A New Mission (DBZ/Naruto Crossover fic) (R)

[The Silent Orator]

Yes, I am aware that the grammar in this introduction is bad. However, I regret to say that I'm never good with introductions. Also, half of this introduction was from a DBZ adapt I started two years ago and never completed. Bear with me. The next chapter will be better. Much better. Well, grammar-wise, that is.

I rated this fic R just to be safe, espicially with some events that happen later in the story.
~*~*~*~*
Disclaimer: I do not own DragonBall Z, Naruto, or any other thing in this story, except most of the plot, and any original characters that might pop in.

Author’s notes: Well, this is the first fanfic I’ve started in a long time. Sorry for not writing much, but I really have no interest in continuing the other stories… I’m sorry, but I just don’t have the motivation to work on them anymore. That’s also the reason why I haven’t worked on my novels in nearly two years. I’m really sorry, but I don’t do this professionally, and I have to take this where my inspiration and motivation takes me. I’m really sorry if there were any fans of any of my stories at all.

As mentioned, this story is a Naruto/DragonBall Z crossover, though I plan on bringing in elements of other stuff, as well as occasional appearances from some OC’s (namely the characters from the two separate novels that I haven’t worked on in forever). In the Naruto storyline, this takes place right as soon as the fillers start; in the DBZ universe, this actually takes place during DragonBall… at the first world martial arts tournament.

Without further ado, I present to you the story.

~*~*~*~*

Prologue: A grim past.

“Hold it off! We need to hold it off until the Fourth arrives!”

A crowd was in dire panic at the arrival of the nine-tailed demon, Kyuubi. The fox was terrorizing the inhabitants of the hidden ninja village in Konoha. The ninja of the village did all they could to try to stall the fox long enough for their leader to join the fight. It seemed to be a hopeless fight, as it seemed the fox only stopped so that it could play with its prey a little more. Many of the ninja fought with bravery and great effort, although to the fox, it seemed as if it were a mere fly buzzing around his head.

Kunai and shuriken bounced harmlessly from the demon; techniques were swatted away as easily as one might swat away a fly. Shouts could be heard both from those calling orders and from those who have been injured. The fox seemed to be impervious to anything thrown at it; his power and immunity gave a sense of terrible grace and skill on the battlefield.

Down on the ground, the captain of the forces looked to his right hand man. The stress and hopelessness seemed apparent in his eyes, though his voice tried to show some confidence and hope. He observed the surroundings and slowly inquired, “How much longer until the Fourth arrives?”

The man before him stated, “In a minute, if all goes well.”

The captain said, “Well, pray that all goes well… I don’t think we can even last a minute in this condition. Gather everyone here in this area for one last stand. We’ll buy as much time as we can. Dismissed”

The man before him saluted, and disappeared in a puff of smoke to execute the practical suicide order he had been given. The captain sunk into his chair, looking even more stressed than he had a second ago. He had led the battle, and already he was worn out. The battle would not last much longer. The captain heard a thunderous crash outside, the volume of which was enough to rival the loudest of thunderstorms.

Knowing that it was now or never, the captain walked outside his tent. His remaining troops standing in front of him to give one last stand in hopes to stall for enough time. Holding out his hand, he said, “Men, this is our last stand. What we do here may decide the fate of our homes and families.”
In one final roar of desperation, the remaining ninja jumped forward in an all-out frontal assault in a battle to the death, winner take all and the loser forfeiting their very own life.

~*~*~*~*

A glass shattered in the hands of fate, as an evil force destroyed another planet. It was a force so powerful that no living being dared to oppose it unless they wanted to meet with a certain, painful death. It was a force with an army to appease its every want and desire. However, this certain planet was different from the other planets that were destroyed.

This planet, which was called Vegeta, was the home planet to a proud warrior race called the Saiyans. They were the elite soldiers of this powerful tyrant, made to do every whim, fancy, and desire of the tyrant. Yet, it was a certain legend of this planet that the tyrant feared. It was a legend that was passed around for many generations; it was this very legend that the tyrant feared. The legend stated that every few years a special Saiyan would be born. This Saiyan was to be stronger than any other Saiyan that would ever be born. Thus, that is how the term “Super Saiyan” came to be commonly used. This Super Saiyan was what the tyrant feared the most. Yet, its curiosity and interest in this legend kept him from destroying these people.

However, one day, one of the Saiyans became suspicious of the tyrant’s actions lately. He was Bardock, a second-class soldier in the tyrant’s army. The tyrant’s loyal followers on a mission betrayed Bardock and handed him to the enemy in an attempt to silence him. He was captured by the enemy and was brutally tortured. Somehow, he managed to escape and returned home in very bad condition. A short amount of time passed before he was healed; as soon as that happened, he tried to start a rebellion against this powerful creature. No one listened to him and, against his partner's as well as his better judgment, he flew upward to fight this tyrant. This brave action stirred many others on the planet, who had almost instantly started to prepare for an imminent rebellion. However, the tyrant, who was tired of this race, decided to finally eliminate them. With one energy ball, he murdered the confronting Saiyan and the entire race, as well as blowing up the planet.

