The Tournament in the Land of Iron
The Mission Begins
Anko and her three genin were currently walking through the forest at a steady pace towards the port. It was still a few hours away, and they wanted to get there before nightfall if they could help it. The trip was relatively quiet for everyone. Naruto was holding a scroll in his hands as they walked together, making the others turn to him.
“Naruto-kun, what are you reading?” Hinata asked, and the blonde genin grinned as he held down the scroll.
“This is one of my Ka-chan’s scrolls. She gave it to me to memorize, so I figured I’d read this while we walk,” Naruto said, and Hinata nodded while Shikamaru rubbed his head with a small sigh.
“You couldn’t get me to do genjutsu. It’s too troublesome, though. I wonder if I should be surprised that you can. You seemed more like the type that would go for the ninjutsu and taijutsu aspects,” Shikamaru told him, and Naruto nodded in agreement.
“Well, Ka-chan really drilled into me the aspects of genjutsu and the like. Also, I’ve always wanted to learn her techniques, so I just did it. Anko-nee told me that it’s a good idea to be all-rounded and not stick to one particular style,” Naruto said in response, and Anko grinned as she wrapped her arm around Naruto’s neck.
“That’s right, I did. I’d do it all again,” Anko said, making the group chuckle lightly before they fell into silence again.
“Um, Anko-sensei, does the place we’re going to have shinobi?” Hinata asked, and Anko nodded with a small grin as she explained.
“That’s right, little Hina-chan. It sure does. It’s not one of the five great nations which hold the most shinobi and political power in the world, but it’s considered a country with military power. The odds of us meeting shinobi is rather a gamble. But bandits and the other stuff is almost a certainty. Now then, let’s get moving. Team Anko, or well, keep our guides waiting,” Anko said, and everyone increased their pace towards the docks.
A bit later, Anko and her team made it to the docks in about 3 hours and looked around. They saw plenty of sailors carrying supplies onto boats, and they quickly looked around.
“All right, the scroll says that the ship is around this general area,” Anko said, and everyone nodded as they watched people work. Soon there was a man who came up to them and got their immediate attention.
“Hey, are you the group of Konoha shinobi?” The sailor asked in a gruff voice. Everyone on Team 8 nodded as the sailor sighed in relief.
“Finally, we’re about to ship off to Numa Nokuni, and we thought you wouldn’t make it. Please, we should hurry before they cast off,” he said as everyone followed him to the ship.
It wasn’t a very big ship. More or less, it was a merchant ship built for fast travel. A little durable, but not the same quality as others. Naruto and his teammates got on the boat quickly, then watched as Anko talked with the captain about some things. She handed him some papers before walking over to them.
“All right, we are to guard this ship from any bandits or pirates that happen to try and sink us. Don’t worry, we have a plan in case they do get here. A lot of people want to get their hands on this scroll, so make sure we get this done right. In the meantime, I’ll be teaching you all a little trick of mine,” Anko told them, which made everyone gulp a little bit.
“So, what are we doing?” Shikamaru asked, and Anko took out a small smoke bomb. Everyone raised their eyebrows as she stood to her feet. She walked a few ways to the edge of the ship and smiled.
“This is one of my specially-made smoke bombs that will explode on impact. Use your chakra to layer your hands, keeping the bomb from exploding. It’s my own personal chakra exercise,” Anko said as she threw the ball to Naruto. The blonde gulped and quickly layered his hands with chakra as he caught it. On instinct, Naruto held it for a second to make sure it wouldn’t explode inside. He threw the ball to Hinata, and the Hyuga caught it—or rather fumbled with it for a little while—before handing it to Shikamaru. The Nara simply caught it and threw it back to Anko, and the same process went on throughout the ship.
The Council Meeting
Back in Konoha, Sarutobi had quickly arranged a council meeting after he had received the letter from Kumo. It was quite a major thing that was happening, and everyone was gathered around in little to no time at all. Sarutobi sighed as he sat in his seat while everyone looked confused as to the reason for their presence.
“Hokage-sama, what’s the problem?” Shikaku asked as Sarutobi looked to be in a daze while he was thinking over his words. Everyone started to mutter to themselves over what could possibly be the problem. Sarutobi looked up and reached into his clothes.
“Early today, I received a note from Kumo. It’s about the arrangement of a political marriage,” Sarutobi said, making everyone gasp. Some unconsciously turned to the Hyuga head, Hiashi, and saw he still had his apathetic face. Unusual.
