:Way of the Ninja: Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Iruka gazed down at the pictures in front of him, a small smile threatening to spread across his face.  The subject of the photo stared back at him, unaware of the  camera or the photographer snapping away at different intervals in time.   It was rather funny actually; were it not for the photographic evidence, he wouldn’t have  believed such a thing to be possible!

“Ahhh… they grow so fast, don’t they?

The Chuunin jumped, turning around to spot the grinning blonde Sannin standing behind him.  "Hokage-sama!" he exclaimed.

"Take it easy," she chuckled.  "I'm just takin' a look at your pictures."  She picked up one, studying it as her grin turned into a smirk.  "Y'know, I wouldn't have thought  such a thing possible..."

"Yeah," he agreed with a laugh.  "I was just thinking to myself that it's a good thing we've got evidence.  If someone had told me this had happened I wouldn't have  believed them."

The Godaime paused, studying him a few seconds before chuckling again.  "No worries, Iruka... She'll always be your little blonde knucklehead."

He blinked up at her with a slightly flustered laugh.  "What...?"

The Slug Sannin rolled her eyes.  "Oh, c'mon... you know as well as I do that you're the little runt's father-mother-and big brother all rolled into one," she replied, holding back a grin at his flushed expression.  "All the way back here, the kid had nothing but good things to say about her 'Iruka-sensei'."

Iruka smiled, gazing back down at the picture of the little blonde he'd taken under his wing all those years ago.  When he'd really gotten to know her, he'd realized the two of them were kindred spirits - lonely orphans with no one to look after them.  While their arrangement had started out as an obligation to the Sandaime - the previous Kage had done so much for him - it certainly hadn't taken long for him to get attached to her, or vice-versa.  He'd taken one good look at those big blue eyes of hers and knew there was no way she was the demon who'd taken his parents from him.  She was a small, lost little kid with a heart bigger than the five Shinobi nations who just needed someone, just one person, to show her that she wasn't the monster everyone believed her to be.  She wanted to become a ninja, the greatest ninja, in order to protect everyone and he'd promised to help her anyway he could.  That day in the park all those years ago he'd agreed to be her teacher.   

He realized that over time he'd become a friend as well as a mentor to her - as well as a way to get the occasional free bowl of ramen - but it had never crossed his mind to consider himself her father-figure as well.

'Next thing you know, I'll be on her case about wearing too much make-up, or spending too much hanging out with boys...' The young chuunin grimaced at the  
thought.  It made him sound over-protective and old-fashioned!

Seeing his expression, the Hokage laughed again.  "Don't worry, Iruka," she chuckled.  "I doubt she's gonna start running around in..." She paused, nearly snorting at the little pink number her fellow blonde was wearing in the picture in front of her.  He hadn't seen this one yet, had he?  'What is that... a waitress's outfit...?' "...mini skirts and heels anytime soon... This is Naruto we're talking about."

"True," Iruka agreed, recalling the only time he'd seen her in actual feminine attire.  It had been at the Sandaime's funeral.  He'd been surprised, and on some level a little relieved, to see the blonde standing beside her teammates in the standard kunoichi funeral attire - a collared black tunic blouse and matching skirt.  Her wild hair had been just subdued as her, held back out of her face with thin black clips.  It was a little startling to see her dressed that way - judging by the looks of some of their peers, it seemed he was not the only person to think so, but overall he was glad that she'd done it.

When he'd asked her later on about the sudden change, she'd smiled and said, ~ "I thought it'd be nice for the old man to see the real me just once..." ~

It was about time she started being true to herself.  Sandaime-sama would be proud of her; he just knew it.  After all, he was.  'Naru...'

Tsunade gave him a knowing look before setting down the photos with a loud sigh.  The Chuunin looked over at her in curiosity.  "Well, I guess we should be glad this was probably only a onetime thing - especially considering how some of her old classmates reacted at the sight of these photos."  Both ninja held back a snort of laughter at Yamanaka Ino's reaction; that Haruno Sakura was a wily one.  "She really is a cute little thing when she cleans up, but I'd hate to see what'll happen when she figures out how to use those looks of hers to her advantage."

'She already has... to an extent...' Iruka thought with a grimace.  Although, however much he hated that jutsu, he was not about to inform the Hokage of Uzumaki Naruto's so called 'Oroike no Jutsu'.  He wanted her to live to see her next birthday after all...

"At any rate..." the Godaime went on, unaware of her subordinate's thoughts.  "Her mission should be wrapping up within a day or two... If everything goes according to plan, she should be back within Konoha's walls within the next week."

Iruka blinked, his brows furrowing in concern at the wording of the Hokage's statement.  "'If everything goes according to plan'...?" he echoed.

Taking a few of the pictures up from the table and tucking them into her blouse - Iruka flushed heavily at this but she ignored him (she had to have some sort of dirt on the little punk, after all... and this was gold!) - she gave him another amused smirk.  "This is Naruto we're talking about," she muttered.  "They don't call her the most Unpredictable Ninja for nothing."

Iruka nodded, feeling a familiar stab of paternal/fraternal worry for the little blonde displayed in a lovely light blue dress with sheer layers of fabric fluttering around her.  He knew the little kunoichi attracted trouble like flames did moths, but he held out the hope that nothing would happen to her on her current mission.

After all, it was just a wedding, right?  What could go wrong?

