Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Team ❯ Team - Naruto's Reaction ( Chapter 2 )

Title: Team-Naruto's Reaction

Author: Persephone-sings

Date: November 27, 2004

Author's note: Here's part two of three! I've decided to keep each mini-series smaller simply because it's easier for the reader (I know I get stuck on multi-parts for hours and read them all in one sitting!) and easier for me because I have so many ideas in my head that I want to throw them all out immediately! Anyway, enjoy part two!

Team-Naruto's Reaction.

Tsunade wasn't sure how she felt about her next meeting. Hinata's decision had, to be honest, shocked her right out of her sleep-induced lethargy. She had expected her to immediately reject the idea and had already begun thinking of replacement Chuunin. It was an excellent thing Hinata had agreed to the team because she hadn't been able to think of a single person she would rather have be the third teammate than Hinata.

Naruto, on the other hand, well, she had no qualms about this meeting. She knew he'd jump at the chance to get out of his broken team. With Sakura mooning over an extremely powerful Jounin Sasuke, it must have been unbearable for Naruto to be caught in the middle.

She often felt bad thinking about Naruto because it had been her decision to keep his immensely growing powers secret from the rest of the village, which was the reason he was only now being promoted to Chuunin level. She didn't him to experience any more hostility from her decidedly close-minded villagers than he already got. If they found out the power he held in one single palm, she couldn't quite dismiss the image of a lynching with Naruto as the main character. Holding him back, however, made her nauseous and guilty and sad and angry all at the same time. She put him with Gaara and Hinata because she knew she could trust them to keep quiet about Naruto's true strength and still enable him to grow more powerful.

"Good morning, Hokage! Looking a little old today, aren't you?" Grumbling, Tsunade turned to look at the energetic blonde who hadn't even knocked before entering.

"Naruto, anyone ever tell you who you remind them of?" Naruto shook his head and plopped down into the chair in front of her desk. "You bear a remarkable resemblance to Jiraiya."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Oi, do you mean the perverted geezer?" Tsunade nodded serenely and watched, delighted, as sake flowed from a warm bottle into her too-small cup. Thinking to herself that she needed to find a larger glass, she smiled at Naruto's offended expression and settled in for a nice afternoon with a good friend.

"Do you know why I asked you here, Naruto?"

He eyed her sake cup, "You trying to get me drunk, old lady?"

Tsunade swatted the searching hand away from her cup and glared, "You're not yet seventeen, Naruto! Are you insane? How dare you imply that your Hokage would break the law so flippantly?"

Naruto glared back, "You do realize that you're full of bull shit, right? Or am I the only one who remembers New Years Eve last year when you practically threw me the bottle?"

Tsunade crossed her arms defensively and jutted her chin up. "Of course I don't remember, Naruto. I was drunk."

He sighed in exasperation and gave up. "What did you want me here for?"

Tsunade pushed a folder across the desk to him and motioned for him to open it.

"This is your new team assignment."

Naruto looked blankly at the page in front of him and raised his eyes to Tsunade's.

"I don't think I understand. New team, I get that part. My team is so dysfunctional it's a wonder we survived the three years we were together. But, Hyuuga Hinata?" He glanced back down at the picture in front of him and frowned. A sweet, pretty girl was the first thing that he saw. But he also saw her eyes. Hyuuga eyes.

"Do you object? Do you think she's not good enough for your team?" Tsunade understood that what he saw wasn't the real Hinata. The sharp-witted, open-minded, tenderly powerful young woman who saw in Gaara what no one else, besides Naruto, even glimpsed. Loneliness. Heartbreaking, utter loneliness that devastated it's owners.

"Not good enough? Of course she is. You didn't see her fight Neji, but I'm telling you, Tsunade. She could be a powerhouse if she just let it rip. But, a Hyuuga?"

Tsunade wrinkled her nose at him. "I'm not following you. Explain."

Naruto sighed and shifted awkwardly in his chair. "I heard she already has some problems with her family. Do you really think it's a good idea to put her on a team with the town demon?" Tsunade felt her insides melt into a gooey puddle of motherly love as she finally realized that Naruto was only worried about Hinata being a part of his team because of his reputation.

Resisting the urge to hug him, because he always complained, Tsunade smiled widely at him instead. "Well, to put your mind at ease, Hinata is no longer an official Hyuuga. She kept the last name, but she moved out almost three months ago. She was removed from being the heir and was given an ultimatum. She refused and they kicked her out."

"What was the ultimatum?"

Tsunade's smile lost its place to a sad frown. "You'll need to ask you, it's rather personal."

Anyway, now that you have no more objections to Hinata, let's move on to your next teammate."

Tsunade flipped the page for Naruto, because he was still staring at Hinata's picture. His eyes widened when he saw the next person on the page.

"No way!"

Tsunade looked up startled; she hadn't expected him to refuse immediately. "Naruto, let me explain my reasoning."

He jumped up onto his chair and pumped his arm up to the ceiling.

" HOT DAMN !!! This is too cool! I'm teammates with one of the most powerful ninja in the country! YES!!!"

Tsunade fell back against her chair with a huff and rolled her eyes.

How she ever doubted his response she would never know.