"I expected something more... " Sarutobi paused a moment as he looked over the picture ID he held in his hands, "Extravagant."
"What...?" the blonde boy grinned ever so innocently back at the Hokage, "You should know by now, I live to defy expectations! Unpredictability is one of a ninja's greatest strengths after all!"
"True enough," the old man chuckled in return, "And you do love to live up to that don't you Naruto?"
"Who, me?" there was an almost cherubic innocence in the boy's eyes as he smiled back at the man, "So, team assignments are tomorrow?"
As the man glanced over the serious looking Naruto in the photograph in his hand, he tried to reconcile it with the almost bouncing bundle of energy seated in front of him. An amusing consideration was quickly filed away in the back of his mind. Whatever it would have been that he asked next, was quickly thrust aside as the door to the room was thrown open with a shout.
"Defend yourself old-HEY!" the small form of a dark-haired boy rocketed face first toward the floor in front of the Hokage, he suddenly found himself hogtied in mid-air before being slammed down onto the hardwood floor, a foot planted firmly on his back.
"So, been stealing candy from the kiddies again old man..." Naruto sent a teasing smirk towards Sarutobi as he stood over the bound boy, "Didn't you learn the last time?"
The old man was caught between a chuckle and a sigh, "My grandson, Konohamaru."
"Honored grandson!" there was a momentary, shrill shriek as a sunglasses wearing man jumped into the hallway outside the door, jabbing his finger in Naruto's Direction, "Unhand him, you monster!"
"Yeah! Lemme go!" the boy demanded, "You might've gotten lucky with this trap, but-Ow!"
'Naruto pulled his hand back from where he'd smacked the boy's head, "Shut up you idiot," those suddenly hard eyes turned onto the pointing man, "And who the hell are you calling a monster you moron?"
"I am the elite tutor of the honored grandson of our Hokage!"the man declared proudly as he suddenly stood almost at attention, "Now let him go!"
Naruto just gave the man a look before he rapped the bound boy on the head once more, "Listen up ya dumb punk," the blue eyed boy completely ignored the look of shocked outrage that showed up on the tutor's face as he addressed the boy again, "Do you have any idea how stupid that was hmmm? Jumping out of a door, threatening the leader of our village without warning! You TRYING to get yourself killed?"
The boy paused a moment before turning and glaring at the man, "And YOU!" he declared, pointing a finger directly at the man's face, "What kind of elite tutor treats their student like that?!" Naruto removed his foot from the boy's back before he practically stomped over to the man, "You TRYING to turn him into a spoiled brat that'll get himself killed in his first year?"
"Wh-I- errr" the man was suddenly at a loss for words at the dressing down he was getting from a 13-year old boy, "I mean that is..."
"Don't think YOU'RE getting out of this old man!" the finger suddenly jerked over, moving away from the aghast tutor to jab in the Hokage's direction, "What the hell have you been putting in that pipe of yours to let a brown nosing moron like this dumb-ass train your grandson."
The Hokage actually looked slightly mollified as he ducked his head slightly, his hat coming down to cover his eyes in a half mumble "It was actually the council's idea..."
"You're the Hokage!" Naruto growled, "You know better than anyone that a spoiled brat has no place in the life of a shinobi! So, unless you want to outlive your grandson, either have that guy take his head out of his ass, or get someone else to train the kid."
Grumbling still, he gave the group a snort, before turning and walking out of the room, waving his hand casually, "I'm gonna go blow off some steam..."
"Should I alert the ANBU?" the old man called back wearily.
"Nah, I'll make sure they know."
A cold shiver of fear ran down the old man's neck as he couldn't help but shake his head, "I really wish he wouldn't put it that way."
"Hokage-sama!" the man instantly stood up rigidly, "I will immediately discipline that fool for his insolence!"
"Ebisu," the old man spoke up simply and casually, "I would suggest, for your own sake that you attempt no such thing," for a moment, the old man's eyes flickered to where his grandson was squirming his way out of the loosening bonds he was bound in, before suddenly slipping out of the room, no doubt in pursuit of Naruto, "The betting pool frowns on outsiders trying to get in on the action."
"The... betting pool?"
The old man nodded with a casual slant of his head, "Yes, the betting pool. Who his next prank will be on, how long the chase will last, if he's actually caught or not... Various other things, down to specific people being singled out."
"B-b-but... He insulted you Hokage-sama! He insulted your grandson! He insulted me!" there was another brief return on that shrill tone to his words as he spoke up angrily.
"He told the truth," the old man gave an annoyed glance at the tutor, "And given my grandson's actions, I'm beginning to wonder about what kind of future he'd have if left in your care."
"But, but Hokage-sama, the council!" the man sputtered.
"Ebisu, there are no shortcuts to becoming Hokage," the old man spoke softly before he turned and looked the man hard in the eyes, "And from what I've seen, my grandson only seems to be finding himself at greater distance from that goal than closer. I would suggest you seriously reevaluate your teaching approach."
"But, Hokage-sama, I'm well known as a prominent tutor to future Hokage candidates!" the man argued back.
"And yet, here I am, still Hokage," the man responded simple, "Which begs the question on just who's calling you such a prominent tutor, now doesn't it?"
As the man shuffled some papers around on his desk, he looked about a moment before observing, "I see that my grandson has managed to escape his bonds and made a run for it, you might want to hurry up and find him, Ebisu."
