Pic of Captain Yamato  --->

I LOVE Captain Yamato. I think he's awesome xD

Third Person’s POV

Ashley stands with her back against a wall of the Hokage’s Tower, her arms crossed and one knee bent, her foot also against the wall. She boredly blows her long fringe from her eyes, before a yellow Butterfly zooms past, causing a bemused grin to cross the blonde’s face.

Ashley turns her head slightly, watching Keiji as he suddenly rockets up into the air, spinning around in speedy circles. He quickly changes direction, slowing down and flitting over to Ashley, now flying upside down for some reason.

“You’re seriously insane” Ashley states dryly, though she finds the insect’s antics rather amusing. “Andyou’re a show off too.”

Keiji flips around at this, seeming to stare at Ashley for a few moments, before he resumes his air acrobatics, apparently enjoying himself. Ashley merely chuckles to herself and shakes her head, before leaning it back against the wall and looking up at the bright blue sky, a few white clouds floating past every now and then.

Keiji had been happy to see Ashley again, that had been certain. She’d been passing the Yamanaka’s Flower Shop earlier, when he’d come barrelling out of the door, flapping his little wings like crazy and aiming for Ashley’s face. Luckily she’d seen him in enough time to duck and avoid having the strange creature collide with her. He’d already made her quite dizzy due to the amount of times he’d flown around her head with excitement.

‘I hope Kakashi Sensei was right about Captain Yamato being here’ Ashley thinks wryly, momentarily closing her eyes. ‘Otherwise I’ve just wasted twenty minutes by standing around here….’

“Hey Keiji” Ashley suddenly calls, catching the Butterfly’s attention. “Can you do me a favour?”

Keiji bobs up and down in the air, as if to say yes, before merrily flitting over to Ashley and coming to rest on her outstretched hand.

“You see that window all the way up there?” Ashley asks, using her free hand to point up at the highest window of the Tower. “Can you please fly up there and see if Lady Tsunade is talking to a tall guy with brown hair?”

Flapping his orange tipped wings a few times, Keiji jumps up into the air and zooms up towards the window. Clearly using his chakra to speed him up, Keiji’s wing beats blow up a small cloud of dust, causing Ashley to cough and wave her hands. She sweat drops as the dust slowly disperses, while Keiji flits around the window Ashley had pointed out to him, trying to get a good look at the people inside the room.

Keiji soon floats back down to his Kunoichi friend, looking more like a falling Autumn leaf than a Butterfly, and comes to a rest on her forehead.

‘I saw a man leaving the room’ Ashley hears a deep voice say in her head. ‘He was tall and looked like he had brown hair. He also had a silver headdress thing on.’

“That’s Captain Yamato” Ashley chuckles, opening her eyes as Keiji jumps away from her, wings beating gently. “And it’s not a headdress. It’s some sort of variation of a headband, like the one around my neck.”

Keiji sweat drops at this, not really seeing the difference. To him, it looked like a headdress.

“Thanks for the help too” Ashley remembers to add, briefly wondering how crazy she would look to any passersby. Here she was, chatting with a very normal looking Butterfly, as if he were a human being. Even if she explained that Keiji was a Ninja Butterfly, she didn’t think too many people would really believe her.

As Ashley continues waiting for Yamato to exit the Hokage Tower, Keiji grows tired of flying and lands down on the top of her head, making himself comfy in the girl’s blonde hair.

Enjoying the pleasant warmth of the morning, Ashley closes her eyes again and begins to doze off, almost not noticing when someone steps into the street beside her. Hearing a low sigh however, the girl’s eyes pop open and her head tilts up; so quickly that Keiji almost slides right off.

Ashley finds herself looking at a tall, muscular man with short brown hair and large, almond shaped eyes. He wears a slightly different version of the typical Leaf Shinobi uniform, with no red, circular design on the shoulders, and a silver forehead protector that frames his face. The man rolls his shoulders, before running a hand down his face and turning to leave.

“Captain Yamato!” Ashley addresses loudly, almost making the ANBU jump. “I’ve been waiting for you!”

Yamato glances back over his shoulder questioningly, turning all the way around and looking down as Ashley jogs up to him, Keiji still perched on her head.

“Oh, Ashley” Yamato says lightly, before pausing and giving Keiji a strange look. “Do you usually wear a Butterfly in your hair?”

“Nah, he’s just being lazy at the moment” the young Jonin replies with a smirk. “This is my friend Keiji, and he’s no ordinary Butterfly. He’s able to use Genjutsu and Ninjutsu.”

Yamato sweat drops at this, his eyes widening incredulously as he stares at Ashley, trying to figure out whether she’s joking or not. Kakashi and the others had mentioned in passing that Ashley could be quite difficult at times and she liked to test people, so maybe she was just pulling his leg….

“And where exactly did you find such a Butterfly?” Yamato asks dryly, humouring the blonde girl before him. Yamato could be quite gullible when it came to jokes, and he didn’t want to be fooled by something as ridiculous as a Ninja Butterfly prank.

“In the Land of Waves” Ashley replies breezily, “When I was twelve. I thought Naruto killed Keiji, but he used a Substitution Jutsu and lived and…...It’s a long story alright?”

Ashley decides to leave her story there, guessing that Yamato doesn’t believe her, if the increasingly suspicious look on his face is anything to go by.

“Anyway” Ashley sighs, placing a hand on her hip, “That’s not what I wanted to talk to you about. I….I kind of want to ask you a favour….”

“Alright” Yamato says slowly, hesitant to know what Ashley’s request will be. “What did you want?”

“Well……” Ashley begins uncertainly, not actually too sure if she really wants Yamato’s help. “Kakashi Sensei was kind of….Encouraging me to come and ask if you’d train with me a little…..”

“Kakashi wanted you to train with me?” Yamato repeats, clearly surprised. “What can I do for you that he can’t? I mean, he was my senior in the ANBU Black Ops back in the day…”

‘Obviously Captain Yamato holds Kakashi Sensei in high regard’ Ashley thinks flatly, before giving the older Jonin a serious look.

