A New Year, A New Life, A New Love: Chapter 6: A Meeting, A Greeting and an Upcoming Beating
Chapter 6: A Meeting, A Greeting, and an Upcoming Beating
Kroqgar and Whisper blinked in the brightness of the morning sun streaming into the Hokage's office. They saw Tsunade sitting there, hands laced under her chin, with a slightly peeved look on her face. From the far-off look she had, they could tell that it wasn't directed at them. Little did they know that theft (especially, for some reason, of sake) was about to be given a much harsher punishment in Konoha.
Letting their gaze roam around the room, they spotted two more figures, and even after a day spent in the village, they both started in surprise. Standing just to the side of Tsunade's desk, dressed in her usual single-red-sleeved dress, was Kurenai Yuuhi, Konoha's Genjutsu Mistress, said to be more attractive than the mirages she was skilled at, and several times deadlier. She appeared to be studying them, though not in a rude sense, and gave a friendly smile as they caught her eye.
Even more impressive however, was the figure leaning against the wall, quintessential orange literature in hand. Kakashi Hatake. Though both genin were fans of most of Konoha's ninja, Kakashi they held in especially high regard. Even they didn't know quite what it was about him, (perhaps because they both thought he was hilarious) but he was among their favourite characters. While not quite as impressive as Naruto, just seeing the bi-eyed jounin in person rendered them speechless.
"Kroqgar, Whisper," said Tsunade, getting both of the genin's attention and causing their heads to whip about, "Allow me to introduce Kurenai Yuuhi and Kakashi Hatake."
"Nice to meet you," Kurenai said with a smile. Kroqgar and Whisper both shook her hand. Kakashi merely waved mutely, eye roving the page in front of him.
"Although I suppose", continued the sannin with a laugh, "You know them better than I do."
This earned a smile from the two newest shinobi, a curious look from Kurenai and a barely noticeable quirked eyebrow from Kakashi, who had yet to look up from his novel. "Lady Hokage?" asked Kurenai curiously.
"I'll let them explain Kurenai. Shizune! Come in, and lock the doors."
"Yes, Lady Tsunade," came the reply. Just as the raven-haired kunoichi was about to lock the doors, they all heard someone shout "Wait!" from the other side. All of them stood perplexed for a moment, as Tsunade heaved a sigh. A panting Jiraiya, white hair, giant scroll, lecherous grin and all, burst into the room. He bent, hands on his knees, and panted, catching his breath. A small notepad was visible in his hand. More prepared this time, Kroqgar and Whisper were able to hold in any outward signs of amazement, but were reeling in dropped jaws on the inside.
"And this," said the Hokage wearily, "is Jiraiya. I hate to admit it, but I definitely know him better than you two do."
"Sorry I'm late," said Jiraiya, talking to Tsunade and completely ignoring Kroqgar and Whisper. A grin that was more than a little bit creepy crept onto his face. "I lost track of the time while I was researching."
A nerve twitched in Tsunade's brow. "Research?" A moment later Tsunade was simply no longer there. They all heard a deafening boom, and suddenly there was a hole in the wall with two clogged feet sticking out of it, and a small notepad burning on the floor. Tsunade, whistling merrily, walked back to her desk whilst brushing the dirt from her hands. "Now, where were we? Ah yes, Shizune, please lock the doors. Kurenai, can you please hand out these tags?"
Kurenai handed a tag to everyone in the room, including a slightly unsteady Jiraiya.
"Everyone, apply them to your neck, over your throat" instructed the Hokage. After everyone complied, she formed a hand seal in front of her, before swearing loudly. At everyone's (minus Kakashi) confused looks, she explained, "My jutsu needs an enclosed space to work."
Everyone clued on and glanced at the gaping hole in the wall Jiraiya had left.
"Jiraiya!" Tsunade said sharply.
"Eh?"
"Your research", she said, finger's sketching sarcastic quotation marks around the word, "And lateness caused this. The least you can do is fix the hole."
"Hey, it wasn't my fault!" replied the other sannin indignantly. "I thought I'd have another couple of hours at least, why the hell is Cyclops over there here on time?" he said, gesturing at Kakashi. At this Tsunade grinned evilly and Kakashi twitched noticeably behind his mask.
"Well, he didn't listen to my threats to make him late in more ways than one," said Tsunade, amusement evident in her tone, "So I just told him to get here three hours ago. He actually made it on time."
Everyone in the room laughed at this comment, and Kakashi's sigh was lost in the sounds of mirth. After the laughter died down, Jiraiya looked at the wall and said, "Alright, I'll see what I can do."
He made a single hand seal, before spitting out a copious amount of mud, and forming a temporary fix for the wall. The mud hardened instantly.
"Chakra enhanced?" asked Tsunade.
"You know it."
"Ok then, let's get started. Hidden Style: Dead Silence!" she said, forming a hand seal. The familiar shadow passed over the room.
"Alright, what your all about to be told is an S-Rank secret. You know what that means, and the punishment entailed for revealing it," said Tsunade, gaze roving across everyone in front of her. Kakashi had not yet bothered to look up from his book.
"Kroqgar, Whisper, why don't you go ahead and show everyone? It's your story anyway. Tell them everything."
The two genin acknowledged her words with a nod. They glanced nervously at each other, before simultaneously dropping their disguises. Jiraiya's eyebrows rose high on his forehead and Kurenai's jaw dropped. The silence that followed was only broken by a thunk coming from behind them. They all turned to see Kakashi, single eye wide open, and his lewd book on the floor in front of him.
"Ok," said the jounin after a brief silence, standing up straight. "You've got my attention now."
...
