So he insisted they all eat together. Ryoko agreed because evidently she wanted to continue insisting Kisame show off that 'awesome sword he had on his back'
His teammates unanimously pushed for something other than ramen...
They suggested Sushi...
Then Kisame glared.
So they settled on some bistro steak place.
-0-
"Yeah well I don't do delicate. I break bones, snap limbs and rupture organs with my fists. Does she look like she's got the body type for that?" Kisame muttered drinking straight out of a bottle.
Naruto almost wept. Finally. Confirmation from someone that knew! Now he could safely call her a she.
"That doesn't explain how you've allowed her to be so dismal at it." Orochimaru shot back drinking a bit more conservatively out of a saucer.
"In the room." The girl hissed blushing in quiet anger.
"She hasn't needed it." The man grinned. "You should see her with a Senbon. Yeah, she sucks at close combat. Its a shame you'll never get there."
"Again. In. The. Damn. Room."
"Kisame-sensei." Kimimaro spoke up for, the first time in the whole day. "You're giving away tactical information."
"He's been doing that all day." Kyofu muttered to herself, though Ryoko heard it snickering.
Kisame waved his student off. "Meh. You'll live. You won't always fight an enemy that's completely ignorant of you."
"I suppose not...It would be rather difficult to find such when its being broadcast in the middle of a crowded restaurant." The bone wielder drawled.
The blue man shrugged. "Details." He drank again.
"Is it just me or is he basically confirming that they're planning to betray us?" Ryoko questioned.
"Kind of a crappy sneak attack." Naruto ventured.
Haku slapped her forehead. "This is the weirdest table conversation ever."
"It doesn't involve two summonings, a rope-"
"And five livers." Kisame strangely, was the one who finished for the sannin as both gulped down their drinks.
"You haven't touched weird yet." The blue man laughed with Orochimaru nodding sagely.
The students inched away.
When their food arrived, with Kisame ordering a slab of ribs that he was swallowing...bones and all by the by... the Kiri nin leaned forward. "Alright here's the girl will learn how to use that weapon enough to put the pointy end in someone else and not herself, within three weeks. You get Haku to-"
Naruto turned towards the dark haired girl seated across from him and the pale haired boy. "So why are you guys a two man team?" He asked, turning his gaze from one to the other.
"We're not a team truth be told." The Kaguya answered. "We're both apprenticed to sensei. In order to advance to chuunin, Mizukage-sama deemed our skills more than made up for a lack of a third member and formed a quasi-team."
Haku shrugged. "Zabuza-sensei is my normal sensei and Kimimaro-san is Kisame-sensei's. That's why Kisame-sensei doesn't know how to teach me very well. None of his techniques are suited to my and Zabusa's style.
Naruto nodded in interest, not noticing how Kyofu and Ryoko giggled beside him, figuring he was hanging on every word when he was really remembering how much destruction Kisame could bring on a place to level it. Where Zabuza with the silent killing was far more precise.
"Kisame and Zabuza-sama competed in order to be the ones to escort us here." She finished.
"Really?" Naruto asked, somewhat excited. He remembered how strong Zabusa was. "That must have been some fight."
Haku's eyebrow twitched in irritation. "They flipped a coin." She growled drily. "Best two out of three."
Something told him Zabuza wasn't exactly in the realm of Zabuza-sama in this version of history.
"Aww don't feel bad Haku-chan." Ryoko nudged her shoulder against the girl. "Naru-chan here will fight for you."
"Ehh!?"
-0-
The doors of his office opened, and in marched the one student he had left in the village. "You hear the news yet?" She asked smirking as she marched into the room planting herself on the chair.
Sarutobi was biting down on his pipe. Wisps of thin smoke rising from its cup. "Do you mean, did I hear that the Konoha team recently managed to set a new record in the first exams they've attended in Iwagakure since the chuunin exams were established? No. I don't believe the grapevine reached me yet."
She let out a laugh. "This is good eh? The clout of that alone will draw in clients and it definitely makes a hell of a statement to Iwa and Kumo."
H took in a deep breath, pulling the pipe from his teeth as he settled back in his chair and looked at her. "My lessons at subtlety clearly rubbed off on you the most. I almost didn't see the pink elephant dancing across my face holding the 'make nice with Oro' sign.
Her face scrunched up in a displeased scowl. "Alright fine you old grump. You've been sulking up here miserable for three weeks now. Yeah I was pissed at him and worried about Naruto too but come on. Clearly they were ready if they managed to set a damn record. Isn't that enough to bring out a smirk? A smile? A chuckle maybe?"
He shook his head, muttering to himself under his breath as he seemed to flounder over whether he should smoke and talk or talk then smoke. "It isn't about that."
"Then what is it-"
"Its about the fact that neither of you know responsibility!"
She rolled her eyes. "Oh great now I'm being dragged into th-"
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