Dog and Fox

Chapter Eight

"Are you sure about this Naruko-chan?"

"Hmm, quite sure"

"If you say so"

Naruko was sitting in the back of a loaded supply wagon with a sleeping Hana next to her. Around them the landscape was dyed a light orange and yellow from the rising sun.

Both she and Hana were wrapped up in travel cloaks that afforded at least some protection from the chill of the early morning dawn as the sun rose, the last of the nights stars vanishing as it did so. The early morning light pierced the thick layer of leaves above their heads and around them, casting dancing spots of light on the dusty ground. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves softly, causing the shoals of light to dance with even more vigour.

Naruko looked around, the light made everything seem a bit sharper and more distinct, despite the early morning mist that obscured one's vision into the forest so it ended at a little over sixty metres rather than the usual mile or so. The sounds of the forests nocturnal animals had died away over the course of the sun rising, and now birds were instead taking their place, chirping happily to one another as they flew over the caravan of wagon's and the high reaching trees of the forest.

Ahead of them the road seemed to stretch on forever and ever until it was lost in the clearing mists that sat all around them.

"Excuse me miss"

"Yes" Naruko replied as she looked down to see one of drivers looking up at her

"We'll be at the capital in three hours"

"Okay. Thank you for telling me" she replied and he bowed his head and walked on back to the front of his wagon.

Naruko was on her first real mission with her new 'sensei', they were midway between Konoha and the capital city, where they were delivering these supplies to. It was five days since the council meeting and two since she had been given this mission, and while normally a week would have to pass before a team would even dream of starting any missions, D-rank or otherwise, she was already out on a C-rank though she had half expected not to be given any missions at all out of spite by either the council or the Hokage, so it had come as a great surprise when she was handed this C-rank.

Though part of her suspected the main reason was that they were hoping she would either be killed or they would fail a mission, therefore showing up her lack of training and so be able to remove her from her apprenticeship to Hana, they were politicians after all, and she would not put it past them to pull something as dangerous as this.

"Naruko-chan?" Hana groaned next to her. Naruko looked down to find Hana yawning and stretching as best she could in the relatively tight confines of the wagon they were in

"You awake now?"

"Yeah" the woman groaned as she sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes and stretching, a bit more successfully this time, before turning to look at Naruko was had removed her travel cloak and was pulling out a few ration bars

"Been about two days now?" Naruko asked as she roughly bit into the fibrous bar, tearing a chunk of it off

"About that" Hana responded as she bit into her own, a bit more civilly than Naruko had "for a civilian supply train these guys certainly don't hang around. They haven't stopped once for rest during the night"

Naruko swallowed before replying "yeah, but then again these guys are the best of the best, or so I hear"

Hana looked at her dubiously. "Is that rumour or that network of yours?" she asked Naruko who had just finished her bar

"A bit of both" she said "you don't really think I'd go off on a mission that takes us miles from the village without conducting some basic research do you?"

"You asked the merchants didn't you?"

"Yep, quite a few owe me and are more than happy to pay me back when necessary"

"Like during the council meeting?" Hana asked while finishing her own bar and sighing, feeling a bit more awake now that she'd had some food

"Hmm, that was a bit different, I needed to do that otherwise I never would have received the votes and, by law, the Hokage would have access to any business, civilian or otherwise, that I run or own" Naruko said as she frowned and kept her eyes fixed on the road ahead

"So your information thing?"

"Yep, he'd have unfettered access to it and that would ruin me"

"Because of what you know?"

"Because he'd shut me down and run me out of business, probably on some rather severe charges"

"Actually, I've been meaning to ask you" Hana said as she shifted to get a bit more comfortable, knowing that Naruko was keeping a good enough watch for this time of the morning.

"How come the police haven't picked you up yet?" Hana asked as she rested on her side and looked up at her young lover.

Naruko sighed. "All this curiosity is going to hurt you one day, 'curiosity killed the cat' and all that"

Hana shrugged but kept her eyes focused on Naruko's back. "So don't tell me then"

"That's not fair" Naruko said, sounding ill at ease "you know I care for the two of you, and lying, even if it's a lie of omission, isn't really part of my nature for those I care for"

Hana smiled and moved up behind Naruko, gently kissing the back of her neck, feeling the night-chilled skin on her warm lips. "Thank you" she said before moving back down.

"The reason the police don't bother me is because I help even them from time to time. A few years ago the police were struggling to break a case involving quite a lot of drugs and the like. They had suspects but no real evidence to convict them"

"So?"

"So I helped them out. I sent them dossiers on all the head criminal elements involved along with the times and locations of certain meetings and trades. They went and got all the ring leaders, closing down the majority of organised crime in the entire of Konoha. They linked it back to me eventually and have left me and my informants alone ever since"

"So you made a deal with them?" Hana asked, not sure quite what Naruko was saying.