The man blinked a moment, before groaning out loud, "Not again!" and with that he was off, searching for the boy.
After a moment of tranquil calm, a sudden eruption of shouts and screams was heard in the distance. Taking a long, drawn out puff from his pipe, the man flipped open a small back book to check over some numbers, "Ah, I see... ANBU... Today... That sounded like either paint or cream screams... Too loud to be smoke screams, and not outraged enough to be underwear screams..."
The man paused a moment, a slight trickle of blood beading at his nose as he imagined the last time the boy had purloined kunoichi underwear, "Ah, good times... But hmmm... Looks like Inoichi won this round. Hmmm..."
The old man couldn't help but grin wickedly, "Oh, what the hell, might as well!"
And with that he went back to the final team rosters and began a slow, wicked chuckle, his eyes gleaming with delight, "This, should definitely prove interesting, besides, the boy earned a nice present... Heh heh heh..."
As the man grinned in delight at his plot, outside, a far different scene was taking place. A swarm of ANBU had assembled, their bodies and uniforms dripping with thick pink foam as they raced after a single figure. A single, cackling figure who raced and bounced across the roof tops, leading his pursuers on a merry chase.
"Come on! Come on!" He laughed back at the angry group, as they raced after him, "Are you guys ANBU or genin?!"
"When I get my hands on you...!" one of the lead ninja's growled as he raced towards the boy.
"Yeah yeah yeah, "the boy chuckled softly as he would duck around into an alley, bouncing from side to side as the ninjas raced to catch him, "IF you get your hands on me!"
He raced along the side of a building then, running from wall to wall, leading them in a circle as he wickedly smiled as he saw he was coming up on the back of the pack. Racing just behind the last person, he asked in a casual, cheerful tone, "So, who we chasing?"
"The damned Uzumaki brat, again!" the man panted back, not even bothering to look back at the boy.
"Oh, what'd he do THIS time?" Naruto asked back, grinning wickedly as he held back a snicker.
"Explosion of pink foam in the ANBU headquarters... its gonna take forever to get the color out!" the man groused
"I don't know, Konoha's pink guard does have a nice ring to it..." the boy said mischievously.
"What the hell are you..." the man finally threw his head back over his shoulder, to see the target right behind him, leading the front of the pack right at him, "YOU!"
"Me!" he grinned happily as he waved back at the man, before dashing forward, beginning to make his way through the pack, slapping a tag here and there to an occasional side or back before they realized what was happening and he darted off to the side, laughing as he raced down the street.
"Come on, come on! Hurry up or you'll never catch me!" He grinned, jumping from a rooftop as he twirled his body around for a moment, facing them all as he made a sign, priming and detonating the tags he'd slapped through the middle of the of the group.
Immediately blasts of glue and feathers exploded from alternating tags, sticking to various members of the mini mob as only those at the outer edges were spared the full wrath. Those in the middle however, earned the ANBU a new nickname as they raced down the street after the boy. Though, very few would call one of the elite ninjas a feather duster to their face.
Finally, after several fruitless hours of chase, tempers finally cool and with a resigned frustration, the ANBU reluctantly broke off what had for the last last hour been a desperate man hunt after the boy had evaded the group, and they'd lost his trail. When they did finally return to their headquarters, resigned to the task of cleaning up after yet another infamous Uzumaki prank, they quite the surprise. The place had been cleaned spotless, with a number of bowls of ramen laid out on one table, and various bottles of solvent for the glue on their uniforms.
It might've been enough to placate them and reduce their ire to a resigned amusement. It might've even left them half interested in what he'd do the next time he pulled something like this. Of course, all that was thrown out the window the minute they started to read through the pages titled "Performance Review" the boy had somehow managed to write up.
Thirteen year olds are rarely known for their tact, Naruto Uzumaki was known for being particularly blunt and unapologetic. Reading a 15 page report, detailing a lackluster response time, speed, conditioning, alertness and other factors on its own was aggravation enough. Being called an out of shape, unaware, feather duster, didn't happen to sit too well with one of the captains. Nor did the fact that there was a note letting them know that the Hokage had already received his own copy of said report.
There were many more screams of rage that day, though, some of the newer members took a perverse glee in seeing themselves marked for more outstanding moments when they'd nearly captured the boy, or hadn't been fooled like the rest by some of his tricks.
In his office, the Hokage chuckled softly as he read through the pages of Naruto's review, just before a trio of ANBU burst into his office, the lead one suddenly freezing in his tracks as he caught sight of the document already in the man's hands, "Ah, hello there gentlemen, I was just about to start a little bit of reading," he smiled innocently, "Is there something I can help you with?"
"Err, yes Hokage-sama," one of the men spoke up quickly, "We need you to come to ANBU headquarters, right away!"
"Oh? Has something happened?" the man was lightly puffing at his pipe, schooling his features to neutrality as he blinked at the men.
"Yes! It was Uzumaki!"another of the men spoke up quickly.
"What did he do this time?" Sarutobi sighed as he seemed to be putting the "Review" down.
"Its... you have to see for yourself Sir!" finished the third.
"Hmmm... would it have anything to do with this lovely little review he wrote up for me?" The man casually flipped through the pages, "Where several of the ANBU following him managed to, and I quote 'have their heads so far up their asses,' he was able to 'tag a third of them without them even realizing what was going on', while running through the middle of a group of you, and then broke free, to remotely detonate several glue and feather tags?"
