Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ The Plan ❯ Chapter Seven: Preparation for Festivities ( Chapter 7 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

The Plan

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto...

Note: This was originally set a year after Sasuke left in the manga, except I decided (as I had only done it to age characters that I didn't know had already aged) that it is set a few month afterwards...

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Chapter 7: Preparation for Festivities

AKA: Costumed by Lanternlight, Part One

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"I REFUSE-" screamed Ino, stopiing to sneeze. "I REFUSE-"

Sneeze. "TO STAY-"

Sneeze. "IN BED ALL-"

SNEEZE. "DAY!!" Ino screamed through her snuffles and sneezes. Her mother patted her on the back. "Ino, you're staying home today, and sleeping. Naruto-kun, could you pick up some milk, and some medicine for Ino?" she called back. Mrs. Yamanaka was getting used to the boy living in her house.

"Sure, Yamanaka-san!" he called back. Although she'd been a bit stiff at first, she had loosened quickly. Ino's parents, he decided, were sorta like Iruka-sensei... they seemed to accept him as a person, after living with him for a week. He'd be sad to leave in three weeks, when his punishment was up...

"Oh well... Sakura-chan! Sasuke! Hey!" Naruto waved at the two from across the street. Starting to move closer, but stoped when Sasuke started glaring at him. "Anou.... Sorry, Sakura-chan, but I need Ino's medicine! See you in a bit!" he yelled over, and ran off.

~

"Sasuke... Why'd you do that?" Sakura asked him, looking up athis face. "You scared Naruto off, and he didn't do anything..."

Sasuke just 'hmph'd

"Besides, I think Naruto has a thing for Ino... Can't you see it?" she asked him, tugging on his shirt.

Another bored 'hmph' made its way from Sasuke's mouth.

Sakura frowned. "I think it's cute..."

~~~

Walking out of the pharmacy, Naruto looked up, and something landed in his eye. "Oah!" he called out a strangled, surprised noise. More white flakes were falling...

"Snow!" Naruto called. "It's snow!"

"Yahoo!" he yelled, stashing the medicine in the milk bag and running home (At least, home for now...) smiling. Bursting through the door, he yelled, "IT'S SNOWING!"

"Naruto-kun... please don't yell..." Inoshi Yamanaka said from the hallway, scratching his head. "I'm off to see Shikato and Chomaru!" he yelled over his shoulder, and when his wife respnded positively, he headed out. Naruto proceeded to Ino's bedroom, where her mother was kneeled beside her. Naruto gave her the medicine, and Ino drank it with a cup of water.

Ino coughed a little, then looked up at Naruto. "You look happy..." she said, grumpily. Ino didn't like being sick. It was rare, but it happened, and it was a nuisance.

"Snow!" he grinned, glowing... Then, his face fell. "You don't like snow, Ino?"

"No..." Ino said, glowering, and glaring out the window at the soft white flakes falling serenely. "It's so cold, and it messes up my hair, and I always slip and fall.... Plus, I've had some bad days in winter.... Snowball fights, snowdrifts..."

"But it's so.... cool!" Naruto argued weakly, starting to wonder WHY he liked winter. "And it barely ever happens..."

"The only good thing about it..." Ino muttered, shivering slightly. "It's the only thing I hate more than stupid, psychotic Sasuke fangirls..."

Ino was puzzled when Naruto broke into insane giggles of laughter, and eventually strating to go purple in the face for lack of air. Ino, puzzled, shook her head and sighed. She wasn't just another fangirl: She was his TRUE LOVE!

"YEAH!" She yelled, shooting her fist in the air excitedly.

Naruto stopped laughing and looked at Ino in confusement... Then, it looked like something dawned on him. "Ino... Lanternlight festivals in a few days.... You got a costume?"

Lanternlight Festival was one of Konoha's most popular nights. Everyone would dress up in a costume, and make a paper lantern with a design on it. Then, they would go out into the streets, where things like vendors, shows and dances would happen all over the huge village. It also acted as a sort of pre-festival, leading up to the Grand Winter Festival that Konoha had every year. It was a day of peace sand villagewide leisure - Even those who ran vendors only worked in shifts. The holiday's origin's were strange: Long ago, an important daimyo had come to the village for protection, but wished to walk free. In order to help him, the Hokage devised a stunning plan: start a festival where everyone was costumed as someone else. So when the daimyo was attacked, hopefully it wouldn't be the daimyo at all, but a ninja disguised. The daimyo himself was disguised as the Hokage, the one person that would not be attacked under any circumstances for fear it wasn't the daimyo but the real thing. Now, though, it was just a time to celebrate and have fun.

Ino looked sat Naruto. "Of course I have a costume! I made it myself, and I have to say it's the most exqusite thing I've ever seen, made by me or others. If I wasn't a noinja, I'd have been a perfect designer. You, I have a feeling, are costumeless?" She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm sure I could whip something up..."

"Nope, Ino, I've got something, don't worry!" Naruto waved his hands hurriedly in front of him. He knew the kind of thing she'd turn up with...

"Oh..." Ino, who had brightened, faded slightly. Naruto didn't notice.

