The Asuma Riot Chapters [3]

Looking at the world around me, it was clear that things were different and it was (mostly) my fault. I wasn’t supposed to exist, not the way I did anyway, but because I did, nothing was the same as I remembered. Mizuki wasn’t supposed to vanish after my first year and I wasn’t supposed to be Rookie of the Year consecutively for all six years of the Academy. Those were negligible changes. The sort that I could shrug off and go, “It’s all mostly the same.”

I couldn’t do that anymore.

The morning of genin orientation saw me more nervous than I’d been since, well, ever. Everyone couldn't wait to find out the details of their team and teacher but I couldn't say the same. Who I’d be placed with wasn’t so much of a worry as the person we’d be placed under. For better or for worse, if it wasn’t Kakashi Hatake, I wouldn’t be able to plan around my foreknowledge because everything I knew started with him. Things wouldn’t turn out even remotely similar to how I thought they would if he didn't teach us.

There were about nine of us left in the classroom now, the rest having wandered off to whatever designated room their respective teachers were waiting in.

“Next is Team 7 under the command of Jonin Hatake.”

I stiffened and swallowed, stretching my sense of hearing in case I missed it over the sound of my thundering heart.

“Sasuke Uchiha, Shino Aburame, and Hinata Hyuuga.”

The world screeched to a halt. Every minuscule movement of my tongue crackled in my ears and it felt like a rock was lodged in my chest, its uncomfortable weight settling at the base of my throat. Without a doubt, there was a certain level of fear involved in all this even if I knew it wouldn’t happen. I hadn’t felt particularly inclined to play a fool for years just to be put in a situation that let me predict things but I didn’t know I would feel this uneasy over it.

Maybe I would still be placed with Kakashi. He was my father’s student, after all. At least, that’s what I thought; so much for that. My mouth tugged down in irritation. He was my father’s student but refused to come to me with that fact – or come in general, really. Not that he had any actual responsibility to me but it was an all-round shit thing to do if he cared about my dad so much.

Then again, he had his own demons to deal with.

“Naruto?”

Breaking free from my mind, I looked at Hinata standing in the empty row ahead.

“Did you hear me?”

“What?” I blinked. “Sorry, no. Mind saying that one more time?”

She sighed, looking a little sad.

“I said I guess we won’t be on the same team like I thought.”

Shino gave her a consoling shoulder pat.

“That’s life Hinata,” said Shikamaru. “You win some, you lose some. I’m pretty sure I’ll have Choji and Ino on my team, which isn’t so bad. Well, I dunno about Ino—!”

The girl in question levelled a chilling glare at him from the bottom of the room, which promptly shut him up.

Choji snickered from next to me.

Hinata sighed again and looked at me for a response. I shook my head and tried to root myself in the moment. She’d been hoping to be put on a team with me since the winter exams, even studying ahead to bridge the gap between her and Sakura – and she did, especially since the Byakugan was a direct counter to Sakura’s genjutsu-orientated skillset.

Despite her netting the Kunoichi of the Year position this year, Sakura had a greater overall number of them under her belt and I had a feeling that putting Sakura with Sasuke instead of Hinata just wasn’t a good idea. Besides me, she was the only other person he was civil with.

The final year's sparring changes shook the class rankings quite a bit. Kiba dropped from somewhere in the top ten to dead last while people who were capped by the taijutsu-only rule like Sakura and Ino rapidly rose up the leaderboard.

“It’s not in the cards,” I said. “But this isn’t the end. We’ll have to make chunin at some point, and you usually end up working in bigger teams so don’t write off the possibility. Any of you.”

“I suppose so.” She nodded once, apparently over the tragedy. “Okay then. Let’s go, Shino.”

She turned and walked away but Shino lagged, torn between following her and saying something.

“I am also… unhappy that I am not on a team with you,” he confessed.

“Uh… thanks, man.”

I scratched my cheek. Shino was a strange guy who preferred silence over conversation most of the time. The few occasions he spoke were genuine surprises, but all in all, he was a pretty thoughtful kid. He nodded at me and somehow, I could tell there was a smile behind that mask-collar situation he had going on.

