through him, he asked, "Why would you... want to be with me?"
Now that she had said it, she knew there was no backing out. The fear of rejection, the fear that she may have ruined her relationship with her fellow Jinchuriki dominated her being as she answered his question. "I've admired you ever since you saved my... former village. And my admiration only grew when I found out you were like me. That you stayed cheerful and happy, and had such a strong will, despite living the same life I had. Your resolve, your drive to never give up and the fact that you showed your village they were wrong about you inspired me when I was starting to lose hope and I realized I wanted to be more like you. The time since I left Taki has been the happiest of my life, because you were there with me. During all the time we spent together, your drive, your goals became mine, and I realized that I wanted to spend more time with you. That I wanted to keep sharing and facing the good and the bad, together."
In the haze that dominated Naruto's mind, a question arose. "Why would you tell me when you knew how I felt about Sakura?"
The fear and certainty that she was going to be rejected brought tears to her eyes. Not wanting to show them, Fu stood and turned her back to Naruto. "Because... It would be better to take the plunge and be rejected then to keep this bottled up."
Fu closed her eyes, willing the tears away as she swallowed the lump in her throat. This was it. He probably still had feelings for his teammate. At least she had tried. She hoped at least things wouldn't be too awk...
Her eyes shot open when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her and she found herself in the blond's embrace. "The truth is..." The blond began, his head at her shoulder. "I really liked Sakura in the past. But then I met someone else." He eased his hold over her and turned Fu around, facing her shocked look. "This smart, beautiful girl I was drawn to from the moment I met her. This wonderful girl, who over the years I came to care for more than I ever did for Sakura." He cupped her cheek, giving her a warm, gentle smile. "I met you. I want to be together with you and... I really like you too, Fu."
Fu was stunned. She'd never thought a day like this would come. She stood perfectly still for a moment before her arms swiftly wrapped around his neck, tears, now of joy, rolling down her face. The pair melted into their embrace as they were consumed with a passion they'd never experienced before while, unknown to them, Jiraiya watched from a nearby building with a smile.
An hour later, the pair of Jinchuriki walked down the hall to their room. Naruto opened the door and found Jiraiya standing in the center of the room, smirking at his students.
"Hey, I was wondering when you two would show up, so, anything of interest happen today?" the old man said, playing dumb.
"You know very well what happened, Ero-sensei." Fu said.
"Heh, well, I'm happy for you two. I'm sure you'll make each other happy. Take it from someone who spent most of his life getting turned down by the first girl he fell for." Jiraiya said, much to the pairs shock.
"Tsunade?" Naruto asked.
"I've told you before, haven't I? How much your team reminds me of my own? You, Sakura and Sasuke, and the bonds you shared, are almost exactly like the ones between me, Tsunade and Orochimaru, though Tsunade didn't have feelings for Orochimaru like Sakura does for Sasuke. I spent years focused on Tsunade, and she turned me down every time." the hermit finished on a sad note. "Anyway, it's late, we should go to bed, we'll stay here for a few more days and then get back to training."
"What are we doing next?"
"We'll improve on what you have and the speed of your jutsu, then I want you to work on your own techniques and your ability to sense others. But don't think about it now. Just relax and enjoy your time here."
They both agreed and soon turned in wishing each other good night before laying down.
As the pair drifted off to a pleasant sleep, Jiraiya was wide awake on the roof of the building, quickly writing down what he was sure was going to be one of the highlights of his new bestseller.
"And so, Shu threw her arms around Nakuro's neck as the two held one another, tears of joy streaming down her face. As she melted into his embrace, Nakuro knew he had found his one true love... no, no. It needs something to spice it up." Jiraiya paused for a second, raising his pen to his chin in thought before a perverted smirk spread across his face and an equally perverse giggle escaped him and he scribbled down more notes. "Shu threw her arms around Nakuro's neck and claimed his lips, the wandering warrior reciprocating and massaging her lips with his own. As the kiss became more and more impassioned and they began dueling with their tongues, Nakuro's hands wandered to Shu's chest, where he proceeded to grope her breasts through her clothes. Shu moaned at the man's ministrations as desire began to cloud her eyes... yes, yes! This is gold! I knew that brat would give me just as much material as his old man!"
The next day, Naruto and Fu were walking through the town together. They had decided that to go on their first date and spend the day together. Actually, they'd be sure to spend a lot of their time together over the next few days, as they'd soon be going back to training. They had precious little time before they would be returning to spending most of their days training.
As soon as they stepped outside of their hotel, they immediately decided to head to a clothing store, noting that their normal clothing wasn't really suitable for a date. They walked through the doors of the store and their gaze washed over the interior.
