After the pain

Sorry for the let down, I'm just fixing spelling as well as taking out my authors note, seeing as ff.nat doesn't like them.
I will continue writing again as soon as I can.

Legilmyth

Disclaimer: The main characters of this story are not mine; I only use them for the hell
of it. The names Obito and Midori are not mine but the characters bearing
them are, Uta and Kashin are mine so hands off!!


I want to thank everyone for their support over the pirating of this story, I am glad it is over. At least this time.

I am planning on finishing all the stories I have posted but it might be a bit slower for now seeing as I just signed up for a new writing course and I also have three new horses to work with including a feral stallion :) :) :) I’M SO HAPPY!!!!!!!

Any way, updating might be a little slower but I will try to do it as often as I can.
Thank you all again for your notes of encouragement, advice and offers to do physical harm to the thief, I enjoyed every one and they helped me get this chapter done for you all.

So please enjoy!

* * * * * * **

Chapter eighteen


Temari rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she entered the kitchen.
Her hair was brushed and braided and she had opted to wear her new lavender kimono, but she still wasn’t completely awake.

“Good morning.” Naruto called from his place at the kitchen table.

“Morning.” She replied with a smile and a yawn.

“There’s tea on the stove.” He informed her.

“Thank you.”

Once she had poured herself a cup of the steaming liquid she settled across the table from Naruto who was cleaning a long katana, its silver blade glistened in the morning light.

“What are you doing with that?” She asked, watching the slow yet steady progress of the cloth he was using to polish the blade.

“Oh, when ever Iruka and I spar we put some time aside to work on my swordsmanship.” He replied before setting down the cloth and taking a sip of tea from the cup at his elbow.

“Work on YOUR skills?”

Naruto smiled at her question.
“He may not look like it but Iruka’s one of Konoha’s best with a blade.”

“Interesting.” Temari murmured.

After one last inspection of his sword Naruto slid it into its sheath with a smooth click.

“Would you like some breakfast?” He asked setting the weapon down in the center of the table.

“Sounds good.” She replied as she tried to stifle another yawn.

“I was just going to have some cereal and toast with fruit on the side, but I can make something else if you want.” He offered.

She shook her head. “No, that sounds great.”

Within a few minutes Naruto had all the food out on the table and was refilling both their tea cups.

“So did you not sleep very well last night?” He asked as he resumed his seat and removed the katana from the table top.

“I slept like the dead; I just seem to be having a hard time waking up completely.” She informed him.

He nodded his understanding and the two ate in comfortable silence.

“What time are you meeting Iruka-san?” Temari asked once she had rinsed dished while Naruto put the food away.

“In about half an hour. He likes to sleep in a bit on Saturdays when he can.” Naruto informed her.

“Would you mind if I came along? I think I’m ready for some light exercises myself.”

“Don’t mind at all, there is lots of room at the training grounds.”

“I’ll be ready in two minutes.” She informed him as she disappeared into the bedroom.

True to her word she reappeared only minutes later dressed in a loose pair of pants and a long sleeved button down shirt.
Naruto raised a brow at her choice of attire.

“Aren’t you going to get hot wearing that?” He asked as he strapped his katana to his back. “The kimono probably would have been a better choice for today.” He commented as he nodded towards the window and the bright sunny day outside of it.

Temari fidgeted slightly.
“I have a tank underneath if I get too hit. I …. Uh just don’t feel comfortable wearing a kimono in public.”

Naruto opened his mouth to comment that he had seen her wear that kind of outfit before, but quickly snapped it shut again when he remembered why she would feel that way.

“Well let’s get going then.” He suggested, trying to cover up his laps, she had been doing so well that for a moment he had forgotten why she was staying with him in the first place.

Before going out the door he opened a small closet and pulled out his extra weapons pouch and tossed it to her.

“In case you want to do some target practice.” He explained.

“Thanks.”

He merely nodded and waited until she had adjusted it to fit her right thigh before escorting her out the door.

The pair walked through the still quiet streets of Konoha, neither one spoke as they were both occupied with thoughts of their own.

Temari pulled out a kunai and absently flipped it around, alternating hands trying to get used to the feel of that type of weapon again; it had been a while since she worked with anything other then her fan.

Naruto meanwhile was wondering why he hadn’t noticed before now just how strange it was to see her without her giant fan strapped to her back and a devil may care smile on her face.
She even walked differently then the last time he had seen her in Suna.
Although she still stood tall and proud the slight swagger in her step was missing.
So much had happened since they arrived back in Konoha that he hadn’t given any though to what effects, other then nightmares her experience had caused her.

He made a mental note to go see an old friend of his after his sparing session; he had an idea of what might help her out a bit.

It took very little time to get to Naruto’s favorite area of the training grounds; Iruka was already waiting in the field.
He stood with his arms loosely folded and his eyes closed.

Temari instantly spotted the katana at the chunin’s waist.
It wasn’t very often that she had seen two ninja square off with the long blades, most favored weapons suited to close contact or long range fighting, other then the weird ones like Kisame, the former Akatsuki member who’s blade was insanely large, of course it had had special powers as well so that made it different.

She shook her head at the strange course her thoughts had taken and instead focused on returning the dark haired mans greeting.

“Are you going to be joining us Temari-san?” He asked pleasantly.

Temari shook her head. “I don’t think I’m quite up to sparing just yet, I’m going to just do some basics and a little target practice today.” She informed him.

As he smiled she was struck by the thought of how much he reminded her of Naruto.

“Shall we get started then?” The blonde in question asked his voice filled with excitement.

“I’m already warmed up.” Iruka informed him. “Why don’t you do the same... After you let me see your katana.”

The chunin held out his hand for the weapon, his tone of voice made Temari curious to see what the rather authoritative note in it was about.
She noticed too that Naruto un-strapped his sword with great care and gently set it in the older mans waiting palm.

