Naruto:Making Of A Hokage

Busy Lives

Fu wasn't the kind of person to care about where she lived but Naruto had to be kidding if he thought that all the jinchuuriki could live in what remained of Whirlpool. When he had told her that the village needed some repairing because of damage from war, she hadn't expected such destruction. The only thing left standing was a building, the rest was rubble.
"I can see this place recovering though it'll be costly even without the workers we don't have," Utakata commented as he stood with Fu on the entrance to the only remaining building.
Fu let out a sigh as she emerged the scroll containing Naruto's instruction, "Maybe he left something about it here. I'm sure he's not dumb enough to just forget about it."
Utakata shrugged and leaned against the building's wall, "We cannot stay here for long though. The Akatsuki might be hunting one of the others at this very moment."
"I know, we should leave today since I doubt there'll be anywhere to sleep here anyway," she pocketed the first scroll and took out another containing a map. Utakata raised from his spot and approached the map, pointing at the Fire Nation's eastern shore.
"We could probably find a place to rest there and find some information on the others."
"What makes you say that?" Fu asked with a raised brow.
"A lot of trade happens in areas like that, meaning that there's a lot of people there," Utakata explained calmly, "I'm sure that there's at least someone to have heard about a jinchuuriki there."
Fu nodded firmly, "Then it's settled. We should contact Naruto tomorrow though, I wanna know what he's planned for Whirlpool."
With that the two left the destroyed village, heading to where they had left their 'borrowed' boat.
Naruto panted slightly, sweat trailing down the side of his face and eyes brimming in excitement. In front of him stood Tayuya in a battle stance similar to his own.
"Looks like you got the basics down," he spoke with a grin, "I can't teach you all of it though. If someone I know saw you use it then I'll be in trouble, besides, you know enough to make it into your own style.
Tayuya eased her stance, crossing her arms and giving him a smirk, "I didn't want to copy your style anyway. The way I see it, it's full of openings and you're lucky I still have this shackle on or you'd be picking your teeth from the floor."
Naruto chuckled, used to her somewhat crude remarks, "You talk a lot for a whimpering mess of a kunoichi."
"You said you'd never bring it up again!" She glared and clenched her fists, "Looks like I have to bring you down a couple of notches."
"Oh really? How exactly is someone weaker than me supposed to do that?"
Tayuya smirked. "I wanna go out to eat, we've been sparring for a while," she fought the urge to laugh when seeing Naruto pale. The idiot had apparently forgotten about their bet, "I feel like something… expensive..? Yeah, why not? Let's go somewhere where I can get my fill but at the same time empty your wallet."
Naruto grumbled something under his breath, making the kunoichi chuckle.
"What's the matter Shithead? You lost a bet, act like a man and accept it."
He crossed his arms, looking away with a scowl, "I do accept it, I just don't like it."
With that the two made their way out of their usual training spot, quickly reaching the Konoha streets after a quick jog. It was a great day in the village and Naruto couldn't help but smile a bit more when seeing a few people wave and smile in his direction. Among the people was a very shocked kunoichi with pink hair, green eyes radiating a silent anger as she quickly approached her teammate and the girl he was walking with that was not Ino.
"Hi Naruto! It's been a while," she greeted with a forced smile, gaining the attention of the two.
"Oh, hey Sakura," Naruto greeted with a friendly smile while the girl next to him crossed her arms and glared at the unknown kunoichi.
"I haven't really seen you in a while, where have you been?" Sakura asked before giving the red haired girl a quick look and adding, "And who's this?"
Naruto glanced at Tayuya before turning back to his teammate, "This is Tayuya, she's a…" He stopped momentarily, not knowing what to call the girl with him. As cold as it sounded, she had been an assignment at first but he had grown somewhat attached to her and he was sure it was the same for her judging by how they joked around when alone. He remained quiet for a bit more before grinning, "She's a friend."
Tayuya looked at him in momentary surprise before turning her attention back to the stranger, "That's right, who are you anyway?"
Sakura frowned at her tone and narrowed her eyes, "I'm Sakura, Naruto's teammate and also a friend of his
girlfriend."
"That's cute," Tayuya spat before smirking, "I've never met this friend of yours in all the time Naruto and I have been spending together , but tell her I said hello."
Naruto noticed the tension in the air and took hold of Tayuya's shoulders before pushing her away with him. "Sorry Sakura," he smiled sheepishly, "But we're going somewhere to eat. I'll see you later."