"It's more like an unspoken agreement. I provide them with any incriminating pieces of evidence and they leave me and my people alone"

"Oh, okay then"

They continued on in companionable silence with both parties watching out for any attacks on the caravan. Feeling as the air began to finally warm up and the mist finally fully cleared.

They were perhaps only ten or twelve miles from the capital, when suddenly Naruko spotted movement amongst the trees

"Hana" she said crisply and Hana immediately turned to where Naruko was looking

"What do you see?"

"Three shadows, well armed, more are probably encircling us from all sides"

"Why now? It's clear daylight and everyone's fully alert"

"Probably because most attacks occur early morning or night, so that's when guards and the like are on full alert, whereas now they've probably relaxed their guard" Naruko explained. Hana nodded and moved off to go and get her dogs from the last caravan in the line while Naruko kept an even greater watch and pulled out her two custom daggers, holding them lightly as she waited for the inevitable attack from the bandits.

The attack came suddenly. A dozen well armed bandits streamed out of the woods around the train of wagons, shouting and waving their swords in an obvious attempt to scare some of the guard away.

Naruko moved, throwing several kunai she nailed one of the bandits in the forehead as the other two jumped away while she leapt after them.

Meanwhile Hana and her trio of dogs had engaged the other bandits with the guards help, easily tearing through the, admittedly, rather skilled swordsmen that made up this particular band of outlaws. The three dogs lunged for a bandit each, grabbing and tearing out their throats while Hana slashed at ones throat and the guards engaged several more as more bandits stormed out of the woods, several arrows being unleashed as well as they all moved forwards towards the group.

Naruko had killed two of the bandits, quickly slashing their throats, when suddenly several more came rushing at her. She frowned and went to meet them, blocking two of their swords she twisted and ducked down, knocking one down she danced around another and put her curved blade against the edge of his neck and pulled, sending him spinning as his artery was ripped open, killing him nearly instantly. She flipped backwards and lunged forwards, ducking down as she slashed at the third ones tendon in his knee, causing him to cry out as he went down while she stabbed the other in the chest with both of the blades.

Pulling them out she walked over, almost calmly, to the kneeling bandit and calmly slit open his throat, watching as his blood spilled out of him and the light dimmed from his eyes. She turned to come face to face with, what must have been the leader of the bandits, a man built like a machine and obviously highly skilled with the sword.

Naruko wasted no time in raising both of her blades to block his swing, the force of the blow sending her skidding back before she saw several archers out of the corner of her eye. She lunged at him while letting loose a handful of kunai towards the archers, two of whom fell down dead while the third clutched at his bleeding side and screamed in pain.

She ducked under his strike and slashed at him several times. He was unaccustomed to fighting someone with her weapon, as he seemed slightly slower than he should have been. She blocked another strike and used the grooves in her blade to force his sword down and away, leaving his chest wide open for an attack as she came in and slashed at him several times before twisting around him and stabbing his shoulder as he pulled away and tried to strike at her again only to stare in shock when his arm failed to respond to his commands.

He snarled at her and moved forwards once again, Naruko could hear Hana shouting the back of her mind, but right now the man in front of her was her only concern as he now struck out with wild and unskilled strikes, obviously not familiar with wielding the blade in his left hand.

She moved into his space and blocked his sword as her other blade stabbed his side. He grunted and tried to pull away only to her to spin and stab the other side, this time managing to strike his kidney. He cried out as he reeled backwards, blood already flowing freely from his wound. He stumbled and collapsed. His eyes flickered behind her and Naruko turned, blocking the strike from the wounded bandit before slashing his neck and dodging an attack from the wounded bandit leader before she drove the blade into the back of his skull, killing him instantly.

She pulled the blade free and stood up, brushing herself off as Hana walked up to her, a look of shock and awe on her face

"That was..."

"Yeah I know, I was sloppy" Naruko said as she sighed to herself "if I hadn't missed his other kidney I wouldn't of had to worry about him" she said to herself while Hana stared

"What?" she asked incredulously "that was absolutely amazing, I had no idea you could fight like that, or that well" she said enthusiastically.

The guards and civilians began gathering their wounded and dead and tending to them. The dead were buried by the roadside with a solemn air, and they moved on.

"How did you know how to do that?" Hana asked Naruko suddenly as they moved along the road.

The sun was now high in the sky and the heat was beginning to build quite rapidly. Naruko was reclining on the front of one of the wagons next to the driver who was doing an admirable job of ignoring her considering she had forgone her jacket due to the strength of the sun and so was dressed in mesh and a white shirt that was starting to cling to her body due to sweat

"Do what?" she responded as she looked up to see Hana looking down at her

"Fight that well"

"I practised. Besides I already know where all the major tendons are in the body and how deep I need to go, on average, in order to sever them" she told Hana who looked surprised

"You go for the tendons?"