‘Something’s up with that.’ She decided she had never seen anyone handle a weapon so carefully, unless it had a poisoned edge.

In what seemed like less then a blink of an eye, Iruka had the sword unsheathed and the blade resting lightly across his left sleeve.
The metal glimmered, reflecting the sunlight as he turned it, carefully inspecting every inch of the polished steel.
Another moment later the blade was pointed towards the ground while the hilt and guard received the same scrutiny.

Temari’s attention strayed momentarily from the darker man to her blonde companion; Naruto seemed to be practically standing at attention.
A click that signaled the sword had returned to its sheath drew her attention back to the chunin teacher. His face seemed unreadable for a moment and Temari wondered at the sudden tension she felt.

It was broken when Iruka suddenly smiled.
“You’re blade is in excellent shape, you have been caring for it well.”

Naruto beamed at the complement and Temari got the distinct impression that he had just passed some kind of major test.

“Let’s spar Naruto, go ahead and get warmed up.” Iruka’s voice was back to being soft and friendly.

Temari couldn’t help giving him a questioning look as Naruto trotted off to run a quick lap around the field.

“Caring for one’s katana is just as important as learning how to use it properly.” The teacher explained before she could formulate a question. “It requires patience as well as skill, and patience is something Naruto was sorely lacking for many years, he has improved a great deal.”
Iruka’s voice held no small amount of pride as he watched Naruto finish his run and strip off his vest and shirt before heading back towards the two.

Temari could think of nothing to say to that so she simply offered a smile and inclined her head slightly before turning and retreating to the tree line where she could warm up herself while giving the two men plenty of room to do their thing.
She turned in time to see Naruto strapping his sword across his back again before falling into a fighting stance.

The two made quite a sight she decided.
They were so very different in height color and build. The dark haired teacher stood under six feet in height with a slim athletic build, making Naruto look like a giant in comparison.
Her eyes trailed up his six foot four frame, although she had seen him shirtless several times since she had been with him, here in the open with the sun light gleaming off his bronzed skin, he just seemed so much larger then when she was close to him, and she couldn’t blame it all on the sight of his exposed chest.

Shaking her head at herself she began moving through a series of stretches as she watched the two men standing as if they were trying to stare each other down.
She didn’t think that their sparing would take very long seeing as Iruka was a chunin, but she decided that it would be interesting to watch anyway.

She was half way through her stretching regimen before they finally moved.

Naruto disappeared momentarily, only to reappear directly behind Iruka. The teacher immediately ducked under the blow heading his way and spun at the same time so that he was able to use his right hand to deflect the round house kick also headed at him.

‘He has speed.” Temari realized as she watched him do a backwards summersault, despite having a katana at his waist, in order to get some space.

He was back on his feet and waiting when a grinning Naruto bore down on him.
After that the speed of the blows increased steadily, and it was a few minutes before the Sand kunoichi realized that Iruka was in a pure defensive position.
But she also realized that the chunin had yet to take any kind of hit, up to that point he had managed to deflect or dodge every one of Naruto’s strikes.

Temari had to admit that she was quite impressed with his balance and flexibility; some of the ways his body moved and bent were quite amazing.

They were still going at it when she finished her stretching and started moving through a range a range of Tai-jutsu moves designed to improve balance and coordination, when out of the corner of her eye she saw both men freeze.

Turning her head for a better look even as she remained standing on just her left leg she saw to her surprise that Iruka had taken the match.

The teacher had a firm hold with his right hand on Naruto’s left arm which extended out over the chunin’s left shoulder while Iruka’s left hand had slipped underneath it so that his fingers pushed into the big blonde’s jugular.
If it had been a real battle a blow just to the right would have crushed the larynx and been extremely painful if not lethal.

After a few moments of being frozen in place the two separated.

‘Very interesting.’ Temari mused to herself before resuming her work out.
She made a mental note not to underestimate the scar faced chunin in the future.

* *

Iruka took several deep breaths to steady his breathing.

“Are you warmed up yet?” He asked pleasantly.

Naruto chuckled. “Ya I guess, are you up for another round?”

Iruka simply smiled at the light hearted barb.
They both knew that in the long run there was no way he could win against Naruto, but the teacher had become a master of turning his opponent’s strength against them.
He had worked for years to master his own techniques, ever since that long ago day when Mizuki tricked Naruto into stealing the forbidden scroll and he had nearly gotten himself killed over protecting the boy.

After that day he had worked to find a way of fighting that would allow him to face anyone on their own terms and at least give them a run for their money.
He never wanted to be faced with loosing someone precious to him while he was helpless to do anything to prevent it.

Now after twelve years, the chunin had accomplished his goal.
He was able to see through almost any illusion to find his attacker and then counter that attack. His moves weren’t as fancy as some of the jonin he kept company with, like Kakashi for example, but he hadn’t been going over the basics over and over again at the academy for years for nothing.

Naruto had been his inspiration as well as his helper in his quest, so now he was able to once again give the blond pointers on the occasion, of course he knew he would never have the fox boy’s stamina and strength, but then no one did.

“So are you going to get serious about this, or keep fooling around?” He asked.

Naruto chuckled. “So you did notice those openings.”

Iruka rolled his eyes. “Of course, a blind man could have found them.”

“So weapons down, five foot perimeter?” Naruto asked, already un-strapping his katana.

Iruka agreed and followed suit.
The two had long ago established this exercise to compensate both for the difference in speed and strength between them as well as sharpen their skills of extremely close range without the benefit of weapons of any kind.

The rules were simple.
No weapons and stay within a five foot radius of each other at all times.
No long distance throwing allowed, which was a rule mostly for Naruto.
And no gen-jutsu or nin-jutsu of any kind.

