Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Parenting Skills ❯ It's just like a Hinata/Naruto situation ( Chapter 14 )

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Chapter 14: It's a Hinata/Naruto situation

The reason the sun has to get up so early is so those early risers can see what they're doing; making the sun very cranky later on in the afternoon.

It was five o'clock in the morning. The sun was still trying to get out of bed. A heavy fog was blanketing Konoha. Taki and Kakashi could see each other on the empty training grounds. She wore dark green sweatpants and a brown hoodie with no sleeves. Her hood hid her nappy green hair she didn't comb that early morning.

“Taki why are you wearing those slippers to train?”

“Because Daddy says I could?” she rocked on her heels.

“Here,” he tossed her a pair of blue ninja shoes that everyone wears.

Wonder if it comes in green? That's what Taki was thinking too. She held onto Kakashi's hand so she didn't fall over trying to pull her new shoes on.

“You hold this,” she gave him her slippers.

Clink. `Her slippers are heavy. Who'd put weights on a four year old?' he thought. Oh wait. He probably would.

“Okay, Taki show me what you can do,” he handed her a kunai.

“Ooh pointy,” she stared at it hypnotically.

“Taki…” he started, “You're going to get killed that way if you don't pay attention.”

“You didn't teach me anything yet,” she looked up at him.

“Taki, ninjas got to expect the unexpected,” he repeated the phrase everyone use.

Taki cocked her head to the side, “But wouldn't the unexpected be expected because you're expecting it?” she had a pretty good point there.

He was silent for a few seconds thinking another good proverb to say, “Then you always have to look underneath the underneath.”

She nodded once.

“Now take off that eye patch and let's get started.”

“But! The colors!” her orange cat eye widened.

“When do you see the colors Taki.”

“When I look at people,” she took off her patch but didn't open her eye.

“There's no one here. You need to get used to not wearing that patch.”

“It's too bright now,” she whined.

“Taki. Open your eye,” he ordered.

She opened her left white eye and saw herself. Taki did a double take, never mind it was just Kakashi who `henged' into her.

“What color do you see?”

`Uncle is the color purple. He's almost like Mr. Oro,' she thought and she didn't answer him.

“It's training and this is part of the deal. Unless you rather run around Konoha 5 times with weights on and metal getas I suggest you at least try.”

She disappeared and nearly socked him a new cheek. The copied Taki blocked and flipped the real Taki on the ground knocking the air out of her. The real Taki rolled out of the way before Kakashi threw some shurikens at the place she laid.

“You cheater beaver! I only have a kunai!” she pointed at him.

`Least her evasive maneuvers are working,' he thought, not thinking about instincts also.

Kakashi stared at her white eye. Did her pupil get thinner? “You're going to encounter enemies who'll have more weapons than you. You can still fight with only a kunai and a brain Taki.”

Yep, it got thinner and twitched. Did he just insult Taki? She didn't know anything about sarcasm; so she took it as an insult to her intelligence or `smartness' as she put it. The next blink, he lost her and blocked his side.

Henge-ing to this short little girl was proving to be a tad tricky for Kakashi. Like a small water balloon, fill it up with water or energy to the max and the balloon might pop.

He accidentally cut her cheek and threw her down again. Taki's eyes were seriously messing up his concentration on blocking. He put a foot on her chest but it poofed into a log.

Again, losing his focus on the speedy girl he tried to sense the area for her. He was an Anbu for Hokage's sake and he couldn't even find one little girl? It was a good thing the Hokage was out smoking somewhere and not looking into his crystal ball to spy on his ninjas. He would have a long discussion with him that'll bore him to tears.

“Taki! Now where are you?” he muttered to himself.

“Uncle, are you sick? I thought you were a ninja,” she was behind him with her kunai against his neck.

He poofed back to his normal self and looked down at her. Ignoring the fact that she just turned herself into the log and must have used genjutsu on him. Eyeing her eyes, there was something about her eye that gave him a creepy crawly feeling over his skin.

“Let's go see the Hokage,” he turned around.

She ran catching up to him, “Are we gonna take long? I said I was going to meet Shino and Neji later.”

“It'll be quick.”

----

Taki's been sitting outside the Hokage's office for five minutes now. It was now six o'clock. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes. She jumped off the chair when the door opened.

“Uncle! I was falling asleep!” she raised her hand.

“Um yeah thanks for telling me. You can come in now,” hey he didn't know if he should reprimand her for sleeping out in the open but he did wake her up at five. Oh he couldn't punish the lovable cat girl she was just too cute!

“So tell me about yourself Taki-chan,” the Hokage started.

“I'm Taki and I can do anything,” she said matter-o-factly.

He mentally sighed. This could take a while.

“Did you always have your eyes like that?”

“Ano,” she squinted and thought, “I can't remember.”

“What did your father do?”

“He helped other ninjas!”

“Do what?”

“Help them escape! Is his job a bad thing?”

“Did you…meet any of the ninjas he was helping?”

Taki shook her head.