~~~

Ino slowly climbed the steep path to quick recovery, taking her medicine every few hours to dull her headache. She also seemed to feel that Naruto deserved to be constantly out doing errands. Every time hde knocked on the door, she belted out another instruction. He would burst in without knocking, except he didn;t want to surprise her while she might be dressing or something...

Shaking his head, he pondered on things she'd send him out to get. Did Ino REALLY need two bins of light pink fabric? A small fortune in ribbons? A can of real-looking pearls? And what exactly was in the box he'd picked up for her at the metalworkers!? 'Custom Order' it had said... Did this have to do with her costume? She really did splurge...

Naruto knocked quietly on the door. Hearing nothing, he touched the doorknob...

"Naruto! I need my gloves from Hokane!" she yelled at him through the door. He sighed, and turned around, heading to the door...

~~~~~~

Finally, that night, Ino emerged from her room, smiling happily as she walked down the hall to the bathroom. Naruto was out, so she didn't have to worry abvout him showering forever, so,... Turning the small brass know, she slipped inside and breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew..."

Her hand wandered to her ponytail, seizing the end of the ribbon and pulling, making the hair fall to her shoulder. Brushing her signature overhang top the side, she looked in the mirror and smiled. It was time to wash away the sickness!

The water turned on...

After twenty minutes, she shook her head and smiled. Then, she took on of her longer hairs, and stuck it into her mouth to see if it was rinsed. Pulling it out, she rinsed that particular hair a little more thoroughly, then stepped out, wrapping a towel around herself. She gave a little inward laugh... Today was the day, the Festival... And she was going to give it her best shot! Grabbing a hairbrush, she started to brush her hair... Time for a new style...

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Naruto sat in the square, looking around at all the people wandering around. Nobody had gotten their costume on yet... Ah! There was a Yondaime! And an Ero-sennin! Naruto didmn't want to be last, so he ran back to Ino's (and temporarily, his) house, and rushed into his room. Digging uinder the bed, he pulled out the hand-made costume...

Running out, he stopped at Ino's closed door, and knocked. "Ino, you gonna come?"

"Yeah, Naruto, I'm coming..." Naruto heard Ino sighed, seeming frustrated. "I just have to get changed..."

"Okay!" he said, "I'll wait for you in the park!" Then, rushing down the hall, he skipped into the kitchen. Yamanaka-san looked up at Naruto (She was leaning down, taking something from the fridge...). "Naruto-kun! I got some cookies for the bake table, could you bring it over there? Not the Owari one, the smaller one near the park. Could you handle that?"

"Sure!" Naruto said cheerfully. He would have gladly risked his life for the woman who had so readily accepted him as temporary family. She seemed easily surprised that he was courteous, because he didn't seem to have much experiance, but both had come off good, if a little awkward. As Naruto headed off with the big plate of cookies and his lantern, he felt her clip something on his waist. "For anything you might wanna get..."

So, a thoroughly happy Naruto walked out into the streets. He was immediately confrointed with a strange group. A young girl with long blond hair and a diamond on her head, a bowl-headed thick-browed jounin his age that looked remarkably like both Lee and Gai, and a serious looking Hyuuga male wearing familiar clothes, also his age. They were led by someone that was obviously Gai-sensei... So the others were?

The girl smiled. "Hey, Hokage-sama, I'm Tsunade! Nice to meet you!" She proffered a hand to him, and he could recognise her voice. Obviously Tenten, with dyed hair. She looked at the Hyuuga. "Neji, don't be so rude!"