According to the computer systems, four Saiyans had survived the explosion. They were Raditz, Nappa, Saquera, and Vegeta. Raditz, who was six, was not around when the explosion occurred. He was on a mission to conquer another planet with the help of his older brother Nappa, who was eight. Saquera, a ten-year-old Saiyan, was in her room, partially sleeping, although she was still alert. She was the bodyguard of Vegeta, who was prince of all Saiyans. Vegeta was a stubborn ten year-old prince. His father, the king, was also on the ship, but as soon as he met the tyrant, the king attacked it in revenge for destroying his planet and his loyal citizens. The tyrant quickly countered and killed the king before he even managed to launch an attack.

However, the computer databanks were not as up to date as they were supposed to be. Another Saiyan was born, who was sent to a planet for a conquering mission. His name was Kakkarot, and he was the child of Bardock and the younger brother of Raditz and Nappa.

A few days later Raditz and Nappa were on their way back to their home planet, having completed their mission. They did not know anything about their home being blown up. On the way back, though, space pirates ambushed them. Raditz managed to get away with only damage to his communications system. However, Nappa was not as lucky. His ship was shot, and it crashed into a nearby planet. Nappa’s communication systems, however, were still intact, and he managed to send a help signal to Frieza’s ship. A few days after he sent the signal, he was rescued.

It was a short amount of time before Raditz managed to make it back to his home planet only to make a startling discovery. His home planet was no longer there to arrive at. Raditz double-checked his computer systems to make sure that they were correct as to where he was. However, his computer’s scanners said he had just landed in his hometown. Raditz wondered about what could have happened there, when he remembered his father talking about how Frieza was trying to destroy their home. Angered by this development, he ran a scan to see if any ships had left the planet since then. He traced the signature of Frieza’s ship and knew he did not want to go that direction. On the other hand, he traced a faint signature of a spaceship, which just left and was heading for a planet in another quadrant of the universe. He had just set course for the planet, when his ship’s main thrusters fluttered out. Uttering a few swear words, he knew it would take about ten years to reach the planet at this speed. Angered by this new development, he set his course, activated the sleeping gas, and started his very long journey to the planet Earth.

A few days passed from the incident with Raditz, when Kakkarot finally arrived on the planet he was supposed to conquer. It was a peaceful planet with relatively weak inhabitants. From dinosaurs to humans, and from fish to turtles, this planet had a very diverse group of living beings. Although he was just a baby, his power rivaled those of any warrior of the planet. A martial arts master found him by the name of Gohan. It was from this day, that Kakkarot began his life on the very planet he was sent to destroy. He was a newborn baby, with a built-in instinct to kill any living being if he should ever get the chance.

~*~*~*~*

A sudden explosion transpired on the battlefield, as smoke billowed out between the attacking ninja and the demon itself. A giant frog stood in the middle of the battleground, a solitary blonde man standing on the frog’s head.

The captain looked up and shouted, “The fourth is here, everyone! Stand your positions and be there to assist him if required of you.”

The blonde man looked down and said, “Fall back. This ensuing battle might prove too dangerous for all of you to be around.”

On that note, the captain made a hand gesture in the air to the troops, and all of them retreated to what they believed was a safe distance away.

The battle between the frog and the demon started almost as soon as the troops retreated for safety. Bursts of power that rivaled anything known in history were like nothing to these creatures. Deafening crashes threatened to turn anyone deaf who dared to wander too close.

The battle raged on for a while, neither side seemingly willing to give in. The blonde man on top of the frog, noticing that his side was beginning to wear down from the battle, realized that continuing the battle in this condition would only lead to defeat. Making a few hand signs, he performed a ritual that summoned a death god to the field, to imprison and trap the creature he was battling.

Through this technique, the blonde man sealed the creature’s soul in a newborn child. However, the process of sealing the creature cost him his life. As the technique completed, the man keeled over backward as the frog he was standing on poofed out of existence in a whirl of smoke. As he fell, he hit the ground with a crash… in the final battlefield of the greatest warrior that these ninja had ever known.

[The Silent Orator]

Author’s Note: Oops, I almost forgot to write a disclaimer last chapter! At least I do not think I did. I’m too scatterbrained to think right now, which is the perfect condition for me to write. Anyway, I do not own Naruto or Dragon Ball Z. They belong to their creators. However, any and all original characters are mine.

Remember kiddies! The only difference between lawyers and thieves is that lawyers do not get in trouble for what they do.
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Chapter 1
A new mission.



Naruto was basking in the morning sunlight, after the hospital released him in perfect condition. Absentmindedly walking around, he ended up in front of the Ichiraku Ramen stand. Smiling a bit to himself for unconsciously following his old morning routine without realizing it, he patted his pocket to be sure gama-chan had enough money to pay for a light breakfast.

Walking into the stand, he smiled and said, “Old man! One bowl of miso ramen, please!”