“Kakashi Sensei told me that you’re very proficient with Wood Style Jutsu” Ashley explains quietly, poking at the dirt with the toe of her shoe. “And well, I guess I saw a little of what you can do back when you were helping with Naruto’s training….”

“That’s right” Yamato mutters, slowly remembering, “Kakashi mentioned that you have the ability to use Wood Style Jutsu as well.”

“Yeah, unfortunately” Ashley grumbles. “Anyway, he wants me to try and embrace my Wood Style Jutsu, and he recommended that I ask you to train me….Multiple times.”

“You don’t sound too thrilled by the idea” Yamato comments, placing one hand on his hip and tilting his head to the side, as Ashley pulls a sour face.

“I’m not” she says honestly. “I don’t like that Orochimaru forced this ability onto me, but Kakashi Sensei thinks that a Shinobi should try to utilise every skill they have…..So…..Do you think you might be able to help me Captain Yamato?”

“If someone like Kakashi has recommended me” Yamato begins, sounding dutiful, “And to train one of his students no less, how could I say no?”

Ashley gives the brown haired man a tiny smile, not sure if she’s relieved that he agreed, or if she’s disappointed. She feels more apprehensive than anything, not really looking forward to having to use her Wood Style Jutsu.

“I actually have some free time right now” Yamato offers, smiling pleasantly down at Ashley, “If you’d like to begin right away?”

“Sure, why not?” Ashley asks with a heavy sigh, shrugging her shoulders. “I’ll just keep putting it off otherwise.”

Ashley’s POV

Captain Yamato and I arrive at the training field Naruto and I had sparred on earlier, though said blonde and Kakashi Sensei are nowhere in sight. They must have decided to train somewhere else today.

“What happened here?” Captain Yamato asks rhetorically, no doubt confused by the blackened grass and the many small craters in the dirt.

“Naruto and I had a sparring match a bit earlier” I explain simply, to which Captain Yamato slowly turns his head and stares at me, making me feel a little awkward.

“How did it go?” he eventually asks, making me laugh sheepishly and shrug a shoulder.

“Oh it went fine” I say quickly. “Naruto’s a lot faster and stronger than I remembered, so I may have underestimated him a little…..But I didn’t lose if that’s what you’re thinking! I never lose!”

Captain Yamato smiles with amusement at my defensive outburst, before closing his eyes and throwing his hands on his hips.

“Alright!” he begins cheerfully, moving on from our conversation. “First thing’s first! I said this same thing to Sakura, Naruto and Sai, and I’ll say it to you as well. As of this moment, I am in charge here. Now, I am all for being friendly and nice, however…”

Here Captain Yamato opens his eyes and glares down at me, creepy shadows suddenly cast across his face and making me sweat drop. That is one scary looking face!.....

“…I am not above ruling you with fear” Captain Yamato informs me darkly, before suddenly going back to smiling sunnily at me. “But I’m sure we won’t have any problems between us though, right Ashley?”

I swallow down a nervous lump in my throat as I shake my head, suddenly not so sure about the tall man standing before me. Despite being an ANBU, I always figured Captain Yamato was pretty harmless, but now…..Now I’m just feeling really awkward and…..I’m sort of dreading spending a lot of time with him. Why has Naruto never mentioned Captain Yamato’s creepy side before? Am I the only who is slightly freaked out by him?

“Now” Captain Yamato continues seriously, “I’m not sure how much you know about Wood Style, so I’ll give you a brief explanation. Wood Style is a combination of Water Style and Earth Style merged together. For example, I focus Earth Nature chakra in my right hand and Water Nature chakra in my left hand to-”

“I know that much already Captain” I interrupt, though I try not to sound rude. “I’m the opposite of you though. I focus Water in my right hand and Earth in my left.”

“Fantastic” Captain Yamato says with a smile, holding a hand out towards me. “That makes this a lot easier then. Show me.”

“E-Excuse me?” I question, to which Yamato nods his head.

“Perform a Wood Style Jutsu for me” he instructs, causing my heart rate to pick up a little. I stare at the brown haired Jonin unsurely for a few moments, before looking down at my hands and biting my lower lip.

It’s been quite some time since I’ve actually used this power of mine, and now that the time has come to use it, I’m not sure if I really want to.

“Come on Ashley” Captain Yamato encourages, crossing his arms. “I’ve heard you’re very talented, so this shouldn’t be a problem for you.”

Maybe I was just feeling guilty for snapping at Kakashi Sensei, so I’d humoured him by talking to Captain Yamato….Or maybe I’ve actually still got a concussion or something from what happened in the Hidden Grass Village…

“Ashley” Captain Yamato addresses, causing me to look up at him through unsure eyes. “It’s easy. Just focus your two different chakra Affinities simultaneously and perform a Jutsu.”

“I-I’ve changed my mind Captain” I stutter, taking a step back as the man’s face drops. “I don’t want to do this anym-”

“Perform a Wood Style Jutsu” Captain Yamato orders, my eyes widening at the frightening look now plastered on his face. “Now!”

Almost as if being controlled by the strangely terrifying face Captain Yamato is pulling at me, I squeeze my eyes closed and slap my hands together. Taking a moment to focus two different types of chakra at the same time, something I haven’t done in a few years, I begin performing a set of hand signs I’d been taught a long time ago.

“Wood Style” I whisper, feeling somewhat fearful as I crouch down, make two fists and press my knuckles against the ground, “Tree Wall Barrier…”

I feel my chakra flow out into the ground, causing the earth to begin trembling beneath my feet. Almost immediately branches begin shooting up out of the dirt, twisting into the air and interlocking with each other to create a sturdy, defensive wall.

