THE FOX AND THE FLUTE
Chapter 1
"Fuck." Only a few hours ago, Tayuya and her team had been making a mad dash towards Orochimaru's lair to deliver Konoha's precious Uchiha. Only an hour ago, she'd been just about to kill the pineapple-headed chuunin of the Leaf. That is until the sand bitch and her fucking weasel buried her under nearly an entire forest of trees.
"Fucking shit this hurts." Tayuya smiled grimly despite her pain, almost expecting Jirobou to chide her for her foul language. They were all dead. Sakon, Ukon, Kidomaru, Jirobou, Kimimarou; she'd felt it when each of them died. She didn't consider them friends, but they were all that the foul mouthed sound nin had. All for the precious Uchiha.
"Faggot ass prettyboy." She muttered. Her eyelids felt heavy all of a sudden, and she knew she'd be joining her team shortly in hell. "Too bad I have go out like a pussy." Tayuya's eyes slid shut, ready to accept the cold embrace of death.
"Oi, Kakashi." Pakkun glanced back to make sure his summoner was paying attention. The jounin was currently carrying Naruto on his back, followed by two Konoha medic nin. Naruto had failed to bring back his teammate, and his injuries were extensive; even for the demon vessel.
"Yes, Pakkun?" The summoned dog pointed a paw towards his right.
"There's someone still alive over there." Kakashi cast a lazy glance towards the dog.
"Is it one of ours?" Pakkun shook his head.
"I can't tell from here. We'll have to get closer." The copy-nin shrugged.
"We should at least check it out." He motioned for the medic nin to follow him towards the scent. Ten minutes later, they were standing in front of what used to be a fairly large area of forestry. It seemed as though something had leveled everything within a 100 yard radius of where they stood.
"Kakashi." The jounin nodded and jumped over to where his summon was sniffing around. "It's a girl." She was trapped under a large group of trees; one crushing her right arm, and several over her legs and torso. Kakashi crouched down next to Pakkun.
"She's with the Sound. Her clothes are similar to the ones Orochimaru wore when he attacked the village." The dog grunted.
"So do we just leave her here?"
"No, let's take her in. Maybe Ibiki can get something out of her about Orochimaru's next move." He trailed a lazy eye over the fallen trees. "Everyone stand back." He handed Naruto to one of the medic nin and made a few handseals. "Raikiri!" The jounin yelled, thrusting his chakra infused palm into the trees. They were quickly split and tossed aside, allowing them to reach the fallen kunoichi. One of the medic nin performed a quick examination on the unconscious girl.
"She's still alive, but we have to hurry up and get her back to Konoha. There's not much we can do for her here." Sighing loudly, Kakashi picked the girl up bridal style.
"Let's Go."
'It's freaking cold in here.' That's the first thought that went through Uzumaki Naruto's head as he awoke from his slumber. He groggily rolled out of bed to adjust the thermostat, only for his feet to touch the cold, hard tile of the hospital room instead of the warm, soft carpet of his bedroom. "What the hell?" He yelped, quickly jumping back onto his bed. After a few seconds of panic, he quickly realized where he was. White, impersonal ceilings? Check. Cold, hard tile floors? Check. The constant buzzing and whirring of hospital machinery? Check.
He was in the Konoha General Hospital.
The genin sighed and cautiously stepped back onto the floor. 'No use sticking around here, the bastard fox has already healed everything.' he thought to himself. Naruto poked his head out of the door to see if anyone was around before stepping out of the room and making his way down the hall. Before he could reach the staircase that led to his freedom, a small cough was heard from behind him. He nervously turned around to see the Godaime Hokage staring darkly down at him.
"Naruto-kun? What are you doing out of your room?" She questioned in a falsely sweet voice.
"I was...er...gotta go!" The genin yelled before attempting to dash down the stairs and out of the hospital. Unfortunately, he didn't count on a masked ANBU suddenly appearing in front of him and knocking him onto his backside. Tsunade grinned evilly before gripping the boy by the back of his hospital gown and dragging him down the hallway...in the opposite direction of his room. Naruto gulped nervously. "Wh-where are we going?"
"Someplace where I can be sure you'll never escape." She answered with a small bit of evil joy in her voice. Stopping suddenly, she threw open the door to an ANBU guarded room and tossed him inside. The Hokage then turned to the ANBU stationed at the door. "Make sure he stays in this room unless I or Shizune say otherwise. Got it?" The ANBU nodded as Tsunade turned on her heel and walked away. "Have fun with your new roommate, Naruto!" She yelled over her shoulder. The blond grumbled as he picked himself off the floor.
"Damn hag, sticking me in a hospital room with..." His eyes trailed over to the other occupant of the room, curious as to who he'd be spending the next few days or so with. The boy's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he got a good look at his roommate. Her long red hair was almost impossible to see under the bandages covering her head, and the large cast encasing her right arm and legs made her look almost like a mummy. However, it was hard to forget the scowl that seemed to permanently mar the girl's face.
"YOU!" He yelled, pointing an accusing finger at his roommate. The girl in question turned away from the window to glare at the loudmouthed blond. What he saw stunned him. Her face was still scrunched up into a scowl, but it lacked any of the fire or malice that was present when they first met in the forest. Calming down a bit, Naruto shook his head in disbelief.
"What are you doing here?" Instead of answering, the girl turned back to the window. Naruto narrowed his eyes and took a step closer.
"Oi! Say something!" The girl continued to ignore the genin, much to his chagrin. Fed up, he hopped onto her bed and straddled her bandaged legs. "What the hell's your problem?" The girl snapped her head away from the window and leaned forward to get into his face.
"You want to know what my fucking problem is? Huh?" Tayuya screamed, struggling against the cast covering her lower body. "I was beaten by a pineapple-headed faggot and his whore of a girlfriend, buried under fifty fucking tons of forestry, told I'd never fucking walk again, and now I have to deal with a loud mouthed shithead who thinks orange is a normal color for a ninja!" Her breathing was labored by the time she finished her rant, and her good arm was grabbing the front of Naruto's hospital gown for emphasis. Unfortunately for both of them, the Hokage chose that moment to slam open the door and stroll inside.
