Team Yumi re-entered the Hidden Leaf Village as the sun began to set over the Hokage Monument. They had just finished a mission, and were on their way to report their success to the Hokage. Despite the time of day, various villagers were running, talking, playing, and laughing through the streets. A few ninja discussed their most recent mission, while vendors tried to sell goods to annoyed customers.

 

"Heh... I really missed being in the village!" Koukon grinned, happy to be back home.

 

"Yeah. We can finally rest." Hikari wasn't as enthusiastic as her friend, but still smiled. "I can't wait to go eat some ramen." She rubbed her stomach, having missed her favorite food.

 

"Of course, that's the first thing you think of. It's always ramen with you." Koukon teased Hikari. "I guess that going to Ichiraku wouldn't hurt, though..." He looked over at his teacher. "Yumi sensei, is it fine if we head off?"

 

"Yeah, I'll go check in with Lord Hokage. You three can go off and get something to eat." The woman smiled back at her students.

 

"Alright!" Koukon shouted, and looked over to his teammates. "Let's go, Hikari! Are you going to come with, Kiniku?" He asked his best friend, hoping that the three of them could go together.

 

"It's been a while since the three of us got to go to Ichiraku together, hasn't it?" Hikari asked. "You should come with us, Kiniku."

Kiniku

 

"Considering me and Hikari do that already, I don't think that's a good defense, String Bean," Kiniku joked. "Nah, I'm just kidding," he added, patting Koukon on the back.

 

"But seriously, Saba seems like a nice girl. I don't think you're being fair to her, Hyugamaki," Kiniku stated wholeheartedly.

"I wasn't talking about you two... I was talking about other people." Koukon complained. "Like Misaki..." He muttered.

 

"I don't care. She annoys me." Hikari refused to change her position. "I'm not as trusting as you guys, and I'm definitely not as trusting as the idiot over there." She muttered, continuing to glare at Koukon.

 

"Again with the names?" Koukon whined.

Edited December 14, 201410 yr by Shulk

Kiniku

 

"Hey hey hey, no need for that," Kiniku said in defense of Koukon. "Look, if you got a problem with Saba, then fine, be that way, but at least try be nice for however long this mission is gonna last. Me, String Bean and Kiyo would appreciate it," Kiniku said, now firmly annoyed by his stubborn teammate. "

"Ugh... Fine." Hikari reluctantly agreed. "I doubt Koukon would care much, though, considering how distracted he is." She muttered, hoping Kiniku wouldn't hear her. At least Kiniku didn't try to pry into it even more like he always does... She thought, returning back to the more stubborn attitude she'd kept before the mission started. I just hope that this mission will end soon.

 

After Hikari finished speaking, Sabaku returned from the Kazekage's mansion. "Hey, everyone! Sorry about the wait." She apologized.

 

"Hey, Sabaku! It's okay." Koukon's eyes lit up as he walked over to Sabaku. "So, what's up? Are you going back to your village now?" He asked, hoping she wouldn't leave yet.

 

"Actually... I asked the Kazekage if I could stay with all of you in the Leaf while we try to learn more about that group." She grinned. "I hope we can work together for a while longer!"

 

Koukon seemed excited by the news. "Alright! I can't wait to show you around the village! There's the Hokage monument, and Ichiraku, and the hot springs..." His tone seemed slightly more mischievous when he named the last area.

 

Hikari just seemed annoyed by the news. Oh, great... I'll have to deal with more of Koukon's perverted talk now.

 

Yumi nodded. "That sounds like a good idea. It's nice to be able to work with you, Sabaku." She smiled. "I'm sure you'll be helpful in finding this group and stopping them. I'd like it if you could speak with the Hokage and tell him your findings yourself, too."

Kiniku

 

"Wow, really? Sounds good, Saba. We'll make sure that you have a nice time at our village," Kiniku said in response to Sabaku stating that she would be staying in the Hidden Leaf for a while, flashing her a thumbs up as well.

"Alright, thanks!" Sabaku grinned.

 

"Well, let's all return! We need to report our findings to the Hokage." Yumi said, and left on her way back to the Leaf Village. Sabaku, Koukon, and Fujiri's students all followed.

 

"Yeah, it's going to be great..." Hikari muttered, and followed the others at a short distance.

