- Diamond Crevasse
premise: Hanabi tries to figure out what love is all about. Fortunately, Konoha is full of bachelors for her to conduct her love experiments on.
excerpt --Click here to view--
"You're only saying that because you've never experienced love firsthand," Konohamaru assured with a cocky grin on his face.
"And you have?" Hanabi sneered.
"For your information, I have the ladies all over me," Konohamaru boasted coolly. "It's actually quite troublesome. I have to beat them away with the Enma staff just to get some peace and quiet."
Hanabi rolled her eyes. "Riiiiiight."
"It's true," he insisted. "Naruto-oniichan taught me everything I know."
"That Naruto did?" Sakura laughed. "I'd suggest that you don't listen to anything he tells you."
Konohamaru grinned, shaking his head. "Tsk, tsk, tsk... you really don't know anything, Sakura-oneechan. Naruto-oniichan is legendary for his ladykiller techniques. One time we even had guys from across the southern seas come visit us for his teachings."
"Bah! Naruto? A legendary ladykiller?" Sakura scoffed, still concentrating on healing Hanabi's ankle.
"He just never uses his techniques on you, that's all," Konohamaru remarked.
"Why? Am I not worthy?" Sakura huffed, still not believing that Naruto was some kind of smooth ultra playboy.
"No, it's just that he gets too tongue-tied around you to use them," Konohamaru laughed, stunning Sakura into speechlessness. "In fact, he never uses his techniques, since you're the only girl he's interested in anyway. That's why the fact that Naruto-oniichan is such a smooth ladykiller is only known to us guys who seek his wisdom."
Hanabi frowned as she felt the healing chakra falter erratically. This was the effect of love. It could even affect Konoha's star medic, rendering her unable to even heal a sprained ankle. "I've had enough of this talk about love!" she growled.
"And you have?" Hanabi sneered.
"For your information, I have the ladies all over me," Konohamaru boasted coolly. "It's actually quite troublesome. I have to beat them away with the Enma staff just to get some peace and quiet."
Hanabi rolled her eyes. "Riiiiiight."
"It's true," he insisted. "Naruto-oniichan taught me everything I know."
"That Naruto did?" Sakura laughed. "I'd suggest that you don't listen to anything he tells you."
Konohamaru grinned, shaking his head. "Tsk, tsk, tsk... you really don't know anything, Sakura-oneechan. Naruto-oniichan is legendary for his ladykiller techniques. One time we even had guys from across the southern seas come visit us for his teachings."
"Bah! Naruto? A legendary ladykiller?" Sakura scoffed, still concentrating on healing Hanabi's ankle.
"He just never uses his techniques on you, that's all," Konohamaru remarked.
"Why? Am I not worthy?" Sakura huffed, still not believing that Naruto was some kind of smooth ultra playboy.
"No, it's just that he gets too tongue-tied around you to use them," Konohamaru laughed, stunning Sakura into speechlessness. "In fact, he never uses his techniques, since you're the only girl he's interested in anyway. That's why the fact that Naruto-oniichan is such a smooth ladykiller is only known to us guys who seek his wisdom."
Hanabi frowned as she felt the healing chakra falter erratically. This was the effect of love. It could even affect Konoha's star medic, rendering her unable to even heal a sprained ankle. "I've had enough of this talk about love!" she growled.
- Sunny Side Up
premise: Hyuuga women have long prided themselves on their elegantly slim figures, and yet Hinata is the exact opposite, voluptuous and curvy. Thus, in order to mold her into the image of a Hyuuga heiress, the clan elders force her to lose weight, crushing her already low self-esteem.
excerpt --Click here to view--
"I could never look like that," Hinata murmured dejectedly as she admired one particularly alluring model on a large Sony advertisement on a nearby billboard. The model had a mesmerizing smile, innocent and seductive at the same time. With a smile like that, it was hard to pay attention to anything else, but Hinata noticed that she also had a nice body once she had managed to tear her eyes off those pearly white teeth and scandalous lips. She wasn't particularly well-endowed, but had perfect proportions for her slim body type.
"Hinata?"
She jolted in surprise as a familiar voice brought her out of her thoughts. "N-N-Naruto-kun?" she stammered.
"Something wrong? Were your stood up on a date or something?" he asked worriedly, noticing that she looked prettier than usual but also unhappy at the same time.
"N-N-No, nothing like that," she shook her head quickly, not wanting him to think that she was taken. "I was just..."
He then noticed the Sony model that she had been staring longingly at. "Don't tell me that you want to look like her," he chuckled, nodding over at the advertisement.
