XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Naruto's POV (Kage Box of Iron Arena - Land of Iron)
Naruto and his group were silent as they gathered the two unconscious samurai. Kakashi and Neji had elected to carry them. Naruto kept glancing back at the group of Kage, who silently observed them, clearly waiting for them to leave before discussing promotions.
Naruto sighed, disappointed to have to leave the room already. But as he went to leave, suddenly, he felt an arm grab his. Naruto stopped place to see who had stopped him, Kushina, Kakashi, and Neji also stopped, realizing the blonde had stopped walking with him.
Naruto turned to see a strange, tall man facing him. The man's head was covered in a cloth that even covered half his face. The Suna headband clearly marked him; he was Gaara's sensei, right?
"Naruto Uzumaki, would you be so kind as to allow me your time? Preferably alone, it is a private matter." Baki asked with forced politeness.
"I think you, Suna shinobi, have done more than enough to my son." Kushina declared frostily, stepping between the two.
"It is a bit absurd to expect him to agree. This sounds like a standard set up to me." Kakashi agreed with a raised brow.
"Let's be realistic, Naruto will agree, if you don't mind Kushina, I'll stay with him." Neji offered. "The fool needs someone to keep an eye on him."
"If it was merely one shinobi, that would be more than fine. A witness will serve nicely, in fact." Baki added.
"If Neji is with him…" Kakashi mused. "Besides the building is full of peace keeping samurai, there couldn't be a worse place for him to plot an assault." The Cyclops reasoned.
"Creepy wording aside, I suppose if Naruto is okay with such, I'll allow it." Kushina hesitantly agreed. Glancing at Naruto subtly, she intended to deny such if he didn't want to, but also respected him enough to allow him the choice.
"Uh, sure, I guess?" Naruto agreed. "No harm in hearing him out."
With that decided, Neji handed off the injured samurai to a worried Kushina, and the group left the Kage Box; Kushina and Kakashi headed toward the Medical Ward, while Naruto, Neji, and Baki walked off in the opposite direction.
The two male members of Team Seven walked side by side slightly behind Baki as they silently trekked wherever he wished to discuss things.
"Do you know what he may want to talk about?" Naruto asked his teammate curiously. Unlike his mother, the blonde doubted it was anything nefarious.
"I cannot be certain, but a sensei coming to a recent opponent of his student does not bode well," Neji warned. "While there should be no issue between us, it would be wise to be prepared. Issues with shinobi are never so simple. Watch your words and actions; the repercussions could potentially be severe."
"Okay, so you're seeing it the same way I am. The whole thing screams hidden intentions." Naruto agreed.
"Then why agree to come?" Neji asked calmly
"Like I said earlier, it doesn't hurt to hear him out. Worst case scenario, we jump him. Easy peasy." Naruto replied flippantly.
"There will be no violence nor any need to "jump" me." Baki calmly responded from the lead as if unbothered.
"You fool.." Neji said as his eye twitched, Naruto merely chuckled, similarly as unbothered as Baki.
"Oh, come on Neji, a future Hokage like me has to be skilled socially and politically. Consider this live practice." Naruto said with a giant smirk.
Neji merely grunted in response. Muttering something about this being unwise both socially and politically but Naruto ignored such. Neji had come a long way but was still a cynic at heart.
Baki stopped after a short while at a door. He opened it and allowed the two to enter the room. Naruto and Neji glanced at each other before walking into the room. Both unsure what to expect cautiously scanned it as they entered. Prepared for any attack or trap it may contain. Inside was something of a small kitchen: a simple wood stove with a countertop, a microwave, various cooking tools and pots, and a large counter separating the actual kitchen portion of the room from the rest. At that counter, Kankuro and Temari sat, unsurprised by their arrival. In fact even eating a meal seemingly having been waiting a little while.
Naruto and Neji tensed in sync. Neji dropped into a low stance and squared off against Temari and Kankuro, looking mere seconds away from launching at them. Naruto turned to face Baki, hand resting on Riptide's hilt but kept the blade holstered. Holding out to hope this would not get violent. If it did, it would likely be a hard fight. Naruto was healed, but not a hundred percent quite yet, and Baki as a Jounin would be just as strong if not stronger than Gaara, not to mention the other two siblings of him were no weaklings either…
"Hey, what's the idea here?" Naruto asked, his tone light, yet the air around the room seemed heavier, filled with the blonde's presence. There was no killing intent and yet each felt the weight of crossing the blonde in that moment.