Almost an hour later, with the help of Tsunade and Shizune, the whole story was told. Some time ago Kurenai had sunk into a chair, dazed at the prospects being laid out before her. Running one hand through her hair, she did her best to comprehend the story the two before her had spun, but even with her face screwed up in thought, wrapping her not inconsiderable mind around the whole tale was not easy. Being a lot older and more well traveled, Jiraiya had somewhat more ease accepting their story, but that wasn't saying much. He paced the length of the room, hands clasped behind his back, in what Whisper had always dubbed his "Serious-mode". Asking only short, sharp questions, keeping quiet and listening. Tsunade vouched for the two kids, but still... another reality? A trans-dimensional transportation bubble?
Even Kool as a Kukumber Kakashi was showing mild signs of stress and deep thought. He had taken to leaning against the wall again, (book safely stored away) with his brow furrowed staring at some point on the ground. He was even absently twirling a kunai on his finger, the knife going faster and faster as he grew more and more thoughtful.
For some time after the story was told, questions were asked of Kroqgar and Whisper. From Jiraiya and Kurenai came much the same questions that were asked of Kroqgar and Whisper yesterday, though even Tsunade and Shizune participated, asking questions they had since thought of. Jiraiya probed especially deeply about how Kroqgar and Whisper had come into being, even pushing Whisper to the brink of tears as he tried to draw facts from them. It took a dangerous growl coming from Kroqgar, followed by an equally deadly growl from Tsunade to put a halt to his questioning. Though he would question Tsunade about it later.
Kakashi, however, had been silent the entire time, merely observing them. No one could tell what was going on behind that mask of his. Finally, after Jiraiya and to a lesser extent Kurenai had finished their mild interrogation, the former ANBU Captain spoke up.
"Well, I must say that you have told one of the most absolutely ridiculous stories I've ever heard in all my years as a shinobi. However, I am unable to think of any other less ridiculous way for you to have the knowledge you do, so I am inclined to believe you." The vote of confidence from the jounin heartened Kroqgar and Whisper, who had begun to feel quite worried about their futures, especially after Jiraiya's zealous pursuit of answers.
"However..."
Oh shit.
"Before I allow you to be trained, before I allow you to walk around my village, and before I trust you in any way I need an answer to one question."
The silence spiraled horribly. The lanky jounin slowly meandered over in front of the Hokage's desk, and stood directly in front of the two genin. Tsunade didn't say anything, guessing where he was going with this.
Both Kroqgar and Whisper gasped as he lifted his headband, and revealed his Sharingan eye. He trained it on the both of them, and furrowed his brow slightly, to let them know he was deadly serious. And when Kakashi got deadly serious, people usually died.
"Why do you want to become shinobi?"
Neither Kroqgar nor Whisper faltered in any way, and responded instantly and simultaneously, "To protect the only friends we've ever had." Both of them met Kakashi's eyes as they said it, determination etched across their faces. They hadn't rehearsed that, they hadn't prepared it in any way, it was simply the answer they both believed in.
Kakashi lowered his headband back over his eye. Though he did not show it, their answer satisfied him immensely. Their could be no better response, and his Sharingan had made sure that neither of them was deceptive or subversive in any way.
"Well..." he said, serious expression never leaving his face. How he enjoyed messing with people. He allowed an almost hidden smile to grace his features, showing only in the curvature of his eye. "That's good enough for me. Although that does raise other questions. For example, and I don't mean to be rude, but I didn't think you knew anyone here, how could you have any friends to protect?"
Whisper grinned. "Your forgetting that we know a lot of the people here better than most."
"True enough," conceded the jounin, "But still, that was on paper (saying it out loud still struck Kakashi as incredibly disconcerting). This is the real thing. How can they be your friends?"
"Alright, to answer that, we're gonna need to ask you a question," said Kroqgar, looking up at Kakashi. "What is a friend?"
There was a collective peak in the interest of everyone in the room, as they all grew curious as to where the young shinobi was going with this. Kroqgar noticed the sudden increase in the intensity of their looking, but did not tear his eyes away from Kakashi's, a firm look on his face.
"Well..." said the jounin haltingly, "a friend is someone who you know, like, and can trust."
"Exactly. And from what I've told you about our world, aside from each other, who do you think we could count as friends?"
Understanding began to dawn in Kakashi's eye. "No one."
Whisper smiled sadly as Kroqgar nodded. "No one. This might sound rude, but remember, to us back then, you were all characters who weren't real. We got desperate. People just can't live without friends without going down a dark path, so we turned to the closest thing to people we knew, liked, and trusted. We turned to all of you."
Jiraiya, Kakashi and Tsunade were simply too experienced to show their emotions openly in a situation like this, but inside all their hearts went out to the two before them. Kurenai and Shizune fared worse, both gasping, and Shizune's hands flying to her mouth.
"Looking back on it now, it seems so pathetic..." said Whisper, gaze lowering to the floor, "but we were just... it was..." She couldn't continue. Kroqgar reached over and grasped her hand, but before he could help her any further, he was beaten to the punch.
Kurenai, maternal instincts blazing, wrapped her arm around Whisper's shoulders, and pulled the vixen into her embrace, comforting her. It was a surreal feeling for Whisper, being embraced by someone who... well, who wasn't Kroqgar. She came to enjoy it though, and visibly relaxed in the older woman's arms.
It was a calculated, yet instinctive move on Kurenai's part. Not only did she need to comfort the girl, but by holding her like so, she showed her that she wasn't alone.
"I promise you," she said, sincerity and commitment burning in her unusual red eyes, "that when you turn to us from now on, we will turn back." She rose, and took her seat again, but didn't miss the whispered "Thank you..." that followed after her. Kroqgar didn't say anything. He didn't need to. His smile spoke volumes.