It was a fairly large shop that catered mostly for civilians. All manner of clothing in various different sizes hung on racks and shelves. The pair separated, planning to find each other once they had some things to try on. Fu walked through the women's section, looking at the various kimonos that surrounded her. As she stopped and inspected one that caught her interest, she noticed someone approaching. She looked up to find a clerk, a young woman only a few years older than her with long, brown hair making her way towards her.
"Hello, miss. Can I help you in any way?" The clerk greeted.
Fu nodded, giving a slight smile. "Yes, thank you. I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking for."
The older teen looked at her with a critical eye, thinking of what she could suggest for her to try. "Well, do you have some idea what you're looking for?"
Fu walked around the rack and examined a long blue dress. "Well... something beautiful and graceful... preferably white." The green-haired girl had a fondness for the color akin to her fellow Jinchuriki's liking of the color orange, which is why she wore the pure color despite the fact that it was impractical for a kunoichi. Her stubbornness on the subject being another thing she had in common with her new boyfriend.
"Your favorite color." The woman observed as she looked over the customer, her words more of a statement than a question. "Are you trying to impress someone?"
Fu nodded, her smile growing as she remembered what she was doing there. "Yeah, I'm on a date, so I need something that really gets his attention."
The brunette got an excited gleam in her eyes as she quickly approached the younger teen. "You're on a date? Right now?"
The green haired girl gave an affirmative. "He's someone I've known for a long time and we recently realized that what we feel for each other is more than friendship. From the moment we met, he has always been there for me and I want to surprise him with something really stunning." She spoke with a warm expression.
"Wow." The clerk gained a curious look. "But, shouldn't you have a better idea of what you want then?"
Fu seemed slightly embarrassed. "Well... it's my first date, so..."
"Your first?" The young woman exclaimed excitedly, causing Fu to step back slightly as the gleam returned to the older girl's eyes, having grown in intensity. The clerk shot forward, a roll of measuring tape having appeared in her hands seemingly out of no where, making Fu briefly question if the woman was really a civilian. "Oh, that's so wonderful! The first date, that's one of the most magical experiences in a girl's life, and with someone like you've described... Don't worry, I'll make sure you look absolutely gorgeous! He'll die from a nosebleed the moment he sets his eyes on you!"
The blond stood at a clothing rack, smiling when he found a orange kimono top in his size. He lifted it up and looked over it for a moment before a familiar voice caught his attention.
"Naruto." The voice called out from behind him. He turned his head and his jaw dropped, the shirt he was holding slipping from his grasp when he caught sight of his new girlfriend. She was wearing a flowing white kimono with green flower designs along the hem that hugged her figure perfectly.
"How do I look?" Fu asked, striking a slight pose as she raised her right hand to her hair.
Naruto felt his face heat up. "Y- you...uhh... I mean, I..." He stammered as the green haired girl looked at him expectantly. "Incredible... you're beautiful, Fu." The girl felt her own cheeks flush at his compliment. Including the one from yesterday, this was the second time in her entire life she had received a flattering remark of any kind about her appearance.
"So, did you find something?" Fu asked, averting her gaze and scratching her cheek.
Naruto nodded, recovering from the stuttering mess the sight of his fellow Jinchuriki had reduced him to. "Just gotta try it on."
Minutes later, they rang up their purchases and exited the store, Fu wearing the white kimono and Naruto wearing the orange kimono top with black pants.
"So, what should we do?" Fu spoke, having no experience with this situation. It was too early to get something to eat.
"I don't know... oh, how about we go see the latest Princess Gale movie." Naruto said with a snap of his fingers.
"That sounds good. I can hardly remember the last time I've been to the theater." The green haired girl replied. Before she could do anything else, Naruto held his hand out to her, a gesture that seemed to surprise her a bit. She looked to the blond's face and saw he was giving her a gentle smile. She returned his expression and let her hand join his. The pair then left in search of the nearest theater, their fingers laced together.
Not knowing their way around the village, they had to stop and ask for directions, but soon managed to locate it. They stepped up to the booth and paid for their tickets and entered the building.
The pair rushed down the halls, having gotten last minute tickets, and entered the auditorium just as the lights began to go out.
"Whew, just made it." Naruto commented as they sat down in the red cushioned seats near the edge of one of the center rows.
