Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Wild Days ❯ First strike ( Chapter 2 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
Disclaimer. I don't own Naruto.
Chapter 2: First strike
Who? Where? There! Sasuke leapt to his feet, not noticing he shoved Naruto into the river for a third time. "Who are you?" He demanded, glancing around.
The reply was another volley of shuriken, revealing the enemy's location. Sasuke, fast as always, was halfway to their source before they passed him. He pulled out some kunai, letting fly at glimpses of cloth and flesh through the leaves.
A pained cry met the third knife, but the telltale sound of a body hitting something hard didn't follow. Damn it, not a solid hit. A splash and a gasp sounded behind him. "Naruto, stay down."
Naruto's response, if it could be called that, was a sputtered "Teme!" as he stumbled to his feet. Naruto shook the water from his eyes, trying to get a good look at the situation. "Sasuke, who--"
"I don't know, and I don't care. And obviuosly--" he continued, ducking more sharp edges, "--neither do they!" Sasuke ran forward, trusting the crazy Naruto to guard his back from a distance. Which was why, when they reached the other side of the river together, both with weapons drawn, he wasn't too surprised, just a little bit pissed. Good thing there were enemies to vent on.
And quite a lot of them, apparently. "Oh, come on!" Naruto yelled. "Couldn't you at least dress different?" Every one of the enemy nin was wearing the same uniform, with the same haircut, with the same--
"Naruto! They're just clones, you idiot!"
"Oh." Nevermind then.
"Are we now?" Every image said in tandem. "Just clones? We beg to differ." And they launched an attack together.
"Oh shit." Naruto stared for an instant before jumping into motion, dodging blades and knocking away what he couldn't dodge. I'm glad I asked Tenten to help us practice for a while. Sasuke moved lithely at his back, showing off the flexibility of his long limbs as he blocked attack after attack. How are we supposed to strike back like this?
"Leave this to us!" A new voice broke into the fray as Kiba and Akamaru latched onto their nearest clone opponents. Taking the opportunity to escape the circle of whirling kunai and shuriken, Naruto and Sasuke flung themselves angrily onto a pair of enemy nin.
"You can't have all the fun!" They were moving onto their next targets when all of the clones just... melted into nothingness. "Huh?" Naruto blinked. "Where'd they go?"
"Naruto." Sasuke called, then pointed when he caught his attention. "Up there."
"Oh, Shino! Guess you got them, eh? We were just keeping the clones busy for you and all..." Naruto faded out with a grin. Shino had two men tied up at his feet, glaring at the young men who had caught them.
"Damned kids." One of them muttered. "Damned dog." The other one muttered back. "Meddlers."
"So, who wants to deliver them to the Hokage?"
--------------------
Neji glared at the sleeping lump draped across his middle. "Shikamaru, I have to leave."
Mumble... mumble... "nine-hundred-seventy-two..." mumble.
"Shikamaru!" He's still counting! Neji shook him. "Up!"
Shikamaru jerked, placing a hand on the object underneath him. "Huh?" He blinked.
"Shikamaru, off."
He looked down at Neji and turned a light shade of red. "Uhhh--"
Neji ignored the look. "You need more training. You fell asleep at two-hundred and ten." Neji held the folded book in his hands. "I'll bring it back tomorrow?"
"Yeah, sure, no problem. Ahhh--"
"I'll be back tomorrow Shikamaru. You can pick another book for me." Neji stood and left the room with a small wave.
"Uh, yeah." Shikamaru stared after him. That was embarrassing. How did I--
"You looked very comfortable."
Shikamaru almost-eeped at his father's words. "Damn it, old man." He glared at his father, who was leaning against the door jamb. "Spying on me in my own room."
"He looked very uncomfortable."
Shikamaru sighed. "I know."
"You like him." It wasn't a question.
"Yes." Shikamaru glared up through his skylight.
"I know how you feel, kid."
"No, you don't."
"Weeeeell, maybe not, but I can say I do."
Shikamaru sighed again and tried ignoring his old man.
--------------------
"So you're telling me that these two men ambushed you at the river with some wierd clones?"
"Yup."
"And as pathetic as they are, it took all four of you to capture them?"
"To be correct, it was only a matter of ammunition, and then we would have won."
"And there was no one else with them?"
"We couldn't sniff out any others, ma'am."
"Kakashi, take a squad and investigate."
"You got it."
"That is very insulting of Kiba and Akamaru's capabilities."