"What the hell is going on in here? I can hear you two screaming all the way down the hall!" Tsunade yelled, her face pink with rage. Her expression gradually changed from anger to one of mild amusement. "You work fast, don't you kiddo?" Her grin widened as she watched the genin yelp in horror and fall headfirst onto the floor. Tayuya snorted in mild amusement.
"Baka."
"Y-you shut up! It's your fault I fell in the first place!" Naruto growled, rubbing the growing lump on his head. The sound nin's eyes widened in disbelief.
"My fault? Don't fucking blame me for your utter lack of coordination, dipshit!"
"Says the cripple..."
"WHAT?"
Throughout the exchange, the hokage's grin grew into a full blown smile. Before she'd been thrown into a room with Naruto, the girl had barely spoken more than two words to anyone. Those two words were 'Fuck' and 'You.' Amazingly enough, she was willingly speaking to the number one surprising ninja. Granted, she was screaming obscenities at the top of her lungs, but it was better than the weak glares she usually sent towards everyone. A plan began to form in her mind as she watched Tayuya bop the genin upside his head with her good hand. If things went the way she planned, she might even be able to kill two birds with one stone! Smiling triumphantly, she schooled her face into an angry expression.
"QUIET!"
Both teens quickly shut their mouths. Satisfied, she continued.
"I don't care who started what, or what the hell happened. You." She said, pointing at Naruto. "Get in bed." The genin quickly scrambled to his own bed, shooting a quick glare to his roommate. "You. Don't talk him." She said, pointing at the glaring red head.
"I ain't one of your damn grunts, Hokage-sama," Tayuya snarled, adding sarcastic emphasis to her title. "I'll do whatever I damn well please, and there ain't shit you can do about it." The older woman grinned mischievously.
"Oh? Well, as of now, you are hereby instated as a genin of the Leaf. Congratulations." Tayuya's eyes widened in disbelief.
"W-what the fuck?" She sputtered, jaw nearly reaching the bed. Naruto had a similar look on his face.
"Have you finally gone senile, Baa-chan?"
"My legs are fucked up! How can I be a ninja with fucked up legs?"
"She's the enemy! This bitch was one of the bastards who tried to kidnap Sasuke!"
"I won't do it! There's no way I'll join you shitty rats or live in your faggot-infested village! I'd rather die first!"
Grinning on the inside, Tsunade slammed her foot down onto the floor. The whole hospital seemed to shake, and a few screams of bloody murder were heard from the floor below. "Listen up, brats!" She growled, screwing her face up into the angriest face she could manage. "What I say goes! Besides, you don't need legs to work at the Academy."
The room went dead silent.
"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?"
Naruto immediately began laughing at the grief-stricken face of the former sound nin. Predicting this, Tsunade grinned.
"And you will be her escort."
This time, Naruto's face paled in disbelief. "Nani? But I have to train to bring Sasuke back!" The hokage shrugged with indifference.
"Oh well. Looks like the Uchiha is screwed, then." Sighed the older blonde. Tayuya cracked a small smile.
"Literally." Her smile became a giggle, and before long, she was cackling wildly at the vivid images that passed through her mind. The blonde genin looked confused for a few seconds before his face contorted in horror.
"EWWWWW!" While both genin were occupied with their own amusing/sickening thoughts, Tsunade took the chance to slowly slip out of the room. Not long after, Tayuya stopped laughing long enough to wipe a stray tear from the corner of her eye. She looked around the room and noticed the missing presence of the hokage.
"Oi, where'd the bimbo go?"
Outside of the genins' room, the hokage hummed a happy tune to herself. Just as she was about to head down the stairs, a blur of pink appeared from her right.
"Tsunade-sama! Naruto's gone! He's-"
"In room 223. You should pay him a visit. He needs all the support he can get right now." She said, chuckling lightly. The genin tilted her head in curiosity before nodding and running off toward her teammate's new room. Oh, this was going to be good.
"NARUTO! There you are! I've been looking all over for you!" Sakura yelled, throwing the door open. Both occupants stared in surprise at the pink-haired genin.
"S...Sakura-chan..." Naruto stammered, lowering his head to stare at his hands. He bit his lip before speaking again. "I'm sorry. I didn't keep my promise. I couldn't bring Sasuke back." His teammate shook her head and smiled weakly.
"Don't worry about it, okay Naruto? Next time...next time we'll do it together!" Naruto snapped his head up in shock before a small smile stretched his way on to his face. Unfortunately, the moment was ruined by the other occupant of the small hospital room.
"Pfft. There's no way you fuckwads could ever hope to match Orochimaru in battle. That bastard's freakin' invincible!" Sakura glared at the girl, just now noticing that there was someone else in the room with them.
"Oh? And how would you know that?" Tayuya chuckled pitifully to herself.
"I used to se-" Naruto sprang up and clamped his hand over the former sound nin's mouth. Shortly after, she took a large bite out of the offending appendage.
"Ouch! That hurt!" Tayuya snorted in indignation.
"Serves you right, bastard." While the blond nursed his currently throbbing hand, his teammate shook her head and turned towards the door.
"I don't know who you are, but Naruto and I will bring Sasuke-kun back." She glanced back at the foulmouthed genin with contempt. "Believe it." She slammed the door on her way out, leaving both patients in mild shock. Tayuya blinked a few times before turning back to the window. The sun would be setting soon, and she'd finally be able to get some sleep after a somewhat stressful day.
"Oi!" Of course, she spoke too soon.
"What the hell do you want?" Naruto scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. In all of the chaos that had ensued within the last couple of hours, he'd forgotten to ask.
"Ah...er...what's your name?" Tayuya narrowed her eyes.
"Why the fuck should I tell you?"
"Hey, I don't care either, but if I'm going to be wheeling you around all day I'd at least like to know the name of the person who's stopping me from training!" Tayuya snorted and turned back towards the window. After a few seconds of silence, she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.