--

He gazed out into the town square, watching as the finishing touches were placed upon the decorations for the upcoming wedding.  From what he'd heard, the  
wedding ceremony would take place first, followed shortly by a grand reception that had been the talk of just about everyone in town since his arrival.  People from all over had come to witness the event and the little town was packed to the brim with celebrities, dignitaries, paparazzi and the like.

He paused, trying to hold down the uneasiness roiling around within him.  It would be tough, but if he played his cards right, he could make it...

A girl a few years younger than him jogged by, and it was instinct alone that kept him from reaching for the weapon he had concealed beneath heavy layers of fabric.  

'Relax...' he told himself, gazing at her absently as she went about her way without even noticing his presence.  'There's no threat here...'  

However, that wasn't true.  There were threats everywhere; even a place like this, a quaint little village preparing for a wedding, was fraught with danger.  Sure, the large crowds could work to his advantage, but he couldn't lower his guard not even for a minute.  There were so many what-if's, so many variables, even the  
slightest of things could cause everything to go so wrong.

'I can't let that happen,' he told himself, frowning darkly.  He'd come too far, worked too hard to allow everything to fail now.  'No matter what, I cannot fail my mission!'

Once more resolute in his goal, he took a step back, vanishing into the shadows to prepare.  By this time tomorrow, he'd be ready to make his move.  He couldn't  
allow himself to fail, no matter what.

---

He opened his eyes to vast darkness, a deep scowl spreading across his face at the familiarity of it.  "What... What is this...?"

"Still so weak, little Brother...?"

The voice, although expected, startled the young ninja into awareness.  Reaching into his weapon's pouch for a kunai, Sasuke turned on his heel to meet his elder  
brother's bland crimson-eyed gaze.  Though he realized he wasn't really there - this was another dream, he was sure of it - that familiar hatred surged and burned within him as he bit out his name with an angry snarl, "Itachi...."

The elder Uchiha remained unaffected by his tone, his stance as relaxed as it had been in the hotel corridor.  Clearly he didn't view him as a threat - yet.  "So," he  
replied softly.  "Are you finally ready to face me, little Brother?" He paused, Sharingan eyes studying him quietly.  "Or are you still afraid?"

"Afraid?!" The flame of hatred within him ignited into a blistering inferno.  Sasuke let out another furious snarl as he charged towards the older Uchiha, his blade  
poised to strike.  "I'll kill you!"

Itachi easily avoid his strike, but Sasuke expected as much.  With burning red eyes, Sasuke watched as his hated elder brother feinted to the left.  Spotting his  
opening he did the same, spinning slightly on one foot and springing into position right before Itachi, just as another ninja had done to him months ago.  Watching  
three-tomoe'd Sharingan eyes widen in slight surprise, Sasuke's kunai switched from one hand to the other before plunging in for the kill.

Time seemed to freeze, and after what seemed like an eternity later, Uchiha Itachi let out a soft breath and slumped forward against his younger brother's shoulder.  

Sasuke tensed but remained silent.  He didn't feel any sort of victory or satisfaction; this was a dream after all, it wasn't real...

"What's wrong...?" the elder Uchiha asked, his breaths becoming fainter by the moment.  Suddenly, he seemed to shrink in on himself, his body becoming smaller  
and smaller as his coloring muted and changed.  Sasuke frowned in confusion; what was going on?  "Don't you feel better now...?" Blue eyes beneath a mop of  
blonde hair gazed up at him curiously.  "...Brother...?"

--

Waking up, Sasuke let out a sharp gasp, his body entire body tense.  Taking a quick look around at his surroundings, he realized he was still within the Iwano estate, seated out on the roof outside the room Iwano Megumi had set aside for him and his two *female* teammates.  There had been a few remarks about the  
arrangement - from Jiraiya mostly, the old lech - but considering that there was so much going on already in regards to the wedding, allowing a little impropriety in  
this regard didn't seem like such a big deal.  They were only sleeping there, after all.

Speaking of sleeping... Sasuke tensed again, hearing the soft breaths of someone deep in sleep coming from right next to him.  A little put out that he hadn't noticed  
the presence earlier, he froze in alarm as that person shifted, a blonde head falling bonelessly against his shoulder as if he were some sort of pillow.  

'...the hell...?'  Sasuke stared at his teammate, remembering how his thoughts of her had driven him to this spot in the first place.  It was no wonder she'd somehow worked her way into his dreams as well...

~ 'Don't you feel better now...  Brother...?" ~

He immediately pushed that thought from his mind, in no way wanting to revisit the image attached to it.  Instead his mind went back to their fight against Gaara  
during the Oto-Suna Invasion.  He remembered how she'd faced down the redheaded sociopath, refusing to let him sacrifice himself so that she and Sakura  
could escape.  After being beaten down, tossed around like a ragdoll, still she stood up to their enemy, drawing on an impossible amount of clones.

The Suna ninja's expression had mirrored his own.  ~ "Impossible... No one can create that many Shadow clones!" ~

The clones in proximity to him had smirked, and the words that had come out of their mouths still echoed in his head even now...

~ "You'll find nothin' is impossible when my family's in danger!" ~

'Family...'  Sasuke stared down at the blonde, unable to put a name to the emotions running through him.  Why was she here?  After a few minutes of silent  
pondering, he began to feel uncomfortable with the blonde so close to him like this.  Sakura was one thing, but here he had to draw the line... Blushing lightly, he let out a grunt of annoyance, elbowing the smaller blonde in the arm.  "Oi.  Get off."