The movie began with the princess and her most loyal follower standing on a cliff, looking down on what had been a battlefield. The bodies of the fallen lie strewn across the earth as the narrator explained the back-story, how, after the end of the last film, their had been a short period of peace before a new villain, a dark woman named Yue, the princess of a fallen kingdom, who possessed a malevolent, black colored chakra appeared. Her chakra allowed her to summon and control an army of demons with which, she waged war, intent on conquering the world to restore her fallen nation. Yue's unnatural chakra seemed to sap the life of all those around her, and so, the only hope was Princess Gale's fabled rainbow chakra, the only thing that seemed to counter the evil power. The title appeared as Princess Gale and her followed battled the horde of monsters.
As they watched the film, the two Jinchuriki leaned against the armrest, their hands touching in the process. They both jolted back, surprised by the by the interaction before muttering an apology to each other, however, both found they'd enjoyed the brief event. As the movie continued, Naruto glanced at Fu and saw her hand was back on the armrest and rested his own hand on top of hers, causing her to turn to him. He smiled at her, and she returned the look.
During a scene where it was hinted that the princess and her most loyal warrior may have feelings for one another, Fu decided to go a little further. Naruto turned his head when she took her hand away from his and his eyes widened when she leaned across the armrest against his shoulder. As he gazed at her face, she gave him a timid look that clearly said "If I'm making you uncomfortable, I can move away". To her pleasure, Naruto immediately wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. Content, she rested her head on him, both enjoying the physical contact as the movie continued.
In the end, it was revealed that Princess Yue was being controlled by a demon, the true source of the black chakra. In a final violent clash of black and rainbow energy, the courage and belief of her fellows allowed Princess Gale to overcome the demonic power and exorcize the demon. Princess Yue, revealed to have died at the fall of her home, was allowed to join her family, her body turning to dust after apologizing to the heroes and thanking them for setting her free.
After the credits rolled, the two wandered the village in search of something else to do, stopping at various stands but never doing anything more than looking. Eventually, they came upon a gambling parlor. The structure was fairly large, and its main features were an area for cho-han, currently occupied by a dozen players, and a few poker tables, along with a bar for the players to relax at.
Naruto turned to his girlfriend, a smirk spreading across his face as he rubbed his hands together. "Hey, Fu. What do you say we have some fun cleaning this place out?"
Fu gave him a grin. "Naruto, you read my mind."
The duo stepped inside and immediately some of the gamblers sized them up, some even chuckling. It was obvious they all thought they had happened across some easy pickings. Oh how wrong they were.
"Well, look at that. What brings a couple of kids like you in?" One of the gamblers playing cho-han asked.
"Oh, you know, just looking for a good time. Think you can let us into your game?" Naruto asked, playing the part of a naive kid, causing his girlfriend to smirk internally.
"No problem, kid. Take a seat." The man gestured to the Tatami mat across from him and the blond sat himself down.
Fu looked over to one of the other games. "I'm going to try my luck at the poker table. Have fun."
"Good luck." Naruto called after her.
The gambler then through two pieces of dice into a bamboo cup, threw it into the air, caught it and slammed it down. "Alright, place your bets."
Naruto placed 2000 Ryo down. "I'll take Han." All the other players did the same, adding their money to the pot. The man lifted the cup to revealing 3 and 4.
"Han it is." The man said, watching as the gamblers collected their winnings before glancing at the blond. "Looks like you got lucky there, kid. Wonder how long that luck's gonna last." Naruto only smirked in response.
Meanwhile, Fu sat at a poker table. She may not have been blessed with the luck of a fox like her blond boyfriend, but as a ninja, she was trained in reading people and thus, was easily able to call when the people around her were bluffing. The fact that the people of Taki didn't try to hinder her training, not even in that regard, was one of the few things she had been grateful for back in the village. She smirked as she accurately deduced her rival was bluffing and watched him fold before collecting the pot. "Lucky break. Hope you're going to give us a chance to win that back." One of the gamblers stated.
Fu smirked. "Oh, don't worry. We plan to stick around for a while."
The teens spent the next hour gambling. Fu came out with 10,000 more Ryo than she started with while Naruto won almost every game, walking away with 25,000 Ryo, much to the other gamblers' dismay. All the other players almost cheered when the Jinchuriki decided to leave and find a place to eat.
The young couple resumed their trek through the village and soon came upon a fairly nice place. They stepped into the building and swept their eyes across the establishment. The restaurant had hardwood floors and mahogany chairs and tables. The walls were lined with booths with padded leather cushions and lanterns hanging over them. There was also a bar, over which a tapestry displaying a battle and a decorative symbol was carved into the walls on either side of it. The pair walked to the hostess's desk, who noticed their approach and smiled.
"Welcome. Table for two, I presume?" The hostess said. The Jinchuriki nodded and were led to a table where a waitress soon took their orders.