"Yeah, the blades I have are good for assassinations and hand-to-hand combat, but not so good against other types of opponents, so I need to disable them first"

"I see"

"Hmm"

The journey back was made far quicker and simpler without the baggage train to look after. So within a day and a half they were back in Konoha and Naruko was left to her own devices while Hana went off to go and submit her report to the Hokage for both the mission and Naruko's progress as was now mandatory, especially after all the mishaps that Konoha had had in the past, such as Orochimaru and his apprentice Anko. Now there was one major screw up that didn't need to be repeated.

She had decided to go out to Tenten's weapon shop as she had used up a fairly substantial amount of her basic weaponry in the fight with the bandits.

She stepped inside of the shop to find Tenten sitting at the counter, head in arms, apparently asleep. Naruko chuckled to herself as she silently walked over to the sleeping girl

"Excuse me?" she asked, a bit louder than was necessary. Tenten shot up, looking startled, and Naruko had to quickly school her expression. Tenten didn't yet know that she was the Broker and so she had to play it safe for now, as she didn't quite know how the girl would react when she finally found out.

"C-can I help you?" Tenten asked after recovering from her sudden awakening, looking quite embarrassed as she folded her hands in front of herself to keep herself from fidgeting as she did when she was embarrassed.

"I need two sets of kunai" Naruko replied as she leaned on the counter as well

"Okay, I'll just get them for you" Tenten said as she stood up and moved over to the door that led to the storage area in the shop

"Thank you" Naruko said, smiling at the blushing girl who hurried out into the storage area.

Naruko chuckled openly as she looked around the shop once again, noticing all the varieties of blades and the like on the walls and inside the many display cabinets

"Here you are" Tenten said as she reappeared from storage, having gotten back control of her embarrassment

"Thank you" Naruko replied as she handed over the money just as Tenten was opening her mouth to speak

"How?" she asked as she counted the money, realising it was the exact amount for the kunai

"A friend told me about this place" she answered cryptically "oh, could I also get a sharpening kit for my twin daggers" Naruko said, smiling again as Tenten blinked

"Sure" she said as she reached below the counter and pulled out a basic sharpening kit, for which Naruko once more paid in exact change. Tenten blinked

"Have we met before?"

"You saw me in the Hokage's office"

"Oh" Tenten blushed slightly as she recalled that before she realised something. "What were you talking about when you mentioned about him not putting you on a team?" Tenten asked shamelessly before realising what she had said "o-oh, you don't have to answer if you don't want to. I'm sorry for being nosey" she said quietly and Naruko laughed

"Don't worry about it. Hmm, you see I had not been on the ninja program officially due to certain...circumstances at home. So I took the end exam with those who should have been my classmates despite having not taken classes. I passed, tying with the Uchiha for top place. Now, that means that, despite their being ten people graduating, I should have been placed on a team regardless of who else was there. But I wasn't, instead I was placed in reserve, I believe it was for political reasons but" she shrugged "who knows"

Tenten blinked at her. "That makes sense, but what did you mean about the demon?" she asked and Naruko's smile froze, suddenly the warmth of her eyes disappeared and Tenten looked extremely nervous

"That...is another matter entirely. It is something that has defined my life, and I'd rather not speak of it if it can be helped"

"S-sorry" Tenten apologised, feeling stupid at asking such a personal question

"Don't worry about it" Naruko replied, smiling again "I'm sorry for reacting as I did; it's just not very pleasant for me"

"Oh"

"So, Tenten-chan" Naruko said, getting Tenten's full attention again "boring day huh?" she asked, humour tingeing her voice slightly

"How?"

"It's not hard. Ask around for Konoha's resident weapons mistress and your name pops up rather often"

"Oh" Tenten replied, getting the distinct expression that she knew this person, and the way she answered her questions before she could ask them felt rather reminiscent of someone else she knew, she was sure of it.

"Boring day?" Naruko asked again

"Y-yeah, sorry about that" Tenten said, referring to her having been asleep when Naruko arrived

"Don't worry about it, I fall asleep during my work as well sometimes, it can get rather dull"

"Oh, what do you do?"

"Hmm, this and that" Naruko answered cryptically, Tenten frowned again as that sense of déjà vu returned far stronger than ever.

"Anyway, I don't suppose you sell poisons here do you?" she asked and Tenten shook her head

"No, that's only given to specialist shops" she told Naruko who sighed in minor annoyance.

She needed the poisons for her traps and weapons, as it would certainly make things a great deal easier when combating enemies like the bandits she had recently faced. That and she needed some for the traps in her building. This meant that she'd have to either go through less than legal channels, or see if any of her 'clients' would be willing to sell some to her. Both lines of enquiry were unlikely to yield anything mildly useful.

