ALL NOVEL 5.2
Thankfully, the flak jacket wasn’t mandatory. Konoha wasn’t as strict as other villages with its dress code. Shinobis could usually dress in their clan clothes or anything that took their fancy in their day to day lives, or even during missions. At least outside official events. I knew some shinobis used the jacket even outside normal “working hours”. Take Kakashi-sensei for example: Never seen him wear casual attire. I’m guessing if there was any war out there, everyone would be required to wear the full shinobi regalia. The jacket, pants, shoes, belt pouches. The important thing was: My ninja statement outfit was safe! No need to add the jacket that would clash so much with my carefully prepared looks.
We ate the food, which was delicious, and there was this awkward moment where Sensei tried to small talk, I guess my embarrassment showed, because he soon gave up on the attempt. Soon after, I fled the hidden restaurant? Bar? Well, I ran away from the hidden place. I didn’t have much time left and had so many things I needed to prepare.
My first priority was to seal a good number of cupcakes, sweets and pastries. They were my secret weapons. I wasn’t leaving home without them. Problem was, I didn’t have enough time to bake everything I needed in a single afternoon. I’m ashamed to admit, but I resorted to the lazy’s man way out. I purchased a lot of other – inferior quality – sweets, and stored them in my usual first impression packages and other routine seals. I kept the ones I baked by myself for the important moments.
After that, my supply of explosives, the special ones. Anything Orochimaru related deserved my good explosives. Not all of it of course, I didn’t think I would need hundreds, just a few dozen of the buggers was enough. Explosives set, I made sure my koto was in good shape, sealed and stored. Important stuff dealt with, it was finally time to check my other tools, clothes and normal everyday necessities.
My preparations took a good part of the afternoon. I hadn’t finished everything, when the sun approached the horizon. Before it got dark, I went hunting for Naruto. No idea where the goofball was, but the Ichiruka Ramen was a good starting bet. To no one’s surprise, that’s where I found the brat. I got in, bowed to the owner. Gestured that I wanted one bowl of ramen. I sat down by Naruto’s side. He had his face hidden by a ramen bowl.
The small food stall didn’t have many customers at this time, but the ambient smell was amazing. The booth had this comfy atmosphere that made you want to sit down and grab a bite. My stomach agreed. It growled like an enraged beast. The shop owner’s daughter heard it, she grinned. My ears burned. I popped my good impression kit v1.3, offered it to her. Her small grin turned into a full blown smile. Totally worth it.
Not long after, I also had my face hidden behind the bowl. Noisily slurping down tasty noodles.
Naruto finished eating, placed the bowl down. Still without looking my way, patted his belly. “Hiyaaa. That’s what I needed.” The brat burped. Muttered. “Missing only Hinata-chan’s cupcake.”
Surreptitiously, I sneaked one cupcake toward Naruto.
“Old ma—” Naruto started, but saw the cupcake. “Lucky!” The brat yelled. Took the sweet, glomped it down.
I facepalmed. Naruto wasn’t stupid, but he could be so dumb at times. What if that was poisoned? That gave me a wicked idea. Laxative cupcakes. That would teach him to check his food before eating. But that was for the future.
While Naruto devoured his cupcake, I finished slurping my ramen. I placed my bowl on the counter-top, then same as Naruto, patted my belly. That was awesome. I felt a burp coming, but I wasn’t as crass as Naruto. Or better yet, the seal wouldn’t let me be as crass as Naruto. I burped. It made no sound.
I popped my board, something the owner and his daughter were already accustomed to. “Naruto, I need a favor from you.” I slid the board toward Naruto, who still hadn’t noticed me.
“Wha— Hinata-chan!” Naruto yelled again. Looking at the board, then at me, and at the cupcake crumbs scattered all around him. “When did you get here?”
I shook my head, pointed at the board.
Naruto tilted his head. “What do you need?”
I erased my previous message. “I’ve been requested for a mission outside the village. I need you to do two things for me.” I showed him the board. When Naruto nodded, I erased the text, wrote more. “First, I need you to be gentle with Sasuke. Remember that time after Wave? When he was all pissy and brooding?” Naruto nodded sagely after reading. “He might behave strangely as well. Just be there and be his friend.”
Naruto scratched his head, shrugged. I got the impression it meant: “I’m already his friend.”
“Second, I need you to deliver letters, for err, a lot of people.”
Naruto tilted his head to the other side. I took the prepared envelopes. I penned a message to each person, along with the seals. Naruto took the envelopes, looked at the names. Found his not long after shuffling through. “What is this Hinata-chan?”
I shook my head again. Wrote more. “Don’t worry, just open it when you get home. I’ve put a few cupcake seals for you there. Can you deliver the rest for me?”
Naruto squinted at one particular envelope. This one was pink, fancy and bigger than the others. “Shijmi? Who is that?”
I giggled. Of course Naruto wouldn’t remember her. “Tora’s owner.”
A few weeks after our team was not available for missions, Madam Shijmi sent me a letter, proposing a deal: She offered a lot of money for regular sweets deliveries. Her letter had enough seals to cover at least the three months the mission was supposed to last. I wanted to make sure I wouldn’t break our agreement by staying away for too long.
“Ahhh, the fat lady!” Naruto hollered.
I rolled my eyes. What a brat.
Naruto looked at the pile of correspondence, scratched the side of his head. “But Hinata-chan, if we’re going on a mission, how will I deliver it?”
I sighed. “No, Naruto-kun. It’s not a team seven mission. I’ve been requested by another jounin.”
It took a moment for Naruto to understand what I wrote, but when he did, his face fell. “But!” He looked devastated. I almost expected him to burst into tears.
I patted his shoulder. Tried to explain the reality of things. “Many shinobi died protecting the village. We have a shortage of people, we might not be able to work as a full team for a while.” I even threw him a bone. “You might also be leaving on a mission soon.”
Having done my part with Naruto, I returned home. I needed to talk with Sasuke, but somehow, it always wasn’t the right time. First was the lack of privacy in the second phase, then Kakashi stealing Sasuke away for training. That and the attack and all the chaos that followed. Now, the dust hadn’t even settled yet and I had to leave the village because some old codger wanted me dead or worse.
Things weren’t that bad. Sasuke had mellowed out over the months after joining the team. He didn’t even try to burn my hair anymore during spars. He and Naruto also became good friends. Without Itachi to put Sasuke into a genjutsu and flame his obsession, and with Orochimaru gone, I was confident Sasuke wouldn’t defect. Where would he go? His family was here. If he wanted to get stronger, he just needed to talk with Itachi and Shisui.
The feeling that I was missing something nagged at the back of my mind. I stopped, cast my mind inwards, trying to remember what I had forgotten. A few minutes later I sighed. This was annoying. I felt like those dense anime protagonists that knew they needed to do something before too late, but always kept pushing it away until disaster struck.
Should I seek Sasuke out? The memory of the boy's outburst came back to my mind. I shook my head. No, there was no hurry. Sasuke was safe. Distance and time would help him. And help me.