Predictably the blonde jerked awake, whipping her head around with sleepy blue eyes.  "Pork and Miso, please!" It took a few moments for her to realize that she  
was not at the Ichiraku Ramen stand and when she did she let out a little pout of disappointment.  "Aww... it was just my imagination..."

Annoyed that she would be dreaming about something so ridiculous, Sasuke scoffed in annoyance, turning blue eyes back his way.  "Don't you have better things to be doing than sleeping on the job?"

Naruto blinked at him.  The thought of mentioning how she'd found him here fast asleep ran through her head, but as she didn't feel like explaining why she'd chosen to join him she decided to let it slide.  Instead, she twitched, giving him a squinted look of annoyance.  "I was not asleep!" she protested.

The Prodigy rolled his eyes.  "Right..."  Taking a moment to study her more carefully, he took in her new attire, willing his eyes not to bulge comically at the sight.  Gone were the horrid orange jacket and pants; the blonde before him was dressed in deep blue kimono with dark red roses embroidered into the silken fabric.  The outfit itself would have been normal enough had it not been for the fact that the hem of the garment stopped about mid-thigh, leaving the blonde's legs exposed all the way down to the dark colored tabi on her surprisingly dainty looking feet.

It took all the Avenger's willpower not show his reaction to this on his face.  And here he'd thought that prank jutsu of hers was bad!

The kunoichi glanced over at him, cocking her head at the frown upon his face.  What was his problem now?  "What...?" she asked warily.

Realizing he had been staring, Sasuke smoothed his face back into its usual disinterested mask.  Meeting the blonde's gaze again, he merely quirked an eyebrow and replied, "What's with the getup?"

This time it was Naruto who turned red, tugging at the hem of her kimono in mortification.  "Sh-shut up!" she snapped, turning away in embarrassment.  "Megumi-san made it... It's one of her new designs..."

When Megumi had placed the finishing touches on her and Sakura's dresses for the wedding, Naruto had rejoiced in the fact that she was finally safe.  Unfortunately she'd soon learned that her rejoicing was premature.  Megumi had accomplished the task her mother in law had set for her upon their arrival to Tokushima, but the fashion designer still had plenty of designs and ideas rattling around in that devious head of hers.  Powerless against her methods of persuasion - who knew that Megumi was a master of the Puppy Dog Eyes Jutsu? - Naruto had no choice to endure even more fittings.  Tired of the traditional wedding attire, Megumi had turned her designs toward themes.  Naruto had been dressed in several different costumes, all seemingly more ridiculous than the last.  

Fortunately, the torture only lasted a few hours.  The wedding, after all, was only a day away.  When the time came to put the finishing touches on Kanae's wedding gown, the blonde was finally released back into the wild - free to go wherever she willed.  But where to go?  Although Megumi was now indisposed, there was still the Twin Terrors to consider.  Being the experienced escape artist that she was, Naruto knew she had to go somewhere they wouldn't find her.  Sakura had fallen prey to their brainwashing, and Kakashi-sensei and Ero-sennin were likely to turn her in just for laughs.  Iwano-baasama was their grandmother, so that only left one person with whom she might possibly be safe...

...loathe as she was to admit it.

"Why are you wearing that?"

She turned back to face him only to find him glaring in the opposite direction.  "Cuz... she told me to," she answered, feeling the response to be a bit silly even as the words left her mouth.  "...said she wanted to know how ninja-functional it could be or somethin..."

"But why are *you* wearing it?"

Naruto blinked; did he want Sakura to be wearing it?  Willing herself not to ask the question out loud - after the Oiroke no Jutsu stunt at the inn, she'd promised  
Sakura she was going to behave - the blonde merely huffed in exasperation.  "I certainly don't wanna be," she answered with a frown.  "But she told me to... and  
Ryu-san asked me help out 'cuz he said all this fashion stuff keeps her busy and calm, and Iwano-baasan said somethin' about giving Kanae-san a break... even  
though I don't really get any of it..."

Throughout her whole rant, Sasuke had turned his gaze back to her, studying her attire once more.  He recalled noting how *girly* she had looked sans her jacket  
back during that moment in the Chuunin exams.  The form fitting vest she'd worn had rid him of any illusions he'd had regarding the whole 'I'm a girl' thing being just another prank.  The new knowledge made him a little uncomfortable, but the given the situation at the time - he'd been more concerned about beating Gaara (so that he could face her later on in the Finals, honestly) - he hadn't allowed himself to give it anymore thought.  Naruto may have been a girl, but she was still a dobe.

Then there had been the funeral.  She'd shown up beside Sakura in the normal kunoichi attire, no orange in sight.  Her mood had been so somber - idly  he  
remembered she'd been rather close with the Sandaime - even her blonde hair seemed more subdued.  Yeah, she might have been an annoying idiot, but he  
realized then that even she knew how to grieve.  Seeing her talking with Iruka, the anguish on her face as she tried to come to grips with what he was telling her,  Naruto had almost seemed... normal...

After that day the questions he'd had regarding the blonde seemed to double in number, frustrating the young prodigy because they had more to do with her as a  
whole than the impossible things she had seemed to accomplish within the past days.  He couldn't understand why it angered him to know that Gaara had seemed more interested in fighting her than him, and it confused him as to why he had felt protective of the blonde when Hyuuga Neji had inquired after her.  Certainly the  
blonde was his teammate - as the highest ranking member of the three man squad, of course it was his responsibility to keep the dead last out of trouble - but why should it have mattered what other people thought of her?