"Whoa there, Uzumaki!" Kankuro called out hurriedly. "We come in peace!"
"Indeed." Baki agreed readily. "Our lord has asked us to speak with you; the other two also have their reasons."
Naruto and Neji looked at each other, nodded, and relaxed, confident this was not an ambush or trap.
"So uh," Naruto said while rubbing his head. "What's up?"
"Firstly, we would like to personally apologize for the actions of Gaara, for Gaara." Baki recited as if it was written into memory. "He is a disturbed mon-"
"Shut it, you piece of shit!" Temari snapped. "He's our brother and fought for the Sand!"
"Silence Temari, I only speak the truth." Baki replied with ease.
"He's only that because of people like you," Naruto replied calmly. Baki seemed surprised by him Interjecting into the age-old argument between the two. "I don't need an apology either; Gaara and I needed to fight. I wanted it as badly as he did. Besides I wouldn't change a thing, well maybe the whole losing part, ya know?"
That drove Baki to silence and made Temari and Kankuro smile.
"I apologize. I am here to make things right with you. Not to antagonize you or anyone else." Baki backtracked slightly. "Allow me to continue. We would also like to thank you for your aid in the fate of Gaara. In fact, the Kazekage has authorized me to give you this." As he finished, he pulled out and handed over a signed envelope. "This stands as proof of the gift we offer."
"Proof of an offer?" Neji asked suspiciously. "You wouldn't be attempting to poach my teammate, would you?"
"Nothing of the sort," Baki countered. "The Kazekage is offering you something of a favor. Should a time come when you need aid, please call on us to do so. We will not fight your battles or kill for you in fact their are a litany limitations with this, but you will find favor from a man of the Kazekage's stature has quite a few uses regardless."
"We—" Temari started dragging a complaining Kankuro behind her. She threw him onto his knees in front of Naruto and Neji, did the same, and bowed deeply. Kankuro hesitantly followed her lead. When she rose, she stood before Naruto with a severe look. "We incredibly appreciate you fighting for our brother in that meeting and even during the exam. We recognize you had no need to do such and owe you as well. Our brother isn't… he isn't…"
Kankuro sighed heavily but spoke out as well. "Though people and especially father, like to pretend otherwise, there had been a time when Gaara was a normal child. He may be some sort of crazy, but he's never been wrong. He has been treated unfairly, he has only the seen the ugly side of humanity. Father ensured such. Yet seeing him treat himself like a monster… shamed me as an older sibling… It should've been me to set my brother straight but I was too weak… I've never seen anyone stand up to Gaara like you did. You didn't even flinch once and at the end Gaara was too shocked to even try to kill you… So, thanks, I doubt it did much, and arguably, Gaara deserved punishment, but he's still my brother. So I have no choice but to thank you sincerely."
The two stood tall and proud as if they had not even bowed. They quickly moved past Naruto and Neji quickly, joining their sensei at the door.
"We of the Sand are a proud, self-sufficient nation. One that rarely forgets debts, good or bad. We now owe you one Naruto Uzumaki. Remember that the Sand never forgets its allies nor to repay them." Baki informed the two. His face seemed to freeze before he spoke again. "If I am to speak personally as an experienced Jounin," Baki started, "I think you have some maturing to do. I do not besmirch how far you have come nor your strength. But to risk your life so heedlessly for virtually no benefit is not an act befitting of a shinobi. I only say this due to the favor you have paid us. In time you will have to learn when to not fight." Baki warned before exiting the room in short order.
"Thanks anyway, Blondie~!" Temari sang as they exited. Kankuro chuckled as they went. The two seemingly amused by Baki's mere serious closer. And regaining their composure in the awkward tension.
There was silence for a moment as the two processed what had happened. Both faced the door, confused, before Naruto chuckled nervously turning to face the room again, Neji sighed heavily.