They talked for a bit until their meals were brought to them: Teriyaki with Takoyaki on the side.
"So, Naruto, got any other stories you haven't told me?" Fu asked as they ate.
"Well, there was that time me and the Pervy Sage were looking for Tsunade. That's when we first ran into the Akatsuki."
"You've already met some of them?" Fu asked, surprised and Naruto nodded, "What happened?"
"Well, it was just after the Suna and Oto attacked. We needed a new Hokage and it was either the perv or Tsunade... well, he did say later that there was one other candidate."
"Really? Who?"
"Someone named Danzo... but he said that Danzo becoming Hokage would probably be worse than the invasion, didn't say why. Anyway, he brought me for two reasons, to teach me the Rasengan and to protect me from the Akatsuki. But they got him by hypnotizing some pretty girl and I wound up facing them alone."
"Why am I not surprised that worked?" Fu sighed. "Who were they?"
"Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki." Fu's eyes widened when he told her this. "I didn't know who they were, but the moment I saw them I knew I was screwed. Then Sasuke showed up... but when he saw his brother he became obsessed with beating him and charged him with Chidori."
Fu was clearly shocked to hear that. "Wait, you're telling me Sasuke, who was chunin level at best, attacked Itachi Uchiha head on?"
"Yeah... I guess when he saw the guy who massacred his clan he just snapped."
"And what happened to him?"
"... Itachi deflected his Chidori like it was nothing, kicked him into a wall and cast this special Genjustu on him that put him in a coma."
"And that's why you shouldn't let your anger control your actions, that's what being a hothead gets you."
"He's not-" Naruto began, he could think of a lot of negative things one could call Sasuke, but he wasn't usually hotheaded.
"I mean you... I don't want something like that to happen to you Naruto." Fu said and Naruto looked surprised. "People like us... because of how we were shunned, those who accept us mean more to us than most others... which means we react that much more when their hurt or taken from us. I don't want you to put yourself in danger because of something like that. I don't want to risk losing you like that." Fu said seriously. "... Naruto... after what he did to Sasuke... what would you do if Orochimaru showed up out of no where and mocked you about it?" Naruto took on a pensive expression. He knew what he'd do... he would fight him with everything he had, draw on as much of the Kyuubi's power as possible... and it would probably not be enough. "Sorry Naruto, I'm ruining our date, go back to the story."
"No, you're right." Naruto said before looking up at her. "But you're also right that we shouldn't think of that right now. Anyway, we kinda got lucky. That walking can of shark fin soup had his sword eat the Kyuubi's chakra when I tried to use it, but Sasuke distracted them until Pervy Sage showed up. He scared them off and a jonin, Gai, took Sasuke back to the village. We spent a day in a town for a festival and the perv spent all my money after he had the nerve to tell me to be careful with it." Naruto growled at the end and Fu giggled. "Then..." Naruto explained how Jiraiya had taught him the Rasengan and his bet with Tsunade and how she had disrespected the Hokage, ending with the battle between the Sannin... the part he was conscious for anyway, as they continued to eat their food.
"Wow... so you're basically the reason why Tsunade became the fifth Hokage." Fu said in awe as Naruto gave her a toothy grin.
"Yep, pretty amazing, huh?"
"Yeah... you know, you have amazing charisma."
"Huh? I don't know about that..." Naruto said sheepishly.
"It's true, though. You changed Tsunade's world view, after she'd been that way so long. You did the same to Shibuki, Seimei, Gaara... me too. If it wasn't for you, I don't know where I'd be right now... I was just about ready to give up hope..."
"Don't talk like that."
"But it's true... but, we shouldn't be talking about things like that on a date." Fu said. The two soon finished their meal and left after Naruto paid the bill.
As the two walked down the streets, Fu turned to the blond. "This has been great, Naruto. So far, today has been the second best day of my life."
Naruto seemed slightly surprised. "Really? When was the first?"
Fu giggled. "Yesterday."
The blond smiled. "Thanks, Fu, I've had fun too. So, what do you want to do next?"
Fu hummed as she looked to the sky before turning to her boyfriend "Have you been to the hot springs around here?"
"No, want to go to one?"
"Yeah, let's go for it."
The two explored the village until they found a hot spring that allowed mixed bathing. They entered through the large double doors and were thankful that no one but the attendant was there. Walking up to the attendant's station, they paid the allotted amount to enter the hot springs and they were given a pair of towels.
The new couple walked down the hall together before separating at the changing rooms. Naruto quickly got undressed, placing his clothes in one of the cubbyholes while wrapping a towel around his waist.
