Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ A Tail of Two Bijus ❯ The Eating Contest ( Chapter 21 )

A/N: Hey guys and girls! I'm going to start on the next chapter. This chapter has the results of the latest vote, and I'm sorry that I kept this chapter from being updated for several days, however this vote will come into play next chapter, so I'm trying to give you guys some time to vote. Here are you options (they all give a brief description as to the type of animal they are, and their likely powers):

 

(A): Yonbi no Soko: The Yonbi no Soko is the four tailed demon lord. The Yonbi is said to be a highly venomous mix between a rooster and a reptile, ie a Cockatrice. The container specialises in poisons: 3

 

(B): The Gobi no Houkou. The Gobi no Houkou is the five tailed demon lord of the dogs, who has the ability to merge with trees and each of his five tails specialise in a particular elemental type that when used simultaineously can cause earthquakes. Also, his final power is that he is litterally the god of Genjutsu (watch out, Itachi!): 6

 

(C): Shichibi is an unusual Biju, as it's exact creature type is unknown, however it has been narrowed down to three. I will give you each of the options to choose from, and the one with the most choices (assuming that Shichibi collects more votes than any other option) will be chosen as the appeareance of this one:

 

(I): Shichibi no Kaku: The Shichibi no Kaku is considered a seven tailed demon badger that specialises in Doton type techniques: 3

 

(II): Shichibi no Makumori: The Shichibi no Makumori is a seven tailed demon bat. Basically, he takes the negative feelings from around him and channels them through his demonic soul, and the result is a storm of despair that follows him wherever he goes. I'll probably add vampirism to this, as that's not really enough to consider him a demon lord with just that: 3

 

(III): The Shichibi no Suzaku: The Shichibi no Suzaku is the demon lord of the phoenixes. Naturally, the phoenix specialises in immortality, real reserection (none of those pale Edo Tensei immitations), katon jutsus and healing jutsus (This could potentially mean a lot of things. Nawaki, Dan, Shodaime, Nidaime, Yondaime, etc. However, he will use his reserection skill VERY spareingly, possibly once or twice throught the entire story.): 10

 

(D): Hachibi no Hachimata: The Hachibi no Hachimata is NOT contrary to popular belief a snake. I'll prove this right now. Hachimata is an ancient Chinese dragon with eight tails but only ONE head. Hachi in Japanese means eight and Mata in Japanese means tail or thigh. Orochi is an eight tailed snake, but he also has eight heads, meaning that Hachibi is not a snake. Hachibi no Hachimata is a dragon with crimson red eyes that specialises in Mokuton jutsus. (That makes me think that the Shodaime was actually the container for him, but whatever.): 3

 

RESULTS: The winner is (C)(III), The Shichibi no Suzaku, demon lord of the Phoenixes. I will introduce it either next chapter, or at the end of this story, although most likely next chapter.

 

Important: Also, please go to the bottom of this chapter and take a vote that concerns the next chapter.

 

Well, it seems that the majority of these guys come from either Grass or Fire Countires. (Now I'm starting to wonder if any of these even EXISTED in the anime and manga, as we would have heard about them if they attacked Fire Country. Either that, or the Grass Country would have been completely leveled, and then at least ONE of them they would have turned on the Fire Country. Man, the guys that made Naruto really needed to think more about the story line, didn't they?) Lol I was just thinking about something. Should Naruto and Yukiko have kids, wouldn't at least one of them turn out like a lesser version of Shichibi no Suzaku that also specialises in Mokuton and Shiton jutsus? Anyways, I'll get onto the questions/comments now:

 

Saiyan Prince 1: Heh, I think a few chapters ago answered your question, did it not? :P

 

