Chapter 290:
After Anko left, Kurenai had to use her mask of composure throughout
the entire luncheon. Temari-chan showing up with her brother and
partaking in the festivities right beside Naruto didn't even bother her.
The only reprieve she received was when her Hokage asked her to
escort him outside with Jiraiya-sama.
Just outside Iruka's small fence, Hiruzen stops to say, "I'm aware your
students are currently undergoing special training with their respective
clans." Standing at attention, Kurenai nods and confirms his assertion
before asking, "am I correct in assuming you have time to spare?" With
her, "hai, Hokage-sama," Hiruzen asks in his gentle voice, "I would like
to add you to my protective detail along with Asuma-kun. I think it's
unnecessary however my student here can be quite stubborn."
Momentarily turning to a smirking Jiraiya, Kurenai nods once again and
asserts, "of course, Hokage-sama. It would be my honor."
"You have shown tremendous integrity and excellence in your duties,
Kurenai-kun," her leader praises. "It is I who would be honored to have
you."
To her great surprise, Jiraiya-sama of the legendary Sannin steps
forward and bows—'he's actually bowing… to me!'—before saying, "for
the care you've shown Naruto in my unforgivable absence, thank you.
Sensei and Naruto speak very highly of you and Iruka and I'm eternally
grateful."
"I- no. It was no trouble at all," Kurenai fumbles to say, trying not to
think about how much she enjoyed taking care of Naruto. After their
departure, Kurenai was delighted to receive such praise and mourning
in the tragic news of Hayate's death and Yūgao's anguish.
KARIN
Konoha's hospital is strategically located close to the center of the
circular high gates protecting the metropolis; meaning it's not terribly
far from any point within the walls of Konoha. Iruka's home on the
outskirts of the residential area is no exception, so it's not a major issue
when Ino asks, "can we borrow Karin-chan for twenty minutes? There's
a place we'd like to show her."
"We won't be late to lunch, promise," Sakura slowly adds. Two weeks
into the training regiment the pink-haired beauty told her about is
clearly getting to the her. It would kind of Karin to merely say she looks
haggard. Her lovely pink hair is messy, her posture is tired, her eyes
are unfocused, and her chakra is pale and unenergetic.
Eying his pink-haired teammate with deep concern, Naruto hastens as
he asks, "are you okay, Sakura? You look tired."
Through her chakra, Karin can tell the girl is more tired than her
response of, "of course I am. Strong as an ox," she adds, flexing her
bicep. The way her chakra fluctuates with lethargic potency told Karin
the girl had a masterful control of her chakra but also that she's been
pushing it and herself to the limit, likely every day. Though Naruto still
seemed worried about her, Sakura's clear desire to keep her fatigue to
herself kept Karin from revealing anything.
Still, standing in front of such beautiful potential friends requesting to
show her something excited Karin. Currently, she's only had a few
chances to talk with the girls, and though making new connections
makes her nervous, she feels very hopeful Ino and Sakura will be good
friends to have. The red-headed Uzumaki turns to her cousin, who only
smiles brightly and gives her an encouraging thumbs-up. Karin then
asks the girls, "where is it?"
The confident Ino smirks with her answer, "a surprise."
Along with Iruka's encouragement, they separate, and to make certain
to be on time to Iruka's 'Welcome Back' lunch, they sprint through the
village from rooftop to rooftop. Though Ino and Karin had to match
Sakura's decelerating speed, it didn't take them too long to reach the
seedier part of Konoha. As she had no reason to, Karin had never
been to this part of the village. From their height, it wasn't hard to spot
pieces of trash, broken glass, and rubbish accumulated around the
base of many old buildings. All windows and doors, regardless of
damage, were fitted with iron bars and the paint that wasn't tagged with
graffiti was old, pealing, and worn. As the three sprint from building-top
to building-top, Karin knows precisely why the motley of villagers
meandering about the streets below seem resigned to such destitution.
Recalling the one-bedroom shack Kusagakure assigned to her and her
mother, Karin can easily recognize the signs of a slum area. Her mind
can effortlessly overlap the impoverished neighbors of her old home to
the motley residents of this neighborhood and knows with near
certainty this state of living is the result of social, legal, and economic
pressures; for no village is without it's lower class. It's all too common.
Developers who prefer to cater their businesses to the wealthier avoid
investing in these areas; families who have lost their breadwinner have
nowhere else to live; gambles that didn't pay off; disabled veterans;
low-income jobs; and addicts all help to create what Karin is observing.
These people look about as miserable as the neighbors she
remembers.
'Misery loves company,' her mind reminds her. Taking in the
neighborhood as they race through it very much reminds her of the
depressive dismay of her old life; of the hard life her mother accepted
for them and of her mother's death. A hard pang of regret, anger,
resentment, and revulsion unsettles Karin's gut, heart, and tear ducts.
As the three land in front of a seedy four-story apartment building,
Karin tries to ignore the likelihood of a mother in the neighborhood
sacrificing nearly everything to keep her ungrateful daughter alive.
The four-story, rundown, squalid apartment complex with the
foreclosed poster on the door is boarded up, tatted with graffiti and
trashed, and mold but for some reason, they were here. Karin wonders
why, thinking, 'this can't be what they wanted to show me.'
Karin is debating offering an out-of-breath Sakura her arm to revitalize
her when the pink-haired kunoichi informs them, "we can't stay long…
if we want to get back in time to help with lunch."
"When we get back, the only way you're helping is by sitting down and
resting," Ino hotly returns.
"Wait," Karin calls, halting the two girls from entering the building. Aside
from sensing a dozen weak chakra signatures inside, she asks with a
pointed finger, "this is where you wanted to take me?"
Pressing her pink lips together like she's wincing, Ino admits, "I know, it
doesn't look like much." Turning to the rundown mess of a building, she
remarks, "but looks aren't everything."
"Come on," Sakura calls, cracking her knuckles. "There's rubble that
needs clearing."
"Wait," Karin calls, stopping the girls once again. Somewhat worried
about Sakura, she informs them, "there are twelve men in there."
With clear disappointment, Sakura asks, "that's it?"
Karin nods before evaluating aloud, "five grouped together on the east
wing of the first floor, two on the west side of the second, three on the
third, three on the top. The three on the top are the strongest."
Surprised, Ino asks, "did you even have to mold chakra to sense
them?"
Karin shakes her head, no, adding, "I've always been a pretty good
sensor-type," to which Ino smirks with a nod.
Sakura asks, "are any of them stronger than us?"
Shaking her lush red mane, no, Karin adds, "all have low chakra
reserves with weak potency."
Chapter 291:
Eying Karin with pupil-less blue eyes, Ino notes, "impressive," before
Sakura declares, "come on." She loosens her shoulder by rotating her
arm as she says, "I'm going to be pissed if we don't clear them out in a
minute."
Though Karin can defend herself well enough with her taijutsu, it's
never been her strong suit. Healing and sensing are her niches and
she's happy with that. Still, with Sakura's surprising one-hit knockouts
and Ino's quick counters, the three kunoichi easily dispatched of all
twelve gang members, sending the conscious ones running. On the
rooftop, looking out to the iconic stone monument in the distance,
Sakura was the only one that seemed tired, however, that had nothing
to do with fighting the hoodlums.
Ino is primping her lustrous platinum-blond hair when she asks Karin,
"so, what do you think?"
At a loss, Karin nervously answers, "uh, I don't get it? Think of what?"
"I guess we didn't explain much," Sakura replies with a tired smile.