I feel my arms shaking slightly, a strange sense of shame washing over me as I slowly rise to my feet, opening my eyes and staring at the ground. I don’t want to turn around and see the abomination behind me. I shouldn’t be able to do that…

“Impressive” Captain Yamato comments, raising his eyebrows and nodding slowly as his dark eyes rake over the wall of branches I’d created. “Turn around and have a look, it’s not too shabby for someone who hasn’t done this for a while.”

Heaving a heavy sigh, I turn my head slightly, begrudgingly glancing back over my shoulder and glaring at the wall behind me. Sure, it was a good attempt, seeing as the wall is about ten metres high and looks pretty impenetrable, save for a few small gaps between some of the branches, but still. It’s just weird that I’m the one who did it. Technically, only the First Hokage should be able to do this sort of thing.

“Wonderful” I mutter flatly under my breath, turning my head back and crossing my arms. Captain Yamato smiles at me and shakes his head, before placing his hands together.

“Now” he says mischievously, eyes glinting, “Let me show what it could look like if you trained more.”

I watch as Captain Yamato performs the same set of hand signs as I had, only a lot faster and with a lot more confidence.

“Wood Style: Tree Wall Barrier!” the Jonin shouts, as he crouches down and punches one fist into the ground. Straight away, the earth begins rocking quite violently, before thick, chakra enhanced branches pierce through the ground, ripping it up easily as they climb higher and higher into the air.

I feel my eyes widening as the branches tower over me, interlocking with each other so tightly, not even the sunlight can be seen through them. The hundreds of writhing branches come to a stop after they reach about forty metres up, with Captain Yamato straightening up, throwing one hand on his hip and grinning at me smugly.

“Now for the real test” he says teasingly, performing another set of hand signs. “Wood Style: Silent Strangle Jutsu!”

My eyes widen even further, as Captain Yamato throws an arm out to his side, his flesh rapidly transforming into a thick wooden branch. Before I can say anything, Captain Yamato throws his transformed arm forwards, the branch swiftly extending towards my Tree Wall. I watch as large, wooden spikes protrude out of the man’s transformed arm, before it smashes right through my wall, completely obliterating it with one powerful hit.

I bound out of the way as severed tree branches crash down to the ground around me, while Captain Yamato’s branch arm retracts back to normal length, the brown, grainy surface turning back to flesh again.

“Now, try to break mine” the Jonin suggests, waving towards the wall behind him. “Use any Jutsu you like.”

“What’s the point?” I ask smartly. “I already know yours is better than mine.”

“Just do it” Captain Yamato sighs, giving me a deadpan look as he jabs his hand at the wall a little more viciously.

Rolling my eyes, I take a few steps back and perform a set of hand signs, focusing a large amount of Fire Nature chakra into the back of my throat.

“Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!” I shout, placing a hand in front of my mouth and expelling a huge amount of burning hot fire from my mouth. From the corner of my eye, I see the impressed look on Captain Yamato’s face at the sheer size of my roaring fireball, before it slams into the wall of branches he’d created.

I continue breathing out a steady stream of fire, brows furrowing as my flames keep burning the branches, sizzling and spitting dangerously. After a few more moments of nothing happening, I cut off my Jutsu and glare at the barely singed wall before me.

“While that was an impressive Jutsu” Captain Yamato explains wisely, “My Tree Wall Barrier has too much Water Nature chakra infused in it to really be affected by your Fire Style Jutsu. It would have to be a lot stronger than that to burn my wall down.”

Ignoring Captain Yamato’s words, I begin performing another set of hand signs, these ones a lot more familiar to me.

“Earth Style” I shout, feeling a tiny bit annoyed, “Stone Column Spear!”

Immediately, enormous rocks with sharp, jagged edges begin tearing out of the ground, all aiming at different points of the Captain’s Tree Wall. I watch in silent wonder as my stone spears crash powerfully into the wall, their points snapping right off as they make contact.

“Alright” I growl, turning to look at a slightly smug Captain Yamato, “I’ll admit that your Jutsu is strong. But I’ll bet you didn’t count on this.”

As a question mark appears above Captain Yamato’s head, I throw out both of my arms and activate my Katsuryoku, completely focusing my mind on the tree branches in front of me. I haven’t had much practise with this, but Mother used to be able to do it, and I did dabble a little bit when I was training back in the Land of Ambience.

“What the…..” Captain Yamato trails off, as one branch slowly begins untangling itself from the wall, before another does the same thing. “How are you doing that? Is that a Jutsu?”

Shaking my head and turning around, I let out a sharp breath and drop my arms.

“No, that’s one of my Kekkei Genkai’s” I say, feeling a little breathless after that effort. “It’s called the Katsuryoku, and by controlling the water inside the branch, I’m able to manipulate it however I want….Though, I’m not very experienced with that sort of thing yet.”

“One of your Kekkei Genkai’s?” the older Jonin questions, to which I nod.

“Yeah, I’ve got the Sharingan as well” I inform Captain Yamato, whose eyes widen slightly. “And before you ask, I’m only half Uchiha. I don’t know if you know of him, but Shigeshi Uchiha was my Father.”

“Shigeshi Uchiha?” Captain Yamato repeats, a faint smile appearing on his face as he stares at me curiously. “Of course I know who he is. Practically every Leaf Ninja knows who he is. He was the greatest ANBU Captain to have ever existed. They still make references to him during ANBU training. I would’ve loved to have worked with him at some point.”

“Sorry to say, but that’s not going to happen” I can’t help stating flatly, my own bluntness making me cringe. “He’s been gone for about ten years now.”

Captain Yamato gives me a sympathetic look, before I turn my head and scowl at the ground, arms crossed over my chest. My Father is one of the last things I really need to be thinking about right now…..Though I can’t help feeling a little bit of pride, knowing that my Father was such a successful Ninja. I wish he was here, so I could learn from him…..

“Technically” Captain Yamato speaks up, breaking me out of my thoughts, “You’ve got three Kekkei Genkai’s then. Wood Style is considered a Kekkei Genkai you know.”