Dragon Noir: Thank you for referring me to that story, it was certainly an interesting view on it, and very believable. I guess it was at the other end of the scale as to what could happen from my one, eh? Also thanks for your concerns as to the Hidden Nin thing. I guess I kinda left out a fair bit, although for some bizarre reason, I seemed to have left out an entire paragraph. I think it's because I have a spare copy of every chapter on my USB stick as well as on my home computer. Basically, I use the ones on my USB stick during the day while I'm at University, and then upload the changes at night to the copy on my home computer and work on it from there. I think what happened was that one of the days I was working on it, I only wrote a couple of paragraphs at University, but I forgot to update once I got home, meaning that the paragraphs on Yukiko's and Jiraiya's description were left out. I'll give you a brief description of their appearances: Jiraiya changed his clothes, and died his hair black, using the Hidden Nin forehead protector to cover his eyes (and most of those red lines) Yukiko also covered her eyes with her forehead protector, which stopped people from realising that she was Yukiko, as all they could see was that she had blue hair, which I'm sure at least a few other girls in the world have. Also, as for Naruto's coat, most of the people would have had suspicions, but people in Naruto are god damn ignorant. I mean, at least Hinata who knows practically everything about Naruto knows his birthday. She knows he's hated, she knows that his birthday is October 10th, and she knows that October 10th was the day Kyubi 'died'. She's not stupid by any stretch of the imagination, and if she is the person who is most aware of Naruto's life that doesn't know about IT, and she can't put two and two together, how is someone who's never seen Naruto before going to figure it out? I'm not trying to be angry or shoot you down, so please don't take this personally, but this is a subject which I get rather... Passionate... about. Basically, I'm just saying that people in the world of Naruto are god damn ignorant, and it pisses me off. Sorry for the rant.

 

Dexoys: Wow, you like my story that much? Um... Thanks, although I think it's rather... Unhealthy that you read my story at that level... Sure, it's great that you love literature, and I thank you for being an avid reader. I assume by meaning that my story to you is like ramen to Naruto, you check for updates every meal time and proceed to print and eat ten or so copies of it? (Sorry, I couldn't help myself, please forgive the joke, I will promptly stop writing such trashy jokes.)

 

MoOn-ShInE-LoRd: Heh, good to hear from you again. Unfortunately, I had plans for this certain Jinchuriki, and the only way I would have made it a female was with a certain... Younger Uchiha in mind... I can hear it now: screams of torment from the Uchiha manor as well as manical laughter... Next morning: Sakura: Sasuke-Kun! You look completely wasted! What happened? Sasuke: SHE happened... *Points to girl who's trying to innocently hide a whip behind her back*. I also have this thing for Jinchuriki x Jinchuriki, as the result can technically be even better than the originals combined. If I was going to make the Jinchuriki a female however, I'd probably model her on a more hyperactive, eccentric Anko. (Oh god, that would be horrible... I'm literally shuddering at the thought...)

 

fox of sweet and awesome powers: Lol, no need to worry. Thanks for picking me up on those things. I'll change them when I get around to them.

 

Ani-Blast: Thanks for your concerns. I have to agree with you that I didn't put enough thought into it, however, I rarely go back to fix things of the past, not just in stories, but in life in general. I think the next chapter will make up for it though.

 

