Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Written In Ink ❯ Chapter 12
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Desiree Dee 
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Shounen / Martial Arts / Drama / Comedy / Adventure / Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 02.01.2006 | Pages: 3 | Words: 2.4K | Visits: 459 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Shounen / Martial Arts / Drama / Comedy / Adventure / Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 02.01.2006 | Pages: 3 | Words: 2.4K | Visits: 459 | Status: Work In Progress
Sumi sighed and stared up at the ceiling above her bed. Tsunade had told her that she would be going on a mission tomorrow so that she would be able to get a feel for what they were like.
It was a simple thing, help a healer get to a village so that he could use his skills to stop a small sickness that had been spreading throughout its residents.
Tsunade had assured her that the ANBU would not be following since Jiraiya would be with them, but she expected Sumi to act as if he were not. She had to be able to protect Naruto at all costs.
She had understood, and it wasn’t a hard promise to make since she felt somewhere deep down that she should protect the boy. He was only a year or so younger than her self, but she still felt like she should be responsible for him.
She turned over on her mattress once more. It was the most comfortable thing she had ever had the chance to sleep on, she had never been able to get a restful night’s sleep on it. The anxiety added by the new mission had not helped matters.
Finally, she had given up on trying to sleep and looked out at the village from her windowsill. She took a long breath and looked out at the twilight that hung on the horizon. She pulled her night shirt tighter as a breeze played over her skin.
She looked at the fabric she now grasped in her hands. It was the first solid piece of clothing she had owned in a long time outside of her performance outfit. Tsunade had given it to her along with a few other garments that now sat in the closet in her room.
She was grateful for all she had been given, and even though she was not sure of how things ran in the village just yet, Tsunade was obviously an important person. Sumi felt blessed to be given her protection and all that she had offered.
Still, she felt it was too much, too fast. There had to be a catch. There was a nagging feeling in the back of her head that she was missing something very important.
Knowing that she would be nothing but a restless bundle of nerves for the rest of the evening, she left the window and grabbed a flashlight off of her dresser. She stepped out into the halway and began walking towards the room Tsunade had indicated was the library.
For the short time that she had been here, she had often found herself wandering the halls at night since she could not sleep. Tsunade had suggested that she should take up reading some of the history books they had on the village since they always seemed to help put herself to sleep. Sumi had laughed and taken it for a joke at the time, but at the moment she was willing to try anything.
She used the flashlight to scan the spines of all the texts. She landed upon a title that seemed interesting enough.: The Hokages: The History of Kohana Villlage.
She was surprised to find the document was handwritten. In fact, the first pages were yellowed with age while somewhere along the middle of the book they were white and new. She opened the cover and read the first page.
“This is the story of our village, written by those that have experienced it. We, the founders of this fine and peaceful place are keeping this record so that nothing is forgotten, and it shall be passed down to all that protect this great land. Hopefully it can help to guide them on their path so that they may add to its wisdom for those that follow them to use as a guide as well.”
Sumi was in awe of what she held in her hands. She had understood that Tsunade was the Fifth Hokage, but the meaning behind that had never been explained to her. She sat in the soft glow of the flashlight, doing her best to make out some of the faded handwriting. It was obvious to her that this was a type of diary used to keep a record of all the important events in the village’s history. The story that it was telling was drawing her into a trance that she seemed unable to break out of.
She was startled when a light came on above her and broke the spell the words had over her.
“You’ll hurt your eyes if you keep reading like that.” Tsunade stated.
“I’m sorry,” Sumi looked up. “I couldn’t sleep.”
Tsunade stepped over to her and got a look at the book she was reading. She smiled, then took a seat across the table from her.
“My first entry in that book was about the death of The Third, and the events that lead up to it.” She sighed. “The second was about Naruto’s friend Sasuke. After that, I hadn’t even picked it back up. Until you came along.”
Sumi was surprised by this statement.
“What do you mean?” I’m no one special. Why would you put me in as part of your village’s history?” She insisted.
“Just because you have nothing to do with out village now, doesn’t mean you won’t become an important part of it later.” The older woman’s words felt almost cryptic.