It shouldn't have mattered.  He didn't want it to matter!  He was supposed to be an Avenger!  And Naruto... Naruto was supposed to be the dumb Dobe who always said the stupidest things, always did things wrong, pulled stupid pranks--

An image a tall, naked blonde clothed in nothing but conveniently positioned wisps of smoke slammed into his mind, causing him to jerk in his seat.  

Naruto blinked at him, frowning in confusion.  "What the heck's wrong with you?"

He scowled, looking away with an angry glare.  Dobe... "You look ridiculous, that's what."

She sneered back in response.  "Well, let's put you in a dress and see how *you* look!" she snapped.  "Teme..."

Sasuke merely scoffed, trying his best not to think about the fact that that horrid prank jutsu was now permanently etched in his memory.  A loud, long yawn came  
from the blonde's direction and he directed another scowl towards her.  "Don't fall asleep on me again," he growled.

"I'm not, I'm not!" she protested loudly.  "Sheesh!  And to think I came out here for a little peace and quiet - maybe I should go call Ryu-san's sisters.... I'm willing to bet they'll make better company than you!"  The other genin's angry glower was enough to set her hair on fire.  Naruto merely laughed out loud, raising her hands in surrender.  "Or not!  Maa, maa... Neechan would kill me if I set the wolves on her precious 'Sasuke-kun'!"

The Uchiha paused, looking thoughtful.  "You still haven't told her what happened," he muttered quietly.  "Have you?"

She cocked her head again.  "Happened when?"

Memories of his fight with his brother in the Otafuku hotel corridor, mixed in with flashes of his recent dream, flashed through his head before he glanced down at his feet with another scowl.  "Never mind..."

Naruto regarded him with a curious frown for a few silent moments before letting out another loud yawn.

"Stop that."

"I can't help it!" she protested, pushing back a kimono sleeve to rub a hand through her hair.  Idly she marveled at how easy a feat that was - the hair products the Twins used were even more effective than Sakura's.  'And they don't smell like Strawberries either!'  "I'm beat!  I've been using Kawarimi, Henge, and Kage Bunshin all day!"

Sasuke twitched slightly, once again reminded of her almost impossible stamina.  "What for?" he asked.

"Just helping out with stuff," she answered.  "And sneaking away from Megumi-san every once in a while... That woman's relentless - and her daughters even more so!"  

Even Sasuke had to agree he felt the same in that respect.  Even though they'd deemed him too young to date, that hadn't stopped them from openly trying to flirt with him.  

Sighing, Naruto leaned back against the window.  "It's just my luck that they've turned Neechan into one of their henchmen!  I swear, she hasn't turned her back on me for a second!"

"She was out with the assistant earlier," Sasuke blinked, surprised at himself for even speaking aloud.  What did it matter to him what Sakura was doing?  She was leaving him alone, right?

"I'm surprised you noticed," Naruto remarked casually.  "I thought you'd be glad to have one less fangirl breathing down your neck."  Again Sasuke scowled.  This  
time she merely rolled her eyes.  "Aw, don't give me that!  Y'know, the only reason those girls hounded after you so much is cuz they thought they had a chance at  you."

He snorted.  "I don't have time to waste on some idiots with nothing better to do with their time."

"Yeah... they were kinda dumb," Naruto agreed.  "I mean, it's you after all..."

He scowled again.  "Shut up, Dobe."

"Seriously!" she grinned, ignoring the vein twitching just above his brow.  "If you had just picked one of them to be your 'girlfriend', the rest would've left you alone  
eons ago."

"Yeah right," he scoffed.  "And be stuck with some groupie following me around all day..."

Naruto glanced at him, trying not to roll her eyes. 'Sheesh, you're so full of yourself...'  Despite his initial rudeness and arrogance, at least Neji was making an attempt to be polite - stiff and awkward though it was... Still, this was the longest conversation the blonde could ever recall having with her teammate that hadn't  
ended in the two of them resorting to blows.  She should at least try to make the most of it - and perhaps do a little henching of her own...

"Well then," she replied calmly.  "I s'pose you should be glad that Sakura's calmed down, ne?"  

Sasuke's head snapped around to her once more, his dark eyes narrowing.  

"After all, she and Ino were the worst of the lot, always pushing and shoving at each other trying to get to you.  It's gotta be a relief knowing you don't have to worry about either of them jumping out of a bush to get at you."

The Uchiha didn't answer, his gaze fixed at some unknown point in the distance.

"S'matter, Sasuke?" she asked.  "Don't tell me you actually miss some girl hanging all over you?"

~ "Whaddya think, Sasuke-kunnnn?" ~

~ "Sa-Sasuke... you're all right...?" ~

~ "Sasuke... You shouldn't have -- you took way too many hits already!" ~

~ "Leave him alone!  Don't you dare hurt Sasuke!!" ~

Sasuke stiffened, several thoughts running too rapidly through his mind for him to process.  Deciding he had spent enough time in the blonde's company - he rose to his feet with a scowl in his face.  He jumped down from the rooftop - leaving a puzzled blonde behind - as he muttered under his breath...

"I think I liked you better when you were just a Dobe..."

Did he realize that she'd heard him?  Naruto watched him go with a thoughtful frown on her face.  Mulling his words over in her head, she figured he had a bit of a point.  'Well... things certainly were easier...'

