Rx7 says: "Random's a loser, and I'm 10X better than he is... now here, have a rough draft teaser."
Hunter/Gatherer
Naruto Uzumaki yawned expansively, making no effort to hide his tiredness as he was lead through the streets of the Hidden Leaf Village. ôCover your mouth, brat,ö his guide muttered, ôI donÆt wanna see your goddamn tonsils.ö
Giving the woman a baleful glare, Naruto replied, ôYou wouldnÆt have to see any of me if you hadnÆt gotten me out of bed, sensei.ö
Anko <last name> glanced over her shoulder. ôItÆs the middle of the day,ö she pointed out unapologetically. ôWhat the hell were you doing taking a nap anyway?ö
ôItÆs a Sunday,ö Naruto reminded her, ôthatÆs what you do on Sundays!ö
Rolling her eyes, Anko turned her attention back to the street in front of them. ôSome of us have to work for a living, brat,ö she informed him. ôWhen the backs of your ears dry, youÆll be begging for a nap û and no oneÆs gonna give it to you.ö
Yawning again, Naruto said, ôUh huh, right, no nap, got it.ö
Had he known that the only thing keeping him from a backhand was AnkoÆs strict instructions to bring him to their destination unharmed, Naruto might have held his tongue. Then again, with his personality, he might have gone out of his way to annoy the jounin just to see how much she could handle before breaking.
ôOk,ö Anko said after another five minutes of walking, ôhere we are.ö
ôGreat,ö Naruto said, looking around with some interest only to find that they were in a rather boring residential district. ôWhereÆs æhereÆ? Looks like a dump to me.ö
Anko opened the door of a plain-looking house and put her hand on NarutoÆs shoulder. ôJust get inside,ö she muttered, ôand donÆt be disrespectful, you little shit, this is important ninja business.ö
Naruto straightened a bit. If it was important ninja business, then the drab outside of the house must just be a cover for the secret, tactical unit hidden within. Hell, he thought with some excitement, maybe this was the headquarters of the mysterious Anbu ninjas who guarded the Hokage and undertook the most dangerous missions for the Hidden Leaf.
And he was being ushered right inside.
ôWhoa!ö
Anko stumbled as Naruto suddenly stepped into the dwelling, eager to see what secrets it held.
ôThis isà it?ö
His shoulders slumped as he found himself standing in a rather ordinary looking foyer, which lead to a rather ordinary dining room, from which a rather ordinary bedroom and ordinary kitchen could easily be seen. Unless the Anbu were hiding behind the ordinary drapes or under the ordinary couch cushions, his hopes looked to be fruitless.
ôUnless,ö he whispered to himself, glancing down at the ordinary rug, ôI have to look underneath the underneath and-ö
ôWhat the hell are you muttering about?ö Anko demanded. ôGet into the kitchen, loser. Geez, like I donÆt have anything better to do than to babysit your sorry ass. Get moving!ö
Grumbling under his breath, Nartuo went where he was told, blinking as he found HinataÆs sensei sitting at the lone chair on the far side of the small, round kitchen table. ôYuuhi sensei,ö he said belatedly, offering a polite bow. ôWhat, ummà whatÆs going on?ö
Kurenai Yuuhi sat with her elbows on the table and her fingertips pressed together, regarding Naruto steadily as Anko walked around and gave her a brief, whispered report. ôGood afternoon, Mister Uzumaki,ö Kurenai said as soon as Anko had stepped away, ôfeeling well-rested?ö
ôEr, yes?ö Naruto replied, hoping this was the correct answer.
ôHeÆs all yours,ö Anko announced before Kurenai could say another word. ôAnd better you than me. See ya, brat.ö
Naruto waited patiently (or as patiently as he was able) until Anko had left before returning his gaze to KueraniÆs face. ôUmmmà soooo,ö he said awkwardly, ônice, ummà weather, huh?ö
Kurenai pursed her lips. ôMister Uzumaki,ö she said formally, ôfrom today until such a time as I deem you fit, you are under my direct tutelage.ö She raised a hand as Naruto opened his mouth to protest. ôThis has been cleared by the Hokage, and your sensei,ö she told him, speaking loudly and clearly so she would not be misunderstood, ôso arguing would waste your time, and mine û and my time, Mister Uzumaki, is something I value quite a bit.ö
ôYeah, and?ö Naruto replied belligerently, ôMy timeÆs valuable too, ya know! I couldà what are you smiling about?ö
The instructor ninÆs lips had curled up in a faint grin. ôMister Uzumaki,ö she said carefully, ôI believe you will not be complaining once weÆre through.ö
ôRight.ö
Staring at him contemplatively for a moment, Kurenai finally rose to her feet. ôTake a walk with me, Mister Uzumaki,ö she instructed. ôThe air in here is stuffy.ö
Knowing it was not a request, Naruto sullenly fell in step with the tall ninja as she made her way out of the house and onto the street. They strolled through the Hidden Leaf Village for some time, nodding to people they knew, but never stopping for more than a moment until they had walked around the entire length of the village.