Solar Guardian: Lol, thanks for the review. Based on the remaining places the Bijus could have been, I highly doubt that they would have been able to team up, due to the fact that all of them would have been in different countries. So, you want to know how much thought goes into each chapter that I write? Well, this is going to sound strange, but apart from the last few chapters of the Chunin exams, I start a new chapter usually a few minutes after I finish the last one and sit staring at the screen apparently doing nothing for about 10 or so minutes. During that 10 minutes, my mind is completely blank. I don't know how, but basically a rough, very vague idea comes into my head after about 10 minutes. That idea is what that chapter revolves around. From there, I begin writing and I go with what comes to my mind the second I write it. However, I do at least 2 reviews of each chapter once I finish it, although surprisingly, less than 5 percent of the entire chapter is changed each review and most of it is the author's notes. Ie, practically everything I write is on the fly. Now you're probably asking if I'm using help to write. If you mean living help, such as other people, then no I don't. If you mean referring to other fics as well as the anime and manga for inspiration, then yes. So you want to know the secret to my ability to write stories? Well, one of my disabilities I talked about in the A/N several chapters ago not only made me anti social, but it strangely gives those who have it a very… Unique perspective of the world. For example, one of the people with this disability was in class and his class was told to draw a picture of a swimming pool. Every single one of his class mates drew the pool from side on, however, he drew the pool from a bird's eye perspective. They were about six years old at the time. That's a lesser example, but basically people with this disability are blessed in a sense with a very creative mind that usually specialises in one area. If you need some better examples, look at Bill Gates and Albert Einstein. Both of them had or have this disability. It was also theorised that Mozart had it as well. It seems that my true strength is in authoring, with a fair bit of it in mechanics, science and Information Technology. So summing it up, my secret is my disability. Although it has its perks, I'd never wish my disability on anyone. Hope this answers your questions.

 

xXxAnimeFreekxXx1234: Well, I had hoped to keep this secret, but this story is going to be the first of a two part series, possibly a three part series, depending on the demands for it. Basically, this story will finish at the end of the 4 year trip, and I will immediately start on the second part. The second part will focus on Naruto and Yukiko's later life. If enough people demand it, I'll turn it into a trilogy or maybe even a four part series with the last one or two parts concentrating almost entirely on the containers of the Rokubi and the other one chosen from the vote. At the start of the second story, I'll put the vote up and probably leave it running until the conclusion of the second story.

 

Anyways, on with the show! As always, I hope that my creativity gives you some semblance of pleasure to read (not including the poor excuses for jokes...)

 

Legend:

 

'...Thoughts...'

 

“...Speaking...”

 

“...TWO PEOPLE CASTING THE SAME JUTSU...”

 

'...Biju Thoughts...'

 

“...Biju Talking...”

 

&&&&&&&&&...Scene Change...&&&&&&&&&&

 

A Tail of Two Bijus:

 

Chapter 17:

 

Year One Part II:

 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&a mp;&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&a mp;

 

 

Next Morning:

 

Gaara awoke groggily to find that Naruto and Yukiko were still by his side. Naruto noticed this and smiled at Gaara.

 

“Yo! Welcome back to the real world, Gaara. Sleep well?”

 

Gaara nodded and smiled. Naruto goup and went to the table on the other side of the room.

 

“Well Gaara, the doctor came in here several minutes ago and said that when you woke up, you're free to go.”

 

Naruto handed Gaara his clothes. Naruto nodded to Yukiko and they both walked to the door.

 

“Gaara, Naruto-Kun and I will wait outside the door for you to get changed. Once you've changed, we'll go back to your office, ok?”

 

Gaara nodded and waited until the door had been closed and proceeded to change. Once he had, he opened the door and walked out. Outside was Sora, who grinned at the trio and took up her position next to Yukiko. Once they got out the front door, they turned towards the Kazekage Tower, however they stopped when they heard the sound of Gaara's stomach growling. As if on queue, Naruto thought about how hungry he was and his stomach let forth a simmilar growl. Yukiko just giggled and smiled.

 

“Well, it seems that we're all hungry. How about we get something to eat?”

 

Naruto thought about one thing and one thing only. IT.

 

“I could go for some ramen right about now.”

 

Gaara looked at Naruto questioningly.

 

“Ramen?”

 

Naruto stoped. He litterally froze. He slowly turned to Gaara with a look of shock, horror and disbelief at the single word that Gaara had spoken like it was some kind of curse that would end his life.

 

“Are you saying you've never heard of ramen?”

 

Gaara nodded his head. Naruto lost it. He leapt at Gaara and took his hand, dragging him towards the nearest person. Everyone who saw this looked at Gaara in confusion. Why did Gaara let himself be pulled by this boy like that? They were answered when Naruto approached the closest man with a look of desperation on his face.