"Hmm, oh well" she eventually replied, shrugging as she moved back from the counter

"Oh, I forgot to ask, what's your name?" Tenten suddenly asked Naruko who blinked and smiled at the girl again, chuckling softly

"I'm Uzumaki Naruko" she said, bowing slightly before glancing at the time. "Hmm, well as much as I've enjoyed talking to you Tenten-chan, I need to get going" she said before turning around and making for the door only for Tenten to call out after her

"Hey, I'm, um, free tomorrow. Do you want to get lunch or something?" she asked even as she felt a faint heat on her cheeks from the soft blush colouring them.

Naruko smiled warmly at the girl

"Or course Tenten-chan. I'll see you here at twelve then" she said before bowing once again and taking her leave. Leaving Tenten with a distinct feeling of remembrance.

Naruko made good time to her apartment after that, rather desperate to get in and change her clothes that she had had on for the the last five or six days. That and she was behind on a fair number of deals she had been making with several of the merchants around Konoha, after all, it never hurt to have more influence with the most influential people in the town, especially as they would be indispensable later on.

She arrived at her apartment and ducked inside after checking everything was as it should be.

Several times in the past the Hokage had attempted to place spies and the like in the immediate vicinity of her apartment, much to her chagrin and general annoyance. During those times she generally went to ground, inhabiting one of several safe-houses she had acquired through other deals, and while they weren't the most pleasant places to live they certainly did their job well enough in hiding her from prying eyes.

She quickly got clean and changed into her usual clothes. She was expecting a customer today, and so had told both Hana and Tsume to stay away from her apartment for a few days, although it also helped to lower suspicion and lessen the rumours that, despite her best attempts, were beginning to edge a bit too close to the actuality of the situation.

An hour later, with tea on the table and everything else neatly packed away or hidden from plain sight, a sharp knock echoed throughout her apartment.

"Speak" she barked back in response, she could hear the man shift uneasily behind the door. The floorboards creaking as his weight shifted.

It never failed to both amaze and amuse her at how nervous these kinds of people became when exposed to her, as though the realisation that they weren't actually the most powerful people in the world shocked them, sapping away all but the smallest proportion of their strength from their bodies. She could, after all, completely and utterly ruin them if she truly wished it.

"Believe nothing" the man said clearly. Naruko moved over to the door and opened it

"Question everything" she responded as she came face to face with the rather large man in front of her.

She moved back and motioned for him to sit upon one of the mats she had prepared. He did so with a kind of uncertainty as she moved off to gather the pages of the file while keeping an eye on him.

"You have the payment?" she asked him as she sat opposite him, her own stance mirroring confidence and power while his eyes darted around, hands clutched in front of him.

"Of course" he said as he pulled out an envelope and placed it in front of himself.

"Very well. The information I requested?"

"I have it"

"Very good"

She handed him the file while she took the envelope and studied its contents. The mans eyes seemed to be greedily drinking in the data he had in front of him in that seemingly inconspicuous little black file.

"The information?" she asked him at length. He looked her in the eye, apparently having regained some of his confidence with the information within his hand. But he wouldn't displease her, others had done that before, and that had ended very badly for them and sometimes even their families.

"Of course" he said, handing over his own file that was far, far less total and professional than her own. But it still had the information she needed

"This is all correct?" she asked him and he nodded

"I had everything double checked along the channels you suggested" he told her and she nodded, already knowing he would. He was young, not stupid.

"Then it is true?" she asked him, her tone sounding grave and the man in front of her nodded and sighed.

"Yes. It has done a wonderful job of essentially crippling the supplies of certain luxury goods such as silks and the like. We're just lucky to have decent relationships with Suna, otherwise we'd be looking at some serious shortages, we still don't know exactly whats going on, and the Hokage refuses to aid us unless we're willing to foot the bill for a rather expensive A to S-rank mission"

"That sounds about right. Hmm, I do wonder, however, why he is allowing a state that could be a very important allay to sink so low." Naruko wondered to herself as the man stood up.

"I'll take my leave then. Thank you for your help Broker-san, I hope to continue with our…amicable relationship" he said, bowing to her politely as she stood as well.

"As do I" she said, bowing back as politeness dictated.

Only a few minutes after he'd left did another knock on the door occur.

"Speak" she said, unsure if it was either a customer or one of the others.

"Life is a dream for the wise, a game for the fool…" the voice called out and Naruko perked up as she walked over to the door and opened it to come face to face with Tsume.

"A comedy for the rich, and a tragedy for the poor" Naruko finished and Tsume grinned and kissed her hotly even as Naruko pulled her into her apartment and shut the door behind her.

