Akari Uchiha

Ch. 45 Girl Talk with the Mizukage

Everything sounded foggy as Akari slowly blinked her eyes open. She could feel her damp clothes and wet hair sticking to her face. She frowned in focus as she heard some voices and tried to make sense of them.

"The brat I trained just defeated the Mizukage's retainer!" that sounded like Takeo.

"You are supposedly the adult here," Shikamaru's voice drawled.

"Your general is glaring at you," Sara's voice hissed.

"Eh! Old man deserves the embarrassment," she could imagine Takeo grinning.

At first when she had met Takeo, he seemed exasperated with life. But recently she realized that it really depends on his mood.

"That's your general! Gosh I hate guys like you!" Sara's voice groaned.

"Hey! I'll have you know little girl ladies die on me!"

"Like the samurai Akari was talking about-"

"No! I told you she's just a friend!"

"...Why is this so troublesome."

She glanced to her side to see the other three people sitting on a mattress beside her. Wait... three... what happened to the evil toad?

Akari frowned, trying to sit up, before realizing something.

Last she saw, her sword was gone...

"HOLY SHIT!"

"That's how you wake up?" she heard a voice behind her and see Akio, dripping wet from head to toe.

"Since when does she curse?" Sara muttered.

"I'd laugh at you evil toad if I wasn't panicking because I can't find my-"

"Sword?" Akio interrupted, holding out a familiar white blade.

"YES!" Akari jumped up, grabbing the sword and hugging it.

"Is that even safe to do-"

"Ow!"

"Nope, it isn't safe to do."

"Hehe..." Akari rubbed the back of her head, before glancing at Akio. "Wait... did you go back to get my sword?" she grinned.

"Don't give me that look!" Akio took a few steps back, horrified. "You'd be whining about it later and it would annoy me!"

"Awww-"

"NO."

Akari pouted. "Fine. Whatever. I'll give your little sister a free treat for your unexpected kindness."

"Wait... shouldn't I be getting the treat instead of my-"

"Hehe your hair got some weed in it."

"... You short heighted annoying-"

"Hello."

All of them stopped short as Akari turned back feeling a presence behind her. She saw a blue dress hanging in front of her and tilted her head up to meet green eyes. She blinked at the woman of ankle-length auburn hair in a pattern that Akari found... unique, with four bangs at the front.

"...Hey!" Akari cheerfully greeted back, earning a smack on the back of her head by Akio.

"Short stuff, you're supposed to ask if they need anything instead of randomly giving cheerful greetings to strangers," he hissed.

"But she said hello!"

"But that doesn't mean she is here to chat with you!"

Suddenly both of them felt a hand wrapping itself around their mouths and holding them back.