Sakura tried to respond but couldn't as her teammate and Tayuya walked off, the latter turning back with a victorious smirk. The medic ninja had no idea what was going on or where Naruto had found his little friend but she was sure that it meant trouble for Ino. The idiot was naturally friendly and, despite having a girlfriend, still a bit dense which was a terrible combination.
"I have to tell Ino what's going on," Sakura muttered to herself in worry about what the news would cause. Ino and Naruto hadn't seen each other in over a week, something she had heard Ino complain about, add to the mix a new girl that is a bit too friendly with Naruto, and you got yourself a time bomb. The medic was adamant in stopping it. She had seen how happy Ino and Naruto were together and she wouldn't let it end because of some bitch.
With that in mind, Sakura walked off in the direction of Ino's home.
' Okay, tell her about it in the most nonchalant way possible,' Sakura told herself. She was currently standing just outside of the Yamanaka Flower Shop and was going over things before taking action. 'She just has to know before something happens between them, that girl has a thing for him no doubt.'
With a nod to herself, Sakura entered the shop, hearing the familiar chime of a bell.
"Welcome to- Sakura? What are you doing here?" Ino asked from behind the counter. It was usual for Sakura to visit but she usually came at a much later time.
"I ran into Naruto not too long ago," she spoke with a fake smile.
Ino cocked her head to the side, "… And?"
"Oh, well…" Sakura trailed off, suddenly unsure of how to go about things. "Well, he was walking around the village with a girl I didn't know and was hoping you could tell me who she was," she finally told her.
"A girl you don't know?" Ino repeated mostly to herself, wondering if there was actually a friend of Naruto's that Sakura didn't know. "What did she look like?"
"She had long red hair and an angry glare," she replied, looking a bit thoughtful, "Those were the things that struck out the most."
"I'll talk to him later," Ino spoke after a momentary silence, watching over Sakura with a bit of curiosity. "You really didn't have to go out of your way to tell me," she earned a look of surprise from her friend, "Lighten up Sakura, they were just walking around… Seriously, it's like you're more worried about it than me."
Sakura looked at her friend in wonder, "Right… Well, I have to get going."
"I'll see you later," Ino smiled as her friend left before frowning just as the medic left the shop.
Who was she kidding? Of course it worried her. She hadn't seen Naruto ever since they spent the night together and now he was being seen with some random girl she didn't know.
She knew that Naruto wouldn't try anything but she wasn't so sure about the unknown girl. They needed to have a talk, not just about this girl, but about everything. It seemed like a while since she had last been with him.
"Alright," she muttered to herself, "I'll see him tonight."
He fucked up.
Naruto knew that for a fact as he and Tayuya hurried down the path leading to the probation rooms. The sun had set some time ago and the two had been too engrossed in their conversation to pay attention to the time. They were past her curfew by at least half an hour and he was ready to take the blame, it had been his duty to watch the time after all.
He only hoped that Tsunade wouldn't–
"Crap," he grumbled when seeing Tsunade standing in front of the large probation building where Tayuya was staying.
The Fifth Hokage had her arms crossed, eyes narrowing at the sight of Naruto and the former prisoner. "Tell me Naruto, why am I here?" She frowned deeply as the blond averted her eyes, "Well?"
Tayuya frowned at the exchange and looked at Naruto in concern, the shithead would sometimes talk about his dreams of becoming Hokage and how he was getting recognition. She knew that this little violation of a curfew wouldn't be enough to stain his record but she couldn't help but want to help the guy out. Spending time with him was great, even though she would never admit it, and if it hadn't been for her then he wouldn't have gotten in trouble.
Her eyes burned in determination as she took a step forward to stand between Shithead and the Hokage. "It wasn't the guy's fault, I made a run for it in the forest and the idiot couldn't find me," she scoffed, "Shithead tracked me down a few minutes ago."
"I see," Tsunade frowned before giving Naruto a nod, "I understand why you're late but getting her here on time is your responsibility. You're relieved of your duty as soon as I find someone else for the job."
Naruto didn't respond as Tsunade walked off in anger. He turned to Tayuya as soon as the Fifth left, wondering why she had helped him.
"Don't say anything," Tayuya spoke before he could say anything. She grinned and stretched out her hand, making Naruto look at her curiously, "We might have a few days left together so I wanted to say that it hasn't been terrible. You're okay for a shithead."
He smiled and took her hand, "I can say the same… you're not bad for such an aggressive person."