 

“Where's the closest ramen stand?!”

 

The man looked at Naruto dumbly.

 

“Ramen stand?”

 

“Yes! Quickly! I need to make Gaara experience the wonder that is ramen!”

 

The man thought about it, before he pointed down the street.

 

“Um, there's a good ramen stand about three intersections down the road. You can't miss it.”

 

“Thanks!”

 

Naruto ran in the direction the man had pointed, dragging Gaara behind him. Sora and Yukiko followed laughing at the spectacle. When Naruto found the stand, he charged in, surprising everyone in the store. When the owner of the stand noticed Naruto he questioned him.

 

“Can I help you?”

 

“I need forty bowls of ramen, STAT!”

 

Everyone in the store looked at him in confusion. He could eat forty bowls of ramen? Who was he?

 

“Forty bowls? Are you sure you can eat that much?”

 

“I can't, but I'm splitting it up between Yukiko-Chan, Sora, Gaara and myself.”

 

The others now seemed to notice for the first time that the Kazekage was attached to the boy's hand, and that two very attractive girls had just walked in. The owner of the stand got to work.

 

“Forty bowls of ramen it is then! Any particular preferences?”

 

Naruto looked over the menu.

 

“I'll take 5 of everything!”

 

The man smiled and got to work.

 

“5 bowls of everything, coming right up! By the way, you wouldn't happen to be Uzumaki Naruto would you?”

 

“Yeah, I am. Why do you ask?”

 

“Well, I think you know an old class mate of mine.”

 

“Class mate?”

 

“His name is Teuchi. Apparently, he set up a ramen stand in Konoha... I think he called it Ichiraku.”

 

“You mean Ojisan? Yeah, I know him! He makes the best ramen ever!”

 

“Ah hah hah hah, so you do know him. He tells me that you could keep the store going by yourself if you were the only person to eat there.”

 

Naruto grinned sheepishly.

 

“Yeah, I used to eat there at least once a day... Ano, is your ramen as good as his?”

 

“I can't really answer that. However, when we went to the same ramen school, and our marks in the final exam were about the same.”

 

“So that means that you make ramen that's as good as Ojisan!”

 

The old man smiled. He finished with the first four bowls and put them in front of the four of them.

 

“Well, since it's for the Kazekage and my old friend's best customer, this is on the house. Eat up!”

 

Naruto and Yukiko smiled at the man, while Gaara took a pair of chopsticks. He split them and took his first mouthful. Once he slurped the noodles up, Gaara's eyes widened and he started eating very quickly. Naruto, Yukiko and Sora laughed.

 

“Like it Gaara?”

 

Gaara stopped and nodded furiously before going back to his ramen. Naruto and Yukiko gave a smirk and a quiet:

 

“Yatta.”

 

The other three took chopsticks and said their usual pre-dinner statement.

 

“ITADAKIMASU!”

 

The three of them dug in. After a while, they had finished their ten bowls, they realised they were all still hungry. Naruto looked at his three companions and smirked.

 

“I make a bet with you guys. We all have to keep ordering ramen. The first person to fill up has to pay for all the ramen eaten after our first ten bowls. Are you in?”

 

Yukiko grinned evilly. Sora did something similar. Gaara just smirked.

 

“I'm in.”

 

“So am I.”

 

They turned to Gaara awaiting his decision. Gaara nodded his head to show he was in. Naruto smiled and turned to the owner.

 

“Ok, keep those bowls of ramen coming!”

 

The old man smiled and got back to work. By now, a small crowd had gathered to see what all the noise was about. Once the first bowls were placed in front of them, Naruto smiled.

 

“May the best Jinchuriki win!”

 

People stared. These three were all like Gaara? They turned back and watched the four of them chow down.