Only six of us remained and I was pretty sure I could suss out my team. It seemed they were going with the Ino-Shika-Cho lineup, meaning I’d been put with Sakura and Kiba – which was verified when the three of them were grouped in Team 5, leaving the room to find some guy named Chozen Akimichi.

“Well then, Team 6,” Iruka beamed at us from the front of the class. “look around the room for your teammates. Luckily, your Jonin Sensei is already here so you don’t have to go anywhere.”

He left after that, with the rest of us scratching our heads for five minutes. I hadn’t found them hanging from the ceiling or anything out of place on the walls so I looked at Sakura.

“Any chance we’re in a genjutsu?”

She shook her head.

“I checked.”

“Damn,” I muttered. “Same here but I was hoping I’d missed something.

Kiba climbed atop a table, eyes scrunched closed in focus. Balanced carefully in his arms, Akamaru copied him.

“You two good?” I asked.

“Shut it. I can smell something.”

He hopped from table to table down the layered classroom and walked to the blackboard, picking up a piece of chalk.

“Why does this smell of… tobacco?”

“Really?” I leaned forward and squinted. “Bring it here.”

He took maybe half a step when an explosive cloud of smoke erupted from the chalk stick. It cleared with Kiba on the floor and a familiar Jonin standing over him.

“I guess you’ve grown a little since I last saw you, loudmouth.”

Kiba groaned and moved Akamaru off his chest. “Y-You’re that Jonin!”

“Indeed I am – and I probably shouldn’t have smoked that cigarette on the way here. What’s wrong, pinkie? Don’t like smokers?”

Sakura wrinkled her nose. “It’s a filthy habit.”

“I’ll give you that. What about you, blondie? Nothing to say?”

I shrugged.

“Fair enough. Meet me in front of the Academy by five past. Let’s get this show on the road.”

———————————

“GODDAMN IT! I AIN’T GOING BACK TO THE ACADEMY”

While Kiba screamed into empty space, Sakura and I frowned over what Asuma had revealed before disappearing. Instead of telling us to fight him, he brought out a thick scroll, read us some poetry, and told us to find him.

“In the heart of power?” I echoed.

Sakura, wearing a red short-sleeved qipao (and those cursed sandal boots), scribbled whatever his exact wording was into a notebook she’d pulled from a pouch attached to the back of her hip. In his fury, Kiba yanked down his fur-lined hoodie. Akamaru yipped around his feet excitedly, running back and forth between us.

I adjusted my forehead protector and waited for the both of them to finish. We’d been given a choice between red, black, and blue. On the eve of my graduation, Iruka had bought me the standard outfit most chunin wore beneath their vests, except it was black instead of blue for some reason, so I thought I’d get a black one to match.

What I didn’t know was that the black headband was the same one I’d use after my training with Jiraiya, so it dangled over the middle of my back. Ayame found it funny and said I’d grow into it and even if Teuchi said it looked dignified, I thought it was a little ridiculous. Besides, he was probably saying that to make me feel better.

I sighed again when Kiba howled in fury for what was now the third time.

“Hey!”

He stopped and frowned my way. “What, Naruto?”

“Can you keep it down, or maybe come and think this thing through with us? He said you wouldn’t be able to sniff him out this time so you’re no better off than us.”

Kiba curled his lip.

“Heh. My clan’s known for more than their amazing sense of smell, ya idiot.”

I facepalmed and Sakura heaved out a heavy sigh.

“That doesn’t change anything…” She trailed off, massaging her temples. “Why couldn’t I be placed on Sasuke’s team?”

This time, it wasn’t just Kiba who glared at her. She shrunk back but stuck out her chin defiantly.

“That’s right. I’m sure Sasuke would find Asuma-sensei in an instant.”

Folding my arms, I glared even harder. “Listen here, you. The world isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. You don’t like us? Fine. You’ve got to learn to work with us. That’s the whole point of this convoluted game of hide-and-seek. And here I thought you would’ve known that since you were pretty smart in the Academy.”