A small silence settled in the room as Sumi mulled over the words that still hung in the air. She opened her mouth to speak several times, but then held back..
“I really want to keep reading this,” She finally forced out. “But I have to go on the mission you spoke of.”
“How’s this?” Tsunade offered. “You make sure Naruto comes back from this mission safe and sound, and I’ll leave you undisturbed until you’ve finished reading this book.”
“I still want to train too!” Sumi added.
“Then it will be part of your training. All the children read a similar version of this in their classes as children, but it is edited. There’s nothing like getting the whole story, and I think it would help you to fit in here better if you knew what this village has been through.”
“Thank you.” Sumi placed the book down and stepped around the table to give Tsunade a hug. The older woman smiled and squeezed back.
“You should get dressed for the day.” She commented. “And go get Naruto so I can assign the mission.”
Sumi pulled back and smiled brightly.
“Okay.”
88888888
Naruto shifted uncomfortably as he felt some sort of pressure on his chest. He groaned and slowly opened his eyes. Two blue orbs filled his field of vision. He blinked, and they blinked back. He rubbed his eyes, and heard a familiar giggle.
“Sumi!” He sat up quickly, causing the girl on his chest to fall backwards onto the bed.
“Yep!” She smiled happily. “Now that you’re awake, we can go get our mission!”
“Our mission?” His eyes brightened. “You mean you’re coming too?”
“Uh huh.” Sumi answered with an enthusiastic nod. “And Sakura and Jiraiya!”
“Sakura’s coming?” He asked.
“Yes!” She hissed and pushed him out of bed. “Now hurry up or we’ll be late.”
“Alright.” He grunted and headed for the bathroom. He turned to Sumi before stepping in. “I’m glad you’re happy.”
88888888
“Now that you’ve all made it here, I have a very important mission for you.” Tsunade stated. There’s a small village to the west that is having some trouble with a peeping tom.”
“Wait!” Naruto interrupted. “The important mission is to stop a pervert? How do we know it just isn’t the perverted hermit doing ‘research’ for his books.”
“Because.” Tsunade glared at the boy. “This pervert is snatching some of his victims. Not long after reporting the crime, several young women have gone missing. Your mission is to find them and stop the pervert from terrorizing the citizens.”
“Okay.” Sumi was trying to act excited, but her disappointment showed through her statement.
Sakura looked at her two teammates. She didn’t know what to say, and she was actually looking forward to this mission since she hadn’t been on one in quite sometime.
“Cheer up you two.” She smiled. “Naruto, this will almost be like old times. We haven’t been on a real mission together since we went looking for the sound village.”
This caught Naruto’s attention. It had been awhile since that mission and this would be the first time since then that he didn’t feel like he was tagging along on some other team’s mission.
“You’re right, Sakura!” He grinned wide and put his thumb up in the air. “We will catch this pervert and bring the girls back!”
“Glad to hear it.” Tsunade let a smalll smile cross her features. “Jiraiya should be waiting fo you at the village gate.”
88888888
“Gai!” Lee hugged his master tightly. “I’m glad to see that you made it back safely.”
“I always do.” Gai smiled hugely. “What are you doing waiting for me? Haven’t you been spending time with Sakura?”
“She left on a mission today.” Lee stated brightly. “Besides, I think she only sees me as a close friend, and I’m happy with that.”
“You’ve grown up so much Lee, sometimes I forget how old you really are.” Gai rubbed his pupils head. “Soon the teacher might just become the student.”
“I doubt that, no one will ever be as great as you Gai!” Lee’s eyebrows seemed ready to jump off of his face.
“Ahh, I don’t think I’ll ever grow tired of that blind hero worship, but I’ll do my best to enjoy it while it lasts.” Gai thought to himself as he walked listening to Lee chatter on about all that had happened in his absence.
88888888
“What do you think of that girl Sumi?” Temari asked.
“She’s troublesome, like all women are.” Shikamaru stated without missing a beat. Temari glared at him as the walked at the back of the group of travelers.
“You’re lucky I like you.” She said haughtily.
At the front of the caravan, Kankurou and Gaara walked silently. Kankurou kept glancing towards the back of the group, but otherwise kept his eyes trained to the trees ahead.