Nodding, Ino begins recounting, "yesterday, we had Sakura's family
over for dinner. Sakura's mother, Mebuki-san, works in the civilian
council and she's been having a really hard time with this property.
Apparently, any cash buyers or investors who seem interested in the
place are scared off. As the price of the building and area continues to
drop, the village bleeds ryo, causing a lot of headaches on the council."
"…Okay," Karin hums deep in thought before offhandedly asking,
"you're suggesting our clan invest in real estate?"
Nodding, Ino reveals, "this used to be Naruto's apartment before he
moved to Iruka's. It's seen better days, which is saying something,
because full disclosure, it wasn't much before."
"It may not be much to look at but it's got potential," Sakura admits.
"Since your clan has ryo to invest in a business, we thought this might
be a good option. If you think it's an option you might pursue, I can ask
kaa-san for more details."
"But please, no pressure," Ino quickly informs her. "There's no
obligation to do anything other than what you and Naruto want to. It's
not our intention to overstep. We just want to help in any way we can."
Looking around the cluttered streets below as well as other shabby
buildings on the street, Karin felt even closer to her caring cousin as
she absentmindedly asks, "Naruto used to live here?" Karin didn't
mean to ask her rhetorical question aloud, but they answered anyway.
Inspecting the similar living she apparently shared with her blond
cousin, she notes, "the neighborhood looks horrible too,"
The beautiful kunoichi look at each other nervously before Ino voices,
"…Yeah."
Karin wanted to put her all into building the Uzumaki clan with Naruto
but standing on that rooftop, she felt something profound blossom
within her. A connection to her selfless mother and what it could mean
to help here; like a motherly smile from the heavens above. Fighting
back melancholy tears, Karin boldly proclaims, "I like it."
Taken aback, Ino and Sakura ask in unison, "you do?"
"It's shit, but that's fine," Karin honestly conveys to them. "Hope doesn't
survive long in places like this but that just means there's a lot of
opportunity. We can buy low, fix it up, improve the neighborhood and
other businesses in the area. So you're damn right I like it!"
Touched by the redhead's conviction—that oddly reminds them of
Naruto—Ino and Sakura look on for a moment in reflective silence
before the three sprint back to Iruka's. They were late but not by much,
and as ordered, Sakura was forced to sit and relax as Haku, Ino, Karin,
and Kurenai prepare lunch. Hinata was kind enough to give Sakura a
much-needed massage while stories were shared around the table.
The Hokage attended but only stayed at the luncheon long enough to
greet the recovering Chūnin and his ninja.
Following the renowned leader to Kami knows where is the perverted,
and somehow equally caring, Jiraiya. When Naruto introduced them,
Karin was happy to add another member to their family, however, she
was less thrilled by his pervertedness. The tall, broad-shouldered elder
with his long, spiky, white hair toed the line between full-on deviant and
eccentric elder perfectly, leaving Karin to both love and hate the man
depending on the situation.
Many of the Konoha ninja couldn't stay. So close to the final exam,
those participating in the tournament—Hinata, Shino, Kiba, Shikamaru,
and to everyone's surprise, Sasuke—had to continue training, taking
their sensei and or teammates with them. Though it was explained
Sasuke's participation was merely to round out the tournament, Karin
wondered if there was more to it. The last Uchiha was brought up often
in Kusagakure's threat assessment. Out of all of the genin participating,
Uchiha Sasuke was an opponent ranked in the top one percent. It
would be in the best interest of other countries if he didn't participate in
the finals, so Karin can't imagine how much political strings must've
been pulled to authorize re-entry into the public tournament despite
having already lost in the private one. Far too embarrassed with dirty
thoughts about the handsome boy, Karin didn't approach him to ask.
The only ones to stay and have lunch with Iruka are Rock Lee, Haku,
Sakura, Temari, and her brother, Kankurō. The Sand siblings were
another source of wonder for Karin. Though polite and friendly, their
chakras felt restrained and alert, as if they didn't genuinely mean what
they were saying or how they were acting. When she brought it up to
her cousin, he assured her it was fine but it still bothered her.
Regardless, the lunch was fun and full of interesting classroom stories
about Naruto and people she didn't know. Such an enjoyable lunch felt
like fuel to Karin, and she couldn't wait to pitch her idea of helping
Naruto's old neighborhood to him.
Chapter 292:
NARUTO
Naruto feels close.
'Focus,' he tells himself. A dozen of his clones have been at it all day
and he joined them on Mount Myōboku right after lunch.
Days ago, Pa had taken Naruto to an otherworldly landscape on the
Toad mountain that was made primarily of jagged limestone
formations, like a forest of stone spikes anywhere from fifty to a
hundred feet tall. On the very tip of these tall spears, Pa has ordered
Naruto and his clones to sit on a square stone plate, become perfectly
still, and accept natural chakra into his chakra system. In the
beginning, it seemed impossible without the oil and it took Naruto
nearly all day to ignore the cold wind, stop thinking about falling, and
most importantly, to stop wobbling. Two days and hundreds of clones
later, Naruto is nearly balanced on the unforgiving stone slab, moments
away from being perfectly still and molding natural energy.
Sitting crossed leg on the stone square, he's just about balanced on
the very tip of the harpoon-like rock when he abruptly hears from
below, "NARUTOOOOOOHHH!" The scream was powerful and
desperate and the sudden earthquake sadly tips him over. Angling his
free-falling body in the rushing air to spin, slide and hop from stone
tower to stone tower, Naruto barely lands on his sandaled feet before
his tall, broad-shouldered godfather grips him in a painful bear-hug.
With giddy eyes and a great big smile, Jiraiya yells, "you lucky noodle!"
"Wha-" Naruto tries to ask the excited elder but the hug is too tight.
With his sandaled feet dangling around Jiraiya's shins, Naruto groans,
"argg, what!"
Quick as a whip and without dropping the blond, Jiraiya goes from
hugging the boy to holding him out enough by his shoulders to look him
proudly in eyes. The man was beaming as he emotionally expresses,
"now I know we're alike, you and I! You make me so proud!"
Gritting his teeth and lamenting the loss of his progress, Naruto
bellows, "what the hell, Ero-sennin? I almost had it-"
Shaking his head so his long spiky flails, Jiraiya asserts, "who cares
about that!" However, the other clones now dragging the stone slabs
back up the stone lances curse the old man. Jiraiya ignores them as he
begs to know, "why didn't you tell me!?"
Completely lost, Naruto huffs as he inquires, "tell you what? What are
you talking about-"
"Temari-chan, obviously," the perverted sage squeals.
"Temari-chan…" Skeptical of the topic, Naruto squints as he asks,
"what about her?"
Snickering like a loon, Jiraiya whimsically moans, "you two have gotten
close, haven't you?" Still being held off his feet by the powerful old
man, Naruto rolls his eyes as the excited Jiraiya preaches, "while some
may see her actions to get close to you as a preemptive attack to
neutralize your strength before their coordinated invasion of our home,
the manly spirit within us clearly recognizes her cuteness is worth the
risk!"
Shaking off the man's iron grip, Naruto casually lands on his feet as he
declares, "that's not, at all, what I was thinking!"
Thrusting his square jaw out with his powerful hands on his hips, the
old deviant contends, "you don't have to lie to me, son. Others may
think you foolish for risking the village over a beauty, but I one-
hundred-percent support you! So what if it might get you killed! Women
have a natural affinity to be as beautiful as they are deadly." Laughing
loudly, he adds, "and the more deadly they are, the more loving they
can be, HAHAhAHA!"