Hinata just hung her head a little, unable to answer. Truthfully, she really did want to look like that, slim and beautiful. She didn't want such large breasts and such a curvy and full figure.
"Hinata."
She looked up in confusion when, all of a sudden, a female voice had called out her name. She then gasped when she realized that the blonde pigtailed girl that stood before her was the same girl in the Sony ad.
It was Naruto. Naruto was the girl in the Sony ad.
"Hinata?"
She jolted in surprise as a familiar voice brought her out of her thoughts. "N-N-Naruto-kun?" she stammered.
"Something wrong? Were your stood up on a date or something?" he asked worriedly, noticing that she looked prettier than usual but also unhappy at the same time.
"N-N-No, nothing like that," she shook her head quickly, not wanting him to think that she was taken. "I was just..."
He then noticed the Sony model that she had been staring longingly at. "Don't tell me that you want to look like her," he chuckled, nodding over at the advertisement.
Hinata just hung her head a little, unable to answer. Truthfully, she really did want to look like that, slim and beautiful. She didn't want such large breasts and such a curvy and full figure.
"Hinata."
She looked up in confusion when, all of a sudden, a female voice had called out her name. She then gasped when she realized that the blonde pigtailed girl that stood before her was the same girl in the Sony ad.
It was Naruto. Naruto was the girl in the Sony ad.
- Five Seconds
premise: When Ibiki asks the dreaded tenth question of the Chuunin Exam, Sakura voluntarily quits in order to preserve Naruto's Hokage dream despite knowing that Sasuke would hate her for it. (From the Challenges board)
excerpt --Click here to view--
It was his fault, and he knew it. She had quit for his sake. There was no way he was going to be able to answer the tenth question; he couldn't even answer the first nine. But he bet that Sakura had known all the answers; she could've answered that tenth question without breaking a sweat. She had quit for his sake despite knowing that Sasuke would blow up the way he did.
But did that mean that she cared for him? Did she care for him enough to sacrifice her chance at a future with Sasuke just so that he could have a chance at a future as Hokage? He smiled sadly as his shoulders slumped. So she did really care about him after all. Underneath all of the violence and antagonism that she showed towards him, she still thought of him as someone worth protecting.
"Thank you... Sakura-chan..." he murmured softly.
"I don't need your thanks!" she cried, her despair muffled in her sobs. "Sasuke-kun hates me now and it's your fault!"
"You really love him... don't you?"
Sakura's head shot up when she heard that line. The sound of his voice as he had said those words was the sound of a heart shattering. She could hear it, his heart shattering like fragile glass. As she looked at that bittersweet smile on his face, she could feel her own heart threaten to splinter. And now, as the tears rolled down her cheek, she didn't know anymore whether they were for Sasuke... or for Naruto.
Then, as that tear hit the ground, Naruto knelt down at her feet and picked up the teardrop with the tip of his finger. "Five-second rule," he said with a lopsided grin that clearly reflected the pain in his heart. "If you don't pick it up within five seconds, it'll go bad."
"Naruto..." she bit her lip as she tried to stop the tears, but they wouldn't stop. As he stooped there on the ground, picking up her tears, it almost looked as if he were picking up the pieces of his shattered heart instead. He was picking up the fragments of his heart before they went bad, before his five seconds were up.
"There goes another one..." he remarked as he caught her tears in a tiny glass bottle before they even hit the ground.
"Are you stupid or something?" she giggled weakly as her sobs subsided. "The five-second rule only applies to food."
"If you fall... I'll pick you up within five seconds," he said gently, getting up to his feet and helping her up to her feet as well.
"Naruto..."
But did that mean that she cared for him? Did she care for him enough to sacrifice her chance at a future with Sasuke just so that he could have a chance at a future as Hokage? He smiled sadly as his shoulders slumped. So she did really care about him after all. Underneath all of the violence and antagonism that she showed towards him, she still thought of him as someone worth protecting.
"Thank you... Sakura-chan..." he murmured softly.
"I don't need your thanks!" she cried, her despair muffled in her sobs. "Sasuke-kun hates me now and it's your fault!"
"You really love him... don't you?"
Sakura's head shot up when she heard that line. The sound of his voice as he had said those words was the sound of a heart shattering. She could hear it, his heart shattering like fragile glass. As she looked at that bittersweet smile on his face, she could feel her own heart threaten to splinter. And now, as the tears rolled down her cheek, she didn't know anymore whether they were for Sasuke... or for Naruto.
Then, as that tear hit the ground, Naruto knelt down at her feet and picked up the teardrop with the tip of his finger. "Five-second rule," he said with a lopsided grin that clearly reflected the pain in his heart. "If you don't pick it up within five seconds, it'll go bad."