“I don’t like that boy.” The puppet master finally said.
“I wouldn’t interfere.” Gaara stated.
“Why not?” Kankurou asked. “It’s quite obvious that something is going on between them.”
“Love is a sacred thing, and I dare not mess with it.” Gaara’s gaze never wavered from the path ahead.
“Still, I think he’s bad news.” He shifted the strap on his chest as he moved on.
“Temari can take care of herself.” The pale boy stated. “She is truly a lucky soul.”
On top of a wagon, Dmitri held on to the reigns of the horse in front of him. Methuselah sat next to him, whispering so that their guides would not hear.
“Something is afoot here.” The hypnotist hissed. “They are being too quiet for my liking.”
“They’re ninjas. What do you want them to do strike up a conversation with us?” Dmitri was becoming irritated by the man’s mere presence.. “You should be focusing on your act so that we have something impressive to show these people when we arrive.”
“Sorry.” Methuselah answered and proceeded to jump from the wagon. He made his way back to one of the carts that served as his quarters and hid himself there so that he wouldn’t be disturbed.
88888888
“I’m here for my next mission.” Kakashi stated.
“My guess is you finished Jiraiya’s book.” Tsunade said back.
“I never grow tired of his genius.” The man shrugged. “So what do you have for me?”
“Actually, your mission is to stay here and teach Shikamaru’s classes.” She said in a conversational tone.
“What?” Kakashi was not one to question the Hokage, but this seemed ridiculous.
“You heard me. I need you to teach Shikamaru’s classes. He’s off on a mission, and to be honest I need you to stay here in the village for right now.” She didn’t like being questioned, but understood his confusion. “I just sent Naruto out on a mission, and quite frankly you and Iruka have taken to coddling the boy. You always swoop in at the last minute and save him. Well, now it’s time for him to grow up and rely on his teammates.”
“You say that like you sent him on a dangerous mission.” Kakashi accused.
“No,” She confirmed. “Basically, he’s out to catch a peeping tom. That just so happens to be accused of kidnapping young women.”
“Who did you send with him?”
“Jiraiya, Sakura, and Sumi.” She stated simply.
“What! You sent the new girl out?” He yelled. “How experienced can she be?”
“A lot more than even she knows.”
7777777
As always, thank you to Battosai25 for your wonderful review!
It was a simple thing, help a healer get to a village so that he could use his skills to stop a small sickness that had been spreading throughout its residents.
Tsunade had assured her that the ANBU would not be following since Jiraiya would be with them, but she expected Sumi to act as if he were not. She had to be able to protect Naruto at all costs.
She had understood, and it wasn’t a hard promise to make since she felt somewhere deep down that she should protect the boy. He was only a year or so younger than her self, but she still felt like she should be responsible for him.
She turned over on her mattress once more. It was the most comfortable thing she had ever had the chance to sleep on, she had never been able to get a restful night’s sleep on it. The anxiety added by the new mission had not helped matters.
Finally, she had given up on trying to sleep and looked out at the village from her windowsill. She took a long breath and looked out at the twilight that hung on the horizon. She pulled her night shirt tighter as a breeze played over her skin.
She looked at the fabric she now grasped in her hands. It was the first solid piece of clothing she had owned in a long time outside of her performance outfit. Tsunade had given it to her along with a few other garments that now sat in the closet in her room.
She was grateful for all she had been given, and even though she was not sure of how things ran in the village just yet, Tsunade was obviously an important person. Sumi felt blessed to be given her protection and all that she had offered.
Still, she felt it was too much, too fast. There had to be a catch. There was a nagging feeling in the back of her head that she was missing something very important.
Knowing that she would be nothing but a restless bundle of nerves for the rest of the evening, she left the window and grabbed a flashlight off of her dresser. She stepped out into the halway and began walking towards the room Tsunade had indicated was the library.
For the short time that she had been here, she had often found herself wandering the halls at night since she could not sleep. Tsunade had suggested that she should take up reading some of the history books they had on the village since they always seemed to help put herself to sleep. Sumi had laughed and taken it for a joke at the time, but at the moment she was willing to try anything.