"Well", said Tsunade, breaking the silence that had fallen over the room. Though coming out of her shell, she was still awkward in emotional situations. "Now that that's settled... Kroqgar, Whisper, meet your new senseis. Originally, I had planned for Kroqgar to go with Kurenai and Whisper with Kakashi, but I think it might work better if we change that around. Kurenai?" She motioned for the jounin to lean in. "I was going to put Kroqgar with you because, and call it a stereotype, but I honestly think he'd work well with an Inuzuka," she whispered, "but after seeing how you got along with Whisper, I think she'd work better with you. And I think she really needs a friend, a type of friend I don't think Kakashi could be for her. No offense to him, but... I think this one just needs a woman's touch."
Kurenai's red lips parted in a smile. "I couldn't agree more, Lady Hokage. I've always thought of myself as a big sister type."
Kurenai stepped back, and Tsunade turned to Kroqgar and Whisper with a smile on her face. "Congratulations, Kroqgar, you are now an official member of Team 7, Whisper, you are now an official member of Team 8."
Both of the young shinobi leapt from their chairs with shouts of joy, and embraced one another, before accepting the congratulations of the others present. Shizune was hugs all round, simply happy for the turn-around in the lives of her two new friends, and a slightly embarrassed Tsunade was caught in the crossfire. Kroqgar was in a daze, simply returning the embrace of whomever he felt engage him, be it handshake or hug. Judging from the size of the chest he felt pressed against him at one stage, even Tsunade had offered a hug as congratulations. Whisper, even in her ecstatic state of mind, still took care to avoid an embrace with Jiraiya, though even Kakashi did not escape her hug-rampage, accepting it with a weary sigh.
A booming crash resounded through the room, shocking everyone. They turned to see Tsunade, fist extended, facing a large hole in the wall, directly next to the previous one she had made. In the distance, a white-haired blur was hurtling towards the ground. A snarling Tsunade walked up to the hole before shouting "A HUG IS ABOVE THE WAIST YOU PERVERT!!" Almost as an afterthought she quickly performed the same jutsu Jiraiya had, sealing the second pain-induced hole.
Kroqgar shook hands with Kakashi, getting a slight thrill as he said "It's an honour to learn from you Kakashi-sensei."
The lanky jounin's eye crinkled in the only visible sign of his smile as he said "Likewise." Whisper and Kurenai didn't say a thing, conveying their emotions through the embrace they shared.
Everyone eventually took their seats (or....stands?...) again, and Tsunade slipped back into Hokage status.
"So, now that you are official active shinobi, there are a few things to discuss. Firstly: What level you are. Normally, I would assume that you were both just average genin, however you two are anything but normal. So today you are both going to be having a spar with your new senseis, after you meet your teams. We would usually just have the whole team attempt the bell test again, but seeing as the rest of them have already done it, and you... well, I suppose you could call it prior knowledge, so there's no point in doing it again. Which reminds me: your teams. Do we tell them or not?"
Kroqgar and Whisper had already foreseen this, and had their answer prepared.
"We think it should be on a person to person basis," said Whisper, drawing curious looks from those present. "Well, if we all think someone is ready to know, then we tell them. If we don't... then we don't."
Tsuande considered this for a moment, before nodding. "Sounds alright. Kurenai, Kakashi, what do you think? Are any of them ready?" Kurenai adopted a thoughtful look, and Kakashi raised a hand to his chin.
"Well..." the genjutsu mistress said, "I think we could tell Shino the whole story and he might raise his eyebrows, so I don't think he's a problem. Kiba, I hate to say, is definitely not ready, he's just not mature enough yet. Hinata... I think she could handle it, but not all at once. After you get to know her it should be fine. But I really must say that I wouldn't want any of my students to be told your secret, unless you revealed it to all of them. I don't want them to have to keep secrets like that from each other, it could ruin their teamwork and even their trust." Tsunade nodded absently, understanding where the jounin was coming from.
"Kroqgar, Whisper," Kurenai continued, turning to face them, "please keep this to yourselves until they're all ready." The genin both nodded and gave their words they would not reveal themselves until Kurenai gave the all-clear.
'Well, that's Team 8 settled," said Tsunade, letting out a breath. "Kakashi, what about Team 7?"
Fingers stroking his chin, the jounin continued thinking for a moment before saying anything.
"Sasuke, definitely not. Not that he isn't mature, but we all know what he's been going through recently, and I suspect that you two know something... unpleasant about his future." He sent a glance at Kroqgar and Whisper, who didn't flinch, informing the Copy Ninja they were adamant in their refusal to reveal the future. He sighed, continuing, "I think adding the additional stress of this information to his mind would be unhealthy right now, so he's out. Sakura?... another "no", I think. She's simply too infatuated with Sasuke right now, and could either tell him about it just to gain his attention, or dangle it above Naruto's head to torment him. Speaking of Naruto..."
Everyone looked on curiously as Kakashi lapsed into silence, obviously in deep thought, before starting in surprise as he burst out laughing.
"Strange as it sounds, I think Naruto is the most ready of all of them," the jounin said though a smile, after his mirth had subsided. "He could handle the information, after you let him get to know you a little it won't change his opinion of you, and if you make him promise not to tell anyone, he'll die before he does."
"So you think we could tell them one by one, instead of all at once?" asked Tsunade.
"I would wait to tell Sasuke and Sakura at the same time, but Naruto? Honestly, if you spent enough time with him today, you could probably tell him tonight."
Kroqgar and Whisper both beamed at this admission. "Good," said the vixen, "because he's the one we want to tell most of all." She continued, in response to everyone's curious looks, "Well, he's the main character of the series, back in our world. Even the whole thing is called "Naruto". Considering this concerns him so heavily, we think it's only fair he be told. Plus..." She paused, seeming to collect her thoughts for a moment. She looked up at everyone, and said nervously, "We just want to be his friends."
Everyone in the room, even Tsunade, smiled at that. They all, to one extent or another, knew of Naruto's past, and how lonely he was. Having these two become friends of his could only help him.