She flushed indignantly. “Who do you think you are to tell me that, Uzumaki!”

Kiba, of all people, backed me up. I guessed being compared to Sasuke was enough for him to throw away whatever rivalry he’d built between us in his mind.

“Quit it, Haruno. Just cause you’re so lovestruck by that damn Uchiha, doesn’t mean you get to write us off as useless.”

I took a step back – literally and mentally – to calm down. “Okay.” Exhale. One, two, three, four. Inhale. “It’s clear we’ve got off on the wrong foot so let’s re-introduce ourselves, yeah? Set the record straight.”

The two looked at each other but didn’t voice any disagreement – which was about as good as I’d get for now.

“Right, I’ll start. My name’s Naruto Uzumaki; I’m twelve. I like learning about jutsu, working at Ichiraku’s, and spending time with friends and family. How about you?”

“I’m Kiba Inuzuka! You both know I’m twelve. I like training my taijutsu with Uncle Shippo, and playin—teaching Akamaru new… techniques.”

If Sakura heard him stutter, she didn’t show it.

“I’m Sakura Haruno, also twelve. I like…” She trailed off with a faint blush and I struggled not to roll my eyes. With what had to be the fakest-sounding cough, she continued, “I enjoy studying genjutsu, also spending time with my family and friends, and I want to specialise in either genjutsu or medical jutsu before I become a chunin-ranked shinobi.”

I smiled. “It’s great that you’ve got ambitions right off the bat.”

“...Thank you,” she said, evidently surprised that I complimented her.

I didn’t know her opinion of me was that low, but I hadn’t made any effort to talk to her during our time at the Academy and did just snap at her moments before. Somehow, Kiba took that as a slight against him because the next thing I knew, he’d taken a fistful of my shirt and yanked me towards him.

“Hey,” he growled. “Just ‘cause I didn’t say it, doesn’t mean I don’t wanna get strong.”

It took almost more willpower than I had not to crack a joke but I’d only waste more time calming down a potential fight between us. But no, you could never truly talk down the guy. If there was anything I’d learned after six years, it was that Kiba was like a dog – if you backed down, he would continue testing your limits until he practically walked all over you.

“Good for you.” I smiled, showing my teeth, and clasped my hand over Kiba’s wrist. A pained hiss escaped him as I squeezed hard, forcing him to release my shirt. “We can fight later if you want.” As soon as I received a grudging nod, assuring me I wouldn’t have to dodge something, I turned to Sakura while fixing my shirt. “Did you get down what he said before talking about finding him where things began? There might be more clues there.”

Kiba did back away, but I could feel his glare burning a hole through the back of my shirt.

“I did.” Sakura opened her notebook. “He said: in the heart of power where decisions are made, seek the room where our fate is carefully laid.”

I frowned at the page like it would somehow demystify this whole thing. There was only one place that could be called “the heart of power” in the village and it was the Hokage’s office. But surely we wouldn’t be allowed to just waltz in there without permission – I hadn’t ever tried to before.

Not that this was that easy, right?

Sakura hummed.

“If it’s a place where our fate is carefully laid, maybe it’s back inside our homeroom?”

“Maybe,” I said. “Let’s go find out. Kiba? Is there anything you want to add?”

He stared at me and grunted, but didn’t say anything.

“...Alright, then.” Sakura gave a tight-lipped smile. “Let’s go.”

We entered the empty building (technically speaking, the Academy was on a break) and were in our classroom in no time. The chairs were empty and there was nothing on top of the tables – or anything noticeable, really.

Kiba sniffed loudly.

“...I’ve got nothin’.” He scowled. “The class smells like it usually does.”

Sakura looked at me questioningly. “Maybe the headmaster’s office?”

I shrugged.

“We’ll see.”

Rising two more floors, we poked around the headmaster’s office, leaving nothing undisturbed.

