Dream On Chapter Six
Authors’ Notes: Minna-san, I’m SO sorry about the long wait for this chapter. It’s been so busy since the last one. First I had to finish TAFE for the year, then came Christmas and my birthday (Christmas eve so it was a double-whammy) and of course New Years Eve (I went to the fireworks here in Sydney, yay!). Then I renovated my room, which meant no computer for poor Neko. But rejoice, the chapter is done and here for you to enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own the series Naruto (both manga and anime), and I do not endeavor to make it seem like I do. The only thing I own the plot of this story. Don’t bother suing me, you won’t get much and it will cost you heaps in lawyer bills. Neither do I own the character Saki-chan who is mentioned in this chapter. She is the creation of the wonderful Askerian / Asuka Kureru. I am only borrowing her briefly. I promise to put her back where she belongs, completely un-harmed.
******
Chapter Six: The return to Wave Country.
Naruto, Kakashi and Ino were taking the same route that Team 7 took four years ago. Sick of the silence - he’d never like being quiet, even if he understood that it was necessary sometimes - Naruto turned to Ino to strike up a conversation.
“So do any of the old group know you’re in ANBU training?” the kitsune asked.
“Shikamaru knows, but that’s only cause he’s too damn smart, despite being a lazy-bum.” Ino said with a grin.
“Sounds like him.” Naruto snorted in amusement.
“Why haven’t you visited us, Naruto? Everyone has missed you. You some how wormed your way into all our lives. Life’s been quiet without you, no matter how much Kiba tries to make up the noise.” Ino asked, laughing slightly at her own thoughts.
“I’m a kitsune, Ino. We live for playing tricks. This happens to be my biggest prank of all time.” Naruto smirked.
“That’s so like you. I still remember your graffiti on Mt Hokage. Iruka-sensei was so angry with you.” Ino burst into laughter.
“That was you?” Kakashi had been away on a mission at the time, but had seen the damage upon his return.
“Yup. Iruka-aniki made me clean it all off by myself too.” Naruto said proudly.
“Only you would be proud of that, Naruto.” Kakashi shook his head.
They stopped and made camp a few hours after sunset, when the moonlight was no longer enough for them to go by. Kakashi hunted while Ino collected firewood and Naruto set up camp.
“So, got any interesting stories for me, Naruto-sempai?” Ino asked after they finished their meal of fish.
“Hm, there’s always the bell-test incident. You ever hear about that one?” Naruto asked.
“Yeah, Sakura came and complained to me the next day, so I got the whole story off her.” Ino nodded.
“How about the time Sasuke used my Orioke no justu?” Naruto suggested with a snicker.
“Ooh, we’ve got photos to go with that one too.” Kakashi said, remembering the incident and the photo he hid in his wallet.
“Sasuke transformed into a girl?” Ino shrieked with laughter, remembering Naruto’s perverted henge.
“Yup. It happened when we got back from Wave country.” Naruto nodded.
“Sasuke activated his Sharingan while fighting Haku in his prison of ice mirrors. He was like a kid with a new toy.” Kakashi smiled behind his masks at the memory.
“Yeah, the teme was activating it at every opportunity, wanting to see how much he could copy. He was actually cheerful for once, though he’d never admit it and you had to know how to read him to see it.” Naruto added.
“This is sounding good.” Ino was really interested now.
“We were waiting for Kakashi like usual when Sakura asked why I hadn’t used Orioke no jutsu against him during the bell-test.” Naruto explained.
“I’d not heard of Naruto’s jutsu, so when I arrived to hear Sakura mention it, I got curious about it.” Kakashi admitted.
“I couldn’t let the opportunity pass by. Of course, none of us realized that Sasuke had his sharingan activated, hoping to pick up something off Kakashi. So, when I transformed, not only did I send Kakashi flying with a nosebleed, I also got copied by Sasuke. For some strange reason that we still can’t figure out, he activated the jutsu and suddenly BAMPH there was a naked, female Sasuke looking confused, horrified and embarrassed all in one go.” Naruto grinned.
“Most emotion I’d ever seen on his face before.” Kakashi remarked.
“Are you shitting me?” Ino had to stop, she was laughing too much.