She pulled away from the kiss and looked into Tsume's eyes while stroking her cheek before smiling and pulling away to move back into her apartment

"How did you know?" Naruko asked the woman as she busied herself in the kitchen, pouring out boiling water into the cups already prepared for tea.

"Hana told me" Tsume replied as Naruko heard her sitting upon the only sofa in the room. "Why is it more spartan than usual in here?"

"Some of my…clients, are ninjas, as such I am rather careful not to give anything away. It's amazing what some people can tell about you simply from a piece of furniture or something" she replied as she walked over to the sofa and handed Tsume a steaming cup.

"Thank you. So why did you tell me and Hana to stay away from here again?" Tsume asked and Naruko sighed, realising Tsume had seen the merchant leaving.

"Look, I know you might be upset about me lying to you" Naruko said, holding up a hand to stall Tsume's protest that she wasn't upset, and was actually simply teasing. "But the fact remains that the less you two know the safer you'll both be, and such a thing will become almost certainly necessary as my reach extends." Naruko sat back and waited for the woman to respond while sipping her own tea.

"I'm not angry, neither is Hana. We both understand where your coming from, we truly do. I didn't mean to upset you" Tsume responded, having set her tea down while turning to face Naruko whose face was still hidden by the hood of her jacket.

Naruko sighed and leaned her head back, letting the hood fall off of her head and taking a few moments before finally speaking

"I know. It's just hard for me sometimes" she confided before rubbing her face with one hand and sitting back up. "When is Hana getting here? Not that I don't mind your company" Naruko asked and Tsume grinned with that feral smile of hers once again.

"Hmm, if you say so lover. Hana's still giving her report to the Hokage. It seems as though he wants to know every little detail about you and your skill set" Tsume told Naruko who frowned.

Naruko was well aware that she represented a threat to the old leader. Her network had lines even within some of the more secured channels of communication, once or twice Anbu had sold her information in return for helping out on some of their black-ops by providing floor plans or the like.

He was liable to view her as an active threat now that she was beginning to step outside of Konoha's boundary's and begin stretching her wings, so to speak. Even he knew that once that happened he would be unable to either touch her or interfere with her network as the heads of IT was unlikely to take the threat seriously as she had taken no adverse action against the town and had even been seen to be actively aiding it in some respect.

That, and the only one who would be truly able to interfere with the kind of decentralised network she was building was somewhere in Suna at the moment, and slowly moving north while gathering information from his own network of informers.

"Sounds about right for him" Naruko said under her breath as she put her feet up on the small table and leaned back while sighing and rotating her neck, feeling the muscles loosen up.

"Difficult mission?" Tsume asked as she moved so their thighs were pressing together against one another.

"Not really"

"Hmm, Hana said she'd never expect any Genin to handle such a situation either as calmly, or with as much skill, as you did"

"Hmm…"

"She also said she was extremely impressed with your combat prowess"

"Uh huh"

"…You know, most Genin would be excited to hear such praise from their Jonin instructor"

"I'm not 'most Genin', am I?" Naruko replied. Turning her head to look at Tsume who was now rather firmly pressed up against her.

"No, I suppose not" Tsume said, shrugging as she did so. Her head resting on Naruko's shoulder.

"I guess I should get ready soon" Naruko said at length

"Why?"

"I get the feeling that a mission is being planned, so I should be as prepared as possible. Certain channels need to be checked and I need to set up some of my own in case I require more detailed information later on"

"Why you? And what mission?"

"Because they'll send a Genin team first, and if they fail then they'll need someone better. And a two man team is much cheaper than a four man team, this place is run like a business after all. As for your second inquiry, that's a secret" Naruko told Tsume who looked at her for a few moments before speaking

"How come you seem to know that so precisely?"

"Which part? The one about the Genin team on this mission, or the business side of things here?"

"The mission"

"Its good practice, and the Hokage will be unable to overrule the military council if they choose to let me and Hana go"

"But he can override them. This is a military town after all"

"Not quite. Over the years certain rules and restrictions have been put in place to limit the Hokage's power" Naruko said as she shifted so Tsume was now laying on her lap while looking up at her, her shirt riding high, exposing her flat stomach.

"Fair enough" Tsume responded and Naruko smirked

"It's a good thing too, otherwise by now I'd either be dead or rotting in an Anbu prison cell. Soldiers only follow orders after all. No offence"

"None taken" Tsume replied while closing her eyes as Naruko's hand lightly caressed her toned abdomen and stomach, lightly scratching at the beginning of her ribs. "Mmm, feels nice" she murmured to herself though Naruko still heard her and smiled because of it.

"So pretty" Naruko replied as she lent down and kissed the woman softly, pulling away before she could respond. Tsume grinned up at her

"Tease" she said and Naruko shrugged

"Just paying you back" she replied and Tsume chuckled lightly while closing her eyes again but not after pulling her shirt higher to expose more of her body to her lover. Naruko shook her head in amusement as the obvious demand and did as she was asked, enjoying the opportunity to focus on something other than work for a change.