Naruto pleads with the laughing man, "are you even listening? I said
that's not what's going on-"
Leaning down, Jiraiya interrupts the blond to know, "how far have you
gone? Come now, you can tell me! I'm your Godfather! Have you held
hands? Petted? K-kissed?"
Waving his hand in Jiraiya's happy and blushing face, Naruto exclaims,
"will you calm down and let me explain!"
Slapping the air as if he hitting any excuse out of the way, Jiraiya
asserts, "bah! What's there to explain? You saw an opportunity to lose
your virginity and you took it like any man in your position would. She's
clearly on a mission to get close to you. Trust me," he laughs, slapping
his knee. "I recognize that move a mile away with my eyes closed.
There's little better treats in this world than an enemy country sending
a gorgeous assassin after you. Let me tell you, it's some of the best
times I've ever had!"
Rounded eyes of pure disbelief graced Naruto's countenance as he
skeptically asks, "what was tou-chan thinking making you my
Godfather?"
"Never question Minato-kun's brilliance," Jiraiya insists. "Before you
were even born, he clearly understood how much you'd need my
guidance in life. Now, as your Godfather, I need you to listen to me and
listen closely. Don't ever feel guilty for accepting the bounty of what's
sure to be Temari-chan's delicious treats. She's already trying to
deceive you; you've earned a bit of fun for the deception. It's only fair!"
'Mnn, that makes perfect sense,' Kurama reasons from his seal.
Naruto rolls his eyes as the big red-orange fox generously adds,
'finally, a reasonable human.'
Yelling, "will you listen," to both the perverts in his life, Naruto
professes his true intentions. "I want to learn more about Gaara! Yeah,
I thought maybe Temari was faking-"
"There's no maybe about it," Jiraiya imposes. "This close to the
invasion, she has to be working you. Hiruzen-sensei can't see it
because he doesn't know what's coming, but after observing every inch
of- ahm, of the way she was acting at lunch today, it's clear to me she's
not being genuine. The fact that she has an official dossier from the
Kazekage himself only shows how far they're willing to go."
"Even if that's the case, they're the ones being manipulated, not me,"
Naruto returns. Scratching his blond head, he explains, "if I go to Ji-
chan and out Suna now, whatever changes after that may not be the
same as Naru-nii's timeline. If I want some of the good things from the
invasion to happen, then some of the bad parts have to happen too."
Chapter 293:
Scratching his chin, the elders slowly asks, "hmm, you mean they won't
feel guilt or regret unless they wholeheartedly fail in their attempt first?"
"More like we're getting the chance to truly understand each other, but
instead of using our words, we're using our fists," Naruto explains. "It's
dangerous, for sure, but it's also more… enlightening."
"It's a gamble," Jiraiya reasonably remarks.
"Naru-nii said no civilians died," Naruto counters. "Which not only
means we did a good job protecting the villagers but that Suna's only
focused on fighting ninja, not destroying the village. Suna and Konoha
become even better friends afterward, so if anything, that's what I'm
fighting for."
"Mnn, if we out their plan of invading us without any concrete proof,
they can simply deny any such intentions," Jiraiya reasons out loud like
a thoughtful and proper shinobi. "There's the possibility they'd simply
try again later and the mistrust between our nations would continue."
Turning his attention to his godson, he proposes, "if we do it your way,
it's like forcing your enemy to quit; which isn't the same as losing.
There's no cowardice or failure in clearing the mind by quitting a fight
they were manipulated into starting. And Temari-chan?"
"Whether she's working me or not isn't important, because I'm not
going to let anything happen to Ji-chan, Konoha, or Suna."
Turning to the clones who are once again training, Jiraiya asks, "you
know the only reason they'd target you is because of your performance
in the preliminary matches, right?" Returning his attention to the ever-
stronger young blond, he adds, "it means they know you're the
Jinchūriki and while I doubt Temari-chan believes she can kill you,
poison will slow you down… She could also stab you… maybe use
explosive tags-"
"Yeah, fine, she could do all or any of that," Naruto shrugs those
possibilities off. "But… …okay, this isn't going to make much sense,
but, I have to believe in her and Gaara and all of Suna."
Observing his godson with a considerate and critical eye, Jiraiya
concludes, "…Because you want to be more than allies?"
Nodding, he explains, "I get nations watching out for themselves and
their interests. There's nothing wrong with that but that's not going to
solve the problem. It's so easy to trick countries because we're all so
divided. I want to unite the five nations way before the great war and
the only way to do that before then is by understanding each other with
our fists. So, yeah, I don't like that Suna is planning on invading us or
that they're working with Orochimaru but we're not really friends if we
can't accept them making a mistake."
Smiling, Jiraiya chimes, "look at you. You're Minato's kid alright."
"Thanks," an embarrassed Naruto gushes. "I wish I got to know them,
especially kaa-chan."
Patting his shoulder for comfort, the older man offers, "I may not know
everything but I'll tell you what I can."
"Thanks," Naruto hums with a smirk.
"And," Jiraiya loudly calls. "I have the first of your many obligatory
presents."
Lighting up, Naruto naturally asks, "and Karin's?"
Rolling his eyes, the toad hermit voices, "one at a time, one at a time,
yeesh. I'll get her something too."
Skipping in place, the happy blond asks, "what'd ya get me?"
Jiraiya stands rigidly straight, stroking his chin like a long beard existed
there and he asks himself, "Mnnn, what to do?" Groaning some more
and extending the delay, the mischievous elder baits Naruto by
mentioning, "I was planning on giving this to you before the exam, but,
if you want it now…"
Grabbing the old man's red haori, Naruto begs, "that's two whole
weeks away! Just give it to me now!"
Playing at extended thoughtfulness, Jiraiya calmly claims, "I'm sure you
can hold out for two whole weeks, but, if you really want it now…"
Naruto nods and hops repeatedly before the elder finishes, "… … …
you have to tell me when you're meeting Temari-chan again."
Excitement instantly dead, Naruto yells, "not telling!"
Gripped his chest like a wounded heart, Jiraiya protests, "how could
you be so cruel? We're family!"
"You're just a giant pervert!"
MABUI
Mabui straightens her high-collar, gray dress shirt and perfectly fitted
pencil-skirt in the mirror before walking out of the bedroom she shares
with Samui. Nothing was too tight against her athletically curvy figure,
however, she had no doubt she would be turning heads. After all, it
didn't take the team long to realize there are hardly and white-haired,
caramel-skinned people in Konoha. Along with her green eyes and
symmetrical face, she was an exotic figure that drew plenty of
attention; not a great quality when infiltrating an enemy country.
Fortunately, Ōyashiro's documents have helped allay all suspicion thus
far.
Mabui was ready to step out of the old door of their old shack to meet
Naruto when her team's captain voices from behind her, "meeting
outside of the library is the opportunity we've been waiting for. You
must succeed."
Turning to the fit and beautiful blond, Mabui wonders why Samui
waited until Atsui left to speak up… or even speak at all. She never
speaks unless she has to and Mabui tries engaging the reserved
woman as often as naturally possible; detailing her reports regarding
Naruto, asking Samui for clarification, and peppering in emotive
anecdotes. Though Mabui would rather not push her captain, it's still
her desire to see Samui make progress. The Monster Report is the
stuff of nightmares and before she took her oath to her village and
Kage, she took an oath to serve the benefit of the public health first.