"I truly will never understand how you seem to befriend others so effortlessly, especially after beating a prized asset half to death," Neji snarked. "Regardless, you have earned yourself quite the gift."
"A favor, huh? Not too bad, I suppose." Naruto nodded.
Neji shook his head in disbelief. "It's a favor from a world leader, limited as it may be. Many would risk their lives for such. Though Gaara did nearly kill you, an earned gift if nothing else."
"Maybe I should ask for some money!" Naruto said, turning away from Neji with a shit-eating grin.
"I will end you if you waste a political favor on mere wealth," Neji warned.
"Oh! Maybe some fancy sake! Or an endless amount of Ichiraku!"
"You dare not waste much on mere carnal pleasures!" Neji snapped.
"I know," Naruto replied, finally facing the Hyuga. He saw Neji frown as he processed the gaslighting.
"You are getting sharper." Neji complimented begrudgingly.
"Thanks, you aren't!" Naruto sniped, ducking Neji's predictable swipe at his head.
The two smiled, and then suddenly, the door was kicked open. Naruto and Neji looked confused, but not for long, for Ino marched into the room, eyes locked on the blonde Uzumaki.
Naruto felt fear fill his body, remembering the fury she had shown earlier. He grabbed Neji's shoulder and leaned toward him to whisper, "We were totally bonding earlier. We're bros. Please help!" He only half-joked as Ino marched closer.
He could not see Neji's face but could tell by his tone that he was smiling. "Yes, we were, and as your "bro," I feel the need to give the two of you the space you need to bond as well." Neji smugly whispered back. Naruto gulped as Neji brushed off his hand, offered a polite bow to Ino, and offered the same with a sweet smile as Ino to Naruto before he made his leave.
There was silence for a few seconds, longer; it seemed to drag on. Naruto wished to break the ice impulsively, but Ino's smile seemed false and put him on edge. But Naruto's finite patience broke when it stretched to nearly two minutes, and he spoke.
"Ino listen, I understand why you're upset, but I had to fight him. And it's not like I intended to die; I was confident I could win. If I knew how strong the dude was, well, maybe I wouldn't have fought him, ya know? It's not like I want to die." Naruto explained, ending with a joke to keep things light.
Ino's fake smile dropped, and to Naruto's surprise, she didn't seem infuriated or even angry anymore. She looked tired and even somewhat guilty. "I know…... I can't pretend to understand why you had to do what you did, why your beliefs are worth dying for, and maybe I never will. It's frustrating for me, making me feel useless and hopeless. Yet at the same time, I really admire that trait, Blondie."
Naruto felt an odd surge of emotions at that but stayed silent. He is not too confident in his ability to traverse the conversation with his clumsy and impulsive manner of speech.
"I meant what I said, but I didn't mean to treat it like you were at fault, not fully. You didn't deserve nor want to be beaten by Gaara." Ino smiled sadly as she said this.
"Hey, it was a close fight!" Naruto complained. "Next time, I'll kick his ass!"
"That's another thing." Ino chuckled at Naruto. "After I lost to Samui, I felt like an utter failure. It felt like I had betrayed Anko and Kakashi-sensei and that I hadn't grown; I felt like trying would almost be stupid or pointless in a way. Yet you're already back to normal and confident as ever." Ino said. "My point is, you are one of my closest… friends. One that I worry about, and sometimes I worry you're not even worried about dying. Like you would gladly die if it would serve the people or ideals you care for." Ino explained. "I don't think you realize how haunting that sounds to me. That one day in the future, I might have to watch you die, knowing you could've lived if you cared about yourself more…"
"Ino," Naruto said, sitting on the counter with a frown. "It's not like I want to die or even expect it. Hell, make no mistake, no one kills Naruto Uzumaki with ease! But on that same hand, I don't really fear it. If I die pursuing my ideals and beliefs, then I can live with that. That being said, I'll make you a promise; you know I'm a man of my word."
Ino raised a brow, looking less than impressed. "A promise? I trust you, Blondie, but I'm not sure that holds any weight. Not after you've shown such a pension for risking your life on a drop of a dime."
"Have I broken a promise yet?" Naruto asked with a small smile.
