Ino and Sakura met up with Naruto at the newly built Ichiraku Ramen shop. They had added a few more seats to the bar but it was essentially the same little shack as before. The two girls sat on either side of the blonde boy and stared wide-eyed at the stack of empty bowls in front of him.
“How do you pay for all this ramen…” Sakura asked in disbelief. She made decent money between completing missions and working in the hospital, but even she didn’t eat out as much as Naruto did.
“I rebuilt the shop, Sakura. And I single handedly saved Konoha from Pain. You’d be surprised how much that is worth in ramen,” Naruto winked and slurped down the rest of his broth.
“Yeah yeah yeah, okay. Don’t let it go to your head,” she grumbled punching is arm lightly. He was right. He was sort of a celebrity in Konoha now, and he did not hold back on enjoying those perks.
“Are you finished? Can we go see the dancers?” Ino asked. “I heard Hanabi Hyuuga is dancing and I want to see her. She seems like the polar opposite of Hinata. Could you ever imagine Hinata performing a dance in front of the entire village?”
“Let’s go. Thanks for the ramen, old man!” Naruto called as he hopped off his bar stool and walked out with the girls draping his arm around Sakura’s shoulder. They strolled down the crowded street towards the Hokage mansion. The sweet smell of barbecue and street food was drifting all around them. Children dressed in fine robes ran through the streets with new toys and loud bells. Couples held each other in the streets and gave each other flowers. The purple stained sky was the perfect backdrop to this summer evening. The sound of drums could be heard in the distance.
As they neared the end of the street, a large crowd sat facing a stage in front of the Hokage mansion. Some dancers in golden head-dresses and long silk dresses surrounded a woman playing a large stringed instrument on the ground. They moved slowly and gracefully to the traditional melody being played and swayed gently like leaves in the wind.
After a few moments, they bowed, and exited the stage and the crowd applauded. Next, an elderly man with a long beard entered the stage and began to read a poem about Konoha. Naruto turned to Ino and grumbled, “I thought there were supposed to be hot dancers here, not old guys reading poems.”
“Shut up you perv,” Ino shot back. “This is a classic poem. It was written during the time of the First Hokage.” She turned back to the man enthusiastically reciting the poem on the stage as she mouthed the words along with him. Naruto felt slightly ashamed for not knowing the poem, but the feeling soon faded as the crowd erupted in applause once again and the man took a deep bow and exited the stage.
Then, a young girl with dark hair and pale eyes wearing a black leotard and leggings walked slowly to center-stage. In her hand, she held a long metal pole, twice her height, standing vertically towering above her head.
“She’s on guys! That’s Hanabi!” Ino whispered excitedly.
The drums began beating slowly as the young girl began to walk around the pole. She struck the platform with it producing a vibration through the earth that the crowd could feel. She struck the pole twice more with the beat of the drums and stared out into the crowd.
“She’s really strong…” Naruto thought to himself as he watched this tiny little girl lifting that pole with one hand. “That seems pretty heavy…”
She then turned the pole horizontally and held it broadly between her two hands. She wielded the large pole like a weapon, twirled it easily, cartwheeled with it in place, flipper her body effortlessly over the pole as if gravity did not affect her. She then stood the pole up right and balanced it on its end. Taking a broad step back, she placed both hands in front of her facing the pole. In a split second, Naruto thought he may have blinked and missed the event entirely, she struck the pole midway causing it to cut in half.
The crowd erupted in cheers and applause. “What the hell?!” Naruto guffawed. She gracefully caught the two poles, one in either hand, before they hit the stage. She smiled and nodded her head at the crowd. She then pranced around the stage with the two poles in hand, twirling them both rapidly. She threw one in the air and then the other, flipper her body backwards, before catching them again. She then held one pole behind her knee and took its brother in her hands. She held one end of the pole in her hands took a few running steps and stuck the other end into the ground hoisting herself upwards into the air. She held herself straight up by balancing on the top of the pole which now stood vertically in the ground with the other pole tucked behind her knee. She held herself up by her hands, her legs over her head, her arms fully extended. Using her feet, she gripped the second pole, and carefully extended it perpendicular to her body.