She chuckled and pulled her hand away before giving him a final nod, "Well, I'll see you tomorrow."
"See ya," Naruto returned the gesture as she entered the building. He stood still for a moment before letting out a sigh, eyes closing before he spoke, "I know you're there Granny."
Tsunade emerged from behind a tree, still appearing to be upset. "This is the first time you've given me trouble Naruto. Because of that I'll let it slide this time but there's still something that bothers me."
"What's that?"
"She was obviously lying about making a run for it, only an idiot wouldn't see that. The thing that bothers me is that she defended you," she explained with a frown, "From what I know she's never made any attempts to befriend anyone in all the time she spent in prison. My guess is that she's planning to gain enough of your trust to get an opportunity to escape without telling us anything about Orochimaru."
Naruto's eyes narrowed, "She's not doing that. You don't know her like I do Granny, but I can tell you that there's no way something like that crossed her mind."
"What makes you so sure?" Tsunade asked with her arms crossed.
"Because she's my friend and I know her," he stated with a glare. "If that's all, then I'll get going, Lady Hokage," he walked past her with his hands in his pockets. There was no way that Tayuya would do that to him and Tsunade telling him that only made him angry. Why did they treat her like that just because of a mistake? It probably wasn't even her fault that she ended up working for Orochimaru.
"Dammit," he growled as he stomped his way home.
His mood hadn't improved much since he had made it home. Naruto's confusing thoughts about Tayuya were whirling around his head rapidly. He couldn't help but see the similarities about his younger days and how she was currently being treated, it made him want to reach out and help her through it. He wasn't ignorant about the glares she received when the two walked together and the careful glances other shinobi gave her, it was all-too familiar to him to the point that it made him sick.
He grew agitated, buried feelings resurfacing. It wasn't entirely new to him, he had been constantly reminded about his past treatment by the Kyuubi, back when it tried to fuel his hatred during battle. This time though, the feelings had resurfaced on their own and he couldn't just push them back or blame another influence for them.
"Naruto?"
He was broken out of his thoughts by a voice followed by several knocks on his door.
"Coming!" He called out as he opened the door to his guest, a smile instantly forming on his face due to the pleasant surprise, "Ino."
She smiled in return, looking at him carefully before inching a bit closer to him, "Aren't you going to let me in?"
"Oh! Yeah!" Naruto let out dumbly as he let her in, closing the door behind her. His eyes followed her movements, watching calmly as she sat on his sofa. "Sorry I haven't been able to see you lately." He let out a sigh, only now noticing what a bad boyfriend he had been. "Granny's latest mission's been taking a lot of my time."
"What kind of mission is it?" She asked in curiosity. Sakura had told her that Naruto had a mission, that much she knew, but the details about it were a mystery to her.
He sat next to her and grinned, "Well, there's this Sound kunoichi that has valuable information about Orochimaru… bases and stuff. She's agreed to talk as long as Granny lets her free. I'm supposed to watch over her until her probation's over… Well, not anymore since I'm being replaced."
Ino felt relieved at hearing about the mission. It hadn't been anything like what Sakura was implying, rather, it had been a mission in which he couldn't get far from her. It all made sense now, that's probably why he hadn't been seeing her lately and, if she were to be honest, she'd been quite busy to do so as well.
"Why are you being replaced?" She asked after thinking over the last part of what he had said.
Naruto scratched the back of his neck nervously, "Well uh… I was supposed to take her to where she was staying at a certain time but didn't and Granny got mad." He winced at the memory, scolding himself for having been so wrapped up in his own little world that he ignored everything else. Even the things he had been thinking about earlier seemed insignificant now.
He couldn't help but smile, there was something about being with Ino that let him clear his head. Just by being with her he felt so calm and that nothing but making her happy mattered.
"Looks like you're still late for everything," she smiled and pulled him into a hug, placing her head on his chest, "You know, I've really missed this."
Naruto smiled as he wrapped his arms around her, "Sorry… I've been so tied up with my mission and training on a new jutsu that I just come home to sleep."
"Don't worry about it, now we're together," Ino replied.
"You know there's… other things I've missed about being with you," Naruto murmured into her ear, a playful smirk on his face when feeling her tense up slightly.
Despite the wild beat of her heart, Ino managed a playful smile, "What kinds of things?"
"You'll find out…" he replied, pulling away in order to look into her eyes. "Want me to show you?"
"Absolutely," she answered as he pulled her into a kiss.