A after a little while Hana arrived, knocking on the door before slipping inside and locking it behind her

"Naruko-chan" she said as she moved over to her young lover and sat on the opposite side of her

"How did it go?" Naruko asked as she turned to the woman and kissed her softly. Hana appreciated the loving gesture, sighing into the kiss before pulling away gently

"He was bloody insistent on knowing every tiny, insignificant detail about what you did and could do" she huffed while leaning against Naruko who put her arm around her, gently caressing the back of her neck while her other hand continued to caress Tsume.

"Haven't you got work today pup?" Tsume asked softly from her position on Naruko's lap. Hana huffed and folded her arms

"Trying to get rid of me, mother?" she asked, sounding quite irritated. Tsume just sighed and didn't respond, knowing that Hana would be cranky from not being able to be with Naruko for the night after the mission.

"Hey" Naruko said gently, kissing her again. "Relax, I'll see you tomorrow anyway, whereas Tsume-chan hasn't seen me at all for the past week" she told the still irate girl who sighed and gave in, knowing that her young lover was right again.

"Fine, she's yours for the night then" she told her mother who smiled and Naruko twitched

"I think you'll find that I can hear you" she said and Hana just smiled innocently, kissing her once more before standing and walking out the door to conduct her shift at the vets that night

"I bet she wishes she hadn't chosen that shift now" Tsume said with a small smirk, Naruko looked down at her

"Uh huh" she replied before kissing the woman again.

By the time night rolled around Tsume had lost most of her clothes and was lying on her front on the bed, waiting for Naruko who had gone off to get ready for bed.

Naruko walked in to be greeted by a view she never quite grew tired of. Tsume was lying with her head upon her folded arms and her ass pushed slightly up in the air. She was watching Naruko with a kind of pleading expression that made Naruko laugh gently.

"None of that tonight" she said, gently smacking Tsume's ass as said woman whined plaintively making Naruko smiled again and she gently straddled the woman, massaging the cheeks of her firm ass while looking over her smooth skin.

"I still can't believe you want me to do this" she said even as she reached behind her to pull out some oils and began to rub them into the woman's back as she sighed and moaned

"Hmm, Hana told us you knew pressure points and the like. So I though…"

"That I'd make a good masseuse, right" Naruko interrupted while finishing up with Tsume and leaning back. "Oh my, you look beautiful like that" Naruko said as she watched the light glisten off of Tsume's oiled skin.

"Really?" said woman asked. She always liked to hear how beautiful her young lover found her, a kind of vanity on her part, she supposed.

"Very" Naruko told her as she began to rub Tsume's back, surprised at how tense she actually was. She slowly pushed up the sides of her spine, carefully not to be too close, before allowing her hands to just rub her, warming up her muscles and encouraging them to relax before beginning to work out the tense spots with her fingers, gently rubbing them in circles as she pressed them.

Tsume moaned and sighed as Naruko did this, loving the feeling of her mates hands touching her again, as she always did. But the feeling of her stress simply melting away under her touch was surprisingly more pleasant than she had thought it would be.

Eventually Naruko worked her way up to Tsume's neck before moving slowly back down and starting on her legs. Naruko's eyes never left the woman's beautiful form as she moaned and gently shifted under her soft touch. She slowly worked down the leg to the foot, gently kissing the flat of it as she worked over it before moving back and up and then onto the other leg, now applying soft kisses every so often, Tsume moaned every time she did so, only encouraging her on more and more.

She eventually finished, pushing her breasts against Tsume's back

"How was it Tsume-chan?" she asked the woman who looked completely relaxed into a state of bliss

"Hmm, so good" she said, shifting her hips

"Good, but I think it's time I got some sleep" Naruko told the woman who had no problem with that. Days of tedious council meetings had drained her, the massage had only made her even more sleepy.

Naruko slipped in beside Tsume and held her tightly before slipping off into sleep.

The next morning Naruko awoke to a smell she felt she was becoming slightly too used to. The smell of cooked breakfast.

She groaned as she sat up, her body feeling a tad sore from the last six days of nearly nonstop activity. She slipped into her clothes and moved to her living room where she was greeted by a rather naked Tsume who was leaning over the table while laying out what was, most likely, her breakfast.

She leant on her door-frame, content to watch her oldest lover move about, her beautiful body flowing as she moved, her breasts swaying slightly as she turned, her ass bouncing with each step as Naruko watched her, well aware of her growing arousal. However she pushed it to one side as she walked up behind the naked woman, wrapping her arms around her as she gently kissed the back of her neck and shoulders.