"...Tayuya." The blond genin smirked a bit at his roommate.
"Uzumaki Naruto. The man who's going to become the Hokage."
Tsunade sat at her desk, furiously signing and stamping her approval on a large stack of forms sitting on the edge of her desk. It was well past ten, and she'd usually be passed out in a drunken stupor by now. However, thanks to her 'genius' plan, she was stuck alone in the brightly illuminated office, working harder than she ever had in her two months of being the hokage. 'Kami, what the hell was I thinking?' she thought, sighing as she signed off on another release form. 'Turning a ninja from an enemy village into one of our own? I must be losing my mind.' Most of her complaining was due to the paperwork required to perform such an action. Not only did she have to instate Tayuya as a genin of the Leaf, but she also had to drop all charges against her for the attempted kidnap of Sasuke and the assisted murder of the Sandaime Hokage. She could only hope that the council would see her reasoning. Surely a ninja of the Leaf would give up information if their home was in danger of attack, right? Pairing the girl up with Naruto would only speed up the process. He had a certain knack for getting people to see things his way.
"Tsunade-sama! I thought you finished all of your paperwork for the week?" Shizune asked, startling the older woman out of her thoughts.
"Oh, uhm...just catching up on a few things I missed last week. Go on home, I'll be there soon." Shizune narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the Godaime Hokage. She never willingly did paperwork, and judging by her disheveled appearance, she'd be working for Kami knows how long. Shuffling closer to her mentor, she attempted to take a look at the large stack of papers strewn about on the large oak desk.
"What's this? You're adding a new ninja to the ranks? Who?" She asked, trying to read the name haphazardly scribbled on the form. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she realized who it was. "Tsunada-sama! You can't be serious! Are you aware of what you're trying to do?" The hokage rubbed her temples, absentmindedly reaching for her hidden bottle of sake.
"Yes, I'm serious, and yes, I know what I'm doing. You have to trust me." Her apprentice stared at her with doubt. Sighing, she continued. "I paired her up with Naruto-kun. You've seen what he can do for people; I doubt this girl will be any different. She knows the location, layout, and overall population of the Sound village, how strong their shinobi as a whole are, and maybe even what Orochimaru has planned in the near future. Can we really afford to pass this chance up?" Shizune hung her head in defeat.
"I...I guess not. I still don't like it, though. What if it doesn't work? What if she hurts Naruto-kun in the process?" Tsunade waved her hand dismissively. It was just like her apprentice to look for the bad in everything.
"Don't be so pessimistic. Everything will work out in the end, you'll see." The young medic-nin bit her lip in worry.
"I hope you're right, Tsunade-sama."
"Naruto?" A young man poked his head into the room. A large scar was visible across his nose, and his long brown hair was bound into a tight ponytail on the top of his head. Umino Iruka had just returned from his mission early that morning and arrived at the hospital just as visiting hours began. Of course, he made a quick stop at a certain ramen stand; a fact that didn't go unnoticed by the genin in question.
"Iruka-sensei!" A yellow blur tackled him around the waist, nearly spilling the contents of the small brown bag in his hand. "Is that for me?" He asked, eyes wide and shining. His former teacher couldn't help but to laugh at his childish antics.
"Sure is! I figured you'd be tired of the hospital food by now. Though it's gotten better since Tsunade-sama arrived, it still has a slightly chalky taste." A snort was heard from the other side of the hospital curtain.
"You can say that again." Iruka lifted an eyebrow in confusion.
"Naruto, you have a roommate?" The genin stopped drooling and glanced towards the curtain separating him from the recently instated genin.
"Oh, yeah. That's just Tayuya. Me and her are gonna be helping out at the Academy for awhile." Iruka shook his head.
"She and I. I swear, they should add an extra year to teach you all more than basic math and grammar. You never know when it could come in handy on a mission." The man gave the bag to an eager Naruto, watching as he immediately pulled the plastic cover off of the container and dug in with the wooden chopsticks provided. After inhaling a sizable amount, he sighed and grinned widely.
"Ahh, I forgot just how good Ichiraku's could be!" Iruka chuckled and patted the boy on the head. The teacher's face suddenly turned deathly serious as he seated himself on a stray chair sitting near the bed.
"Naruto, are you alright?" Noticing his serious tone, the blonde stopped slurping the noodles long enough to crack a wide foxy grin.
"I'm fine, Iruka-sensei. I heal really fast, so I should be out of here by tomorrow." Iruka nodded, satisfied with his answer.
"I'm glad. I'd better get going, I have quite a few tests to grade before class tomorrow. See you soon!" He said, waving on his way out. Naruto simply nodded and finished drinking down the ramen's broth.
"So who was that fucker? Your jounin-sensei or somethin? Sounds like a weakass." She asked, pulling back the curtain with her good arm. Naruto scowled at her.
"Take that back! Iruka-sensei's stronger than you'll ever be!" He yelled, dropping the empty bowl onto the white tiled floor below. Tayuya's normal scowl deepened in response.
"The fuck I will! What're you gonna do, kick my ass and make me take it back?" She snarled. 'Who the hell does this guy think he is, ordering me around like I'm some punkass Leaf shinobi.'
"You're just jealous because you don't have anyone who cares about you at all!" He shouted, the words flying out of his mouth before he could think. As soon as he said them, he immediately regretted it. Tayuya's eyes were wide with shock, and her jaw hung limply at the hinges. She soon recovered and turned her head away from him.
"At least you're not the spineless fucker I thought you were." Tayuya joked, her voice carrying a slight waver. 'Damnit! Why the hell am I showing weakness? It must be this shit they're feeding me; it's bad enough to make anyone cry' she reasoned to herself. Naruto stared at her for a few more minutes before settling down into his bed. He was still a bit tired from his fight with Sasuke, even if he did heal faster than humanly possible. He'd apologize later; as soon as he woke up.