Kiniku

 

"Our Hokage is a pretty nice guy," Kiniku said to Sabaku as the group walked, starting to ramble off things about the village. "He's no Old Man Gaara, either; in fact, you could say they're complete opposites," Kiniku said, speaking of the Leaf's leader as if he was just another one of his friends.

"I've heard about him. His name is Naruto Uzumaki, right?" Sabaku asked curiously. "It sounds like you know him well." She said. "I didn't think you'd all be that close to the Hokage."

 

"Oh, yeah, we know him really well. In fact, Hikari's his daughter!" Koukon said.

 

Hikari glared at Koukon. Just to make things worse, now he's bringing me into their conversation...

 

"Really? I never would have guessed that!" Sabaku sounded surprised.

Kiniku

 

"Old Man Naruto is who we all look up to. Can't really argue why considering he's the top guy. That, and he's the son of the Foruth Hokage, he was a student of Master Jiraiya and Kakashi Hatake, he was the one who defeated Pain, as well as Obito and Madara Uchiha, and a bunch of other stuff he's done," Kiniku said, remembering right after that he also beat Gaara once before, but considering the context of that situation, it would be probably best to leave that one.

Kiniku

 

"Old Man Naruto is who we all look up to. Can't really argue why considering he's the top guy. That, and he's the son of the Foruth Hokage, he was a student of Master Jiraiya and Kakashi Hatake, he was the one who defeated Pain, as well as Obito and Madara Uchiha, and a bunch of other stuff he's done," Kiniku said, remembering right after that he also beat Gaara once before, but considering the context of that situation, it would be probably best to leave that one.

"Heh, yeah! He's a hero. Although... I'm going to surpass him and become legendary!" Koukon exclaimed, clearly not just attempting to show off to Sabaku like he had been.

 

"You're going to have to learn to calm down first, Koukon..." Kiyoshi said.

 

Hey, a ton of the biggest heroes in the village were loud. It's like a requirement for the position." Koukon joked.

Kiniku

 

"Can't really argue with that. Naruto and Jiraiya sure were loud... and perverted... just like you, String Bean..." Kiniku said, the last few phrases being under his breath.

"Yeah! And I'll be just like them!" Koukon grinned, oblivious to the second part of Kiniku's statement. "And then everyone in the village will respect me as a hero!"

 

"There's a lot more you need to do than just that." Hikari told Koukon, still sounding annoyed. "You've got a long way to go before you become a hero."

 

"Aw, come on, Hikari... I'm not a little kid anymore. I'm keeping up with my training, too." Koukon complained.

 

"You've got a lot more training to do, then. I bet even Shinachiku could take you down." Hikari taunted her friend.

 

"I'm way stronger than him! I'll be the best in our class! Just wait!" Koukon said, now seeming angry.

 

"I'd like to see that happen." Hikari said, looking away from Koukon. She was trying to hide the fact she was starting to blush. You'd better succeed, Koukon...

Kiniku

 

"Brag all you want, String Bean, but you still gotta go through me if you want to get that good," Kiniku said on the sly, smirking at his best friend as he cracked his knuckles.

"I'll do that, just wait. My goal's a lot bigger than your's, anyway." Koukon snapped back at his friend. "I can already defeat you, anyway. You know that." He began to taunt back.

 

Sabaku leaned over to Kiyoshi. "Are those two always like this?" She asked the girl.

 

"Yeah. My brother's always really cocky, and Kiniku likes to try to get him riled up. They're both really strong, though... They're really good rivals for each other." She smiled.

 

"I can tell that." Sabaku also smiled. "What about their other team mate, though...? She doesn't really seem to be competing much with them."

 

"Well... She usually stays to the side. She's the one that keeps them both in place. I can tell she really wants them to both get stronger, though. She just doesn't want to admit it." Kiyoshi explained.

Kiniku

 

"You beat me? I don't think so. And since you want to bring up size..." Kiniku quickly stepped in front of Koukon and exposed his chest. "Your dream may be big, but I'm bigger. And so is my drive to become Hokage. Plus... come on man, look at me. Heh." Kiniku said, showing off his muscles to Koukon as he made his breasts bounce.