Naruto sat at the stool, just looking around. The village was still the same as it was two weeks ago before Sasuke left the village. Many of the resident ninja were out on missions, leaving only a spare few ninja in the village. Naruto smiled to himself. Despite being a noisy ninja, Naruto did enjoy the occasional peace and quiet.

As he stared into blank space, he heard a small voice in the distance seemingly talking to him. It was a peculiar and distorted, yet familiar voice. Naruto pondered for a second. Whose voice could this be that was calling to him? Finally, giving himself a great heave, he pulled himself back into reality. Staring him in the face was the Ichiraku’s daughter, Ayame.

Naruto involuntarily jumped backward as soon as noticed that she was leaning toward him, trying to snap him back from his absentminded daydream. As he jumped back, he tripped on the stool he was on and fell on his butt. She giggled as she watched him get off the ground, rubbing his butt. Naruto said, “Hey, hey! What was that for?”

She simply replied in as straight of a face as she could muster, “Father and I had been trying for the past few minutes to get you back into reality.”

Naruto grumbled for a second, wondering why would they be doing that to him. Two seconds later, his grumbling changed to a cry of joy as he saw the ramen bowl sitting on the counter in front of his seat, waiting for him to explore and enjoy its wholesome ramen goodness.

Fifteen minutes and ten ramen bowls later, a figure walked into Ichiraku Ramen, right behind where Naruto was sitting. The figure chuckled for a second before stating in a formal voice, “Uzumaki Naruto, the Fifth Hokage requests your presence at the office.”

Naruto was in the middle of eating his ramen when the voice spoke, starting him greatly. Much to the great confusion and slight disgust of those around him, Naruto performed a miracle and passed a noodle of ramen straight through his nose in his surprise. Unknown to him about the noodle hanging out of his nose, Naruto turned around and said with a mouth half full, “What?!”

Wrinkling his nose in slight disgust, Ebisu repeats to Naruto, “The Fifth Hokage wants you at her office. You are to be assigned a mission today.”

With his mood performing a quick 180, Naruto said, “Yes sir! As soon as possible.”

With a little disgust, Ebisu said, “And get that noodle out of your nose.”

With a gasp of surprise, Naruto grabbed at the noodle dangling from his nose and pulled it out, after some difficulty. Tossing it into a nearby trashcan, he returned to the stand and finished the ramen faster than Jiraiya could think “Boobies!”

Paying for the ramen, and adding a generous tip as usual, Naruto ran straight to the Hokage’s office. Opening the door, he saw in the room Hinata Hyuuga, Haku, and Rock Lee standing before him. Also in the office was Iruka Umino, Naruto’s good friend and former teacher. Tsunade said, “Well, now that Naruto is here, we can finally commence with the mission summary.”

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and said, “Sorry for being late.”

Tsunade continued and said, “There is a group of merchants who wish to have a group of ninja hired to be their bodyguards during their shipment. You four are the four most suited ninja for this mission, which is why I picked you.”

Naruto replied, “What level is this mission?”

Tsunade replied, “Right now, it is registered as a C-Level mission.”

Naruto groaned, “Aww, why can’t we do more exciting missions?”

Tsunade replied in a harsh tone, “Feel grateful you even get to have a mission.”

Naruto bit his tongue, not wanting to mess up his chance at the first mission he had. Ever since he had been badly injured trying to retrieve Sasuke, Naruto was keen on becoming stronger, so the next time, he would not fail in the retrieval. Well, he was only badly injured because Sasuke decided to be a bastard and fight Naruto. Neither of them could help it though. They were rivals, with conflicting goals. That fight just was unavoidable. Naruto solemnly nodded and said, “When do we leave?”

Tsunade said, “Meet at the front gate in an hour.”

Hinata said, “Umm… is… is there anything else or anyone else we should bring?”

Naruto looked at Hinata, and for the first time, he saw something in her that he had not seen before. Now that she was not blushing all the time and constantly looking away from him for whatever reason, Naruto noticed something unique about her. How she was so shy and timid at times, but could stand for herself when she had to.

Tsunade said, “No, it will be just the four of you. Bring your standard ninja gear, and anything else you might need to complete a mission. If there aren't any other questions, then all of you are dismissed!”

All four ninja nodded in unison and left the room in a slight hurry to pack for the mission.

Naruto was traveling about the town, when he ran into Haku. He smiled at the fellow ninja and said, “Hiya!”

The other ninja, shopping for groceries, looked at Naruto and replied, “Hello there, Naruto.”

Naruto said, “How are you holding up so far?”

Haku said, “I’m doing very well, thank you for asking.”

Naruto said, “So, how does it feel to be one of us! You’re a Konoha ninja now!”

Haku replied, “Yes, so it is.”

Naruto said to Haku, “I’m glad you became one of us. There are times I think of that battle on the bridge and how you could have died.”

Haku nodded and said, “I guess you could say I was blessed. It just was not my time to die.”

Naruto nodded in understanding and spaced out, thinking about how the battle on the bridge.