"It's more than just becoming his friends though," said Kroqgar, causing everyone to look at him. "We just want to know him. You've all got to understand, where we come from, running 100 meters in under 10 seconds is amazing, jumping 3 meters in the air unaided is pretty much impossible, and chakra is considered just stupid. So, any one of you is astounding to us. Kurenai," he continued, gesturing towards her, "Konoha's genjutsu mistress! Kakashi, the copy ninja! Tsunade, legendary Sannin, and Shizune, her assistant! Your all celebrities, heroes to us, Naruto most of all! He's one of the most incredible people we've ever heard about, fiction or otherwise, and now we get the chance to be his friends? There is no way we are going to pass that up."
"Alright," said Tsunade, taking control of the discussion once more. "Kakashi? Observe how Naruto responds to and interacts with Kroqgar today, and if you think he's ready, you can both tell him everything tonight. You'll be there as well Kakashi. I want someone he knows and trusts there, just in case this is a bit too much for him. Clear?"
"Yes, Lady Hokage," the lanky jounin responded.
"Now, the last thing I can think of before we are done here is these weapons of yours Shizune tells me about," Tsunade continued, tilting her head in the younger kunoichi's direction. "Since you say they are so special, before I can approve them your going to need to tell me everything about them. And I mean everything, I can't have any of my shinobi wielding weapon's that we don't understand the capabilities of."
Kroqgar and Whisper had both smiled warmly at Shizune when Tsunade had mentioned her, who smiled back at them, a bit embarrassed. However when Tsunade informed them that they needed to tell everyone everything about their weapons, they grew a little apprehensive. They glanced at each other, their unease palpable. Each had intended for their weapons to be something of a secret weapon.
"Are you sure, Lady Hokage?" asked Whisper hesitantly. The older woman could clearly see the desire for secrecy in Whisper's eyes, but she was having none of it.
"Absolutely. As your Hokage I simply must know what you are capable of, and as my assistant almost nothing gets past Shizune. Your sensei's are the ones that need to know most of all, otherwise they can't use you to your full potential on missions or otherwise."
"Actually, Lady Hokage..." Everyone turned at the softly-spoken interruption.
"I'm rather curious as to what these weapons of theirs are," finished Kakashi. His eye roved over the pair in front of him, his interest obvious. "I may not have been a shinobi for as long as you have, (A muscle on Tsunade's face twitched at the subtle reminder of her age) but I've been around long enough to have seen most there is to see. I could use a good surprise. How about, we have a spar today, without these weapons of theirs, then when they are ready, before we take on any missions we have another, just so we can gauge how much of a difference they make?"
"I don't see a problem with that," said Tsunade, shrugging. "Kurenai," she continued, turning to the younger kunoichi, "How about you?"
"If Kakashi's game, I am," she replied with a nod.
Tsunade shrugged. "If you two say so. Please remove your tags." The two jounin carefully peeled the tags off their throats, and even went as far as to turn their backs, giving the other four complete privacy. If they had in fact been watching, they would have seen nothing in the way of facial expression, but from the two genin a large amount of gesturing. Even without facial expression or noise the surprise given off by Tsunade and Shizune was evident at points. Finally both of the jounin felt a tap on their shoulder, and turned around to see Kroqgar tapping his throat.
Once re-applied, they caught sight of the interested and even curious look on Shizune's face, as well as the devious grin on Tsunade's. The said grin was more than enough to make the two jounin edgy.
"Lady Hokage?" asked Kurenai nervously.
The sannin laughed for a moment, before saying "I will tell you one thing: You two have your work cut out for you."
Even though they were elite ninja, neither of them could completely contain their curiosity. Kakashi hmmmm-ed for a moment, before asking, "Do we get a hint?"
Tsunade considered this. "It is similar yet completely different to some of the things we have around today. You will never have seen anything exactly like it. Plus some of the features they've suggested for it are, honestly, brilliant. Some simple, others complex, but all of them...genius. I'm actually a little embarrassed that we haven't thought of some of them before ourselves," she finished, sheepishly. "In fact, if you two are OK with it, considering that these are your ideas, I'd like your permission to use them in other cases."
Both the young shinobi were taken aback at this, however after sharing a look they both nodded. "All we ask is that you let us try them all in a combat situation, to make sure they work before passing them on to others," said Kroqgar.
Tsunade smiled. "Spoken like true Leaf shinobi. You know, it occurs to me that due to your...unique circumstances, you both might have ideas that none of us would ever think of. If you ever come up with anything you think might be effective, you come and tell me, and we'll see what we can do, alright?"
Kroqgar and Whisper were surprised at this faith in their abilities, but they agreed, eager to help and show their loyalty.
"Ok." The sannin brought out a scroll, and performed a hand seal. Immediately writing appeared on the scroll, rapidly covering it. At everyone's confused looks, she explained, "Note Taking Jutsu. One of my favourites." Laughing, she continued, "Orochimaru never could figure out how I took more notes than him from Sarutobi-sensei's lectures, when he never saw me write a thing."
"I don't suppose you'd care to demonstrate that once more Lady Hokage?" asked Kakashi innocently, hand straying to his forehead protector.
She let out a laugh, before replying, "Sorry. This one is a Tsunade original. Maybe I'll reveal it to Shizune when I'm about to die. Maybe."
"Anyway," she continued, "Kakashi, take this scroll." She threw it at the jounin, who caught it deftly. "Show that to Jiraiya, Hotaru and... Hang on!" They all tensed, startled by the look of sudden intensity on Tsunade's face. The sannin leaned back and whispered very quietly to Shizune, who leaned in to hear her, "Shizune... who's Tenten's father again?"
It took every ounce of Shizune's willpower to remain standing, but even she couldn't stop a small sweatdrop from forming. "Kaji."
