Through the Wall

He knew the sun wasn’t up, his window faced the east. “Someone is in here snooping.” He let the sounds of his ‘visitor’ give them away, but the sound was minimal. He thought it could be one of the Ninja, gathering some personal intel, since all but the crowd around his age seemed against him.

He slid his hand under his pillow, intending to use it to get his ‘visitors’ attention, and encountered something hard, and sharp. He didn’t know who, but someone left him a kunai. If he had to guess, it was probably either Masters Kakashi or Iruka. He would find time later to be curious; his ‘visitor’ was headed for the window.

With a covert toss that surprised even him, he put the knife deep into the wood of the window frame. He pounced as his ‘visitor’ was turning to meet him, and caught him by the throat and they began to fall. Watarimono grabbed the knife on the way down, and put it to his new friend’s throat as they hit the ground.

“You’re snooping in a hospital.” growled Watarimono. “Why am I so interesting?”

“I-I was asked to, by one of the other Jounin! Sasuke!”

“Who are you?”

“My name is Rock Lee.”

Watarimono recognized the name, as it’s owner was the Number 1 best in the village at Tai-jutsu. He also knew if he didn’t let Lee up, he would probably be in for a more extended stint in the hospital.

Standing, he extended a hand to Lee, in reparation for the event.

“So...you sure that you’re not a Ninja? Those moves were impressive; caught me off guard.”

“Honestly, Lee, I have no idea how I did all that. I just acted.”

“Well, if you can do that on instinct, remind me not to anger after you have some formal training!”

The boys shared a brief laugh, that dispelled the last traces of distrust. Motioning for Lee to sit, Watarimono decided it was time for them to talk. “So, Sasuke sent you, huh?”

Lee looked at the floor.

“Look, I’m not mad. I just want to know what’s going on with this covert inspection.”

“Well, Sasuke just does not seem to trust you. He saw something with his Sharingan the day you all met, but he refuses to say what.”

“Well, it must have been important since he got all this going. I can hear a few others patrolling above. Waiting for you?”

Lee turned pale. “How did you...Wait. You heard them?”

“Yeah, everything seems kinda loud for some reason. I feel like you’re yelling, but I know you’re not. The vibration in the air is wrong. My eyes feel odd too...But Lord Hokage told me that I should expect some odd developments with my...abilities.”

“Yes, Naruto told a lot of us, before Sakura hit him, that you have a kekki genkai. He means well, but he has a big mouth about things like that.”

Watarimono shook his head, not because of Naruto being a blabber mouth, but because he knew that what Naruto did was right. His tactics were rough, though, for news: drop it fast, that way it blows over faster? Just not so blunt would been preferred. He sighed, and looked at Lee. “So...who else did Sasuke get to help you out? I know that the rest of your team is up there, but there is a fourth I can’t place, but I will say that he smells like wet dog.”

Lee looked at Watarimono in shock. “Right now, I shall skip asking how you knew the others were my team. The fourth person with us is Inuzuku Kiba, at Sasuke’s request. He has Akamaru with him, and it is raining; that probably is the cause of the wet dog smell. Wait! How can you smell that? There are no vents from there to here!”

Watarimono smiled and shrugged; even he had no idea how to answer that. He supposed that it was yet something else to do with his kekki genkai, but he would ask Lord Hokage about it tomorrow.

“Sorry for all the trouble, Lee. Just tell Sasuke that you were caught by a nurse, and didn’t get anything...That should suffice to make him curious and come see me himself. Enjoy your night, Lee.”

Lee marveled at how little worth Watarimono put into Sasuke. It was like he wanted to fight him!

“Yes. Good night.” Lee walked out to the sounds of Watarimono bedding back down. He wondered at just what his power would entail, and hoped that Watarimono would spar with him after he could use it again. “From another world, I would bet on it. His speech is different, so is his accent; hell he even looks different. I would bet that he is from another world...”

The next morning came uneventful, and Watarimono woke well before seven. He decided to use the shower that was in his room, because he just felt...blah. He went in and found, instead, a large tub, a basin and bathing supplies. “Duh,” he muttered aloud. “Showers aren’t canon here.” he wondered what this new memory meant, but shook it off and went to enjoy his bath. He used the provided moisturizer on his scars, because memory told him that they would crack if he didn’t.

The fact the scars were so multitudinous led him to believe whoever ‘Logan’ was, he had a lot to answer for.

He put his shorts back on and went out into his room, still drying his hair. He hadn’t noticed anything amiss during his bath, but the minute he opened the door, he could smell Sakura. Her scent reminded him of rain freshened strawberries, mixed with the honey and lavender of her shampoo. His thoughts were quickly changed when she gasped her shock.

“Watarimono! I’m sorry! I didn’t- I should’ve- oh, I didn’t knock! I--”

“Sakura! Sakura, I’m decent! It’s okay! Really!”

She had spun away from him as she ranted, but she began to look back since she knew he was sitting on his bed, the towel around his shoulders. Her face was still crimson, but she looked up smiling. “I-it’s s-seven.”

Watarimono laughed, knowing how embarrassed Sakura was. “Yeah, I gathered when I could smell you in here.” He was smiling, wondering what Sakura was thinking.

Sakura was at a loss for words, but that didn’t mean that her thoughts weren’t running. “Oh my god! Look at that body! He’s a freaking wall! Those abs, that chest! Those..scars...” That last thought brought her to questions, one that she would ask came out immediately. “Watarimono...what happened?”

He blushed a bit, and began to rub the back of his head. “Well, I think they have something to do with a guy named ‘Logan’. I said his name before I passed out yesterday, and it still rings a chord in my mind. Some of the scars are smooth, like blade scars. Others are more ragged, even animalistic.” He dropped his hand as he talked and rubbed it across the scars on his chest.

“I think those latter ones have to so with my shape shifting. Like I was training by myself and got caught by something. The blade ones, though...I dunno,” He shrugged, dropping his hand into his lap, and looked back to Sakura, deciding that looking at the present was much better than pondering the past.

He laughed when he did, because her blush was back full force, and she was practically drooling. “Hey, Sakura. You have any plans for the day or are you gonna sit there undressing me with your eyes ‘till dinner?” He laughed when she regained her focus...by falling out of her chair. He helped her up, and sat her on the bed, so he could finish dressing.

“Watarimono, I didn’t mean to...”

“To what? Stare? Something tells me that I was stared at a lot back home.”

The dismissal in his voice made it obvious that he had more than a small liking for her. She took this to note while he began rummaging in his bags, looking for clean clothes. He had socks and pants in his hand when she made her move.

He felt her hands on his back before her scent caught up. The sweet smell had gained a richer undertone he likened to honeysuckle. He allowed her hands to wander for a moment before he turned to face her. She was red, but she wasn’t going to hide it from him; she wanted him to know what she wanted. He leaned down, and kissed her much as he had the other night; the only real change, was he let her lead. Her hands merely perused his body, making him growl with excitement.