“It’s true, I swear! Sakura fainted, which is expected. Sasuke was full-out panicking and was unable to drop the transformation.” Naruto continued.
“Being nude didn’t help his situation, either, cause it was just making him panic more. Thus, we had to get him - or rather her - some clothes.” Kakashi picked up the story, “Of course, this meant some fun could be had, and I happened to know a tailor that owed me a favour.”
“Thus the creation of Saki-chan! We had our own little gothic lolita.” Naruto pulled out a picture and handed it to Ino. Her eyes went wide as she saw a very female Sasuke dressed in leather, lace, and dark colours. The familiar dark scowl was present on ‘her’ face like always.
“Damn, it’s so unfair that he’s so gorgeous even as a girl!” she huffed.
“It’s those Uchiha genetics.” Kakashi shrugged, thinking back to his team mate Obito.
“Yeah, look at how much Itachi resembles a girl.” Naruto agreed. It was easy for him to fall back to his old personality around Kakashi and Ino. They were both reminders of the time before ‘the betrayal’, as he had named his battle with Sasuke, “Come on, all our talking has taken up the last dregs of daylight. Let’s set up camp.”
Camp was quickly and efficiently set up, dinner was caught and cooked, and weapons were cleaned and maintained. ANBU were trained to work quickly and silently.
“So what is our plan for this mission?” Ino looked at her two superiors. It was so weird to think of Naruto as higher-ranking then her. Hopefully she wouldn’t have to do so for too long. Knowing the kitsune, he’d take advantage of her position some how, most likely in a prank or embarrassing job.
“Our main goal is to stop the assassins. If we can find a means to permanently shut down operations of Gatou’s organization, taicho wants us to take them. They have caused too much trouble over the years.” Naruto explained.
“The residents of Wave country are good, peaceful people and do not deserve all that has happened to them. This coming after they’d just recovered from Gatou is beyond unfair.” Kakashi added.
“Then we’ll do our best to help them.” Ino stated, before settling down to sleep till her turn at watch.
******
The next morning, after a quick breakfast, they headed off again. Having made a lot of progress the day before, they entered Wave Country around lunch time. In fact, the place they chose to stop for their mid-day meal was where Team 7 had fought Momochi Zabuza the first time.
“You can still see the damage from your attack, Kakashi-niisan.” Naruto remarked, looking around after finishing off his food.
“Most of it is from Zabuza’s giant sword.” Kakashi insisted.
“No, I think it’s mainly your fault. That Suiton attack you copied off him did quite the bit of damage.” Naruto glared playfully at his sulking ‘brother’.
“You two are such children. It’s a wonder poor Iruka-sensei puts up with you.” Ino huffed.
“He loves us, though in different ways thankfully.” Naruto gave the trademark bright grin Ino remembered from their childhood.
“Come on, time to head off again. If we keep a steady pace we’ll make the bridge by sunset.” Kakashi stood, cleaning up his remains.
“Hai hai, off we go again.” Ino sighed, cleaning up after herself and Naruto, who made sure to erase all evidence of their presence.
Keeping the same pace as before, they reached the beginning of the bridge just as the sun began to set.
“Wow, impressive.” Ino whistled.
“I wonder what they named it….” Kakashi trailed off, eyes going wide behind his mask as he saw the name of the bridge.
“THE GREAT NARUTO BRIDGE?!?” Naruto exclaimed loudly, sounding much like his younger self.
“How the hell do you have a bridge named after you?” Ino demanded in disbelief.
“You’re asking me? This bridge was still un-named when we left.” Naruto said.
“Tazuna would be the best person to ask. We’ll track him down when we get to the village.” Kakashi said, shaking off his shock in order to focus back on the mission.
“Not much further. I’m looking forward to meeting the family you stayed with. Sakura told me a bit about them. Tsunami sounds really nice.” Ino said as they sped across the bridge.
Within ten minutes they were in the village.
“Kami-sama, this place has changed. Definitely for the better.” Naruto said as they raced across rooftops to the address they’d been given. It seemed that Tazuna and his family had moved.
Arriving at a decent sized two-story house, Kakashi was the one to knock on the door.
“Can I help you?” Tsunami was the one to answer and seemed nervous at their appearances.