“A political marriage, but isn’t that a little out of the blue?” Sumi asked, and everyone seemed to agree with her while Shikaku stood to his feet.
“Hokage-sama, may I see that note?” the Nara asked, and Sarutobi handed the note to him. Shikaku looked it over and narrowed his eyes as he read the note out loud.
“To Konoha’s Hokage, Kumo has recently discussed the prospects of the deal that we had made with Konoha many years ago. We have recognized our mistake in asking for compensation for the kill of one of our jonin and realized that we were at fault for trying to disregard the treaty. In offer of not creating war in the future, we’d like to set up a treaty now in the form of a political marriage of our best genin student with yours. Respond as soon as possible so we may go over the terms of agreement. —Kumo’s Raikage.”
Shikaku finished, and everyone narrowed their eyes, especially Hiashi.
“Who’s our top genin?” someone asked, and Sarutobi slightly grinned. He held up the list of the most recent graduates of academy students.
“Well, based on academy stats, then that’s Naruto Uzumaki,” Sarutobi said, and some people scowled at the name, which wasn’t missed on the old Hokage as he sighed. But there was nothing they could do about it at all.
“So, are we going to accept this?” Inoichi asked, and Sarutobi rubbed the back of his head before calmly taking off his hat. He in truth wasn’t sure how to feel about this. Here was Kumo trying to make amends for what they did, but a political marriage.
“I think we should take it. Kumo is the only country that rivals us in military power. I think for the sake of avoiding war, then we should do it,” Shikaku said, and some people agreed with him.
“So, we should go with it then. Well, all right. But it’s majority vote. How many say no?” Sarutobi asked, and the civilian council raised their hands. Granted, this wasn’t about the treaty, but Naruto actually being able to marry someone.
“And those who say yes?” Sarutobi asked, and the shinobi side raised their hands except Hiashi. Everyone glanced at the Hyuga head, and Sarutobi sighed. He rubbed the bridge of his nose before addressing the stern-looking Hyuga.
“Hiashi, without you, the vote is tied. What do you say?” Sarutobi asked, and Hiashi took the time to glance at everyone. All eyes were on him as the Hyuga sighed.
“For the longest time and even now, I can’t say that I completely forgive Kumo for what they made us do. I lost my brother to them, and I don’t think I’m ready to fully accept them,” Hiashi said, and most of the civilian council smiled while the shinobi side sighed. “But I know when to try and forgive something. At least they are trying to make amends. I guess I agree with it.”
Hiashi said, and the shinobi side smiled with a nod while Sarutobi furled up the scroll.
“All right then, I’ll send a reply immediately,” Sarutobi said as he got up from his seat and left the room while Shikaku turned to Hiashi.
“I seriously thought you were going to say no to that one,” Shikaku told him, and Hiashi closed his eyes while getting up from his seat.
“Personal feelings shouldn’t rise above the need for the village to grow stronger. I simply acted on that belief,” Hiashi said as he left the room. Sumi and the others got up also, and the Inuzuka head tapped Shikaku’s shoulder.
“So who’s telling this to Kurenai?” Sumi asked, and everyone glanced at Shikaku, making the Nara sweat drop.
“Sigh. So damn bothersome. She’s going to kill me,” Shikaku said, and everyone patted him on the shoulder and wished him the best of luck with the ice queen of Konoha.
The Attack at Sea
Back with Team 8, two days later.
Naruto sighed as he looked out of the bow of the ship. He was so bored. They had been at sea for two days, and so far there were no bandits to fight at all. He figured that they should be grateful for that. But still, he would have liked something to do. Anko had been teaching them her chakra control exercises, which even involved Shikamaru and Hinata trying to walk on water with their chakra, and the end result was them falling more than a couple of times. But they got that down no problem after the first few attempts. It made Naruto slightly smile because it took him no more than a few hours to learn it.
Naruto turned his head and saw Shikamaru on the deck looking up at the clouds while Hinata and Anko were talking about something. He then opened his jacket and watched Makata uncurl from the ball she had tied herself in to conserve her body heat. Naruto chuckled as he soon saw Makata look at him.
“Is something wrong, Naruto-sama?” Makata asked, and Naruto shook his head. Makata forked her tongue for a bit and she tensed up, which made Naruto know that something was wrong. The last time Makata tensed up was when she felt a small disturbance when Naruto was training with Kurenai at one point. Her tensing meant something was about to go down and it might be bad.