"Naruto..." she bit her lip as she tried to stop the tears, but they wouldn't stop. As he stooped there on the ground, picking up her tears, it almost looked as if he were picking up the pieces of his shattered heart instead. He was picking up the fragments of his heart before they went bad, before his five seconds were up.
"There goes another one..." he remarked as he caught her tears in a tiny glass bottle before they even hit the ground.
"Are you stupid or something?" she giggled weakly as her sobs subsided. "The five-second rule only applies to food."
"If you fall... I'll pick you up within five seconds," he said gently, getting up to his feet and helping her up to her feet as well.
"Naruto..."
- Thanatos
premise: Naruto and Jiraiya return to Konoha after their training journey, but Sakura has somehow been wiped from Naruto's memory.
excerpt --Click here to view--
"Naruto doesn't remember who Sakura is? What is the meaning of this?" Tsunade asked with a scowl on her face. At Jiraiya's request, she had her office sealed up tight. She had even planned on surprising Naruto by having Kakashi hide outside her window, but apparently Jiraiya wasn't in the mood for joking around.
"During our training journey, Naruto had learned to harness his other chakra," Jiraiya explained, but was careful to avoid any mention of the Kyuubi. Sakura was already confused and frightened to begin with, so he didn't want to dump that on her as well.
"At first, I thought that it only healed me," Naruto said, demonstrating by cutting his hand with a kunai. Then, immediately a small wisp of smoke rose out of the rapidly healing wound. "But it actually destroys my body as well." Naruto demonstrated this by creating a rasengan with one hand, except this one was a fearsome crimson color. And indeed, the red chakra began burning the flesh off of his hand, and then immediately healing it again, creating an accelerated cycle of destruction and regeneration.
Tsunade frowned, immediately recognizing the repercussions of such accelerated cellular regeneration. She herself had such a technique, so she knew that it would drastically cut into his lifespan if he kept on using it. "You do know what that entails, right?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, we know," Jiraiya sighed, knowing what Tsunade was getting at. "But that's not the biggest problem."
"There's more?" Tsunade's eyes narrowed. Then she realized it, how it was all connected to Naruto not remembering anything about Sakura.
"It destroys and regenerates the cells in my brain also. My memory cells get destroyed and then get regenerated as a blank slate," Naruto said softly. "Every time I use this power, I lose more and more of my memories."
"During our training journey, Naruto had learned to harness his other chakra," Jiraiya explained, but was careful to avoid any mention of the Kyuubi. Sakura was already confused and frightened to begin with, so he didn't want to dump that on her as well.
"At first, I thought that it only healed me," Naruto said, demonstrating by cutting his hand with a kunai. Then, immediately a small wisp of smoke rose out of the rapidly healing wound. "But it actually destroys my body as well." Naruto demonstrated this by creating a rasengan with one hand, except this one was a fearsome crimson color. And indeed, the red chakra began burning the flesh off of his hand, and then immediately healing it again, creating an accelerated cycle of destruction and regeneration.
Tsunade frowned, immediately recognizing the repercussions of such accelerated cellular regeneration. She herself had such a technique, so she knew that it would drastically cut into his lifespan if he kept on using it. "You do know what that entails, right?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, we know," Jiraiya sighed, knowing what Tsunade was getting at. "But that's not the biggest problem."
"There's more?" Tsunade's eyes narrowed. Then she realized it, how it was all connected to Naruto not remembering anything about Sakura.
"It destroys and regenerates the cells in my brain also. My memory cells get destroyed and then get regenerated as a blank slate," Naruto said softly. "Every time I use this power, I lose more and more of my memories."
- Dearly Beloved
Premise: A mission takes Ino and Naruto away from Fire Country for many years. Over time, Ino's feelings for Naruto grow, but she finds that his heart is still back in Konoha with Sakura.
excerpt --Click here to view--
Dear Sakura-chan,
We've finally arrived at Whirlpool Country! Ino was seasick the entire trip, but she's feeling better now, I think. It's actually kind of weird being here... my mom's home village. It's actually a lot worse than the reports indicated... destruction and poverty everywhere I look. But I'll fix it... believe it!
He smiled a little and let out a sigh before folding up the letter and shoving it in his pocket.
We've finally arrived at Whirlpool Country! Ino was seasick the entire trip, but she's feeling better now, I think. It's actually kind of weird being here... my mom's home village. It's actually a lot worse than the reports indicated... destruction and poverty everywhere I look. But I'll fix it... believe it!
He smiled a little and let out a sigh before folding up the letter and shoving it in his pocket.