“Great” I retort sarcastically. “Don’t I just feel super special?”

I hear Captain Yamato sigh again, though this one is a lot wearier than before. I guess I should be a little nicer to him. I mean, he is helping me out here….

“Do you know any other Wood Style Jutsu Ashley?” the Captain asks me in an unenthusiastic voice, probably assuming I’m going to continue being difficult.

“Yeah” I confirm, nodding. “I know the Tree Bind Eternal Burial Jutsu as well. Other than that though, I didn’t really bother learning much more about it. Orochimaru wasn’t really able to teach me a whole lot, so we focused more on my Sharingan than my Wood Style.”

“For someone who claims to hate their Wood Style abilities” Captain Yamato comments, raising an eyebrow, “You’re sure open about it.”

I shrug at that, finding it a little strange myself.

“You were experimented on by Orochimaru as well” I say carefully, “So I guess….I guess I just feel more comfortable bringing it up around you than other people….Because to a point, I suppose you can understand where I’m coming from.”

“I never told you anything about Orochimaru” Captain Yamato says seriously, narrowing his eyes at me. “It’s not something I really talk about.”

“I knew about Orochimaru’s old experiment with those sixty babies” I explain with another shrug. “He told me about it, and seeing as you can use Wood Style Jutsu, I just put two and two together. Looks like I was right. Don’t worry Captain, I’ll keep it to myself.”

Captain Yamato seems to study me for a moment, before nodding appreciatively at me. I can completely understand if he doesn’t want everyone to know the origin of how he got his abilities. I mean, if you know Orochimaru like I do, it’s not hard to figure out, but I’m sure there’s a lot of people here that don’t know about Captain Yamato.

“Let’s get back to training” the tall brunette decides, walking over to me and placing a hand on his hip. “Since you’re already quite adept at combining your Earth and Water Natures, I’m going to teach you a new Jutsu. The Silent Strangle Jutsu that I used just before.”

I give Captain Yamato a hesitant look, not too thrilled by the idea of transforming my arm into a tree. Feel free to throw fireballs and kunai at me, but the thought of having to turn my arm into a tree leaves my stomach feeling a little queasy.

“It’s a very useful Jutsu” Captain Yamato continues knowledgably. “Like I demonstrated earlier, it can be used as an offensive Jutsu, but it can also be used to restrain opponents….An example….”

Quick as a flash, Captain Yamato begins performing rapid hand signs, eyes locked on my face.

“Wood Style: Silent Strangle Jutsu!” the brown haired Jonin shouts, his arm immediately morphing into that of a strong tree branch. To my dismay, he throws his arm in my direction, the branch speedily extending towards me.

My instincts kicking in, I can’t help diving to the side, narrowly managing to avoid Yamato’s arm as it splits into multiple branches, each bending to wrap around me. It’s quite freaky actually. It’s like having wooden tentacles coming after you.

Seeing that I’m not just going to sit back and allow him to grab me, Yamato takes off after me and pulls his transformed arm back, a determined glint in his dark eyes.

“You’re going to make this interesting I see” he comments, swinging his arm forwards again, the multiple branches all extending at a rapid speed to try and incapacitate me.

“Unintentionally” I smirk, performing a set of hand signs. “I just like to show off. Lightning Style: Black Wolf Jutsu!”

I feel my core temperature rise, as black lightning builds up around my body, sparking loudly. It quickly separates itself from my body, changing into the form of a fierce, electrified Wolf.

As I continue running forwards, the Wolf howls viciously and charges at Captain Yamato, causing the skilled Jonin’s arm to retract, changing back into flesh. He skids to a halt, his hands a blur as he does a sequence of signs.

“Wood Style: Dome Wall Jutsu!” he calls, smirking as my Wolf leaps at him, jaws agape. Suddenly, thick pillars of wood protrude up out of the dirt, shooting up on either side of Captain Yamato. They quickly curve down and collide with each other, forming an impressive shield around the Jonin.

My electrified Wolf crashes into the wooden dome and explodes in a burst of black lightning, the dome barely receiving a scratch.

Skidding to a halt and spinning around, I smirk to myself and raise my foot, before stomping it down hard on the ground. Much to my amusement, Captain Yamato bursts through the top of his wooden dome, followed by a large pillar of rock. Using my Katsuryoku, I’d managed to throw him into the air before he could do anything else.

As Captain Yamato falls back down towards the ground, I suddenly sense something coming from behind, causing me to whirl around. My eyes narrow as I see another Captain Yamato running towards me, hands already performing hand signs.

“The one in the air is a clone” I growl under my breath, able to feel a slight difference in the two men as the clone hits the ground with a heavy thud. “Sneaky….Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!”

I swiftly perform the necessary hand signs and blow out a swift volley of tiny fireballs, aiming right for Captain Yamato. He pauses in his hand signs and throws up his arm instead, palm facing me. Immediately, three large circles of wood form out of Captain Yamato’s hand, shielding and completely blocking the Jonin from my view.

My fireballs hit the shield and all fizzle out harmlessly, before Captain Yamato is able to detach the shield from his hand and skilfully fling it at me, all the while his other hand is performing hand signs.

I focus chakra into my feet and leap into the air, back flipping over the thrown wooden shield and dropping back towards the ground. Narrowing my eyes slightly, I watch Captain Yamato’s arm change back into a pillar of wood, the branch speedily extending towards me as I fall. To make things worse, I feel Captain Yamato’s clone climbing to its feet, also busying itself by performing some hand signs.

‘Kakashi Sensei would be so proud’ I think sarcastically, closing my eyes and holding up one hand, focusing my Katsuryoku. Just as I am about to be hit by Captain Yamato’s multiple branches, I reopen my eyes and grin wolfishly at him.

Timing my movement just right, I slash my arm in a downwards movement, causing a blast of wind to blow me up higher into the air and narrowly avoid one of the branches.