Sakura gasped at the sound; it sounded more animal than man. Then she remembered Watarimono’s kekki genkai, and attributed it to that. She knew that Kiba and Kakashi both had animal familiar’s, so she assumed that one could be bound to them by blood. She didn’t have a whole lot of time to think past this, as Watarimono began to follow her lead, and caress her. She had been touched like that once or twice before by Naruto, usually after she was almost hurt in a fight, and it had brought tingles to her body; tingles didn’t even begin to describe the thunder that raced through her as Watarimono’s hands began to venture under her clothes.

He was gentle, as if he were testing his limits. She had an idea on how to show him that he had none, and hoped it wouldn’t startle him too much. Her hands continued their adventure as they began to slide below his waistline. She took his manhood in her hand and ran her fingers up its length through his boxers, eliciting another, albeit deeper, growl from Watarimono. He responded by running his hands around the mounds of her breasts and running his thumbs across her nipples, making them harder than before.

She leaned into his caress, and that fact urged them both on. Watarimono gently removed Sakura’s hite-ate. He grinned a tad darkly and said, “Now how fair is this? You have me in nothing but boxers, and yet you’re still in everything. This playing field needs to be leveled, I believe.”

Without warning, he drew one of Sakura’s kunai and deftly cut her shirt and bra away. She gasped, and reflexively went to cover herself; she stopped in mid motion, though. This was what she wanted. Watarimono tossed the blade into the window frame, not two inches from where he had tossed the one now back under his pillow. He noticed, and made a quick mental note to apologize to Lee again.

Sakura suddenly smiled, and Watarimono thought that something had just changed more in his favor. She ran her hand over the massive claw scars that ran from his right shoulder, to just above his left kidney. “You were caught by a mountain lion. You must really be strong to have lived. You know, Naruto and a few of the other males have always tried to get my attention with shows of physical strength. It’s spiritual strength like this that I find impressive.”

His body felt aflame where her hand had traced, and it was becoming unbearable. He leaned down and kissed her again, his hands trailing down to remove her skirt and shorts in one move. He trailed his kisses to her ear, where he whispered, “Even.” Sakura smiled, and between nibbling’s on Watarimono’s earlobe replied, “But for how long?” Watarimono could feel her hands move behind his back. “Chiyorozu Te no Jutsu.”

From the floor, two pair of arms erupted; one set took hold of Watarimono’s own hands and held them behind him, while the other set pulled his boxers off, and pinned his legs, leaving him to Sakura’s wanderings of hand and eye.

“This is so unfair; I have not idea how to perform jutsu’s yet.” Watarimono could feel Sakura’s eyes taking in every inch of him, some places, though, more than others.

“And when is life fair? Get used to it.” She asked, with a devious grin.

“You like the technique? It’s a binding of my own design. It works great on unruly patients. Naruto was the first to comment of the way that the hands can be controlled; he said it could be used for ‘more... interesting purposes.’ It works, though, so I should give him credit for the idea.”

Watarimono was in shock. Sakura came across as being reserved, and a bit to herself; what was going on now, though, led him to believe that she had been keeping her own council on a few things. “But I suppose we all do that now and then...” He was more than ready for anything else that was about to happen, when he saw Sakura’s eyes shift away. Wondering if something was wrong, he began to ask, but was silenced when Sakura dropped her panties to the floor. “Now we can enjoy a good view of each other.”

And a good view it was; Sakura had a fantastic body. Her breasts were full, with dusky rose colored nipples, that seemed...wanting. “God, man, your desire gives a new view of the female form, huh?” He knew it was true, but he enjoyed it. Drinking deeper of the beauty before him, he saw that her overall body, though hard from her training, was still the soft picture of feminine perfection: cream colored skin that was free of severe blemishes, “But how? Especially seeing as she’s a Ninja?”; curvaceous, lithe, tight, alluring. What caught him, though, was her busshu: Watarimono had expected a pink to match her hair, but it was a bit darker, almost rose colored.

“Fantastic...” He muttered. “Absolutely fantastic.”

She looked at him, having heard what he said, and blushed. “My thoughts exactly...”

Sakura took her time walking back over to Watarimono, and instead of beginning anything, she reached for her skirt. Behind Watarimono, he heard a button open, and could smell something like rabbit and leather...and then the sensation hit him; Soft and velvety, but warm. He groaned a bit as Sakura slid it up his length with agonizing leisure. She looked into his face and smiled, knowing how bad it must be for him, judging by how it was for her.

She played the fur about his body, lingering about his nipples and throat. She let the fur slide from her fingers, and tumble down his chest to the floor, and began to crouch, as if to retrieve it. As she crossed Watarimono’s waist line she stopped at face level to his member. “Sakura what–oh, shi...”the rest was lost in a deep growl as Sakura ran her tongue the length of his shaft. She paused to kiss the head of his manhood, before she began to take it into her mouth. Starting slowly, she began to get a feel on what she was doing; being her first time, she wanted to do it right. Gliding up and down, and seeing how lost in pleasure Watarimono was, she began to get all the more aroused.

“S-Sakura...more...”

Hearing the grit in his voice, Sakura knew that Watarimono wanted her to go faster, and give him what he wanted. Instead, she stopped, rocked back on her heels, and looked at Watarimono. “More? What says you can make decisions, being bound?”

Watarimono balked. He was close to release, and she stopped; that was mean. Telling him that she was going to torture him; that was amazing. He was liking this little turn of events. “Oh, bound huh?” He grinned evilly. “This is ash wood; I can smell it. Ash isn’t that strong you know...”

With a bit more strain then he expected, Watarimono broke the hands that were holding his. He then leaned and grabbed an astonished Sakura around the waist and pulled her close. “Seems that it might just be my turn.” Watarimono growled, and broke the bonds on his legs.

He scooped Sakura up and placed her on the bed. He then took the sheet, and put it through the headboard, and used it to tie Sakura’s hands above her head, and far enough apart to keep her from performing kata’s. “Like I said, my turn.”

Starting at her jaw, Watarimono began kissing and nipping at Sakura’s exposed nudity. At her collar bone, he began trailing his tongue down her chest and between her breasts. Sakura moaned, and he smiled to himself, thinking, “Only this little bit has her excited? This is gonna be fun.” Trailing his tongue along the mound of her right breast, he began kissing and licking about her nipple, but never actually touching it, causing Sakura to moan frustratedly and arch in attempts to get his attention where she wanted it. On her second arch, he decided to give her what she wanted, and began to kiss her nipple. His left hand began to absently play with her left breast, as he continued to kiss and lave her right, rousing bouts of light moaning in Sakura.

Watarimono decided to get the main stay of her attention with his current ministrations so as to keep her mind away from his right hand. Her lack of attention upon it was quickly rectified when he brushed the first two fingers delicately up the length of her increasingly wet folds. With a mild arch, Sakura moaned, “...more...” Watarimono had other ideas.

He began to slowly move down Sakura’s body, kissing and laving it as he went. At her waist, he detoured down the curve of her thigh, barely skimming her sex. She arched again, and Watarimono caught a face-full of her scent. “Son of a...gotta. Keep. Cool.” Deciding to forego more extended teasing, Watarimono delved tongue first into Sakura, to begin lightly sucking on her clitoris.