“Makata, do you feel something?” Naruto asked, and Makata nodded. She slithered out of Naruto’s jacket and proceeded to wrap around his neck.
“People are coming, Naruto-sama. I don’t know how many, but there is someone dangerous in their group,” Makata told him, and Naruto quickly stood to his feet. He saw a fog rolling in and narrowed his eyes. It was still sunlight, and no fog should be coming in unless it was an unnatural fog.
Naruto walked over to Shikamaru and woke him up, which irked the Nara a bit.
“Naruto, what’s the matter?” Shikamaru asked, and Naruto narrowed his eyes.
“We’re about to have some company,” Naruto told Shikamaru, and the Nara fully woke up. They walked over to Anko and Hinata, deciding to warn them also.
“Anko-nee, Makata thinks we’re about to have some company, and I believe her. There is a fog rolling in at the moment,” Naruto said to his sister, and Anko got up also with a sigh. She narrowed her eyes with a nod before she bit her thumb.
“Kuchiyose no jutsu!” Anko yelled, and soon a medium-sized python came on the deck of the ship.
“Greetings, Anko-sama. How may I help you?” The snake asked, and Anko grinned.
“We’re about to have some company. Can you help take care of it?” Anko asked, and the snake nodded. He then turned to see Makata and grinned.
“Come on, kiddo. If you’re going to be Naruto-sama’s familiar, then you’ll need training also,” the snake said, and Makata nodded. Then they both slithered off into the water and disappeared.
Naruto and his team waited as the fog rolled over the ship, and Anko barked her orders.
“Everyone get under the deck and don’t come out till we say so,” Anko yelled, and all the workers went below deck while Naruto took out his kodachi.
“All right, here we go,” Naruto said as he weaved his hand signs. He carefully sunk into the ground while Anko smirked, using one of his Ka-chan’s favorite techniques.
“That’s just like him,” Anko said as she quickly hid behind a door while Shikamaru and Hinata hid in a door next to hers. The four saw about four boats arrive, each with three people in them. Team Anko could only watch as they boarded the ship and looked around.
“On my signal,” Anko said as the bandits looked around. Soon another person came on, and she smiled. She had a sword attached to her back, but her face was covered with a hunter-nin mask. She was in her mid-20s while she had blue hair flowing down her form. The only reason Naruto knew she was a girl was because she had the figure of one. At least he knew she was a girl and not some guy looking like one. That’d be so weird.
“There doesn’t seem to be anyone here, Kiyoko-sama,” a bandit said, and the woman smiled before she chuckled.
“Don’t be naive. There is always someone here. I didn’t get to be Yagura-sama’s second in command by going on things like that,” Kiyoko said, making Naruto raise an eyebrow.
“Who’s Yagura?” Naruto wondered. But then the girl unsheathed her sword and stepped forward.
“We know you’re in here. If you don’t want to die, then you will come out immediately,” she said, and everyone tensed. Hearing no response, Kiyoko chuckled as her sword glowed in seals. She walked around the ship and slashed a small barrel, making it explode.
“Now!” she yelled, and everyone tensed again. Anko sighed as she gave a small signal that everyone on her team noticed before she opened the door with her hands up.
“All right, calm down. I’m here. Are you happy now?” Anko asked, and the woman chuckled as she walked up to the snake mistress.
“So Konoha is here. I hope you know what I want,” Kiyoko said, and Anko raised an eyebrow. She put a finger to her chin and shrugged her shoulders.
“Sorry, but I’ve got no idea what you could want. Mind telling me?” Anko asked, and the Kiyoko woman’s eyebrow twitched before she pointed her sword at Anko’s throat.
“I don’t enjoy jokes, so I suggest that you tell me right now,” Kiyoko said as Anko narrowed her eyes. The snake mistress spared a glance at Naruto, who grinned like mad, and she sighed.
“I really don’t know what the hell you want,” Anko said, and Kiyoko chuckled before she turned around. She snickered, making her men back up out of fear before she turned to Anko and glared at the woman.
“Everyone wants to play with me. They don’t take me seriously. They think I’m an idiot. I want that document to Numa Nokuni. I refuse for them to gain any ground. Do you know what they did to me? I’ll kill anyone who tries to make contact with them,” Kiyoko said to Anko, and the purple-haired woman raised an eyebrow again before chuckling.