- Daybreak's Bell
Premise: As the new hokage, Naruto has been working himself too hard, so Sakura decides to brew a cup of coffee filled with love for him every morning.
excerpt --Click here to view--
“Oh, hey, Sakura-chan, what brings you here?” he asked with a bright smile. She could see, however, the weariness in his eyes despite his attempts at being his usual energetic self.
“You’re not sleeping in your office nowadays, are you?” she asked with a frown as she pulled out a coffee grinder and a water boiler from her bag and set them on one of the side counters before plugging them in.
“No, of course not.”
“So you’re not sleeping at all?” she asked sarcastically. She had only said it as a joke, but when she didn’t get any response from him, her jaw dropped in shock. “Naruto! Are you really not sleeping at all?!”
He sheepishly scratched the back of his head. “I nap... every now and then...”
“You need to sleep! At least eight hours a night!” she protested. “You may be hokage, but you’re still a growing teenager!”
“I’m pretty sure world peace is more important than my height,” he chuckled.
Sakura sighed, shaking her head as she dumped some coffee beans into the grinder. “You’re taking a coffee break with me right now whether you like it or not.”
“Coffee? Sounds great,” he grinned, getting up and stretching out his stiff muscles. “You’re truly a lifesaver, Sakura-chan.”
“No working! You’re on break!” she snapped as she saw him try to sneak in some paperwork.
“Okay! Okay!” Naruto put his hands up in the air, as if he had been caught committing some grave crime.
“Cream? Sugar?” she asked, pouring out two hot cups of fresh coffee.
“Nah, unless it comes in a can, I drink coffee straight up black,” he shook his head. “I don’t really like to sugarcoat things... whether it’s the bitterness of life or the bitterness of coffee...”
Sakura raised an eyebrow at his surprisingly philosophical reply. “Okay, where’s Naruto and what did you do to him?”
Naruto laughed again, shaking his head. “Politics... that’s what happened to Naruto... he was eaten up by those bloodsucking parasites known as politicians.”
“You’re not sleeping in your office nowadays, are you?” she asked with a frown as she pulled out a coffee grinder and a water boiler from her bag and set them on one of the side counters before plugging them in.
“No, of course not.”
“So you’re not sleeping at all?” she asked sarcastically. She had only said it as a joke, but when she didn’t get any response from him, her jaw dropped in shock. “Naruto! Are you really not sleeping at all?!”
He sheepishly scratched the back of his head. “I nap... every now and then...”
“You need to sleep! At least eight hours a night!” she protested. “You may be hokage, but you’re still a growing teenager!”
“I’m pretty sure world peace is more important than my height,” he chuckled.
Sakura sighed, shaking her head as she dumped some coffee beans into the grinder. “You’re taking a coffee break with me right now whether you like it or not.”
“Coffee? Sounds great,” he grinned, getting up and stretching out his stiff muscles. “You’re truly a lifesaver, Sakura-chan.”
“No working! You’re on break!” she snapped as she saw him try to sneak in some paperwork.
“Okay! Okay!” Naruto put his hands up in the air, as if he had been caught committing some grave crime.
“Cream? Sugar?” she asked, pouring out two hot cups of fresh coffee.
“Nah, unless it comes in a can, I drink coffee straight up black,” he shook his head. “I don’t really like to sugarcoat things... whether it’s the bitterness of life or the bitterness of coffee...”
Sakura raised an eyebrow at his surprisingly philosophical reply. “Okay, where’s Naruto and what did you do to him?”
Naruto laughed again, shaking his head. “Politics... that’s what happened to Naruto... he was eaten up by those bloodsucking parasites known as politicians.”
- Till the End of Time (added Oct 2010)
Premise: Sasuke, having fulfilled his ambition of revenge, finds that all that's left is emptiness. Time begins to erratically falter and freeze as he is unable to move on, stuck in the past, while his friends reach for the future.
Excerpt --Click here to view--
For a moment, Sasuke had thought that he was just automatically tuning out Sakura's usual incessant blabbering, but he then realized that it was too quiet, too still. He lifted the forearm that was covering his eyes and winced at the sudden glare of sunlight from the window. "Sakura?"
She was unmoving, frozen. His eyes furrowed as he cautiously got to his feet to sense for any genjutsu or traps, but he couldn't sense any. In fact, he didn't sense any of the natural flow of chakra through the world either. Eerie.
He took a quick look around to see if everything else was frozen in time too. Looking outside the window, the villagers going about their daily business were all unmoving statues just as Sakura was. Even the birds were suspended in mid-air. He could tell that even the photons of light emitted from the sun had frozen by the way his shadow created a long trail as he moved. In fact, he could see an illusion of himself still lying down on the couch because the photons that had reflected off his body the instant time had stopped had not registered the fact that he was no longer there.