 

Half an hour later, about half of Suna had gathered around, staring at the contest. Each had their own method to try and win. Gaara was just enjoying the taste and tried to get it down as fast as possible. Yukiko, while enjoying the taste, was using the exact opposite method. She was trying to eat as slowly as possible, using an old trick to let her stomach digest as much of it as possible before the next lot came. Sora was apparently doing something half way in between Gaara and Yukiko. Naruto was matching Gaara's pace, mouthful for mouthful. At bowl number 19, Sora slumped.

 

“Sorry everyone, I'm out.”

 

The other three smiled and kept going. While Sora had been on her 19th, everyone else was on a different number. Yukiko was on 16, while Naruto and Gaara were tied in first with 25. They turned back to eating. Yukiko reached 19 and willed herself to eat just one more, putting herself in third place. Gaara and Naruto noticed that Yukiko was now out of it, as she pushed herself away from the stand.

 

“Ok guys, I'm out. Good luck to both of you.”

 

Naruto and Gaara smiled. They turned back and consumed another three bowls each. They were now tied at 28 bowls. Naruto and Gaara turned and stared at each other, as if sizing the opponent up. Naruto broke into a grin.

 

“One more bowl, and we'll be equal to my record. Ready for another round?”

 

Gaara smirked.

 

“Let's go.”

 

They both got their next bowl and dug in. Gaara and Naruto finished it and then began the staring match again. After a minute, Naruto smirked, and Gaara's will broke.

 

“You win once again, Uzumaki Naruto. First, I lost to you on the battle field, and now I lose to you in an eating contest. It seems you're destined to beat me every time we clash.”

 

Naruto smiled and weighed his options. He turned back to the old man.

 

“One more.”

 

The old man stared at him.

 

“But you've won! Why do you want to eat more?”

 

“I may have won this eating contest, but there is always one eating contest I can never truly win. Beating my own record. I'm going to try and break it now.”

 

The old man smiled.

 

“What will it be?”

 

Naruto thought for a moment.

 

“My old favorite. One bowl of miso-pork ramen with a boiled egg please.”

 

The old man turned back to the stove and began preparing it. Once it was prepared, he put in front of Naruto.

 

“If you manage to eat this bowl, I will consider this whole meal on the house.”

 

Naruto broke into a huge grin.

 

“Thanks!”

 

Good luck.”

 

By now three quarters of Suna had gathered. People were on rooves, and crowding the streets. Naruto dug in. The last bowl was painstakingly slow. After 5 minutes, Naruto pulled the last of the noodles out of the bowl and swallowed them. Now, the biggest task, to drink the soup. He picked the bowl up and slowly drank the soup. Everyone held their breath. No one dared to breathe, lest they break his concentration. Finally, Naruto put the bowl down. It was empty. Naruto held up his hand.

 

“I win.”

 

People broke out into cheering and rounds of applause. Naruto sighed, very content with himself and fell over backwards. Yukiko however was expecting him to do this and caught him.

 

“Good job, Naruto-Kun.”

 

Yukiko gave Naruto a light kiss and watched as he dropped off to sleep. (Hey, eating makes you sleepy, and he hadn't slept for two days since Gaara came into the hospital.) Gaara got out of his seat and picked Naruto up. He created three clouds of sand and transported them to the hospital.

 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&a mp;&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&a mp;&&&&&

 

Back at the Hospital:

 

Gaara pushed open the doors of the hospital and walked up to the nurse behind the desk.

 

“Kazekage-Sama! Is Naruto-San ok?”

 

“He's ok, he just... Ate a bit much.”

 

“So I heard. 30 bowls was it?”

 

“Yes.”

 

The nurse smiled, and pressed a button.

 

“Yes?”

 

“We've got the contestants from the ramen eating contest here. One of them had passed out from overeating.”

 

“Ok, I'll have a doctor bring a bed down.”

 

“Ok.”

 

The nurse behind the counter waited and then a few minutes later, a doctor came down with a bed. She smiled at Gaara.