Kiba picked the cupboards, revealing tons of confiscated things like toys, weapons, forehead protectors, and a few other knick-knacks – no scrolls though. Sakura was pulling books down from shelves and looking through them for notes. Circling the main desk, I scanned over it. There was a picture of the headmaster with his grandson and a container for pens and pencils but no scroll.

“There’s nothing here,” I said.

Kiba slipped a few kunai into his pouch and tossed Akamaru a rubber ball from the cupboard’s top shelf. Then, he used his claw-like nails to reverse-pick the lock to make it look like he hadn’t picked it in the first place. Sakura carefully returned the books to the shelf in whatever order she found them and we left the building. I looked to the massive red building next to the Academy, growing surer that we’d find the scroll there.

Kiba cursed and kicked a pebble down the paved track while Sakura muttered to herself.

“I think it’s the Hokage building.”

“Yeah?” Kiba snorted. “And why would it be there, idiot.”

I sighed. “Because there’s only one other place where our lives are decided for us; in case you haven’t realised, dude, we’re shinobi.”

He worked his jaw, evidently unwilling to admit that I was right so he didn’t say anything.

“Okay,” Sakura said with forced cheer. “Let’s go and find out.”

Taking point, we walked around the Academy fence and through the guarded courtyard. Given that none of the chunin posted around the area had stopped us, we were probably at the right place.

The reception was mostly bare area with long seats placed near the door and nothing else until the receptionist’s desk beside the stairwell. Her face soured when she saw me and I gave her a dazzling grin in response. I was allowed a twenty-minute audience with Lord Third every year on my birthday. Instead of him coming to my apartment like he does when giving me money every month, I had to go directly to his office.

I walked to her desk. “Any chance Lord Third is expecting us?”

She tutted and looked back to her work. Kiba and Sakura were still at the door, clearly nervous.

“He’s upstairs.”

I turned back and smiled.

“See? Told you.”

Sakura blinked. “I guess you were right.”

Kiba rushed past me in a mad sprint up the stairs and with Sakura running after him, I was forced to follow.

“Hey! Do either of you even know where you’re going? Come back.”

I found the two of them waiting for me at the very top of the stairs, looking pretty embarrassed all things considered.

Kiba huffed. “And you do?”

I smiled mysteriously and turned left. They followed until we stopped in front of the only guarded room on the top floor. Two chunin stood on either side of the door, and I was pretty sure there were more ANBU somewhere here – either inside the office or outside it. They stared straight ahead, not even acknowledging our presence. Kiba stormed ahead and braced himself before opening the door wide.

Lord Third greeted us immediately.

“Hello there. What can I help you with today?”

His eyes shone amusedly. Sakura squirmed and opened her notebook.

“We’re here to find the room where our fate is carefully laid, sir. Are we in the right place?”

“I don’t know. Are you?”

“See,” Kiba hissed into my ear. “I told you, you were wrong.”

Sakura whirled back to us, pure fear flashing through her green eyes and while he wouldn’t admit it, I knew Kiba was scared too.

“I think we are,” I said. “This room is the heart of the village’s power. It’s where every single Hokage has made the important decisions.” I looked at the framed pictures of each Hokage hung on the right wall, eyes lingering on my father’s for just a moment longer.

“And it’s where our fate is carefully laid out for us,” said Sakura. “We’re genin of the Leaf now. You are the person in charge of deciding what we do as shinobi.”

He didn’t say anything and simply stroked his beard with a low hum. Kiba tugged on my shirt, urging us to leave but I ignored him. This was the only other place besides the Academy that made sense… unless we were meant to go the Sarutobi residence – but that wasn’t the heart of power, even if Asuma lived there and maybe decided our career paths.

“...Correct!” Lord Third beamed. “Since you have come to the correct answer, my son has asked me to read this next scroll for you. It will lead you to the final one so listen carefully.” He cleared his throat, obviously enjoying this. “Where memories linger, and names are revered, seek the stone that holds what we've lost and endeared.”

I almost immediately looked to Sakura. Her brow scrunched together in thought, she scribbled furiously into her notebook. Once it was clear that she wasn’t going to say anything to clear the confusion yet, I looked to Lord Third for some help.