“Earth Style: Falling Earth Spears!” I hear Captain Yamato’s clone shout, just as my feet land on one of the branches the real Captain had thrust towards me. I race down the branch, right towards the Captain, as the other branches protruding out of his arm curve around to come after me.

Suddenly, huge, spiked pillars of rock begin tearing up out of the ground, shaking it violently. Gritting my teeth as I feel the branches right behind me, I slam my hand down on Captain Yamato’s wooden arm, blasting a strong electrical pulse through it, thanks to my Katsuryoku.

He immediately cries out in pain as the current travels down into his body, causing his wooden arm to change back into a fleshy one. Just before it transforms, I bend my knees and jump up, doing a back flip through the air to keep some distance between the two of us.

As soon as my feet hit the ground, I whirl around and take off, rocky spears shooting up out of the ground in quick succession of each other, each narrowly missing my heel.

Captain Yamato’s clone grimaces as it watches me approaching, before I suddenly loom in front of it, making its dark eyes widen.

“You do have the Sharingan!” it cries, before the black pinwheel in my left eye begins spinning, and the clone collapses to the ground with a loud groan of pain. I come to a stop as the rocky spears cease tearing out of the ground, a smirk on my face.

“Makin Daddy proud” I chuckle lowly, closing my eyes and deactivating my Mangekyo Sharingan. Since I only had it activated for less than a minute, I’m hoping my vision won’t be distorted at all. Although, I’m sort of thinking that maybe Kakashi is right about using my Sharingan in battle more often. Taking down Captain Yamato’s clone was a cinch with my Tsukuyomi.

My eyes are quick to open though, as I feel Captain Yamato suddenly appear behind me, moving a lot faster than I’d given him credit for. Only giving me time to turn around and look at him, the ANBU’s extended wooden arm slams into my stomach, causing me to exhale sharply as I am thrust backwards.

More branches extend from the one already wrapped around my middle, curling around my arms and legs to completely incapacitate me. I struggle against my wooden bindings as we come to a stop, Captain Yamato holding me high up in the air, helpless.

“Looks like Wood Style wins” the brunette calls up to me, a faint smirk on his face. “Though I think I caught you off guard there……So, did I pass that little test of yours Ashley?”

I grin down at Captain Yamato cheekily, not at all surprised that he’d caught on. Kakashi Sensei, Naruto and Sakura have probably told him all sorts of things about me.

“I’ll admit it Captain Yamato” I reply honestly, “You’ve impressed me. While that may not mean a lot to you, not much impresses me. I’m feeling a whole lot more interested now.”

Captain Yamato gives me a closed eye smile as he slowly lowers me to the ground, the wooden tendrils uncurling themselves from around me and retracting back towards Captain Yamato. The brown haired Jonin holds up his arm as it transforms back into flesh, his dark eyes opening to regard me questioningly.

“Interested enough to do this again some time?” he asks knowingly, as I nod.

“I look forward to seeing what else you can show me Captain” I reply, gracing the ANBU with a slight bow of my head. Sue me, the guy had earned my respect in that fight. He’s a lot tougher than I expected.

Captain Yamato grins at me mysteriously.

“Oh, you haven’t seen anything yet” he informs me with a wink. “I’ve barely shown you what I’m capable of.”

I stroll through the Village at a leisurely pace, not really sure what to do with myself right now. Captain Yamato had promised we’d do some more training tomorrow, but he had other things to get done today, so we weren’t able to continue our training session.

I must say, for some reason, I’m feeling a lot better about honing my skills with Wood Style Jutsu now. I think Captain Yamato may have inspired me a little, after displaying just how powerful and skilful he is with his Wood Style. I’m admittedly looking forward to learning more. I can’t think about it too much though, because then I’ll remember how I got the power, and I’ll grow hesitant again.

“Hey, Ashley” a low voice suddenly greets, snapping me back to reality. “Naruto told me you were back.”

Blinking a few times, I look up to see who’s talking to me, only to come face to face with an unenthusiastic looking Shikamaru. I give the Nara a tiny smile, fighting down the uncertainty inside of me. I haven’t really spoken to Shikamaru properly since that time he sort of cornered me at the baths in the Grass Village.

As the dark haired male stares down at me through hooded eyes, I feel my cheeks beginning to warm, my heart rate increasing a little at the memory of what he’d said to me. It had never occurred to me that Shikamaru might actually like me more than a friend, but he’d sure made it clear back there. And ever since then, he’s been completely awkward around me, so I’m not really sure how to react here.

“Uhh…H-How are you Shika-kun?” I ask nervously, not really sure where to look.

“How am I?” he repeats, sounding amused. “The question is, how are you? You were in pretty bad shape when Kyoku, Neji and I left the Grass Village.”

“I’m good” I reply quickly, rubbing the back of my neck and giving Shikamaru a lopsided smile. “Sakura isn’t happy that um…That I-I’m not in the hospital anymore, but I feel f-fine!”

Shikamaru raises an eyebrow at me, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he watches me for a moment, his silence making me feel even more awkward. Why can’t I just be cool about this? I miss the old me sometimes, when my emotions never got the better of me….I probably just look like an idiot right now.

“I know it’s probably a drag” Shikamaru eventually replies, chuckling softly, “But I guess she’s just got your best interest at heart. Your injuries were pretty severe after all…..I’m glad to hear that you’re alright though.”

“Oh, uhh…” I say, sweat dropping as I realise what a total genius I currently sound like, “Thanks!.....So……”

Shikamaru suddenly sighs and gives me a strange look, something between apologetic and exasperated.

“Look Ashley” he begins hesitantly, sounding troubled, “You’re acting weird, and I get why, but seriously just…..If it bothers you so much, you don’t have to talk to me you know-”

“No!” I cry, before blushing and shaking my head. “I mean, I like talking to you Shika-kun, you’re one of my best friends. I just……I don’t really know how to deal with…..With feelings and stuff….”

