Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Dry Ice ❯ Rain drops falling on my fort ( Chapter 9 )

Disclaimer: We do not own any of the Naruto characters, or any other characters and copyright entities mentioned in this story. We do own Vivian, Bibi, and Laura, this plot line, and all the books carried in their backpacks. UFOa is also copyrighted by us, the authors, along with anything to do with it or its members. We don’t own or mean to offend the Amish or any manufacturers of diary products. We also didn’t invent the triangle or any proofs related to it and we did not invent light sabers or the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Whew, this disclaimer is going to be a page long by the completion of this story. We also don’t own physics or the weather, though I wish I did have power over the whole weather thing. We did not invent combat boots, and we can not be blamed for using the word charka instead of chakra because Word automatically corrects it…grrrrrr.

Summary: “Who are those three girls and why did they appear in our rooms?” pondered Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi. They are on a mission, quest, thing of intelligence!

Italics denotes mental thoughts

A/N: We FINALLY got a new beta, and she said she would be happy to edit the chapters previous to this one and all other we come up with unless she dies in a freak lightning storm, so let’s hope that she doesn’t play golf on a rooftop during a hurricane. *runs up to her and hugs her so hard her eyes start to bulge slightly* We’ve made this chapter extra long in celebration for having 600 hits on mediaminer.org alone. ^_^ Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing. *hugs* If you want to check out some Naruto fan art you can go to our deviant art account at http://www.aikokakashi.deviantart.com

And due to recent events in the Naruto series and manga, we are reevaluating where we stand in the whole Naruto plot line and will promise to explain when we decide exactly when this is all occurring since we decided to try and keep the story a little more recent than what we had first decided on.

Chapter 9

“Well, the Hokage apparently sensed some sort of chakra well inside of you three, though since I don’t know how much, you’ll probably have to train to the point of collapse a few times to correctly measure your total amount of stamina and chakra,” Kakashi said with an easy almost excited air. If one didn’t know him, they might mistake his tone as actually looking forward to the collapse of the girls from hard training, though even if you did know him, you would guess the same thing.

He pulled out yet another orange book while saying “I guess you should first get a lesson on basic chakra tonight though.” He opened the book and immediately fell victim to its plot and graphical aids.

After a pregnant silence of staring into the multifaceted depths of the fire Vivian spoke up. “Um Kakashi, didn’t you say that you were going to explain chakra to us.”

The spell on the jounin was broken, however temporarily, as he resumed the use of motor skills. “Oh yes, Sakura, explain it to them.” With that, he was re-engrossed with the book in his hands.

“Hai Sensei!” Sakura responded, proud to show off her detailed knowledge.

“I don’t know how much or how little you know, so I guess I’ll start with the basics taught to the rest of us during our time in the academy. There are two sources of energy: stamina, which is like physical energy and chakra which is kind of like mental energy. Taijutsu uses pure stamina and is easier to control energy and direct, while Ninjutsu and Genjutsu use chakra.”

She paused, noticing Naruto also watching with trepid interest. No matter how many times he listened to teachers rant on and on about the matter, he never really listened, and hated the feeling he got when everyone told him he was stupid and blatantly ignored him.

Sasuke seemed to be all but invisible, quietly lurking in the shadows cast by the ethereal moon, fire reflecting off his almost black irises.

“Stamina is converted to chakra for many techniques but it cannot be transferred back.”

“Okay, so it is kind of like potential energy that becomes kinetic energy when released,” commented Bibi.

“Yes.”

“So, no stamina equals no chakra, which equals a dead shinobi,” said Laura in more simplistic terms that made Kakashi bite back a laugh at her bluntness.

“Yes. Now the hard part is controlling and using the chakra wisely. This requires a lot of training. You have to know the exact amount of chakra needed to execute a technique, or else it takes up too much stamina and you waste energy. Another obstacle to overcome is the issue of concentration. You have to concentrate to convert chakra, which is hard to do by itself, and even harder to do while in battle.”

She was calling up many valid points that would help all 6 of them if they actually applied what she was saying.

“Along with all this, you have to know the right hand seals for the desired technique which when paired with proper concentration allows you to convert your stamina into chakra.”