 

“Kazekage-Sama, please put Naruto-San on the bed.”

 

Gaara laid Naruto down with care, while the three of them follwed the nurse as she pushed the bed to a spare room. Once Naruto was there, the nurse checked over him.

 

“How is he?”

 

“He'll be fine. Some people never cease to amaze me, however right now he just needs to rest. He'll probably wake up in a while. However, I think we should restrict food for at least the rest of the day.”

 

Gaara nodded and decided to sit down on one of the chairs beside the bed. Yukiko and Sora took the seats beside him. They all waited patiently for Naruto to wake up. Several hours later, Naruto woke up to find his three closest friends sitting beside him. Naruto smiled, and Yukiko gave him a hug.

 

“Feeling better, Naruto-Kun?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

At that point a nurse walked into the room. She smiled at Naruto and checked his blood pressure, temperature and his eyes. She smiled.

 

“How are you feeling, Naruto-San?”

 

Naruto looked up at her sheepishly.

 

“Um… Kinda peckish actually…”

 

The nurse looked at him in confusion.

 

“Three hours ago you ate thirty bowls of ramen, and now you're PECKISH? How do you manage to keep yourself from starving on missions? You're hunger rivals the Akamichi's of Konoha…”

 

Naruto laughed nervously. Yukiko answered for the nurse.

 

“Being a demon container has its disadvantages too. One of the most apparent ones is that we have a very large metabolism. Really, it's not surprising Naruto-Kun's actually hungry.”

 

The nurse smiled.

 

“If only I could study you and find out what causes the rapid regeneration and accelerated metabolism… If only we could temporarily transfer the Bijus to other people to help with their recovery…”

 

The nurse had just unknowingly committed one of the biggest taboos of a demon container. She noticed that the four of them were now very still and barely containing their anger. Gaara spoke up for them.

 

“Do not EVER suggest anything about removing the bijus again. We have to live in constant fear for our lives due to a group of people known as Akatsuki whose goals are exactly that, however, their reason for it is not to heal, but to make themselves invincible so they can dominate the world. Removing a biju will not only kill the original container, but it will immediately kill the one it is transplanted into without advanced techniques.”

 

The nurse cringed as her leader chewed her out. She stuttered before eventually forming coherent words.

 

“I'm… Sorry… Kazekage-Sama…”

 

Gaara in a rare display of mercy nodded.

 

“It's fine, it's not public knowledge. However, if another member of this hospital ever brings that subject up again to me or any of my friends, I will have to restrain myself from just releasing them from their duties. Make sure the other staff members are informed of this.”

 

The nurse nodded and walked out of the room as quickly as dignity could allow. Naruto turned to Gaara.

 

“Was it really necessary to go that far, Gaara?”

 

“If you were the Hokage, and one of the nurses said it to your best friend while you were watching them recover, would you do any less?”

 

Naruto thought about it for a moment.

 

“I guess you're right.”

 

Gaara merely nodded. Sora tried to get off the depressing subject.

 

“Let's just drop this for now; I'd rather not talk about it.”

 

The other three nodded. Naruto yawned, and laid back on the bed. Yukiko smiled understandingly at Naruto.

 

“Ready for your second snooze?”

 

“Yeah. By the time I wake up, I should be pretty hungry.”

 

Yukiko smiled in understanding. She kissed Naruto on the forehead.

 

“Sleep well, Naruto-Kun.”

 

Naruto smiled and dropped back to sleep. Yukiko smiled and decided to sleep in the chair next to Naruto's bed. It seems the others had decided to take similar positions in their chairs. They all tried to dose off in these slightly uncomfortable positions.

 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&a mp;&&&&&&&&&

 

Next Morning:

 

Naruto awoke to sunlight streaming in through the window and landing on his face. He stretched and yawned. This woke his three full time visitors. They smiled at him.

 

“Morning, Naruto-Kun.”