Once he finished and entered the hot spring, finding Fu had yet to enter. He walked forward until he stood at the water's edge before he heard the sound of the door sliding open. He turned and saw Fu standing at the entrance.
The green haired girl stepped inside and immediately caught sight of her new boyfriend standing on the edge of the spring. She could almost feel the blood rushing to her cheeks as her eyes fell over his muscles, normally hidden by his clothing, which while not large, were extremely well defined, lacking any excess bulk that would weigh him down. Fu had to gulp, feeling blood rush to her cheeks as she watched some of the sweat that was beginning to accumulate on the blond as it trailed over his chiseled pectorals, moving lower and leaving a slight trail down his washboard abs before disappearing within his towel.
The blond couldn't help but admire his new girlfriend's beauty. Though her towel hid most of her body, it was tightly wrapped and did little to hide the feminine figure of her toned and lithe form, the fabric hugging firmly to her curves, showing off the shape of her slender waist and well proportioned hips, not that her normal clothing didn't show those aspects of her off, and barely restricting her c-cup breasts. The towel wasn't high enough to completely cover her chest, allowing one to see the top of her cleavage. Her normal clothing did nothing to hide them and he'd seen them before, but his gaze also covered her strong and toned but unmistakably feminine legs befitting a kunoichi and her skin was smooth and flawless, a benefit of being a Jinchuriki, giving her enhanced healing that, while not nearly as impressive as Naruto's regeneration, ensured that no imperfections or scars would mar her appearance. The blue eyed Jinchuriki was briefly mesmerized by her form, feeling his own cheeks heat up slightly as he took in the exotic quality given to her by her caramel colored skin and the orange eyes he'd been drawn to from the moment he met her and he thought of seeing her without the towel.
"You haven't gotten in yet?" Fu asked, her eyes darting away out of nervousness and embarrassment.
"I was just about to." Naruto replied as Fu joined him at the water's edge.
The pair of Jinchuriki looked at each other, butterflies in their stomach as they stood for a brief moment before taking their towels off and easing themselves into the water, taking care not to look in the other's direction as they did so, fearful that the other may think they had more in common with their sensei than they let on.
Naruto noticed the water go still, indicating his fellow Jinchuriki had stopped moving and glanced at the girl, taking care to keep his gaze above the waterline, focusing on her face. Their looks met and the blond's eyes darted away again. Naruto had to admit, he wanted to look. He was a teenager with hormones after all and, while not being a pervert himself, he was the creator of several perverted jutsu, but that want was far outweighed by his concern for his new girlfriend's feelings.
He tried distracting himself by looking around the spring. Anywhere but the spot occupied by the object of his desires. Unfortunately, he found out the more he tried to ignore it, the more his mind and imagination run wild. Naruto felt restless as sweat started pouring on his forehead and his eyes began to itch. Maybe a quick peak, just so he could burn the image of her body in his memory, so his eyes wouldn't dart off anymore.
While Naruto was facing inner turmoil, his girlfriend was curiously observing him. Even though she was embarrassed by the situation, she couldn't help but feel amusement at the violent clash between the blond's iron will and the temptation standing so close near him, judging from the fidgeting and rapid change of expressions she caught glimpse off. The fact he was trying to take her feelings into consideration was quite endearing and Fu couldn't help but feel happy that she had such a boyfriend.
Of course, she had looked over his body. Considering the situation they were in and the fact they had just started dating, it would be foolish if she didn't look. She had seen his chest and torso before, but this time it was different. Not to mention she could see his well-toned legs and despite herself, her eyes would always seem to wonder over his crotch. She was a teenager after all.
Fu smirked nervously, trying to lessen the discomfort of the situation. "What's wrong? Afraid you'll find out you have more in common with sensei than you'd like to believe?"
"Y- yeah, right. How many times have I said I'm not a pervert?"
"This coming from the guy who invented a jutsu that turns him into a naked female with abnormally large tits." Naruto sputtered and Fu chuckled a bit, the atmosphere now slightly more comfortable.
After a pause, she spoke up again. "Naruto... There's nothing wrong with looking in this situation. In fact, it'd be strange if you didn't. Or maybe you don't find me attractive?" She questioned, the second statement having a slightly dejected tone. She didn't know what it was, but for some reason she really felt like teasing him. Maybe it was because he looked so cute when he was embarrassed.
