Growing Pains
folder
Naruto AU/AR › General
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
17
Views:
1,163
Reviews:
19
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Naruto AU/AR › General
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
17
Views:
1,163
Reviews:
19
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
VI
VI
Momogi gave a strangled yell of anger when her two teammates shoved her down. The boys only laughed at her misfortune and took off, only to stumble into the trap the young kunoichi had set. She picked herself up and brushed off her clothes – taking extra care with her orange jacket – and grinned at the boys. She stuck her tongue out at them as they yelled at her, shutting up when Ino-sensei appeared, looking from them to the girl. Finally, Ino shook her head and gave a helpless sort of smile.
“Well done, Momogi. You might actually have a chance.” Ino said, watching the little girl frown. She blinked, head tilting.
“What’s wrong?”
“I promised Umi we’d beat all the boys.” Momogi said as she watched her teammates, arms folded over her chest. Ino blinked.
“Who’s Umi, Momogi?” Ino asked. Her eyebrow rose as Momogi flinched.
“A friend,” the young kunoichi finally replied. “She doesn’t live here.”
“Where does she live?”
“I dunno. Somewhere else.”
Momogi moved forward then to release the boys from her trap and turned back to face her sensei, her eyes searching the woman’s face.
“You’re gonna tell my mom, aren’t you?” the girl accused. Ino gave her an innocent look.
“Why would I? Umi’s your friend. It’s up to you to tell your mom.”
Momogi’s emerald eyes hinted that she didn’t quite believe her sensei, but she shrugged and pulled on her orange jacket to right it. Finally, Ino released her genin back to the safety of their own homes and went to find Sakura. The blonde kunoichi waited in the hospital’s admittance room for the rose-haired woman, chewing on one unlit cigarette, mind working out her little report. When Sakura appeared, Ino waved at her.
“You’re not injured, so what are you doing here?” Sakura asked in an almost joking fashion. Ino sighed.
“I have a name for you. Momogi has an unknown friend named Umi.”
“Doesn’t ring a bell, but I’ll look into it.” Sakura said. “Don’t count on an immediate answer.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Ino nodded her thanks and took her leave to wander Konoha before her restlessness took her to the Hyuuga mansion. Hinata was probably busy, but Ino would drop in anyway. She sighed and looked behind her at the village. She really hoped there wasn’t going to be another coup.
She didn’t want to make Momogi cry.
Umi slumped against Sasuke’s leg, groaning in exaggerated pain. Her sensei only shook his head and continued to write his report. Kyo and Sei sat before him, sharpening their kunai. Umi shifted, popped her elbows and crawled over to her friends.
“Senbon are easier,” she said.
Sei’s eyes flicked to her. “For you. But we can’t handle those as well as kunai. Besides, you really want us to copy you?”
“Point.” Umi agreed. She looked up to Sasuke as he folded up their latest mission report and tucked it into his flak jacket for later delivery. “How much longer, Sasuke-sensei?”
“We’ll be leaving for Konoha in two days. You need to have everything ready.”
Kyo looked up then, blinking his expressive snake-like eyes. “Um, Orochimaru-sama is coming too, right?”
Sasuke nodded. “The four of us, Kura-ou and Orochimaru.”
“You think we’ll win?”
“The chuunin exams aren’t based on a win-lose system.” Sasuke said. “Your actions and attitudes are observed and judged. Those are what determines your promotion, if you get one or not.”
“So we could win our fights, but we won’t get to be chuunin?” Umi asked, frowning. “That’s stupid.”
“That’s how it is.” Sasuke replied. “Finish up. It’s late.”
The children stuck out their tongues at him and Sasuke replied in kind before he left them in the den and went to deliver the report, sliding the paper under the office door. He retreated then, out of the tower, heading back home to make sure his genin had actually gone. He paused and glanced over his shoulder, smiling at the kunoichi behind him.
“Are you ready?”
Kura-ou tossed her head. “Of course I am. I’m ready to see Konoha, even if I’m doing it from behind a mask.”
“You’ll be the only bodyguard he’s got.”
“You’ll be there. I just came to give you this.” Kura-ou handed the brunette a small packet of papers. “A merchant brought them today with his belongings.”
“It’s a bingo book.” Sasuke said, partly surprised.
“Sort of. Konohagakure is quietly looking for you and Umi. So just don’t do anything stupid where I can’t save your ass.” Kura-ou flicked Sasuke a grin and moved away, leaving Sasuke alone to plan his team’s arrival for the exams. He rubbed his temples again and sighed, entering his home to find his genin indeed gone and Satoru and Takeo packing their night bags for an extended sleepover with Aoi and Akio.
Sasuke patted the boys on their heads and smiled. “Gonna behave this time?”
“Yeah!” Takeo cried happily. “Aoi said if we did, he’d show us some magic!”
Sasuke shook his head, sighed, and knelt to help them finish up. That night, as he lay in bed listening to his nephews sleep, he closed his eyes and dismissed his ever-present Sharingan. Looking into the dark room, he finally felt truly vulnerable. Amazing, really, what children can do to you.