Atsui may be beyond her ability to help, but she has faith she can get
through to Samui.
In their one-bedroom hideout at the edge of one of Konoha's many
farms, Samui is sitting on the small table in the middle of the room,
writing a message that will no doubt be express-delivered to the
Raikage. Since Ōyashiro's departure, Samui has been sending and
receiving messages every other day; which is odd in itself. With the
frequency of messages, so too was the possibility of discovery,
however, that didn't seem to concern Samui, Dodai, or A-sama.
She always knew Bee-sama desired Kubikiribōchō and to placate his
brotherly partner as well as keep him in the village, A-sama agreed to
get it for him. It must mean a lot to the Raikage that she facilitates a
relationship with Naruto, the owner of Kubikiribōchō… however,
something about the mission felt different now. Mabui can't be sure
what it is. There's nothing tangible to suggest perfidy but something in
her intellect was telling her that the top brass want her to seduce
Naruto more than what seemed reasonable… as if they were either
testing her dedication or the prize was something more than a sword.
Chapter 294:
Irresolutely, an apprehensive Mabui answers her team leader, "I see."
"Do what you must," the beautiful blond orders and though Mabui is
glad Samui is talking more, she isn't thrilled by dialog. She deflates at
the significance of 'do what you must.'
Mabui genuinely wants to help Samui, however, she finds it frustrating
when the stoic woman casually orders her to use her body, if need be,
to swindle a sixteen-year-old boy out of his property. Mabui won't deny
she gets aroused when Naruto assertively reveals to her which
professional authors are blatantly wrong and boldly demonstrates a far
more effective and clever way of executing a technique. It thrills her
from scalp to toes in all the right places when he showcases his
astounding brilliance. Just picturing stuffy, sixty-year-old men, so sure
in their knowledge, balking at the genius of a sixteen-year-old makes
her warm and uninhibited.
Still, the metal bounty behind their deception is so frustrating, Mabui
can't help but ask Samui, "for a sword?"
Turning from her thin strip of written paper, Samui calmly replies, "for
the mission."
Staring at the oddly located, lengthy, and secluded waterfall, Mabui
asks the blond beside her "are we jumping through the water?" She
had asked for privacy to show him the special Fūinjutsu her parents left
behind, however, she wasn't expecting this. She thought a room
somewhere without windows or crawl spaces for eavesdropping would
be sagacious. She could then do as ordered and seduce the genius
whilst fighting herself to not feel orgasmic at the prospect of having sex
with one of the most brilliant minds she's ever met.
Naruto turns to her with his unique smile, popping the P sound as he
responds, "yup! Just follow right behind me and you won't hit anything."
Though Mabui can sense with subtle sight and sound the entrance
behind the rushing water and jumping herself isn't impossible, wearing
a fitted gray pencil-skirt that hinders leaping seems to benefit the
mission. Samui's voice of 'for the mission,' forces Mabui to ask, "would
you mind carrying me? I didn't wear the right outfit for this."
Suddenly realizing his lack of consideration, Naruto winces, "my bad,
Mabui-chan. I should've- It's just when you said you wanted some
privacy, I immediately thought of here."
Mentally tallying, 'getting wet,' to the benefit of the mission, Mabui
asks, "no one knows about your hideout?"
"Only a few people, but no one should be around," Naruto answers her.
Moving just shy of touching his furnace-like body, Mabui wraps her
arms around his strong neck. She avoids being overly sexual,
seductive, or even forward by paying more attention to the waterfall
than him as she casually asks, "what do you do here anyway?"
To her quasi-delight, he hesitates when she presses her pliant breasts
against him. Clearing his throat and wrapping an arm around her back
and under her thighs, he answers, "I, uh, train… mostly."
He lifted her like she weighed nothing and though she leans in, she
remains aloof to the affectionate closeness of such an embrace.
Despite a mission-first mentality, Mabui does wonder why his body is
so warm, like wearing clothes straight out of the dryer; toasty. Leaping
through the rushing water and hidden hole in the granite was effortless
for the strong blond and Mabui held on tightly until he set her down. It
was a little disheartening he didn't blush as much as she was
expecting.
'There's no way he didn't feel my breasts,' her thoughts manifest.
Despite being able to see through her wet blouse, his cheeks had a
little blush to them and his baby-blue eyes didn't wander or glaze.
Mabui even let her soaked hair down, clinging to her wet caramel skin,
and yet his lacking reaction makes her wonder if she's his type. A
hormonal boy would be great for the mission, but deep down, Mabui is
a little more excited Naruto has the mental fortitude to remain in
control.
As Naruto stepped away to grab a towel, she observed the room to be
larger than the shack she and her team reside in. The walls are uneven
and seemed to have been carved out by a rounded chisel. Coming
from a farming village, she's surprised she couldn't identify the tool
Naruto must've used to carve out this sizable room. Toweling herself
off, she observes a simple cot against the wall with an orange and
black quilt over it, a lantern on a table in the middle of the room, two
chairs, and a fern near the entrance.
With sufficient light streaming from the cavern's watery entryway, she
unseals and sets up her materials on the small table as Naruto
casually explains how he spends his time here. Mabui repeats,
"sewing?" She can understand training in taijutsu or ninjutsu, but
learning the trade of a tailor was unexpected.
Both seated at the table, towels around their necks, with the ultra-large
scroll in question between them, Mabui takes a deep breath before she
sheepishly admits, "…I'm nervous." This old scroll before her means a
lot to her future. She's gambling she'll make Jōnin on this jutsu so if it
turns out to be nothing, she'll have wasted months of her time on a
worthless dud. She needs this to pan out.
"I can tell," Naruto replies with his smile. "You don't have to be, but, I'd
rather prove you can trust me."
"I want to trust you with this," Mabui returns, delicately placing her hand
over the worn and old scroll. "I just don't know so much about
Fūinjutsu, it's rare for me to feel this vulnerable."
"I get it," he states, hoping it's comforting. "It always comes down to
honesty with me. I like saying what I want, when I want, because so
many people you meet will try to put you down and tell you not to say
this or don't do that. Sometimes there's not even a good reason for it.
So, every time I speak my mind, it's like I'm fighting against what others
want me to be. I'm being me. Or at least that's how I see. If you want to
show me your family's Fūinjutsu, great. I'm not going to betray that
trust. And if you don't, that's fine too. We'll still be friends, so just be
who you want to be."
"Who I want to be…" she casually repeats. Eying her future in the scroll
in front of her, she adds, "you make it seem so easy."
"That's only cause I like jumpin' right in," he proclaims with a grin.
"Most of the times things tend to turn out alright."
Chapter 295:
After a deep breath and several nods that shake loose a few strands of
her grayish damp hair, the beautiful woman agrees, "okay." Alluringly
tucking her hair behind her ear, she continues, "even though we
haven't known each other all that long and I'm nervous, I feel like I'd
rather trust you than not."
Mabui unrolls the ultra-large and dated scroll on the table. The height
of the scroll takes up most of the tabletop and the length of it means
she'll have to unroll it on one side of the table and roll it up on the other
side as he reads section by section. Mabui thought all the bending over
would give the genius blond plenty of chances to see her moist bosom,
but to her secretly thrilling enjoyment, Naruto's focus remained strictly
on the ancient Fūin characters. In spite of her rising anxiety, Mabui
takes a moment to simply admire the fascination in Naruto's large eyes
as he reads the complicated arrays of old characters. She can
practically feel the knowledge being ripped from the page and
swallowed by his brain. It's a predatory intellect that was making her
heart race and her core heat.