Chapter 2
The next day, Naruto and Tayuya stood in front of the Hokage's desk. Or rather, Naruto stood and Tayuya sat in a wheelchair next to him. He played with the zipper on his orange jumpsuit, struggling to zip it up to his chin. He only had two more at home, and they all felt a bit tight since his fight with his former teammate. Tayuya wore simple black ninja pants and a dark blue long sleeved shirt. The bandages on her head and left arm were still present, but she'd been able to get out of her leg casts in favor of a couple of small metal braces. The hokage finished signing off on one last sheet of paper before leaning back in her chair.
"Finally! That's the last of them." She reached into her drawer and tossed a Leaf hitai-ate to Tayuya, who deftly caught it with her left hand. "Congratulations, you're an official genin of Konoha. By wearing this headband, you acknowledge that you will protect this village and the people in it with your life, blah, blah, blah. Do you accept?" Tayuya cocked an eyebrow at the blonde.
"Do I have a choice?" She asked, fingering the thick cloth of the headband. Tsunade nodded.
"Actually, you do. You can either become a Konoha ninja or I can turn you over to Morino Ibiki for interrogation." She smirked inwardly. She was bluffing, but they didn't need to know that. Naruto's face visibly paled in recognition of the name. Though he hated to admit it, the scarred special jounin had quite an effect on him.
"Ah...Tayuya, I think you should just accept." He whispered. The girl eyed him strangely, noticing the slightly nervous look on his face. "He's...he's a really scary guy." Instead of arguing, she turned back to the godaime and nodded.
"Fine, but I ain't gonna like it." She lifted the headband towards her escort expectantly. He stared at the headband in confusion, an action which quickly annoyed his red haired companion. "Put it on me dipshit! I only got one arm!"
"Shut up! I'm not psychic, geez." He grabbed the headband and move to put it on her forehead before pausing. "Where do you want it?" She titled her head in thought.
"Tie it around my neck." The blond grunted and tied the cloth into a loose knot around her neck.
"Happy?"
"Fuck no."
"Tch, not even a thank you..." The fifth slammed her fist down onto the desk, effectively quieting the teens down.
"Listen up!" She bellowed, causing Naruto to flinch. "Both of you are to report to room 23 at the Academy. I've arranged for one of the chuunin teachers there to assign you a few tasks to keep you busy." Tayuya frowned deeply in response.
"Yeah, one problem blondie. My. Fucking. Legs. Don't. WORK." Tsunade smirked.
"I've informed them of your condition, so whatever they set up won't require a whole lot of movement. If there's nothing else, get out of my sight." She drawled, waving them off. Grudgingly, Naruto grabbed the handles of his new teammate's wheelchair and began to push her towards the door. He accidentally pushed her legs into the door frame, earning himself a hard elbow in the side.
"Watch where you're going, dipshit!"
"Yes, Tayuya-hime."
"S-Shut up and push!" Lucky for her, neither of the genin turned around to see the mile wide grin Tsunade had on her face.
'Part one of operation "Skin Orochimaru's scrawny ass" complete.'
They were everywhere. Laughing, taunting, torturing. Little horns protruded from their large melon-shaped heads, and large globs of blood clung to their faces as if they had just eaten twenty shinobi alive right before they had arrived. At least that's what Tayuya saw when nearly a dozen Kindergartners swarmed her as soon she had appeared through the door of room 23.
"Read us a story!"
"Wanna play dress up?"
"Hey! What's wrong with your legs?"
"Can I sit in your lap?"
"Is he your boyfriend?"
Tayuya sat mortified amongst the large group of five year olds. When the hokage mentioned they would be working at the Academy, she assumed they would be filing papers or showing ten year olds how to throw a kunai. Never in a million years would she have expected something as inhumane as this. She glanced up at Naruto and was glad to see that he was equally shocked. At least she could be sure that he wasn't in on this. The chuunin who had shown them the room snickered slightly at their expressions before turning and making a mad dash down the hallway.
"Have fun! They really like stories!" He yelled over his shoulder, turning a corner at record breaking speed.
'That has to be some kind of escape jutsu...' Naruto thought as he watched the shinobi flee from the classroom. A slight tug of his pants snapped him from his thoughts.
"Ne, Onee-chan, are you our new sensei?" The genin glanced down to see a sickly brown haired boy staring up at him with large, hopeful eyes.
"I...uh...y-yes?" A large chorus of cheers went throughout the room. A few of the toddlers darted off to grab books, blankets, and pillows, much to the genin's confusion. It wasn't until the same little boy held up a large book to Tayuya that they understood. Her eyes widened and she began to shake her head ferociously.
"No! Not a fucking chance in hell!" She screamed, attempting to hop out of her chair and crawl towards the door. Unfortunately, a little girl had somehow made her way into the genin's lap, foiling her escape plan. Her escort snickered and waved an admonishing finger in front of her face.
"Watch your language, Tayuya-sensei. There are children in the room." She growled and practically snatched the book from the little boy, only further amusing the blond; who was suspiciously three steps closer to the door. Tayuya narrowed her eyes and smirked.
"Where are you going, Naruto-sensei? I'm going to need someone to turn the pages for me. I only have one arm, after all." She asked in a sickeningly sweet voice, using his own sarcasm against him. Realizing he'd been caught, Naruto groaned and sat down in the empty chair closest to her. Grinning to herself at the small victory, she turned to read the title of the book in her hand.
"The Princess and the Fox." The girl glanced up to see that every set of eyes in the classroom was watching her intently. Though it was a little unnerving, she was happy to see that they were at least being quiet. When they were quiet, she didn't have the incredibly powerful urge to roast them over a large flaming pit of charcoal. Alive. Naruto reached over and turned the cover so that she could continue. "Once upon a time, there was a Princess who lived in a beautiful castle. Many of the animals loved her, but none of them loved her more than her friend the fox." She picked the book up to show the children the pictures before turning to the next page herself.
"Hey! You don't need me to turn the pages for you!" Naruto yelped, shooting up from his chair. Tayuya grinned.