 

"What do you think, ladies?" Kiniku said, showing his chest to the girls while still bouncing.

Edited January 10, 201510 yr by Firaga Sensei

Kiyoshi's face turned a dark shade of red when Kiniku began to show off his muscles. "I-I... Uh... I think..." She stuttered, unable to form a sentence.

 

"Ooh... Impressive, Kiniku." Sabaku grinned.

 

"I think that you're an annoying show-off who just acts tough." Hikari muttered.

 

 

Koukon sighed. "Show-off... Besides, becoming Hokage is too small of a dream for me. I'm going to surpass the Hokage!" He shouted.

Kiniku

 

Kiniku smiled at Kiyoshi's and Sabaku's reactions, but rolled his eyes at Hikari being a lump on a log. "Eh. Two atta three ain't bad," Kiniku said, covering up his chest again.

 

He then turned back to Koukon with an unimpressed and almost pitying smile. "Whatever you say, String Bean. In the end, words don't really mean anything. If you want to prove me wrong... you gotta do it with your fists..." Kiniku said, raising up his own fists to Koukon.

"You know I could easily win in a fight!" Koukon shouted back at Kiniku. "I can prove it if you want!" He raised his fists, preparing for a spar.

 

Hikari sighed. "Looks like those idiots are getting at it again..."

 

Kiyoshi, Sabaku, and Yumi all smiled as they listened to the two rivals. "When we get back to the village, I can hold you two to the fight." Kiyoshi said.

Kiniku

 

Kiniku chuckled and lowered his fists, walking up to Koukon and patting his head like he was his kid brother. "That's the spirit. But..." Kiniku yawned into his hand, walking away and cracking his neck. "It's been a long day. We should all rest up."

Yumi nodded. "Kiniku's right. We can all continue moving tomorrow." She said.

 

"Alright..." Koukon sighed. "I wanted to fight Kiniku, though..."

 

"After what we've all been through, I think you wouldn't be up to having a spar, Koukon." Juukou said, taking a seat on a nearby rock. The team had made it to the forest by now, and were currently in a clearing.

 

"Juukou's right, brother." Kiyoshi agreed. "We all need to rest, anyway. Right, Sabaku?" She turned to their new companion.

 

Sabaku nodded. "Yes, we should. I want to see you at your best when you fight Kiniku, Koukon." She smiled.

 

Koukon was about to protest, but quickly smirked. "Alright, fine... If you insist, Sabaku." I wonder if I can scare Sabaku with my ghost story and get her to hug me...? He thought to himself, now starting to grin.

Kiniku

 

"I hear that," Kiniku spoke, referring to Sabaku's suggestion that he and Koukon be at one hundred percent. "A good fight is a prepared fight. No use coming in all bent out of shape and whatnot," Kinku said, sitting on a crouch for a few moments and rubbing his neck before immediately moving in position to do one handed push ups. "Besides, I still got a regiment to follow. When we get back to the village, I have about 400 laps around the village to do, as well as 400 laps on my hands and 400 squats, pull-ups and sit-ups," he said, not breaking a sweat as he went through several push ups. 

Sabaku looked surprised. "You do that much training? That explains why you're so strong." She said, smiling.

 

Koukon glared at Kiniku. "Ugh, show-off..." I was the one who was supposed to impress Sabaku, not you. Stop stealing my spotlight. "And you guys say I'm the one who always tries to pick up girls. You're not one to talk, Kiniku." He taunted his friend.

 

Kiyoshi glared at Koukon. "That is more of your thing than his. I've never even seen Kiniku try to do that." She protested, defending Kiniku.

Kiniku

 

"Yeah, I'm not a pervert like you, String Bean. Sorry," Kiniku said in a teasing tone.

"Fine, you keep telling yourself that." Koukon said, turning away from his friend. Hikari sighed in response to the argument, while Kiyoshi and Sabaku seemed to be trying to avoid laughing at Koukon.

 

Hikari decided to walk off to a quieter place, getting frustrated by Koukon and Kiniku's bickering, as well as Koukon's obsession with Sabaku. She found a tree a short distance away from everyone else, and sat against it.

Kiniku

 

Now that the chit-chat was over, Kiniku focused primarily on his push-ups, now switching lead arms.