The three winced, and hung their heads, before quietly nodding, as one of them finally spoke up in resignation, "Yes, Sir."
"Mmm... quite the review a genin has managed to put together about the current condition of our ANBU forces, wouldn't you say?"
Again, all three winced at once, before giving slow, weak nods.
"Well then, since he bought you dinner, and left solvent for the glue, AFTER cleaning up the mess he made in your headquarters, I think I'll let things go for now," the old man said simply as he took a slow deep puff on his pipe.
"But Hokage-sama, you can't just let him get away with this!" one of the men spoke up fervently.
Sarutobi only arched a brow in response as he simply gave the man a look, "Apparently, you misunderstand what I'm saying," he paused a moment before taking a deep puff from his pipe before continuing, "I'm going to let it go, that a 13 year old recent academy graduate managed to prank not only ANBU headquarters, but a group of ANBU themselves, and not only not get caught, but was able to in turn return back to that headquarters without being seen to clean up the mess he made, write up this lovely review and buy you dinner."
All three men paled underneath their masks, a decided lump in their throats as they heard their leader continue, "But, I do expect the NEXT Performance Review to be far more impressive, am I clear?"
"The NEXT one Sir?" one of the men squeaked fearfully.
"Oh yes, the NEXT one," there was an amused glint in the man's eyes, "And you're all dismissed gentlemen, enjoy your ramen."
The three men, all grumbled softly with a nod, before closing the door behind them, just in time for the Hokage to allow himself to burst in a wide grin as he allowed himself a soft chuckle, "Ah Naruto, what would I do without you?"
Grinning softly, he made sure to set aside a proper B-class mission payment for the boy's little impromptu review, it had proven to be quite, illuminating, both to himself and the ANBU forces. He had a feeling the newly dubbed "feather dusters" wouldn't be forgetting anytime soon.
-Early the next Morning-
A loud rapping knock woke the sleeping Naruto with a grumble as he rubbed his fingers across his eyes. Releasing a loud yawn, he stumbled across his apartment, before barking off a grumbling, "I'm coming already!"
"Hurry up already brat!" a rather familiar voice called out as he couldn't help but groan softly in recognition.
"Dammit Anko!" the boy groused as he pulled the door open, glaring with sleep glazed eyes at the broadly grinning woman, "What the hell do you want so god damned early!?"
"Eesh, someone's in a bad mood," the woman grinned as she sauntered into his apartment uninvited, "So, this is the abode of the arch enemy of the 'feather dusters' huh?"
"Feather dusters?" the boy blinked, eyes still glazed as he fought back a yawn, "Arch enemy?"
"You do remember the stunt you pulled yesterday, don't you brat?" the woman grinned as she pulled up a chair watching as the boy scratched at his shirt covered side.
"Hence why I was still SLEEPING," the boy spat back, "You know, with the nice warm bed, and the pillows, and the nice bliss of unconsciousness? The thing people do after they exhaust themselves?"
"Yeah yeah," the woman waved off the boy's grumblings with a negligent flick of her wrist, "Quit being a wuss already and have a seat," she paused a moment, before adding with a grin, "Nice boxers by the way."
"Mmm?" the boy glanced down at the toad print boxers before shrugging softly, "Mmm, Hinata-chan got em for me."
The woman twitched slightly as he eyed the boy speculatively, "Thirteen and having girls buy underwear for you?"
"No, 13, and having the Hyuuga clan heiress buying underwear for me," the boy corrected with a sleepy smirk as he walked over to put a kettle on the stove, "Can't trust random girls, can't trust where they've been and all."
"Kid... " the woman just shook her head before barking off a loud chuckle, "You never cease to amaze."
"If I did, I wouldn't be me now would I?" the boy grinned back as he stretched out lightly then ducked his head into his pantry, "Mmm... Ramen..."
"Dango!" the woman called back tauntingly as she smirked where she sat.
"Ramen!" the boy countered, holding up a package of instant ramen in his hand.
"Dango!" the woman responded with a smirk, as she began to toss emptied dango skewers at the boy.
"Ramen!" the boy countered, catching and deflecting the skewers with the package.
"Bah, you're no fun if you don't let me make a pincushion out of you," the woman pouted with a grin.
"So..." he started, as he pulled the skewers from the package, wincing some as he saw the busted noodles inside, "What brings you here to drag my ass out of my nice, comfortable bed at this ungodly hour Anko-chan?"
"The new Naruto dart board in the ANBU lounge, some questions, and I wanted to get here before you're too busy with your snuggle happy pet heiress," she smirked back at him as she lounged carelessly in her chair.
"You should be careful, Iruka-sensei might get jealous," the boy grinned back at her.
"Of you? Don't count on it squirt," the woman grinned back at the boy.
"Oooooh, tell me Anko-chan..." the boy suddenly took on a rather wicked smirk as he watched her from the kitchen, "Do you, REALLY want to give me that challenge?"
The woman paused, looking at the boy with narrowed eyes that seemed to glint with a malicious promise, she was all too familiar with, at least from the other side. She considered before grumbling as she shook her head, "Even I'm not THAT crazy brat."
"Good to know!" The boy responded cheerfully as he dropped the noodles into a bowl and waited for the water to heat up, "So, feather dusters?"