*~Flashback~*

Haku and Zabuza were on the bridge that was being constructed in the wave country with a mission to kill the bridge builder. Naruto and Sasuke were battling Haku, while Kakashi was battling Zabuza. It was a long battle, neither side willing to give in. It was then that Naruto released the demon’s power within him, and defeated Haku.

After a small battle between the two, Naruto sent a punch to Haku’s gut that winded him and knocked him unconscious. Meanwhile Kakashi, on the other side of the bridge, dealt a powerful blow to Zabuza with his Chidori. Zabuza, in a last minute move of desperation, was able to avoid some of the damage of the fatal attack. However, the result of the attack rendered his left arm useless.

It was at this moment that Zabuza’s employer came around and revealed that he was going to have Zabuza and Haku killed anyway. He simply used them as pawns in his plan. Speaking to Kakashi, Zabuza said that he no longer had a fight with Kakashi. Despite being badly injured, Zabuza charged head-on into the mob that his employer had before him. Killing some and maiming others, using only his one good arm, he managed to viciously slay the short, deceiving man who had used him and tossed him away.

However, these actions had aggravated the wound that Kakashi gave him, causing him to slowly bleed to death. It was at this moment that Haku regained consciousness. In a last-minute talk with Haku, Zabuza admitted to Haku that he always saw the boy as more than a tool and expressed his hopes that Haku could live a better life than he did.

*~End Flashback~*

Naruto returned to the world and nodded to Haku again. He said, “Well, good luck on the mission!”

Haku replied, “The same to you, Naruto.”

After about forty-five minutes had passed, and a “quick” stop to the ramen stand, Naruto stood at the front gate of the town, getting ready to go on the mission. It took him five minutes to pack, and forty minutes to finish his ramen meal for the time. It turned out to be a bad mistake to arrive early. After what seemed like forever to Naruto, he sat down and gave a sigh of exasperation. A small and timid voice spoke out quietly. “Naruto?” it said timidly.

Naruto looked at the direction of the voice to see Hinata standing there by a tree near the gate. He quickly stood up and said, “Hinata! Uhh, how long have you been here?”

She replied, “The same time as you. About a minute ago.”

Naruto opened his mouth to reply, but the only words that came out were, “It’s only been a minute?”

Hinata smiled a bit and said, “Yes…”

Naruto fumed for a short time, upset that he ever came early. Sighing, he said, “So, why are you here early?”

She replied in a small voice, “I had nothing else to do…”

Naruto smiled and said, “You should speak up! I can’t hear that nice voice of yours.”

Hinata blushed and said, “Nice?”

Naruto paused for a second. He was wondering for a quick second why Hinata was turning red. Arriving to a conclusion, Naruto said, “Are you hot?”

Hinata replied, “What?”

Naruto said, “If you’re hot, you should take some clothes off.”

Hinata blushed a deeper shade of red before stuttering in a shocked response, “… w-w-wh--… what?”

Naruto grinned naively and said, “Well if you’re hot, you should take some clothes off! Your jacket looks like it's a jacket better suited for colder weather. Your face is turning redder than a tomato in a bowl of ramen!”

Hinata gave a puzzled look for a second before a look of realization dawned on her face. She smiled back at Naruto and took her jacket off. She said, “Better?”

Naruto thought to himself, “Wow, she’s cuter than I realized.”

Hinata looked at Naruto and said, “Umm… maybe you should take your jacket off too? You’re turning… red… as well.”

Naruto blushed even harder for a second before rubbing his head. He said, “Nah, I’m fine!”

Hinata slowly walked over to Naruto, reaching for his jacket. She said in a caring voice, “You really shouldn’t be so carefree. It’s not good for you.”

Naruto stepped back one step, blushing harder, and said, “No, really. I’m fine.”

Hinata replied defiantly, “No, you’re not. You’re turning redder and redder. You’re going to get a fever if you get any hotter.”

Hinata finally managed to grab hold of a jacket when a loud voice near Hinata and Naruto exclaimed loudly, “YES! TODAY IS A MISSION!”

Hinata jumped forward in shock of the voice, jumping right onto Naruto, clinging for her very life. Naruto suddenly got a face full of Hinata. A few moments passed where no one moved. Suddenly, Naruto started to twitch, unable to breathe from part of Hinata clinging to his face.

A shrill squeal ensued from Hinata as she realized what happened and to whom she was clinging for her life. Instinctively, she threw Naruto to the ground in a defensive reflex. Lee stared at Naruto, whose face was a weird combination of red and blue. Hinata gasped for a second as she realized what she had done. Running forward to check on him, she accidentally tripped on a stone, landing right on top of him.

Another voice slowly said to Lee, “Do I even want to know what is going on, or is the truth too much to take?”

Lee turned around and said, “No, Iruka-sensei. Everything is okay. Hinata attacked Naruto; then ran toward him and body slammed him. I think those two have a rivalry going on.”

Suddenly, Lee regained his hyperactive self and shouted, “RIVALRY! NEJI, I WILL BEAT YOU!”