"Hn," Neji said, obviously himself... But wait... the Whiye Hyuuga eyes were contacts! Now that he had an idea, Naruto guessed 'Neji's real identity, oooking at the shape of his body. Which would mean...

"Yoshi! Ahoy, Hokage-sama!" Lee almost yelled, jumping up in the air, then running over to shake Naruto's hand. Lee's voice had a slightly gutteral lilt to it, and it would be strange of Lee mnot to dress up... Now, Naruto had to wonder: How did Tenten get the two to dress up as eachother?

Natruto nodded to each, using a gruff voice. "Hyuga-kun, Tsunade-chan, Lee-kun" he said, enjoying himself. HE was to only Sandaime around! Beat THAT, little Yondaime clones!

Lee seemed to silently glower, Neji's eyes widened, and Tsunade feigned ignorance. Naruto had nodded to them in the wrong direction... or so it seemed. He's nodded to 'Lee' first, then to 'Neji', obviously showing he'd guessed their identities. Mostly that was the fun part, guessing who was who. Naruto seemed to have fooled them...

"Dobe..." Someone smacked him over the head. He whirled around... And there was Sasuke, smirking his pompous, arrogant- Wait a second... Sasuke looked feminine, but not THAT feminine...

Naruto was stumped. What girl would dress up as Sasuke? The hint was the brilliant green eyes... Sakura-chan! Naruto had to restrain himself from yelling it out. He smiled, nodded, and said, "Sorry, Uchiha-kun, but I must take these to the bake sale near the park. I promised Yamanaka-chan..."

"Ahhh... Permission to accompany you, Hokage-sama!" 'Sasuke' saluted, and held his breath.

"At ease, Uchiha. Alright, you can come..." Naruto gave that little smile Sandaime always gave when he was amused. The old geezer hadn't been that bad...Making his way through the streets, he recognised a few... Then he caught an odd sight.

Team consisted of Hinata, Shino, Kiba and Kurenai-sensei. It looked the same... or did it? Shino's hair looked a little... blue? And since when was Kiba taller than his teacher? Hinata's hair was a bit short, and Kurenai was WAY too short, and had WAY too much lipstick. Sasuke, beside him, stifled a giggle at the odd sight, then remembered his 'personality'.

They walked until they reached the bake table, then Naruto dropped off the cookies and he and 'Sasukura' (As Naruto thought of him/her) parted ways. Naruto walked along the rows of vendors, occasionally looking at something with interest. Stopping once, and looking at something with wonder, he beheld something he coveted - a beautiful little figurine of a wolf, carved into stone, painted to look almost real. Naruto smiled at this, purchased it with some spare money and placed it in the bag Yamanaka-san gave him. He heard the jingle, and reached in, feeling around. He felt a good amount of Yen, and a set of housekeys... She trusted him much more than he had thought! He heard gasps coming from behind him. Probably a nice costume... He turned...

And gasped with everyone else...

=To be continued=


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Heh... I hope you're satisfied with this chapter, or part of it. I was ghoing to finish writing this scene, but it works better in two parts...

Next, on The Plan!

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Revelations
Costumed by Lanternlight, Part 2


"Sasuke...I've always loved you, ever since I first saw you. It may seem like a false idea, but it's true... My heart speaks louder than my eyes..." Ino saqid, eyes rapturous as she looked at the boy.

"Te," Sasuke said, with a little bitterness. "Ironic that you speak of the heart and love, when you come rushing up to me the moment my girlfriend leaves my side. Ino, you disgust me. There's nothing more to it..."

Ino's eyes widened as she watched Sasuke walk off into the darkness of the outer hills...

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Next time! Watch as everything changes, as my perfect timeline for this story becomes obselete! See you next chapter!

-Alden-san, bringer of many pairings that include Ino!