"Heh, guess you haven't heard then," the woman grinned back at him, "That's ANBU's new nick name after your little stunt with the feather and glue tags."
"Oh boy," there was a soft groan as the woman could hear him, banging his head softly against the counter top, "Now I KNOW they're gonna kill me."
"Nah, they can't do anything to ya," the woman grinned as she held up an envelope and tossed it to the boy, "The Hokage wanted me to give ya that."
"Eh?" curiously the blonde opened up the envelope and then blinked, before blinking again as he read the letter inside of it, "Oi... Dammit, I knew that last bit was too much."
"Heh, that last bit saved your ass kid," the woman grinned back at him as she chuckled, "The Hokage's decided to commission you to do random 'evaluations' of ANBU and various other shinobi groups in Konoha."
"Wait..." the boy paused a moment, letting the information slowly sink into his mind as the last bit of sleep seemed to leave him, "Does this mean what I think it means?"
"I don't know..." the woman responded casually, her nails suddenly becoming the most interesting thing she could find, "What do you think it means?"
"A license to prank any ninja group from Konoha, as long as I submit a report of my 'findings' to the Hokage," the boy grinned down right evilly as he lightly licked his lips.
"Which, brings me to my next bit of news," the woman responded as she grinned back at the boy, "I'm going to be a jounin sensei!"
The boy blinked a moment, before narrowing his eyes and pouting, "Dammit, you're doing that just so I can't get you."
"Who, me?" the woman smiled back at him with her eyes fluttering, "Do I seem the type to abandon a sinking ship, leaving my comrades to their fate?!"
"Nope, you're the type to switch ships in port, so you don't get caught in the storm you know's coming," the boy countered before pausing, "Meh, I hate you."
"Mmm," the woman paused, lightly tapping her lip in consideration, "Who knows, I could even get an all kunoichi team! Train the girls to be REAL kunoichi, give them uniforms, have them practicing their skills with you as the practice dummy..."
"... I hate you, very much," the boy growled as he dug into his noodles, grumbling softly.
"Blame Iruka," the woman shrugged, "He's the one that got me all fired up about teaching."
"Blaming Iruka sounds good," the boy nodded as he finished off his noodles, "Limitations?"
"Hmmm," Anko tapped her lips lightly with one finger before shrugging, "No damaging the goods."
"Sounds fair," the boy responded with a nod as he stretched out before pulling off his shirt and scratching his side as he walked towards his bathroom, "I'm taking a shower, if you want a bowl of ramen feel free."
"What, I can't watch?" the woman grinned back at the boy as he turned his head then just gave her a look.
"Pedo," he grumbled softly before locking himself in his bathroom.
"You're no fun!" the woman shot back.
"I'm tons of fun!" the muffled response could be heard, "I just prefer my fun in nice healthy ways, instead of being gawked at by drooling psycho bitches!"
"Yeah, yeah, you know you love me!"
"Only because I was apparently dropped on my head as a child, a lot!"
A few minutes later, Naruto was enjoying the hot water rushing down over his body, as he took a moment to consider his options. He knew today was the day, his first real day of being a ninja. It was an exciting and at the same time frightening experience all at once.
This was his first real step towards achieving his goal, and proving the power of his style.
Unable to suppress his grin, he finished up his shoulder, before quickly toweling dry and going about the rest of his morning routine. Pulling his boxers quickly back up, he yawned once more before walking out of the bathroom, toweling off his head. Only to blink in surprise when he found the blushing form of Hinata sitting in a chair next to the widely grinning Anko.
For a moment, the boy, simply blinked, canting his head to the side as he looked from girl to woman, "Huh, maybe I should've left my boxers in the bathroom after all."
"N-naruto-kun!" the pale eyed girl's blush almost seemed pure crimson as she stared back at him, a small drop of blood hanging down from her nose before she turned away, starting to giggle softly as she stared off into the distance.
"Heh, you sure have a way with women huh brat?" Anko chuckled as she watched the way the girl quickly became lost in her own little fantasy, "She normally like this?"
"Only when she's thinking about what's in my boxers," the boy responded with a shrug, as the girl seemed to blush even more at the comment, though seemed to not notice otherwise as she kept staring off into space, "She'll wake up eventually, or I'll start petting her and she'll wake up. One of the two."
"Petting her?" that brought a chuckle past the womans' lips as she would cant her head lightly to the side, mimicking the boy's usual gesture, "My, how... kinky."
"Stroking her hair you perv," he chuckled as he pulled one of his mesh shirts down over his head, and stretched it across his his chest and arms, "She's like a little puppy sometimes, I swear."
Unfortunately for Naruto, Hinata's mind immediately latched onto that idea as she began to mumble, just loud enough for Anko to hear, "Oh yes, I've been a naughty naughty puppy... Naruto-kun should punish his naughty puppy... mmm... yesssss Naruto-kun..."
Anko, blinked a moment, before suddenly found herself struggling to hold back her laughter, her warm brown eyes shining with amusement as she quickly grew red from the exertion, "Oh... hehe... I think, little Hinata-chan, agrees with you there brat!"
"Eh?" The boy blinked as he was pulling up his pants, looking over to where Hinata was lost in her happy little world, mumbling and nodding eagerly to herself as the small trickle of blood grew beneath her nose, "What's she saying?"