“Are there any clues you’re allowed to give us?”

He smirked.

“No.”

“Okay,” I rubbed my chin, “are there any clues you want to give us?”

“Since when were you this cunning, Naruto?” Clear mischief glinted in his brown eyes. “I suppose I should praise you for it. It is an apt quality for a shinobi to have.”

“Does this mean you’ll tell us?” Kiba asked.

He smirked at him. “No.”

Kiba growled and muttered something unintelligible under his breath.

“I know!”

Sakura slammed her notebook shut and clasped her hands close. Voice breathless, she quivered with tension. “It’sthememorialstonemyfamilygoestheretopayrrespects—” Whatever that was blurted out of her mouth and she yanked the door open, bolting out of it. “—Come on, you two!”

Lord Third chuckled. “Ah, to be young again.”

Kiba gathered his wits and ran after her, leaving Akamaru with me. He trailed small excited circles around my feet and I grinned, scooping him up. “Come on, you. We’ve got to catch up to them.”

“Naruto.”

I halted one step before the open door. A complicated silence stretched between Lord Third and I, but he broke it eventually.

“...Another time, perhaps.” He smiled tightly. “Good luck with that final riddle.”

My free hand clenched itself into a fist even as I smiled back at him.

More than half a decade of lies and he still… he still cared about trying to build some kind of relationship with me. The cynical part of me knew it was because I was Jinchuriki – but he cared about me more than my being a weapon for the village. The lies aside, he’d made sure the villagers couldn’t harm a single hair on my head and I was as much to blame for our strange relationship as he was. Sure, he’d made some pretty baffling decisions, but his care for my well-being was unquestionable.

Unfortunately, years of lies and misdirection weren’t so easy to resolve.

“...Thanks, sir.” I sighed and closed the door behind me. Sakura and Kiba were waiting – albeit impatiently – in the courtyard.

“What took you so long?” Kiba frowned and Sakura was frowning too.

Akamaru yipped in my arms and for a moment, I felt a flash of guilt. “...Akamaru was a struggle to calm down.”

Kiba sighed and took him out of my arms, admonishing him in whispered tones. I heard something about him being a ninja hound now and averted eye contact when the poor puppy whined at me.

“Never mind that! Follow me,” Sakura turned tail and sprinted towards the village, “I know where that last clue is.”

Circling Kiba and Akamaru, I followed after her as the stalls and buildings around us turned to stretches of grass and countless headstones and monuments. With the sky dyed deep orange and cold drafts whistling in my ears, I stood still, feeling the weight of this place. The world tremored beneath my feet and I swallowed, taking slow steps and reading a few names. Sakura strode on ahead, purposeful and Kiba was right there with her.

Shaking myself out of whatever this was, I raced to the massive stone slab at the very front of the cemetery, countless names etched into the rock’s surface.

“It’s here,” she said, casting her eyes down at the flowers dotted around the base of the slab. “Look.” Sakura bent down and picked up an envelope identical to the one Lord Third showed us. “Where past meets present in stone and light, from where our strength does take its might, and though the course is fraught with fright, embrace their legacy and stand upright.”

Kiba threw his arms up and groaned. “Another riddle? Another one?” He looked at the setting sun. “We’ve barely got enough time to make it to wherever he is, let alone figure that out.”

Sakura scribbled down the riddle regardless, frowning in deep thought. I looked at her shoulders, trying to pull some kind of meaning from the words as I had with the first riddle. I read it and re-read it over and over, it wasn’t coming to me. The only place I could think of was here: the cemetery.

“I… don’t know,” Sakura whispered. “I don’t know where this could be.”

“The library, maybe?” I suggested.

“No,” She shook her head, “and even if it were, there are like four big libraries in Konoha, each named after a Hokage. We can’t go to all of them in time.”

“Guys.” Kiba slammed a fist into his hand. “I have an idea, but I need you guys to stick with me on this – no matter what.”

“...Depends on the idea,” said Sakura.

He glared at her.