---

"Kyaaaa!  Today is the day, today is the day!  Oniichan is getting married!"

"Waaaaiiii, I can't believe it!  I'm so excited!"

Sakura merely smiled at the two older girls, although inwardly she was getting a bit annoyed by all the squealing they were doing.  A quick glance at her twitching  
teammate indicated she probably felt the same - although that could have been more a result of all the pinning and tugging her poor hair was undergoing to stay in its style.

"You okay there, Naru-kun?" she asked, trying to hold back a grin and failing.

The blonde's only response was a sour look.

"I'm sorry, Uzumaki-chan," Mitsuko replied as she did the finishing touches on the style, pinning a white flower behind the younger girl's ear.  "I thought you hair  
would've been fine overnight, but apparently you're a pretty wild sleeper.  You looked like a haystack this morning!"

The blonde flushed, muttering a half-hearted apology while her teammate laughed out loud.

"I hafta say," Michiko giggled.  "You both look absolutely adorable!  Okaasan really did a great job on your outfits!"

"You really think so?" Sakura gushed, rising to her feet to survey her appearance in the full length mirror on the other side of the room.  The fashion designer had  
chosen a light pink, chiffon cap-sleeved dress with a rose colored ribbon laced around her neck and front.  The hem of the dress ended just above her knees,  
showing off her legs.  In her ears she wore pink rosette earrings and on her feet were rose, open toed flats showing of pearlescent nail polish.

"Yup!" Naruto answered, a smile finally making its way across her face at seeing her teammate look so pleased.  At least she was getting so enjoyment out of this - quite frankly the blonde was ready for the whole thing to be over.  "You look really nice, Neechan."

The pink-haired kunoichi beamed at the compliment.  "Thanks!" she exclaimed.  "You look pretty good yourself!"

"Yes, yes, Uzumaki-chan!" Mitsuko exclaimed, clasping her hands together.  "You are our crowning achievement!"

"True, true!" chorused Michiko.  "You're going to be the belle of the ball!  Aside from Kanae-chan, of course!"

"Um, thanks...?" Naruto murmured, reaching up to finger the flower behind her ear only to have it lightly batted away.  "What do we do now?"

"Now?" A wide grin spread across Michiko's face.  "Now we go get our Oniichan married!"

--

Kakashi regarded his three subordinates with a wide grin that remained concealed behind his usual black mask.  "Well now," he drawled out.  "Don't you all look  
adorable!"

Only one of his students smiled; the second flushed while the remaining one merely glowered.

"Do we have orders?" Sasuke ground out, glaring out at all the finely dressed people milling about the open pavilion.  He got that it was a wedding and all, but if they were going to be doing guard duty behind the scenes, why did they have to dress up?  It wasn't anything he wasn't used to, but he was well aware of all the looks he kept getting from the Twins and several other girls within their age range at the sight of him in a tux.  Why couldn't the old lady have gone with a traditional Shinto wedding

"Hmm... not really..." Kakashi answered blandly as he adjusted the cufflinks of his own suit, a finely tailored black number with a deep blue vest and tie - inwardly  
laughing at the way the young prodigy twitched in dismay.  "While we are providing guard detail, Iwano-sama requested we try and blend in with the crowd.  Be alert, but try to have a little fun..."

"Feh, Teme wouldn't know fun if it bit him in the ass... Ow!  Don't pull the hair, Neechan!"

"Then watch your language!"

"Yes, yes... you've gotta act like a lady today, brat," The four ninja looked up at the approach of Iwano Miyako and Jiraiya, both dressed in traditional wedding finery.  The council woman was garbed in a silvery gray irotomesode with a white and light purple orchid pattern printed on the hem and sleeves.  A dark purple obi was tied elaborately around her waist with a matching comb in her hair.  Jiraiya wore a dark gray juban, a maroon hakama, with dark gray tabi and finely made zori sandals.   Over the outfit he wore a black haori with some sort of mon displayed on the back.  Though his hair was in its normal unruly state, gone was the head plate bearing the kanji for oil.

Naruto blinked at her would-be mentor, barely able to process the change in his attire.  "Wow, Ero-sennin," she mused.  "You almost look respectable!"

Iwano laughed.

The Frog Sage pulled a face before giving the blonde a once over with a grin.  "Same could be said about you, runt," he chuckled.  "How long did it take to fight you into that number?"

Grimacing, Naruto bit back a retort as she plucked absently at the whimsy material covering her person.  She was currently dressed in bright blue, ankle length  
satin.  The dress had an empire waist with delicate bead work around the front, complete with a shimmery layer of chiffon that seemed to flutter on its own with  
every bit of  movement.  Sakura and the Twins had oohed and ahhed the moment she stepped out in it, telling how pretty it made her look.  

Honestly, Naruto would have preferred the half-kimono.  Even though she was essentially covered, the airiness almost made her feel naked; it was just plain weird!

'Besides... I feel like I'm gonna trip in this stupid thing!'  A hand fell into her line of vision, rousing her out of her thoughts.  She blinked at Kakashi who was studying  
the flower behind her ear as if was the most fascinating thing in the world.  "Kakashi-sensei...?"

He blinked slowly, before meeting her gaze with a crescent eyed grin.  "Who picked out the flower?" he asked.

"Naru-kun did!" Sakura grinned, giving the blonde's shoulder an encouraging squeeze.  "I think she's starting to get a hang of this fashion stuff!"