"Oh, a little of this, a little of that..." the woman grinned back, her face still red from the exertion to hold in her laughter, "A lot of blackmail material and what not."
"You wouldn't be thinking of threatening MY Hinata-chan, now would you Anko-'chan'?" he put a particular emphasis on that last syllable as his eyes grew frosty.
"Oh, YOUR Hinata-chan?" the woman grinned back leaning slightly forward, "And what makes you think that, huh brat?"
"Easy," the boy turned his attention towards the Hyuuga girl as he fasted his pants into place, before calling in a firm clear tone, "Hinata-chan! Heel!"
The girl instantly perked up as he called her name, her glazed eyes immediately locking onto his, before at his command, she barely had time to nod as she bounded off the chair and almost leapt over to his side, quickly nuzzling against him. Smirking back at Anko, he ran his fingers through the girl's hair, "Good girl Hinata-chan."
"N-nar-naruto-kun...?" the girl blinked as she came out of her daze, blushing softly as she pressed lightly back against his stroking fingers, happily tightening her grip on his body, "Mmm... Naruto-kun's so warm... mmmm..."
"See, told you," The boy smirked back at the gaping Anko.
"But... what... HOW?!" the woman only stared at the boy and the quietly blushing girl that pressed so eagerly against him.
"Well, the truth is.." he smiled as he leaned a bit closer, his voice carrying in a stage whisper, "...Its a secret."
"I swear brat... " the woman growled softly as she glared back at the boy, "One of these days..."
"You'll realize how hopelessly out classed you are by the magnificence that is me?" the boy grinned back at her innocently before looking down at the girl clinging to his side, "Hinata-chan, could you get my coat for me? You know where I tend to leave it."
The girl gave a little whimper as she looked up at the boy, snuggling tighter against his chest as she looked up at him, wordlessly, pleadingly as she rubbed her cheek against his chest. With a sigh he looked down at her, "Please Hinata-chan? For me?"
For a moment, the girl sniffled softly, resisting before she looked up into those gentle blue eyes and felt herself just melting. With a reluctant little nod, she let go of him before scampering off to his closet as quickly as she could. After watching her go, the boy turned back to Anko and gave her a simple, firm look as he sat down and began to pull his socks and boots on, "Mine."
"So I see kid, so I see..." the woman shrugged a bit as she looked at the boy, "Not sure how healthy that is though."
He shrugged a bit and gave her a look, "We're shinobi, there isn't much healthy about most of our lives, remember?"
"True enough I suppose kid," the woman nodded before she gave him a look, "Just make sure she doesn't become a liability."
"She won't," the boy responded as he quickly finished with his boots, "She just needs someone to care for while she gets her confidence back."
"Sure Romeo, sure," Anko chuckled as she watched Hinata clutching Naruto's black coat to her chest as she shyly brought it back up to him.
"Thank you Hinata-chan," he said with a smile, casually taking the coat from her as he felt its comfortable embrace wrapping about his body before he lightly ran his fingers through the girl's hair.
The girl grinned in response before, suddenly pushing the boy down onto his couch and climbing into his lap and curling up against his chest with a contented sigh, "You're welcome Naruto-kun."
"Well, she knows what she wants at least, right Anko-chan?" the boy responded with a laugh as he lightly resumed stroking the girl's hair.
"All right, I'll leave you two cuddle monsters alone for the time being," she chuckled just a bit as she watched the happy blush on Hinata's face as the girl nuzzled underneath the boy's chin, "Don't forget to show up for your team selections though."
"Heh, tell her, not me!" the boy grinned softly as he would lightly wrap up the girl in his arms, "She's the one determined to turn me into her teddy bear!"
"I WAS talking to her," Anko smirked back, "And it looks far more like she wants to have you make her, YOUR teddy bear."
Hintata blushed heavily at that before shaking her head and giving Anko a pointed look, "Nope, his puppy!"
"Heh, just make sure you remember her tags and leash then brat!" the woman barked off a laugh as she watched the two with amusement in her eyes, "Otherwise, you might just find yourself in trouble with the Inuzukas for stealing their bit."
"I'll take Hinata-chan over Akamaru any day," the boy shot back at the departing woman, "She smells much nicer."
The teasing grin he sent down at the girl was returned with a blush and a light poke of the finger against his stomach, "If that's all you like about me, maybe I should see how Kiba treats HIS puppies hmm?"
"You're just trying to talk yourself into a collar Hinata-chan," the boy teased back as he lightly continued to stroke his finger through her hair.
"So?" the girl blushed in response as she turned her soft pale eyes onto him with full puppy force, "Haven't I earned it Naruto-kun?"
"Your father would kill me," the boy reminded her gently as he stroked her hair, "Remember?"
"Mmm..." the girl blushed for a moment, before she silently activated her eyes, making sure no one was watching as she reached into her jacket and pulled out an aged photograph, "He's not one to talk Naruto-kun."
"Huh...?" the boy blinked in response, before he looked down and twitched slightly as looked at the picture, his sensei, standing in her favorite outfit, holding onto a leash, leading to... Hinata's father Hiashi, bare chested and kneeling in nothing more than a pair of black leather pants, "Ok... I guess you do take after your father more than I thought..."
The girl only blushed even wilder as she pressed back against his body, "So Naruto-kun?"