While seeing the phenomena of light being frozen was at least fascinating, the fact that sound waves had also froze was more disconcerting. The sound waves could not move, but whenever he happened to move into one, his ears would register the sound. Except it all came out as a garbled mess because time was not moving forward, and sound was much more dependent on time than light was. So he decided that earplugs were the way to go.
He then walked up to Sakura and waved his hand in front of her eyes, but there was no response. He prodded her cheek a little with his finger and was surprised that she was still warm. But warmth required random thermal molecular movement. How was that possible if time had stopped? Movement, and therefore heat, should not be possible.
He studied his own hand and wondered if there was a bubble of sorts surrounding him where time was still moving. He hadn't noticed it earlier with the earplugs, but he now realized that he had been able to squish it down and stick in his ear despite the fact that the frozen molecular structure shouldn't have allowed him to do that. Perhaps anything in contact with that thin bubble layer that was surrounding him would resume time, and therefore he could be able to feel heat and manipulate objects. How else would he be breathing in supposedly unmoving oxygen molecules after all? Then, if he gave Sakura a hug, would time resume for her? It was worth a try.
He tentatively reached his arms around her slender body before hesitating. This was his best friend's fiancé. Sakura was his friend too, so just a hug should normally still be acceptable, but somehow it felt wrong. Maybe it was because time had frozen, because she had no say in the matter, because she wouldn't be able to push away if she didn't like it, or if he got carried away.
So he instead placed his hands on her head, hoping to at least resume time for her consciousness. But nothing. The brain was underneath a layer of bone, so it wasn't too surprising that the razor thin bubble of temporal immunity around him didn't reach her.
Being this close, however, he realized that he could still smell her and that intoxicating peach shampoo that she loved. His hand unconsciously swept back some stray strands of pink hair before caressing the side of her face and sliding down to those lovely pink lips of hers.
kitten.
Sasuke swiftly backed away before he had lost himself and retreated to the bathroom to splash some cold water on his face. kitten. The water wasn't running.
She was unmoving, frozen. His eyes furrowed as he cautiously got to his feet to sense for any genjutsu or traps, but he couldn't sense any. In fact, he didn't sense any of the natural flow of chakra through the world either. Eerie.
He took a quick look around to see if everything else was frozen in time too. Looking outside the window, the villagers going about their daily business were all unmoving statues just as Sakura was. Even the birds were suspended in mid-air. He could tell that even the photons of light emitted from the sun had frozen by the way his shadow created a long trail as he moved. In fact, he could see an illusion of himself still lying down on the couch because the photons that had reflected off his body the instant time had stopped had not registered the fact that he was no longer there.
While seeing the phenomena of light being frozen was at least fascinating, the fact that sound waves had also froze was more disconcerting. The sound waves could not move, but whenever he happened to move into one, his ears would register the sound. Except it all came out as a garbled mess because time was not moving forward, and sound was much more dependent on time than light was. So he decided that earplugs were the way to go.
He then walked up to Sakura and waved his hand in front of her eyes, but there was no response. He prodded her cheek a little with his finger and was surprised that she was still warm. But warmth required random thermal molecular movement. How was that possible if time had stopped? Movement, and therefore heat, should not be possible.
He studied his own hand and wondered if there was a bubble of sorts surrounding him where time was still moving. He hadn't noticed it earlier with the earplugs, but he now realized that he had been able to squish it down and stick in his ear despite the fact that the frozen molecular structure shouldn't have allowed him to do that. Perhaps anything in contact with that thin bubble layer that was surrounding him would resume time, and therefore he could be able to feel heat and manipulate objects. How else would he be breathing in supposedly unmoving oxygen molecules after all? Then, if he gave Sakura a hug, would time resume for her? It was worth a try.
He tentatively reached his arms around her slender body before hesitating. This was his best friend's fiancé. Sakura was his friend too, so just a hug should normally still be acceptable, but somehow it felt wrong. Maybe it was because time had frozen, because she had no say in the matter, because she wouldn't be able to push away if she didn't like it, or if he got carried away.
So he instead placed his hands on her head, hoping to at least resume time for her consciousness. But nothing. The brain was underneath a layer of bone, so it wasn't too surprising that the razor thin bubble of temporal immunity around him didn't reach her.
Being this close, however, he realized that he could still smell her and that intoxicating peach shampoo that she loved. His hand unconsciously swept back some stray strands of pink hair before caressing the side of her face and sliding down to those lovely pink lips of hers.
kitten.
