Kusari no Naruto

Twenty First Link

Naruto was up bright an early. He was used to the practice, both as a holdover from ANBU, and as a generally healthy habit. It got him into the mission office before everyone else, save for maybe Gai, and gave him more of the day to train, fight, and do the things he enjoyed. Recently, he had a new addition to that list; waking up Haku in new and hilarious ways. He had always thought himself the classical kind of sadist, taking delight in the very visceral pain of others. However, seeing his roommate scream as she woke up, dangling out of a window, was a very different kind of fun.

Jiraiya on the on the other hand, was not.

He made that abundantly clear as he strolled up to the gate two hours after Naruto arrived.

"You're late." There was an edge to the blond's otherwise flat tone. He wasn't one of those people that desperately despised being kept waiting, he always found ways to amuse himself, but he didn't exactly enjoy it either.

"Or, you're just obscenely early," Jiraiya riposted with a yawn. "I mean seriously, these hours are supposed to be for the cockerels and the bowl-cuts; who willingly subjects themselves to this?"

"People with a paid mission to do."

There was a bead of silence.

"I am getting paid for this right?"

Jiraiya grinned. It was one of the most insincere expressions Naruto had ever seen. "Of course! What's more valuable than getting time to spend with yours truly?"

Naruto held his gaze for all of two seconds before turning on a heel and stalking off, back towards the Hokage tower to get a real mission.

"Wait kid, wait. Okay, I was just joking, you'll get paid. Jeez. Like you couldn't do one thing out the kindness of your heart."

"What heart?"

"Fair point. Okay, well, an old man's life is at risk here."

"You're more concerned with the risk that you'll get stuck with the hat," Naruto shot back, still walking away.

"Well, that goes without saying. I mean, can you honestly say you want somebody like me as Hokage?"

That made Naruto pause, and after a moment's thought he rolled his eyes and changed direction towards the gate. "Let's just get this over with." He gave Izumo and Kotetsu a nod as he passed, only receiving shaky half-smiles in return.

He'd had to amuse himself for two hours somehow.

"It hurts that that's the reason that makes you come along," Jiraiya grumbled childishly as he jogged to catch up. "Wow, for a shrimp you set a hell of a pace with those legs."

Naruto's eye twitched but he said nothing. If anything, he only sped up.

"Seriously Gaki, if you're gonna play the mute act for this entire trip, what's even the point of coming?"

"Good question." Naruto shot back, turning on a heel only to get picked up by the scruff of the neck and turned around again.

"Okay, I walked into that one. But if you despise my presence so much, why even agree to come?"

"You mean, aside from my lack of choice?"

"Well, yeah."

"Fighting Tsunade of the Sannin sounds fun."

The absolutely deadpan of his tone threw Jiraiya for a moment, actually pausing him in the middle of the road. It passed a moment later as he burst into hysterics, having to support himself on one knee as he pointed at Naruto and laughed until his sides hurt.