Iruka covered his ear that was closest to Lee and said, “Lee, calm down!”

Naruto, still fainted Hinata throwing him on the ground, was unable to move the stunned Hinata, who was lying on top of him. Iruka sighed and walked over, picking her off Naruto and said, “Well, this is an unfortunate series of events. Yeah, just a weird way of starting the mission, perhaps.”

Lee took Hinata, and walked toward a nearby stream. He took a handful of water and shouted, “WATER REVIVAL!”

Lee dropped the water on her face, hoping that it would revive her. Hinata coughed for a second before asking in surprise, “Where are we?”

Lee simply replied, “The front gate!”

Iruka brought Naruto to where Hinata and Lee were. Iruka splashed water on Naruto’s face in the same fashion Lee did to Hinata, without the shouting. However, Iruka was not as lucky, as Naruto remained fainted. Lee shouted, “WE SHALL GIVE HIM MORE WATER!”

Before Iruka could say or do anything, Lee picked up Naruto’s body and shoved his head into the water. Iruka sweatdropped as he said, “Lee, I think you’re going to drown the—“

Before he could complete the sentence, Naruto’s body started to twitch violently, struggling against Lee’s hand that was forcing his head into the water. Lee finally let go of Naruto’s head and stepped back. Naruto stared at Lee dumbfounded before shouting, “WERE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!”

Lee replied, “No! I was trying to revive you!”

Naruto crossed his arms and gave a disbelieving face. He said, “By sticking my head into the water?”

Lee saluted and replied, “Yes sir! That’s what Gai-sensei did to me!”

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Gai-sensei appeared and hugged Lee, shouting, “LEE!”

Lee replied just as energetically, “GAI-SENSEI!”

Iruka, Naruto, and Hinata simultaneously sweatdropped at what was occurring before them. Haku arrived at the scene, just as the two finished hugging. Acting as if he did not see anything, Haku said, “I assume everyone is here early to prepare for the mission at hand.”

Iruka nodded to Haku, cleared his throat, and said, “Well, if everyone is ready, we can begin our mission a bit early.”

Lee saluted and said, “Yes!”

Gai said, “Lee! Do your best!”

Lee replied vehemently, “I will!”

Five minutes and a set of “Gai!”/”Lee!” exclamations later, the four headed out of the village. Iruka said, “Okay, the mission stated that we will be meeting the merchants in a nearby town.”

The other four nodded at this set of instructions. After a quick check of equipment, the four headed toward the town at a brisk pace. Along the way, Naruto and Iruka were engaged in a discussion about what happened at the front gate between Hinata and Naruto. Iruka, after a few minutes, laughed at what really happened. He smiled at Naruto and said, “Things happen.”

Naruto decided not to answer that remark, not truly understanding the nature behind that comment. As they arrived at the town about an hour later, Iruka said, “Okay, we are to meet them at the market.”

Naruto replied, “The market? Okay. What do they look like?”

Iruka said, “They’ll be in a group, all wearing green shirts.”

Hinata said, “I see them.”

Iruka smiled to himself. He knew Hinata would have taken a chance to try to show off to Naruto. It seemed to be common knowledge to everyone (except Naruto) that she had a crush on him. Iruka asked Hinata, “Where?”

Hinata replied slowly, “Right behind us. About ten yards.”

Iruka said, “Okay, I’m going to turn around. I’m going to pretend to look around for a while; then I'm going to look at them and pretend I just found them. Then you can turn around and we can start this mission.”

The other three nodded. Iruka slowly turned around, pretending to look for them. A few seconds later, he spotted them right where Hinata told him they were. He motioned to the other three ninja to follow him. Walking up to them, he said, “You’re the merchants we are to escort, right?”

A man with graying hair says in reply, “Yes sir. We are.”

Iruka said, “May we know your names?”

The man who replied said, “My name is Nobuo. My two comrades are Akira and Masashi.”

Iruka looked at the other two men. Akira was a blonde haired man, whose hair was set in soft spikes. He had green eyes that seemed to burn with a fire of passion and love for his job. Iruka made a mental note that Akira was very dependable, and very loyal.

Masashi was a raven-haired man. His dark eyes crackled with the electricity of a person who was determined to finish whatever he started to accomplish. Iruka made a mental note that Masashi was a person who would be willing to do anything if he was told to do so.

Iruka, after his quick examination, nodded and said, “Very well. Our mission is to escort you to a market town across the sea, am I correct?”

Nobuo bowed to Iruka and replied, “Yes. The port town is a two-day journey west of here. The voyage across the sea takes another day. After then, we will unload our goods, and that is all the help we need. We greatly appreciate the help you are giving us.”

Iruka bowed back and said, “I, and my comrades, are honored to be in your service.”

Nobuo said, “We do not set off until tomorrow morning. So, feel free to spend your time as you wish. Your rooms at the local inn have already been reserved. We are indebted to your services, as thieves often try to rob us of our precious goods.”

Iruka replied in acknowledgement, “I understand. Many thieves try to loot goods from unsuspecting merchants and travelers. We shall protect you to the best of our ability and lives.”

