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."

Misaki

 

"Anybody would do. As long as Koukon wouldn't try to split his attention between them," Misaki said.

"So in other words, not you or Akarui." Kiyoshi said. "Hm... I guess I could do that, as much as I'd hate having to deal with that for so long... Or maybe Hikari. She's good at keeping him from doing stupid things..." She began to think about anyone else who could help.

Misaki

 

"Oh yeah, Hikari for sure. He wouldn't dare pulling anything weird around her," Misaki agreed.

"Yeah, she'd be the perfect person to make sure Koukon doesn't try anything funny." Kiyoshi smiled, glad that the two had come to a conclusion.

 

Koukon, on the other hand, just seemed even more upset. Now they're getting Hikari to babysit me...? Ugh... Today hasn't been a good day at all. "You two do realize I'm here... Right?" He asked quietly, realizing that being quiet just made things worse.

Misaki

 

Misaki, ignoring Koukon, continued to speak with Kiyoshi: "So then, did anything else interesting happen on your mission?"

"Not really..." Kiyoshi sighed. "Kiniku and Hikari were the only ones that found anything interesting. They ended up in a battle, but by the sound of it, they finished their opponent off quickly." She explained. "Koukon and Hikari both went off while we were taking a break at one point, but I don't know what that was all about. That's about it."

Misaki

 

"Oh, I see. Sounds about right. Both Hikari and Musclehead are pretty strong," Misaki commented.

(Apparently Shinachiku's too distracted by ramen to be able to make fun of his sister )

 

"Yeah... There's no way that some rogue ninja could take those two down." Kiyoshi smiled. "I just wish that we could have found something more useful there, though... We still don't have any real answers to what we were investigating in the first place."

(Neither he nor I care at the moment.)

 

Misaki

 

"What was your mission? Did something happen in the Land of Wind?" Misaki asked.

Edited January 1, 201510 yr by Firaga Sensei

"Yeah... A village near the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire was completely destroyed out of nowhere. We were sent to try and figure out what happened there." Kiyoshi explained. "We didn't really find anything there... The only clues we found were that one weird ninja, and something Sabaku told us... There's apparently a group of ninja leading attacks. She thinks they're the ones behind this."

Misaki

 

"Sounds dangerous. I'd hate to have a group like that running around, and they better not attack our village," Misaki said.

"Yeah, I really hope they won't do that..." Kiyoshi said, sounding slightly worried. Honestly, the idea of their village being targeted next hadn't really crossed her mind before.

 

Koukon realized this was the best opportunity for him to jump into the conversation and possibly get them to forget about how much they'd teased him a minute ago. "Heh, they can try. I'll drive them all out of here! No one messes with me!" He boasted, trying to act as upbeat and energetic as usual.

Shinachiku

 

"Yeah, I'm with Koukon! If any rouges came to our village, I'd wipe 'em all out!" Shinachiku joined in, also seeing as an opportunity to speak again.

 

Misaki

 

Misaki giggled at the boy's enthusiasm, while Daiki couldn't help but share their resolve, though obviously he wouldn't be joining in with them anytime soon.

Did... I just make Misaki laugh? Koukon began to slightly smirk, but quickly shook himself out of his weird act by remembering what Shinachiku said. "Heh, just don't get in the way of the Hero of the Hidden Leaf!" He told the equally energetic boy, grinning.

 

Kiyoshi smiled while watching Koukon and Shinachiku talk with each other. I guess there isn't much to worry about, after all...

Shinachiku

 

"Hero of the Hidden Leaf? That's my title!" Shinachiku said, chuckling and playfully shoving Koukon.

(Apparently they get along when Hikari's not around)

 

"Yeah right!" Koukon shoved Shinachiku back, laughing a bit. "I think you'd fit better as the sidekick." He joked, continuing to tease his comrade. He usually just argued with Shinachiku thanks to his constant bickering with his sister, but Koukon still enjoyed joking around with him.

(She's the root of all problems)

 

Shinachiku

 

"Please. If anything, you're my sidekick!" Shinachiku joked back.

(In that case, Koukon's going to have a loooot of problems in the future)

 

"Come on, you know I'm stronger than you!" Koukon said. "And I could prove it any time I wanted." He teased Shinachiku.

 

Kiyoshi laughed. "You two can be so entertaining." She hid her smile.

Shinachiku

 

"Oh, you wanna bet?! I'll take you on any day of the week!" Shinachiku replied back, full of mirth and boast.

"We can go settle it right now, if you want." Koukon responded, ready to finally get to show his strength again. After the disappointment of his last mission, he was eager to get a fight, even if it was a friendly spar. Heh, if I win, I bet Misaki will be even more impressed with me... He began to think about the girl, but quickly shifted his attention away. N-no, I can't do that! Come on, Koukon! Focus on what's important!

 

"Koukon and Kiniku were going to have a match once we returned... I guess Kiniku's a little late, though." Kiyoshi said, excited to see the fight that was probably about to occur. She had wanted to see Kiniku battle with Koukon, but as long as she could see how her brother had improved, she didn't mind who his opponent was. She hadn't seen Shinachiku fight in a while, anyway.

Shinachiku

 

"Really? Now you're speaking my language!" Shinachiku said, slurping down the rest of his ramen and wiping his mouth with his sleeve. "Let's go the Training Grounds!"

"Alright!" Koukon finished his food and jumped up.

 

 

Once the group had reached the training grounds, Koukon instantly ran out to the center of the field. "Come on Shinachiku, time to fight!" He shouted, eager to get going.

Shinachiku

 

"Ready when you are, Koukon!!" Shinachiku said, crossing his arms in front of him, too boastful to get into a fighting stance. Meanwhile, Daiki and Misaki were watching on the side, both silently observing in their onw ways.

"Right! Let's get started!" Koukon exclaimed, then suddenly appeared behind Shinachiku. Heh... If I show of my super cool Swift Style and how I've mastered it, Misaki's definitely going to fall for me! He thought as he began to throw punches at Shinachiku. He was more of a ninjutsu user than a taijutsu user, but he decided that it would be best to start out small.

Shinachiku

 

"Whoa!" Shinachiku cried, barely keeping up with Koukon's speed as he also barely managed to block his strikes, the last one catching him on the chin and sending him back hard. Catching himself, he decided that he needed to keep Koukon grounded to secure a win.