Momogi gave a strangled yell of anger when her two teammates shoved her down. The boys only laughed at her misfortune and took off, only to stumble into the trap the young kunoichi had set. She picked herself up and brushed off her clothes – taking extra care with her orange jacket – and grinned at the boys. She stuck her tongue out at them as they yelled at her, shutting up when Ino-sensei appeared, looking from them to the girl. Finally, Ino shook her head and gave a helpless sort of smile.
“Well done, Momogi. You might actually have a chance.” Ino said, watching the little girl frown. She blinked, head tilting.
“What’s wrong?”
“I promised Umi we’d beat all the boys.” Momogi said as she watched her teammates, arms folded over her chest. Ino blinked.
“Who’s Umi, Momogi?” Ino asked. Her eyebrow rose as Momogi flinched.
“A friend,” the young kunoichi finally replied. “She doesn’t live here.”
“Where does she live?”
“I dunno. Somewhere else.”
Momogi moved forward then to release the boys from her trap and turned back to face her sensei, her eyes searching the woman’s face.
“You’re gonna tell my mom, aren’t you?” the girl accused. Ino gave her an innocent look.
“Why would I? Umi’s your friend. It’s up to you to tell your mom.”
Momogi’s emerald eyes hinted that she didn’t quite believe her sensei, but she shrugged and pulled on her orange jacket to right it. Finally, Ino released her genin back to the safety of their own homes and went to find Sakura. The blonde kunoichi waited in the hospital’s admittance room for the rose-haired woman, chewing on one unlit cigarette, mind working out her little report. When Sakura appeared, Ino waved at her.
“You’re not injured, so what are you doing here?” Sakura asked in an almost joking fashion. Ino sighed.
“I have a name for you. Momogi has an unknown friend named Umi.”
“Doesn’t ring a bell, but I’ll look into it.” Sakura said. “Don’t count on an immediate answer.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Ino nodded her thanks and took her leave to wander Konoha before her restlessness took her to the Hyuuga mansion. Hinata was probably busy, but Ino would drop in anyway. She sighed and looked behind her at the village. She really hoped there wasn’t going to be another coup.
She didn’t want to make Momogi cry.
Umi slumped against Sasuke’s leg, groaning in exaggerated pain. Her sensei only shook his head and continued to write his report. Kyo and Sei sat before him, sharpening their kunai. Umi shifted, popped her elbows and crawled over to her friends.
“Senbon are easier,” she said.
Sei’s eyes flicked to her. “For you. But we can’t handle those as well as kunai. Besides, you really want us to copy you?”
“Point.” Umi agreed. She looked up to Sasuke as he folded up their latest mission report and tucked it into his flak jacket for later delivery. “How much longer, Sasuke-sensei?”
“We’ll be leaving for Konoha in two days. You need to have everything ready.”
Kyo looked up then, blinking his expressive snake-like eyes. “Um, Orochimaru-sama is coming too, right?”
Sasuke nodded. “The four of us, Kura-ou and Orochimaru.”
“You think we’ll win?”
“The chuunin exams aren’t based on a win-lose system.” Sasuke said. “Your actions and attitudes are observed and judged. Those are what determines your promotion, if you get one or not.”
“So we could win our fights, but we won’t get to be chuunin?” Umi asked, frowning. “That’s stupid.”
“That’s how it is.” Sasuke replied. “Finish up. It’s late.”
The children stuck out their tongues at him and Sasuke replied in kind before he left them in the den and went to deliver the report, sliding the paper under the office door. He retreated then, out of the tower, heading back home to make sure his genin had actually gone. He paused and glanced over his shoulder, smiling at the kunoichi behind him.
“Are you ready?”
Kura-ou tossed her head. “Of course I am. I’m ready to see Konoha, even if I’m doing it from behind a mask.”
“You’ll be the only bodyguard he’s got.”
“You’ll be there. I just came to give you this.” Kura-ou handed the brunette a small packet of papers. “A merchant brought them today with his belongings.”
“It’s a bingo book.” Sasuke said, partly surprised.
“Sort of. Konohagakure is quietly looking for you and Umi. So just don’t do anything stupid where I can’t save your ass.” Kura-ou flicked Sasuke a grin and moved away, leaving Sasuke alone to plan his team’s arrival for the exams. He rubbed his temples again and sighed, entering his home to find his genin indeed gone and Satoru and Takeo packing their night bags for an extended sleepover with Aoi and Akio.
Sasuke patted the boys on their heads and smiled. “Gonna behave this time?”
“Yeah!” Takeo cried happily. “Aoi said if we did, he’d show us some magic!”
Sasuke shook his head, sighed, and knelt to help them finish up. That night, as he lay in bed listening to his nephews sleep, he closed his eyes and dismissed his ever-present Sharingan. Looking into the dark room, he finally felt truly vulnerable. Amazing, really, what children can do to you.