"That's what you think!" Naruto protested with a snort.  "I still don't know squat about fashion - but I do know plants.  Irises are my favorite flowers."

Jiraiya and Kakashi both stilled, exchanging looks over the genin's heads.

Before anyone could comment any sort of comment however, Isamu approached the group with a greeting smile.  His eyes falling on the two kunoichi of Team 7,  
his smile widened into a grin.  "Haruno-san, Uzumaki-san, you both look great!"

Both girls blushed and smiled.  Their male teammate kept his face completely blank.

"I just wanted you all to know that we're going to be starting soon," Megumi's assistant continued.  "Feel free to take your seats when you're ready."

"All right then," Jiraiya said with a grin, gallantly extending his arm to Iwano-san.  The elder woman laughed, accepting his arm with an appreciative smile.  "I've got my date.  Why don't the rest of you kids pair up so's we can get this show on the road?"

Naruto moved to stand beside Kakashi, turning to her teammates with an immature grin.  "Sorry, Neechan, Teme... looks like you two are stuck together tonight."

Sasuke merely rolled his eyes and trudged out to the sitting area.  Sakura followed after him, although not before turning back to Naruto to mouth the words 'thank you' with a happy grin.

--

For someone who had never witnessed a wedding ceremony before, Naruto thought it went it went surprisingly well.  The ceremony itself had not been overly long and drawn at as she had initially expected it - apparently Kanae-san had been quite serious about wanting to get a head start on her life together with Ryu - but short and sweet.  The bride and groom had lit a few candles, shared a little sake, and after exchanging their vows were officially deemed man and wife.  Granted, Naruto didn't profess herself to be an expert on the subject, but she felt it was a safe to say that she had never seen any other two people more in love with each other than Tsukishiro (Iwano) Ryu and Kanae.  The happiness on their faces was so tangible, the small blonde found herself grinning just at the sight of it.

Kakashi appeared beside his student, two glasses of punch in hand.  He smiled inwardly at the wide smile on her face; it was nice seeing her in a genuinely happy mood for a change.  So many of her wide prankster grins were merely for show... "See something interesting?" he asked.

She shrugged, accepting the drink with a nod of thanks.  "I'm just glad Kanae-san and Ryu-san's wedding went off without a hitch," she answered.  "They're gonna  
be really happy together."

'The wedding's not over yet,' the jounin told himself, but outwardly made a noncommittal sound.  Why spoil the girl's mood?

Naruto quickly scanned over the crowd of people in attendance, easily spotting her comrades from Konoha.  Jiraiya was with Iwano-sama and Megumi-san, chatting up a group of tittering middle-aged women - the ex-fashion designers contemporaries, no doubt.  A few more seconds of searching yielded a flash of pink, allowing the blonde to zero in on her two teammates.  Sakura and Sasuke were on the other side of the pavilion, seated at the end of a row of folded chairs.  At first glance it  looked like they were talking to each other, but then Isamu appeared out of the crowd and then began a discussion with the pink-haired kunoichi.

Sasuke did not look the least bit pleased at this.

Blue eyes blinked in confusion.  What was his problem now?

The Jounin beside her was also studying the other two genin, an amused expression evident in his visible eye.  Glancing down at the genin beside him, he patted her lightly on the head with a soft chuckle.  "You shouldn't fix your face like that, Naruto," he chided jokingly.  "None of the boys are going to ask you to dance."

The young blonde froze, staring up at him in something akin to horror.   "Whuuuhhh?"

Kakashi's eye crinkled into a crescent grin.  "Oh come now, with how you're all dressed up you didn't think you were gonna turn some heads?" He held back a  
chortle at the blonde's rapidly reddening face.  It was a little startling to see the quick-witted blonde so easily rattled, but he had to admit it was a little fun also.  He was tempted to make an Icha Icha reference, but decided against it at the last moment.  Despite her infamous Oiroke no Jutsu, Kakashi had a feeling Naruto was almost as uptight as Maito Gai!  "Honestly, you look very nice.  You haven't noticed anyone checking you out?"

A blinking look was his response.  "Checking me out for what?  Weapons?"

The Jounin nearly fell over.  

--

"Are you sure, ojousan?"

Sakura smiled politely at the boy who'd just asked her to dance.  "No thank you," she said softly.  "I'm not a very good dancer."  Waiting until he was out of earshot, she let out a sigh of exasperation as she muttered under her breath, "Goodness!  What is this - Ask the Wallflower to Dance day?"  That was the third boy she'd turned down in the last hour!  She'd never gotten so much attention back in Konoha...

'And certainly not from the one boy I *want* to notice me...'  It took a conscious effort not to glance over at the brooding boy beside her.  She'd had a very nice  
interesting conversation with Isamu regarding photography.  It was obvious the older boy took a lot of pride in his work and Sakura found it refreshing to have a  
conversation with someone regarding non-ninja related issues for once.  However, all throughout the conversation she couldn't help but feel the tense vibes radiating from the boy beside her.

While he was no ninja and probably couldn't sense chakra if his life depended on it, Isamu seemed to eventually realize that his presence what not desired by the  
dark haired boy and finally took his leave - not before securing one dance from Sakura before the end of the night.  The entire time her prodigy had not spoken a  
single word.