Once their weapons had been carefully set aside and Iruka had shed his vest and long sleeved shirt so that he was down to his white undershirt, the two took their places and began.
The moves were rooted in basic self defense but it was very seldom that either one could even get the chance to actually throw the other.
The counter moves caused the session to look like a strange mix of wrestling and gymnastics, as they used various flips to break free of an array of grapple holds.

In the end Iruka excelled at this as he was of smaller build and was much more flexible then Naruto was.

*

Temari did not spend as long a time training as she had planned, her body just didn’t feel up to it so she opted instead to go back to stretching in order to get her full range of motion back. This also resulted in her watching Naruto and Iruka grapple with each other.

She was pretty sure that she had never seen a training session quite like theirs. Even as she admitted that some of the moves the two pulled were mind boggling, who knew the human body could bend like that?

She also found it interesting that Naruto went flying onto his ass a lot more then the chunin did.
The teacher had some pretty interesting moves that compensated for his smaller size. After and hour of this the two broke away from each other to take a break.

Iruka appeared slightly winded but both men sported a light sheen of sweat from their exertion. At that point they were too far away for Temari to hear what they were saying as they both stretched and took a few minutes to rub some obviously painful spots before moving back to their discarded weapons and strapped the katana’s to their hips.

‘This should be interesting.’ Temari mused as she settled down in the grass with her back against a thick tree.

They took their places opposite each other, drew their blades, and….. stood there.

They were like matching yet opposite statues, their stances identical, relaxed but straight poster, knees slightly bent and the katana’s held directly in front of the body, pointing towards the other.

The Sand kunoichi waited expectantly for them to spring into action.
But five minutes passed, then ten, then twenty and still neither one had moved so much as a muscle.

Temari had the distinct feeling that she was missing something and yet she wasn’t really sure what it was.
A half hour rolled around and the wind summoner was debating whether or not to go for a walk when she heard a movement off to her left.

Glancing over she was in time to see a young girl step rather stealthily out of the foliage, by the way the youngster glanced back the way she had come, Temari guessed that she was either not supposed to be there or was expecting someone to be following her.

Normally Temari would ignore anything related to children if they weren’t getting into any kind of trouble, but since she no longer felt she needed an excuse to avoid them she felt compelled to comment.

“Are you not supposed to be here or are you just trying to avoid someone?” She called, gaining the girls attention.

“A little bit of the second I guess Temari-san.” The girl replied as she changed her course and approached.

The Sand kunoichi had to take a second look before she realized that this was the new genin that Naruto had introduced her too that first day in Konoha.
It took a moment before she remembered her name.

“Meeka was it?”

The emerald haired girl nodded.

“Who are you trying to avoid?”

“My teammates, they think that just because we’re on the same team that we have to do everything together.” Meeka huffed before glancing towards the training field.
“Oh hey! Is that Naruto-sensei and Iruka-sensei?” She asked excitedly before Temari could question her further on her teammates.

“Yes it is, but I’m not sure what they’re doing, they’ve just been standing there for quite a while now.” Temari informed her.

“How long have they been at it?” Meeka questioned.

The jonin looked at the sun.
“About half an hour.”

“Oh good! That means I didn’t miss it!” The girl exclaimed as she plopped down on the ground beside a confused Temari.

“Miss what?”

Meeka gave her a funny look.
“Well the first move of coursed, whoever move's first looses, usually.” She explained.

The two females silently watched the stationary swordsmen for a few minutes while Temari tried to figure out exactly how this ‘sparing match’ was supposed to work.

“How long does this usually take?” She finally asked.

Meeka shrugged. “Well last time I heard that they made it too two and a half hours, but usually its only about one and a half, two hours.”

Before Temari could recover from her surprise enough to comment the two were interrupted by two voices calling Meeka’s name.

“Darn it all.” The girl muttered.

The voices were quickly followed by two boys who appeared out of the same trees the young kunoichi had.

“There you are!” One of them exclaimed.

Temari guessed that these were the annoying teammates by the scowl on the girls face.

“We are supposed to be training together.” The second boy announced as they drew closer.

“Training does NOT include lunch breaks!” Meeka retorted as she glanced at her watch. “And I still have fifteen minutes before I have to be back.” She informed them.

“But what are you doing here?” The first boy asked, neither one seemed the least bit interested in Temari who, upon closer inspection recognized the first young man as Hasita Oshi, Whom she had met along with Meeka.
But the second boy she didn’t recognize.

“Watching Naruto-sensei and Iruka-sensei.” Meeka gestured towards the clearing at the still immobile fighters.

“The two of them? Awesome!” The unknown boy exclaimed excitedly. “They are SO cool!” He proclaimed taking a seat beside Meeka who glared at him.

“How long?” Oshi asked.

“Almost forty-five minutes.” The young kunoichi replied before Temari could even open her mouth.

“Cool, I’m going to tell Sensei, be right back.”
With that he was gone, leaving Temari even more confused the before, as she wondered what all the excitement was about.

Meeka then started arguing over space with the boy beside her so she decided to wait before asking for more of an explanation.

“Meeka, Toya that is enough, I will not have you two arguing all the time.”
An older male voice announced the return of Oshi with the group’s sensei.

Temari glanced up to identify the new comer and was surprised to realize that she knew him as well.

“Temari-san, I’m sorry I didn’t realize you were here, I apologize for my students conduct.” He bowed deeply.

“That is quite alright Konohamaru.” She assured the young jonin. “It was actually quit entertaining listening to them.”

“I’m glad of that, but let me tell you, the entertainment level goes WAY down after the first hour or so.” The young man replied with a grin.

Temari chuckled.
Konohamaru had been one of the young men who had joined her and Naruto for dinner their first night in Konoha and she found that she liked his easy, if slightly weird sense of humor.

“Would you mind if I sat here Temari-san?” Konohamaru asked politely indicating a spot on the opposite side of her then his team.

She shook her head. “No, not at all.”