“Woah, there,” I said. “Getting angry won’t solve anything, how about we hear the idea first.”

Ten seconds later, we were filled in on what was either the dumbest or the most ingenious plan I’d ever heard. He planned to walk back to Lord Third’s office and pay him to tell us where Asuma was hiding. To say that we were surprised wouldn’t be giving Kiba enough credit.

I didn’t know how to react for a full five seconds.

“You want to bribe the Hokage?” Sakura gawked. “No way! Do you want us thrown out on our first day?”

While I wasn’t as loud as Sakura, I still voiced my disbelief in Kiba’s… plan. “There’s no way universe where this works,” I said. “We’re meant to figure this out on our own.”

“Hear me out,” said Kiba. “We’re shinobi. Shinobi take on missions requested by civilians and other shinobi. The Hokage is already part of Asuma’s scheme, so no one’s going to stop us from going into his office. From there, it’s smooth sailing.” He grinned. “It’s not like you two know the answer to the riddle anyway, right?”

His grin only widened at our lack of an answer.

Back inside the Hokage building now, Kiba's confidence was still going strong. He marched us past the secretary – who didn’t bat an eye – and up the stairs. This time, the chunin stationed at the door looked at us.

“State your business,” one of them said.

Kiba cleared his throat, but his mask cracked a little, revealing the nerves on his face. “W-We’re here to see Lord Third about the challenge our Jonin Sensei put us up to. He’s a part of it.”

The two chunin shared a glance and returned their gaze to the wall ahead of them. Kiba entered the office and we followed him – hesitantly, but we followed him. Noticing us, the old man laid his pipe down on the table.

“Hello again, you three. I did not think I’d be seeing you so soon. What can I do for you?”

Fishing into his pouch, Kiba pulled out a clump of wrinkled notes and pushed them across the table.

“And why are you giving me… 50 Ryo, young Inuzuka?”

“Lord Third, we, Team Asuma, are requesting your aid on a mission.”

If nothing else, we – or Kiba, rather – had thoroughly bamboozled the old man. Collecting himself, Lord Third palmed the money and straightened the notes in his hands.

“What is the mission?” he asked.

Sakura and I looked at each other in complete shock that this was working and Kiba’s triumphant grin only drove it home even more.

“It’s to discover the location of Asuma Sarutobi but you can’t let him know that we’re looking for him or get yourself caught.”

Lord Third grinned. “Is this something the three of you have decided on together?”

“Yes, sir,” I said quickly, before nudging Sakura with my elbow.

“We did, Lord Third.”

“Well, luckily for you, I am the perfect shinobi for the job.” Pulling open a drawer, he pulled out a crystal ball and polished it. “Give me a moment.”

We craned our necks as Lord Third curled over the ball, hiding it from view using his hat. No matter what we did, he’d just turn around in his chair and hide whatever he was doing from view. Of course, I knew that it was some kind of bullshit crystal ball that let him see everything, but Kiba and Sakura didn’t.

“How is this supposed to help us?” Sakura whispered.

Kiba shrugged. “I dunno, but I’ve already paid him.”

“...Do you think he’s going to take our money and then say he can’t tell us?”

Kiba blanched.

I didn’t have the heart to tell that the ball was genuine – knowing that your village leader can see every minute of your life wasn’t the sort of knowledge that went down easy. I liked to forget that particular fact as often as I could.

Lord Third coughed and turned around, the crystal ball nowhere to be seen.

“For a mission of this complexity… I’m sorry to say that 50 Ryo is not enough.”

The fact that we hadn’t got an outright no was a miracle in and of itself.

“Kiba,” I whispered. “Got any more money?”

“...No. That’s all I have.”

Bringing out my tattered froggy wallet, I showed my team its contents. “I’ve got a little under 500 Ryo right now.”

“...How do you even have that much in the first place?” Sakura asked before shaking her head. “Nevermind. Listen, my parents run a clothing shop. We sell the latest fashion and some more practical training wear for shinobi. They’ve had to haggle a bunch with suppliers who ship stuff across the elemental nations so I think I can do this… maybe.”