On the outskirts of town, Kurenai abruptly said, ôWho do you value most in this world, Naruto?ö
Having found an anthill that was far more interesting than the woman wandering around town with him, Naruto muttered, ôRamen.ö
ôWho,ö Kurenai said impatiently, ônot what û everyone knows WHAT you value, I asked WHO you valueà and stand up when IÆm talking to you!ö
With great reluctance, Naruto rose to his feet. ôWhat was the question again?ö
Kurenai slapped a hand over her face. ôForget it,ö she muttered, ôdoesnÆt matter û look, I was asked to train you in one of the most powerful jutsuÆs of the Hidden Leaf, but-ö
ôMost powerful?ö Naruto cut in, ôLike a blood limit?ö
ôNo,ö Kurenai ground out, ônot like a blood limit û like a jutsu, so-ö
ôSo you can teach it to me?ö
ôDidnÆt I just say I could teach it to-ö
ôIs it a fireball?ö Naruto asked, barely able to contain himself, ôIÆll bet it is, huh? Like SasukeÆs-ö
ôWill you shut up and listen!?ö Kurenai exploded. ôIt is NOT a fireball!ö
There was a moment of silence.
ôà so is it, like, a lightening bolt or something?ö
Kurenai just stared.
ôWhat?ö
ôLetÆs walk a little further,ö Kurenai muttered, ôI need to think.ö
After they had circled the village two more times, Kurenai abruptly stopped.
ôGive me your hand.ö
Naruto did as he was told, his eyes nearly bugging out as Kurenai pulled up her shirt, exposing her ribcage, and placed his hand against her lower abdomen.
ôWhat do you feel?ö
ôErà skin?ö
ôGrrr,ö Kurenai growled, ôunder that û IN that!ö
There was another moment of silence.
ôUhhà ö
ôChakra!ö Kurenai snapped. ôItÆs a charka well, for GodÆs sake!ö
ôOh, right,ö Naruto said, beaming as if he had said it, ôI was just gonna-ö
ôListen,ö Kurenai cut in, ôthere are seven chakras in the human body. This is the Second Chakra û do you remember what it does?ö
Naruto thought very hard.
ôHelps you go to the bathroom?ö
ôGod, why meà ö
Closing her eyes, Kurenai pressed his hand closer to her body.
ôFeel the way the chakra moves here,ö she instructed him, ôconcentrateà remember the patternà isolate the flow û you can do that, canÆt you? Feel a chakra flow from this close up?ö
Naruto nodded. ôIà I think so,ö he said, getting caught up in the lesson, ôthis one feelsà kinda different than the one in your shoulder or chest. ItÆsà hotterà ö
Kurenai let out a sigh of relief. ôOk,ö she said, ônow that you know how to identify it, IÆll tell you something û you probably wonÆt need it for this training.ö
Naruto blinked in confusion.
ôThen why tell me??ö
ôBecause you MIGHT,ö Kurenai said flatly, ôso remember it, alright? Just remember û no, better yet, repeat after me: æif all else fails, remember the Second,Æ ok? Repeat it.ö
Feeling like an idiot (and noticing that a few people were staring) Naruto did what he was told.
Kurenai looked as if she doubted that Naruto would remember it past the next five minutes, but sighed and said, ôWeÆre going to play a little gameà ö
ôLike Go?ö
Looking to the heavens, Kurenai whispered, ôI hate you.ö
ôWhatÆs that?ö
ôNever mind, look, the training û itÆs a game, ok? You like games, donÆt you?ö
Naruto felt the urge to back away from the large, false grin on the womanÆs face. ôUmm, sure.ö
ôGood, then listen up,ö Kurenai told him. ôIn the village there are seven secret holders with seven keywords.ö
ôSounds like something out of a Harry Potter book,ö Naruto observed.
