"I didn't bring a lot of supplies with me," complained Tenten.
"I... didn't prepare for a long mission either," said Hinata.
"Already arranged for supplies," said Kurenai Yuhi, going over the room and examining it.
"So, it's a diplomatic mission, but what are the details?" asked Tenten.
"Don't tell Naruto," said Kurenai, directing her gaze to Hinata.
"Wh-what? But why?" asked Hinata.
"Apparently he has some," Kurenai paused as she considered how best to put this, "sort of issues with the person we'll be protecting. I don't know all the details. There will be a treaty with the Princess Of Najirea and Mid-Childa. Mid-Childa, and its Time/Space Administration Bureau, are our clients. One of the things they are wanting to gauge is how well Leaf shinobi can work alongside their mage-operatives."
"'Mage'?" asked Tenten.
"As near as I can tell, these operatives use specialized jutsu," said Kurenai. "Part of the agreement with Konohagakure is that Naruto is the only licensed mage-operative and has a rank within their organization."
"Naruto? I admit he looks a little different," admitted Tenten, "but isn't he the same guy who used to paint over the Hokage's faces and talk about how awesome he is while mainly being kind of pathetic?"
"He's changed, changed a lot," said Kurenai. "Now, you two. An order from the Hokage himself is that neither of you can reveal what you see on this trip."
"Why?" asked Tenten, checking out a sink that had no handles.
"Mostly because right now, none of the other villages know about our new partners and relationships, nor about Naruto's abilities," said Kurenai. "There are a number of rumors about Naruto, but the more fantastic elements aren't getting repeated. Mainly because they ARE so hard to believe."
"So until there's an official disclosure, keep things quiet," interpreted Tenten.
"I d-don't have any difficulties with that, Kurenai-sensei," came Hinata's quiet reply.
"Yeah, I guess I can live with that," agreed Tenten.
"So, Hinata," said Kurenai, seeing a chance to derail that speculative look in Tenten's eyes, "I overheard Naruto making a date with you."
"Oh?" asked Tenten, eyeing the Hyuga girl.
"Eto, that is, I mean," fidgeted Hinata.
"So you're taking your fiancee out on a date?" asked Kakashi. "So young."
"Well, he is a ninja who might die on a mission at any time," said Gai. "Certainly the rash of D-Rank missions going wrong has indicated that just remaining in Konoha isn't safe."
"Yeah, I know a couple of places to eat, and there's a weapon store, and a few other places I can show her," said Naruto.
"Taking his first date out to a weapon store," said Gai, looking off into the distance. "Ah, I remember it well."
"You've actually dated?" asked Kakashi. Despite his mask and only having one eye uncovered, he was able to convey base disbelief.
"Much like you, my rival, I was the victim of a love triangle back in my days as a chunin," said Gai. "Alas, like you, it didn't work out well."
"What happened?" asked Naruto. Now that someone didn't mind associating with him, he was reluctant to see anything shatter that connection.
"She died," said Gai-sensei. "I went through a period where the love of my life had left a great emptiness in my heart. Which was when I found a new purpose to fill my life!"
"The 'flames of youth'?" asked Kakashi, thinking that something suddenly made sense.
"Exactly!" declared Gai with a 'nice guy' pose.
"My situation was a little more complicated," said Kakashi.
"One girl was in love with you, while another guy was in love with her, and you were focussed on duty," said Guy, sitting on a table edge and nodding solemnly. "Exactly the same situation as myself, except in my own case I was the lovestruck one who was ignored by the girl. I was sure that someday I would win her heart when she saw that her own beloved did not return her affections. Alas, the life of a shinobi is fraught with Peril."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow at the way Guy put it, not that he could disagree with it entirely. "Well, it's also what happened to Jiraiya, one of the Three Legenday Shinobi of the Leaf. He's now a best-selling author, but he used to pursue the girl on his genin team but her heart belonged to Orochimaru."
"Who went on to betray the Leaf Village and become an S-class criminal," pointed out Gai. "Love triangles are bad news for all concerned."
"I see," said a now-thoughtful Naruto.
"Happy love lives and being a shinobi are rarely compatible," said Kakashi in a regretful tone.
"Sasuke?"
"He's gone home," said Ino, putting a vase with a couple of flowers on the stand next to the bed. "Are you sane at the moment?"
"What are you talking about?" asked Sakura, putting aside the usual insult-trading as she considered her chief rival and main enemy/former BFF.
"The last time I was in, you were singing 'YMCA' - and you weren't even hitting the right keys," answered Ino.
"I was? I mean 'yeah right' - there's no way," said Sakura.
"Yes, you were," said a nurse who stuck her head in the door. "That's why your medication was adjusted. Push the button when the pain gets to be too much."
Sakura was silent for a few moments after the nurse left.
"So," said Ino. "Two concussions, Both legs and your right arm broken, neck injury, broken rib, lacerations to the left side of your head, both arms bruised, severe laceration - that means a scrape right? - to your back. Skin grafts there. That's why you are on your stomach by the way."
"I've been having a bad week," said Sakura.
"Yeah, I've only broken ONE leg," said Ino, hobbling around to a better position to talk to Sakura.
"How'd that happen?" asked Sakura, wincing at the pain beginning to making itself known.
"Fence painting, I was on a ladder," said Ino, making a face. "Then another team on a cat-catching mission knocked the ladder over. I would have still been okay if I hadn't landed on the buckets."
"So, the rest of your team?" asked Sakura.
"Choji got ahold of some improperly cooked beef tenders," said Ino. "Food poisoning. He's out for awhile. Shikamaru got blown up."
"I can empathize," said Sakura. "Is he alive?"
"Oh he's fine," said Ino. "Just burned around the edges and broke an arm when he landed in that dumpster."
"I never knew that 'D-Rank' missions would be that dangerous," admitted Sakura.
Tenten had stood next to the others on the odd circles and had watched as, to her viewpoint, the ship was there one eyeblink and next.
"Look at all the moons," said Hinata, her voice a whisper that everyone else was able to hear only because nobody else was even breathing.
Tenten could agree with the sentiment. There had to be over a dozen moons in the sky.
When she could tear her gaze away from THAT, she could note the buildings as well. Taller than anything she'd seen in Konoha, these were monoliths reaching hundreds of feet into the air. Most were taller than the Hokage Mountain, some would have dwarfed that.
"Welcome to Mid-Childa," said Naruto, stepping next to Hinata. "Come on, I'll show you the supplies store I found here the last time."
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(Posted Tue, 20 Apr 2010 17:31)
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