“Hai. Tazuna-san sent a request to Konoha for protection. Godaime-sama sent us. We’re also to pick up the rest of the payment from Team 7’s mission here several years ago.” Naruto said formally. He was always serious about his ANBU missions. They were too highly-ranked for him to be lax.
“Hai, hai, I remember. You’re very prompt. Please come inside.” Tsunami lead them in. “Otou-san, the ninjas from Konoha are here!”
“This is good news. Who did they send us?” Tazuna asked happily as they entered the dining room.
“Perhaps you’ll recognize two of us, Tazuna-san, though I have to say I’ve changed a lot since you last saw me.” Naruto chuckled as they removed their masks.
“Naruto-niichan!” an older - but still recognizable - Inari raced over from the table and glomped Naruto.
“Hey there Inari.” Naruto laughed, embracing the boy he’d befriended the last time he was here.
“You’re so much taller!! How old are you now?” Inari started bombarding Naruto with questions, making everyone laugh.
“Let them sit down first, Inari, before you start with your interrogation.” Tsunami scolded lightly.
“Welcome back Kakashi, Naruto. But who is your team mate and what happened to the broody boy and the pink girl?” Tazuna asked as they all sat down in the living room.
“This is Yamanaka Ino, she’s my apprentice in the ANBU corps. Sakura is back in Konoha studying to be a medic-nin and Sasuke lies comatose in the Konoha hospital after a stint as a missing-nin. Life has been very messed up these past few years.” Naruto smiled sadly.
“Life got turned up side down not long after our mission here.” Kakashi said, before explaining what happened to their old friends. Naruto and Ino put in their own experiences too.
They spent the rest of that day chatting with the family and settling into the rooms they were given. That night, their mission would begin.
******
More Authors Notes: Everyone, I’m SOOOOOOO sorry for how long this chapter has taken. I’ve been hit with a major case of writers block while writing it, then my life got very busy. I’ve gotten into the anime Hellsing and all my inspiration turned to that series. Also, I’ve now been drawn into the cosplay community. It will be interesting to see how that turns out. Hopefully I’ll get a good insight into Iruka-sensei when I cosplay as him later in the year. Anyway, I hope the next chapter won’t take another six months for me to write. Again, I cannot apologise enough for the long wait.
Disclaimer: I do not own the series Naruto (both manga and anime), and I do not endeavor to make it seem like I do. The only thing I own the plot of this story. Don’t bother suing me, you won’t get much and it will cost you heaps in lawyer bills. Neither do I own the character Saki-chan who is mentioned in this chapter. She is the creation of the wonderful Askerian / Asuka Kureru. I am only borrowing her briefly. I promise to put her back where she belongs, completely un-harmed.
******
Chapter Six: The return to Wave Country.
Naruto, Kakashi and Ino were taking the same route that Team 7 took four years ago. Sick of the silence - he’d never like being quiet, even if he understood that it was necessary sometimes - Naruto turned to Ino to strike up a conversation.
“So do any of the old group know you’re in ANBU training?” the kitsune asked.
“Shikamaru knows, but that’s only cause he’s too damn smart, despite being a lazy-bum.” Ino said with a grin.
“Sounds like him.” Naruto snorted in amusement.
“Why haven’t you visited us, Naruto? Everyone has missed you. You some how wormed your way into all our lives. Life’s been quiet without you, no matter how much Kiba tries to make up the noise.” Ino asked, laughing slightly at her own thoughts.
“I’m a kitsune, Ino. We live for playing tricks. This happens to be my biggest prank of all time.” Naruto smirked.
“That’s so like you. I still remember your graffiti on Mt Hokage. Iruka-sensei was so angry with you.” Ino burst into laughter.
“That was you?” Kakashi had been away on a mission at the time, but had seen the damage upon his return.
“Yup. Iruka-aniki made me clean it all off by myself too.” Naruto said proudly.
“Only you would be proud of that, Naruto.” Kakashi shook his head.
They stopped and made camp a few hours after sunset, when the moonlight was no longer enough for them to go by. Kakashi hunted while Ino collected firewood and Naruto set up camp.