Iruka turned to the team and said, “The rest of the day is yours. Be at the hotel in four hours. That is the time we are to report to retire and rest for tomorrow’s journey.”

Lee exclaimed in reply, “YES SIR! I SHALL NOT BE LATE OR I SHALL DO FIVE-HUNDRED LAPS AROUND THE VILLAGE WHEN WE GET HOME!”

Before anyone could even reply or sweatdrop, Lee disappeared. Iruka turned to Naruto and Hinata and said, “You two can go too. Just don’t go too far from the town.”

Haku stated in his usual voice, “I shall be in my room. I will be preparing for tomorrow’s mission. If any of you wish to accompany the planning, feel free to join.”

With that note, the four remaining ninja of the group took Lee’s example, though not as energetically, and spread through town, doing what they wanted to do.

[The Silent Orator]

Author’s Note: Sorry for being so late. School musical really tied me up. Well, I have been listening to Requiem for a Dream too much. It probably shows in some parts of the story that is written. Well, anyway, without further ado, here is the next chapter.
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Chapter 2
A turn for the better



Naruto traveled around the town, unable to find anything to do. There seemed to be nothing for the hyperactive ninja to do. Naruto groaned loudly as he wandered the streets. He did not care for stores or anything like that. After a few minutes of wandering the streets, Naruto finally hit paydirt. Naruto basked in the glory before him. It was a ramen stand, similar to how Ichiraku’s looked. Naruto patted his wallet to see if he should go or not, and felt a pleasantly large bulge in his pocket, urging him to go. Making his choice rather quickly, Naruto walked as fast as he could toward the stand.

It only took a few seconds for Naruto to place an order. It seemed that the stand did not have any customers aside from Naruto. Looking at the menu, he decided to get his usual ramen order. A person walked into the stand while Naruto was waiting for his order. Naruto looked over at the person, turning a bit red as he recognized whom it was.

Hinata turned toward Naruto, quickly realizing who was there in the stand with her. Faintly blushing, Hinata said, “I guess… it’s not that big of a surprise to see you here…”

Naruto sheepishly grinned and said, “I guess not.”

Naruto smiled as the man gave him his bowl of ramen. Hinata smiled at Naruto and turned away, ordering a bowl for herself.

While Naruto started eating his ramen with his trademark speed, someone came in the stand behind him. He smiled, put his hand on Naruto’s shoulder, and said, “Hey Naruto! What’s up?”

As with the incident earlier at the Ichiraku Ramen stand, Naruto’s ramen was forced places it was not meant to go, while his body involuntarily jumped in surprise. This time, his noodles went town his windpipe, the tips of the noodles tickling his lungs. Naruto started to cough, trying to remove the noodles from his lungs.

Hinata, realizing what happened through her Byakugan, started to panic. She said to Naruto in a panicked voice, “Naruto! I’ll help!”

Taking her hand, she shoved it into his chest, using a little bit of chakra to try to help force the noodles out. The result sent Naruto flying backward about twenty or so feet, crashing into the stand across the road, which was cooking and selling fried fish. Commotion ensued as a couple gallons of hot oil spread flew into the air, landing on Naruto.

Jiraiya sweatdropped as he realized what he had indirectly caused. Naruto started screaming in pain at the hot oil that had coated him in a fine layer. Out of nowhere, Haku appeared, did a few hand signs and called out, “Water Style: Hydro Cannon!”

A blast of water flew from Haku, smashing into Naruto and throwing him backward into Hinata, who was running toward him to try to help. The two rolled around on the ground for a second or two, before the two landed flat on the ground, Naruto lying on top of a dazed Hinata. The two were stunned for a second as they realized their lips were touching. A voice rang out, “Naruto! Long time no see! I see you’ve become quite the man.”

As both of them blushed furiously red, they jumped up and looked at the person who spoke. It took them a few moments of stunned silence, but Naruto finally said, “It’s nothing like that, Perverted Hermit!”

Jiraiya gave Naruto a lecherous grin and said in a mocking and sarcastic tone, “I’m sure it wasn’t…"

Naruto protested against Jiraya's teasing. He retorted in an annoyed tone, "I'm serious! Really! I am!"

Jiraiya peered over the notebook he had taken out, writing in it. He looked up and said to Naruto, "Yeah, yeah. Whatever, I believe you."

Naruto frowned at Jiraiya and said, "Prove it!"

Jiraiya replied, "How?"

Naruto thought for a second and said, "Fine, I believe you."

Jiraiya finally said, "So, what are you up to on this mission?"

Naruto smiled and said, "I'm here to protect merchants as they deliver goods to their destination."

Jiraiya said, "Sounds fun. I guess Hinata is on the mission as well?"
Hinata squeaked as Jiraiya had mentioned her name. In a very small, soft voice, she replied, "Yes sir, I am."

Jiraiya looked at her for a second before looking at Naruto and winking at him. Naruto gave a confused look at Jiraiya and shrugged his shoulders. It was obvious that Jiraiya was probably thinking of something perverted. Naruto said, "So, why are you here?"