“What strength…” Sakura admired watching the little acrobat amaze the crowd.
Hanabi slowly lowered the second pole to the ground and placed one hand on each upstanding pole, still in handstand position. She again stared down at the two poles, and again almost missing it, she quickly pushed herself off them and struck down with the heels of her palms splitting them in half. The crowd whooped and cheered as the four pieces of metal struck the stage. Hanabi landed without a sound and took a bow. People stood up to cheer for her as she collected the poles and scattered off the stage.
“How the hell did she do that?” Naruto asked turning to Sakura and Ino.
“She’s a Hyuuga, probably read the chakra in the metal or something,” Ino retorted sarcastically.
“She is way better than I was at her age,” said a small voice behind them.
“Hinata!” Naruto shouted turning around to see a small girl with purple hair and pale eyes blushing.
“Hi, Naruto-kun. Ino, Sakura-chan,” she smiled brightly and waved.
“Hello ladies,” Kiba said as he waltzed over and put his arm around Sakura and ruffled her hair.
“That’s not funny Kiba!” Sakura growled as she pushed him off her. “You messed up my hair. Shino can’t you keep him in line…” Kiba and Naruto laughed as Sakura took off her headpiece and retied it after smoothing out her pink hair.
“So, who wants drinks?” Ino asked happily. The six young shinobi spent the next few hours saying hello to various vendors, eating sweets, and playing street games. After winning a few cheap prizes, they decided to head towards downtown to check out the nightlife.
“I have to head back, I have an early day at the hospital tomorrow,” Sakura frowned. “Don’t miss me too much tonight.”
“Do you want me to walk you home, Sakura-chan?” Naruto asked, hoping she would say yes. “It’s dark out.”
“I’ll be fine,” she insisted. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow!” She scampered off quickly.
“There’s an afterparty that I heard about, anybody want to go?” Ino inquired. Hinata blushed violently and looked down at her feet.
“A party?” she asked quietly, “I don’t really think… Maybe not tonight…” she stammered.
“Not my scene,” Shino asserted. “I’ll take you home Hinata.”
“I should have expected as much,” Ino sighed.
“I’ll go!” Kiba smiled his big flashy smile, canines looking sharp as ever. “I heard they have a good drink special tonight.”
“I’m not really in the mood…” Naruto grumbled after being shot down by Sakura again. She had let him put his arm around her earlier, but then hadn’t looked at him for the rest of the night. She always ran to him first, gave him a hug and kiss on the cheek when he defeated Pain, and had invited him to come out tonight. She even gave him special medicines on his missions lately and brought food by his house when he got back. What were all these mixed signals? Naruto shook his head. “Kiba, will you make sure Ino gets home safely tonight?”
“No problem. I can drink this little kunoichi under the table,” Kiba scoffed. He and Ino had been out on the town several times together. She was as much of a flirt as he was. She had often been his wingman, trying to convince non-shinobi girls that Kiba wasn’t a ninja and that they should let him buy them a drink. “Team Kino back at it again,” he said confidently while Ino paid no attention to him.
The two of them made their way to the edge of downtown where they heard music and clamor coming from the intended bar.
“Looks like the party already started,” Ino said narrowing her eyes and smiling. Kiba had left Akamaru at home tonight with the new puppies and felt slightly naked without him. They walked into the hot bar packed with people. There was some music playing overhead, but mostly just lots of loud conversations.
“First round is on me,” Ino said making a path towards the bar. “Two sake cocktails please,” she asked firmly. Within a minute she had two drinks in her hands and was making her way back to Kiba.
“That was fast,” he said watching her maneuver through the crowd.
“Kunoichi,” she said pointing to herself after handing Kiba his first drink. She had a point, kunoichi in Konoha were particularly skilled at espionage and getting information. He guessed that applied to getting drinks, too. Ino had been on several of these missions lately and was definitely working her way up the ranks.
“If you’re so good at missions, why do you work in the hospital?” Kiba asked curiously. “Why not go for ANBU black ops or special forces?”