Naruto's eyes widened and he rapidly turned his head towards her. "Of course not, Fu! You're really beautiful, I just... don't..." he trailed of, with his gaze wandering over her body, any coherent thought completely discarded. Fu felt her face heating up under his intense look and had to surpass the urge to cover herself. That would make things awkward and besides, she trusted Naruto. She realized she was more worried weather he would like her body, since like any girl she had her own insecurities. Not getting any compliments in her life until yesterday only increased them. She felt so exposed, so vulnerable, so naked, like she was baring everything she had for him to see. Fu knew Naruto wasn't the type of person to do something like that, but she felt a bit scared at the prospect of him crushing her heart with his disapproval.
With her blush ever so present, she looked away slightly, swallowing the lump in her throat and sporting a nervous smile "Like what you see?"
Her innocent question produced an immediate effect, snapping Naruto's gaze away from her body and onto her face. His cheeks immediately reddened as he realized he had been checking out Fu's gorgeous form for who knows how long. What if she felt insulted? What if she thought he just wanted her body? What if she broke up with him? 'Smooth, Naruto, very smooth. Keep this up and you'll probably set the new world record for fastest guy ever dumped.' Dispelling the frightening thoughts, the blond began spluttering apologies and asking for forgiveness at a speed that could very well rival the one of his late father. It was amazing how fast the tongue could work under pressure.
His slightly insane ramblings were cut short when he heard a giggle and a hand cupped his cheek. He focused on a gently smiling Fu, who had decided to finally give her boyfriend some peace "I don't mind if you look Naruto. I told you, in this situation it'd be weird if you didn't. I wouldn't have agreed to enter, if I didn't trust you." She smiled shyly as Naruto nodded, relieved that he wasn't in trouble. His comfort was brief, when he saw the cute smile changing into an evil smirk. "Besides, I checked you out as well, so it's only fair." The green-haired girl giggled as she pointedly looked down.
Naruto's eyes widened at the sudden realization and the boy had the feeling his cheeks were so warm from blushing, that he could actually cook something on them. "Wha.. H-hey! Maybe you are the one the Pervy Sage rubbed off on!" He pointed an accusing finger, which was only meant by Fu's giggle. Soon enough, the blond was drawn in and laughed. The pair began to really relax after this and sunk into the water, enjoying the temperature and the other's company. After a few minutes, Naruto moved closer to the green haired girl, who did the same until their shoulders were touching.
They took peaks at each other from time to time, now feeling more comfortable with each other's naked presence. Unfortunately, Naruto realized he was getting a reaction and even though she had said she was fine with him looking, something like that was going a bit over the top. He immediately stopped taking glances and tried to calm down, by forcing himself to think of the most unarousing things possible.
Fu had noticed her boyfriend had stopped looking at her and now had a frown painted on his face. She wondered what the cause behind it was and her insecurities were immediately brought back to the surface. She bit her lip before letting out a sigh. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to be direct, but this would never stop bothering her.
"You never answered my question, you know." The girl spoke, looking away in embarrassment. Naruto turned a questioning look at her and immediately replayed what was said in his mind. Confusion overcame him as he realized what she was talking about. How could she even ask? But then the blond noticed her tensed body, the expectant look... Realizing what that meant, he smirked. It was payback time.
"Which question?" he asked, faking his usual obliviousness. "Hmm... Oh, you mean if I liked what I saw?"
Too embarrassed to say anything, his girlfriend nodded ever so slightly. "Weeeeeeeell..." Naruto drew out, pointedly looked over every spot of her whole body. Fu's heart tightened as the prospect of him not liking her body seemed all too real now. The blond though decided it was enough and cupped her cheek, making her meet his gaze "I've seen many beautiful women, but I've never met anyone as stunning as you." he smiled gently.
Fu felt her face burn. This was the nicest thing anyone has ever said to her. She realized he had drawn it out on purpose, but the girl felt so happy, she decided to let it slide this time. In fact she was about to jump and kiss him, when she noticed something. Averting her gaze down, Fu saw Naruto was saluting. Caught up in his teasing, looking over her body so much had actually backfired. The mint-haired girl smirked.
"Well, I think it's decided. It looks like you are the one that has taken the teachings of sensei to heart." Fu couldn't keep herself from giggling as she pointed down. Realizing what she meant, Naruto was about to go into another fit of spluttering. This time he never had the chance as instead he yelped and jumped slightly from being poked in the ribs.
"Oh, just relax and enjoy the hot springs." Fu reprimanded him and leaned her head onto his shoulder, closing her eyes slightly. The blond just gulped and rested his head over hers, letting out a sigh. With the tension quickly leaving him, he moved his arm over her leg. He felt her tense at the sudden motion, but before she could do anything, the boy grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers. Fu relaxed and smiled as she realized what he had actually wanted to do.