The heat that had been building for Sakura doubled in moments as Watarimono began. Her moaning began to raise in volume as she neared climax. Watarimono was clearly enjoying himself, as he began to growl in time with Sakura’s moans. Suddenly, Watarimono slid a finger inside of Sakura, and began to lightly massage her inner walls. The feeling was exquisite, and caused the heat in Sakura to again double, and then treble. With a last loud moan, Sakura reached orgasm.

Shudders wracked her body as the heat flowed from her deepest core to fill her entirety; her head was in the clouds. As she came regretfully out of the bliss, the first thing she saw was Watarimono, still crouching between her legs, and smiling like the Cheshire cat. Between pants, Sakura said, “You smile at my excitement now, let’s see how that smile changes.”

“Changes? Why would it--”

Watarimono didn’t finish his statement before Sakura knocked him on his back, and straddled his waist teasing his manhood with the outer heat of her sex. “You want this? Cause if you don’t--” Watarimono knew what implications this could have for Sakura, and wanted her to be sure. Without answering, Sakura shifted enough to give Watarimono entrance to her body. The pain that took her for a moment was banished quickly as she began to find her rhythm.

Watarimono was drowned in ecstasy as Sakura enveloped his manhood. The tightness was one thing, but it was how quickly she took the lead that got him. “She has the ability to lead, but it took this for her to find the initiative. God she’s an amazing woman!” Her pace was mid-ranged, and the fact that she wanted it to last was apparent by that alone.

Sakura had kept her pace slow as long as she could, but her heart began to tell her to just go for broke, take what she wanted. Her pace began to inch up as the thought found purchase in her passion. She could feel a second orgasm building, and as soon as she took notice, she began to moan; at that same time, Watarimono growled deep in his chest. “Looks like I’m not the only one enjoying this...”Quickening her pace more, Sakura decided that the time for holding the reins was past; it was time to ride.

Sakura’s orgasm was near; he could smell it. That alone caused him to growl, then she began to moan his name. That drove spikes deep into Watarimono’s brain; but they were not by any means unpleasant. No, these spikes were built out of passion, an spoke to a deeper part of his mind. He took hold of Sakura’s shoulders, and rolled her over, taking over. He kept her pace, knowing that he was nearing climax as well. Thrusting faster, Watarimono began to pant. “Should I...?”

Sakura knew what he meant. She knew ways to keep his seed from taking hold and putting her with child. “No...don’t stop.” He sped up.

As it had before, the heat in Sakura built to unbearable levels. This time, instead of just filling her with heat, she felt like lightning was tracking across the surface of her mind. Then, before she knew what was happening, the heat and lightning met, and it all broke. Searing pleasure roiled through Sakura, who only had a second to call out Watarimono’s name as she orgasmed.

Her arching, callings, and internal clenchings drove Watarimono off the edge, and he came violently, thrusting deep into Sakura; as he did a wolf-like howl erupted and, instead of stifling it, Watarimono’s under mind let it course through the village. “Let them know that Sakura is yours!” it said.

They collapsed against each other, sharing in the bliss that only new lovers can have. They shared a single thought, and each heard the other as if they had said it aloud, “Mine...mine as long as it can last.” They fell asleep in each other’s arms as the thought echoed to nothing, yet imprinting itself on their hearts.

When Watarimono didn’t show up at 8:30, Master Iruka decided to make sure that there was nothing wrong. He figured, though, that after the previous day, he had slept right through Sakura’s wake up call. On his way to Watarimono’s room, he ran into Kakashi.

“Oh! Master Kakashi! Is our new student on his way?”

“Uhh...not yet, I think that we should let him sleep, though...His mor-night-was rough. The nurse said that she heard odd sounds coming from his room, but I told her not to investigate. I thought that it could be something with his kekki genkai and didn’t want her to get hurt.”

“Oh. Probably for the best, then. I can come back for him around 10. Is that okay?”

Kakashi grinned. “Yeah, his...dreams...should have dissipated by then.”

At 9:30, Watarimono woke up refreshed and more than a trifle happy. Turning, he saw that Sakura was also stirring. Deciding to let her wake up on her own, he stayed where he was, lingering on the time before he fell asleep. Thoughts came and went, but one surfaced repeatedly, the one that he would stick by until he had no choice but to disobey it.

“Yeah, mine for as long as it lasts. Nothing short of death will separate me from her.”

Sakura smiled as she awoke; he returned it, and kissed her on the forehead.

“Did you sleep well, mai mitsukai?”

Sakura rubbed the last of the sleep from her eyes and said, “Better than I expected; now I know why Hinata said that it is so nice to wake up next to Naruto. She always said that I should\'ve taken my chances with him instead of chasing after Sasuke. I might\'ve had a chance though, until he decided to take the offer of Master Orochimaru\'s training.

“Most were glad though...It is the first time in decades that he has offered to take on a student, especially after the ruckus the last one caused before his training was complete. She had a reaction to his training seal, and went on a murdering spree in the village; Sasuke, though...the Sharingan seems to have made the best out of the seal...Master Orochimaru has never been more pleased, though, and that is for the best.”

The news struck as something off to Watarimono. He was somehow under the thought that Orochimaru was evil, and attempting to overthrow the Hidden Leaf village. When he voiced that to Sakura, though, she simply laughed.

“Oh no. Master Orochimaru was trained by the Third Hokage, and was crowned one of the Sannin, along with Jiraiya, and Tsunade, our chief medic-nin and current Hokage. Where would you get such an idea?”

Watarimono was about to say something about ‘animé’, but he didn\'t know what it meant, and just shook his head.

“Well, I don\'t know either, but there is one thing that I do know. You owe me a new shirt, mister.”

Thinking she was more mad than he thought, Watarimono began to stutter an apology. Looking at her, the gleam in her eyes, and the sound of her heart together told him that she was pulling his leg. He decided to turn the tables on her.

“Well, I just thought that, ya know, we could call Master Kakashi or Naruto to bring you clothes...I’m sure that neither one of them would really mind...”

It was Sakura’s turn to stutter. “You wouldn’t! Master Kakashi would–And Naruto–!”

“Got ya.”

“You! Oh! Damn it, that’s not fair! I was supposed to be teasing you!”

“Heh...All’s fair in love and war.”

Sakura threw her ruined shirt at him, and followed close behind it. Her shirt bounded up as Watarimono sat up blocking Sakura’s view. She dove and caught, “His pillow?! Where’d he–?”

“Too slow...”

The next thing she knew, Watarimono had her hands behind her back in one of his, and his other was looped around her mid-section. Her body started to surge in her training, but she caught herself, and decided to see how things were going to pan out. “It’s not like I can’t get away...He still has yet to learn to control his chakra to form jutsu’s.”

“How did you get behind me?”

“Slid off the bed, rolled under, and grabbed you as you grabbed my pillow. I figured I was gonna get kicked in the head; did you miss me?” his voice trailed into a laugh. “I doubt it, though. You’ve got training I don’t.”