Much louder, so that everyone could hear, Tsunade lied flawlessly, saying, "Thank God. Well, I guess we don't have to worry about that. Never mind everyone." She sent a sharp glare at a grinning Kakashi, who she barely caught lowering his hand when she turned back to face them. Curse that lip-reading Sharingan of his!
"Like I was saying, show that scroll to Jiraiya, Hotaru and Kaji (Kakashi's sudden cough barely concealed his laugh). They'll know what to do. It's up to you from then on," she added, addressing Kroqgar and Whisper. Each nodded.
"Well, if that's everything?..." She let the question hang in the air. "Alright, dismissed. Kakashi, Kurenai, I want your reports on my desk first thing tomorrow." Kroqgar and Whisper rose from their seats and re-applied their disguises, just as Tsunade released her jutsu, before sighing and pinching the bridge of her nose. "Shizune, I need sake after all that. Tell my next appointment they can wait."
"NOT IF YOU DON'T WANT A PLAGUE OF SNAKES TO INFEST EVERY GOOD SAKE PLACE IN TOWN SHE CAN'T!!" came the boisterous reply from outside.
Everyone laughed at the ease with which their Hokage could be controlled through her vices. Tsunade herself merely groaned.
...
It turned out that the outspoken person in the waiting room was none other than Anko Mitarashi, there for her appointment with Tsunade. She seemed surprised to see them, but recovered quickly, and in no way disguised the openly sexual look she threw at Kroqgar and Whisper (no one missed the smack of Kurenai's palm striking her forehead). She half-lidded her eyes and smiled in a way that made Kroqgar (and to a lesser extent Whisper) wish that their blush was still confined to their furred ears. "So that's why you were in such a rush earlier."
More surprising however, was the young woman waiting patiently in one of the chairs, who seemed even more surprised than Anko to see them. She gasped as she spotted them, and quickly looked away with a blush on her face after catching eyes with Kroqgar. Inwardly, Kroqgar and Whisper sighed and laughed respectively. It seemed that in this reality, Kroqgar was irresistible.
A voice floated from inside Tsunade's office. "Ayame, just wait for a little, my meeting with Anko won't take long."
"Yes Lady Hokage!" came the reply. Whisper and Kroqgar walked over to her, wishing to show that they were indeed trustworthy, and simply hoping to make another friend.
"Good morning Ayame!" said the taller shinobi with a smile.
"G-good morning!"
"How are you today?" smiled Whisper.
"Oh, I'm fine..."
The genin looked concerned. "Nothing's wrong, is it?" she asked.
"No, of course not!"
"Oh, good. I was just wondering why your seeing Lady Tsunade."
"Oh, it's nothing, really. Just...Uhhh..." The young woman panicked under the polite smiles of the two genin, and blurted the first thing that came to mind. "A new ramen recipe!!"
"Really?" said Whisper. "I didn't think the Hokage was concerned with that sort of stuff. Well anyway, I suppose that's good news, for Naruto at least. We'll make sure to tell him at training today, and he'll probably insist we join him to enjoy it later." Kakashi politely cleared his throat. "I guess we've gotta go, see you later!"
"Oh, yes, bye!" replied the somewhat flustered waitress, as Kroqgar waved. She sighed as they moved away from her, resigned to having to invent a new form of ramen today.
Just as they were leaving, they heard Tsunade yell, "Ok Anko, come in," and the special jounin headed for the doors. She passed between Kroqgar and Whisper, who both said their goodbyes, and who both felt a firm pinch on their backside as she passed them. Both managed to refrain from making a noise, but jumped several feet in the air. They stared at the kunoichi's retreating back, who seemed to have no idea what just happened. However, just as she entered the Hokage's office, she turned to close the doors, and gave them the most lustful look she could muster, licking her lips as she did. While this was enough to make them both dizzy, it was when she pressed her breasts between the closing doors, showing them off to their fullest before retreating into Tsunade's office and closing the doors with a small click that truly did in both of the genin, Whisper having to shake her head to rid herself of her daze, and Kroqgar stifling a nosebleed by passing it off as a sneeze.
Kurenai sighed.
...
Jiraiya was easy enough to find. None of them even had to ask, they all merely turned towards the hot springs as they exited the Hokage tower. Sure enough they found him, attempting to find a crack in the wall to peek through. Suspended above him, however, crawling his way along a low branch, was Naruto, slowly edging closer and closer towards the old sage. They all stopped to observe. Acting on the preternatural awareness everyone seems to possess when watched, Naruto looked their way and saw them. Grinning, he held a finger to his lips.
While on any other day, all present would have greatly enjoyed watching this scenario come to a close, they didn't have much time. With a sigh, Kroqgar stepped forward, and softly said, "I'll take care of this."
With a small pop, Kroqgar was gone, and in his place, appearing from behind a puff of smoke, was a terribly confused Naruto, stomach to the ground. Kakashi and Kurenai shared a glance, both thinking "He's able to perform a Substitution Jutsu without hand seals already?"
Kroqgar himself was lying prone on the branch above Jiraiya's head, though the branch was now swaying dangerously. The much larger shinobi weighed almost twice as much and was almost half again as tall as Naruto, and the branch was a tight fit.
Leaning forward, he whispered, "Jiraiya!"
The sannin, in a testament to his training, didn't jump or in any way show his surprise, merely glancing at Kroqgar out of the corner of his eye, before softly saying, "Beat it kid! You might be interesting but compared to what's going on in there I could care less!" He pointed towards the hot spring.
Once more Kroqgar demanded his attention. "Hey, see over there?"
Curiousity getting the better of him, the Toad Sage followed the direction of Kroqgar's pointing finger, to see a bored Kakashi, an amused Whisper and a fuming Kurenai and Naruto. Everyone's story checked out, except Naruto's.
"What's up with the brat?"
Kroqgar smiled. "He was lying on this branch, most likely about to yell out something about people perving on the women, when I swapped places with him." His smile broadened. "You owe me."