Licking her plump lips, the silver-haired beauty was nearly drawn into
an erotic daydream when the blond finally voices, "it's a transportation
jutsu." Standing straighter and ignoring her turned on womanhood, she
continues to help unroll the scroll as he sporadically adds, "range is
unclear… or unspecified." From right beside him, Mabui leans in as he
points to a numerical calculation she can't understand, thoroughly
impressing her when he explains, "hmm, it uses this symbol set here to
modify matter structures… but I can't see for what yet. Keep unrolling."
She unrolls the large scroll until he moans, "oooh, that's interesting."
She moves to his side, pressing her soft flesh against him as she
eagerly asks, "what?"
"You can transfer stuff almost anywhere on the planet," he answers
with an impressed tone. Without even looking at her, he asks, "did this
come with a stage or ring, or something to stand on?"
"Y-yes, actually," she staggers to answer. The fact that he's so casually
dismantling the intricately complex jutsu makes her heart race faster as
she doesn't hesitate to offer, "a three-leveled stone platform. You can
tell that?"
"Yeah," he hums whilst reading. He then educates her. To her kinky
delight, a sixteen-year-old prodigy is educating her—a dual doctorate
sensei—and could feel herself grow aroused and wet as he orates,
"the destination of the transfer depends on the platform, as well,
though I can't see how yet. Keep unrolling. Reading over the key
parameters of the Fūin formula here… and judging by the reduction in
matter before effective transfer, I'd say it wouldn't be a good idea to
transfer anything living. The compression of matter capacity and speed
of transfer would rip any living thing apart."
Mabui is breathing heavily, half focusing on his brilliance and half
focusing on the miniature tremors titillating her leaking sex; nearly
moaning, "mnn, that's good… uhm, good to know." Mabui hasn't felt
such arousal since her departed fiance classes. Effortlessly, her
stimulated mind recalls how by the end of his lectures, more often than
not, she'd have to dart the bathroom to relieve herself. She's only spent
a few weeks with Naruto, but his knowledge is once-in-a-century and to
be in witness of it in action is exhilarating to someone with her sexual
fetish.
He reads in silence for another twenty minutes—giving her a respite to
gather herself—before he voices, "oh, hey, the instruction on activating
the jutsu. Huh, it's not much, actually. Once you've encoded the
contract with your chakra… mnn, between the Ha characters here…
it's just the Ram seal and the necessary amount chakra. Then you can
teleport anything inanimate, anywhere. Easy enough."
With a thrilled smile, Mabui felt too good; not only in the moment but for
her future as well. Being able to transfer anything to any part of the
world is definitely a valuable jutsu; 'worthy of promotion,' her mind
sings.
Naruto's voice then expresses, "they even use the extra space here to
write…"
The odd was he tilts his head and focuses on the last bit of the scroll
has Mabui asking, "to write?" But Naruto doesn't respond for several
moments; time enough for her to grow concerned. "Naruto?"
Turning a sad gaze on her is unexpected enough without him slowly
explaining, "this Fūinjutsu was a present… from Uzumaki Ashina to his
daughter Kushiinada. This jutsu originally belonged to the Uzumaki
clan… my clan."
Forgetting about her arousal and promotion, she mentally yells, 'fuck,'
as her sharp mind senses the anxiety in his voice and eyes. Attempting
to stabilize an already deteriorating situation, Mabui tries to point out,
"but- wait, it doesn't say Uzumaki anywhere on here."
"It's a cipher," Naruto retorts. Pointing to the section in question, Naruto
explains, "these aren't Fūin characters. Sometimes, practitioners hide
messages using geometric symbols you sub for letters."
Taken aback by this unexpected turn of events, she can hardly say,
"Naruto, how do you know-," before he gets up and moves away from
her.
Pacing, he bluntly states, "I just do." Before she can ask for details, he
hastens to ask, "where did you get this? I thought you said it was your
family's jutsu."
"It is," she vehemently declares.
"But it isn't," he counters, becoming more animated. "Look, right
there," he orders, point at the swirl inside of a circle symbol. "That's my
family's crest; my clan's symbol. I don't know who this Ashina guy is but
my mom's name is Kushina so there's gotta be a close relation."
This is all news to her, and without more information, Mabui leans
toward honesty. To avoid subconsciously challenging him, she remains
still and seated as she tells him, "I don't know what to say, Naruto. I
didn't know about any of this, I swear. After my parents died, they left
me what little they owned and this just happened to be among their
possessions."
Chapter 296:
Though he's trying to remain calm, she can tell this is bothering him as
he implores, "and they never told you how they ended up with a jutsu
that belongs to my clan?" Her, "no," was quickly curtailed with his, "no
mention of the Uzumaki clan? Of Uzushiogakure?" Shaking her head
multiple times, he returns to pacing as he tries to wrap his mind around
this startling discovery. "You just took it? Like, like, didn't you wonder
where it came from? Why your parents had it?"
Rather than allow him to continue to question her sincerity, Mabui uses
her training in psychology to calmly speak, "Naruto, I hear what you're
saying. I do, but, I'm missing some information. Please, take your time,
speak your mind, and tell me, why this is bothering you?"
She got what she wanted when he yells, "my clan was targeted and
destroyed! All those people I could've gotten to know-" Fortunately, he
takes a breath before heatedly lamenting, "I'm the orphaned son of
orphaned parents of a murdered people, and now this!" Mabui
understands Naruto isn't an angry person by nature. She can see the
signs of sadness and confusion when he woefully explains, "you said
yourself you're not originally from Konoha. How do I know your parents
weren't involved in destroying my clan?"
With her green eyes glued to his blue ones, a composed Mabui nods
as she clearly communicates, "I understand, Naruto. You have every
right to feel the way you do. I'm not at all saying you're wrong, but I
swear to you, I didn't know-" however, in that instant, she recalls the
Uzumaki name spoken before somewhere in Kumo.
Whether he spotted the shift in her almond eyes, Naruto breaks eye
contact, blurting as he leaves, "I… I gotta go."
"Wait," she calls, jumping to her feet. Mabui manages, "you don't have
to-" before he jumps out of the watery entrance. "…leave."
Walking through the door of their tiny base, a dry Mabui was dreading
her report. Sure enough, Samui is waiting behind the table, and though
Mabui can't tell what she's thinking, it feels as if Samui already knows;
as if her emotionless ice-blue eyes somehow knows she risked the
mission to crack a jutsu for a promotion, eventually blowing her
relationship with the target. Atsui is leaning against the wall, chewing
his nails and obviously dreading what Mabui has to say, as if she was
going to recount every second of her sexual interlude with Naruto. The
cabin feels more confining and Mabui groans by the number of blue-
eyed blonds agitating her today.
"Report," Samui voices.
Without much choice, Mabui sits opposite Samui and takes a page out
of her team leader's book. As minimally informative as possible, Mabui
reports, "there was a set back-" an emotional Atsui heaves a loud sigh
of relief quicker than Mabui can continue to say, "but, I promise, I can
turn this around. I'll make things right."
Samui sighs before she takes out the latest missive from their Raikage,
ordering her brother in the process, "Atsui, give us the room."
Affronted, Atsui turns to her sister and calls out, "what? Oh, come on,
sis-"
"Please," she gently asks.
"…Fine," he huffs, clearly upset until the door closes behind him.