“Oh, is that all you wanted? Well, tough luck ’cause you’ll have to kill me to take it,” Anko said with a smile, making Shikamaru and Hinata widen their eyes. Anko winked at Naruto, and the blonde quickly went through his hand signs while Kiyoko shrugged.
“Suit yourself,” Kiyoko said as she easily slashed Anko in half. The snake mistress gasped as she started to bleed. Kiyoko grinned at her accomplishment before the vision of Anko faded into nothingness, making her frown.
“It’s a trick!” Kiyoko yelled as Naruto jumped out of the ground and smiled.
“Isn’t that obvious?” Naruto asked as everyone turned around. Naruto finished his hand signs and grinned.
“Genjutsu: Kokuangyo no jutsu! Illusion: Infinite Darkness Technique!” Naruto yelled as the darkness quickly enveloped everyone in the vicinity. This was the only A-rank genjutsu technique that he knew. It was also the only one that he learned that wasn’t made from his mother. Lastly, it was the only A-rank technique he knew altogether. Kurenai had showed him the technique during one of their training sessions. She said that all true genjutsu users knew this technique, and she only told Naruto to use it if the situation called for it, which he figured was a good enough time for this.
Kiyoko and her men tensed as they felt the darkness surround them. It was kind of heavy and at the same time very thick.
“Kiyoko-sama, how do we get out of here? I can’t see anything in front of me,” the guy said, and Kiyoko rolled her eyes.
“Calm down. This is nothing,” Kiyoko said before she felt a slash come across her side. She winced at the pain, then gasped as she was kicked across the face, sending her to the ground. Kiyoko cursed as she got to her feet.
“Shikamaru, it’s time that you did your part,” Naruto yelled, and Shikamaru nodded as he knelt down on one knee and did his hand signs.
“Kage mane no jutsu!” Shikamaru yelled as he sent his shadow going for the figures. He was lucky that they were standing still thanks to Naruto’s genjutsu, and they stayed that way.
“Kage mane success,” Shikamaru said as Anko signaled for Hinata. The Hyuga charged at Kiyoko’s men and quickly disabled them with her juken and Byakugan. She wasted no time at all, and she was lucky just as Kiyoko grew aware of her surroundings.
“Damn brat, I’m going to get you for that,” Kiyoko said as she charged at Naruto. The blonde widened his eyes as she slashed her sword at him, but Naruto dodged her and grinned as he took out his kodachi. He quickly went through a hand sign while Kiyoko looked at the ground.
“Hi!” Naruto said as a seal tag exploded, but Kiyoko easily dodged it and turned to Anko.
“Not bad for the snake mistress of Konoha. You have some good genin,” Kiyoko said as she turned around to Anko. The snake mistress chuckled with a nod as she dropped into a taijutsu stance.
“Well, I try. Don’t lower your guard or my kitties are going to mess you up,” Anko said, and she and Kiyoko fought each other. They both moved fast and hard as the sounds of combat filled the boat.
Anko handed the document to Naruto, and the blonde grinned as he put it in his pouch, making Kiyoko narrow her eyes.
“You know, why don’t you remove that mask so I can see the face of the person whose butt I’m kicking,” Anko said, and Kiyoko chuckled at the tokubetsu jonin. Kiyoko reached for her mask, and Naruto waited with some baited breath. But Kiyoko put her hand down.
“Sorry, but no one is to see my face. Now then, how about I kill you all, take that note, and rip it to shreds,” Kiyoko said with a smile behind her mask as Naruto came in front of Anko.
“With who? It hardly seems fair that it’s four against one,” Naruto said, and Kiyoko chuckled as she raised her hand into the air.
“Don’t worry about that, as I have—” She stopped when she heard screaming. Naruto and Anko chuckled as they heard the cries of people as two snakes destroyed the boats and the people on them. Naruto and Anko chuckled as the woman behind the mask gritted her teeth into a smile.
“All right, kid. You just signed your death wish,” Kiyoko said, and Naruto quickly blocked her sword strike with his two kodachi. But she was stronger, and he wasn’t. She showed that when she quickly pivoted her foot and in a swift motion, she sent Naruto flying into the air, but the blonde wasn’t finished. He watched as Shikamaru and Hinata clashed with her also, along with Anko. And Naruto had to act fast.
