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Forgotten Events

Event 19: The New Uchiha Clan (SasukexSakura, NarutoxHinata)

Sasuke Uchiha stood alone by a cliff just outside the Hidden Leaf Village. He stared off into the distance, there was an ocean of trees as far as the eye could see, or at least normal eyes.

"There he is!" That voice belonged to Naruto. Sasuke's rival, but also one of his best friends.

"Sasuke!" He recognized that voice too. It was Sakura his childhood friend and fan girl, the girl who, years later, was still obsessed with him.

He didn't turn as they quickly approached and stopped, standing right behind him left and right. "Why do you keep running off like that?" Naruto was annoyed.

"I have things to think about," Sasuke stared at the horizon.

"What things?" Sakura asked.

"Things that are no one's business but my own," Sasuke answered. Sakura looked down as if she regretted asking that question. She didn't want Sasuke to think of her as a fan girl who didn't respect his privacy. She tried not to look that way, but sometimes it's how it came out. Still, she cared for him deeply and she was certain he knew that.

"That's not how things works we're a team! Believe it!" Naruto insisted. Sasuke smiled lightly, that bone head Naruto could sure be annoying some times but he meant well.

"Naruto's right," Sakura agreed, "for once," she added in a humorous tone.

Before Naruto could complain, someone else arrived at the scene. "Naruto," a young woman named Hinata called softly.

"Hi Hinata!" Naruto greeted cheerfully. She was still a bit strange in his opinion and every day he wondered why. Even so, he was taking a liking to her.

"Naruto, I wanted to ask if... If you want to..." Her tone of voice became quieter with every word, until no one could hear what Hinata was saying.

"What is it Hinata?" Naruto asked.

Hinata blushed, "nothing." She turned around to leave and started to walk away.

With the speed of a ninja, Naruto caught up to Hinata and stood in her way. "I know you had something to say. Don't be shy Hinata; we've known each other for years. If there's something on your mind just say it. I'll understand."

Hinata considered leaving quickly, but decided against it. She took a deep breath, it was now or never. "You would like to... I mean, if you want to... I'll understand if you don't..." Her voice turned softer with every word, until once again it was inaudible. Hinata stopped, she was blushing even more.

Naruto's face was quite close to hers, as he made an effort to hear her whispered words. "You have to speak up Hinata."

Hinata nodded, becoming a little uncomfortable. She had full intentions of asking Naruto on a date as soon as she found where he went, but when she did find him with his team, her determination left her. That always happened when she was around him. She was shy, but even more around Naruto than she was around everyone else, "sorry."

"It's okay," this time Naruto was determined to find out what Hinata had to say. He noticed she was trying to tell him something, but couldn't quite get it out. He was becoming curious about what it could be. "You can whisper it to my ear if that makes you feel better."

Hinata blushed even more but nodded. "Okay," she was now inches away from Naruto's ear as he waited for her to say what she had been meaning to say for a long time. Finally, Hinata let it all out of her system and breathing deeply she said what she had come to say. "Naruto, do you want to go on a date with me?" Hinata screamed into Naruto's ear. She didn't mean for it to come out so loud, it just did. It was as if her tone of voice refused to do what she wanted when she was around him.

Naruto was taken by surprise by the scream in his ear and not just that, but because of what Hinata asked. "You want to go out with me?" Naruto asked through the ringing in his ears.

Hinata nodded shyly. "If you want to and if you're not too busy, we could go out for ramen." The last part came out as a very soft whisper.

Despite the rigging in his ears, Naruto was able to catch that last word. "Alright, let's go!" He looked at Sasuke and Sakura who were watching the scene. "I'll see you two later."

Sakura sighed happily, "how romantic..." She looked at Sasuke and realized he was once again staring at the trees below the cliff. The entire area was covered in a dense forest. "Sasuke you've been really quiet and distant since..." Sakura stopped there, she wasn't sure saying it was the best idea.

"Since Itachi?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura nodded. "You won, you reached your dream."

"Only half of it," Sasuke clarified.

Sakura's mind returned to that day in which they introduced themselves and said what their dreams for the future were. "To restore the Uchiha clan," Sakura recalled.

"Yes," Sasuke wasn't sure where to start. Was such a dream possible?

Sakura wished she could help, but she didn't know how. Offering her support was the next best thing, she hugged Sasuke. "I wish I could help. If there's anything I can do let me know."

"Sakura..."

"I know, you don't want my help. You'd rather have Naruto help you," Sakura sounded disappointed.

Sasuke shook his head, "no, I most certainly do not want Naruto helping me."

"I guess you would rather do things alone. But you know, there are certain things that can't be done alone." Sakura wasn't sure why she said it that way. Perhaps it was the only thing she could think of saying. She didn't know how right she was.

Sasuke thought of a solution to his problem of how to restore the Uchiha clan. "Would you like to help me restore the Uchiha clan?"

"Yes!" Sakura didn't even wait for him to finish explaining.