She than decided that since Meeka was still engaged in an argument , albeit a quieter one with the boy Temari now knew as Toya, the Sand kunoichi turned to the young jonin settling down beside her in order to get a clearer explanation of what it was the group of them were now watching.

“So can you tell me what exactly it is we are supposed to be watching for here?” She asked. “Meeka said something about the first move but it didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me.”

Konohamaru leaned back until he was stretched out on the grass while propping his upper body up with his elbows.
“Well basically this is an advanced lesson in patience as well as anticipating your opponent’s moves. Naruto is the only one that Iruka-san ever does this drill with, the goal is to see who can stand the tension longer. The one who makes the first move usually will over compensate for something and leaves himself open, thus the first to move usually looses.”

That explanation gave her a little more information, but there were still a few points that she needed some clarification on.

“Why is it that the first move looses? I would think it would be the other way around. Over compensating shouldn’t make that big of a difference if he’s fast enough.”

Konohamaru grinned. “Well that’s because Naruto is always the one to move first, he doesn’t quite have Iruka-san’s patience and that’s what gets him every time.”

The young shinobi made a face. “But then considering what Iruka does for a living its not surprising, how anyone can put up with that many kids who are given sharp instruments day in and day out is a complete mystery to me.”

“But I’ve seen the two of them spar, Naruto is faster the Iruka so his first move should be the last.” She pointed out, still slightly confused.

“Normally that would be the case, but here they are using katana’s.” Konohamaru replied as he sat up and waved at three new people who had arrived to join the watching.
“When it comes to katana’s Iruka is one of the best you watch, Naruto won’t come close to hitting him.”

Temari nodded even if she still didn’t quite understand what to expect and instead started to wonder why the match seemed to be drawing such a crowd.

“Just you watch sensei!” Meeka exclaimed from Temari’s left. “He’ll do it, one of these days Naruto-sensei will beat Iruka-sensei real good!” The girl announced loudly.

Konohamaru chuckled at his student’s outburst.
“Of course he will Meeka, that’s why we’re all here isn’t it.”

The girl nodded vigorously while staring intently at the two swordsmen.

Before a stunned Temari could open her mouth to confirm that they were basically all there to see Naruto kick ass, yet another male voice interrupted.

“So they are here, has the pool started yet?”

Turning slightly Temari looked up at the new comer only to discover that she recognized him as well. Although it had been many years she remembered Genma from when he was the replacement proctor for the final round of the chunin exams that first time she and her brothers had come to Konoha.

“Not yet Genma.” Konohamaru replied. “We couldn’t start without you now could we?” The young man teased.

“I should think not.” The senbone chewing jonin replied.

The Sand kunoichi sat back in disbelief as not only a betting pool started but within the next half hour over a dozen more people showed up to watch the match, such as it was.
It surprised the sand-nin just how may people were there and that the entire conversation within her ear shot was on the previous bouts between Naruto and Iruka or speculation on how this one would end.

Somewhere along the line Temari’s stomach decided to start complaining, she was able to ignore it for a while but when the hour and a half mark was announced by Meeka the blond kunoichi decided that she might as well go find something to eat, seeing as neither Naruto or Iruka had so much as shifted their weight since the whole thing had started.

Excusing herself she headed back towards Naruto’s apartment at a slow jog, deciding as she went that she would quickly throw a picnic lunch together to take back with her as she was sure that both men would be hungry once they were finally done.

It ended up taking her longer then she had anticipated, as she had difficulty finding something to carry the dozen sandwiches along with fruit and a jug of ice water.
Finally as a last resort she stole what appeared to be Naruto’s travel pack, removed the weapons inside and stuffed the lunch into it.
Last minute she grabbed a jar of dill pickles out of the cupboard and the brownies left over from Hinata’s visit and added them to the bag before heading out the door munching on an apple as she walked.

By the time she returned to the training grounds nearly an hour had passed and she was stunned to find that not only were Naruto and Iruka in the exact spots as when she had left but there now appeared to be about fifty people sitting or standing around the outer edge of the training field, all watching intently.

‘This has got to be one of the weirdest things I have ever seen.’ Temari mussed as she surveyed the crowd.

Now a real fight she could understand drawing a crowd, their earlier hand to hand spar had been quite impressive, but to just stand around waiting to see who would make the first move seemed a little strange to her.

As she neared the spot where she had been originally sitting she spotted Meeka waving at her.

“Temari-san! I saved your spot for you!”

Chuckling quietly to herself at the girls exuberant attitude Temari picked her way through the crowd, nodding greetings to the few people she knew until she was finally able to take a seat after setting her pack of food down between herself and Konohamaru.

“So how did it go?” She asked Meeka once she was comfortably settled.

The girls green eyes sparkled. “They haven’t moved yet, and they just passed the two point five mark. It’s a new record!” She announced with glee.

“You mean that they haven’t moved since I left?” Temari was once again shocked as she turned her head to regard the two men in question.

“Not a muscle.” Meeka confirmed. “A bird even landed on Iruka-sensei’s shoulder for a few minutes”

The blond jonin leaned back on the tree behind her. “Absolutely amazing.” She murmured to herself, although she wasn’t sure which part of the information she had just heard she was referring too.

Minutes ticked by in silence and for a time the only sounds where that of the surrounding woods, but then slowly but steadily a quiet murmur started to trickle through those assembled.

Temari was only able to pick up bits and pieces of the conversations going on around her. Most of which was merely speculation on how much longer the standoff would last, or expressing amazement at the length it had already taken.
She was almost considering closing her eyes for a minute when an odd phrase caught her ear.

“I swear! That’s exactly what my kid brother said the other night.”

“Dude, that would be harsh if he was idolizing anyone else, but since its Uzumaki it can’t be that bad.”

The kunoichi’s ears perked up as she tried to fill in what she had missed.