“Any friends of his?”

“Mr. Oro and the Lady are his friends! They meet Daddy when he's alone. I think Mr. Oro and the Lady don't like each other. I don't see them together. Lady talks a lot about some Akuma guy.”

“When was the last time you talked to those two?”

“Well…”

/-/ FLASHBACK…WOOOOOOOO /-/

“The Piercing Eye, don't you like it? It fits perfectly. I believe someone else might have that name also. But it also fits your situation too," he said lifting up her chin to see her new eye.

"Really? I like that too! Are you gonna teach me?"

He dropped his hand and sadly shook his head.

"Why not?"

"This is a technique all your own meaning you can choose to improve yourself or not."

"But you're going to help me though right? Daddy's not here and…"

He put a hand on her hand, "I'd love to Taki."

/-/ FLASHBACK DONE…PRESENT /-/

“That's it with Mr. Oro,” she was presented crayons and paper to draw on.

“What about this Lady person, who is she?” the Hokage asked.

“We made a pinky promise to not say her real name,” she crossed her arms.

“You said `it wasn't time yet' to tell us. Taki, when will you be able to tell us?”

"When she catches the Akuma in my closet," she continued coloring.

Kakashi and the Hokage shared a look.

"Is it Mr. Oro?"

She laughed and shook her head, "Mr. Oro isn't the Akuma."

Kakashi took hold of her shoulders. "Taki-chan, if you know who the Akuma is then you need to tell us," he said seriously.

He squeezed her shoulders, "You're hesitating."

"It could've been that piranha guy. I see him a lot and Shiori sometimes. Neji and Shino can't be the Akuma! Umm, who else is watching me? Neji Sasuke-chan and Shino's uncles were hiding around the bushes watching me too. I can't say too much.”

"Why?"

"People are watching. The Akuma is watching." Again with this Akuma stuff, there was only him, her, and the Kage in the room.

"How do you know?"

"He told me but he was wearing a mask. But I think he's too far away and can't hear what I say. He just likes to watch me. I must be some interestin' person! That's what the Lady said to me...I think that's all the people watching me."

“Okay Taki that's good for now. You can leave and put your patch back on,” the Hokage excused her, “So what did we gather today Kakashi?”

“This Akuma guy obviously is after Taki. Lady? She's after him and probably knows everything about it. Mr. Oro? I'm not quite sure yet. The piranha guy from the festival looks like an accomplice. There's a lot of people watching her. Why didn't I detect them?”

“Well, I'll send some ninjas to watch her too. She can add them to her list too,” he dismissed Kakashi.

----

The Meeting in the Woods…

Neji and Shino received a note that morning from Taki saying to meet her in the woods at noon. Well it didn't really say that, it was just a picture of their faces and an arrow pointing to some anorexic looking trees. Must be something serious if she has to 'write' a note and send it to them instead of just telling them herself. Something was definitely up with Taki.

`Declaration of love?' is what both of them thought.

Neji and Shino came early into the woods. She said nowhere specific, just like her to forget to include that part. Neji and Shino were at different ends of the forest and so didn't sense each other.

Neji used his Byakugan to find Taki while Shino used his bugs. His direct orders was 'Find Taki and nothing else.' The bugs took this very seriously and passed Neji without ever reporting him out. At the same time, they met Taki. The place where they were about to confess to her during the festival.

Taki was unnaturally quiet looking past the tree branches and leaves. They waited for her to speak. On which she didn't.

"Taki," they both said in unison shocking each other.

They were really concentrated on Taki. She turned around to see them glaring at each other thinking how they didn't notice the others presence.

"I was about to fall asleep again! Neji. Shino. I have something to ask you."

They stopped clashing their eyes and looked at her.

"Do you guys...like...someone?" she stared hard at the ground with her cheeks red.

It was now or never boys.

"I do," Shino was the first one to confess. Followed by Neji who merely said "Yes."

She looked up at them and shouted, "Then why don't you just confess already!"

Um, didn't they just do that? "Neji, Shino likes you! Shino, Neji likes you. You guys are just too scared to admit it. Phew, finally got that off my chest!"

They were shocked yet again. Neji and Shino looked at each other with disgust and took a step back just in case it was true.

"Well? Aren't you guys glad you didn't have to wait forever to confess?" she looked at them.

"Taki," Shino started. "I don't like Shino," Neji ended.

Her mouth was gaping, "But you said you liked somebody..." she trailed off.

"I like," Neji sucked in some air, "you," he breathed out.

She slid her eyes to Shino who nodded, "Like you too."

"But! What was with all the eye goggling? and I thought you were just trying to deny your feelings..." drifting off again. She leaned back on a tree.

"We were...fighting for you," Shino said.

"Well...I," she was stunned.

Someone liked her. Two boys were fighting over her! How lucky can she get?

"Did someone win yet?" oh my god Taki.

"We were hoping you would just pick."

What a Moral dilemma.

Vote to see who wins! I can't choose yet. I'm leaning towards Neji the veggie. r&r!