Jiraiya glanced between Kroqgar, the group, and the wall of the hot spring. Inside, a desire for research was struggling with a well-hidden but grudging sense of honour. "Repay Kroqgar for helping me avoid a beating, or continue risking a beating? Choices..."
Kroqgar, noticing the sannin's teetering mind, decided to seal the deal. "Also, this is a special request from Tsunade. She personally said that you would find this interesting."
That did it. Jiraiya rose from his sitting position, and began walking over towards the group. He did, however, turn back and smile evilly at Kroqgar. "I suppose I've learned a couple things from the brat as well." At Kroqgar's confused look, he merely drew a deep breath.
"Oh shit," thought the younger shinobi.
"PERVERT!!" Jiraiya ran off towards the group, laughing hard as he went. But Kroqgar was not to be outdone so easily.
He knew he had a grace period, for the women in the hot spring to recognize the shout, then to react to it, and finally to spot him. In the end, it was Jiraiya's rank as one of the greatest ninja in the world that did him in. He got to Whisper and the rest so fast that Kroqgar still had plenty of time, enough time in fact that he even waited a moment before pulling off his move. The next thing Jiraiya knew, he was standing on a tree branch, his long white hair flowing in the breeze, and clearly visible to all who might be looking for someone. Like, for example, a mob of angry and freshly washed women.
As the screams of pain and cries of mercy reached the ears of all present, Kroqgar turned away from watching the carnage to face Naruto. "Next time," he said, smiling widely, "I'm letting you do what you want. The old fart deserves it."
"Now you're talkin' my language!" said Naruto, all animosity forgotten at the comeuppance of a pervert.
...
As a group they all headed towards The Iron Kimono to see Hotaru, Kakashi and Kurenai thinking about their two newest students and wondering about their capabilities, Jiraiya engrossed in the scroll Kakashi had shown him, and Whisper, Kroqgar and Naruto simply talking about things. The young shinobi had been ecstatic that they were both placed on genin teams, and lamented that they both weren't being put on his team. "Anyone would be a good replacement for Sasuke!"
They soon arrived at the Iron Kimono, to find an ecstatic Ino perusing the contents of several crates that were apparently full of the newest shipment of shinobi fashion. At the sound of the door opening however, the young kunoichi turned to face them.
"Welcome to the Iron Kimono! Good morning Kakashi and Kurenai-senseis, and...uhhh..." Ino trailed off, face reddening, as she caught sight of Whisper and Kroqgar. Or, more accurately, Kroqgar. (Jiraiya had opted to head to The Wolf's Claw to inform Kaji of the meeting soon taking place, and Naruto followed him.) Kroqgar decided to help the poor girl.
"Kroqgar," he said with a smile, extending his hand. Ino, still slightly dazed, shook it, and darkened further at the skin contact. God, he was big!
Whisper introduced herself similarly before mentioning something that had been bothering her since she came in. "Excuse me, Ino?" The smaller genin (barely) tore her gaze away from Kroqgar to look at her. Gesturing at the girl's "Iron Kimono" nametag, she said, "I thought you worked at your family's flower shop?"
Stumped as to how this stranger knew that, she replied, "Well, I used to, but then I worked something out with my parents. My friend Sakura now works there, she always liked flowers more than me, and I get to work here, with clothes!!"
"Speaking of clothes, shouldn't you be unloading that new shipment instead of just talking?" spoke a new voice. "You don't want to be fired on your first day do you?" Hotaru emerged from the back room, slightly flushed, with a judgemental look leveled at Ino. The younger kunoichi immediately stood up ramrod straight, hands held by her sides, and said "No ma'am!" before immediately taking an armful of clothes and beginning to place them around the store.
Hotaru smiled affectionately the minute the girl's back was turned. Having her work here was a brilliant arrangement, she was a great help, and Hotaru would never be bored again, she could always just discuss fashion with Ino! She turned to face the group.
"Welcome everyone! Kakashi!" She grinned. "It's been too long..." The jounin nervously cleared his throat. "Kurenai, it's good to see you again! And Kroqgar, Whisper, welcome back! I hope everything's all right with the clothes?" she finished, with a worried expression.
"Hello Hotaru!" said Whisper brightly. "Everything's fine with the clothes, we came here to see you for something else." Hotaru followed Whisper's gaze to Kakashi, bearer of the scroll.
"Actually," said the jounin, "is there somewhere we can talk in private?"
Hotaru was mildly surprised at the request, but it was easily granted. "Sure, we'll use the back room. Just need to clear it out first." With a "wait here" she disappeared again, only to return moments later, this time with a bare-chested man in tow. (Hotaru grinned as she caught a wide-eyed Kurenai take a sharp breath. "Sorry honey," she thought, "But he's allll mine.") "Amiki, this is Kakashi, Kurenai, Kroqgar and Whisper. Everyone, this is Amiki, or Mike for short."
Mike smiled. "Though my friends call me Jayvee! Nice to meet you all," he said, as he shook each of their hands.
Hotaru's gaze was anything but innocent as her eyes roved over Jayvee's bare torso. "He's helping me out with a new project, being my dummy and my model."
Kurenai couldn't resist. "New project?" she said, with a quirked eyebrow.
Hotaru laughed. "Sure, see for yourself! He's wearing them now."
All eyes dropped to a slightly embarrassed Jayvee's waist, around which was tightly cinched a pair of pants the likes of which only two of the group had ever seen before, with various coloured senbon pinned through portions them.
"Are those...?" Whisper began, a smile crawling across her face.
"Your old clothes." Hotaru confirmed, smiling broadly herself. "Repaired and modified, of course. I call them "Kazenagares", and if I can manage it, every fashion conscious person in Konoha is going to be wearing a pair of Kazens before the month is over. You two are first on the waiting list, considering I got the idea from you, but Ino is a close second."