“Ya its cool, I mean being a big brother only gets you idolized for a certain number of years. Like you said, I’m just glad its Naruto-Sama he’s decided to pick on.” The first voice declared.

“I know what you mean, the kids think he’s the best, which of course he is, being next in line to be Hokage and all.” The second agreed.

“Just the kids? Dude quit trying to bullshit! You watch every move he makes just a closely as the shrimps do.”

“Look who’s talking!” The second shot back. “Your just as bad a I, or anyone else here is buddy.”

“I’m not denying that, hell! If he ever started teaching a team there would be blood shed over who would get to be on it.”

“I hear you; man could you imagine what it would be like to have one on one training with him everyday?”

“That would be soooo sweet! Man that’s what sucks about being a chunin, there’s hardly any time to go to the training grounds when he’s there in the mornings.”

“I hear you, besides he’s always surrounded by so many kids that I feel kind of stupid asking for help sometimes.”

Temari tried to discreetly glance around and try to pinpoint who it was that was talking, but she quickly discovered that the tree she was leaning against was in between them and her.
Before she could decide whether or not to move enough to see them, Meeka’s voice distracted her.

“Hey Obito! Come sit over here!” The girl yelled.

Temari had to wonder if the girl had only one volume to her voice as well as how she could stay so excited after sitting in one place for so long
The wind summoner looked up to see who the girl had singled out this time and saw a young black haired boy heading their way.

Although they hadn’t been introduced she instantly recognized the boy, it was pretty difficult not too, he was the absolute picture of his father, Uchiha Sasuke.
Once the young Uchiha reached them he bowed politely to Temari.

“Good day Temari-Sama, would it be alright if I sat here?” He asked indicating a small space between herself and Meeka.

“Not at all Obito, please join us.” Temari smiled as the boy gracefully sat in the space they made for him.

‘Wow, what manners, he can’t be more then eight years old and yet I know adults who aren’t that polite.’ She smiled slightly as she compared the child with his father, upon closer inspection she discovered that his eyes were a dark blue rather then pearl black like his sire.
But other then that he could have been Sasuke at a slightly younger age then when she had first seen him at the chunin exams.
Even the hair style and shirt were the same.

“Here it comes.” The boy stated clearly.

A quick glance had her catching her breath at the sight of his now red eyes as he stared out into the field.

‘The Sharingan?! At his age?’

Temari didn’t have time to dwell on this new discovery as all those within ear shot came instantly to attention and she found herself following their line of sight.

If she had been an instant later she would have missed it all together, one moment the two men were standing passively, then in the blink of an eye they were standing toe to toe with Iruka’s blade pressed up into the underside of Naruto’s jaw and left ear, while Naruto’s was pointed harmlessly out to the side.

A startled gasp came from many in the crowd, including Temari.
The move was so fast she hadn’t even seen what moves had taken place.

“Two hours fifty-three minutes!” Meeka announced, breaking the silence.

Once again voices erupted all around the Sand kunoichi, bets were settled, conclusions drawn, it took her a moment to realize that the crowd around her was getting thicker.

She was mentally fighting off an uncharacteristic attack of claustrophobia when she realized that she was not the one being focused on.

“So Uchiha, what happened there?”

Temari recognized Genma’s voice.

The eight year old seated beside her gracefully got to his feet, the single wheel of his Sharingan still spinning slowly.

“It was not a good move.” He announced quietly as he offered a hand to Meeka and helped the older girl to her feet.

As if on cue the crowd moved back, giving Temari her much needed breathing space.

‘The center of attention already and he’s only eight.’ She mussed as she watched the oldest son of the reborn Uchiha clan along with the emerald haired girl re-enacted the move, with commentary for those who had missed it, which was almost everyone present.

*

Naruto found the need to move too much to stifle any longer.
His left leg moved forward while his hands brought his sword back along his right side before thrusting it forward in an attempt to get under Iruka’s guard.

However the chunin was already moving to the side even as his blade moved on a smooth downward arch to deflect the Naruto’s blade before moving upwards again.

The big blonde didn’t even have time to step back before he felt cold steel pressed against his jaw. Instantly he froze, even as he silently cursed his choice of moves.

Through out the movement neither man had dropped eye contact, and so they remained as they froze in their new position.
Sky blue meeting dark chocolate.
Until finally Naruto lowered his blade, yielding to his former sensei.

With a flick of his wrist the steel of Iruka’s blade was removed and quickly returned to its sheath.

“You’ve gotten more patient.” Iruka commented. “But what kind of an attack was that?”

Naruto had to chuckle as he too returned his blade to the scabbard in his belt.

“I know, I’m not sure what I was thinking.” He confessed.

“Obviously you weren’t.” Iruka’s brow furrowed slightly. “You haven’t been practicing have you?”

Naruto smiled sheepishly. “You caught me; I haven’t had much time to work on my moves, just the patience part.”

Iruka shook his head even as his expression lightened. “It has been some time since we last trained together; perhaps we should plan on cutting down the length of time between bouts.”

“I wouldn’t mind that at all.” Naruto admitted he really did love spending time with Iruka.

The dark haired teacher was one of the few people he had left that he didn’t have to hide his feelings from, well most of his feelings anyway.
Most of his friends had lives of their own, not that he wasn’t still a part of those lives, but he didn’t feel like he should burden any of them when he had an off day.
Iruka on the other hand didn’t seem to mind at all.

“How are you doing Naruto?” The scar faced man asked, as if sensing his mood. “I’ve been a little worried about you, especially after the other day.”

“Ya well, that…….” Naruto scratched the back of his head as he flushed slightly.
“Sorry about that, I guess I just kind of let some things get to me. I didn’t mean to worry you.”

“When it comes to you Naruto, I sometimes think that all I can do is worry; I’m not much help to you most of the time.” Iruka admitted gravely.

“That’s not true.” The blond protested quietly. “Just knowing that your there for me helps more then you know.”