Sasuke swiftly backed away before he had lost himself and retreated to the bathroom to splash some cold water on his face. kitten. The water wasn't running.
- Because of You (added Oct 2010)
Premise: Peace has finally fallen upon the ninja world, so everyone is taking the chance to look for love or, in the case of Uchiha Sasuke, to build a harem with which to resurrect his clan with. Mature Content.
Excerpt --Click here to view--
"Alright, alright, I'll see what I can do," Naruto sighed and pulled out a file from one of his desk drawers. He scanned the list of shinobi available for the A-rank mission of keeping an eye on ex-convict Uchiha Sasuke. "Would you prefer Gai-sensei?"
"Absolutely not," Sasuke flat out refused.
"Then... Ino?"
"Even worse. How about Chouji?" Sasuke asked, the mention of Ino reminding him of Sai's suggestion.
"He's already busy with something else."
"Goddammit," Sasuke swore. Why couldn't Sai have come up with some extra suggestions? He racked his brain for someone, anyone, who could help him mend his image.
"Damn it, Sasuke, stop being so picky," Naruto grumbled. "If you want, I could talk to Sakura-chan. I'm sure she wouldn't mind, and you have no problem with her, right?"
"Wouldn't that mean that I would be stuck following her around a hospital all day?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "No thanks."
"Then how about Shino? No complaints?"
Sasuke gave it some thought and realized that Shino's control over the kikaichu bugs would mean that Shino could keep an eye on him from a distance without crowding him and cramping his style all the time. That would give him a chance to go about his life without a probation officer stuck to his side like a siamese twin. Except that being a loner wasn't exactly the goal here.
Then his thoughts drifted to Shino's teammate, Hinata. Being the Hyuuga heiress, he was sure that she was well-liked by the Konoha public, so that suited him well. And being associated with her could possibly mend his image. In addition, the byakugan could still keep an eye on him from a distance whenever he needed his personal space as well. Two birds with one stone. Genius. Except for the awkward history between Naruto and Hinata. "How about Neji?"
"Neji is part of ANBU now," Naruto shook his head.
"Hanabi."
"What are you? Pedobear? The Public Morals Committee would never let me hear the end of it."
"Fine, Hinata," Sasuke relented. He didn't want to resort to bringing up his best friend's ex-girlfriend, but, when it really came down to it, he didn't give a kitten, as usual.
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Hinata?"
"Yes, Hinata."
"Hinata Hideki? The shortstop for the Konoha Angel Beats?"
"No, you moron, Hyuuga Hinata," Sasuke rolled his eyes.
"Well, if anyone asks, you requested her, and I had nothing to do with it," Naruto sighed.
"Fine. So the moron can be useful to me after all," Sasuke smirked.
"You keep talking like that, and I'll assign the scary examiner lady to watch your ass," Naruto grumbled as he pulled out a scroll and scanned the list of missions that were scheduled for the day. He then scribbled out a quick message and attached it to a summoned toad. "Take this message to Hinata."
"Yes, sir," the toad saluted obediently before hopping out the window.
"So... are you really serious about resurrecting your clan?" Naruto asked quizzically. No matter how hard he tried, he just could not imagine Uchiha Sasuke flirting with a girl, much less asking one to marry him. The more realistic alternative, of course, was Sasuke just being typical Sasuke and manipulating a girl into becoming a baby factory for him. Naruto, however, really wanted to believe that Sasuke had changed for the better, that he no longer viewed other people as merely tools to further his own ambitions.
"Of course, you moron," Sasuke scowled.
"Well, do you have any particular girl in mind?" Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you got a thing for Hinata."
"Tche, as if. I don't need to water down the sharingan legacy by mixing with another bloodline. I want someone with Uchiha-like traits, such as dark hair, dark eyes, pale skin," Sasuke nodded. "That Tenten girl seems like a good fit."
Naruto sighed. "You know, Sasuke, girls are human beings too. They're not just a list of features. There's something called love, you should try it some time."
"Love is for suckers," Sasuke scoffed. "In fact, you should consider reinstating polygamy. A harem would be the quickest and most efficient way of resurrecting the Uchiha clan."
"Look, if you're gonna be like that, Konoha's medical division is developing a method of artificial insemination for couples who can't conceive. Just become a sperm donor and that way you can have a bunch of mini Uchiha running around without you having to be a manipulative heartbreaking a**hole," Naruto suggested.
"That will produce more children with sharingan, but they won't be Uchiha! I'm trying to revive my clan here, not give away a treasured bloodline ability like a charity drive," Sasuke rolled his eyes.
"Absolutely not," Sasuke flat out refused.
"Then... Ino?"