The boy coughed a bit as the girl nuzzled more against him, "Lemme think about it Hinata-chan," he said gently and stroked her hair, "Lets make sure we can be an effective ninja team first, all right?"
A look of disappointment flashed across the girl's eyes, before she gave a reluctant nod, "All right Naruto-kun," the then narrowed those beautiful pale eyes as she gave him a slight glare, "But you better not keep me waiting too long!"
"Wouldn't dream of it Hinata-chan, wouldn't dream of it," he chuckled as he kept stroking the girl, holding her close, cuddling her until it was finally time for them to head to the academy for their assignments.
-At the Ranch-err Academy-
"All right everyone, take your seats, I'll begin calling out your three man teams," Iruka spoke up, just before he was grabbed from behind and pushed down into his chair, "Hey-what... Anko!"
"Don't mind your instructor kids, he's just forgetting that he's supposed to be staying off his feet, doctor's orders and all," the spiky haired woman grinned, hips cocked lightly to the side as she stood in front of the class, ignoring the gawking stares more of the boys were giving her, "So, I'm here to make sure he follows the doctor's orders!"
"Anko..." the man growled softly as the woman, stood over him.
"Now, now, let nurse Anko make sure you're a good boy!" the grinned before slipping down into his lap, and smirking back at the room, "Gotta make sure he stays off his feet after all."
"If she's a nurse, fill me up a prescription for love!" the wild haired Kiba Inuzuka called out with a quiet howl.
"Careful, or this nurse might just right out a prescription for a dog boy to get fixed!" Anko shot back, a kunai twirled about her finger, "The old fashioned way."
"Errr, right," Iruka coughed softly as he shifted about in his chair, finding himself enjoying his position just a bit too much, "Now, lets get on with the team assignments."
"Hmm now lets see here..." the woman plucked the clipboard out of her boyfriend's hand, "Mmm, yes, yes... Iiiiinteresting!" The wicked giggle that escaped her lips echoed through the room as the assorted genin couldn't help but feel a shiver racing down their spines, "Heheheh."
"Bad Anko," the man grunted as he would reproachfully tug the clipboard out of the woman's hands, "All right, Team 1 will be..."
"Poor Iruka-sensei," Naruto chuckled just a bit as he leaned against Hinata, "Anko really likes him."
"Yes, she does," the girl nodded and grinned, "She's just marking what's hers Naruto-kun."
"Oh?" the boy arched a brow as he looked down at the girl snuggling at his side, "Do I need to be worried about you doing the same?"
"Oh no, Naruto-kun!" the girl responded with an aghast expression on her face, "I'm waiting for you to mark me as yours!"
"I see," the boy responded neutrally as he lightly pet the girl atop her head.
"Team 7 will be Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and Sasuke Uchiha, your jounin instructor will be here for you after lunch," Iruka spoke up.
"Be ready for a loooooong wait," Anko added impishly, "He's Never on time."
Several groans could be heard from various female hopefuls as they realized that none of them had ended up on the same team as Sasuke, much to their chagrin. Smirking softly, Naruto leaned in as he whispered softly into Hinata's ear, "Looks like Sasuke gets the kind of team he'd want."
Hinata giggled softly in response as she nodded, listening as Iruka continued, "Team 8 will be Shikamaru Nara, Sakura Haruno, and Chouji Akimichi, your jounin instructor will also be here after lunch..."
"Hope you like the smell of smoke!" Anko added in with a grin as she casually ran a finger over the scar running over Iruka's nose.
"Ahem," Iruka coughed as he gave a pointed look at Anko, "Team 9 is still in circulation from last year, so, Team 10 will be Hinata Hyuuga, Naruto Uzumaki, and Ino Yamanaka , your jounin instructors..."
"Are me and Nai-chan!" Anko grinned as she jumped up from Iruka's lap as another, dark haired, and red eyed woman swirled into view, "So, gather round girls and boy!"
"Hey, how come he gets to be around all the babes and I'm stuck with bug boy and stuck up his ass!?" Kiba demanded.
His lips twitching, Naruto looked pleadingly at Anko, before she gave a small little nod in permission, "Hey, can I help it if I'm just that damned good Inuzuka?" that innocent grin curled on his lips as he casually guided Hinata to her feet, his arm wrapped gently about the small of her back, "Some of us actually know how to treat a lady."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Kiba growled back.
"Ask your sister," The boy shot back as he gave a light bow to Ino as she strutted past, her lips curled in a slight grumble before she nodded in acknowledgment, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to be going now, to the tender mercies Iruka-sensei knows so well!"
Iruka was struggling himself now, trying to hold back his own laughter as he watched the show, before looking back at the groups with a grin, "All right, make sure you all make me proud!"
"How the hell does he get all the luck?!" Kiba's scream could be heard echoing through the halls, following after the group of four.
However, the instant they were out of sight, the smirk on Naruto's face instantly fell as he pointed a finger at Anko, "No, that was NOT an invitation."
"What, did I say anything?" she responded in amusement as she turned her head towards the other woman, "Nai-chan, did I say anything at all?"
"No, I don't believe you did," Kurenai admitted, before taking a moment to study the boy in front of them, "However, I don't think you needed to."
"Whaaaa?" the wicked grin lay spread across the spiky haired woman's face as she leered back at Kurenai, "Whatever could you possibly mean Nai-chan?"