“Say no more.” I handed her the wallet and she tucked it into her pouch. “Good luck.”

She gave me a nervous smile and walked up to the desk, speaking with more confidence than she had. “How much would you be willing to do, sir?”

He stroked his beard with a long hum. “600 Ryo should suffice, no?”

I winced – so much for plotting quietly. He’d definitely heard our plan and was going to make this difficult for her.

“No can do.” Sakura shut him down immediately, pushing her shaking hands beneath the desk to hide them from view. “How about…” She looked back at us furtively. “...150?”

“I don’t know,” he said, clearly holding back a laugh. “That is still a bit too low for the expertise of a Kage. Not only that, you are asking me to find an A-ranked Jonin – which is no easy feat.”

Kiba growled out a curse and I stared longingly at my wallet – it was bursting to the seams… for now.

“But I’d be willing to go down to 350 Ryo.”

“300 Ryo and you have a deal,” Sakura replied.

Lord Third stared at her intensely and it went on for so long that I thought he’d refuse but he held out a hand and smiled at her. “You have yourself a deal, Miss Haruno.” Sakura shook it a little limply. “He is at the top of Hokage Mountain. Specifically, he is sitting atop my head and smoking a cigarette.”

Hokage Mountain… past meets present… embracing legacies. I blinked owlishly as the dots connected in my head.

Sakura turned to us and slapped a palm against her forehead. “Of course! Our strength takes its might from them!”

With less than twenty minutes to go, we bolted to the staircase constructed along the left side of the mountain, leading to its very peak.

“Sorry that I cleaned out over half of your savings, Naruto,” said Sakura as we raced up the stairs.

“No worries. There was no guarantee he would’ve accepted anything less than 300 anyway. Don’t worry, I’ve got more saved at home. 500 was all I could fit into Froggy.”

“How much do you… no, that’s impolite.”

I laughed silently and let her drop the topic. Looking over the edge, we saw Asuma sitting cross-legged on his father’s head, taking deep drags from an inch-long, disintegrating cigarette.

“So,” He rose to his feet and walked up the mountain until he reached us. “you guys found me after all. I was beginning to lose hope.”

“You bet we did,” Kiba grinned. “And you won’t believe how!”

Sakura sprung up behind him, slamming a hand over his mouth. “W-We solved the riddles. All of them.”

Asuma tossed his cigarette off the mountain. “...Right. Anyway, as promised – you’re not going back to the Academy.”

Sakura and Kiba grinned at each other, and while I was also pretty stoked, I was also fucking terrified that he’d find out we cheated on the last riddle and send us back to the Academy. While it was the shinobi thing to do, it also kicked the purpose of a challenge to the curb.

That being said, I shoved Kiba lightly and smiled. “Nicely done.”

“Thanks,” he laughed.

“Now that we’re officially a team,” Asuma scooped up Akamaru, “training will be at 9 AM tomorrow – but more importantly, where would you guys like to eat? And don’t worry about paying, it’s on me.”

“Yakiniku Q!” Sakura gasped. “I haven’t had it in months.”

“No way, we should eat at Shushu-ya!”

“Why?” Sakura wrinkled her nose. “It’s full of drunk people and smells funny.”

“You take that back!”

Sakura and Kiba glared at each other and I stepped around them to join Asuma.

“Man,” Asuma laughed. “The two of you could not have told me about yourselves any better. Pinkie’s a girl who likes expensive food and Loudmouth likes to watch bar fights.”

“Hey, bar fights are the best!”

I shook my head. Now that we were adults, legally speaking anyway, it was only a matter of time until Kiba started drinking – he’d declared as much during our final year in the Academy. In his words, he couldn’t call himself a man until he’d singlehandedly won a bar fight at Shushu-ya.

“These two have voted so what about you, Naruto? Any preference?”

I smiled and threw my arms over Sakura and Kiba’s shoulders. “So,” the two broke their fierce staring contest to look at me in confusion, “who’s in the mood for ramen?”