“That life is tough for a kunoichi,” Ino said sternly. “I like my freedom. And I like not having to live a lie all the time.” She gulped down her drink in one shot. “What about you Mr. hot shot?”
“Eh you know me, I’m going to take over the family business one day,” he beamed. He did love his dogs, that boy. They didn’t have much money, but Kiba’s family had lots of tough, messy puppy love. He preferred that to the formalities of high society families, like the Hyuugas or Uchihas. He also gulped down the drink, feeling it burn on the way down. “Any cute girls in here tonight?” he asked as he surveyed the crowd. A few girls stuck out to him, but no one he knew.
“The night is young, take it easy you dog,” Ino assured him. “Let’s go make friends,” her eyes sparkled as she looked towards a group of young people laughing at a table. The two shinobi joined the strangers and sat down.
//////
Meanwhile, Naruto sat in his bed and opened his window. He thought of Sasuke, who might be looking up at the black sky too, somewhere out there. Word had spread that Sasuke had killed Itachi, which had been his life goal. So why didn’t he come back to Konoha yet? What was he still doing out there? Was he ever going to come back? Naruto shook his head again and fell back onto his pillow.
“I will find him. And I will bring him back home,” he closed his eyes and tried to imagine a new ninjutsu that would help him bring his friend home again.
//////
“Thank you for walking me home, Shino,” Hinata said shyly as she bowed her head to him.
“Anytime, Hinata. Tell your father I send my regards. Thanks to his donations, my lab has gotten all the equipment I need and I am very grateful.”
“Oh, I will Shino!” she giggled. “He will be so pleased to hear it. I hear you have been doing great work for Lady Tsunade.”
“Goodnight, lady Hyuuga,” Shino too bowed his head and turned to head home.
Hinata slipped inside, sliding the door quietly. She tiptoed along the wooden boards of her home to get to her bedroom. She saw a light on in the reading room, where she approached cautiously. Her father sat quietly, eyes closed, a text on the table in front of him.
“Good evening, father,” Hinata nearly whispered. “I have returned from the festival.”
“Good evening, Hinata. I am glad you enjoyed yourself with your classmates. How was Hanabi’s performance?”
“She was brilliant, father. You would be so proud. Such control and strength.”
“As expected. She is truly remarkable. She has made so much progress over the past year.”
“Shino Aburame also sends his thanks for your donations to the hospital,” she reported, blushing slightly.
“He is very bright, Hinata,” Hiashi Hyuuga said getting up from his seated position and returning the scroll to its place on the shelf. “Perhaps a fine match for you.”
Hinata blushed uncontrollably. She did not feel that way about Shino, the mysterious insect man who rarely ever talked. Plus, he was her teammate and they had to work together on missions. Hiashi noticed her silence.
“A conversation for another time, my daughter. Goodnight.” Hinata bowed her head again and scuttled to her bedroom closing the door quickly behind her, panting in panic at the thought of having to marry Shino Aburame.
//////
Ino’s cheeks glowed a rosy pink as she finished the last of her drink. At this point, she had lost count. Kiba too grew slightly louder and bolder thanks to the array of drinks now circulating in his blood. They danced playfully with their new acquaintances. They were a bit older, none of them shinobi. Ino and Kiba had said that they were a florist and breeder, respectively, which wasn’t truly a lie. Kiba challenged a muscular young man in the group to a pull-up competition on the rafters, which he gladly accepted.
“You’re toast,” the large man taunted.
“We’ll see!” Kiba cheered. A small crowd formed around the two young men as they jumped up grabbing the low-set ceiling rafters.
“Whoever gets the most in one minute wins,” the man reminded Kiba.
“May the best man win,” Kiba grinned nonchalantly. He wore only a mesh tank top after removing his large coat. The other man also wore only his undershirt.
“Ready, start!” the bartender yelled. The two started pumping rapidly. Kiba looked over and matched the man’s pace to keep things interesting. After 30 seconds, the man starting taking longer pauses between each pull-up where Kiba kept the initial pace pulling away from his competitor. Ino grinned at her cocky friend making a show out of himself.
“29-30-31…” the crowd counted as Kiba started picking up his pace. “35-36-37!” He smiled and held his chin over the rafter.