She used the flashlight to scan the spines of all the texts. She landed upon a title that seemed interesting enough.: The Hokages: The History of Kohana Villlage.
She was surprised to find the document was handwritten. In fact, the first pages were yellowed with age while somewhere along the middle of the book they were white and new. She opened the cover and read the first page.
“This is the story of our village, written by those that have experienced it. We, the founders of this fine and peaceful place are keeping this record so that nothing is forgotten, and it shall be passed down to all that protect this great land. Hopefully it can help to guide them on their path so that they may add to its wisdom for those that follow them to use as a guide as well.”
Sumi was in awe of what she held in her hands. She had understood that Tsunade was the Fifth Hokage, but the meaning behind that had never been explained to her. She sat in the soft glow of the flashlight, doing her best to make out some of the faded handwriting. It was obvious to her that this was a type of diary used to keep a record of all the important events in the village’s history. The story that it was telling was drawing her into a trance that she seemed unable to break out of.
She was startled when a light came on above her and broke the spell the words had over her.
“You’ll hurt your eyes if you keep reading like that.” Tsunade stated.
“I’m sorry,” Sumi looked up. “I couldn’t sleep.”
Tsunade stepped over to her and got a look at the book she was reading. She smiled, then took a seat across the table from her.
“My first entry in that book was about the death of The Third, and the events that lead up to it.” She sighed. “The second was about Naruto’s friend Sasuke. After that, I hadn’t even picked it back up. Until you came along.”
Sumi was surprised by this statement.
“What do you mean?” I’m no one special. Why would you put me in as part of your village’s history?” She insisted.
“Just because you have nothing to do with out village now, doesn’t mean you won’t become an important part of it later.” The older woman’s words felt almost cryptic.
A small silence settled in the room as Sumi mulled over the words that still hung in the air. She opened her mouth to speak several times, but then held back..
“I really want to keep reading this,” She finally forced out. “But I have to go on the mission you spoke of.”
“How’s this?” Tsunade offered. “You make sure Naruto comes back from this mission safe and sound, and I’ll leave you undisturbed until you’ve finished reading this book.”
“I still want to train too!” Sumi added.
“Then it will be part of your training. All the children read a similar version of this in their classes as children, but it is edited. There’s nothing like getting the whole story, and I think it would help you to fit in here better if you knew what this village has been through.”
“Thank you.” Sumi placed the book down and stepped around the table to give Tsunade a hug. The older woman smiled and squeezed back.
“You should get dressed for the day.” She commented. “And go get Naruto so I can assign the mission.”
Sumi pulled back and smiled brightly.
“Okay.”
88888888
Naruto shifted uncomfortably as he felt some sort of pressure on his chest. He groaned and slowly opened his eyes. Two blue orbs filled his field of vision. He blinked, and they blinked back. He rubbed his eyes, and heard a familiar giggle.
“Sumi!” He sat up quickly, causing the girl on his chest to fall backwards onto the bed.
“Yep!” She smiled happily. “Now that you’re awake, we can go get our mission!”
“Our mission?” His eyes brightened. “You mean you’re coming too?”
“Uh huh.” Sumi answered with an enthusiastic nod. “And Sakura and Jiraiya!”
“Sakura’s coming?” He asked.
“Yes!” She hissed and pushed him out of bed. “Now hurry up or we’ll be late.”
“Alright.” He grunted and headed for the bathroom. He turned to Sumi before stepping in. “I’m glad you’re happy.”
88888888
“Now that you’ve all made it here, I have a very important mission for you.” Tsunade stated. There’s a small village to the west that is having some trouble with a peeping tom.”
“Wait!” Naruto interrupted. “The important mission is to stop a pervert? How do we know it just isn’t the perverted hermit doing ‘research’ for his books.”
“Because.” Tsunade glared at the boy. “This pervert is snatching some of his victims. Not long after reporting the crime, several young women have gone missing. Your mission is to find them and stop the pervert from terrorizing the citizens.”
“Okay.” Sumi was trying to act excited, but her disappointment showed through her statement.