"Deception is one of the tricks to being a ninja, isn't it? Now sit down and let me continue." Looking back down at the book, she continued. "One day, the Princess decided to visit her friend the Wizard." The girl glanced up to make sure that Naruto was still in the room. She noticed with some surprise that he wasn't in his seat anymore; he was sitting on the large blanket with the toddlers, a few of them leaning against him as they listened to the story.
"What happened next, Tayuya-sensei?" the girl in her lap asked, snuggling back against her.
'What the fuck?' The genin asked herself, blinking in surprise at the foreign feeling. Deciding it wasn't completely uncomfortable, she continued on with the story. "The forest was thick and dangerous, with giant weasels, frogs, and snakes at every turn. But the princess wasn't afraid; she knew her friend the fox was watching her."
Tayuya snorted. 'Who writes this shit?' "After walking for awhile, she came upon a giant white snake. 'Where are you going, little girl?' The snake boomed, staring with big yellow eyes at the princess." A shudder went through her as she absentmindedly fingered her cursed seal, an action which didn't go unnoticed by Naruto. "But the princess wasn't afraid; She knew her friend the fox was watching her. The princess stood up straight and looked the snake in the eye. 'I'm going to visit my friend the Wizard, Orochi-san.' She said, unaware that she was being hypnotized by the snake's big yellow eyes."
A gasp went through the crowd of toddlers, the loudest of all coming from her escort. She fought to keep a smirk from breaking out onto her face at their expressions. Even she had to admit that she was really starting to enjoy having all of the attention focused on herself for once. "The big white snaked smiled evilly and slithered his way over to the princess. 'Well, princessss...' the snake hissed, wrapping himself around her. 'Allow me to esssscort you there.' With the princess wrapped in his slimy skin, the big white snake headed for his lair. Just as he was about to enter his home, a golden fox appeared and..." Tayuya trailed off, glancing up at the clock. "...that's the end of storytime!" The children all stared at her in disbelief.
"NANI?"
"You can't just end it there!"
"What happened to the princess?"
"Did the giant snake eat her?"
"C'mon Tayuya-sensei, finish the story!"
Tayuya grinned maliciously to herself. Though it wasn't quite as entertaining as watching the little demons roast, it would have to do; for now. Naruto stood up and grinned. "She's right, guys. It's snack time!" Their disappointment forgotten, the toddlers all hopped up and ran to their little plastic tables and chairs. After setting down a few cookies and a carton of milk in front of each of the children, the genin inched their way towards the door; only to back into the same sickly little boy from before. His eyes were wide and his lips were puffed up into a small pout.
"You'll come back and finish the story, won't you Tayuya-sensei?"
The girl blinked and forced a small smile onto her face. "Uhm.. sure..."
"Jin!"
"...Jin." Seemingly satisfied, the boy bounced off towards the others. Not wanting to risk being stopped again, Naruto grabbed her wheelchair and practically raced down the hall and out of the academy, not stopping until he was well into the residential district of Konoha. After receiving another sharp jab in the ribs from Tayuya, he finally slowed his pace down to a walk.
"So...did you enjoy storytime?" Naruto asked, stepping back far enough to avoid another jab from the irate redhead.
"What the fuck do you think, Blondie? Those little fuckwits almost drove me mad!"
"Looked like you were getting into it to me."
"I was not!"
"Are you sure, Princessss?" He asked, imitating a voice she'd done previously. The girl blushed and stared forward.
"Just shut up and push, dipshit." The blond genin laughed and continued on down the street. They walked on in silence until she cleared her throat. "Hey, Naruto..."
"Eh?"
"I uh...wanted to apologize. For the shit I said about your teacher yesterday." Naruto blinked in surprise. He'd only known her for a couple of days, but he didn't think the word 'apologize' was even in her vocabulary.
"Oh..." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, I have to say I'm sorry for what I said yesterday. It...it wasn't right." She nodded and shrugged.
"Fine, we're even then. Don't get all sentimental and shit on me. So where the hell're we going now?"
"Well, you're going back to the hospital. I'm going to train so that I can bring Sasuke back."
"What? Oh, fuck no! You're taking me with you!" He stopped in surprise.
"Nani? For what! You'll just get in my way!"
"There ain't no way in hell I'm gonna stay cooped up in that shithole of a hospital all day while you get to run around in the motherfucking sun!" By this time, a small crowd of civilians had gathered around the teens, whispering amongst themselves. "And just what the fuck are you cocksuckers looking at?" The crowd quickly dispersed, though there was no shortage of glares or snide comments thrown her way.
"Geez, you guys are making a scene." A lazy voice said from behind them. Naruto turned in surprise.
"Shikamaru! How's Chouji? Neji? Kiba? Lee?" He asked, reprimanding himself for not asking about them earlier. Though, he couldn't be blamed when all of his thoughts were focused on his temporary teammate and Sasuke.
"They're all fine. Chouji and Neji got the worst of it, though." He said, grimacing slightly.
"It wasn't your fault. You did the best you could." Shikamaru nodded and glanced at the girl currently glaring at him from her wheelchair.
"Oi, you lived, huh? I have to admit, I'm more than a little surprised. I didn't think anyone could survive a blast like that." Tayuya glowered dangerously at the chuunin.
"I ain't weak like you shitty Leaf ninja."
"But aren't you one too?" He asked, taking notice of her headband. "How did you become a Leaf ninja anyway?"
"Tch, easy. You faggots are so fucking weak that the hokage herself had me instated to help you all out. Watch your back, bitch, 'cause I'm coming for your ass." She smirked up at him, practically daring him to reply.
"...even though you can't use your legs. Right." He continued on past Naruto and a fuming Tayuya. "Later, Naruto, Troublesome woman." Naruto snickered at her expression.
"He's right, you know. You can't use your legs. Back to the hospital!"
"Fuck. You."
Naruto took a deep breath, focusing himself on the log in front of him. It slowly began to distort and shape into Orochimaru; the perfect target to take his anger out on. Lashing out with right hook, he rolled to his left and followed it up with a perfectly executed roundhouse. He then flipped over his target and gave it a strong donkey kick. The wood splintered slightly under the pressure, much to his delight. Punching the log a dozen times in succession, he performed a perfect back hand spring and landed thirty feet away, taking deep breaths of air. All of this happened in a span of around five seconds.