“What a show off,” Ino thought to herself. She had taken notice of Kiba’s strong back, his muscles shining in the hot bar with a little sweat. She could see his abs showing through his mesh shirt. Not an uncommon feature of shinobi, but still, not a bad sight.
“Time’s up!” the bartender yelled and the two dropped down laughing.
“You killed me,” the man laughed breathlessly. “You’re something else, man.”
“It was a good match,” Kiba smiled as he shook the man’s hand. He found Ino at the bar again and made his way over to her.
“Having a good time?” he asked.
“Can I buy this muscle man a drink, please?” she called to the man behind the counter. “What do you want, champion?” she asked sarcastically.
“Just a nice, cold beer to wash down my victory,” he joked getting in Ino’s face and wiping his sweaty brow on her forehead.
“Ew, Kiba! Come on!” she scolded as she leaned away from him. “Thanks,” she grabbed the two beers and gave one to Kiba. They went back to the crowd dancing to the music. The lights had gotten dimmer and the music had gotten louder. More people joined the sea of bodies that moved back and forth. Kiba looked at Ino who drank half her beer already. She was wearing a little pink shirt that showed off her waist and was slightly see-through now that she was sweating. Her skirt hugged her narrow hips and revealed her shapely legs.
“Ino always looks good,” Kiba thought to himself. She always got what she wanted. Kiba took her hand and gave her a twirl which she took slowly, smiling at him. She knew how to have a good time. She waved at one of the other girls they had met and shook her shoulders at her laughing. She moved closer to her and leaned in to say something in her ear. They both leaned back and smiled. Ino danced with the girl, shaking her hips and holding the other girl’s waist. Kiba turned to dance behind Ino, and she gladly accepted.
The lights became darker and the music still louder. Her slick skin rubbed against his chest through his mesh shirt. She threw a smile back at him as she pressed her backside into his hips. He didn’t mind the feeling of her firm bottom pressing into his pants. She knew how to move, too. Kiba separated from her and finished his beer. He took both of their glasses to the bar and then returned to where she was. By now, the other girl had gone. Ino looked fiercely at Kiba through glazed eyes.
“She’s a little drunk,” Kiba thought to himself. He leaned into her ear and said, “You feeling okay?”
“I’m fabulous,” she said pulling him into her. Her hands placed behind his neck, their fronts pressed up against each other. He was hard as stone and she loved it. His chest was broad and his shoulders strong. She could even see the diagonals of his waist plunging down to the seam of his pants through his mesh shirt. “I like this shirt on you,” she said grabbing fistfuls of it and lifting it up slightly to show his bellybutton.
Kiba let out a laugh and grabbed Ino’s hands spinning her around. He gently pressed into her from behind again acting like a seat for her to lean on. She danced slowly onto him, pressing herself firmly on his hips in a circular motion. She leaned forward a bit and let him put his hands on her hips. She was dripping with sweat and so was he. Thank goodness Kiba was a good sport about all this, she thought to herself, she had long needed a dancing partner.
She abruptly stopped dancing and walked over to the bar to close her tab. Kiba, too, grabbed his coat and said his goodbyes to their new friends. They walked outside where it was comparatively very chilly.
“I didn’t think it would be so hot in there,” Ino said shivering through her now wet tee-shirt.
“Here, wear this,” Kiba said giving her his giant furry coat.
“Aw, thanks Kiba. You’re a pal,” she mused slipping on the jacket. It was so warm, and it smelt of Kiba. He wrapped his arms around her from behind and teetered back and forth with her. “Did you have fun?” she asked.
“Oh yeah it was a blast,” Kiba reassured her. He was a little drunk himself, which felt good. He rested his chin on the top of her head, her blonde hair slightly damp from dancing. “But it’s time to get you home, eh blondie?”
“Okay okay. Let’s go. I’m this way,” Ino led Kiba towards her apartment. They laughed at their night on the way home and Kiba drunkenly tried to do a front flip off the side railing and scraped his leg.