She paused again, tapping her lip with her pointer finger, mentally creating diagrams of chakra to explain her next lesson.

“That’s enough for tonight Sakura. You can lecture your young grasshoppers tomorrow,” broke in Kakashi.

“Soon you shall see the grasshopper becomes the teacher and the cycle continues Kakashi. Just wait, in no time you’ll be learning from us.” Laura said with a playful wink.

Her comment earned her an outright laugh from the jounin. “It will take you years to get to a level that even starts to resemble my skill.” He told her while patting her on the head as he stood up, making her in turn feel like a small child being laughed at by a parent.

“Tonight will be a warm muggy night. You all should be getting to bed, after all, 5 am comes early.” With that said, he jumped up into the tree to keep watch from a bird’s eye view.

“5?” Naruto yelled in utter disbelief that such a time actually existed in the morning.

“Yes Naruto, shut up so I can get to sleep,” Sakura said, hoping desperately to avoid a question and answer session with Naruto that he otherwise was sure to make.

With that said, she dragged her body towards the space on the ground she had cleared off earlier and sat, leaning her head against the tree trunk. Sasuke was already doing the same, but making sure to be far enough away from Sakura. Naruto curled up on the ground, after all, one patch of dirt is as good as any, and the three girls remaining made way to their raincoat fortress.

It was a “slightly” muggy night with a hanging moisture that you could almost taste if you stuck out your tongue for long enough, though you would probably also receive a mouthful of bugs as well, but who doesn’t need a little extra protein?

As Laura lay still awake, she heard the paced breathing of Bibi and the slightly louder sound of Vivian’s breaths beside her, her mouth partially ajar. Her eyes were fully adjusted to the blanket of darkness that engulfed them, but all she was staring at was the canvas of the raincoat above her.

What a boring day, though it beats going to my classes back home. There’s only so much precalculus and I can take in a lifetime, I don’t know why Bibi enjoys math so much. Home, what is my home now? Am I supposed to forget everyone and everything that happened on Earth and adopt all new customs and friends here? I have all these thoughts bouncing between my ears like one of those super bouncy balls you get out of a machine for a couple of quarters. I don’t know what I would have done if it weren’t for Bibi and Vivian being in this with me. I guess I really don’t have too much to miss back on Earth. Bibi and Vivian were my only good friends, sure I had others, but they were like acquaintances. I’m going to be up all night if I can’t stop thinking.

Plop Plop

The first drops of good old H2O hit the raincoats, causing them to echo and run down the water resistant sides of raincoats.

“Clear mind is like the full moon in the sky. Sometimes clouds come and cover it, but the moon is always behind them. Clouds go away, then the moon shines brightly. So don't worry about clear mind: it is always there. When thinking comes, behind it is clear mind. When thinking goes, there is only clear mind. Thinking comes and goes, comes and goes, You must not be attached to the coming or the going.” I don’t know where I’ve heard the quote, but it must have been buried in the depths of my mind, laying dormant, waiting to be evoked.

The saying clamed Laura’s mind as she drifted slowly from the shores of consciousness, only to be yanked back by a string of choice words from Naruto.

God, I apparently won’t be getting any sleep tonight even with the lulling sound of rain. Wait a second, rain!…..Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke and Kakashi must be getting wet!

Laura carefully got up, balanced herself in a crouched position, exited their waterproof tent and made her way out side. Raindrops fell around her, leaving water marks on her clothes and making her hair stick to her face.

“Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto.” They were all awake and turned to look at her. “Come into the tent, getting sick from staying out in the rain all night will only hold you back in training.”

In a flash, Naruto was already in the tent and arranging himself in a fetal position. Sakura walked up to Laura, her bubblegum pink hair stringy and limp from the rain. “Thank you” she said in a quiet voice as Laura just smiled back at her.

Sasuke still sat with his back against a tree, water dripping down his face. “You know Sasuke, if you get sick, that means you won’t be able to train, and then you’ll never be able to get strong enough to beat Itachi.” Laura knew how to push his buttons, so taking a slight blow to his ego, he got up and moved into the tent.

Kakashi watched the exchange silently from a spot in a different tree than before. Maybe this enlarged team will work out after all.