"Even worse. How about Chouji?" Sasuke asked, the mention of Ino reminding him of Sai's suggestion.
"He's already busy with something else."
"Goddammit," Sasuke swore. Why couldn't Sai have come up with some extra suggestions? He racked his brain for someone, anyone, who could help him mend his image.
"Damn it, Sasuke, stop being so picky," Naruto grumbled. "If you want, I could talk to Sakura-chan. I'm sure she wouldn't mind, and you have no problem with her, right?"
"Wouldn't that mean that I would be stuck following her around a hospital all day?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "No thanks."
"Then how about Shino? No complaints?"
Sasuke gave it some thought and realized that Shino's control over the kikaichu bugs would mean that Shino could keep an eye on him from a distance without crowding him and cramping his style all the time. That would give him a chance to go about his life without a probation officer stuck to his side like a siamese twin. Except that being a loner wasn't exactly the goal here.
Then his thoughts drifted to Shino's teammate, Hinata. Being the Hyuuga heiress, he was sure that she was well-liked by the Konoha public, so that suited him well. And being associated with her could possibly mend his image. In addition, the byakugan could still keep an eye on him from a distance whenever he needed his personal space as well. Two birds with one stone. Genius. Except for the awkward history between Naruto and Hinata. "How about Neji?"
"Neji is part of ANBU now," Naruto shook his head.
"Hanabi."
"What are you? Pedobear? The Public Morals Committee would never let me hear the end of it."
"Fine, Hinata," Sasuke relented. He didn't want to resort to bringing up his best friend's ex-girlfriend, but, when it really came down to it, he didn't give a kitten, as usual.
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Hinata?"
"Yes, Hinata."
"Hinata Hideki? The shortstop for the Konoha Angel Beats?"
"No, you moron, Hyuuga Hinata," Sasuke rolled his eyes.
"Well, if anyone asks, you requested her, and I had nothing to do with it," Naruto sighed.
"Fine. So the moron can be useful to me after all," Sasuke smirked.
"You keep talking like that, and I'll assign the scary examiner lady to watch your ass," Naruto grumbled as he pulled out a scroll and scanned the list of missions that were scheduled for the day. He then scribbled out a quick message and attached it to a summoned toad. "Take this message to Hinata."
"Yes, sir," the toad saluted obediently before hopping out the window.
"So... are you really serious about resurrecting your clan?" Naruto asked quizzically. No matter how hard he tried, he just could not imagine Uchiha Sasuke flirting with a girl, much less asking one to marry him. The more realistic alternative, of course, was Sasuke just being typical Sasuke and manipulating a girl into becoming a baby factory for him. Naruto, however, really wanted to believe that Sasuke had changed for the better, that he no longer viewed other people as merely tools to further his own ambitions.
"Of course, you moron," Sasuke scowled.
"Well, do you have any particular girl in mind?" Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you got a thing for Hinata."
"Tche, as if. I don't need to water down the sharingan legacy by mixing with another bloodline. I want someone with Uchiha-like traits, such as dark hair, dark eyes, pale skin," Sasuke nodded. "That Tenten girl seems like a good fit."
Naruto sighed. "You know, Sasuke, girls are human beings too. They're not just a list of features. There's something called love, you should try it some time."
"Love is for suckers," Sasuke scoffed. "In fact, you should consider reinstating polygamy. A harem would be the quickest and most efficient way of resurrecting the Uchiha clan."
"Look, if you're gonna be like that, Konoha's medical division is developing a method of artificial insemination for couples who can't conceive. Just become a sperm donor and that way you can have a bunch of mini Uchiha running around without you having to be a manipulative heartbreaking a**hole," Naruto suggested.
"That will produce more children with sharingan, but they won't be Uchiha! I'm trying to revive my clan here, not give away a treasured bloodline ability like a charity drive," Sasuke rolled his eyes.
- Joint Security Area (added Nov 2010)
Premise: Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara fail to come to a truce, thus dividing the Land of Fire into two separate countries, Root Country and Moon Country. And Naruto and Sakura find themselves as star-crossed lovers divided by the fires of war.
Excerpt --Click here to view--
"How many more filter cartridges we got?"
"Just two, but neither of them are at full capacity," Tenten replied, digging through her pack for the thin chakra filters that were roughly the size of hanafuda playing cards. "Wait, you're not thinking of going back in there, are you?!"
"It's a failed mission, Naruto, we were ordered to retreat!" Shikamaru reminded, trying to stay level-headed to balance out Naruto's recklessness.