"Um, someone mind telling me what's going on?" there was a nervousness to Ino's voice as she spoke up, eying Naruto and the two women warily.
"Anko-chan here has nothing even remotely resembling mercy," Naruto jerked his thumb in the brown eyed woman's direction, "She's a crazy bitch, who likes to dump snakes on people for fun."
"Now, now, you're going to give her a bad impression of me!" the woman grinned back at the boy, her eyes alight with ill concealed mischief, "And on the first day too!"
"Kurenai-sensei," Naruto spoke up, pointedly ignoring the pouting Anko was giving him, "I'm going to assume that you're here to keep her from getting us killed?"
"Well, I don't believe it was put quite so bluntly," there was a pause as the red eyed woman lightly tapped her lip, "But, that does sound like the general gist of the situation."
"She can't be THAT bad can she?" the blonde girl spoke up in a tone of protest, her blue eyes wide as she would look carefully at Anko, "I mean, I know she's dressed like a slut and everything, draped herself all over Iruka-sensei like a whore and -Mmph!"
Ino's words were quickly cut off by a sudden rubber ball being shoved into her mouth as she found her wrists, tied behind her back and her ankles bound together, as her eyes widened in shock, she suddenly found herself, tossed over Naruto's shoulder and hauled away. As she began to struggle and protest, she was greeted with the sight of just why he'd done what he did. There was Anko, fire burning in her eyes, and kunais in hand, struggling against Kurenai as she attempted to give chase.
"BRING THAT LITTLE BIMBO BACK HERE!" The angry screech continued as she woman struggled over and over again, "CALLING ME A SLUT AND A WHORE?! LET GOOO!"
"S-s-sorry Anko-sensei, b-but..." Hinata bowed quickly to the still struggling woman before she reached out, striking a series of points on the woman's body, draining her of her strength, "Y-y-you s-s-shouldn't try to kill Ino-san," the girl paused a moment before those pale eyes hardened, "Especially when she's being carried by my Naruto-kun!"
With that, the normally shy and reserved Hinata Hyuuga gave a sudden, swift kick to the still struggling woman's shin before crossing her arms about her chest.
"OOOOW! DAMMIT! You little bitch!" Anko seethed as she turned her attention to the little girl standing next to her.
"Anko-sensei," the girl's voice took in a peculiar twist, eerily familiar to Anko herself as she looked up into the woman's eyes with a calm, sweet, almost sadistic little smile, "Did you know, that with the right Gentle Fist strike, I can destroy your ability to feel anything between your legs?"
Both women suddenly froze as they looked down at the girl smiling so sweetly up at them, as she would reach out and with one finger, lightly tap against the front of Anko's skirt, "All it takes, is one strike, and a bit of chakra. From what I understand, its quite painful... causes every nerve to suddenly ignite all at once... then simply... burn out," her eyes crinkled a bit, "I would hate to think of just what that could do to someone, wouldn't you?"
Slowly, both Anko and Kurenai found themselves nodding as the spiky haired woman stilled her struggles, gulping audibly, as she shakily nodded her head, "Yes... that doesn't sound pleasant at all."
"I know!" the girl nodded her head, before carefully sauntering off, "I'm going to go find Naruto-kun and Ino-san, so what training ground do we need to meet you at?"
"Um, 13..." Kurenai spoke up, carefully eying the little girl as she walked away.
"Good, we'll meet you there," The girl waved lightly back at them, before looking over her shoulder, "Oh, and Anko-sensei?"
"Errr... yes Hinata...?" the woman watched the girl carefully.
"I'm NARUTO's bitch," the girl said with a giggling wink, before walking off "Get it right next time!"
"What the hell have you gotten me into Anko?" Kurenai turned her attention onto her friend as she slowly loosened her grip on the woman.
"Well, look at it this way," the woman in question nervously chuckled back, "Its never gonna be dull!"
Kurenai sighed softly before she looked to her friend "So, what can you tell me about our team then?"
"Well, I only really know Naruto, the Hyuuga, somewhat. The bimbo, I only know the bits and pieces her dad lets slip," Anko shrugged a bit as she adjusted her coat, "Naruto knows me pretty well as you can tell, set me up with Iruka in there. He's a prankster, but he's a good kid for the most part, a lot like me in a lot of ways."
"That, can't be good," Kurenai muttered with a sigh as she lightly pinched the bridge of her nose, "Anything I should be aware of?"
"Don't EVER make fun or insult his style itself," Anko shivered softly, "The results will NOT be pretty."
"That bad?"
"Remember, a couple of days ago, the chuunin, on the flag pole in the diaper, bib and bonnet?"
"What about him?" the red eyed woman asked warily.
"That was the last guy that insulted the kid's style," Anko shivered slightly, "If he wants to get you, he'll get you, no matter HOW good you are."
"If he's that good, how come he's failed three times already?" the other woman blinked slightly as she raised her brow at her friend.
"From what Iruka told me? To get on the same team as the Hyuuga," the woman shrugged slightly, "Something about a promise or something."
"All right, what can you tell me about Hinata then?" the woman asked next as they both began to walk towards the training ground.
"Well, that depends, which one we talking about?" Anko shifted nervously, "The cute, shy little cuddle hungry puppy, or the scary little bitch we just saw?"