“Well, let’s see what can I do,” Naruto wondered as he didn’t want to destroy the boat, but then he got a good idea. The blonde quickly weaved his hand signs and cast another genjutsu as his teammates began to fade around Kiyoko’s vision. She watched the ship break apart as she fell into the water. She coughed and looked around. She gasped when the waves picked up around her and consumed her, causing her to stumble further and further into the depths.
“Kiyoko, you have failed me,” a small young man said, and Kiyoko widened her eyes. She was looking at Yagura, her former Mizukage.
“Yagura-sama, I didn’t fail you,” Kiyoko said, and Yagura turned his back to her.
“I have no need for someone like you. Go live out the rest of your days in despair,” Yagura said before he disappeared. Kiyoko widened her eyes as the darkness swirled around her and easily consumed her.
“And that’s game, dattebayo,” Naruto said as Kiyoko widened her eyes. She saw she had been pinned to a wall by Anko with a kunai to her neck. She huffed and looked to see Hinata, Shikamaru, and Naruto grinning at her. Anko turned around and snickered.
“Nice genjutsu, Naruto,” Anko told her while Kiyoko raised an eyebrow.
“Genjutsu?” she asked, and Naruto sheepishly chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head. He patted Hinata’s shoulder and Shikamaru’s shoulder.
“Heh, if you guys didn’t distract her like we planned, then it would have failed. Still, I can’t believe that worked. I seriously thought she’d kill us,” Naruto said, making everyone slightly chuckle.
“Just get it over with. Kill me so I don’t have to be near you all anymore,” Kiyoko said, and everyone rolled their eyes at her. Anko placed a chakra restriction seal on her before walking the jonin-level shinobi to the bottom of the ship.
“Well, we obviously can’t leave her down here, so who’s going to watch her until we reach the shore?” Anko asked deviously, making the three genin sweat drop as she pointed out that she wouldn’t be doing it. Naruto sighed as he raised his hand, offering to do so. Anko smirked and nodded while she, Shikamaru, and Hinata left the blonde alone.
Naruto sat down in the storage hold of the ship. Kiyoko slightly growled while Naruto took out a scroll. Both were relatively quiet and didn’t have anything to say to each other, much less acknowledge the other’s presence. This was going to be a long boat ride for them both
The Political Marriage
Back in Kumo, a short blond-haired girl was seen walking towards the Raikage mansion. She was fairly light-skinned with light blue eyes that showed a small coldness in them. Her clothes consisted of a gray short-sleeved shirt along with some gray Kumo shorts. She wore some arm guards and leg guards while she was wearing some black shinobi sandals. She walked along with her teammates who were next to her. One had red hair and the other had white hair. The three were Samui, Karui, and Omoi. They had just received news from their Raikage and were on their way to the mansion.
“So, what do you think he wants with you, Samui? You didn’t do something, did you?” Karui asked with a grin while Samui rolled her eyes.
“Very funny. Let’s get going,” Samui said, and her teammates followed her up the stairs of the Raikage mansion. They had all just completed a mission with their sensei. They wanted to rest for a bit. But when Raikage called for them, they didn’t mind walking for a little longer.
Samui knocked on the door and waited for a reply from their Raikage.
“Come in,” A said, and Samui opened the door. She walked inside along with her team, and everyone bowed to their Raikage who made them raise their heads. Everyone did so and stood before A and waited for him to speak.
“All right, everyone. The reason I’ve called you here is because of a treaty we have made with Konoha,” A said, making the three genin narrow their eyes. They sat down in some chairs available to them and allowed their Raikage to continue.
“Is that a good thing though?” Omoi asked, and A nodded before continuing.
“That’s right, it is. A few hours ago, we received a message from Konoha saying that they would like to enter the treaty with us, and we’ll be meeting them soon,” A said to them, and Samui placed one leg over the other.
“So, what does this have to do with us?” Samui asked while Karui and Omoi tensed, and the Raikage noticed.
“It’s not really all of you, but you, Samui. You are going to have a political marriage with their best male genin,” A said, making Samui narrow her eyes. Karui dropped her jaw and Omoi widened his eyes.
“You’re kidding. Why does Samui have to get married to someone she doesn’t know? And why are we even making this treaty at all? Did we do something wrong?” Karui asked before Samui calmed her down along with Omoi, and A tapped the desk of his table.