Shikamaru heaves another sigh, pulling one hand from his pocket and rubbing the back of his neck wearily, eyes travelling away from me.

“Well….It’s good that you like talking to me I guess” he says, chuckling humourlessly. “I guess……Just forget anything that I said then alright? What a drag, now everything’s gonna be so awkward between us-”

“Hey Angel!” a bright voice suddenly calls, causing Shikamaru to sigh for a third time, as I turn around. To my delight, I see Kiba strolling towards me with his hands in his pockets, Akamaru trotting beside him.

Kiba’s teeth flash as he gives me his signature grin, eyes closing momentarily. He stops right next to me, casually slinging an arm across my shoulder and dropping a kiss on the top of my head, as Akamaru barks excitedly. The adorable Ninken’s tail wags wildly as I reach down and pat him, not having seen him since before the Tournament in the Grass Village.

“Hey, what’s goin on Shikamaru?” Kiba greets cheerfully, raising his free hand in a wave and causing the Nara to subtly roll his eyes.

“Not much” is his low reply, sounding as unenthusiastic as ever. “We were just having a conversation….”

I can’t help pausing, my hands holding Akamaru’s head, as I feel Shikamaru’s eyes fall back on me, my cheeks beginning to warm involuntarily. While it’s true that I don’t have any feelings for Shikamaru, I really do treasure his friendship, and now I’m completely confused as to where we stand with each other. I mean, he basically admitted to how much he wants me, and I’ve totally shut him down. How am I supposed to act around him now? Understanding complicated feelings is just not my thing…

Apparently, my red face doesn’t go unnoticed by my keen eyed boyfriend, who I also feel staring at me now.

“Oh really?” Kiba asks coolly, with me sweat dropping at his tone of voice. This is not going to go anywhere good, I can feel it…. “And what were you guys talking about?”

“Oh, nothing interesting!” I chirp, suddenly jumping to my feet and giving both boys a fright. “We were just chatting about……How mean Sakura is when……she works in…….the hospital….”

My voice gets quieter and quieter, as Kiba’s eyes slowly narrow at me, the suspicion very evident on his face. Apparently my nerves have rendered me incapable of lying convincingly. I mean, I don’t want to lie to Kiba, but if he hears what Shikamaru said to me in the Grass Village, I’m sure it’ll end up with him trying to hurt Shikamaru. And then I’ll have to kick some boyfriend ass.

“What’s up with you?” Kiba asks, raising an eyebrow and smiling, though his smile doesn’t look too friendly. “You’re acting weird.”

“I’m not acting weird” I laugh nervously. “You just think that because I’m not being vicious for once.”

“I like when you’re vicious” Kiba states bluntly, casting Shikamaru an annoyed look when he scoffs under his breath. “And anyway, you’re not always vicious. What’s going on here you guys?”

I send Shikamaru a worried look, to which he responds with a totally calm one, shrugging one shoulder uncaringly. He obviously doesn’t care if Kiba gets annoyed, but I sure do!

Kiba’s eyes flick between Shikamaru and I as we look at each other, before a soft growl of irritation leaves his lips, eyes flashing.

“Alright, whatever” he grunts, waving his hand in a dismissive fashion. “Me and Akamaru have places to be anyway. Enjoy the rest of your conversation.”

“Kiba wait!” I cry, running up behind the leather clad male and grabbing onto his arm. “You don’t need to get mad, we were just talking about the training I did today with Captain Yamato.”

Kiba stares down at my earnest face with a straight one, before his mouth curves up into a tiny smirk.

“Bullshit” he chuckles humourlessly, detaching himself from me. “I can tell when you’re lying Ashley, though you’re really not making it very hard. Whatever it is you two were talking about, feel free to continue! We’re out.”

“Kiba-” I start, only for Shikamaru to step forwards.

“We were talking about how I confronted Ashley in the Grass Village” he states bluntly, a challenging look in his eyes, “And told her just how much I like her.”

My eyes widen as Kiba freezes, his back to Shikamaru. I turn my head and stare at the Nara incredulously, wondering just what the hell he thinks he’s doing right now. He’s seriously asking for trouble….

“If you really want to know” Shikamaru continues seriously, “I told her exactly how I feel about her. Just how special she is, how beautiful and talented I think she is.”

Feeling increasingly apprehensive, I crouch down and wrap my arms around Akamaru’s neck, as Kiba’s hands slowly ball into fists, his temper rising.

“I like you Kiba” Shikamaru sighs raggedly, “But to be honest, I’ve never thought you were good enough for Ashley. In fact, nobody does. We all know she’s way too good for you-”

“Hey!” I bark indignantly, not liking the nasty turn Shikamaru’s words are taking. “That’s not true at all Shikamaru! Stop taunting him!”

“I’m not taunting Kiba” the Nara informs me in a flat tone, “I’m just telling him what he already knows. I’m not sure why you settled for someone like him. What’s so good about him?”

“What’s so…..” I trail off, absolutely incredulous. What’s so good about Kiba? I think he should be asking, what’s not good about Kiba?! He’s perfect to me! How dare Shikamaru patronize him like that?!

“Honestly Kiba” Shikamaru mutters, shaking his head. “It’s only a matter of time before she realises that you’re beneath her-”

Before Shikamaru can finish another horrible insult, Kiba has whirled around and launched himself at the Nara, arm pulled back and hand balled into a fist.

“I thought we were past this Nara” Kiba growls darkly, swiftly looming in front of the now wide eyed Shikamaru, before he throws his arm forwards and slugs Shikamaru in the face with a powerful punch.

I leap to my feet as Shikamaru flies backwards and slides across the ground, only for Kiba to run after him. As Shikamaru’s back hits a building, Kiba pounces on him, aiming another fist for the Nara’s face.

“This has been a long time coming to you Nara” Kiba snarls angrily, his punch causing Shikamaru’s head to whip to the side. “You need to learn when you’ve lost!”