"You suck!" A voice yelled from behind him. The blond turned around and flipped the person off.
"Shut up! Can't you see I'm training!"
"Oh, is that what you're doing? I thought you were doing the fucking chicken dance or something." Naruto's eye twitched in anger. He was already regretting not leaving her at the hospital.
"Okay, Tayuya-sensei, why don't you give me a few pointers?" He snapped his fingers in mock realization. "Ooh, that's right! You can't because you're stuck in a fucking wheelchair!" Naruto yelled, feeling a bit of the Kyuubi's chakra trying to slip out of him. Tayuya blinked. Just when she thought he was incapable of getting truly upset, he pulls a stunt like this. Strangely enough, she didn't get the smug satisfaction she usually got from making others angry. In fact, she felt slightly hurt. 'What the hell am I thinking? I've been trying to do this all along! It must be something in the food; those bitches are trying to turn me into one of them.'
"Well excuse me for trying to help your no-talent ass out!" This time, Naruto blinked. She actually wanted to help? He felt the small amount of sinister chakra quickly drain from his system.
"You...you want to help me? Why?" Tayuya again rubbed at the cursed seal on her neck, keeping her eyes low.
"I...I want to pay that bastard back for his 'gift.' Since I can't fuck him up myself, what better way than to have an indirect hand in training the fucker who knocks him off?" His eyes widened in disbelief. All this time, he thought she wanted to go back to the Sound and Orochimaru. Perhaps he wasn't the only surprising ninja in this village anymore.
"Did you accept it willingly?" She snorted and narrowed her eyes.
"Yeah, but when I did, he only me two things: One, that it would exponentially increase my chakra, and two, that it only had a one in ten survival rate. He didn't mention all of the bad things that came along with it." A sudden realization came to Naruto. If Tayuya had a cursed seal like Sasuke, she could help him study his weaknesses for when it was time to bring him back!
"Bad things? Like what?" The girl looked thoughtful for a few minutes.
"Well, for one thing, Orochimaru can pretty much control us if he wants to. Through our seals, the bastard can inflict an inhumane amount of pain on our entire nervous system. He can also stop us from using it altogether." She glanced up at him, only to find that he was practically raping her personal space. "Gah! What the hell are you doing?" He blinked and leaned back.
"What do you mean? I was just looking at your cursed seal."
"J-Just go over there so I can help you train!" She yelled, pointing at the field in front of them. Just as he was about walk away, she grabbed his arm. "Wait." He looked back at her curiously.
"What?"
"Uh...can you take me out of this chair? It's hard as fuck." She asked, a light scowl marring her face. Shrugging, he quickly scooped her up in his arms and set her down under the shade of a large tree.
"How's that?" Tayuya leaned her head back and stretched, enjoying the feel of the lush grass beneath her and the freedom to move as she wished. Well, as free as one could without mobility in their legs.
"Fan-fucking-tastic." He stared at her for a few more seconds before smirking.
"You know, you're not as ugly as usual when you're not scowling." She quickly brought her arms back down and crossed them over her chest.
"Yeah, yeah. Get into your usual stance and I'll tell you what you're doing wrong." He nodded and happily settled himself into a stance that one of the Academy instructors taught him before he became a genin. "...Is that your stance?" She asked after he stopped moving.
"Uh, yeah?" The girl smirked, then grinned, then chuckled, and before long, she was full on guffawing. Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes as she began to choke on her own spittle.
"W-What the hell is that? Whoever taught you that shit was TRYING to get you killed!" She screamed in mirth. Naruto's eyes dimmed as his arms slowly lowered to his sides. Her laughter immediately quieted down as she noticed a drastic change in his usual somewhat cheerful expression. "Goddamn, you act like I ripped your balls off or something. I was just kidding about the trying to get you killed part. I'm sure they just didn't know what they were doing." His eyes hardened in anger.
"No, I think they knew exactly what they were doing." Tayuya almost gasped; almost. She couldn't believe that a teacher would purposely sabotage one of their students, no matter how annoying or dim-witted he was. What amazed her even more was that his jounin-sensei or precious Iruka-sensei didn't think to at least teach him the most basic of taijutsu stances. Even if she was just using him to take out Orochimaru, she didn't want her weapon to be in low spirits all the time. It made her feel bad about her own problems. Clearing her throat, she put on her cockiest smile and pointed forcefully at her escort.
"Stop looking like the pitiful brat you are and get back into that stance! I'll tell you what to do from there." She thought she saw a spark appear in his eyes as he immediately straightened up, albeit a little less sure of himself. "First of all, your weight should be on your back leg-good. Now, turn your front foot in a bit to give yourself more balance. Doesn't that feel better? You'll be able to move much more efficiently like that." He looked over his shoulder and smirked.
"Looks like I'll really have to start calling you Tayuya-sensei now, eh?" Naruto joked, testing out the new form. He had to admit that it felt much more natural than the one Mizuki taught him. Tayuya flushed slightly and scowled.
"Shut the fuck up, I ain't doing this cause I like you or anything. I just don't want you to get your ass kicked by Orochimaru. Besides, this is the most basic form there is. Now lift your back arm up near your chest- a little higher- perfect. Stretch your other arm out in front of you- not all the way out, dipshit- yeah, that's good. Now you can strike and block from pretty much any angle, and move in nearly any direction." She smirked smugly as he took a few practice punches and kicks, looking much better than he did only ten minutes ago.
"Yes! Thanks, Tayuya!" She shrugged and waved him off.
"Don't thank me yet; you haven't used it in an actual fight." He smirked and put his hands together in a familiar sign.
"Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!" A shadow clone popped into existence, much to the surprise of the former sound nin.
"Holy fuck, you never cease to amaze me." He smiled genuinely at the girl before settling himself into the new stance and sparring with his shadow clone. She couldn't keep a tiny smirk from slipping its way onto her face as she watched him. By the time she was done, Orochimaru won't know what hit him.