“You three weren’t old enough at the time to know about it. But there was a certain incident that happened between us and Konoha. I wasn’t the Raikage at the time, but my father, the Sandaime Raikage, was, and he was known for being power-hungry on more than one occasion. We had a treaty with Konoha before, but our Sandaime did something. He tried to kidnap the Hyuga clan heiress when she was a child,” A said, making Samui, Karui, and Omoi gasp. But it continued on.
“Anyway, the Hyuga killed our jonin and rescued their heiress back. But learning of it, Kumo warned Konoha that if we didn’t receive some compensation that we’d go to war, and so they offered one of their Hyuga members in return for the life of our own shinobi. Only then did we realize the mistake in what we did, but it was too late. Konoha hasn’t tried anything with us, but we know that they secretly wanted compensation and would rather go through another war. We both agreed to a political marriage,” A finished, and Samui looked at the ground. Karui and Omoi remained silent and let the news sink in.
“I see. So, who am I marrying?” Samui asked, and Karui widened her eyes.
“Samui, you’re not really going through with this, are you?” Karui asked, and Samui nodded. She stood to her feet and simply gazed out the window.
“It’s all right, Karui,” Samui said, but Karui shook her head.
“No, it’s not. You could have a total bastard for a husband and you wouldn’t mind?” Karui asked, and Samui sighed. She closed her eyes and folded her arms underneath her rather impressive assets.
“I said it’s all right. So, Raikage-sama, who am I marrying?” Samui asked with a cold glare, and A stood to his feet.
“We just know it’s their top genin. We’ll be leaving for Konoha in a day. But don’t worry just yet. Before this marriage can be fully agreeable, I’ll have something to prove this boy’s worth. And if I don’t like it, then the marriage might be off or you’ll get another mate,” A said to her, and Samui merely nodded while Karui seemed somewhat satisfied with that answer.
“Well, I guess that’s great. So, what are you going to do?” Karui asked with a grin.
In Konoha, Kurenai widened her eyes at what Shikaku just told her. The Nara head gulped as Kurenai narrowed her eyes into a cold glare, making people around them slightly back away. She quickly got to her feet and walked towards the Hokage mansion.
“I’m getting an explanation, and I’m getting it now,” Kurenai said to herself, leaving Shikaku mentally screaming for his Hokage to find someplace safe, but it was too late. He followed Kurenai as they walked up the stairs. And while Kurenai was mad, she wasn’t mad enough that she would burst into the Hokage’s office. But she really had to suppress the urge. She knocked on the door, waiting for the Hokage to answer.
Sarutobi heard the door get knocked on and gulped. He could feel the killing intent radiating through the door, and he really didn’t want to open it, but he did nonetheless.
“Come in,” he said with a slight shudder in his voice as Kurenai opened the door. She quickly erased the distance between herself and the Hokage before she had her hands on the desk.
“Sarutobi-sama, please explain to me about the news I just heard. What’s this about my son being used in a political marriage to Kumo?” Kurenai asked, and Sarutobi gulped again. He could feel the lump in his throat and swallowed it down.
“Well, Kurenai-san, let’s talk about this calmly. All right?” Sarutobi asked, and Kurenai glared at the Hokage for a minute before stepping back and sitting in a chair. Doing that, Sarutobi explained to her about the entire thing with Kumo, making Kurenai understand the situation. She sighed when she calmed down. It was just like her Naruto to be in this situation because he was the strongest genin. That made things difficult.
“And that’s all, Kurenai-san. I have told you everything,” Sarutobi said, and Kurenai leaned her arms on her legs. She looked at the ground and sighed. She closed her eyes for a few minutes and leaned back up.
“Sigh. I suppose I can see that, but that doesn’t mean I approve of this course of action. Sarutobi-sama, I’m Naruto’s mother, and you should have told me,” Kurenai told him, and Hiruzen apologized for it. Kurenai rubbed her temples and sighed.
“I can only wonder how Naruto-kun is going to take this,” Kurenai said to herself, but Sarutobi nodded also as he wondered how the blonde would take it also. Kurenai got up from her seat fast and headed for the door.
“I’m going to go think. Oh, and Sarutobi-sama. When I’m done thinking about this, I want to know why you sent my Naruto-kun on a C-rank mission,” Kurenai said as she closed the door with a glare while Sarutobi slammed his head on the desk. This day just wasn’t going well for him at all.