"…All the way out," she calls out. After several silent moments, Samui
is satisfied with her brother's distance and states, "I know why you're
hesitating to complete the mission."
The silver-haired beauty can't deny she's been reluctant to seduce a
boy ten years her junior, however, Mabui is strenuously more curious
about what Samui referring to and cautiously asks, "you do?"
The exotic beauty was stunned to hear the theory behind her hesitation
has nothing to do with prostituting herself for a sword when Samui
explains, "you're hesitating because of your relationship with Darui-
sempai."
Sitting straighter, a wide-eyed Mabui rebuffs, "excuse me?"
With a detached sense of confidence, Samui explains, "you're
distressed. Anxiety over betraying him is hindering you from doing all
that's required to complete the mission."
Mabui tries to respond, "that…" when her throat clogs and closes up
with palpable disbelief. As fast as she wanted to vehemently deny her
captain, her mind goes blank, leaving her stunned and without words.
Mabui wanted to know everything in that moment—who knew what,
when, and why—then Samui slides over the table's surface a thin slip
of parchment with Darui's sloppy handwriting on it.
As Mabui reads the coded parchment. Mabui reread the slip five times
in the time it takes Samui to recite, "Darui-sempai has given you his
blessing to do everything in your power to seduce Uzumaki Naruto.
Please fulfill your duty without concern."
'As if Darui was the only distressing me about seducing an
impressionable sixteen-year-old boy!' Her mind yells at Samui, 'I don't
want sex to be a transaction! I don't want to look at A-sama and my
superiors like my pimps, forcing me to prostitute myself for a slab of
metal that isn't even for me! …I don't want to hurt a young man—a
genius who may allow hate in his heart because of my betrayal.
Uzumaki Naruto's name will live on for centuries in his innovations and
the history books… and I have to break his heart for a fucking sword?'
Mabui isn't sure where to begin voicing her misgivings and groans in
annoyance before she attempts, "I'm sorry, I don't- I don't," before
finally huffing, "why?"
She didn't feel right about any of this, but she quickly felt stuck when
the strong and capable Samui gently voices, "as team leader, it's my
duty to assure the mission's success. In addition to requesting a
rendezvous team to secure our exit, I had expressed concern about
your hesitation. It was then Darui-sempai made clear your arrangement
with him-"
Chapter 297:
Stunned yet again, Mabui repeats, "my arrangement?"
"Sex," Samui casually answers with a straight face, provoking an
embarrassed Mabui to repeat under her breath, "my arrangement?"
"Sempai explained it's casual," Samui voices before telling the shocked
Mabui, "it's why he's approved."
A slow strong pull of her intestines forces Mabui to lean forward in
nauseating sickness, fixating on the keywords, "Darui… Approved… As
if I needed his fucking-" Sick to her stomach, Mabui felt this was the
worst day of any mission she's ever been on.
When it seemed like Mabui wasn't going to say more, Samui flatly
orders, "please, continue your objective. It's not infidelity if he doesn't
care."
Mabui's flaring emotions felt demanding, wresting control from her
orderly mind to mentally yell, 'bitch!' Mabui knows it isn't right to take
out her frustrations on Samui. She knows Samui's ethos is unsound
due to her traumatized past and is incapable of navigating numerous
social interactions. She knows if Samui truly understood what was in
her heart, the gorgeous blond would not act as though everything is
fine now. Mabui knows all of this but she can't think around how
annoyed, upset, and angry she currently feels.
'And for a fucking sword!' her mind repeatedly yells. For her nation, she
has to hurt Naruto—hurting her self in the process—yet A-sama, Darui,
and Samui live on peacefully as if the mission is of no consequence.
'No,' Mabui's mind answers as this new emotional outlook fuels the
spark to a solution. Returning clearer and focused green eyes on the
busty blond, Mabui patiently communicates, "I have a plan, Samui-
taichou." The expressionless look on Samui's model face makes Mabui
smile as she adds, "but, it'll require your assistance."
KABUTO
"What are you doing, Kabuto-san," said the Anbu mask of a cat-like
nose and mouth, and three red swipe marks on each side of the
forehead. It's the dead of night and the silver-haired spy is leaning
against the corner of a shop neighboring across the street from Ten
Out of Ten.
Though Kabuto didn't take his eyes off the motionless apartment above
the weapon's shop, he knew the person behind him was Root. With the
boy's pale-white skin and short black hair, Kabuto didn't need anything
else to know with certainty, "you're new."
"Danzo-sama offers you his well-wishes," the pale-skinned boy flatly
expresses.
"How kind of him," Kabuto replies with his fake smile. "Please relay my
gratitude in kind." The pale-skinned Root member disappears with a bit
of an artistic flare. It was enough of a warning for Kabuto to understand
Danzo has staked a claim on Haku, which means he'll have to inform
Orochimaru. He can already feel conflicting feelings rousing within him.
Entering the Chūnin exam for years, Kabuto's recruited nearly a
hundred ninja for Orochimaru, however, such a system is only possible
due to the shaky truce between the immoral leaders. With their shared
past of inhumane acts, the two titans command enough damaging
information about one another, it assures them they can go about their
business without interruption. To avoid mutually assured disadvantage,
Danzo turns a blind eye to Orochimaru's experimentations and
Orochimaru remains benign to Danzo's quest for power. It's the only
reason Kabuto has operated in Konoha for so long without harassment
from his former one-eyed commander.
Looking at the dark apartment window above the shop, Ten Out of Ten,
Kabuto recalls his history with Root. With intimate knowledge of Root's
surveillance network, he's certain Danzo knows enough about the open
communication between Suna and Oto nin, which means he's only
allowing it because he met with Orochimaru. Kabuto may not have
been at the meeting, but he has no doubt one took place between
them. The greatness of Konoha the old war-hawk prattles on about
only ever means the greatness of his Konoha, which makes targets
like Sarutobi Hiruzen an enemy. At the meeting Kabuto is certain
must've taken place, he has no doubt someone as crafty as
Orochimaru dangled the intention of removing the current Hokage; an
option that would be too alluring to resist. Whether Danzo guessed the
invasion or not, Kabuto couldn't say, however, he was certain the man
wouldn't mind so long as the aftermath gave him more power.
Retreating from his vantage point, it's clear to Kabuto he's treading a
line that's uncomfortable for Danzo. Orochimaru wants him to recruit
Haku for the same reason Danzo undoubtedly wants for himself;
Haku's kekkei genkai. But a growing, disconcerting desire within
Kabuto strongly wants to deny them both. Kabuto can't explain how he
feels about the beautiful boy, however, he can't help but feel for Haku.
He's different as if he somehow possesses answers Kabuto's been
searching for since the orphanage.
'It's in his smile,' Kabuto thinks, wishing the kind Haku a good night.
With this warning from Danzo, he won't be able to see Haku tonight,
and this close to the invasion, he can't risk destabilizing the long-
standing arrangement between the conniving leaders.
TEMARI
It was late into the night when Temari gently taps on Iruka's front door.
Like they had agreed to earlier in the day, Naruto quietly exits his home
to avoid waking his mentor. Though the luncheon was good progress,
the invasion was only fourteen days away and she needed to take
more drastic steps if she has any hope of creating a love strong
enough to destabilize the blond when she betrays him. Under the
pressure of her time-limit, Temari takes the initiative to ask for a
secluded area with a lake or body of water. "Somewhere we can swim,"
she explains, adding, "there aren't many lakes in the desert."