"...Cuddle hungry puppy?" there was an incredulous tone to the woman's voice as she spoke
"Yeah, its cute really," Anko grinned as she stretched back, warily trying to rub the chakra flow back into her arms, "With Naruto, she's like a cute little puppy, always wanting him to snuggle and stroke her hair, and the boy's obviously protective of her, a bit enamored too I think. I definitely don't think I'm gonna be questioning him about her ability to function as a Kunoichi anymore though."
As Anko laughed, Kurenai frowned slightly before nodding, "And the last girl?"
"She's Inoichi's brat," the woman shrugged, "Mind walker like him, a bit spoiled from what I've heard though, not much else I could tell you other than she's apparently one of the Uchiha's fan girls if her response to him being on an all male team is any indication."
"What's Naruto's style exactly anyway?" the woman suddenly spoke up as she would arch a brow at Anko.
"Oh, you're gonna love this," she grinned, viciously at her friend, "Bondage Style!"
"Huh..." the woman blinked quietly at the information, "That would explain the ropes and the gag I suppose," she paused as she half closed her red eyes, "So, we've got a bondage ninja, a Hyuuga and a mind walker huh? Definitely a capture and interrogation squad then.
"Yup, isn't it going to be fun?" the wild, devilish grin sent chills down Kurenai's spine.
"I wonder about your definitely, you know that right Anko?" came the response with a soft sigh.
"Hehehe."
-A safe distance away-
"Ya know, if a slow, painful death," there are easier ways to go about it, the male blonde said to the female hanging over his shoulder, "You know, something like swallowing bleach or something, it'll be less painful in the long run."
"Mmph! Mhph!" the grunted responses from the girl were caught by the stifling gag thrust into her mouth.
"Yes, I'm sure you could have handled yourself just fine," the boy responded with an acidic sarcasm, "What with pissing off the most sadistic and psychotic kunoichi in Konoha.
"Mmph..?" there was an almost audible blink as her struggles ceased just a bit, making it easier for the boy to haul her through the woods before finally coming to a stop.
"You were seconds away from a bunch of snakes, all over your body, while Anko-chan plays how many places can I make you bleed," the boy casually responded as he slung her from his shoulder down back onto the ground, "Its one of her favorite games when someone pisses her off."
"Mmph mm!" the girl struggled slightly again, shaking about in place as she gave the boy a look, lifting her feet as her eyes flickered to the ropes questioningly as he took a seat on a nearby log.
"Oh, they're chakra enhanced ropes," the boy shrugged with a grin, "Why you can't wriggle out of them like your normally can."
As a thin line of drool was making its way down the girl's chin, as she glared silently back at him, leaving him to grin as he responded, "No, I'm not going to release you yet, we're going to wait until Hinata-chan shows up and lets us know its safe."
There was an audible growl erupting from the girl's throat as she glared angrily at the boy, "Grrrr..."
"I'll tell you what, I'll show you a trick while we're waiting," the grin on his lips was down right wicked as he raised his arms, "See, nothing up my sleeves right?"
With a gesture, a coil of rope began to slither out, bit by bit as he watched her with a grin. It was a soft, almost gleaming silk rope, black and pure as he carefully began to loop it around in his hands. When he had it at the desired length, he gave one little tug smiled as it finished its distance. Then, with her watching warily, his hands became a blur while the girl could feel faint pulses of chakra being used. When he finished, he was holding up a very strange looking harness before her eyes.
"Now, I know what you're thinking, what kind of trick is that, he just went and tied a bunch of knots together, no big deal, right?" the grinned back at her as he watched the reluctant nod of her head, "Ah, but you see, that's only part of the trick, the boring part to be honest."
The wicked grin, sent a chill down her spine as he held up the rope harness, then proceeded to make a series of hand signs, before finishing with a soft, "HA!"
Suddenly, the rope was no longer in his hands, in fact, it was no longer even visible at all. However, that wasn't to say she didn't know where it'd gone. Oh no, she was most definitely aware of its presence, UNDERNEATH her clothes!
With a muffled, indignant squawk she immediately burst into motion again, before noticing how her movements only seemed to grind the rope into more sensitive bits of her body. Instantly on the realization, she froze, then slowly, stiffly sat back down as she shot a death glare at the boy in front of her. She was more than slightly upset with him.
"What, don't like that trick?" He paused, cupping his chin with his thumb and finger, "Hmmm... Well, I do have some others I could try..."
Instantly the girl began to violently shake her head, ignoring how it seemed to cause things to shift in oh so interesting aways underneath her clothing. Seeing her reaction, the boy pouted softly, "Aw, you're no fun."
"Mmm... starting the party without me Naruto-kun?" a soft, teasing voice spoke up from behind the blonde boy as immediately Ino's shoulders fell in a sigh of relief as she saw Hinata walking up.
"Just a having a bit of fun before you showed up Hinata-chan," he grinned softly as he would shift slightly to the side making room for her to sit next to him.
"Oh I see," the girl grinned softly before she settled down and immediately began to snuggle into Naruto's side, "So, decided how we're going to punish her?"
Ino froze at Hinata's words, as her eyes widened, bit by bit in fear as she shrank back against the tree in fear at Naruto's response, "Oh, I've got a few ideas, how about you?"
The grin that Hinata showed Ino then, almost made the girl break down into a quivering ball of fear as the Hyuuga girl slowly spoke, "Oh... just a few..."