Unlikely Bond
Back with Naruto, the blonde sighed as he read through his scroll. He noticed out of the corner of his eyes that Makata had slithered down the stairs. The Kiyoko woman seemed to notice also, but it confused her when she saw Naruto open his jacket, and she watched as the snake slithered into the jacket. Then nothing else happened.
Naruto sighed as he found it to be late. He got up from where he was sitting and walked upstairs. Kiyoko watched him leave, but he quickly came back 2 minutes later with a tray of food. He walked up to her and sighed.
“Here, you should eat something,” Naruto said. But Kiyoko just stayed silent and ignored him. Naruto’s eyebrow twitched as he glared at the woman in the white mask. He sighed and knelt down. He grabbed her mask, which certainly got a rise out of her at the moment.
“What the hell are you doing, brat? Let go of my mask,” she yelled as Naruto stopped his hand.
“Oh, so you can talk. I thought a snake had your tongue for a second. Now then, eat. You need your strength,” Naruto told her, and the swordsman glared at her captor.
“I’m fine. Now leave me alone,” Kiyoko said, and Naruto sighed as he left the tray in front of her. He then sat back down in his spot and continued to read his scroll before he muttered something.
“Don’t be mad at me ’cause you fell for a C-rank genjutsu,” Naruto said with a snicker, and the woman gritted her teeth behind her mask. Who was this guy that could piss her off so much?
“Hmph. I was simply distracted. Plus, I wasn’t even serious. That’s why you won. Don’t get—” she muttered, and Naruto chuckled.
“And that’s why you’re tied up and hungry, but too damn stubborn to eat the food I want to give you,” the blonde told her, and Kiyoko growled. It was also embarrassing when her stomach growled, making Naruto give a hidden smirk.
“Told ya, dattebayo,” Naruto said, and Kiyoko growled again.
“Hmph. Maybe you need food, but I don’t. Just go back to reading your worthless scroll right there,” Kiyoko told him, and Naruto turned to her. He stood up and walked over to her and reached for her mask.
“Don’t you dare touch me,” Kiyoko yelled, and Naruto didn’t stop. He took off her mask and watched her remaining hair fall to the sides of her face. Naruto raised an eyebrow at her before he had one word to say.
“Beautiful,” the blonde said in slight awe, and Kiyoko raised an eyebrow before slightly blushing.
“Shut up and put my mask back on,” she said to him, and Naruto shook his head.
“Why should you hide your face? If you weren’t the enemy, I might say you were something nice,” Naruto told her, and Kiyoko snorted.
“Flattery gets you nowhere,” Kiyoko said, and Naruto simply shrugged his shoulders while Kiyoko was wondering why she was even talking to the blonde in the first place. She easily tried to chalk that up to the boredom of being tied up. Not to mention, she was also hungry, but her pride made her refuse.
“So, are you going to eat or not?” Naruto asked, and his response was a “Hmph” while Kiyoko turned her back to him. Naruto chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head. He knew this type of woman as he saw a lot of her in his sister, Anko.
“I’ll never eat that slop,” Kiyoko said to him, and Naruto grinned as he took a spoonful of food.
“All right, I guess I’ll eat it myself. I hate to let food go to waste,” Naruto said to her, and Kiyoko’s eyebrow twitched. She heard the utensils clatter over the plates as she heard Naruto compliment the food. She could feel her resolve weakening as her stomach grew tighter. Her hair shadowed her eyes, and she gritted her teeth.
“Back off the food, it’s—” Kiyoko stopped as Naruto popped the spoon in her mouth and smiled as he saw Kiyoko’s surprised face. The blonde took it out of her mouth and smiled as Kiyoko swallowed the food.
“I can eat by myself,” the woman said, and Naruto nodded as he took another spoonful of food and held it up to her mouth. The woman glared at him, and Naruto simply kept up his smile.
“Just eat the food, dattebayo,” Naruto told her, and Kiyoko grumbled before reluctantly taking more of the food. Naruto continued this process until all the food was gone and the woman was satisfied.
The blonde sighed and grinned. “Now, was that so hard?” Naruto asked, and Kiyoko rolled her eyes at him before the blonde walked back to his seat and opened up a book.
“I knew I saw your face before. You’re Kiyoko Fura, the A-rank missing-nin from Kirigakure. You’re wanted by nearly all of Kiri,” Naruto said, and Kiyoko raised an eyebrow.
“Mind telling me why a genin knows about the bingo book
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Nice a story 😀👍 i am biggest fan of Naruto uzamaki
Ohh really