The two of them had always been able to say anything that was on their minds without reservations of how it would be taken.

“Well then maybe someday you’ll be able to tell me what has been eating at you the last couple of years.” The scared teacher smiled gently to take any sting out of his words.

Naruto gapped at him in disbelief.
‘Have I really been that transparent?’ He wondered.

He was searching for the right words to reply when Iruka reached up and gave his shoulder a pat.

“Don’t worry about it, just know that whatever it is, I’m always available to talk it out with when you’re ready.”

Naruto could only nod as he felt his throat close with emotion. He didn’t know what he would have done if it hadn’t been for Iruka taking an interest in him when he was at the academy.
The older man was one of the few constants in his life, someone who had never judged or blamed him, even when he had started using Kyubi’s powers more openly as a teenager.

“Well I think that that’s enough of being all serious.” Iruka announced with a grin. “I think we need to work on your technique a bit.”

Naruto grinned in return.

“One of these days old man, I am going to kick your ass.” He announced teasingly, glad for a lighter topic.

“Not with moves like you just showed me you won’t.” Iruka shot back as he moved backwards in order to put some distance between them.

Then folding his hands lightly in front of him announced.

“When you’re ready.”

* *

Temari shook her head as the crowd around her, Meeka and Obito finally started to dissipate, the two young people had had to demonstrate ‘The Move’ as it was referred to, three times before everyone present was satisfied that they knew all the details.

She had to stifle a grin at the flush that adorned the young kunoichi’s cheeks when Obito remarked on her quick perception.

‘Only eight years old and he’s already a heart throb.’ She thought to herself.

The sound of clashing metal suddenly rang through the clearing, drawing the eye of all those still present.

In the center of the clearing the two swordsmen had started to move, like a well choreographed dance, as elegant and graceful as any ballet, yet at the same time focused and deadly.

Temari found herself getting to her feet and moving forward, her eyes glued to the two figures as they weaved and spun around each other.
At the edge of the field she stopped, as if her feet refused to encroach on sacred ground.

Their movements were almost hypnotic; cold steel glinted in the warm sun as the blades moved almost too quickly to follow.
The bodies of the men welding them moved with powerful grace as they either avoided or intercepted a blow. Every few moves, as if on cue both would pause, move their blades as if to clean them and then step back, distancing themselves as the deadly blades returned to the sheaths at their sides.

Then after a slight pause it began again.
Katana’s were drawn with lightning speed as they moved forward in unison.

Temari was unaware that her breath hitched each time the dark mans blade came within centimeters of Naruto’s flesh.
She was too focused on watching the bigger man move to realize that she was reacting to what she saw.

He was almost surreal out in the clearing, the light playing over his bronzed body.
Sparkling off the light sheen of moisture coating his skin as it moved over hard, well trained muscles. It was as if he had been kissed by the sun itself, his blonde hair nearly glowed in it’s the bright rays.
He was a creature of light, shinning like a beacon in the dark, drawing everyone and everything around him closer, into his protective light.

Temari found herself having to fight the urge to sprint across the space between them and throw herself into his arms and cling like her life depended on it.

In that moment in time he was truly the most powerful, as well as the most beautiful creature that had ever existed.

The wind summoner was literally jolted out of her almost hypnotized state when she felt a surge of energy flood through her body, nearly causing her knees to buckle from the force of it.
Her first reaction was fear; fear that someone was attacking her.
But after a moment the energy had flowed through every cell of her body and it had a different feel to it, as if a switch had been flipped she knew what it was.

Chakra, and it was coming from her own body.
Closing her eyes she pressed the tips of her fingers together as she focused her senses inward. Instinctively she realized that the chakra was her own, yet it had a different feel then it used too.

She felt it pulsing through every fiber of her being, singing along each nerve ending as if it was engulfing her, cleansing her almost.
It was overwhelming and wonderfully comforting at the same time.
Her fear quickly fled leaving a feeling of peace behind, it was a strange feeling.
It was very….. uplifting.

* *

Naruto suddenly paused mid move, forcing his father figure to stop as well.

“Did you feel that?” He asked Iruka as he straightened and carefully scanned their surroundings.

“Feel what? “ Iruka asked, clearly puzzled but looking around as well.

“I’m not sure, it was like a flare of chakra, but it was different somehow.”

Iruka frowned. “How different? Threatening maybe?”

Naruto shook his head as his eyes fell on Temari standing at the field’s edge.
Her eyes were closed but they opened almost instantly, as if she knew he was looking at her. And then she smiled a blinding infectious smile.
He returned it before taking another sweep of the area. But he was unable to find any other sign of the energy he had felt.

Taking a moment to analyze the feeling it had given him, he realized that it wasn’t menacing or threatening in nature, it was more….. almost comforting in a strange kind of way.

Not wanting to alarm Iruka any more then he already had he shrugged.

“Must have imagined it.”

The teacher gave him a doubtful look, until Naruto moved back onto the starting position.
Shrugging slightly he followed suit; if the fox vessel wasn’t worried then everything must be fine.

* * *

Kyubi’s ear’s perked up slightly as he felt the gentle fingers of power whisper over the barrier keeping him separated from his host.

He knew its source, but he was not able to determine the kind of power it was, at least not yet.

“I always knew that female had something locked inside of her.” He grinned despite there being no one present to see it.

“If whatever it is is starting to awaken, I think things are going to start getting interesting.”

* *

On the other side of Konoha a silver haired ninja sat bolt upright, having been jolted from a sound sleep; the sudden movement had him unbalancing himself from his perch on a low tree limb sending him crashing to the ground before he was able to compensate for the error.

The copy nin was on his feet almost instantly, as if the fall hadn’t fazed him in the slightest, he didn’t even bother to look around for his orange backed book that had been on his chest when he closed his eyes.

“It couldn’t be…..” He muttered in horror.