As Kiba goes to throw another punch for Shikamaru’s face, I bound forwards and manage to catch his fist in both of my hands. The angry Inuzuka glares at me through blazing eyes, as my own eyes waver, giving him a pleading look.

“Please stop Kiba” I ask softly. “I think he gets it…..”

After glaring at me for a few more moments, Kiba wrenches his hand from my grip and rises to his feet, before turning on his heel and stalking away, breaking into a run as he gets further away.

“Ruff ruff!” Akamaru barks worriedly, casting a look back at me, before running off to catch up with Kiba. Staring after Kiba for a moment, I release a troubled sigh and glance down at Shikamaru, who is already sitting up, one arm slung across his bent knee.

“You’re lucky that I stopped him you asshole” I say sharply, to which the slightly dizzy male chuckles, raising his dark eyes to my face.

“If I’m such an asshole” he begins in his low voice, “Then why did you stop him?”

I glare at Shikamaru irritably, before crossing my arms and huffing.

“Because you’re my friend” I mutter begrudgingly. “And though I’m mad at you right now, I don’t hate you enough to let Kiba beat you to a pulp…..And he could too you know. He’s very physically strong.”

“Whatever” Shikamaru scoffs, rolling his eyes and climbing to his feet. “I still don’t see what’s so great about him.”

“I never realised you were so arrogant Shikamaru” I comment seriously, giving the dark haired boy a strange look, as if I don’t quite recognise him. “To think that Kiba isn’t good enough for me, but you are……I don’t care what anyone thinks about Kiba, because I love him and I think he’s an incredible person. He’d never be so arrogant as to claim he’s better for me than anyone else.”

That said, I leap away from Shikamaru, just wanting to find my boyfriend and make sure he’s alright.

I pause in the middle of the street, heaving a huge sigh and glancing around. I’ve been searching for Kiba for hours now, and the sky just beginning to turn dark, the street lamps starting to light up around me.

While my Katsuryoku is activated and I’m trying to sense Kiba’s presence, the Leaf Village is a huge place, and my sensing range is very small in comparison. I’ve searched everywhere for Kiba, and I just can’t find his presence anywhere. The only place I can think to check is the forest training grounds that Team Eight always use, but I just don’t get why Kiba would go there. He doesn’t particularly like that spot, it just sort of became a habit for his team to practise there….It can’t hurt to check though, I mean, it’s not like he’s anywhere else…..

Feeling a little tired, I jump up onto the building nearest to me and bound across the roof tops, wanting to reach the training area as quick as possible, despite it practically being on the other side of the Village.

I feel pretty bad for Kiba right now. I mean, he comes across as this cheeky, arrogant jerk most of the time, but I know that sometimes he can be quite down on himself, especially since I know for a fact that he does think I’m too good for him….Which is ridiculous…..Why are boys so stupid sometimes?!

After a lot more running, I feel my spirits lift the tiniest bit, as I suddenly sense Kiba’s presence, deep in the forest he usually trains in. I can’t help sighing again though, wishing I’d just checked there in the first place. I can’t say it really occurred to me though, because if I was upset, I wouldn’t run off to any training grounds. I don’t know where I would go, but it wouldn’t be there.

Eventually reaching the forested training area, I slow down the pace and begin walking through the trees, trying to be as quiet as possible. Kiba was pretty mad earlier, and I’m not sure if he really wants me around or not.

I soon freeze however, having spotted Kiba sitting beneath a tree, his back against the trunk and his shoulders hunched. My heart goes out to the obviously upset Inuzuka, his head tilted down and his hair covering his eyes. His arms are resting across his bent knees, hands loosely clasped together.

“I know you’re there Ashley” Kiba suddenly murmurs, making me sweat drop. “I can smell you…..”

Seeing as he knows I’m here, I step out from behind a tree and walk towards Kiba, pausing when he move his head and glances up at me, only one eye visible through his wild, brown hair.

“I don’t want to talk to anyone” he informs me bluntly, to which I place my arms behind my back and lean against a tree, giving the boy some space. “Seriously Ashley, you can leave.”

I tilt my head to the side, giving Kiba a troubled look as he continues glaring at me, his eyes shining in the dark. He must be mad at me as well, considering he’s using my actual name. I guess he’s mad because I lied about the conversation Shikamaru and I were having.

“I forced Akamaru to go away earlier too” Kiba informs me quietly, though he sounds really annoyed, “So just leave me alone…..”

“….You don’t want me to leave you” I decide, to which Kiba sighs irritably and tilts his head back down, face hidden from my view. He remains silent for awhile after that, making me feel a little awkward. I don’t really know what to say, because I’ve never seen Kiba like this before. It’s so out of character for him.

“Do…..Do you want to leave me though?” Kiba eventually asks me lowly, making me blink.

“I just spent half a day looking for you” I reply cautiously. “Why would I want to go away now that I’ve found you?”

“That’s…..Not what I meant” Kiba sighs again, as I catch on to his meaning and push away from the tree I’m leaning against. Smiling down at Kiba gently, despite the fact that he won’t look at me, I sink to my knees beside him and place my hands in my lap.

“I don’t know why you’re letting Shikamaru get to you” I say quietly, looking down at my hands. “You know I don’t want to leave you. If I wanted to, I already would have. Shikamaru doesn’t know what he’s talking about….”

Kiba remains silent, eyes focused down on the ground and a troubled look on his face.

“You know that I don’t return Shikamaru’s feelings…..Right?” I question unsurely, wondering if that’s why Kiba’s being so distant with me. “Is that what’s upsetting y-”

“That’s not it” Kiba chuckles humourlessly, shaking his head. “I know you don’t like him like that……He’s…..He’s right though. About me being beneath you and-”

“Don’t even start with that stuff” I reprimand Kiba sharply, before I’m able to hold myself back. “Shikamaru is completely and utterly wrong about that. I don’t know why you’d believe him. I’m hardly anything special, and if anyone’s too good for anyone here, it’s you. I mean, no one-”

“If you really think that” Kiba interrupts me, again, “Then why don’t you answer his question?”