Sakura looked at her two teammates. She didn’t know what to say, and she was actually looking forward to this mission since she hadn’t been on one in quite sometime.
“Cheer up you two.” She smiled. “Naruto, this will almost be like old times. We haven’t been on a real mission together since we went looking for the sound village.”
This caught Naruto’s attention. It had been awhile since that mission and this would be the first time since then that he didn’t feel like he was tagging along on some other team’s mission.
“You’re right, Sakura!” He grinned wide and put his thumb up in the air. “We will catch this pervert and bring the girls back!”
“Glad to hear it.” Tsunade let a smalll smile cross her features. “Jiraiya should be waiting fo you at the village gate.”
88888888
“Gai!” Lee hugged his master tightly. “I’m glad to see that you made it back safely.”
“I always do.” Gai smiled hugely. “What are you doing waiting for me? Haven’t you been spending time with Sakura?”
“She left on a mission today.” Lee stated brightly. “Besides, I think she only sees me as a close friend, and I’m happy with that.”
“You’ve grown up so much Lee, sometimes I forget how old you really are.” Gai rubbed his pupils head. “Soon the teacher might just become the student.”
“I doubt that, no one will ever be as great as you Gai!” Lee’s eyebrows seemed ready to jump off of his face.
“Ahh, I don’t think I’ll ever grow tired of that blind hero worship, but I’ll do my best to enjoy it while it lasts.” Gai thought to himself as he walked listening to Lee chatter on about all that had happened in his absence.
88888888
“What do you think of that girl Sumi?” Temari asked.
“She’s troublesome, like all women are.” Shikamaru stated without missing a beat. Temari glared at him as the walked at the back of the group of travelers.
“You’re lucky I like you.” She said haughtily.
At the front of the caravan, Kankurou and Gaara walked silently. Kankurou kept glancing towards the back of the group, but otherwise kept his eyes trained to the trees ahead.
“I don’t like that boy.” The puppet master finally said.
“I wouldn’t interfere.” Gaara stated.
“Why not?” Kankurou asked. “It’s quite obvious that something is going on between them.”
“Love is a sacred thing, and I dare not mess with it.” Gaara’s gaze never wavered from the path ahead.
“Still, I think he’s bad news.” He shifted the strap on his chest as he moved on.
“Temari can take care of herself.” The pale boy stated. “She is truly a lucky soul.”
On top of a wagon, Dmitri held on to the reigns of the horse in front of him. Methuselah sat next to him, whispering so that their guides would not hear.
“Something is afoot here.” The hypnotist hissed. “They are being too quiet for my liking.”
“They’re ninjas. What do you want them to do strike up a conversation with us?” Dmitri was becoming irritated by the man’s mere presence.. “You should be focusing on your act so that we have something impressive to show these people when we arrive.”
“Sorry.” Methuselah answered and proceeded to jump from the wagon. He made his way back to one of the carts that served as his quarters and hid himself there so that he wouldn’t be disturbed.
88888888
“I’m here for my next mission.” Kakashi stated.
“My guess is you finished Jiraiya’s book.” Tsunade said back.
“I never grow tired of his genius.” The man shrugged. “So what do you have for me?”
“Actually, your mission is to stay here and teach Shikamaru’s classes.” She said in a conversational tone.
“What?” Kakashi was not one to question the Hokage, but this seemed ridiculous.
“You heard me. I need you to teach Shikamaru’s classes. He’s off on a mission, and to be honest I need you to stay here in the village for right now.” She didn’t like being questioned, but understood his confusion. “I just sent Naruto out on a mission, and quite frankly you and Iruka have taken to coddling the boy. You always swoop in at the last minute and save him. Well, now it’s time for him to grow up and rely on his teammates.”
“You say that like you sent him on a dangerous mission.” Kakashi accused.
“No,” She confirmed. “Basically, he’s out to catch a peeping tom. That just so happens to be accused of kidnapping young women.”
“Who did you send with him?”
“Jiraiya, Sakura, and Sumi.” She stated simply.
“What! You sent the new girl out?” He yelled. “How experienced can she be?”
“A lot more than even she knows.”
7777777
As always, thank you to Battosai25 for your wonderful review!