Jiraiya simply replied, "Data gathering."

Naruto crossed his arms, gave a disbelieving face, and said, “Data gathering my ass! We’re three blocks away from one of those girl places you always go to, and two blocks away from a bar!”

Jiraiya closed his eyes and said, “Merely coincidental.”

Haku stepped between Naruto and Jiraiya in a flash and said aloud, “I’m sorry to interrupt your discussion, but Naruto has been injured from the hot oil. I shall take him to his hotel room to give him medical treatment.”

Jiraiya looked at Haku peculiarly for a second. He seemed to be hovering in a moment of indecision. Haku looked icily at Jiraiya before picking up Naruto and running away toward the hotel. Jiraiya continued watching Haku, until he turned a corner. As soon as he lost sight of Haku, he quickly whipped out his notebook and began to write furiously in it.

Hinata stood there in the middle of the street, all alone, staring into space in shock, and unable to move. She was snapped out of her reverie when the people at the ramen stand called to her. It took a minute for them to get her attention, but finally she was snapped out. She sat down at the stand and began to eat the ramen.

A peculiar sensation washed over her as she started to eat that ramen. It was a sense of sadness, energy, happiness, and determination rolled into one. As she continued to eat, that sensation started to grow within her. It grew into a fiery thunderstorm that refused to be quelled easily. A relentless determination washed over her. There was just something about that ramen that seemed to give her the strength and guts to be able to do what she wanted… and she knew exactly what she wanted. She finished that bowl of ramen, full of determination and ready to take on what she wanted. She put her money on the counter and went straight toward the inn that Naruto was currently being treated.

She walked through the front doors, went up the stairs, and opened the door. She opened her mouth and said, “Naruto, I—“ and was promptly held speechless. Sitting before her was a shirtless Naruto, who was having ointment applied on his burns by the nurses from the local hospital. Hinata let out a small squeak of surprise and fainted. One of the three nurses walked over to Hinata and set her carefully on the bed.

A couple minutes later, the nurses finished with Naruto. They left him a bottle of the ointment and left the room. Naruto sighed and looked over at the still unconscious Hinata. He smiled a bit to himself as he saw the soft glow of the lamp in the room make her face glow with a rosy complexion. A few strands of her hair gently fell over her eyes, giving her an even cuter look for Naruto.

Naruto sat like this for a few minutes, enjoying Hinata’s look, when she stirred. Naruto quickly turned away from her and started to stare at the ceiling. Slowly, Hinata opened her eyes and looked around the room. The only thing she saw was Naruto staring at the ceiling with a slight tinge of red in his cheeks. Any remaining determination she had from earlier was quickly washed away as she saw how Naruto looked in the soft glow of the lamp in the room.

Speaking very softly, Hinata said, “N-Naruto? Can I ask you a question?”

Apparently, something in Naruto must have snapped, because suddenly he said aloud to her, “Yes Hinata! I want to go on a date!”

There was a moment of shocked silence between the two as they stared into each other’s eyes. A curious feeling started to wash over the both of them as they realized what he just said. Suddenly, the door burst open, and a blur of green whirled into the room. A loud voice shouted, “NARUTO IS HURT!”

Naruto winced at the loud noise for a second and said, “Lee! Please. I’m okay. You can leave now!”

Lee said, “BUT MY YOUTHFUL SPIRIT WANTS TO WATCH OVER YOU!”

Naruto said in reply, “It’s not youthful to just sit and watch someone! Go… go train or something. That’s more youthful!”

Lee replied, “YES! I SHALL DO 500 LAPS AROUND THE TOWN BEFORE DAWN!” and quickly ran out of the room.

Naruto sighed and said, “Umm, Hinata… would you like to—“

Suddenly a voice from the doorway said, “Naruto. I came to check up on your injuries.”

Naruto turned to the doorway to see Haku standing there. Naruto gritted his teeth for a second and said, “My injuries are healing quite fine. Thank you for asking.”

The strain of annoyance must have been apparent in his voice, because Haku nodded and said, “Sorry if I disturbed anything” and walked out of the room.

Naruto sighed and looked at Hinata. He opened his mouth but no sound came out. Hinata looked at Naruto and said, “If you were going to ask me if I would go—“

“Naruto, are you okay?” a voice asked from the doorway. Iruka stood there with a concerned look on his face. Naruto and Hinata both said with a twinge of annoyance, “It’s fine!”

Iruka, quickly sensing the rising annoyance and tension in their voices, quickly bowed and said, “Sorry…” before walking out of the doorway.

Naruto sighed and turned to Hinata. She blushed and started to poke her fingers before speaking up again. She said, “N-Naruto… I just wanted to know… for a while I’ve been wondering… I just cannot seem to figure it out… I really want to say… I don’t know how to put it…”

Naruto asked, “Is there someone you like?”

Hinata nodded and said, “Yes… would you… would you… would you… like… would you like… to… uh… go on… on… on… a date?”