After his smirk, he leads her to Training Ground 3. Though she was
curious about the three logs protruding from the ground, she's happy to
see the wide river not far past the stumps. With the grass crunching
under their feet, the bobs and dips of the flowing surface water catch
the moonlight, dancing along with the distorted reflection of gray clouds
under the starry sky above.
Chapter 298:
"It's beautiful," Temari notes, enjoying the wet sound of gently flowing
water.
"This is the Training Ground Team 7 met at," Naruto happily tells her.
Snickering, he pointed to the stump in the middle and recalls for her
amusement, "I got tied to that pole right there!"
Snorting, Temari turns to him and asks, "really? Why?"
Sheepishly, he admits, "I thought I could take Kakashi-sensei on my
own, shesheshe."
"The Copy-Ninja? That was…"
"Pretty dumb," he laughs.
"I didn't want to say it," Temari offers. "But yeah." Looking out at the
wide river, her plan makes her a little nervous. Her mind knows what
has to happen, but her heart is uneasy about her first time. She isn't
sure how she will feel before, during, and after her union with Naruto.
Kissing him is already better than she ever expected it to feel, and now,
she plans to let him inside her; let him thrust his pole in her most
intimate of place. Temari's face is burning just thinking about it.
"Come on," Temari calls, rushing through her nerves as she takes off
her clothes. For the occasion, she bought her very first bikini. She
never bothered with such an outfit before as she never thought she'd
be on a mission like this. She mentally laughs when she recalls telling
herself, 'a true kunoichi didn't need such a tool.'
With her sandals and red sash off, she's removing her long-sleeved
purple dress when Naruto nervously chimes, "whoa, what uh, what are
you doing there, Temari-chan?"
Quickly folding her dress, she asks, "what's it look like?"
With wide eyes, he observes, "looks like you're taking your clothes off,"
to her amusement.
"I don't want to get them wet," she responds. Though she rather be
taken seriously for her ability and intellect, she's still proud of her foxy
physique. Plenty of boys and men look, not that any would try anything
with the daughter of the Kazekage. Arching her lower back to
straighten her posture accentuates her round bottom and pert breasts
in her two-piece triangle bikini. Enjoying the coolness of the air as she
checks the position of her bottoms, she asks, "are you coming?"
With a shrug and a smile, Naruto quickly removes his jumper suit until
he's in his boxers. She's letting her hair down when she's suddenly
lifted off her feet, shrieking in delight when he hops into the cool river.
She was surprised he would be so bold but felt that was good
progress. She enjoys the water so much, it's moments like these when
Temari forgets she's even on a mission. They play fight, race, and dive.
By the end, Temari was on his back with her arms are wrapped around
his neck, enjoying the toasty warmth of his body as he swam in the
cool water.
Lethargically comfortable, Temari lazily asks, "can I ask you?" With his
nod, she asks, "your godfather, is he thee Jiraiya of the Sannin?" His
casual nod and, "mnn," surprised Temari and prompted her to press
her breasts further into his back so she can lean in more and ask,
"really? Why didn't you tell me? He's a legend even in Suna."
"Uuuh, I don't know," Naruto finally answers. The motion of his
breaststroke adds more rocking back and forth to her back hug as
Naruto admits, "I only met him a couple weeks ago. I'm still getting to
know him."
'Ugh,' Temari mentally groans. Though she knows Konoha's fate, it
doesn't mean she likes hearing about a family member the orphan has
only just met. "Well, it's nice that he's in your life now."
"Yeah, it's been pretty great," Naruto chimes. "I mean, he's a huge
pervert, but it's still fun." He stops swimming to turn and face her,
loosening her embrace so her forearms rest on his traps. Placing his
hands on her hips, he asks, "can I ask you about Gaara?"
Wincing, she offers a regretful, "sorry he couldn't make it to lunch."
"It's fine," he says with a shrug. "I can tell he has a hard time trusting
people but I know I can help."
"That's kind of you, really," she begins. "But, with Gaara, you sort of
have to let him be. He's not in a place to accept others." Before he can
twist the guilt-knife in any deeper with offers of helping her family,
Temari asks, "can we not talk about Gaara right now?"
"I only want to help," he conveys.
"I know," Temari acknowledges. She may not be convinced Naruto
loves her, but, she is sure the blond wants to help her homicidal baby
brother. "And that's sweet of you," she conveys with a quick kiss. At his
smile, she adds, "really, really, sweet of you," before hugging him
closer and dragging him down to kiss him underwater. Though the
sharp contrast between his warm lips and strong body, and the cold
wetness enveloping them was a uniquely pleasant sensation to feel,
Temari quickly discovered the challenge of keeping water out of
windpipes. Pulling away and rising to the surface, Temari coughs
before croaking, "underwater kissing… isn't nearly as romantic as I
thought it'd be!"
Coughing himself, Naruto managed to agree, sputtering, "water went
down my windpipe!"
"Ugh, that felt like being water-boarded," Temari exaggerates and they
both grunt a tired laugh. It isn't until several moments later when
they've both recovered that she remarks, "at least I can scratch that off
the list."
Quirking a brow, he asks, "list?"
Temari plays her angle, drawing out an, "…uh," before answering,
"okay, this is going to be really embarrassing, but, uh, I made a list… of
things I want to do."
"Oh," he hums in amusement before asking, "kissing underwater was
one of them?"
"Don't laugh," she huffs, playfully splashing him with some water. "It's
something every girl wants to try out."
Hands up in defeat, he replies, "alright, alright. What else is on your
list?"
With a seductive charm she rarely acts on, Temari teases, "wouldn't
you like to know."
"Aw, come on," he gaily gripes. "I won't laugh and I won't tell anyone,
promise. So…"
Pausing for a few moments, she relents, "I guess. It's not like I have
much of a choice anyway." At his curious look, she flirtatiously
confesses, "some- well, a lot of the stuff on the list are activities I'd like
to do… with you."
"Really?"
Temari doesn't have to pretend to shyly answer, "yeah."
"Like what?"
At the rushing thoughts of hot wet sexes thrusting repeatedly against
each other, Temari feels her face heat up with hot blushing. Spinning
around in the water, she whines, "don't make me say."
Chapter 299:
He asks, "are you sure," but it doesn't have the confident, yet playful
tone she was hoping for, prompting her to turn around. With serious
blue eyes observing her, she can tell he's grown serious. She's certain
when he asks, "what if you don't like me later? I don't want you to
regret doing any of your firsts with me."
Taken aback by his consideration, she quickly assures him, "I won't."
With deep attention to a future she's certain he won't have, Naruto
asks, "and if you do regret it?" It's as if he's asking if she'll regret what
she and her village have to do to Konoha and it's disheartening
because she's only following orders. Her hesitation allows him to add,
"look, I get that you don't want to regret anything but we can't know
what the future might bring. I'll treat you right no matter what, so even if
we're just friends, I'd be happy with that."
"This is so strange," Temari carelessly voices before gathering herself.
With a weak smile, she tells him, "it's just surprising that you're saying
no. Most boys wouldn't."
"I wouldn't say I'm saying no," Naruto shyly admits. "I just don't want
you to rush into anything if you think you might regret it later. It's
important to me that whatever we do is from the heart, you know?"
"You're a surprising person, Naruto," Temari admits with a huff, adding,
"and I think you're right. I have been thinking of myself, haven't I? It's
only right that I be more honest with you." Slowly embracing him again,
they tread water as she explains, "I suppose I've been preoccupied
with my predicament. If we don't… if the Omiai between us doesn't
work, then I have no other option but to marry someone for the good of
the village. I feel like I'm embracing this steamy behavior with you
because it may be the last time I have a choice."