"Did you not see that goddamn flare?! Someone from Squad Four might still be alive, but he won't be for long if the damn Uchiha get to him first!" Naruto argued, already ejecting the old filter from the cartridge slot on the ninja mask that covered the lower half of his face and replacing it with a new one.
"Troublesome," Shikamaru groaned as he rubbed his temples, knowing that it was impossible to change Naruto's mind. "Fine. I'll call in to the supply depot for more filter cartridges, but until then, you're on your own. If you're in trouble, send up a flare and hopefully we'll have the extra filters by then to provide you some backup."
"Hopefully, it won't come to that," Naruto said, giving his team a thumbs-up before speeding off into the neutral zone between the two warring countries.
It had been nearly a century since the breakdown of negotiations between the Senju and Uchiha clans had split the Land of Fire in half, but war still broke out often, and periods of cease-fire were more often a tense cold war than a true peace. The poisoning of the neutral zone between the two countries was one of the more recent developments of the constant war. The Senju-led Root Country had historically preferred to only attack if provoked, so when the tide of war seemed to shift in the favor of the Uchiha-led Moon Country, the Root had buried powerful poison gas-secreting seals into the earth beneath the neutral zone in order to keep the Moon at bay.
With both sides unable to breathe the toxic atmosphere of the neutral zone, it had been dubbed the joint security area, or JSA. That led to a period of naval warfare, which favored the Root due to their ties to the Whirlpool, so the Moon had quickly countered by developing chakra filter cartridges in order to resume land-based warfare, forcing the Root to develop their own filters as well. The problem was that the poison gases quickly clogged and degraded the filters, and the JSA was a thirty-kilometer wide stretch of poison gas between the two countries that needed to be crossed in under that time limit.
Now Naruto was in a race against time to rescue whoever it was that sent up that flare. Naruto checked his watch, which had an indicator that showed how much time was left on the filter cartridge. "Only half an hour... gotta make this fast."
"Just two, but neither of them are at full capacity," Tenten replied, digging through her pack for the thin chakra filters that were roughly the size of hanafuda playing cards. "Wait, you're not thinking of going back in there, are you?!"
"It's a failed mission, Naruto, we were ordered to retreat!" Shikamaru reminded, trying to stay level-headed to balance out Naruto's recklessness.
"Did you not see that goddamn flare?! Someone from Squad Four might still be alive, but he won't be for long if the damn Uchiha get to him first!" Naruto argued, already ejecting the old filter from the cartridge slot on the ninja mask that covered the lower half of his face and replacing it with a new one.
"Troublesome," Shikamaru groaned as he rubbed his temples, knowing that it was impossible to change Naruto's mind. "Fine. I'll call in to the supply depot for more filter cartridges, but until then, you're on your own. If you're in trouble, send up a flare and hopefully we'll have the extra filters by then to provide you some backup."
"Hopefully, it won't come to that," Naruto said, giving his team a thumbs-up before speeding off into the neutral zone between the two warring countries.
It had been nearly a century since the breakdown of negotiations between the Senju and Uchiha clans had split the Land of Fire in half, but war still broke out often, and periods of cease-fire were more often a tense cold war than a true peace. The poisoning of the neutral zone between the two countries was one of the more recent developments of the constant war. The Senju-led Root Country had historically preferred to only attack if provoked, so when the tide of war seemed to shift in the favor of the Uchiha-led Moon Country, the Root had buried powerful poison gas-secreting seals into the earth beneath the neutral zone in order to keep the Moon at bay.
With both sides unable to breathe the toxic atmosphere of the neutral zone, it had been dubbed the joint security area, or JSA. That led to a period of naval warfare, which favored the Root due to their ties to the Whirlpool, so the Moon had quickly countered by developing chakra filter cartridges in order to resume land-based warfare, forcing the Root to develop their own filters as well. The problem was that the poison gases quickly clogged and degraded the filters, and the JSA was a thirty-kilometer wide stretch of poison gas between the two countries that needed to be crossed in under that time limit.
Now Naruto was in a race against time to rescue whoever it was that sent up that flare. Naruto checked his watch, which had an indicator that showed how much time was left on the filter cartridge. "Only half an hour... gotta make this fast."
- Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Spring (added Aug 2011)
Premise: As the seasons change, the bonds between three friends can never stay the same. Friends become rivals then enemies. Friendship becomes romance then love. But as the seasons always cycle back to spring, so can enemies become friends once again
- The Cake is a Lie (added Aug 2011)
Premise: Madara has succeeded in his Eye of the Moon plan and trapped all of mankind in a perpetual illusion of a dream: Come, close your eyes and rest, you deserve it. Join us in this sweet dream. There's cake.
Edited by digifruit, 25 August 2011 - 08:44 AM.