“Quit lurking in the tree Kakashi and get your behind down here and into that tent,” she said pointedly, eyeing the foliage that was covering his presence.

He hopped down and landed in front of her so quickly that she took a step back, but caught her mistake and tried to cover it up by stepping closer to him and poking him in the chest. “You have horrible stealth for an ex-ANBU member.”

“And you’re one to talk? At your current skill level, Konohamaru could probably beat you” he countered.

Defeated, she said “whatever Kakashi, stay outside in the rain, catch pneumonia and die for all I care. It’s too late to argue over anything if you don’t have enough common sense to stay out of the rain.”

She turned and took a step away from him.

“Now you really don’t mean that Laura, and you’re right, it would be stupid of me to pass up a chance to sleep with you again.”

She whipped her head around, her hair fanning out and spraying water everywhere. Lightning lit up the sky and her face, shining into her glaring eyes. “Egotistical male!”

He motioned for her to go into the tent first and they both struggled to find enough room to house their long limbs. The raincoat fortress looked more like a can of ninja sardines than anything else, but at least they were all dry and starting to accept each other.

Kakashi shifted towards a warm body, the only source of warmth in the near vicinity, to fend off the cold nip of the night.

Hours later birds chorused, rousing the forest from its peaceful slumbering. Something or someone moved, making Kakashi instantly alert. A trained eye snapped open and his body became tense. There was no sign of sleep or weariness in the muscles of his body. He had a figure held captive in his arms. Said figure shifted against his bindings, so he tightened his grip. Warmth penetrated through the layers of clothes and reached his skin, sending goosebumps up and down his arms from the temperature difference. A figure from behind gave him a sharp elbow in the back that he couldn’t deflect since his hands were full. He snapped his head to the side to get a visual of his attacker; the sleeping form of Vivian, and his captive upon closer inspection was Laura.

He loosened his grip on her, but didn’t let go altogether. It was comfortable. Not the literal feeling of comfort, because who could be comfortable sharing a single raincoat tent with 6 other people, but one of those comforts where time slows and one couldn’t help but smile. Most spend their entire lives attempting to create this comfort and never succeed. It was a comfort that only another human being could bring, but was she the right human to gibe him that comfort that he so suddenly so desperately wanted? What would the rest of the team say if they found out his feelings for her? Sure, he liked the girl, but did she reciprocate the feelings that were currently coursing through his body? He weaved a web of flirtation and teasing, but could she see past it to his heard?

Damn it, I must have too much free time to be thinking of something as silly as this. I almost miss the ANBU assignments that took up all my thoughts and left no time to spend pondering about such matters as this.

Hell, I’m her sensei for god’s sake!

Kakashi shook his head at himself while still deciding if he should remove his arms from around her form. He could take them away and forget it ever happened or leave them there, causing her to be embarrassed in the morning, call him a pervert and start off the day’s rounds of banter… but he didn’t want to lose the comfort and closeness. Just a little longer. Just a little longer until he will surely be pushed away and kept at an arm’s length from her. From Laura.

He looked down at her as she nestled into his embrace, still asleep as he laid there awake. His decision made; he stayed with his arms around her, acting like her life sized stuffed animal.

As the sun rose, so did Naruto, team 7’s own personal orb of energy and cheerfulness.

“Kakashi-sensei,” a groggy voice called, “you lied. You said it was going to be a nice night, but we got rained on and now practically frozen into shinobi popsicles.”

By this time Naruto had awoken everyone else in the raincoat fortress and his eyes went wide as he looked more closely at his teacher. “Why are you holding onto Laura?”

Kakashi looked at Laura, waiting to see the telltale signs of embarrassment appear on her cheeks. He wasn’t sure what was worse, the fact it never came, or the fact she was wearing a smirk on her face. This was an unexpected turn of events.

She stuck out her bottom lip in a pout and made her eyes water. “You just couldn’t keep your hands off me until we were alone. You didn’t even ask if I was interested. I don’t even want to know what might have happen if all of them weren’t in the tent with us.” She sniffed for the added effect of drama. “You are an inconsiderate egotistical bastard.”