As they sat together, the mint-haired girl thought of what the future could hold for them, which led to her remembering that in about half a year, they'd be making their way to Naruto's home village. That thought, of being surrounded by people who knew what she was, caused a small amount of worry to enter her heart.
"Naruto." The tanned girl said, getting the blond's attention. The blue eyed Jinchuriki turned to her to see her staring into the water, uncertainty clear on her features. "Do you think they'll accept me in Konoha? I don't want to go back to being hated after all this time."
Naruto gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm sure they will Fu."
Fu turned her head and met his gaze, clearly not reassured in the least. "Naruto... you had to save the entire village before they came to accept you, and no one in your generation knew you were a Jinchuriki." Her eyes fell back to the water. "They've probably been told about me, but they don't know me like you do, what if they think..."
"Fu." Naruto cut her off, cupping her chin and raising her face so he could look into her orange orbs. He understood why she felt this way. She had gotten used to being around people since she left Taki, even coming to enjoy it. This would be the first time since she lived in her home village she'd be surrounded by people who knew what she was. The thought of being glared at, of seeing those eyes that made him feel like he wasn't even human again, would terrify the blond had he not already realized what really mattered.
"Don't worry about what they think. I spent years trying to get the people of my village to see me for who I was, but you know what? I realized it didn't matter." Fu looked surprised as Naruto elaborated. "Whether they hate me or not, as long as I have my precious people, it doesn't matter what they or anyone else throw at me. And, out of everyone I care for, you're the most precious to me." Fu's eyes widened as a warm smile spread across his face as he moved his hand to her cheek. "As long as you're with me, nothing anyone says or does really matters. Don't forget the promise I made to you. I never go back on my word. You'll never be alone again, because I'll always be here for you."
Fu returned his smile, placing her hand over his as they gave each other a loving look, the girl's orange pools telling him her fears had withered away from his words. He took his hand away and she leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder again. After a few minutes of silently relaxing together, Fu looked to the sky which was beginning to change to orange as the sun approached the horizon. "Look at the sky. Let's go, I want to watch the sunset again."
Naruto agreed and minutes later the pair had changed back into their kimono, left the spring, and were quickly making their way to the top of the highest building in town to get the best vantage point, but not before getting ice cream. They silently watched, enjoying each other's company on top of a building, sharing their frozen treat as they watched the sunset paint the horizon orange again. Afterwards, they walked home in the light of a crescent moon. They stopped as they got to the door of their hotel.
"Tonight was great, Naruto, I had a lot of fun. Was this your first date too?" Fu said with a smile.
"Not exactly, I went on a date with Sakura once, if you could call it that. She just went so we could talk about Sasuke." Naruto replied sadly, before perking up "But you know, I think I'll consider this one as my first date as well as my kiss with you as my first one. After all, you're the first girl I've felt so strongly for. With Sakura it was just a crush, but with you..." Naruto couldn't finish since his ability to speak was taken away by Fu's lips. His surprise was brief though as he closed his eyes and reciprocated the gesture, applying pressure with his mouth while enjoying the taste and feel of her warm, soft lips. The young couple threw their arms around each other as both felt a pleasurable jolt coupled with immense passion that neither had ever experienced before. When they separated, they looked at each other, their faces deep red.
"Wow." Fu said stupefied.
"Yeah..." Naruto was about to say something but was interrupted.
"Hey, you two." Jiraiya said, appearing behind them with a smirk, shocking the duo. "Sorry to interrupt, but Tsunade would kill me if you bring Fu to Konoha carrying a kid." the Jinchuriki's faces turned completely red with embarrassment.
"Pervy Sage! / Ero-sensei!"
"Relax, I'm just kidding. So, how'd it go?" A smirk worthy of his self proclaimed super pervert status spread across his face, immediately setting off alarms in both his students' minds before his next question confirmed their fears. "How was the hot spring?"
Fu paled slightly. "You were spying on us?"
"Come on, you didn't think I'd let my students go on their first date without making sure they had fun, now did you? So, Fu, was it harder than a kunai. And Naruto, I'm sure you finally see why I find the female form so irresistible, am I right?" The two Jinchuriki's faces turned matching shades of scarlet as the Toad Sannin chuckled. "I knew I'd rub off on the both of you, it's only a matter of time before you'll both be unable to keep your hands off each other." He laughed loudly as the blond finally found his voice and began to protest while the green haired girl tilted her head down, her hair covering her eyes.