“Well, not to inflate your ego, but I did miss you. As a matter of fact, the shirt blocked my view and I didn’t see you move.”

“Really? Huh...” Watarimono let Sakura loose. “I guess that everyone is prone to a mistake now and again.”

Sakura turned to face Watarimono, who was holding a shirt of his own. Grinning, he threw it at her, and motioned for her to hang on to it. He also took the time to grab clothes of his own.

“Join me in a bath? We can’t go around smelling like sex; especially if we plan to keep the natives none-the-wiser,”

“I dunno... An innocent young girl like me might find trouble in there with big, bad you.” A coy smile graced Sakura’s features. “But I suppose that I might be able to defend myself...”

With a goofy grin, and a sarcastic bow, Watarimono opened the door for Sakura to go in first. With a look of mock disdain, Sakura began to walk in, only to have her butt pinched by Watarimono as he called, “Woo-woo!” Sakura skipped out of reach, a blush coloring her features. “I thought we were gonna keep this quiet!” she whispered.

Watarimono stuck out his tongue, and laughed, knowing full well that Kakashi had been by already; he could smell his aftershave. “Gods, cuss it... Gonna have to see if we can find a way to tone this nose down. Too many smells are liable to give me a headache!” Following his love, he jumped into the bath she was drawing, splashing her.

Beyond the occasional splash or two, their bath was bliss. Sakura washed his back, relaxing him to the point of near sleep, and hit him with an empty rinse basin to rouse him. With a chuckle, Watarimono asked if Sakura wanted him to wash her back. Nodding she turned and allowed him to proceed.

After they decreed themselves clean, Sakura changed into her clothes. Noticing that he was hiding something behind his back, Sakura asked about it. “What do you have?”

“If I show you, you can’t be mad. At anyone. Deal?”

“What do you mean ‘anyone’?”

Without a word, Watarimono took out a familiar pair of goggles.

Instead of being angry, Sakura began to laugh. “Oh shit! Naruto must’ve told him about his having worn them until he earned his hite-ate. That is gonna look hilarious on him!”

As Sakura was laughing, Watarimono decided to get dressed. After he was done, he walked to the mirror and put the goggles on. He straightened them, an pulled his hair out to drape over the lenses a bit.

“So, I look that funny?” he asked, turning to face a still laughing Sakura. Gathering herself, Sakura wiped her eyes, and took a long look at Watarimono. Her mouth dropped.

Instead of looking silly, they seemed to fit Watarimono. His outfit looked a bit like Master Kakashi’s, but in black, instead of deep blue. “Actually, the look suits you.” she said smiling. “Here, though, let’s get your gear set up.” She helped Watarimono arrange his holsters(after finding out he was right handed) so he would be set for training. She took a moment to appraise him, and declared him ready.

Before we go I have another question, if you don’t mind.”

Sakura smiled, expecting something about training; what she got surprised her.

“Naruto was chasing after you, I thought. When did he and Hinata get together?”

Sakura laughed and explained. “Well, he had been chasing after me, but after awhile he got the hint and things smoothed into a true friendship. Hinata, as you may know, had been trying to get Naruto’s attentions. After he left to train with Jiraiya and our subsequent missions, Hinata waited a few years for him, training as well...”

It was a beautiful day, and Hinata was pleased with how her training had been going. As she was headed to go get something to eat, a familiar, loud voice echoed from the gates of the village.

“Alright, Sasuke, you promised me a trip to Ichiraku if I could avoid using my Kage Bunshin technique! Let’s go!”

Hinata saw his new look for the first time, and her heart skipped a beat He looks...good. Instead of going to say hi, all of the work beating being so shy went out the window; Hinata hid behind another shop. She stood there wondering what to do, knowing that she should go say something...she ran home instead.

Several months later, she ran into Naruto, literally, while she was headed to go work on her Juken. She reverted back to her shy, hidden self when it hit her: That’s not who she is anymore. Hinata took Naruto’s hand and invited him to join her for Ramen at Ichiraku, to which he responded happily. Over the meal, Hinata mentioned that she had found a place deep in the woods she enjoyed training at. “But that is because, when I’m done, there is a pond to swim and relax in.” Naruto grinned and said he’d love to see how much she had improved over the years.

After they got there, Hinata showed off several of her new techniques, and asked Naruto what he thought. Her heart nearly stopped when she saw how grim he looked. It then jumped into triple-time when he said, “Looks like you’re doing good for yourself, then...”

“Naruto-kun...umm...want to go swimming?”

They both went into the bushes to change, and after some rustling, they both emerged wrapped in towels. Naruto tossed his off without worry revealing a blue pair of trunks, and the spoils of his training. It looked like Naruto had toned up and filled out; his formerly spare frame was now awash in muscle. Before Hinata could stop herself, she muttered “Yum...”

“What, Hinata? I missed that.”

Blushing, she said that he had just cleared her throat.

With a grin he asked if Hinata was just going to swim in her towel. Returning his grin, Hinata took hers off, and leaned over to set it on a handy rock outcropping. She stood back up, and Naruto’s eyes about fell out of his head. Her swimsuit was a less than modest black bikini; a sheen of gold drew Naruto’s gaze to a gold ring that was the center of the top. The view, and the knowledge of where his eyes were, made Naruto blush.

“Well, just going to stand there, or are you planning to swim?”

Hinata laughed when Naruto pulled himself out of his thoughts, knowing full well where his eyes had been.

As she began to sashay to the pond, two other things came to Naruto. “Her laugh...it suits her; just as beautiful as her. And...oh Gods be praised...” Naruto swallowed the lump in his throat. “It’s...a thong.” He grinned to himself, thinking of Ero-sannin. “Old pervert’ll have a heart attack when I tell him about this...” Taking a running start, Naruto jumped into the pond, and spent the rest of the day laughing with Hinata.

After they both dried off, Hinata asked Naruto if he minded her sitting with him. He patted the ground to his right and smiled. “Uh-uh.” Naruto cocked his head, and was going to ask what she meant, when she sat down between his spread legs, and rested her head on his abdomen.

Naruto was in awe, amazed at how direct Hinata had become, but he liked it nonetheless. After a short time, he wrapped his arms around her waist, and lightly rested his chin on the top of her head.

Both actions made Hinata blush, but not as much as she thought it would. “I wish we could stay like this, but the sun is setting, and I have things to do.”

Before she could act on the thought, Naruto squeezed her gently and said, “I was really blind to you before, huh? I was busy chasing after Sakura, not thinking how many problems an inner-team relationship could cause. I’m sorry if I hurt you, Hinata-chan.”

Hinata’s eyes began to fill with tears. “No, Naruto-kun, I should have let you decide for yourself, I’m sure I was a bit of a nuisance, coming up to you all the time not saying anything of any use.”

“Hinata-chan, it never bothered me. I kinda liked the attention.”

Hinata started at that. “He liked my attention?” She turned to face him.

“Naruto-kun, if I never have another chance like this...I want you to know that--” She was stopped as Naruto cupped her cheek, causing her to lean slightly to feel it more, and before she could identify the look on his face, he kissed her gently; it was all she could’ve hoped for and more.