"That's not true, Temari-chan," he insists. "You always have a choice."
"No," she says, gently shaking her head. Combing his wet golden-
blond hair with her fingers, she adds, "the options are choose the
village and damn myself, or, choose myself and damn the village. And
that's no choice, at all. I'll choose my village—my family—every single
time. Which, of course, also means everything I do with the husband
my father selects for me won't truly be of my choosing; not like you
anyway. That's the truth. So you're right. You and I are not in love, but I
really really like you. You have this goodness… about you, that's- well,
it's very moving."
Holding her tighter, Naruto expresses, "I think you're a good person
too, Temari-chan."
"No," she rebukes.
"It's true," she insists, squeezing for emphasis. "I can see it- actually, I
can feel it."
Eyes widening, she scoffs as she asks, "what?"
"Yup," he grins. "When we kiss, it's like you're curious-"
Interrupting, she jests, "are you calling me inexperienced?"
"No," he laughs, attempting to temper her with, "just… innocent?"
"I can't believe you're calling me a virgin," she jovially denotes.
"You're totally twisting my words," he defends. "I just mean… I like
kissing you."
Temari battles back with, "only like, huh?" Naruto's gladsome groan
makes her laugh as she assures him, "I'm teasing. I enjoy our time
together too, kissing or not." Leaning in, she kisses him for several
warm seconds before pulling away enough to huff, "but definitely when
we're kissing." Pressing her body flush against his, she deepens their
intimate kiss. Because he knows she likes it, he allows her to dominate
his lips and mouth as the strong fingers of his formidable hands drag
down the toned flesh of her back, slowly tenderizing either side of her
spine until they grip the taut muscles of her shapely love handles. The
way he focuses his impressively confident ministrations on her lower
back sparks a warm desire growing from the core of her loins.
Her cloudy mind reminds her, 'he's doing it again,' as her sex becomes
more aroused and demanding. Despite her duty, Temari couldn't have
anticipated how talented Naruto would be. Some nights he would leave
her feeling glittery, hot, bothered, and antsy for more. Bobbing in the
water, pressed flush against their nearly naked bodies, this make-out
session feels even hotter than the others. Without thought or consent
from her brain, her hand automatically descends low under the water,
rubbing down from his strong chest and abs to his erect thickness
popping out his boxers. Gripping his hot meat-stick is the only thing to
snap her out of her euphoric haze, pulling back in surprise and
separating their swollen lips.
His gentle, "do you want to stop?" made her recall her mission and she
shakes her head. But when he says, "you don't have to force yourself,"
it almost felt like he was daring her; urging her competitive spirit within
to break through her fears.
Temari gives him a quick kiss before ordering him, "come on."
She pulls away and swims to the riverbank. Once on dry land, he asks,
"where are we going?"
In preparation for the inevitable, Temari allocated a second suite on the
top level of their hotel. One located well away from where her brothers
or Baki could possibly hear her. So as she tosses him his clothes, she
answers, "my room." The words felt so final leaving her mouth, Temari
felt scared, excited, and a little sick. Her heart reminds her this isn't
how she imagined losing her virginity, however, she made peace with
her decision and won't stop it now.
Chapter 300:
"Wait," Naruto's voice cuts right through her momentum. "We can't."
Turning to the blond, he hasn't put his clothes on. Temari genuinely
admits to him, "I don't understand," as she mentally adds, 'I'm throwing
myself at you!' Tentatively, she fears the answer to her question, "am I
not… good enough?"
"No, it's nothing like that," Naruto quickly assures her, rushing to stand
in front of her. "I think you're beautiful and hot and I definitely would…
with you. But, I have to tell you something, and I think it would wrong if
I told you after we, uh, do anything in your room."
"Okay," Temari slowly chimes. Though she's concerned, she doesn't let
it show as she asks, "what is it?"
"There's no easy way to say this, so I'm just going to say it," he
proclaims. "Oh, and I've been told any reaction you have is perfectly
normal." Temari grows nervous by the amount of set up and clears her
mind lingering arousal as she nods. "I have someone I've grown to
love. Someone important to me I'd like to be with."
Her sharp mind immediately asks, 'then why did you agree to Omiai if-'
but she uncovers the answer right away, asking him, rather than bluntly
stating, "does she love you back?"
Smiling, he admits, "she's flat out told me not to fall in love with her
because nothing could ever happen between us and she didn't want to
break my heart." Though Temari appreciates his honesty, his
unrequited love won't stop her. She's about to say as much when he
continues, "but, she said that when we first met and I agreed to it
because I didn't love her either; I didn't even know her. Anyway, I'm
saying all this because even if you and I become a couple, at some
point in the future, I'm going to ask her if she'd also be my girlfriend
too."
"I'm sorry, what?" Temari has to laugh as she says, "are you saying… I
don't think I heard you right because it sounds like you're saying you
want to have multiple girlfriends." Her laughter doesn't last long against
Naruto's serious countenance and finally, she asks, "you- you're
serious?" With his quick nod, Temari momentarily forgets the mission
for her knee-jerk hatred of all cheaters, players, and womanizers, and
heatedly asks him, "you want me to be okay with you cheating on me!"
Though his stance puckers up by her sudden ire, he dauntlessly
shakes his head as he responds, "no, no, definitely not. The very first
thing I'd want you to be is comfortable, then, if you can find it in your
heart to also be in a relationship with her, the three of us would be in
one relationship. It's called polyamory; it's basically one big family-"
Temari struggles to retain control of herself, like a weakened dam
trying to restrain the rising pressure of a flooding reservoir. But after
holding in what her little brother and father are forcing her to do, after
losing her mother, after losing what could have been with Daimaru,
after being rejected by a boy who then wants her to accept consensual
affairs, Temari firmly voices, "no! That's not what that basically is! You
only care to sleep around with as many women as you want; with my
approval, no less! I-"
"You're right," Naruto interjects with a weak and understanding smile,
raising his hands in surrender. "How you feel is right and I respect it.
Since you're not into that—which, again, is okay—we shouldn't go any
further, right? It would be wrong." With that, he steps away from her
and Temari's mind instantly remembers herself and the mission and
properly curses, 'fuck.' As he puts his clothes on, he adds, "even if we
have different preferences in relationships, I still want us to be friends,
so don't worry, we can still pretend for your tou-chan if you want."
Naruto zips up his jacket as he finishes, "I hope you don't regret kissing
me. Night, Temari-chan." She wants to stop him but she's panicking
and she's disciplined enough to know any decision in that state of mind
is bound to be a bad one. The whiplash of such a turnaround has her
reach out to him as he turns away from her and silent as he leaps
away.
Temari's mind was in a confusing daze all the way to her bed, replaying
every word or gesture that led to such an unexpected failure. The
entirety of her night was a carousel of thoughts; from what her father
will say, to what Gaara will do, to the effect this may have on the
invasion, to even her views on relationships and polyamory. She felt
her anger is completely justifiable but in terms of the mission, she
regrets her emotional response because it didn't have to end that way.
She was so caught up in her own beliefs that she completely forgot
about the archaic Code of Hammurabi during The Warring States
period; allowing for multiple spouses. She wasn't sure it was still legal
but there was precedence she could've worked with. If there was ever
a moment to make Naruto fall for her, flipping that moment around
would've been it.
Temari did not sleep that night.