Finishing her performance, she flung open the side of the tent and walked into the woods. Her shock tactics were good, Kakashi admitted to himself, but he would have his revenge when she least expected it.

Vivian looked at Sasuke who had his feet stuck out straight, arms supporting his upper body, as he leaned back slightly to get a better view of the exchange between Laura and Kakashi. It wasn’t that he was particularly interested in watching the two of them, but who could ignore some amusement that even made Naruto shut up. (Apparently the blond boy too was slightly intrigued.)

Sasuke looked up and met Vivian’s eyes. His black pupils were devoid of emotion and practically unreadable; he was either too tightly bottled up inside or was trained to project nothing but a cold, harsh, and emotionless demeanor. She quickly looked down with a slight blush, hoping that he wouldn’t say anything about her stare; God only knew, he didn’t need any more fan girls.

Bibi was torn between going after Laura or waiting for her to come back on her own. She was a big girl after all, but she still couldn’t help but worry about her friend. She whipped her head towards the direction of Vivian and then again towards the forest, causing her hair to fan out and almost hit Naruto across the face. She nodded her head, her decision was made. She started to get up to follow after Laura when Kakashi’s arm shot out before she even realized it. She teetered precariously on the balls of her toes.

“Stay.” He said tersely.

She nodded her head again and lowered her head in submission. That made the decision to follow far easier.

“We don’t need two foolish people running around the forest.”

“Are you guys going to stay in that tent all day?” called a distant voice resounded.

Kakashi looked up. Just past the grass coated in a light frost that seemed to fan out in a circle from their cleared campsite. Laura was walking up with a bundle of dried wood. The frozen grass crunched slightly under her sandals as she walked up to the remnants of the last night’s fire and stacked the wood with careful precision. “Would you do the honors Sasuke?”

“Fine” was all the reply that came from him before he was spewing fire.

Bibi then said something that could only be described as music to Naruto’s ears and stomach alike, “You ready for breakfast?”

His ears would have perked up if he had been an animal such as a rabbit, but instead his stomach grumbled loudly. He got up to head for the fire, took a step and as his sandal came into contact with the ground, it skimmed right over it and up into the air. Arms waving in attempt to balance, he felt a hand on his shoulder steady him. Kakashi was his savior, well at least his savior from dew. The fire Sasuke had produced heated the surrounding area enough for the frost on the grass to melt into dew, creating a slick surface for clumsy ninjas like Naruto to fall on.

Naruto was still eating his fish off the stick it was cooked on while Bibi and Laura were fencing with their barren skewers. Sasuke was unreadable as always and Vivian was finishing the remnants of her fishy breakfast.

“Kakashi-sensei, what are we going to do today” Inquired Sakura, always wanting to know the plan of action ahead of time, and happy that they were on this trip because otherwise they’d all be waiting for him to show up.

“You, Sasuke, and Naruto are going to work on taijutsu while I test the girls.” He had once again eaten his fish in remarkable time without anyone ever getting a glimpse of his face. Heck, at the rate he downed food, it wouldn’t be surprising if he suffered from severe heart burn or died from food being caught in his throat.

Sasuke tossed his stick over his shoulder as he stood up. “Come on Naruto, Sakura, there’s a clearing a couple of yards away where we can practice.” Sakura got up and stretched lethargically. She smoothed out the wrinkles in her dress and followed along after him. Naruto followed while finishing his fish off of the stick and he too threw it behind him, his back to the campfire where everyone else was still sitting. The stick flew through the air, heading towards the fire where it would become a source of energy for its slowly dying embers. Vivian’s hand snatched it midair before it could be swallowed and engulfed by the flames.

“Nice catch” said a masculine voice, obviously Kakashi’s.

“Thanks, we ready to go?”

“Hai, follow me.”

He walked off with his trademark posture, a slight slouch, one hand shoved into his pocket, and one had cradling his orange bound prized possession of a book.

Bibi, Vivian, and Laura hung back, putting some distance between themselves and Kakashi, wanting to have a sense of privacy when they talked even if he could plainly hear what they were saying. It was just one of those inexplicable things people unconsciously do.