Was it possible that he was jealous?  'Yeah right, Sakura... wishful thinking...' Holding back a sigh, the kunoichi willed herself not too overthink things - determined to spend what a little alone-time she could with her Avenger.  After all, when was another opportunity going to come up like this again?

Unaware of her thoughts, Sasuke glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.  While the thought of Sakura dressed up didn't seem too farfetched - a thought that should have distressed him far more than it did - he had to admit he wasn't quite sure how to process the information.  In his thoughts, his teammate had always worn that red cheongsam and standard issue sandals, her hitai-ate resting on the crown of her head.  However this new Haruno Sakura was quiet and demure, dressed in pink from head to toe, putting him in mind of the flower that was her namesake.  

He didn't like it.  Nor did he like the fact that others did.  He'd silently endured Megumi's assistant coming over and making small talk, attempting to distract himself by monitoring the crowds for any signs of trouble.  They were on a mission after all - didn't he see that they didn't have time to waste on him?  Eventually he seemed to take a hint and made himself scarce - however others seemed to take it upon themselves to take his place.

The Uchiha held back a growl of frustration.  He didn't have time for this!

"Oh!"

The startled cry from the girl beside him rousing him out of his thoughts, Sasuke turned to his teammate to find her staring off into the crowd with a wide-eyed  
expression on his face.  Following her gaze to find out what was the matter, the sight that met his gaze left a sour feeling in his gut and his neck twinging in  
annoyance.

Just what the hell did she think she was doing...?

---

It was decided - everyone really was out to get her.   First Iwano Megumi setting her evil sights on her, and then Iwano-sama encouraging her... of course, then there was her own Nee-chan, brainwashed into their evil clutches to then join forces with the evil twins of terror, Michiko and Mitsuko.  Jiraiya seemed to be getting a kick out of her suffering because he seemed to break out laughing every time he laid eyes on her.  Now it seemed as if Kakashi was getting in on the action!

First, the droopy eyed jounin had suggested that she find someone to dance with.  Her?  Dance?  Before she could tell him just how ridiculous that idea was, he'd given her a quick shove, sending her tumbling into some unsuspecting sucker in the crowd.  Fortunately she was saved from falling flat on her face (She was a ninja! Why was the simple act of standing on heels so freaking difficult?!) by the boy and his surprisingly quick reflexes.  After righting her and assuring himself that she was fine, he'd politely inquired as to what had caused her to fall.

At this point Kakashi had taken it upon himself to interrupt and to bold-facedly lie and say that he'd been attempting to teach her to dance with little success.  He'd  
then gone on to convince this boy to give it a try.  The whole thing had happened so quickly and before she could find the breath to object she was being lead out  
onto the floor, a crescent-eyed jounin waving at them as they went.

Somehow she'd find a way to get vengeance...

"Are you all right, miss?"

Thoughts of suitable forms of prank justice fled from her mind, Naruto turned her attention back to the boy in front of her.  He wore pristine white hakama underneath a dark, forest green haori.  He had dark blue shaggy hair pulled back out of his face in a short tail at the back of his neck.  He gazed down at her curiously, sky blue eyes shining in amusement.

"I'm fine..." she muttered, horrified at the thought of the pink flush she knew was spreading across her cheeks.  "I just don't think I'm cut out for dancing, is all..."

"Actually, you're doing very well, I think," he answered, smiling lightly.  "Your uncle made it seem as though you were clumsy, but you're actually very graceful."

The blonde grinned, whether at the thought of the cause of her gracefulness or an 'Uncle' Kakashi she couldn't be sure.  "Thanks," she answered.  "You're a good  
teacher; where'd you learn?"

He closed his eyes briefly.  "My mother," he answered.  Something skirted briefly across his face and Naruto recognized it enough not to press the issue.  After a  
few brief moments it passed and he opened his eyes again to meet her with a small smile. "It's been a while since I've danced though."

Naruto nodded, allowing him to spin her around.  The material of her dress fluttered around her as she moved and she flushed again, missing the smile he gave in response.  Just as he was about to lead her into another step, Naruto slipped on her heel and tumbled straight into his chest.

Then, all Hell broke loose.

--

Kakashi tensed in alarm as a high-pitch wail cut through the soft music of the reception, freezing everyone in their tracks.  The band came to a halt and people  
scattered from the floor as a burly figure dropped down into the middle of the crowd with a heavy thud.  Before anyone could question his actions, however, he  
sprung away with a burst of chakra, a pale-faced, frightened, and crying little girl secured tightly under one muscular arm.

'A kidnapping?  In broad daylight?' the jounin scowled inwardly as he began wading through the panicked crowd.  'That takes guts!'  He began searching across the area for Jiraiya to assure that their client was still safe when a flash of blonde darted off after the mystery-nin.  "NARUTO!"

The blonde paid him no heed, vanishing over a neighboring rooftop.

'Damn it!'

--

This time Naruto ignored the way the light material of her dress fluttered up around her body as she moved.  Putting on another burst of speed, she vaulted over another rooftop, making sure to keep the muscular ninja in her sights.  He'd managed to cover a lot of distance with his chakra-induced leaps, bringing them out of town into a woodsy area full of tall trees.  From her initial observation, the other ninja - a rogue from Iwa by the looks of his hitai-ate - looked strong, but he was a bit on the slow side in terms of speed.  That coupled with the added weight of an unwilling passenger, made it so Naruto was easily able to close the distance between them.  His captive, a young dark haired girl who looked even younger than Moegi, caught her gaze first.  Fear and panic were evident in her wide eyes and she reached out her hands to the blonde in a plaintive 'please help me' gesture.