"This is definitely something I could get used to" she whispered to the woman who sighed and leaned back again Naruko

"You like?" she asked as Naruko softly squeezed her naked ass

"Very much" Naruko said as she softly caressed her lovers bare skin. "What's this for then?" she asked as Tsume sighed at the soft touch

"A thank you for yesterday" she said and Naruko smiled

"Mmm. Keep this up and I'll end up not wanting to leave" she told the woman who turned and kissed her.

"Good" she said as they pulled apart.

Naruko released her to go a sit at the table, her meal already spread out in front of her. She watched as Tsume laid out the last few pieces before sitting opposite her, leaning forwards with her arms crossed on the table Naruko made no effort to hide how her eyes fixed upon Tsume's breasts as they were pushed up by her arms.

"Naruko" Tsume said at length

"Hmm?" Naruko answered, keeping her eyes fixed where they were while still managing to eat her meal.

"Your staring"

"Uh huh" Naruko nodded.

"You like?" she asked, pushing her breasts up with her hands and Naruko softly smiled at her

"Very much. You beautiful Tsume" she said with some conviction and Tsume blushed, folding her hands in her lap and shifting

"Uh, t-thank you, Naruko-chan" she said while glancing away from the girl in front of her.

Naruko smiled at having won their little game. She was quite aware of how Tsume liked being told she was beautiful by her. She wasn't quite sure why but it didn't really matter to her, she would do it anyway if only to keep Tsume happy.

She finished her meal and stood up, moving the dishes over to the sink before Tsume could utter a word of protest.

"I was going to do that" she whined. Naruko strode over and kissed her possessively, leaving her breathless and reducing her thought process to a pile of gibberish.

"Thank you for the wonderful meal" Naruko whispered to the woman who was unable to form a coherent response.

Naruko glanced at the clock and sighed, kissing Tsume again before moving off to wash up the dishes

"It's nearly time for your meeting isn't it?" Naruko asked Tsume who blinked

"How?" she asked before remembering who she was talking to, Naruko didn't respond.

"So, how have you been?"

"Um, good. Bored as you saw, but good all the same"

"I see"

"How have you been?"

Naruko shrugged as she watched the girl across the table from her. All around them the room was filled with people coming and going, and countless conversations.

Naruko was sitting in a fairly upscale restaurant towards the centre of town, made of polished wood and warm lighting that seemed to bleed how expensive this place actually was. She was talking with Tenten who was sitting just opposite her, her mahogany hair once again done up in those buns that were so distinctive of her. She was wearing a beige top with no sleeves, and fairly tight black pants that complimented her body almost a bit too well for Naruko's piece of mind. She was in the process of ordering from the rather extensive menu that this particular establishment boasted. Around thirty other people were also in the process of ordering their particular meals. This place was rather popular with the higher echelons.

It was the afternoon and the sun was high in the sky and baking anyone who wasn't indoors or in some sort of shade. Shadows on the ground seemed to vanish into the objects they had arrived out of, leaving a world in bright illumination that gave it a kind of sharp haziness that made it both easier and harder to know what you were looking at.

Naruko had arrived here with Tenten a little before opening time. She had nearly laughed at the expression Tenten had when the owner had opened the doors early for them so they could be assured a seat. He even offered them free drinks and starters, a thing unheard of for this particular place.

"Naruko-chan"

"Yes Ten-chan"

"I wish you wouldn't call me that." Tenten put her head in her hands and shook her head.

"Aw, I'm sorry, does it embarrass you?" Naruko teased as she ate a small portion of her meal, savouring the flavour.

She hadn't intended to bring Tenten here originally, but she had been made an offer she knew better than to refuse and so had ended up coming here with her guest in tow. She wouldn't have to pay for herself, but Tenten was another story.

Oh well, she thought to herself, it wasn't like she was going to pay even half price for the meal anyway. And besides, spending her lunch alone had seemed a bit over the top even for an introvert like her.

"It does not embarrass me" Tenten huffed as she ate her own food, closing her eyes to study the exquisite taste.

Even Naruko had not tasted anything like it before, and she had been to meetings in some very classy places. Usually because the client was hyper-paranoid about being seen entering a run down block of apartments or something of that nature.

"Your face says otherwise" Naruko said while gesturing to Tenten's fading blush with her fork before eating what was upon it, sighing in happiness at the taste.

"It does not. Anyway, how did you manage to get seats for this place?" Tenten asked Naruko while looking around in wonder, the carvings in the wood depicting various scenes, some historic, others myths and legends.

"A friend" Naruko replied, smiling slightly " he offered me a seat, and how could I say no?" she said rhetorically, taking a sip of the sake she had ordered.

"Right" Tenten said while rolling her eyes to show how much she believed that particular statement of her new friends. Not that she was complaining, she was just curious.