"Live with it."
The four men left.
"She really doesn't trust us." Naruto griped.
"Compared to other Jounin, we are rather inexperienced."
"But still Shino," Kiba said, "Me 'n Akamaru would've smelled if there were others. And you and Sasuke probably would've found any other clues."
"Hey, does anyone else think it's too quiet down here?" asked Naruto.
"There are people missing from their desks, dobe. Of course it's more quiet."
"Teme! Don't call me that!"
"It doesn't seem too quiet when you're yelling, now does it?"
Naruto jumped first at Sasuke, then at Kiba. "It's no fair ganging up two on one! You guys should buy me ramen to make up for it."
"No way! You were asking for it, Naruto!" Kiba shoved away from him.
"Buy me ramen anyway." Naruto grinned impudently.
"Naruto, we still need to do today's training." Sasuke reminded him.
"Oh yeah! Loser buys lunch!" Naruto tagged Sasuke's shoulder and sped off down the street, sticking his tongue out behind him.
"You'd think he was still a fresh genin the way he acts." Sasuke muttered before taking off after the orange jumpsuit.
"Sorry we didn't get to finish our walk Shino." Kiba said, walking beside him.
Shino adjusted his glasses. "It was not your fault. It was those ninja from Rain."
"Still..."
"Kiba."
"Alright, I give up. We'll have to go some other time, 'kay?"
"Hn."
"So now what? We don't have time for a walk, and we're gonna eat at my place."
Shino shrugged. "We have time for a short walk. Short though, Kiba. I need to eat before my father gets me."
"Alright!"
--------------------
"They're in a tough place, the Rain country. They're desperate to survive, and the pressure of being between Rock and Sand isn't helping." One guard muttered.
"They're taking every mission they can to make money and increase their numbers." The other replied. "I wouldn't want to be them."
"They've always been a small country, and they never had anyone that stood out, so I guess--"
"That you shouldn't talk about others behind their backs?" A new voice put in.
"Ah-ah, Hokage-sama!"
"Let them out. We're going to escort them home and discuss this. And get me a runner to the Kazekage. They're on his border, after all."
--------------------
A/N: Anybody out there wants to comment, please do. Any kind of comment is welcome, as I'll only get better if I hear what's good and what's bad.
Chapter 2: First strike
Who? Where? There! Sasuke leapt to his feet, not noticing he shoved Naruto into the river for a third time. "Who are you?" He demanded, glancing around.
The reply was another volley of shuriken, revealing the enemy's location. Sasuke, fast as always, was halfway to their source before they passed him. He pulled out some kunai, letting fly at glimpses of cloth and flesh through the leaves.
A pained cry met the third knife, but the telltale sound of a body hitting something hard didn't follow. Damn it, not a solid hit. A splash and a gasp sounded behind him. "Naruto, stay down."
Naruto's response, if it could be called that, was a sputtered "Teme!" as he stumbled to his feet. Naruto shook the water from his eyes, trying to get a good look at the situation. "Sasuke, who--"
"I don't know, and I don't care. And obviuosly--" he continued, ducking more sharp edges, "--neither do they!" Sasuke ran forward, trusting the crazy Naruto to guard his back from a distance. Which was why, when they reached the other side of the river together, both with weapons drawn, he wasn't too surprised, just a little bit pissed. Good thing there were enemies to vent on.
And quite a lot of them, apparently. "Oh, come on!" Naruto yelled. "Couldn't you at least dress different?" Every one of the enemy nin was wearing the same uniform, with the same haircut, with the same--
"Naruto! They're just clones, you idiot!"
"Oh." Nevermind then.
"Are we now?" Every image said in tandem. "Just clones? We beg to differ." And they launched an attack together.
"Oh shit." Naruto stared for an instant before jumping into motion, dodging blades and knocking away what he couldn't dodge. I'm glad I asked Tenten to help us practice for a while. Sasuke moved lithely at his back, showing off the flexibility of his long limbs as he blocked attack after attack. How are we supposed to strike back like this?
"Leave this to us!" A new voice broke into the fray as Kiba and Akamaru latched onto their nearest clone opponents. Taking the opportunity to escape the circle of whirling kunai and shuriken, Naruto and Sasuke flung themselves angrily onto a pair of enemy nin.
"You can't have all the fun!" They were moving onto their next targets when all of the clones just... melted into nothingness. "Huh?" Naruto blinked. "Where'd they go?"