A shudder ran through his body, as if someone had just walked over his grave.
The feeling that had woke him was no longer detectable and he wondered wildly if he had perhaps dreamed the whole matter.
It wouldn’t be the first time his mind had conjured up that kind of retribution in his darkest nightmares. But never before had it felt so vivid.

The sinking feeling in his gut however made him sure it had to have been real, but the question was who had it come from.
It was not something that occurred just anywhere, or in anyone for that matter.

He was supposed to be the last.

Running a trembling hand through his thick hair he cast about for his missing book, finding it dangling from a small branch he scooped it up and put it back into his pocket.

“This is not what I had in mind for today.” He growled quietly as he focused chakra onto the pads of his feet and quickly walked up the tree that he had been sleeping in only moments before.

He didn’t stop until he was as far up as he could go, then using his right hand he pulled up the headband covering his left eye.
Carefully he scanned the area, from his vantage point most of Konoha lay out before him. But even with the Sharingan he saw no trace of the power he was looking for.

‘It means that who ever it is, can control it enough to conceal it from others.’ He decided as he frowned darkly. ‘This is not good, I better find out who is new in town.’

With that thought and a very real feeling of doom seeping into his being Kakashi pulled his eye covering back down and teleported to the ground, he stood rooted to that spot for several minutes before he was able to force himself to move.

He had been dreading this day for most of his life, but over the last few years he had started to hope that he was the last, that no one would come looking for him. He was not looking forward to what was to come in the slightest.

He shook his head at himself, had he really become so lapse as to think that he would escape, out of his entire family only he remained. And he was just as guilty as the rest of them, perhaps slightly less so then some, like his father.

But he should have known better.

Curses were never lenient.

* *

Temari found herself blushing as she glanced nervously around her to see if anyone else had sensed her strange flare of chakra, she knew that Naruto had, she had felt it the instant his eyes had found her.
It had almost felt like he had reached out and touched her.

It was an amazing feeling, to open her eyes and see the distance between them, yet feel like he was right in front of her.

She had no idea what exactly had happened or why, but it soon became apparent that no one else had noticed the strange power surge; either that or they were all really good at pretending that nothing had happened.
All those within her range of sight seemed to be focused on the match, which had once again resumed.

‘I wonder what the hell that was. I’ve never felt my chakra like that before.’
In truth she was slightly worried, that was until another thought came to her.
‘I have heard that pregnant women’s bodies goes through a lot of changes during those nine months, that include the mood swings thing, I wonder if this might be one of them?’

Unfortunately she didn’t posses the knowledge to answer her own question.
As her palms moved to press lightly over her stomach it struck her just how ill prepared she was for her impending motherhood.
Surprisingly that thought didn’t bring about the mild panic that it had even the day before, she felt as if something inside of her had shifted, leaving her calmer and more relaxed.

It didn’t make much sense to her so she decided not to analyze it and focus on other things, like learning what she was going to be going through in the next eight and a half months.
Her talk with Hinata had covered only a little of the labor and delivery, it had been aimed more on what to expect after the child was born.

That was when she remembered the books that the former Hyuga heiress had left for her to read, she hadn’t really paid them much mind the last couple days, but decided to give them a closer look that evening.

Feeling even better having decided on a course of action, she focused again on Naruto and Iruka’s match.

“Damn that’s amazing!”

For a moment Temari thought she had accidentally spoken out loud.

But then the reply came.
“I know, man I could watch this all day.”

She realized that she was once again eves dropping on someone’s conversation. Not that she had ever had any qualms about doing that in the past.

“So how long do you think it will be before he’s named Hokage?”

“I haven’t heard a thing, not that Tsunade-Sama isn’t awesome in her own right, but it’s going to be great once he’s the Rokudame.”

“I hear you. Man with him in charge nobodies going to mess with us unless they’re complete idiots, just having him as second has already made a difference in how many attacks we have had on Konoha.”

Temari was sure that these two men were not the same as the two she had over heard earlier. She spotted them standing just behind and to her left.
The voices of these shinobi were much older then those from before.

‘Naruto certainly is popular with this crowd.’ She mused with a small smile.

She again scanned the area, this time taking a rough head count of how many were gathered to watch the blond spar with his former teacher.

Part way through the head count the Sand kunoichi suddenly paused to take a closer look at the faces of those around her.
From what she could see there wasn’t one single hostile look being sent Naruto’s way, hell there wasn’t even a disapproving one.

Folding her arms she puzzled over that discovery for a few minutes.
After her talk with Naruto the previous day and considering as well the incident with the ANBU before that, she had been under the impression that very few of Konoha’s citizens liked Naruto, even in the loosest sense of the word.
That there were more people who down right hated him then those that did not.

The two conversations she had over heard along with the sheer number of people who had taken time out of their day just to watch him train however, had her questioning that belief.

Now admittedly those around her hardly spoke for the entire village, but it defiantly got her thinking.

‘Perhaps he has simply not noticed that more people have started to accept him.’ The Naruto she knew while growing up had defiantly been a little on the oblivious side at times, perhaps this was one of them.

After a bit more thought on the matter she decided that she wouldn’t say anything to her host just yet, she wanted to see how others treated him in the village.
She couldn’t really refer to the day they had gone shopping because she had been too busy trying to deal with her own reactions and emotions to notice anyone else’s.

Moving back to her previous seat under the large oak tree, she mentally made a quick list of things to look for the next time she was out with Naruto.

“Temari-San?”

She had just gotten herself comfortably seated when Obito approached her.

“Yes?”

“Would you mind giving Uncle Naruto a message for me when he is finished?” He asked politely.

Temari smiled as she was once again struck by how similar yet how different this boy was from his father.

“I’m sure I can, what would the message be?”

The young Uchiha smiled in return. “Would you tell him that I have gone to train with Konohamaru-san’s team instead of waiting for him to finish, and that I’ll see him tonight.”