After a moment, long enough for it to be known that it wasn’t just a ‘friendly’ kiss, he broke away, still cupping her cheek.

“I love you, Hinata. I chased Sakura because I didn’t like Sasuke at the time, but not because I loved her. Had I not been so blind before, I would’ve said it sooner. I do, Hinata, I love you.”

Tears began to spill down Hinata’s face, as she realized how serious he was. “I-I love you, too, Naruto-kun.”

“...After that day, they’ve gotten really close. Naruto even asked me to help him look for a promise ring for Hinata. I don’t think they will be truly happy until they’re a family...”

Watarimono took the time to really absorb what he had learned, and decided that he would have to congratulate his temporary roommate on his plans. “Make sure to get Hinata a few roses, too. She might like the thought...Definitely gonna get Sakura a few dozen.” He grinned, wondering how she would react. “But on to more pressing matters.”

“Ya know, I have no idea what training to expect. How did it start for you, Sakura?”

Started from her own thoughts, Sakura told him an abbreviated version of he days in the academy. The good(the learning), the bad(the rivalries), and the ugly(anything Naruto) were all laid on the table for Watarimono to digest. Arriving at the elevators, Sakura pushed the down button. “So that is what to expect in your training, for the most part. Being a class of one, you’ll have less of the downs I did, but at the same time, you’ll have your own and more, simply because it’s gonna be just you. Don’t be surprised to see any of the others watching you; you’re already a hot topic in the village. Naruto will try to help, but don’t let him. He’ll be too excited and probably mess something up.”

As the elevator doors opened, Master Iruka saw Watarimono and Sakura waiting for the car.

“Ah, good, Just who I was looking for. You ready Watarimono?”

With a glance to Sakura, he nodded. “Yes sir, Master Iruka. Whenever you want to get rolling.”

Sakura smiled, and wished him luck as the elevator doors closed.

“Be careful, mai koigokoro...”

Sakura had said it mostly under her breath, but Watarimono caught it just fine. Unfortunately, Master Iruka also had a pair of sharp ears. He was going to call his newest charge out on it, but when he saw the ghost of a smile, his heart told him to stay quiet. He’d ask Watarimono about it, but not for a few days, “Give time for something to happen in a more public forum, first...” He wondered what could’ve caused Sakura’s sudden change from Sasuke, but he knew that it had to have been something intense.

“Hell, maybe she can just feel that whatever Watarimono has locked inside it’s just...Damn. I really don’t know what it could be. Oh, well. Like Kakashi pointed out during their first chuunin exams, they aren’t my students anymore...”

Watarimono had been reflecting on anything that would come into his grasp, especially if it revealed anything. So far that morning, the only new things that had become coherent were names: Jake, Mikey, and Anne. He had no clue what they meant, but he knew that they would mean something eventually. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he caught Master Iruka’s scent.

Somehow, it reminded him of herbs; not medicines, exactly, but something herbal. He figured it was what his soap was made out of. Watarimono took another breath, willing himself to sort it out deeper. That time, under the herbs, he caught the smell he wanted: the deep, hard scent of a man that watched his diet, worked out, and... “Heh...Master Iruka isn’t shy about sake...That surprises me, seeing as how he works with the academy students.” Once out of the elevator, Master Iruka began to wordlessly lead the way.

“So, Master, what is on the plate for today’s training? Hand to hand? What?”

Master Iruka didn’t reply immediately, once out the doors, though...well, that changed quickly.

“So you think you have what it takes to be a Shinobi, do ya? Pfft. I doubt that you’d last more than a few minutes on even a “D” rank mission. I still haven’t figured out what Lord Hokage, and Master Kakashi see in you.”

“M-Master Iruka? I--”

“Quiet. I have things to say, and I’m gonna say them. You have no formal training, no concept of chakra, not even family to explain that kekki-genkai! You wanna be a Shinobi here, then I have a test for you, before we even get to the training grounds. First–do you even know where you are in relation to Naruto’s house?”

“N-no, Master Iruka. I don’t.”

“Shit. This is gonna be pointless if you don’t know where you are. Here then, here is your test: Find me.”

With that, Master Iruka vanished in a blur and a puff of smoke.

“Wha-?! What did I do to make him so mad? Does he really not like me?” The thought caused Watarimono to begin getting angry, especially with what he knew of what he and Naruto went through. “That son of a bitch. He knows that I’m alone here. He was alone, too. Why in the fuck-”

A hard, violent growl began to rumble from deep in his chest. “Alright. Alright! You bastard, I’m gonna find you. When I do, I’m gonna kick the living shit out of ya, too!”

Watarimono’s skin rippled, like something was trying to get out. In it’s aftermath Watarimono has subtly changed. His canines elongated more; his ears changed to those of a wolf, and his muscle mass had nearly doubled. He didn’t know it, though; he was too deep in his anger.

Testing the air, he could almost see where Iruka had went, and following that knowledge, he began to trail him.

Iruka was watching through Sarutobi’s crystal, from the clearing where they were going to be training for the day. Kakashi watched, showing little, but when Watarimono changed, even he let a slight gasp.

“L-Lord Hokage, is this part of his kekki-genkai?”

“Yes, Iruka, that is exactly what it is. It also means we have our first answer. The Wolf is part of his make-up, but only training will reveal the others.

“Kakashi, do you have anything to say at the moment?”

“N-no Lord Hokage, I don’t.”

Watarimono was lurking through the shadows, tracing Iruka’s scent. It was his good luck that he had decided to try to get a grip on what his nose found; otherwise he would have had nothing to go on. Even as he passed food shops, he didn’t let Iruka’s scent escape him. After a bit, he noticed that he was in the forests that were a part of the village, and trained his ears to help, too.

Iruka’s scent began to change, stress, awe and a bit of fear began to permeate it.

“Good. I hope that he is scared. He had no right to do or say what he did. Even if those were his feelings, he should’ve taken it up with Lord Hokage, not me, damn him.”

Soon, Lord Hokage, and Master Kakashi’s scents began to fill his nose. Knowing that he could take matters up with them, he let some of his anger slide. His form rippled again, and the few changes that had occurred, reverted. He didn’t let slide, though, that he was gonna deck Iruka when he saw him.

Watarimono entered a clearing, wherein sat Masters Kakashi and Iruka, along with Lord Hokage. Stopping to bow formally, he looked at Lord Hokage and said, “Please, Lord Hokage, forgive me.”

Tsunade had her suspicions, but played along. “Forgive you for what?”

Without another word, Watarimono walked over to where Iruka was sitting and swung. Iruka blocked it, but that didn’t deter the pissed young man before him. Watarimono began to rain blows, none landing, to Master Iruka. Then, without warning, he feinted with his left, and caught a vicious right to Iruka’s previously healed jaw.

He didn’t stop there. His anger buoyed his strength, and he kept driving mercilessly to Iruka’s body. Most of his blows had begun landing, after connecting the haymaker to Master Iruka’s jaw. He could hear and feel ribs crack and give under his fists. He was unaware that the whole time, he had been loosing strings of obscenities at Master Iruka, twice calling him a two faced worthless coward.