 

“Morning, Yukiko-Chan.”

 

They gave each other a small kiss before Naruto turned to Gaara.

 

“Ano, Gaara?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Don't you normally have a mountain of paper work to do?”

 

“Strangely, I find the paper work aspect of being Kazekage to be one of the easier parts of the job to handle.”

 

Naruto stared at Gaara as if he was clinically insane.

 

“NANI?!”

 

Yukiko clapped his hand over Naruto's mouth.

 

“Naruto-Kun, please keep it down, this is a hospital!”

 

Yukiko slowly retracted her hand from his mouth.

 

“Eh heh heh, sorry Yukiko-Chan…”

 

“Don't worry.”

 

At this point, a nurse came into the room to check what the noise was about. Obviously, it wasn't the nurse from yesterday afternoon. She smiled at Naruto.

 

“Ah, Naruto-San, you're awake.”

 

The nurse looked at the chart attached to the end of Naruto's bed. After about thirty seconds, she put the clipboard back in it's original position and smiled.

 

“Well, you've made a full recovery. I'm still required to do some basic checkups and then we can discharge you.”

 

The nurse took his blood pressure, checked his temperature, and checked his eyes. After she was satisfied, she stepped back.

 

“Well, you pass all the tests. You can leave when you're ready.”

 

Naruto got out of bed and found he was in one of those damn hospital gowns. He grumbled before walking over to his clothes. Yukiko and the others gave him some privacy to change. Once Naruto came out of the room, he turned to Yukiko and gave her a hug. Just then, he realised something that should have been plainly obvious.

 

“Ano, where's Ero-Sennin?”

 

Everyone stopped, thinking about it. After a few seconds everyone had a fairly good idea where he was, Gaara however had a question.

 

“Ero-Sennin?”

 

Yukiko laughed.

 

“He means Jiraya-Sensei, the older man he came in with. His reputation… Precedes him, so to speak.”

 

Gaara looked confused.

 

“He's a perverted hermit?”

 

Naruto snorted.

 

“Perverted isn't the right word, it's too modest. He himself describes himself as a super pervert. Where is the local hot springs in Suna?”

 

Gaara was caught of guard by the quest, but he answered.

 

“Not too far from here. Why do you ask?”

 

Yukiko answered.

 

“Take us there and you'll see why.”

 

Gaara nodded and led them out the doors of the hospital towards the local hot springs.

 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&a mp;&&&&&&&&&&&&

 

Several Minutes Later, at Said Hot Springs:

 

Gaara, Naruto, Yukiko and Sora walked up to the front door of the hot springs. Gaara was abut to enter when Naruto put a hand on his shoulder. Gaara turned to look at Naruto questioningly.

 

“He won't be inside. Follow me.”

 

Naruto took the lead, and started walking around the structure. Pretty soon, they heard giggles and when they moved closer to the noise, they heard the faint scribbling of pen on paper. When they rounded the corner, they saw none other then our favourite super pervert peaking in through a small hole in the wall to the women's baths. Sora looked shocked, Naruto and Yukiko sighed and Gaara barely contained himself. Naruto looked at hi friends and gave them a smirk. He silently approached Jiraiya and put a hand on his shoulder, startling Jiraiya. Naruto said loud enough for the girls in the bath to hear him.

 

“Neh, Ero-Sennin. You shouldn't be looking into the women's baths.”

 

The women stopped when they heard this and ran out of the baths screaming and attempting to cover their bodies. Jiraiya groaned, knowing what was coming next. He tried to run away, hoever, Gaara pinned Jiraiya to the wall with sand. After a few minutes, the girls came out fully dressed, and looked for the culprit. The four demon containers pointed to a man pinned to the wall.

 

“He's the one you want.”

 

The girls proceeded to pound him, giving him several large bumps on the head. Once they felt they beat him up enough, they left and Gaara let the shackles of sand go, dropping the very sore super pervert to the ground. Said super pervert groaned and sat up, rubbing his head gingerly.