“I think I can handle that.” Temari assured him.

“Thank you Temari-san.” Obito bowed politely once again before turning and bounding off into the trees.

The blonde kunoichi found herself still smiling even after he was out of sight.

‘If I have a boy, I hope he’s like that kid.’ She whispered silently.

Of course that would be a bit of a long shot considering what her brothers were like; it was a little difficult to envision her own child being polite and cheerful.
It definitely did not run in the family.

Chuckling to herself she closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the tree at her back.

‘But if Naruto agrees to be the Godfather, maybe there is still hope. After all Sasuke isn’t exactly the most cheerful person in the world either.’ With that in mind and without meaning to, the blond woman drifted into a light slumber.

* *

Iruka took a step back and raised a hand.
“Okay, that’s enough, I’m beat.” He announced with a grin.

Naruto straightened giving his blade a flick to clean it before sheathing it.

“That’s fine by me; I’m starting to get hungry any way.” He confessed.

Glancing up at the sun while Iruka put his own blade away the blond shinobi realized that they had been sparing for several hours.

“I much admit that right now food does sound good.” The scar faced man agreed.

The two fell into a comfortable silence as they went to retrieve their discarded shirts before heading towards the tree line.

“So you’re going to have improved by the next time we do this right?” Iruka asked, only half teasing.

Naruto stepped closer and gave him a friendly shove with his elbow.
“Naw, I can beat you when ever I want, I just let you win so that I don’t hurt your feelings.” He announced with a grin.

“Is that so?” Iruka retorted as he reached up to give Naruto a light smack up the backside of his head. “Hasn’t anyone told you to speak more respectfully to you’re elders?”

The blonde barely flinched.
“Sure, but I figure that your so old that you wouldn’t notice any way, with your sight and hearing going and all.”

Iruka laughed heartily even as he moved to catch his adopted son in a neck hold.
Which resulted in Naruto simply wrapping an arm around the smaller mans waist and lifting his feet off the ground.

Temari just shook her head as she watched the pair heading her way, they were acting like teenagers. She had only just awoke from her light nap felling refreshed and actually quite energetic, if a little hungry.
She watched the two men literally wrestling their way towards her and noticed that those who had gathered to watch were already disappearing into the trees, leaving her alone to greet the two tired shinobi.

“Hey Temari are you getting hungry?” Naruto asked by way of greeting as he tried to maintain his hold on Iruka, who was now in the same kind of head lock that he had put the blond in at the beginning of their little tussle.

“Actually I thought you would be hungry a couple hours ago, so I went home and packed a lunch.” She informed him with a soft smile.

The big leaf shinobi felt warmed clear through, both by her smile and her gesture, he had an overwhelming urge to sweep her up in a big hug, but was able to stomp down on that impulse seeing as Iruka was present and he realized that it probably wouldn’t be very appropriate. Instead he focused on releasing the dark haired man from the choke hold he had on him.

“That’s awesome Temari it sounds great.” He beamed as she motioned for them to join her in sitting in the shade.

“I made plenty for you as well Iruka-san, please join us.” She assured the chunin while reaching for the bag of food she had prepared.

After Temari passed on Obito’s message the trio ate at a leisurely pace while visiting about everything but the training session that had just taken place.

Temari became more convinced then ever that the teacher was an older version of Naruto; it also became apparent that her first impression of him had been right; she didn’t feel the least bit nervous or threatened around him.

Finally the food was gone and Iruka announced that he had some other things to do and had to be on his way.
After bidding the teacher goodbye Naruto helped Temari clean up and repack the containers that had held their lunch before the two headed back towards his apartment.

They once again traveled in silence, simply enjoying the afternoon sun and each other’s company. The training grounds were situated in a very heavily forested area where many birds made their home, their songs drifted through the thick leaves while down below the thick canopy there was no shortage of butterflies fluttering amongst the lush flowers and grass.

The Sand kunoichi found that the village hidden in the leaves was starting to grow on her more and more each day. While the Sunagakure had its own stark beauty, it didn’t have the energy, the life that the Konoha region did.

For a brief moment she wondered at the possibility of moving here permanently. The thought didn’t last long however as she recalled the long list of duties that were waiting for her back at home.

She may not have the most conventional relationship with her youngest brother, as she was still under the impression that he was devoid of all emotion other then anger.
But she was loyal to him, both as the Kazkage and her little brother.

She had just stepped onto the stairwell of Naruto’s apartment building when his voice pulled her from her thoughts.

“Hey Temari.”

She turned back to give him a questioning glance.

“I just remembered that there is someone I have to talk to for a minute, will you be okay by your self for a few minutes?”

She shook her head at him, it amazed her how considerate and slightly mother hen-ish he was being towards her.

“I’ll be fine Naruto, don’t worry about me.”

“Okay,” He took several backwards steps. “Go ahead and use the shower if you want while I’m gone, I’m going to have to clean up when I get back.”

Temari chuckled as she waved him off.

“I promise not to be too long.” He called over his shoulder as he turned and trotted off.

“What a sweet goof ball.” She murmured to herself before continuing up the stairs, intent on taking his advice and having a quick shower before he got back.

Naruto grinned to himself as he headed for the far side of Konoha, he was glad she hadn’t asked where he was going, as he didn’t want to have to come up with an excuse.
He just hoped that once he got everything worked out that she would like her surprise.

* * * *

Well I’m going to have to leave it like that for now, I had planned to finish this day in this chapter but the second half of it has been fighting me tooth and nail.

So instead of waiting for an undetermined amount of time I thought I would put at least this part up.

I want to thank everyone again for their support and I promise to finish my stories, it might be a little while in coming but I will get it done.

Leave me notes on what you think of this one if you please, I’m not sure how parts of it turned out.

Love you all
Legilmyth