He let up when Master Iruka’s blocking became sloppy enough that too many blows were landing. Out of breath, Watarimono said, “I have no qualms about kicking your ass, but if you can’t defend yourself, then there is no honor in doing it. Get the fuck outta here; Lord Hokage and Master Kakashi will be more than sufficient to train me in anything I need. If we need anything, please, don’t make yourself available.” He then turned his back to Master Iruka, who sat down on a handy log.

“Watarimono.” The edge in Lord Hokage’s voice told him that he was in deep. “I have never seen such a fight among two people who get-got- along, like I have just witnessed. What have you to say to defend your actions?”

Taking a deep breath, so he wouldn’t stutter, Watarimono began.

“Lord Hokage, Master Iruka began to needlessly attack my character as we left the hospital. I refuse to say exactly what he did, but it boils down to me being a worthless orphan. He then decided that he would see if I was even worth your time by seeing if I could find him. His opinion was bad enough, but it should be you to decide who is, and is not, worth your time. I stand by what I did, and will take whatever punishment you see fit.”

Watarimono had kept his gaze mostly on Master Iruka the whole time, and, as he finished, turned to Lord Hokage to take what was his.

Lord Hokage was smiling.

“Watarimono, you have more than proved that you are worth our time.”

Another Master Iruka spoke up. “I’d say that is an understatement. The chakra you tapped in your anger was phenomenal. And your speed may even rival that of Master Kakashi over there.”

“But how-? Your not...hurt?” Watarimono was too confused to stay angry.

“Heh, heh. I kinda expected your reaction, so what you just attacked was,” the battered Iruka faded, and became nothing but a humanoid...thing. “Nothing more than a puppet. Your anger blinded you to it, but we’ll break that habit soon enough.”

“So...it was a test, in a sense.”

Master Kakashi was the one who answered. “Yes, it was. We needed to know if your anger damped, or expanded your talents. Anger seems to be beneficial to you...I’ll teach you to use that.”

“So, I guess...where do we start?”

“First,” began Lord Hokage, “Where did you get those goggles? They seem to be a bit familiar to me.”

Watarimono saw that all three of his teachers shared a look of amusement, and knew that he’d be ribbed about them whether or not he told the truth; they knew, they just wanted to hear him say it.

“Well, they were a gift...from Naruto. Personally, I thought that it would be a good homage to him. He really is a great guy...”

His teachers, “And friends...”, shared a laugh and told him that they thought it was a great thought, and, according to Master Iruka, a damn nice gesture. After the air was cleared between Watarimono and Master Iruka, his weeks of hard training began.

He started at the same point as the academy kids: kata formations; those were followed by a more demanding form of chakra control training; then there was weapons, of which, Watarimono gripped quickly. What was surprising, though, was his efficiency with kunai. His throw was odd, from the wrist and hand, instead of the arm; the toss was effective though. In every test, he hit his targets, and the one that he did miss, was because a robin took that time to fly in front of the target.

Hand to hand followed these, and then jutsu training. Watarimono gathered his lessons quickly, and his chakra control was superb. He struggled a bit with gen-jutsu, but after a few days training, he got the idea down rather well. At one point, he spoke to Master Kakashi in private, asking for his opinion on something. After they deliberated for a few minutes, they came back with a few questions.

“Lady Tsunade, would it be possible to learn the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu? I know that it is considered a forbidden art, but I believe that I could put it to good use. Whatever you decide is fine, though.”

Tsunade thought for a moment, and then looked at Kakashi. “So, why did you two go talk? Was he trying to get you to side with him?”

“Not at all, Lord Hokage. He actually wanted to know if he would get in trouble if he asked, since, as he said, it is considered a forbidden art. He was just trying to save himself from any problems.”

“Well, Kakashi, you wouldn’t lie to me so...” She turned to Watarimono. “Yeah, okay. Master Kakashi can take you through that one.”

After only his third try, Watarimono successfully performed the jutsu, and both of him began to jump for joy. His teachers were quite impressed. Kakashi had expected it though, the boy was smart, and his control was excellent. He briefly wondered if Naruto had put him up to it, but shot the idea down quickly. “I agree with Tsunade’s initial appraisal. He couldn’t have put up such an easy front against us; he would’ve been red or unable to look Tsunade in the eye.”

The remainder of the day was spent seeing just how many bunshin’s he could summon at a time. They gave up after a while, because Watarimono could summon several hundred at a time, and seemed to barely tire. They left it at, in Tsunade’s words, “Prob’ly thousands if he was in danger, like someone else we know.”

Master Gai came in for a few weeks, and trained Watarimono in Tai-jutsu, which he enjoyed thoroughly. They even introduced weights, which still took time to figure out, because Watarimono was already quite strong. After a bit of deliberation, they decided for general purposes, he’d wear 75 pound weights on his arms, and 150\'s on his legs. Training came to 125\'s on his arms, and 250\'s on his legs; the weight would be adjusted accordingly as time passed.

After one session was done, Gai pulled Tsunade aside to talk. “That young man is impressive. He has progressed through his training at an amazing rate. His weighted speed is almost as fast as my adorable Lee, but to get there, he’ll still need a lot of work...”

Tsunade cut him off right there. “Lee is your prodigy. Don’t forget that, Gai. If you were to help an outsider surpass him, he’d be heartbroken. Let them spar together and train together. If Lee decides to help him get to his level, then let Lee do so. Just be sure that it is his decision.”

Gai took what Tsunade meant, and told her that she was right. He asked if he should teach Watarimono any of the Renge techniques, and was told to go ask him.

“Watarimono, you have really impressed me since I came. I didn’t expect you to grasp my teachings so quickly, and that has led me to a question. Would you be interested in learning any of the Renge techniques?”

Watarimono looked at Gai, rather surprised. “Um, actually, Master Gai, no. I know that they are Lee’s personal trump techniques, and don’t wish to take that from him. If he was to ask me, without you mentioning it, I may be inclined to do so. Until then, I politely decline your offer.”

Gai blushed at how easily he was read, but nodded satisfied. “Well, if that is the case, I will be taking my leave. Don’t give up, and good luck!” With that, Gai vanished.

Watarimono’s training continued , with him learning numerous techniques, nin-jutsu, gen-jutsu and tai-jutsu alike.

During another point, Ino showed up, with a note for Watarimono. After she delivered it, he asked her to stay, because he had a favor to ask of her. Ino bowed politely, thinking the whole time, “Damn that Billboard Brow! She was busy with Sasuke, now she’s after him! I was gonna get this one! But, I suppose that I could try for Sasuke now...”

Watarimono opened the note, and read what it had to say with an ever reddening face. After he was finished, he tucked it away, and turned to Ino.

“As I said, Ino-san, I have a favor for you. I know that you work in your family’s flower shop; what would it cost for me to have a half dozen yellow roses delivered to Hyuga Hinata with the note, ‘Congrats! Naruto and you will be wonderful for each other!’ and a full dozen red to Haruno Sakura, with the note, ‘Time is long, but absence makes the heart grow fonder.’”