"Naruto." Sasuke called, then pointed when he caught his attention. "Up there."
"Oh, Shino! Guess you got them, eh? We were just keeping the clones busy for you and all..." Naruto faded out with a grin. Shino had two men tied up at his feet, glaring at the young men who had caught them.
"Damned kids." One of them muttered. "Damned dog." The other one muttered back. "Meddlers."
"So, who wants to deliver them to the Hokage?"
--------------------
Neji glared at the sleeping lump draped across his middle. "Shikamaru, I have to leave."
Mumble... mumble... "nine-hundred-seventy-two..." mumble.
"Shikamaru!" He's still counting! Neji shook him. "Up!"
Shikamaru jerked, placing a hand on the object underneath him. "Huh?" He blinked.
"Shikamaru, off."
He looked down at Neji and turned a light shade of red. "Uhhh--"
Neji ignored the look. "You need more training. You fell asleep at two-hundred and ten." Neji held the folded book in his hands. "I'll bring it back tomorrow?"
"Yeah, sure, no problem. Ahhh--"
"I'll be back tomorrow Shikamaru. You can pick another book for me." Neji stood and left the room with a small wave.
"Uh, yeah." Shikamaru stared after him. That was embarrassing. How did I--
"You looked very comfortable."
Shikamaru almost-eeped at his father's words. "Damn it, old man." He glared at his father, who was leaning against the door jamb. "Spying on me in my own room."
"He looked very uncomfortable."
Shikamaru sighed. "I know."
"You like him." It wasn't a question.
"Yes." Shikamaru glared up through his skylight.
"I know how you feel, kid."
"No, you don't."
"Weeeeell, maybe not, but I can say I do."
Shikamaru sighed again and tried ignoring his old man.
--------------------
"So you're telling me that these two men ambushed you at the river with some wierd clones?"
"Yup."
"And as pathetic as they are, it took all four of you to capture them?"
"To be correct, it was only a matter of ammunition, and then we would have won."
"And there was no one else with them?"
"We couldn't sniff out any others, ma'am."
"Kakashi, take a squad and investigate."
"You got it."
"That is very insulting of Kiba and Akamaru's capabilities."
"Live with it."
The four men left.
"She really doesn't trust us." Naruto griped.
"Compared to other Jounin, we are rather inexperienced."
"But still Shino," Kiba said, "Me 'n Akamaru would've smelled if there were others. And you and Sasuke probably would've found any other clues."
"Hey, does anyone else think it's too quiet down here?" asked Naruto.
"There are people missing from their desks, dobe. Of course it's more quiet."
"Teme! Don't call me that!"
"It doesn't seem too quiet when you're yelling, now does it?"
Naruto jumped first at Sasuke, then at Kiba. "It's no fair ganging up two on one! You guys should buy me ramen to make up for it."
"No way! You were asking for it, Naruto!" Kiba shoved away from him.
"Buy me ramen anyway." Naruto grinned impudently.
"Naruto, we still need to do today's training." Sasuke reminded him.
"Oh yeah! Loser buys lunch!" Naruto tagged Sasuke's shoulder and sped off down the street, sticking his tongue out behind him.
"You'd think he was still a fresh genin the way he acts." Sasuke muttered before taking off after the orange jumpsuit.
"Sorry we didn't get to finish our walk Shino." Kiba said, walking beside him.
Shino adjusted his glasses. "It was not your fault. It was those ninja from Rain."
"Still..."
"Kiba."
"Alright, I give up. We'll have to go some other time, 'kay?"
"Hn."
"So now what? We don't have time for a walk, and we're gonna eat at my place."
Shino shrugged. "We have time for a short walk. Short though, Kiba. I need to eat before my father gets me."
"Alright!"
--------------------
"They're in a tough place, the Rain country. They're desperate to survive, and the pressure of being between Rock and Sand isn't helping." One guard muttered.
"They're taking every mission they can to make money and increase their numbers." The other replied. "I wouldn't want to be them."
"They've always been a small country, and they never had anyone that stood out, so I guess--"
"That you shouldn't talk about others behind their backs?" A new voice put in.
"Ah-ah, Hokage-sama!"
"Let them out. We're going to escort them home and discuss this. And get me a runner to the Kazekage. They're on his border, after all."
--------------------
A/N: Anybody out there wants to comment, please do. Any kind of comment is welcome, as I'll only get better if I hear what's good and what's bad.