Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Onyx Rain ❯ Orange Interlude ( Chapter 13 )

It was dark in the forest. Small animals twitched and chittered in the shadows as they went about their business. Slivers of light pierced the intertwined boughs that were pitch and chartreuse overhead, illuminating three people that were leaning against one ancient umber trunk. They were silent, and occasionally glanced around or above them as if waiting for someone.

"Why is he never on time?!" one of them, a girl, complained. She ran two hands through her strawberry pink hair that was cropped short against her head. "He could just tell us to come a couple of hours later!!!!"

"Yeah!" the blonde agreed. "If we just came a couple of hours later, then-"

The girl clapped a hand over his mouth, while the third member of their party ignored them completely and stared off into the shadows.

"Don't bother, Naruto," the girl muttered, a glare fixed on her face. She aimed it at her shorter male companion. "The last time we had a conversation like this, I learned plenty of things I didn't want to know about your hygiene."

"Aaaaaawwwww, but, but, Sakura-chan," Naruto whined when he finally managed to tug her hand free of his mouth for a few seconds.

"No way," Sakura growled, wrestling Naruto to the ground and firmly placing her hand over his mouth again. Their companion glanced at them briefly in what might have been annoyance before flicking his gaze back to their surroundings.

"Oy! Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura," a voice began from overhead. The three present tilted their heads upwards, Sakura and Naruto's bickering forgotten, and saw a silver haired man with a facemask covering all but one eye on a bough above them.

Sakura reached into her kunai holder and pulled out a watch. She stared at it in shock for a few minutes before finally making an announcement.

"Kakashi-sensei, you've made a first! You only came half an hour late!"

"No way!" Naruto exclaimed before standing on tiptoe to peek over Sakura's shoulder at the watch clasped in her hands.

Kakashi sighed at the antics of the two more verbal in his group, but immediately followed up with an explanation as to why he was so early.

"Well, I had to go to a short jounin meeting before coming here, but it only took 15 minutes, so. . . . ."

Kakashi tapped an index finger to his forehead.

"Well?!" Naruto impatiently burst out, his hands clenched into fists. "What is it?! A cool new mission where we get to travel again?!"

Kakashi gave Naruto a long, hard stare, as if wondering why*. However, he did continue with his previous speech.

"You could call it a mission, but we're not traveling very far. In fact, it's right here in our own Konohagakure."

"Stop stalling! What is it?!"

Three glares were thrown at Naruto, who ignored them.

"He was getting to the point, baka," Sasuke finally said, speaking up for the first time.

Silence reigned for approximately three seconds before Kakashi added to his previous statement.

"We need to go join up with the rest of the shinobi today. Gaara has been spotted in Konoha, heading towards the Hokage monument. Half of the village is chasing him."

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*`why' as in `why did I ever pass them', `why am I here', `why is he so damn loud this early in the morning', etc. :)