Both genin were oblivious to the angry pair of eyes watching their every move.
Chapter 3
Naruto sparred for a few more hours, even going as far as to create ten shadow clones to fight against. Every few minutes, Tayuya would call out tips or admonishments; most of them starting with an insult, of course. As time went on, the insults gradually turned into compliments, and she even began to hold back on the name calling. Sometime during his training, he'd shed his jacket and thrown it towards the foul mouthed redhead, causing the name calling to resume full force. After awhile, she became silent. 'I must be doing pretty good!' Naruto thought as he crouched down onto the ground, breathing heavily and glancing up at the night sky. The stars and moon were glowing brilliantly, a sign that it was at least after eight. He didn't realize so much time had passed since they'd left the Academy.
"Oi, Tayuya, ready to go back?" He called over his temporary teammate. When she didn't answer, he reluctantly stood and walked over to where she was reclining against the large tree. "Tayuya?" Looking closer, he realized that her eyes were closed, and her head was tilted off to the side at an awkward angle. It didn't take a genius to see that she was asleep. His discarded jacket was spread out over her torso; probably to ward off the cold. It did tend to get pretty cool in Konoha, after all. The genin stared a moment longer before reaching over to pick the girl up. What he didn't count on was her fist shooting up and punching him square in the jaw, sending him sprawling five feet into an adjacent tree. The girl blinked sleepily and yawned, rubbing at her eyes with the offending hand.
'Huh, must've fallen asleep.' She thought to herself, noticing it wasn't light outside anymore. She glanced at the area where Naruto had been training, only to see a battered training log and a few ninja weapons spread out on the ground. However, there was no sign of her blond escort. A small pang of anger washed over the girl. 'That bastard deserted me!' she shrieked in her mind, already thinking of ways to cause the genin pain. That is until she heard a strangled groan coming from her left. Tayuya snapped her head around to see Naruto lying sideways against a thick oak tree, tending to a large bruise on his cheek. She blinked in surprise.
"What the fuck happened to you?" Naruto glared at her and rolled himself onto his hands and knees.
"What happened? You punched me!" He yelled, waving his arms in an exaggerated fashion. The girl blinked again.
"I did?" She glanced down at her fist in surprise. 'Huh, good to see my reflexes haven't dulled any.'
"Yeah! What, do you think I hit myself?"
"Damned if I know. You might be some kind of masochist."
"A maso...what?" Tayuya shook her head in exasperation.
"Holy shit, you're stupid. Just put me in my chair and get me back to the hellhole you fuckers call a hospital." Shooting her one last glare, the blond stood up and walked over to the crippled genin. He pulled his jacket off of her first, attempting to put it on. The girl shivered and grabbed a hold of one of the sleeves. When he stared at her questioningly, she scowled and tugged on the sleeve a little harder. "It's cold as shit out here. Be a gentleman and let me use your jacket." She meant for it to be a suggestion, but it came out as more of a command.
"Will you be quiet and go back to the hospital peacefully if I do?" He asked, patting himself on the back for coming up with such a great idea. She nodded and pulled the jacket from his grip, immediately wrapping it around herself to ward off the persistent cold. After regaining a bit of her warmth from the heavy material of the bright orange jacket, Tayuya lifted an arm towards her escort.
"Hurry up, I'm freezing my ass off out here." Naruto scowled but bent down to pick her up bridal style. She wrapped her good arm around his neck and nodded after she established a firm enough grip. As he ascended to a standing position, both felt a small wave of killing intent from the forest around them.
"What the hell was that?" He asked, looking around for any sign of life. Tayuya was doing the same, immediately going into ninja mode despite her handicaps.
"I don't know, but we'd better get the fuck out of here before whatever it is decides to make itself known." Quickly setting her back into her wheelchair, Naruto formed some chakra in his feet and dashed off towards civilization while occasionally glancing over his shoulder to see if anyone was following them. Even as they ran, they felt the strange presence following them, the foul aura getting stronger and stronger with each step. Before long, they reached the densely populated market district. Thankfully, the killing intent immediately disappeared, allowing the genin to slow his pace to a brisk walk.
"That, was scary." He breathed, attempting to regain his breath back after the sprint. Normally he wouldn't be so tired, but he'd just spent the better part of the afternoon training his taijutsu. The girl nodded in agreement, trying to catch her own breath despite not doing anything.
"Fuck yeah, that was like some Freddy Krueger shit." Both genin paused for a moment before bursting out into laughter. Civilians and ninja alike wisely edged their way around the howling teens, unsure as to whether they were psychotic or not. It took well over a minute for them to calm down enough to keep moving, although they both sported equally wide grins; a fact which still managed to creep out most of the citizens they came across. As they walked deeper into the market district of Konoha, Tayuya soon became aware of the glares and frowns sent their way. A few of the people muttered words under their breath, none that she could hear over the increasingly loud chatter. She glanced up to see that her escort was still grinning, albeit it was slightly strained from her vantage point. "Oi, dobe. What's with these shitheads? I thought the bimbo didn't tell anyone where I was from." His smile slipped a bit before widening into a full foxy grin.
"Oh, they're just upset about some pranks I pulled awhile back." He lied, skillfully skipping around the truth. It wouldn't do any good for her to know about the Kyuubi. She eyed him for a few seconds before shrugging it off. It wasn't her job to cross examine the boy.
"You must've pulled some fucking good ones, 'cause they look angry enough to slit your throat in your sleep or something." Naruto made an abrupt stop, nearly throwing the girl from her wheelchair. Her statement brought back some painful memories from his childhood.
"I thought you were supposed to be quiet." He said, his voice deathly cold. Tayuya looked taken aback at his sudden change in emotion.