“So, got any interesting stories for me, Naruto-sempai?” Ino asked after they finished their meal of fish.
“Hm, there’s always the bell-test incident. You ever hear about that one?” Naruto asked.
“Yeah, Sakura came and complained to me the next day, so I got the whole story off her.” Ino nodded.
“How about the time Sasuke used my Orioke no justu?” Naruto suggested with a snicker.
“Ooh, we’ve got photos to go with that one too.” Kakashi said, remembering the incident and the photo he hid in his wallet.
“Sasuke transformed into a girl?” Ino shrieked with laughter, remembering Naruto’s perverted henge.
“Yup. It happened when we got back from Wave country.” Naruto nodded.
“Sasuke activated his Sharingan while fighting Haku in his prison of ice mirrors. He was like a kid with a new toy.” Kakashi smiled behind his masks at the memory.
“Yeah, the teme was activating it at every opportunity, wanting to see how much he could copy. He was actually cheerful for once, though he’d never admit it and you had to know how to read him to see it.” Naruto added.
“This is sounding good.” Ino was really interested now.
“We were waiting for Kakashi like usual when Sakura asked why I hadn’t used Orioke no jutsu against him during the bell-test.” Naruto explained.
“I’d not heard of Naruto’s jutsu, so when I arrived to hear Sakura mention it, I got curious about it.” Kakashi admitted.
“I couldn’t let the opportunity pass by. Of course, none of us realized that Sasuke had his sharingan activated, hoping to pick up something off Kakashi. So, when I transformed, not only did I send Kakashi flying with a nosebleed, I also got copied by Sasuke. For some strange reason that we still can’t figure out, he activated the jutsu and suddenly BAMPH there was a naked, female Sasuke looking confused, horrified and embarrassed all in one go.” Naruto grinned.
“Most emotion I’d ever seen on his face before.” Kakashi remarked.
“Are you shitting me?” Ino had to stop, she was laughing too much.
“It’s true, I swear! Sakura fainted, which is expected. Sasuke was full-out panicking and was unable to drop the transformation.” Naruto continued.
“Being nude didn’t help his situation, either, cause it was just making him panic more. Thus, we had to get him - or rather her - some clothes.” Kakashi picked up the story, “Of course, this meant some fun could be had, and I happened to know a tailor that owed me a favour.”
“Thus the creation of Saki-chan! We had our own little gothic lolita.” Naruto pulled out a picture and handed it to Ino. Her eyes went wide as she saw a very female Sasuke dressed in leather, lace, and dark colours. The familiar dark scowl was present on ‘her’ face like always.
“Damn, it’s so unfair that he’s so gorgeous even as a girl!” she huffed.
“It’s those Uchiha genetics.” Kakashi shrugged, thinking back to his team mate Obito.
“Yeah, look at how much Itachi resembles a girl.” Naruto agreed. It was easy for him to fall back to his old personality around Kakashi and Ino. They were both reminders of the time before ‘the betrayal’, as he had named his battle with Sasuke, “Come on, all our talking has taken up the last dregs of daylight. Let’s set up camp.”
Camp was quickly and efficiently set up, dinner was caught and cooked, and weapons were cleaned and maintained. ANBU were trained to work quickly and silently.
“So what is our plan for this mission?” Ino looked at her two superiors. It was so weird to think of Naruto as higher-ranking then her. Hopefully she wouldn’t have to do so for too long. Knowing the kitsune, he’d take advantage of her position some how, most likely in a prank or embarrassing job.
“Our main goal is to stop the assassins. If we can find a means to permanently shut down operations of Gatou’s organization, taicho wants us to take them. They have caused too much trouble over the years.” Naruto explained.
“The residents of Wave country are good, peaceful people and do not deserve all that has happened to them. This coming after they’d just recovered from Gatou is beyond unfair.” Kakashi added.
“Then we’ll do our best to help them.” Ino stated, before settling down to sleep till her turn at watch.
******
The next morning, after a quick breakfast, they headed off again. Having made a lot of progress the day before, they entered Wave Country around lunch time. In fact, the place they chose to stop for their mid-day meal was where Team 7 had fought Momochi Zabuza the first time.
“You can still see the damage from your attack, Kakashi-niisan.” Naruto remarked, looking around after finishing off his food.