Naruto raised his eyebrow and said, “With whom?”

Hinata nearly fainted from the question, in both nerves and shock. She replied in a very small voice, “With me?”

Naruto cupped his ear and said, “I couldn’t catch that. With whom?”

Hinata suddenly looked up at Naruto and said in a loud voice, “With me!”

Naruto gave a shocked look in his eyes and smiled on the inside. She was asking him out. The girl he just started to like and had so much in common with. She was asking him out. How could he refuse? Naruto felt a bit sad that he did not ask her out earlier. He knew in his heart what to say… to accept and to apologize for not asking her out sooner. He said, “Hinata… I’m sorry that—“

An explosion occurred outside, drowning out any other words Naruto was about to say. Hinata’s face fell as she heard words that sounded like a rejection. Her eyes started to water as she said, “Oh, I’m so sorry for bothering you. I really am. I had better go help out! Bye!” and ran out of the doorway.

Before Naruto could do or say anything, Hinata was already out of the inn, and running down the streets toward the explosion. A commotion ensued as she ran toward it. It turns out some of the fireworks for a show that was to happen later went off a bit early. Seeing no cause for panic, Hinata walked aimlessly through town. Naruto was going to turn her down. She kicked a stone on the ground in sadness. She knew she should have seen this coming. Naruto was just too good for her, and it was foolish of her to ask him something like that.

She thought about the beginning of the conversation when he said he wanted to go on a date. She started to get even sadder as she realized that he must have just been teasing her. As she walked aimlessly around the town, her eyes began to water as torrents of memories of the past with Naruto flooded into her mind. Now that he knew she liked him, she could not bear to be around him. She feared it would affect their friendship or cause a tension between them that she could not bear to be around.

She started walking toward the edge of town and climbed up a small hill. A small cliff overlooked a nearby fairground. She sat here for a while, just watching the people walk by with their dates… their dates… their dates. Hinata could not take it anymore. She burst into tears of sadness that rolled down her face. This rejection was just a pain in her heart that would haunt her for the rest of her life. She sat there crying for at least ten minutes when a small voice reached her ears.

At first, she did not hear it, but then the voice repeated itself. “Hinata?” the voice said softly. Hinata finally heard it and looked up to see Naruto standing there. He had a concerned look on his face that seemed so uncharacteristic of his usual hyperactive and happy self. Unable to speak, she turned away from him and watched the fairground.

Naruto sighed and said, “Hinata, please listen to me. What I was going to say earlier…”

Hinata turned to Naruto and said, “No, I don’t want to hear it. I know what you were going to say! I don’t need you to say it.”

Naruto said defiantly, “Just listen! I’m sorry I didn’t ask you out sooner. I’d love to go on a date with you!”

Hinata replied angrily, “I just said I didn’t want to hear—“

A silence slowly reigned over Hinata as realization of what Naruto was going to say clicked in her head. One could easily say they could see her face brighten up with an almost unnatural happiness. The tears of sadness eventually turned to tears of joy as Hinata jumped up and clung to Naruto, crying into his shoulder.

Naruto let out a small gasp of pain as she clasped onto him, screaming in pain on the inside as she clung tightly to his tender skin, but enjoying the moment of having her hug him at the same time. Hinata quickly realized what happened and let go of Naruto. Silence was between them as they sat on the cliff and watched the sun slowly set on the fairgrounds, where laughter and happiness reigned and rang out in the surrounding area.

They sat like this until the sun was almost gone and the dark sky was starting to show a few stars. Naruto and Hinata looked at each other and smiled warmly at each other. Music started to play from the stage as a concert began to start. Naruto and Hinata both smiled at each other as the first song slowly washed over them. They sat like this for an hour or so, enjoying the music performed at the concert.

Suddenly, an explosion occurred, startling both of them. A blaze of red light washed over the both of them as sparkles of red fizzled throughout the sky. Many more fireworks were fired in an awesome show of pyrotechnics. Hinata looked at Naruto, fully content and happy at how the day turned out. Naruto turned over to Hinata and smiled gently.

It was that moment… a simple moment… that a certain feeling spread between the two of them. It was not expected, nor was it planned. It just happened when they looked into each other’s eyes. That look in each other’s eyes was some kind of signal that told them that they were just right for each other. That signal was just something that connected the two together. In a moment, the two were interlocked by a kiss, their eyes closed. It was rather sloppy, as neither of them had any real experience, but it still had all the emotion and the love that any relationship could have.

They stayed like this for a few minutes, finally breaking off when the fireworks show had ended. They looked into each other’s eyes, an unspoken understanding complete between them. Together, they got up and walked back toward the inn, to prepare for the mission’s commencement on the next day. Hand in hand, they walked down the path, not knowing what the future may hold, but feeling deep in their hearts that they are there for each other no matter what.
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Author’s Notes: Well, pshew… not my best of works. I have trouble with romance. I am trying to write a novel, so, I guess that’s good practice. Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter. Next chapter won’t be so happy… that’s all I’ll say.