Ino thought for a few minutes, calculating in her head. “Well, the roses and notes will total out at around 5,129.87¥ add the delivery fees, and your grand total would be...6000¥ even. How about, though, I give you a special discount. I’ll do the whole thing for...drinks with you the first Friday you are done with your training. Deal?”

Watarimono really had to think. He wanted these done as soon as possible, but with him and Sakura being a couple... “Hmm...I dunno Ino-san. With me being an outsider, would that really be acceptable with your peers? I wouldn’t want to put you in hot water...”

Kakashi saw what was going on, and decided to help the floundering Watarimono out. Stepping out from behind his tree, he said, “Actually, Ino, I happen to know that you aren’t yet old enough to drink sake; you’re still a year too young. As to the bill though, I’ll gladly cover it.” He then handed Ino the money, bowing slightly.

“Oh, well...um, thank you, Master Kakashi. I meant, though, that we would’ve gone to the Juice bar.” Ino was blushing to the tips of her ears, both embarrassed and angry at being caught. She bowed to Watarimono, and said that they would be delivered today, by her personally. Watarimono thanked her, and turned to Kakashi.

“Thank you, Master Kakashi. I was trying to dig out of that one as diplomatically as possible. I’m sure that Sakura would thank you, too. I’ll pay you back, too; I don’t leave debts for long.”

Watarimono could see Kakashi grin under his mask. “So...you know I know, then?”

“Yes, actually. I could smell your aftershave when I woke back up this morning.”

“Well, I suppose that I should switch brands now and again, to keep you on your toes.” Watarimono smiled. “As for your ‘debt’ forget it. I’m more than happy to help out a friend.”

“Thank you, Master Kakashi. I’m glad that you consider me a friend.” Watarimono smiled brightly. “I’ll still find some way to repay you, though. If only to make myself feel better.”

Watarimono was good to his word. A few days later, the local bookstore owner came to deliver a package to Kakashi. Inside was the new edition of “Icha Icha Paradise”, which wasn’t even on the shelves for a few more days. When asked about it, the bookstore owner said, “Well, I got a note saying that I was to deliver this to you, and that the bill would be covered. It was, and so here I am.”

Kakashi was confused. “But...who did the note come from? Was it signed?”

The bookstore owner smiled. “Yes, it was signed. It came from someone who asked to remain silent. They said if you asked, I’m supposed to tell you to ‘quit running at the mouth like an old biddy and enjoy your book’.”

Kakashi smiled, and looked over at Watarimono, who was diligently memorizing kata’s by feel. Something he claimed was necessary or he’d lose them in days. He remembered being told to quit ‘running at the mouth like an old biddy’ when he hadn’t said anything for an hour or so during training a few days prior. Watarimono had been confused, though, when Tsunade blushed, not yet being aware of her secret, like many others in the village. It had become a bit of a joke between himself, Iruka and Tsunade, who still blushed when she thought about it.

After the bookstore owner left, Kakashi thought “Well, you really meant it when you said you’d pay me back. Heh, won’t understand why some people won’t allow themselves to be indebted to someone else...” The rest of his day was spent under a tree, reading, and helping Watarimono when he and Iruka began to butt heads over details.

Watarimono had gained mastery over the wolf portion of his kekki genkai and trained with it as he felt necessary. One day during sparring with Kakashi, he took a serious blow to the head when he landed on a rock. Kakashi was gonna go help him, but Tsunade ordered him to hold his ground. He didn’t question her, as Watarimono stood up, but began to wonder what she wanted him to wait for, as his pupil wavered from side to side.

“Damn you, Kakashi...I’m gonna have to get serious I guess...” Kakashi was confused but it quickly turned to fear as Watarimono began to change.

His eyes stayed yellow, but the pupils turned to vertical slits, and his body began to ripple, like it did as he started to morph; this time, it was different. The ripple hit, and then there was a blinding flash of golden light. In it’s wake, there was a terrific thud, as something came to rest in front of Kakashi. When he opened his eyes, the light was fading, and it revealed something Kakashi would’ve never expected. What looked at him was a gigantic, navy-blue, scaled creature. It had wings that would span to at least 100 feet, but looked bat-like in their structure. The creatures front paws looked as nimble as hands, and bore claws that looked like silver. In all, it was 25 feet long, with half that again in tail. At the shoulder it stood 30-45 hands tall; over all it was a menacing sight.

“A...a dragon?! But--”

Watarimono’s voice echoed in his mind. “So, you wanna fight me? Let’s get it on!”

Expecting a lunge, Kakashi jumped, only to be caught in Watarimono’s gaze. The world around him wavered, and changed to look like a burning hell. Revealing his Sharingan, he expected to penetrate an elaborate gen-jutsu; what he got, was much, much more. The world held in his vision.

“No good, Master Kakashi. I’m learning this form quickly; it’s telling me about itself. This is no illusion, it’s magic. Dragons seem to have an instinctively powerful grasp of magic in all forms. Flame can be created by mixing chemicals that lie somewhere in the skull, and ejected from the mouth. Separate, the chemicals are worthless, it’s their meeting that creates the flame. Any flame in sight, though, can be manipulated at will; not to mention that they can create flame through magic as well. Their bones are hollow, like a bird, and a sac of physically created hydrogen helps to give them flight. What is really amazing, though, is their strength. It seems that I could lift several tons, much more than one would think possible, given their makeup.

“I won’t really fight you in this form, though. I want to learn more about it.” With that, the world shimmered, and became it’s true self again. Kakashi fell to his knees, exhausted from focusing his will to resist the illusion. When he looked up, Watarimono was kneeling by him holding a water bottle. Kakashi took it gratefully, and drained it quickly.

“Watarimono...why aren’t your clothes damaged?” Asked a still shocked Iruka.

“It seems that, when I shift, my clothes are integrated into the form I’m in. How, I have no idea.”

Watarimono turned back to Kakashi. “Are you alright, Master Kakashi? I didn’t realize what a strain it would cause for you to be caught for so long.” Kakashi waved a hand to say that he was fine, and opted to go take a sit under a shady tree.

When Watarimono talked to Tsunade later on, she told him that it was a combination of the focus that was needed to resist the illusion, and the shock of both the shape Watarimono took, and the fact that his Sharingan was disabled. “He tries not to rely on it too often, because of how much chakra it consumes, but when he found that he couldn’t get through your illusion, he was thrown off. The Sharingan, as you know, can see through the chakra used to generate nin-jutsu, gen-jutsu, and perceive the field of attack against tai-jutsu. Your Dragon Illusions are fed directly into the mind, making them real not just to the eyes, but to every one of the bodies senses. This makes them both very powerful, and potentially fatal to their target. I request that you refrain from using them in training, and limit them to battle.”

“You have my word, Lady Tsunade.”

A few days later, while meditating, Watarimono discovered another of his forms. He knew, somehow that it was the last, but knew that it would be useful just the same. Practicing with the sensation he’d gotten, he was able to shift into a hawk; he decided that he was going to use this time to play a joke on Tsunade. He knew that he might get in trouble, but Kakashi was too easy to fool, and Iruka nearly impossible.