“Come in, you big idiot. I’ll clean that up for you before you go home,” Ino said unlocking her door. The two stumbled in and locked the door behind them. Kiba sat at her kitchen table and hoisted his bleeding leg onto it.
“Sorry… I don’t know why I did that…” Kiba said embarrassed.
“No worries, this is nothing,” Ino said in passing grabbing a washcloth and some soap. After cleaning him up a bit and wrapping the leg she went into her bathroom and washed up.
“I’m so sweaty!” She yelled and Kiba laughed. “Kiba, why didn’t you tell me?!”
“You were having fun!” Kiba laughed, thinking that the sweat-induced translucency of her shirt was actually an improvement on her outfit.
After a few minutes, Ino returned in a light green silk pajama top and matching shorts. She poured herself a glass of water and offered one to Kiba. “Here drunky,” she offered.
“Look at who’s talking,” Kiba snorted taking the water and chugging it down. He took another look at Ino who looked gorgeous as always in nothing but silk. She wasn’t even wearing a bra, he noticed. She pulled back her moist hair and bound it on top of her head showing her perfectly smooth skin and green eyes.
“You looked good tonight,” Kiba said darting his eyes down to his now empty glass of water.
“Thanks Kiba, so did you. I saw you doing those pull-ups on the rafters, you looked really hot beating that guy,” she replied and Kiba chuckled at himself.
“I guess I shouldn’t have made such a show out of it, huh…”
“I don’t mind a show,” Ino giggled. He looked up at her, sitting there across the table so calm and cool. Did she really mean it? Ino wasn’t the type of girl to say things she didn’t mean. She also wasn't the type of girl to hook up with other shinobi, either. They looked at each other for a long while before Ino stood up.
“More water?” she asked, taking his empty cup.
“Oh yeah, please. Thanks,” he said watching her walk to the sink. She brought back the full cup with a grin on her face, her cheeks rosy. She walked over, and just as Kiba thought she was going to extend the cup to him, she took a large step and sat on his lap facing him. He felt his face flush and his blood run cold. She took a sip of the water coyly and placed it on the table behind her. She wrapped her arms around Kiba’s neck and looked him in the eyes.
“What were we talking about?” she said playfully, her sweet breath on his face.
Without hesitation, Kiba’s hands found their way onto Ino’s lower back and he pulled her closer onto his lap. He leaned forward bringing his face towards hers, with a small smile on his face. She was smiling too, arching her back, leaning down to meet his lips.
He gave her a gentle kiss on her delicate lips. He pulled away slightly, smiled again, and dove back in for a deeper kiss. She pulled his head closer as her hips moved slightly forwards onto his groin. The silk felt cool against his warm touch. His whole body was hot, from his mouth to his back to his lap. She leaned into his mouth and his chest, letting her hands wander. She held his head as she sucked his bottom lip. She ran one hand down the front of his chest and felt him tense up.
Kiba slipped his hands underneath her thin top and touched the small of her back. Perfectly smooth. She tasted light and fresh, her lips soft, and she sucked his bottom lip. He tilted his head back and let his eyes roll back.
“You’re a bad girl, Miss Yamanaka,” he whispered breathily as he picked her up, her legs wrapped around his waist. She giggled and gave a small shriek as she clung to him. She leaned down and kissed him again, tasting his tongue and gripping his messy hair. He threw open the bedroom door and walked slowly towards the bed. He laid her down slowly on her back, her legs still wrapped around his waist. He pulled back, kneeling on the bed, and lifted off his shirt. Ino admired what she saw.
He fell into her, catching himself with his hands above her head, but allowing his body to grind into her. She let out a small moan and blushed. “Kiba…” she said pulling back her head and pushing his chest lightly with her hands. Kiba lifted his head, looked at her face, and saw that she looked uneasy. He sat back on the bed and looked away from her.
“I’m sorry, Ino, I...” he began. He looked at her and she gave a small smile.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to go. Do you want to stay here tonight?” she asked sincerely. Kiba smiled. He crawled up to her and rested his head on the pillow next to her.
“Sure. I’ll keep an eye on you drunky,” he joked as he rolled over. Ino rolled her eyes as she got up to turn off the lights.
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