"DAMN STRAIGHT!"
They all laughed at the young fashion diva's exuberance. Once the mirth died down, everyone turned at a polite "hem-hem" coming from Kurenai.
"Waiting list?" she asked eagerly.
...
As Hotaru put Kurenai's name down, Kakashi sidled up to Jayvee.
"I imagine being a model for someone like Hotaru can be... interesting." Said the lazy ninja. His gaze implied he knew more than most about that which he spoke.
"Well, you didn't hear it from me..." Jayvee said, leaning in close, "But when she's working on anything below the waist, she gets... handsy."
Kakashi laughed dryly. "I can imagine."
...
Just over an hour later, Kroqgar could be found at Training Ground Three, nervously doing stretches to warm himself up. He and Whisper had been with Hotaru, Jiraiya and Koji in the latter's shop, sealed within a soundproof room, discussing the new weapons for the better part of an hour. The three elder Konohans were left flabbergasted by the ideas put forth by the pair, even Jiraiya admitting "There's some crap I've never seen before." All three had agreed to take on the task, on the one condition that they were present at the weapon's first trial, and Kroqgar and Whisper had joyfully agreed.
When asked how long it would take to complete the order, Kaji looked thoughtful for a moment, before turning to his favourite tailor. "I haven't got any projects this week, beyond my normal work. What about you Hotaru?"
"Hmmm..." She tapped her chin thoughtfully, before smiling. "Nothing a Shadow Clone and an overzealous assistant can't handle."
"Well..." said the big man, looking at his clasped hands. "If we have your full cooperation-"
"Which you will, considering they won't be on missions until the weapons are done," interrupted Jiraiya.
"Which we apparently will, considering that you won't be on missions until your armaments are completed," acknowledged Kaji, "I'd say...." He smiled. "About a week on my end."
Two genin jaws dropped. "That soon?" Whisper exclaimed.
"Of course! And I can assure you quality work. 'A Wolf's Claw never dulls!'"
"It'll take you a whole week Kaji?" Hotaru grinned cheekily. "I bet I can get my part done in five days."
The weaponsmith laughed. "Sorry, but even a week is pushing it for me. So I'd suggest you take your time, because I think you've got the hard part."
"The hard part?!" yelled Jiraiya, face indignant. "I have to handle all the seal work, plus I'll probably have to oversee the chakra shaping... If I want this done in a week, it's going to completely ruin any chances I get for research!"
Hotaru's eyes flashed. "You know," she began, smiling sweetly, "I have always wondered how good Anko's snakes, taught Tsunade's strength technique, dressed in my armour and enhanced by Kurenai's genjutsu would be at guard duty. Maybe we should test them out guarding the hot springs?"
"Who needs research, let's get started!"
At that the genin had left, leaving the three masters of their crafts to their research for the upcoming project, agreeing that they would return later that night at the same place to completely lay out the design and prepare for the creation. They parted ways as they headed for their individual training grounds, both smiling as they remembered Kakashi's instructions. Kurenai had had to abandon them on the journey to The Wolf's Claw, to help save a villager from a certain crazy Special Jounin, and Kakashi and Naruto had stopped outside the weapon shop.
"Whisper, Kurenai already told you all about your training today," said the lazy ninja, hand already straying to the orange book in his pouch, "This shouldn't take too long, so Kroqgar, I want you to meet us in an hour at our normal training ground, Training Ground-"
"Three," interrupted Whisper and Kroqgar in unison, both smiling widely. The jounin looked surprised for a moment, before heaving a deep sigh.
"That's going to get irritating..." As he slowly walked off, Naruto in tow, to find the remaining active member of Team 7, they heard the exuberant blonde begin questioning Kakashi, beginning with how they knew which training ground Team 7 used.
Kroqgar smiled (he seemed to be doing that a lot these days) as he remembered parting ways with Whisper. They had been holding hands walking along, when their paths split, and he wished her luck before saying goodbye and walking off. He didn't make it two steps before a hand on his shoulder spun him around, and a spiky, pink-haired bomb-shell wrapped her arms around him and pressed her lips against his. Momentarily surprised, he stood stock still for a moment, before embracing Whisper and reciprocating. She broke away a moment later, wished him luck with a big smile and a slight blush on her face, before turning on her heel and running off to her own training ground.
He watched her go with a massive smile on his face, thinking to himself, "Men of the world, eat your heart out, she chose me."
Now here he was, nervously fidgeting whilst waiting for his new teammates to arrive, alternating between pacing back and forth and staring in awe at the three wooden posts sunk into the ground before him. It was... difficult to comprehend. He was here. In a training ground of Konoha. Waiting for his ninja team to arrive so they could train. And speak of the ninja-devils, there they were, entering from a path through the trees. Silver and lazy, blonde and crazy, pink and moody... "Where's black and broody?"
A quick browse through the Naruto database that was his brain later, and Kroqgar remembered that Sasuke was currently in hospital after his fight with Itachi. "At least I don't have to deal with him just yet. Two is easier than three."
He noticed Sakura blush slightly as she saw him, but not near as much as previously. She must have noticed his obvious display of affection towards Whisper last night. Kakashi beckoned him over to the shade.
As he approached, the jounin gestured towards Sakura. "Sakura Haruno, meet Kroqgar, Kroqgar, Sakura Haruno."
When Kroqgar reached out to shake her hand, he noticed her face was barely pink. "Huh," he thought, "Must be used to me by now. Guess I just caught her off guard." "Pleased to meet you Sakura."
"Same here, Kroqgar."
"As of today, Kroqgar is officially a member of Team 7." Kakashi's admission caused Sakura some surprise. "He's a... special case, and he and his partner have been assigned to genin teams by the Hokage."
"Partner?" Sakura enquired.