He flew down to where she was sitting writing on his progress for her files, and landed on her table. He fixated his gaze, and just stood there waiting for her to take notice. When she did, it turned out to be a story for him to hold over Naruto for days to come.

She held out one hand, sensing that the bird before her was tame, and allowed him to take of her scent. Fixing a bit of chakra on her arm, she got the raptor to perch there and look about. It began to preen its feathers, and allowed her to pet him lightly. Going for a walk with it, she went down to a nearby stream, where she had taken to bathing when the men were off training when they didn’t need her.

She set him on a tree branch, and murmured “Stay here and keep me company. I’d enjoy having someone to talk to today.” Turning her back to the bird, she undressed to get into the river. Before she did, however, she turned back the be bird, reformed the chakra on her arm, and took it along. She noticed, though, that the bird was shivering lightly, like it was scared, and crooned a song to steady it.

Sitting in the river, Tsunade produced a bunshin to wash her hair and back. As she sat, she talked to the hawk, telling it of how impressed she was with Watarimono’s progress, and mentioned that she wondered how much longer it would be before his memory returned. Musing aloud, she told it that she thought that there would be some kind of trigger that would come without warning, and it would all come rushing back, “Welcome or not.” Finishing up, she brought her arm up to coax the hawk into flight, and she watched as he dwindled to a speck in the sky.

Watarimono landed in the trees a few miles from their camp, resumed his human shape, dropped to the ground, and went to sleep. Not an hour later, Kakashi found him and told him that himself and Master Iruka were looking for him so they could begin the final stage to their training.

Returning to camp, he looked at Tsunade and blushed a deep crimson. When she asked him what was up, he told her that he was embarrassed that he had fallen asleep; at the same time he was thinking “It’s because I saw you naked! You sang to me and I saw you NAKED!” Kakashi looked at him sidelong, but kept his thoughts to himself.

Without warning, Watarimono began to hum the same song Tsunade had unknowingly sung to him before. She jumped, startled to hear that song coming from her young charge. “Watarimono, where did you hear that song?”

Knowing that he was caught, he told a half truth, to protect himself somewhat. “Well, you whistle it when you are reading, and today, I caught it on the breeze. I suppose it just snagged in my ear.”

Tsunade looked at him, not sure how much of the truth she was getting, but resigned herself to the knowledge that, if he had stumbled upon her taking her bath, he would’ve made a racket about it. “Prob’ly bow so hard in his apology he’d break in half...” Snickering at the image, she told him point blank the day’s plan. “We have been out here for six weeks. Your knowledge and training won’t improve much from this point no matter how hard we were to push you. Today, you test for your leaf.”

Watarimono went into hysterics, saying the academy courses took several years to complete, and there had to be some kind of mistake. He would’ve went on in that fashion, but Master Iruka thumped him in the head.

“Shut up already, geez. You have completed every course that we teach our students in this time. We taught you several courses a day, and knew partially that you had some training, just by how quickly you grasped things. Hell, there were several courses that we were able to skip, because you had grasped them by yourself. You’ve earned you right to test, so don’t let it slide past you.”

“Iruka’s right. You progressed faster than any student in the academy’s history. You have grasps of techniques that most students didn’t master until they were in their third year. Besides, we wouldn’t test you if you weren’t ready.”

Watarimono looked at Masters Kakashi and Iruka, and nodded. He then turned to Tsunade. “I accept the test, Lord Hokage. What is my task?”

Tsunade thought long and hard and then came to a decision. “Well, since you are as advanced as you are, the basics are pointless. How about this: Step one-One example each of nin-jutsu, gen-jutsu, and tai-jutsu. Step two-summon three bunshin’s and then transform them into Kakashi, Iruka and myself. Step three...hmm...step three will be for you to set no more than five traps, and if Iruka falls for even one of them, you pass. If you fail, I have a back up idea, but you won’t like it, so don’t fail.”

Watarimono gathered himself, and easily passed the first two stages. The third, however was close.

Iruka spotted the trip wires for his first two traps, but was taken by the third: He tossed a kunai to cut the wire set at chest level that was, apparently, connected to a simple net trap. What he didn’t see, though, was the thinner wire planted directly behind him. It had been rigged to come tense when the first wire was cut, and when he stepped on it, a pair of branches slammed him into a third wire that was behind and below the first. Snapping it released the net, which had been extensively lined, with sleep gas pellets. Watarimono drug a snoring Iruka back to Tsunade, who was impressed with his creativity. She and Kakashi both had to laugh when he explained the third trap, because it was intricate in it’s simplicity: a prime example of misdirection.

“Watarimono, when you are out on missions, I hope that you remember the skills you displayed today. That trap sounds very well done, and is a credit to what Master Kakashi taught you. Now then, I believe that you earned this.” She opened a medium sized wooden box, revealing his hite-ate. He knelt before Tsunade with his hands at his sides, and bowed his head. Understanding his implication, she took the hite-ate, removed his goggles, and tied it into place, even taking the time to brush his hair out from under it.

“Stand, Watarimono, and take your place among Konohagakure’s proud shinobi.”

Standing, Watarimono looked at Tsunade with tears standing in his eyes. She asked him what was wrong, and his reply was so quiet she almost missed it.

“I-I...remember...”

“Remember...you mean...”

“Not quite everything, but I know that I did something like this with my brothers, Jake, and Michael, Mikey we called him. I had just graduated from high school, and Jake and I did this, except he took off my grad cap, and replaced it with his sunglasses. He had told me once when I was little, not even seven, that I would only get them when he thought I had become a man...”

Watarimono sat down in front of Tsunade, hard, and began to weep. She awkwardly cradled him in her arms, trying to comfort him, and just kept telling him to get it out until he felt better. They all stood in the clearing, happy to know that things were coming back, but dreading what impact there would be when it all came back.

When he had quieted, Tsunade sat back, and handed him a handkerchief. With a nod of thanks, Watarimono wiped his eyes and blew his nose. With a shaky laugh, he told her he’d return it after it had been washed. “Besides, I don’t think you want my snot in your back pocket all day.”

Sharing a laugh, Watarimono stood back up and helped Tsunade to her feet. She wanted to bring the new shinobi back to spirit, and said “I wish that there were more people who still believed in your brand of chivalry. Too many guys just think with their pants.”

Without missing a beat Watarimono laughed and said, “Yeah, but if more guys were like me, Jiraiya-sama wouldn’t have as much of a problem spying on women at the local baths. They’d keep their distance out of respect.”

Tsunade laughed, knowing exactly what he meant, and told him that it was time they got back because “Some of us have people waiting for us.” Watarimono smiled, thinking of Sakura, and the others smiled, thinking their own thoughts. On the path, Watarimono asked what the default test was, and was glad he succeeded his first time around. “Well, it was simple, really. You were to fight Masters Iruka and Kakashi. If you could beat either one of them you would pass...I figured best of 5 falls...”