“What do you think he’s going to make us do, and for that matter what kind of a test is this going to be?” Vivian was stressing slightly over their pending ordeal.

Bibi shrugged. Who knew what them man has up his sleeves? After all, there was nothing said in the manga or anime show about this, so their knowledge of the future of Naruto was currently useless.

“Well, we know right off the bat that he’s not going to make us do any jutsus or anything with chakra molding since it hasn’t been taught to us yet. We will most likely do taijutsu stuff since it’s pretty much the only thing we’re capable of” interjected Laura while she pulled her hair back into a braid with deft hands and practiced ease. Light shone down through the mesh of leaves from the trees above, making the top of her hair shine a golden hue until she walked under the shadows.

“Well you know how to dwarf our abilities while still trying to ease our minds, which by the way, you didn’t help at all, though what you said does make sense. I just hope he doesn’t pull that thousand years of pain thing on one of us” said Vivian. The three shuddered simultaneously but followed their actions up with a smile and a laugh, remembering how much fun they had when watching Naruto at Laura’s house on her computer. Unbeknown to them, Kakashi was listening and smirked underneath his mask at the mention of the move he pulled on Naruto during the bell test. That is one move that Naruto will never forget.

Kakashi stopped abruptly. He tucked his book into one of the pouches on his vest and made sure that the snap secured it. His eyes scanned their surroundings. Trees were staggered in a semi-circle, perfect for targets that the girls could later practice throwing kunais and spinning stars at. The ground was slightly uneven and had some scraggy rocks sporadically placed upon it. It would do nicely for his purposes and the distance from Konoha was enough for them to not be disturbed, but close enough for them to quickly get back inside the gates of the village if something were to arise.

He turned to face his pupils. Vivian was looking up through the thin mask of trees to the endless blue sky as clouds lazily drifted on an unseen river of air. Laura stood staring back at him with her arms crossed under her chest, waiting for him to take the initiative and say something. Her eyebrow quirked up as he continued to hold her gaze, he was steadfast in his intent at analyzing the trio before he began. She let out a sigh and rolled her eyes at him. Bibi was running a hand through her layered hair causing it to cascade down from her fingertips and frame her face as she shifted her weight from one foot to another. She scanned the area, mapping its features and coordinates on mental blueprints.

He had decided who his first target would be.

“Bibi, come at me with the intent to kill.” His eyes were blank as if he said something that would be considered normal thoughtless conversation such as ‘hello, how are you doing today?’

She stood still, her eyes watered slightly and something triggered a mental relay.

~~~~~~ FLASHBACK~~~~~~~~

A man in his late twenties, possibly older with a stone hardened and leather rough looking face devoid of laugh lines stood before her. His fiery red orange hair was the only prominent color in the room that was barren save the man and some blue mats piled in a corner. His jaw was locked and face set stern, but the freckles splayed across the bridge of his nose and his cheeks helped to soften his look. Emerald green eyes shone of a fierce inner strength while his muscled arms and toned body told of outer strength. The white terrycloth robe and pants he wore looked incongruous as he stood with a straight back and a chin held high as he as he spoke.

“Come at me with the intent to kill.”

He paused not hearing a response.

“Don’t make me repeat an order twice.”

His baritone voice held an edge to it that was hard to place but could make even the most seasoned soldier cower in their combat boots.

~~~~~ END FLASHBACK ~~~~~~~

A brief message from the beta……….

Well, chapter nine is beta-ed (I’m not sure if that’s a word, so I’ll just claim it is and go along with it.), several earlier chapters will also be beta-ed when my classes give lower levels of HW (AP exams in May!)

Well, as you know, I’m the new beta, but I’ve been listening to this story unfold for some time, in the hallways…on the phone…in between plot bunnies…I’ve even dropped in some ideas and poked fun at appropriate intervals. This story is a constant work in progress...and then it reaches me and my homework overload and the whole system backs until I finally get time, or the “frozen fan girls” print out the latest chapter from me to beta during school. (I get the feeling delays will be mostly my fault in the future.) But I pledge to beta to the best of my abilities (chakra, not charka, girls.) and not go golfing on a rooftop during a hurricane.

This is the spear chucker beta signing off….