Naruto was not about to let her down.

'You wanna crash weddings and snatch little kids, Mr. Muscle?' She stared at the man's back with an angry scowl.  'Then let's go wild!' Leaping forward, the blonde  
brought her hands up into a oft-used hand sign, letting out a familiar cry of, "KAGE BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!"

--

Kaji had expected to be followed the moment he'd left the wedding pavilion - after all, they'd known their target was not traveling alone - but he certainly hadn't  
expected to be have his pursuer catch up so soon.  Nor did he expect the heeled shoes that rammed into his back, slamming him into the ground.

Though the blow had been heavy - it had knocked a sturdy guy like him to the ground, after all - he was able to recover quickly.  Shaking his head to regain his  
bearings, he rose to his feet to face his attacker... only to gawk at the tiny figure facing him.  "What the hell...?"

The little thing was barely half of his height, dressed in a flimsy blue gown and matching heels.  Kunai in hand, she scowled at him, waiting for him to make a move.   "You've gotta be kidding me," he scoffed.  "There's no way a pip-squeak like you managed to drop me like that!"

The little blonde scowled, her blue eyes sharpening like steel.  "Ohh trust me, big guy," she snarled.  "I'm gonna do worse than that!"

--

She stared up at her rescuer, a shiny haired blonde in a shimmering gown, with wide teary eyes of gratitude.  "Thank you!" she exclaimed, wrapping her arms  
around the older girl's shoulders as she jumped from tree to tree.  "You saved me!"

"No problem, jouchan!" the blonde grinned, coming to a stop on a low hanging branch.  "Although we're not out of the woods yet!"

"Figuratively or literally..."  The two girls turned, their gazes falling on the slim figure that touched down a tree branch a few meters away.  She bore a scratched hitai-ate from Kirigakure, although half of it was obscured by purple bangs that fell halfway down her face.  She gazed at them with a gleaming brass-colored eye, her pierced lip curling upward in a predatory smile.

Naruto met her one-eyed gaze head on, her blue eyes unflinching.  She tightened her hold on the girl in her arms, shifting her weight slightly.  "Hold on tight to me,  
okay," she murmured.  The little girl nodded.

The older ninja cocked her head.  "Do you really think I'm gonna let you get away?" she chuckled.  "You have something that belongs to us."

"That a fact?  What do you want with her?"

The mist-nin smirked.  "I don't think that's any of your business."

"Hn..." the blonde pretended to look thoughtful.  "Sorry, but I don't think I can accept that answer..."

"Pity." The purple-haired kunoichi shot towards them in a blur of speed.  Naruto sprung backwards to evade, her eyes widening when she heard the crack of what sounded like a whip, followed by the sound of the tree branch she was currently standing on giving way beneath her.  

'Shit!' Jumping backwards once more, the Konoha genin used chakra to stick to the tree's trunk, then used it as a springboard to vault over to another tree.  Hiking up the hem of her dress, she reached for several shuriken she tucked into a holster on her thigh.

"Ooh, resourceful little thing," the woman purred.  "Aren't we, precious?"

The little girl in Naruto's arms let out a yelp of dismay at the sight of the nukenin appearing in front of them.  The genin's eyes widened in surprise.  'Damn, she's  
fast!  I guess to make up for the old slowpoke back there...'

Another rush of memories sudden hit her full force, and the blonde realized that her clones were still battling with the Rock-ninja.  She frowned inwardly; just what were a rogue Rock-ninja and a Mist-ninja doing working together anyway?

"Better pay attention, precious!"

There was another whip crack, and Naruto felt a sharp stab of pain against her leg that caused her to miss her next branch jump point.  With another muttered  
expletive, the blonde tumbled towards the ground, turning her body so that she would take the brunt of the fall.

"Damn it, that hurt!" Naruto risked a quick glance at her calf, eyes narrowing at the hair-line cut marring the pale skin.  What the heck had she been hit with?

"Oh, please don't scrunch your pretty face up like that, precious," the Mist-ninja crooned.  "You'll get wrinkles."

Wincing at the pain, but confident the injury would be taken care of soon enough, Naruto rose to her feet and placed the little girl behind her in a protective gesture.   "Thanks," she muttered.  "But I'm willing to bet that's the least of my worries..."

"True enough," the older kunoichi sniffed.  "Tell you what - stand aside now and I won't have to cut your face up."

"Not gonna happen," Naruto snarled.  "Either one of those things."

"So stubborn." Sighing, the older woman raised her arm, the dark blue sleeves of her high-collared trailing in the air.  Naruto knew she was building up chakra for an attack, but for the life of her she couldn't figure out what it was - she wasn't even using hand signs!  Seeing her puzzled expression, the woman grinned again.   
"Don't worry," she said.  "You'll find out soon enough!"

Several things happened in a quick succession.  The mist-ninja brought her arm down, a whip-like crack filling the air once more.  Naruto could see something  
rushing towards them from her extended hand, but before she could even decide whether or not to evade it, the attack was cut short by a quick flash of steel.

"...the hell...?"

A figure appeared between them, a gleaming sword held tightly in one hand.  Naruto stared at his back, the dark blue shaggy hair and forest green haori bringing her up short.  "No way..." she awed.  "You...?"

The girl behind her let out an elated gasp.  "Oniisama!"

~ End Chapter 33