ôDonÆt interrupt! Now, your mission is to get the seven keywords from them.ö
ôThatÆs it?ö
ôThatÆs it.ö
Naruto scratched his head with the hand NOT resting on his sexy instructorÆs taught stomach. ôAnd then youÆll teach me a cool jutsu?ö he asked, sounding as if this whole setup was too good to be true.
ôIf you can get all seven keywords,ö Kurenai said smoothly, ôthe jutsu is yours.ö
ôWicked,ö Naruto exclaimed. ôAlright, whoÆs got æem?ö
Kurenai smiled. ôTheyÆre called secret holders for a reason, Naruto,ö she pointed out dryly. ôButà I think youÆll be able to find them.ö
ôAnd all I got to do is get them to tell me their word?ö Naruto asked, making sure he wasnÆt missing something.
ôNo,ö Kurenai corrected, ôthey have the words with themà but they wonÆt tell you what they are.ö
ôThen how do I-ö
ôYouÆll figure it out.ö
Naruto was starting to think that he was being sent on a foolÆs errand, but the promise of one of the most powerful jutsus in the Hidden Leaf was too tempting to pass on, so he asked the next logical question.
ôHow much time do I have?ö
ôOne week.ö
Frowning, Naruto echoed, ôOne week? A whole WEEK to get seven words?ö
ôI doubt youÆll do it.ö
ôWhat??ö
Kurenai studied her fingernails for a moment. ôI said I doubt you can do it,ö she said coolly, ôthis mission takes subtlety, and I donÆt think you have that.ö
ôHey, I can be subtle!ö Naruto argued. ôAnd I can get past this stupid test with my eyes closed û believe it!ö
Smiling indulgently, Kurenai whispered, ôThere is just one, last, little thing.ö
Naruto froze.
ôWhat?ö
ôYouÆll see.ö
There was one, last, deathly silence before Naruto pulled his hand away and shrugged. ôBring it on,ö he said boldly, ôIÆll get your seven words û and I wonÆt even need a week to do it.ö
Kurenai nodded. ôThen IÆll see you at my house when you have them,ö she said softly. ôGood luck.ö
ôWait,ö Naruto called as she turned to leave. ôJust one more question.ö
ôHmm?ö
ôà which house is yours?ö
- - - - -
As the orange-jacketed figure dashed off into the street, Kurenai rubbed her eyes. ôYou can come out now,ö she called tiredly, looking up as Anko leapt nimbly out of the tree she had been roosting in. ôYou really think this is a good idea?ö she muttered. ôI donÆt think heÆll remember the rules, let alone what I told him about the Second Chakraà hell, he couldnÆt even remember where I lived û and thatÆs where you brought him!ö
Anko pulled out one of her kunai, studying it critically as she considered her reply. ôWell, if he can or canÆt, the girls will at least get their training out of it.ö
ôI just think itÆs a bad idea,ö Kurenai mumbled, ôplaying states against each other is one thing, but these are teenagers.ö
ôTheyÆre ninja,ö Anko corrected, ôand if they canÆt learn this lesson, they wonÆt be of any use to us for a fifth of the missions we receive.ö
ôAnd what about the Vessel?ö
The smile that had been lingering on AnkoÆs face slipped a bit. ôYou know why heÆs involved,ö she whispered, ôdonÆt play stupid.ö
ôItÆs happening, then?ö Kurenai wondered. ôWhat we feared?ö
ôLetÆs hope not,ö Anko returned, ôbut if it does, wouldnÆt it be better if it happened here than on a mission?ö
Kurenai admitted that this was true, and stared for a moment at the street the young man had dashed away down. ôKyuubi,ö she breathed. ôI hope Tsuande-sama is wrong, Anko û I really do.ö
ôAnd if she is,ö Anko pointed out, ôthen theyÆll still all end up with a good lesson.ö
Pursing her lips, Kurenai stared down at the ground. ôThen I guessà the game has begunà ö
ôYeah,ö Anko nodded, smiling wickedly as she pulled out her list of keywords and secret holders and tried to decide who would make the first move. ôAnd itÆs going to be a doozyà ö
Continuedà ?
Note û this was what I came up with based on the ideas in this thread. ItÆs not EXACTLY like any of them, but it borrows a little bit from all of them, or it will, if I continue it.
à SHOULD I continue it?
-Rx7
Anko? A little on the chubby side to be hot. Kin? -_- Yeah, I'll go with what GH said. As for Hinata, I agree she is probably one of the best/better looking characters on the series. Though I'm not a huge fan of her shy personality. Which normally I would be in say, another series like Tenchi or Ranma, but, for a ninja in Naruto... <_<