"Curiosity killed the cat Ten-chan" Naruko said and Tenten once again got that familiar sense of knowing her from somewhere, but shook it off.

"I'll think you'll find that stupidity killed the cat…"

"Curiosity was just framed. Yes, I know the saying" Naruko said, chuckling at Tenten's pout.

"Must you always…"

"Finish your sentences? Don't worry, I won't do it again" Naruko interrupted again, causing Tenten to huff and concentrate on her lunch for a little while.

"So, you're part of team ten" Naruko said after a while, Tenten just nodded. "I take it, then, that your constantly trying to keep up with them?" she asked. Tenten looked as though a particular nerve had been struck, especially if the twitch in her right eye was any indication.

"I am just as good as the two of them" she defended herself. Naruko made a placating motion.

"I know I know, I was just enquiring. Seeing as my sensei is also female I was wondering how it was to be the only one on a four man squad" she replied and Tenten calmed down slightly

"Its…it's not easy that's for sure. But that doesn't mean I'm not as capable as them, it's the reason I now use throwing weapons almost exclusively"

"Hmm, so your team has two, three if you count your sensei, close combat specialists and one long range specialist. Quite well rounded all things considered." Naruko told the girl while finishing off the last of her own food. Tenten was a little way over half done with hers.

"I know" Tenten sighed "I just wish that we were seen as more than just add-ons" she complained, Naruko grunted softly.

"Yeah, well unfortunately not everything is equal. Despite the fact that many of us claim to be civilised and advanced, we are truly neither. A truly advanced civilised people would not have problems with race, or culture, or whose blood flows in your veins. Alas it is not to be." Naruko said as she lent forwards, elbows resting on the table as she folded her hands under her chin.

"Well I'm glad someone understands" Tenten said, sounding slightly bitter. Naruko smiled softly at her and stroked the back of the girls hand, feeling the light softness of her skin that seemed cool in this warm air.

"Despite the call for equality, many don't want the system to change too much. Its all talk and no walk. But enough of this topic" Naruko said with a tone of finality that seemed to bring Tenten out of her thoughts. "Who do you admire?" she asked instead and Tenten blinked

"Uh…Tsunade-sama I suppose" Tenten replied and Naruko smiled encouragingly at her. "What about you?"

"I don't really have anyone. My own personal belief is that I want to be myself, not someone else who I'll probably never meet" Naruko replied with a shrug as a waiter took away the empty plates and cups.

"Really?" Tenten replied, sounding slightly confused, as though she had not considered that line of thought before.

"Yep. Anyway I've got other things to worry about than becoming someone else"

"Really? Like what?" Tenten asked, leaning forwards herself as she became interested. Naruko smiled.

"Secret"

"Hmph" Tenten huffed, leaning back and pouting much to Naruko's amusement who laughed gently much to Tenten's embarrassment

"Don't laugh" she said and Naruko smiled warmly at her

"But you're so cute when you do that" she told the girl who blushed a bright red, only causing Naruko to giggle at her again.

Eventually their desserts arrived and conversation paused as they both dug into their food.

Eventually Naruko spoke again

"So, I hear that you fancy that Hyuga boy on your team" she said. Tenten nearly choked on her food, surprised at the bluntness and suddenness of the statement.

"H-how? Why?" she gasped after managing to swallow without coughing.

"You listen hard enough you learn all kinds of interesting things" Naruko said with an air of solemnity that was ruined by the soft smile on her face "So?" she asked

"No, I'm not" Tenten told Naruko with arms folded. Naruko hummed thoughtfully with a raised eyebrow

"Really? Who is it then?" she asked and Tenten blushed softly while looking away

"No one" she mumbled and Naruko smiled again, decided to stop tormenting the poor girl.

"Okay, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you" she said

"Oh no, don't worry. I'm not upset, I…um…" she trailed off and Naruko smiled

"So, what was your mission like?" she asked and Tenten smiled. Half excited to be telling someone about her exploits, half relieved and thankful for Naruko ending her awkward line of enquiry.

Naruko walked Tenten back to her shop, they walked in just as the owner walked out

"Look-after-the-shop-bye" was all said in one breath and then he was gone. Leaving a confused Tenten and an amused Naruko standing in front of the open doorway.

"Well then, this is where we part ways" Naruko said in a playful tone of voice as Tenten shifted slightly

"I had a really good time today" she told Naruko honestly while looking rather too cute to resist. So Naruko embraced the blushing girl tightly and held her for just a second longer than necessary before pulling back.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. Just don't get too used to it, that thing was one time only" she told Tenten who giggled

"Don't worry, I won't I promise"

"Good" Naruko said before kissing Tenten on the cheek before turning on her heel and walking off. "See you around Ten-chan" she called out as she vanished around the corner, leaving a flustered Tenten to tend to the shop by herself for the next shift.

The End