“Most of it is from Zabuza’s giant sword.” Kakashi insisted.
“No, I think it’s mainly your fault. That Suiton attack you copied off him did quite the bit of damage.” Naruto glared playfully at his sulking ‘brother’.
“You two are such children. It’s a wonder poor Iruka-sensei puts up with you.” Ino huffed.
“He loves us, though in different ways thankfully.” Naruto gave the trademark bright grin Ino remembered from their childhood.
“Come on, time to head off again. If we keep a steady pace we’ll make the bridge by sunset.” Kakashi stood, cleaning up his remains.
“Hai hai, off we go again.” Ino sighed, cleaning up after herself and Naruto, who made sure to erase all evidence of their presence.
Keeping the same pace as before, they reached the beginning of the bridge just as the sun began to set.
“Wow, impressive.” Ino whistled.
“I wonder what they named it….” Kakashi trailed off, eyes going wide behind his mask as he saw the name of the bridge.
“THE GREAT NARUTO BRIDGE?!?” Naruto exclaimed loudly, sounding much like his younger self.
“How the hell do you have a bridge named after you?” Ino demanded in disbelief.
“You’re asking me? This bridge was still un-named when we left.” Naruto said.
“Tazuna would be the best person to ask. We’ll track him down when we get to the village.” Kakashi said, shaking off his shock in order to focus back on the mission.
“Not much further. I’m looking forward to meeting the family you stayed with. Sakura told me a bit about them. Tsunami sounds really nice.” Ino said as they sped across the bridge.
Within ten minutes they were in the village.
“Kami-sama, this place has changed. Definitely for the better.” Naruto said as they raced across rooftops to the address they’d been given. It seemed that Tazuna and his family had moved.
Arriving at a decent sized two-story house, Kakashi was the one to knock on the door.
“Can I help you?” Tsunami was the one to answer and seemed nervous at their appearances.
“Hai. Tazuna-san sent a request to Konoha for protection. Godaime-sama sent us. We’re also to pick up the rest of the payment from Team 7’s mission here several years ago.” Naruto said formally. He was always serious about his ANBU missions. They were too highly-ranked for him to be lax.
“Hai, hai, I remember. You’re very prompt. Please come inside.” Tsunami lead them in. “Otou-san, the ninjas from Konoha are here!”
“This is good news. Who did they send us?” Tazuna asked happily as they entered the dining room.
“Perhaps you’ll recognize two of us, Tazuna-san, though I have to say I’ve changed a lot since you last saw me.” Naruto chuckled as they removed their masks.
“Naruto-niichan!” an older - but still recognizable - Inari raced over from the table and glomped Naruto.
“Hey there Inari.” Naruto laughed, embracing the boy he’d befriended the last time he was here.
“You’re so much taller!! How old are you now?” Inari started bombarding Naruto with questions, making everyone laugh.
“Let them sit down first, Inari, before you start with your interrogation.” Tsunami scolded lightly.
“Welcome back Kakashi, Naruto. But who is your team mate and what happened to the broody boy and the pink girl?” Tazuna asked as they all sat down in the living room.
“This is Yamanaka Ino, she’s my apprentice in the ANBU corps. Sakura is back in Konoha studying to be a medic-nin and Sasuke lies comatose in the Konoha hospital after a stint as a missing-nin. Life has been very messed up these past few years.” Naruto smiled sadly.
“Life got turned up side down not long after our mission here.” Kakashi said, before explaining what happened to their old friends. Naruto and Ino put in their own experiences too.
They spent the rest of that day chatting with the family and settling into the rooms they were given. That night, their mission would begin.
******
More Authors Notes: Everyone, I’m SOOOOOOO sorry for how long this chapter has taken. I’ve been hit with a major case of writers block while writing it, then my life got very busy. I’ve gotten into the anime Hellsing and all my inspiration turned to that series. Also, I’ve now been drawn into the cosplay community. It will be interesting to see how that turns out. Hopefully I’ll get a good insight into Iruka-sensei when I cosplay as him later in the year. Anyway, I hope the next chapter won’t take another six months for me to write. Again, I cannot apologise enough for the long wait.