 

“Naruto, do you always have to do that?”

 

Naruto shook his head. Gaara stepped up.

 

“For what reason were you peeking into the women's baths?”

 

Yukiko and Naruto knew where this was going. They cringed as he brought out his well known book, Icha Icha Paradise.

 

“I'm the author of the Icha Icha series, and so I peek to give me inspiration for my latest novel.”

 

Gaara held out his hand.

 

“Give them to me.”

 

Jiraiya suddenly tried to hide the `holy grail' that was to become the next book in the series. However, Gaara shot san out to encase his wrists and pulled his hand out and applied pressure, forcing Jiraiya to drop the notes. Gaara nodded to Sora.

 

“If you would be so kind.”

 

Jiraiya looked horrified again.

 

“You wouldn't do that!”

 

Sora smirked.

 

“I think we would.”

 

Jiraiya could only watch hopelessly as Sora focused her charka and shot out a small lightening bolt from her finger, frazzling the notes. Jiraiya dropped to the ground.

 

“NOOOOOOO!!!! NOT AGAIN!!!!!”

 

Naruto felt rather proud.

 

“Ero-Sennin, if you're really a ninja, then gather information so that you won't be caught. Isn't that one of the things that makes a good shinobi?”

 

Jiraiya just scowled and walked away sulking. Sora gave Naruto and Yukiko a high five. Gaara wondered what this strange notion meant.

 

“What was that?”

 

Naruto answered.

 

“Eh? The high five? Well, when you accomplish something, one of the ways a person can congratulate you is by clapping their hand against yours, which is called a high five. It's considered cool.”

 

“Cool…”

 

Yukiko just snickered and threw her hands up in the air in mock defeat.

 

“You still have so much to learn, Gaara. If you weren't the Kazekage, I'd force Suna to let you come with us for the rest of our 4 year journey.”

 

“I wish I could…”

 

Naruto suddenly got one of his half bakes ideas. Ones that never work on paper, but always work when he executes them.

 

“Hey! Why don't we get Gaara to come with us? It'll be great!”

 

Yukiko sighed.

 

“Then who will be Kazekage while Gaara's gone?”

 

Naruto thought about this.

 

“Eh, why not get Kankuro and Temari to do it? I mean, it can't be THAT hard! If Gaara gets the job done by himself, two people could get it done twice as quickly right?”

 

“I once left Kankuro in charge for 3 days while I went on a diplomatic mission to an outlying village. When I got back, he had barely done any paper work, and he had neglected most of his duties. Temari is not the type to do much better. She hates paperwork with a passion.”

 

“Well, why not get Kankuro to do the job, and have Temari looking over him? I'm sure you have at least one personal assistant to help you, Gaara.”

 

“Gaara thought about it.”

 

“I guess that's possible. However, I still want to make sure that they are capable.”

 

“Well, why don't we leave Suna for the rest of the time we're staying in the Wind Country, and when we come back, we'll see if they can do it.”

 

“How long are you planning on staying here?”

 

“Almost another 3 and a half months.”

 

Gaara thought about this.

 

“I still can't give you a yes or no answer. I would have to take this up with the council and get their permission first, which could take at least two days.”

 

Naruto smiled.

 

“Well, there's only one way to find out!”

 

With that, the four friends went off to the Kazekage's office.”

 

&&&&&&&&&&&&&a mp;&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&a mp;&&&

 

A/N: Yay another one out of the way. Anyways, thanks for all your votes for the previous vote. Now onto the next one. This will be a shorter vote, as it will decide if Gaara is going to take long service leave to go with his friends. Here are your options:

 

(A): Yes, Gaara will join the others for the rest of the four year journey.

 

(B): No, Gaara will not go on the rest of the four year journey with his friends.

 

Well, until next time my avid readers!

 

Ja ne,

 

Specula.