Unfortunately for the sage, in the face of his students' new relationship, he had forgotten about Fu's earlier threat of what would happen to him if he were to peek on her. He immediately remembered and paled when the female Jinchuriki's head shot up, outrage blazing in her orange orbs as she formed a water sword in her hand.
The pervert spent the next three hours avoiding Fu's water sword while Naruto enjoyed the show before she gave up, promising she'd remember what he'd done. He made a silent note not to mention anything that might reveal his spying to the young couple next time, since it might very well jeopardize his latest masterpiece.
Soon enough, the excitement died down and the group prepared for sleep. As Naruto tied the sash on his sleepwear, he thought about some of what they talked about and knew Fu had made a good point. He had been told by Jiraiya his hotheadedness could get him killed and thinking about what happened to Sasuke he knew he had to learn to control his emotions. There were only about 6 months left till they returned to Konoha, so he still had time.
The two enjoyed the rest of their time in the town, growing closer for the next few days before they were on the move again. Three days later, the trio arrived at a rocky clearing with a river in the shadow of a mountain about halfway to the southwest border of the Land of Fire from Konoha, far enough away to be out of their range.
"Alright kids, since we're coming down to the wire here, I want you to up your clones to 200. After you take your control of your Biju to the next level, we're going to focus on mastering what you know and increasing your speed and that of your jutsu until the final three months. Then, I want you to focus on making your own techniques."
"Sounds good. Oh, Fu, I want to teach you something." Naruto said, surprising the other two.
"Huh?" Fu said before Naruto opened up a scroll to reveal water balloons. "Water balloons? What could you teach me with these?" Fu asked before Naruto held out his hand and created an orb of chakra. "What's this?" Fu asked, amazed, having never seen such a jutsu before.
"The Rasengan... it's a jutsu created by my father and an A-rank technique... I want to teach it to you." Fu was surprised he wanted her to learn a jutsu left to him by his father. You would only teach something like this to a student or to someone close enough to be considered family. Fu smiled and thanked Naruto before they began to get ready to train. It would take them another two months before they were able to control their fourth tails.
Deep in an unknown cave, nine figures appeared, all their features obscured aside from their eyes.
"Well, we're all together again, how long's it been, about two years?" One silhouette who had shark like eyes asked.
"So, I guess it's time we finally got started... yeah?" another asked.
"Yes... have any of you located your targets?" the apparent leader, who had purple eyes with four concentric rings centered on his pupil said.
"My target managed to make himself Kazekage... yeah. So I already know where to find him."
"The Kyuubi Jinchuriki is still with Jiraiya of the Sannin." a red eyed shadow said with no emotion.
"Heh, I know where the Yonbi is. I hear he's skilled with the Lava Style, should be a challenge." the shark like silhouette stated.
"Heh... I can't really focus on this. Goes against my religion to take someone alive. Maybe me and Kakuzu would be better off sticking to bounty hunting. I can't stand the bastard's obsession with money, but I get to kill and he gets what he wants."
"That's not an option, fool. Each of us has one target." the now named Kakuzu said.
"Hey, I'm just saying."
"Kakuzu is correct, Hidan. Speaking of whom, Kakuzu, have you located the Nanabi?"
"Hn, there was a surprise. The Nanabi was given to my old village. But according to my contact, they gave the Jinchuriki to Konoha to avoid fighting us. Smartest decision they've made in a while. The Nanabi is currently with Jiraiya of the Sannin along with the Kyuubi." Kakuzu said to the surprise of most of the other members.
"That sounds interesting. How about you take those two bitches while I curse the old man? I don't have to break my tenets and we get a two for one deal." Hidan said confidently.
"You need to stop underestimating others, Hidan. Jiraiya is out of our league."
"That is right. You would be unable to kill Jiraiya and there is no telling what the two have learned from him." the leader replied, remembering his own training under the Sannin. "This news is unwelcome, but it changes little. Originally, the Nanabi was to be first, followed by the Gobi, but we will put off its capture for now. Have any of the other been located."
"Hidan's target, the Nibi, as well as the Hachibi are in Kumo." Kakuzu said.
"I haven't located the Sanbi yet. Doesn't have a host, should be an interesting fight. We haven't located the Rokubi either." a shadow with a what appeared to be Venus Fly Trap coming out of its torso and around its head stated. The leader nodded. They knew the Rokubi Jinchuriki was a missing nin, it was only a matter of time before he was located and he had no affiliation with the villages so they may not even notice his capture. They already knew everything about him, aside from his location.
"Konan and I will capture the Gobi, the rest of you, continue to secure jobs and funds as you search for information on your targets." the shadows nod and vanish. 'Soon... peace will arrive.' the leader thought before he too vanished.