“What question?”

“What’s so good about me?” Kiba asks softly, though I see him tense up a little. “I don’t understand why someone like you wants to be with someone like me.”

I stare hard at Kiba for a few moments, somewhat surprised and irritated by his question. I really don’t understand why he thinks I’m above him, when really I’m just a sarcastic, unfriendly Jinchuuriki who can’t keep her trap shut and has so much baggage, it’s amazing that I even bother to get up in the morning.

Giggling quietly to myself as I shake my head, I reach out and place both hands on one of Kiba’s arms, shuffling closer to him and tugging his arm towards me so I can hold his hand. He remains silent and continues staring at the ground, but allows me to take his hand and hold it on my lap.

“That’s a difficult question for me to answer” I reply, hastily continuing as Kiba opens his mouth to speak, “Because there’s nothing about you that I don’t like…..You’re loyal and patient with me, even when I’m losing my mind over stupid things. You always know what to say to calm me down or make me feel better, and you were the first person to make me feel safe enough to fall asleep, despite Hakuba’s threats….”

I squirm even closer to Kiba, now hugging his arm as I sit right next to him, our shoulders resting against each other.

“You’re always in a good mood and you make me laugh” I continue, hooding my eyes and looking ahead of me, smiling to myself. “You’re always ready and willing to protect me, no matter the danger. You’re determined and tenacious and you’ve always been on my side. You do what’s best for me, even if it hurts you, like back when you told me to stay back in the Land of Ambience….That’s right, Kurai told me you brushed me off because you thought I’d be happier there…..”

Kiba looks over at me without turning his head, eyes flicking over to my face as I sigh and give the ground a troubled smile.

“You’re also a loud mouth jerk” I add teasingly, “And you’re one of the most arrogant fighters I’ve ever met…..And yet, for some demented reason, I love those qualities of yours as well…..And I know that despite what you may think about me being too good for you, I’m the one that’s lucky to have someone like you in my life…..After leading the dark life that I did, I never thought I’d be so fortunate as to have someone love me so much, they can overlook every single flaw I have, and believe me, there are a lot of them.”

Turning my head to look at Kiba, I release his arm and lean forwards, wrapping my arms tightly around him and resting my cheek against his head.

“You give me a lot more than you’ll ever know Kiba” I inform the brunette softly, feeling myself blushing at having to tell him my feelings. “So….believe what you want but….I love you anyway. So much…”

Kiba doesn’t move for awhile, just allowing me to hug him, before he raises his head and looks up at me, my embarrassment increasing as he stares at me.

“You talk way too much sometimes” Kiba informs with a serious look. “A simple coz you’re so sexy would have been fine.”

I blink in surprise, before a soft laugh escapes my lips as Kiba gives me a little smile, his eyes now sparkling.

“Well, that too” I laugh, gently messing up Kiba’s hair as he wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me into a hug. “But I did mean all the other stuff as well.”

“I know….” Kiba murmurs, resting his cheek on the top of my head, as I close my eyes and enjoy being held against his chest. “Thanks Angel…..I’m actually really surprised to hear you say all that stuff….I was expecting some sort of sarcastic answer or something…It was nice.”

I can’t help blanch at that, placing a hand on Kiba’s chest and pushing myself back, giving him a strained look.

“Do you always just expect me to be sarcastic?” I wonder, to which Kiba gives me a smile and nods. “I see that I’ll have to work on that….”

“I enjoy your sarcasm Angel” Kiba chuckles, hooding his eyes as he stares intently at me. “It’s just completely out of your character to say things like that.”

“…..Do you feel better now?” I ask hopefully, to which Kiba gives me a sly look.

“If you kiss me I’ll feel better” he informs me cheekily, to which I roll my eyes. “And I do mean, you have to kiss me.”

“You’re an ass” I murmur, blushing as I grab onto Kiba’s collar and pull him forwards, kissing him with a little more force than he was probably expecting. Like the jerk that he is, I feel Kiba smiling into the kiss, causing me to growl softly. At that he places a hand on the back of my head, tangling his fingers in my long hair, his other hand in the middle of my back.

“That growl was a tad sexy” Kiba manages to say lowly, before kissing me again and tracing his tongue across my bottom lip.

“It won’t be” I whisper cheekily, pulling Kiba even closer to me, “When I bite your tongue.”

“I’m game” the Inuzuka chuckles, his voice a little more hoarse than normal. I roll my eyes at his cheek, and deciding to allow him to feel like the man, as he licks my lower lip again. Normally I wouldn’t give up so easily, but seeing as he was so depressed just a moment ago, I’ll willingly give up dominance of our kiss….Just this once.

As Kiba and I eventually pull away from each other, a huge, charming grin on his face and an embarrassed scowl on mine, Kiba flicks my fringe back from my eye playfully.

“So” he begins cheekily, “You’re not planning on replacing me then?”

“Not yet” I reply flatly, to which Kiba laughs. “And just so you know, if you ever replace me, I’m going to kill your girlfriend and stalk you until you feel so terrified, you take me back.”

“Charming Angel” Kiba says sarcastically, giving me a wink. “Really charming.”

Now, I'm going to say this right now, because I've been asked this MULTIPLE times. I will NOT be writing a lemon, lime, orange or ANY sort of fruit in Stwf lol. Writing a sex scene for this would seriously stab me in the childhood. It would be like if someone wrote a sex scene for Ash Ketchum from Pokemon or Serena from Sailor Moon. Don't injure my childhood like that lol. Just....DON'T DO THAT TO ME!!

So yeah sorry to all you delicious perves out there, this is as good as its going to get :P I appreciate your smutty minds, but I don't think a lemony scene would really fit Stwf ;)