"Well, no." Ino admitted.
"Then it should be enough, Blondie!" Naruto snarked.
Ino smirked, chuckling at their shared trait. She walked toward Naruto, who was sitting on the counter next to him. "I suppose so, so let's hear it."
"I promise no matter what trouble finds me or how stacked the odds are, I won't die, and if I need help, I'll come running to you and Neji. Probably more you than Neji, though. Can't let the bastard get a big head." Naruto promised.
The two of them laughed fragilely at the joke. Once again, silence filled the room. Naruto wished he had something to say, but Ino had drawn him to silence. Naruto had never considered how other people felt watching him struggle. Never thought that watching it might hurt them. He needed to become strong enough to solve that as well as he supposed.
Naruto's eyes sneakily glanced over at Ino. His female teammate closed her eyes, seemingly in a mental daze; Naruto was never the most knowledgeable on the mind, both his own and others. At times, the blonde struggled to relate to others, yet he knew Ino was supposed to be somewhat of the master of the mind due to her heritage. Naruto wondered what she was thinking right now. Was she still furious? Perhaps worried about Gaara coming back or him screwing up again? Naruto blinked, realizing he had been staring.
Luckily, Ino had not noticed, likely too tired or in her head to pay attention. Naruto had never really realized it, but Ino was, well, pretty. Naruto had never and would likely never say such a thing, but he found Ino's hair enticing. She was blonde like him, but here, it was platinum blonde instead of his more yellow hair, long and fine it almost seemed like threads of pure gold. Naruto had wondered how it would feel before, brushing his hand through it, not often but on occasion when looking at Ino. It covered half her features, which were soft and pleasant. It made her slightly difficult to read and somehow was perfectly fitting for her. Naruto blinked again and wiped his eyes from her.
'What kinda asshole leers at his teammate!' Naruto berated himself as he glanced at the wall. Naruto's thoughts were interrupted as he felt a weight suddenly settle on his shoulder. His eyes glanced over and roughly met Ino's; she had rested her head on his shoulder. And was lazily looking into his eyes. Naruto could feel his heart rate quicken. Since when had Ino had this effect on him?!
"Things seemed simpler when we first became a team," Ino said airily.
Naruto's mind whirled back then. Glad for the distraction to their close proximity. It hadn't truly been that long, but it certainly felt that way. Back then, the three of them had been practical strangers, Neji resenting them and the two bonding over such. They would often gang up on Neji to tease him or to admonish Kakashi. It had been different from now, Ino and him had been steadfast friends, easily getting along with little cause for concern or argument. Now it seemed Neji and Ino had switched positions in the team. "Yeah it wasn't even that long ago, but things were simpler." Naruto said with a smile.
"I remembered Neji intimidating me a bit. I was surprised you were so willing to fight him. Weren't you worried about losing? Then I remember, when I realized you could win, I felt utterly inspired, if you felt like you were fighting for me too in a way." Ino reminisced further. "Now, everything seems so complicated. You keep risking yourself, drama keeps emerging, and a certain lady…"
"Lady?" Naruto asked, confused. He was unsure who she meant.
"So let's just restart a bit, okay? I'll forgive you for this, and in exchange, next time there's trouble you grab Neji and me, we are Team Seven. We face our problems together." Ino continued.
Naruto beamed at such. "I promise, believe it."
They sat in content silence for a while, Ino resting on Naruto, the two just enjoying each other's company. Naruto was surprised at how much he enjoyed the contact. He had never worried much about romance or anything like that. He understood the idea but never worried about it. Perhaps this was why people seemed so concerned about a partner… this was nice…
However, their peace was disturbed when a voice rumbled throughout the arena.
"ALL PARTICIPANTS, AKA CHUNIN HOPEFULS, PLEASE PROCEED TO THE COURTYARD OF THE IRON ARENA. THE FIVE KAGE ARE PREPARED TO ANNOUNCE THE RESULTS! ANYONE NOT IN FIVE MINUTES WILL BE DISQUALIFIED!"
The two jumped up to their feet and began to run to make it.
"Let's go, Blondie!"
"Come on, Ino!"
The two roared as they raced to face the future.