'What the shit? Is he bipolar?' she wondered, taking note of his dejected expression. Her face soon deepened into a scowl as she turned around and face forward again. What the hell did she care? It wasn't her fault the bastard had deep seeded problems. He soon began pushing her towards the hospital, though at a much quicker pace than they'd been traveling at before. Five minutes later, they arrived at the door to room 223. Even as he lifted her frail body onto the hospital bed, they didn't speak. He stared at her prone form for a few seconds, watching how the moonlight illuminated her features as she glared out of the window to her right. Naruto walked back to the doorway in silence, opening the door with a soft click.
"I'm sorry." He whispered, much to the girl's surprise. She snapped her head around to reply, but found that he'd already disappeared down the hallway. The smallest of smirks made its way onto her face.
"Idiot."
"Gaaaaaaaaaaaah!" A feminine voice yelled while tossing papers into the air. "Where is it? WHERE?"
The fifth hokage was currently tearing her office apart, looking for her last bottle of sake. She knew she had another bottle left; she'd just restocked her secret stash yesterday! A perverted chuckle resounded in the nearly empty room.
"Lose something, Tsunade?"
The woman in question clenched her fists a few times to get rid of the stress that was steadily building up in her system. Turning to the window, she forced an angry grin onto her face.
"You wouldn't happen to know where my last bottle of sake went, would you, Jiraiya?" Jiraiya chuckled and took a swig from the bottle resting in his hand. Giving her a cheeky grin, he shook his head.
"Nope, not a clue." That was it. With a bloodcurdling scream, the godaime launched herself at her former teammate, fully intending to rip his spine from his body. The sannin deftly dodged her advances with a leering grin. "My, my, Tsunade-hime. I knew you wanted me, but this is a bit desperate; even for you." She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down.
"How the hell did you slip past all of the ANBU guards?" The toad hermit rolled his eyes.
"Those guys? Pfft. They don't call me a legendary sannin for nothing, you know." He said with a cocky wave of his hand. She sighed in exasperation.
"What do you want?" His expression immediately became serious, a sure sign that this was important. Dear Kami, she wished she had her sake.
"It's about Naruto." Tsunade groaned in response.
"Akatsuki?" She asked, hoping against hope that it was something smaller. Much to her chagrin, he nodded.
"Yeah. Judging from the information I received on my spy network, they're going to start moving in three years. As you know, Itachi and Kisame are quite powerful S-Ranked nukenin; I wouldn't stand a chance against both of them while trying to protect the kid at the same time." Tsunade sighed and buried her face into her hands.
"That's not it. I can tell." Even though he knew she couldn't see it, he shook his head and sighed.
"Not only are Akatsuki planning on kidnapping Naruto, but there is a rumor going around that Orochimaru's cooking up a war against Konoha right after he transfers to Sasuke's body. Iwa and Kumo are also rumored to be in on this war. They both have large grudges against Konoha, you know." Tsunade groaned loudly, desperately wishing she had even a sip of sake.
"So what is it that you want?" She asked, not moving from her position.
"I want to take Naruto on a training trip for three years. I'll teach him how to use the Kyuubi's chakra effectively, and also a few other things like tracking and battle strategy. This way, he'll be able to defend himself against Akatsuki's attacks and possibly be a defining factor in the war with Otogakure."
"No." Jiraiya nearly fell from his perch on the windowsill.
"No? Why the hell not? Have you been listening to the things I've been telling you for the past five minutes?" She lifted her head to glare pitifully at her teammate.
"I need him here to gather information on Orochimaru from a former sound nin." He frowned deeply in response.
"Just turn the bastard over to Ibiki! You know how good he is at interrogation! It is of the upmost importance that I teach Naruto everything he needs to know before the Akatsuki decide to move!"
"It's...it's complicated. I can't just turn her over to Ibiki, it wouldn't work." Jiraiya's eyes suddenly got a knowing twinkle.
"Her?" Realizing that she'd said too much, the godaime hung her head. He chuckled loudly and hopped down into the room.
"Dear Tsunade-hime, what have I told you about meddling?"
"Shut up."
"If it's that important to you, why don't I bring her along? You can assign a jounin to keep an eye on her while I train Naruto." She groaned for the second time that night.
"That won't work either. One, the girl can't walk. The bones in her legs are far too damaged for me to do anything about it, and nothing short of regeneration will fix them. Two, there isn't a jounin on the force who would take this job that I can afford to let go." Jiraiya frowned in thought.
"You know, now that I think about, this could really work out for the best. If Naruto is able to get the information from the girl before the three years are up, we could attack Orochimaru before he transfers to Sasuke and attacks us! By that time, Naruto will be plenty strong enough to take on Akatsuki and Sasuke. I'm a genius!" Tsunade blinked in frustration.
"Did you not just hear a word I said? The girl cannot walk. She will never walk." She said, speaking in a voice she'd use as if she were talking to a toddler. "And there isn't a jounin on the force who I can afford to let go. Must I repeat it again, baka?" The man chuckled and waved his hand.
"So her bones are practically dust. Big deal." He said, shrugging his shoulders. "Tell me Tsunade, how does your Genesis Rebirth technique work?" Tsunade stared at him as if he'd grown a third head.
"You should remember, you helped me make it! By releasing the chakra stored up in my forehead seal, I can instantly heal all of my wounds and even regrow limbs and organs if I need..." At this point her eyes widened in realization. She jumped to her feet and began to pace around the office, arms flailing around in excitement. "That's it! If we can recreate the same technique on Tayuya, She'll easily be able to restore her bones to their previous state! Jiraiya, you're a genius!" He smiled and nodded in agreement.
"I know, I know, you don't have to tell me." After her initial excitement wore off, she immediately slouched back on to her desk.
"But how will it work? We don't have the time for her to build up the chakra on her own, and neither of us has enough chakra to force into the seal ourselves. Hell, we don't even know how to cancel the technique after the required healing is complete." Jiraiya grinned as if expecting this response.
"Are you forgetting who I am? Besides the number one super pervert of Konoha, I am also a master of seals. I'm much more experienced than I was when we created your technique, Tsunade-hime. Give me a week and I'll cook something up. As for the required chakra...I happen to know a certain genin who has more chakra than an entire ANBU squad." She smirked.
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