"You saw her last night," Kroqgar clarified with a cheeky grin, "She's on Team 8 with Kurenai-sensei."
"Oh, ok."
"Anyway," continued the Copy ninja, "Why don't we all introduce ourselves to him, likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams for the future, you know the drill." He caught Kroqgar's eye, and in that glance seemed to convey "I know you probably know them better than they know themselves, but they don't know that, and they don't know you."
"Why don't you go first Kakashi-sensei!" exclaimed Naruto, jumping to his feet and pointing at the silver-haired shinobi. "And this time do it properly!"
With a sigh and a shrug, Kakashi informed them, "I'm Kakashi Hatake. I like..." His hand strayed to the pouch at his waist. "A good book."
Kroqgar sweatdropped, but Sakura and Naruto faceplanted, legs twitching.
"I dislike... not being able to read a good book. Dreams for the future? Reading more good books. Hobbies? Reading."
Seeing that Naruto and Sakura were seconds away from jumping the (admittedly, occasionally infuriating) jounin, Kroqgar swiftly stepped in.
"My name is Kroqgar. I like-"
"Hang on!" Naruto interrupted. "Don't you have a last name?"
Kroqgar considered this. He supposed he didn't, which wasn't unheard of: Who the hell knew Tenten's last name? Still, this was as good an opportunity as any, if he wanted one. He'd never thought about having one before, but in a flash of inspiration the perfect answer came to him. A warm smile spread across his face.
"My last name is Shinseikatsu." Kakashi eye-smiled at him as he realized what the name meant, happy for the younger ninja. Naruto and Sakura simply looked confused.
"New life? Is that a clan? I've never heard of it before." asked the kunoichi.
Kroqgar easily sidestepped her question. "I'll tell you the story another time. Where was I? I like those who help others; I dislike people who don't keep their word. Since I... arrived here my whole perspective has changed, so I haven't really thought about my dreams for the future, and I don't really have any hobbies." He looked to Sakura.
"I'm Sakura Haruno." She considered her answers more than she had previously: she had matured, and was not so willing to present herself as a hopeless devotee of Sasuke to a new shinobi of unknown strength she had just met, and whom she found to be quite likeable. "I like people who work hard to better themselves, and I dislike people who don't realize that they have to work hard for their goals. My dream for the future is to surpass Tsunade as a medical ninja. And I suppose flower arranging would be my hobby."
"Very good Sakura." Kakashi was more than pleased with her progress: he was ecstatic. Not that it showed. "How about you Naruto?"
"My name's Naruto Uzumaki! I love ramen, and I hate people who think they can't change anything. My dream for the future is to become the Hokage! I like to train and collect ramen!" Kroqgar found out something the mangas had never been able to accurately portray as he dug in one ear with his little finger: Naruto was several decibels too loud.
"Not much has changed there," thought Kakashi wearily. "Ok then... So, the training you two are doing today is very simple. In fact, it's probably the easiest training you've ever had to do." Both Naruto and Sakura leaned forward, excited at the prospect of less work. "All you have to do is watch me and Kroqgar spar."
This sounded fine to Sakura, but the more energetic Naruto was not so convinced. Leaping to his feet, Naruto shouted, "WATCH?! THAT'S ALL WE GET TO DO?!"
"Ok, since you insist Naruto..." Kakashi's tone indicated he had seen this one coming a mile away. "As soon as I'm finished with Kroqgar I'll give you and Sakura some training you'll never forget. Maybe I'll even get Gai-sensei to help?" There was no way in hell the lazy jounin would ever ask for training help from Gai, but these two didn't know that. It was fun to make them sweat.
Kroqgar, however, saw through him immediately, and decided to score some points with his new teammates. "I wouldn't worry about it Kakashi-sensei, I'm sure your skill as a teacher is more than enough." Kakashi easily caught his barely hidden smile.
"Well, I certainly hope so...Anyway, Kroqgar, shall we?" The two of them walked out towards the center of the training field. "Sakura, Naruto, remember, you have to watch us. I don't know how far this battle will range, so be ready to move."
"Yes Kakashi-sensei!"
Kroqgar and Kakashi faced each other. "Are you ready?" asked the senior shinobi.
Kroqgar's smile betrayed his nerves. "Not really."
"Just relax. You've got the skills, even if you haven't used them. They'll come to you."
"Ok... But before we begin I want to warn you."
"Oh?" Kakashi's eyebrow quirked.
"I don't know how powerful I am. I've never gone all out, and some of my abilities I haven't even used yet. I'm going to give this everything I've got, because we both need to know my capabilities, but just... keep on your toes."
"Don't worry about me. Even if you are ten times more powerful than myself, I have one thing you don't: experience. Now remember: you won't get anywhere-"
"If I don't aim to kill you, I know."
Kakashi smiled, and slowly raised his headband, revealing his Sharingan eye. Everyone gasped at this, Naruto and Sakura that he was taking this so seriously, and Kroqgar simply at seeing the legendary ocular phenomenon in action. "I'm actually quite excited, it's not often I face an opponent with completely unknown capabilities. I suppose my regular tricks won't work on you as well; you've seen them all. I'm going to have to try out some new things."
Kroqgar was none too reassured.
Chapter 6, for your viewing pleasure! I know I said it would be up a few days ago, but I had some pretty massive writer's block on the office scene, plus there was a lot of story fleshing out going on, and I got a ton of ideas. Kept having to incorporate them in 'cos they were so awesome, then having to go back and re-write the story... ugh. Anyways, Chapter 7 should be up in maybe a week? Probably longer, but hopefully a week.
So, as always, please rate it, review it and comment on it. I can't improve myself if I don't know what to improve, and you, dear reader, are the one who tells me. However, the question I leave you with this time is: How powerful should they each be, and what special abilities might they have? I've got my ideas, but another perspective is always welcome. Thank you for reading.