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Years later, a pink haired woman held a child in her arms. She sang a lullaby and the boy slowly fell asleep. Next to her, her husband held an identical child. The twins who looked a lot like their father fell asleep nearly at the same time. The babies were placed in the crib and the parents quietly left the room.

Sakura and Sasuke were now married and things were going well for them. Naruto and Hinata were also married. Sakura imagined the future in a few years. A miniature Hinata and a miniature Naruto playing with three small Sakuras and four little Sasukes. Maybe seven kids were too many to have in five years of marriage but they weren't all born one by one, some were twins. Besides, Sakura always dreamed about marring Sasuke and having a family with him, so she had no complains and neither did he.

Seven little Uchihas, it was the start of the new Uchiha clan.

End of Event 19

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Event 20: Limbo

Shikamaru didn't know who came up with the idea of a limbo contest, but he suspected it had been Naruto. The blond ninja was most certainly hyper about the limbo contest. Then again, he was hyper about everything, as opposed to Shikamaru.

Sakura and Ino had turned the event that was only meant for fun into another competition. They stretched and did their warm up exercises, as if the limbo contest was a fight for their very survival.

Near by, Sasuke Uchiha stood under the shade of a tree, resting his back against it, looking rather bored and partially annoyed. Naruto bounced around near the Uchiha, trying to get him excited about the limbo contest to no avail.

One who certainly was excited about the contest and almost as energetic as Naruto, was Rock Lee. This was his chance to prove that his hard work had paid off and a chance to show off for Sakura. Being a tai-jutsu specialist, his body was flexible and well trained for a challenge such as a limbo contest.

Neji didn't look too happy about the contest, but not truly annoyed either, just slightly. His expression was similar to that of Sasuke except, he was relieved to report that there was no hyperactive knuckle head bouncing around near him, trying to get him in a limbo mood.

Tenten seemed to be enjoying the atmosphere with everyone gathered together for the limbo contest and picnic. She had an over all positive attitude about it. She wasn't feeling particularly competitive, but she would try her best and focus on fun.

Chouji was another story. He most definitely did not want to be there for the limbo contest, but he couldn't refuse the picnic. He was fine with having a friendly gathering, even better because each team had brought plenty of snacks for later, but he definitely didn't like limbo contests. He wasn't fat, oh no, just a little chubby, but that was enough to ruin the game for him. He sat near his best friend Shikamaru, eating chips.

Kiba and Akamaru were rather cheerful that day, running around playing while they waited for the contest to start. Hinata stood at the other side of the tree Sasuke was leaning against, sneaking glances at Naruto as he annoyed the Uchiha. Shino had chosen another tree to stand against and there he stood quietly, seemingly unnoticed by everyone else.

Asuma and Kurenai were setting up some the picnic with the snacks that would be consumed after the limbo contest. Kakashi and Gai were apparently testing the limbo equipment by having a mini contest of their own.

After it was all set up, the genin lined up for the contest. Naruto, hyper as he was, just had to go first. His hyperness finally got to Sasuke, who decided to make a personal contest between him and Naruto out of the limbo contest and soon followed, clearing the first stage with ease. With Uzumaki and Uchiha looking to prove which of the two was better at limbo, the contest became more interesting.

Next came another rivalry, Sakura and Ino were also competing specifically against each other in that contest. Hinata cleared the first round as well and blushed like a tomato when Naruto gave her a friendly congratulation. Kiba cleared the round, followed by Akamaru. Needless to say a puppy doing the limbo was one of the cutest and funniest things they had ever seen.

Neji and Shino finished without too much fuss. While Tenten went into a laughing fit after her turn, she was definitely having fun. Lee made a determined pose before trying to limbo and a victory pose after.

Chouji wanted to delay his suffering as much as possible so he pushed Shikamaru into going first. The lazy ninja stumbled forward towards the limbo bar only to bend backwards at the last second. It was a close call, but he passed. Then it was inevitably Chouji's turn and somehow he managed to squeeze through round one.

The second round passed in a similar fashion except Chouji was eliminated. One after the other, the ninja fell, not for lack of skill or space, but usually because they tried so hard, that the smallest distraction made their concentration shatter. Lee had been an example of this. He was almost through when Sakura decided to be nice and cheer for him with all the good intentions in the world. Ultimately that was what doomed him as he felt the uncontrollable subconscious need to respond to Sakura's cheering with a knightly pose, which made him knock down the limbo bar.

Though Sasuke wouldn't admit it, never ever in a million years, he was actually having fun. It came to the point where he actually smiled. Both Sakura and Ino were under the limbo bar at the time, as they couldn't agree on who would go first and though they tried to blame it on the other, they both touched the bar and they were both eliminated.

Following the subject of trying too hard, a similar situation occurred with Naruto and Sasuke. They seemed to be doing just fine getting across the limbo area at the same time. The pole was long enough so two or three people could limbo at the same time. But their limbo came to an end when a square rock that was mysteriously sitting in front of the limbo area, suddenly turned into a young woman covered only by clouds of white smoke. Konohamaru's jutsu successfully distracted both the Uzumaki and the Uchiha, though the second would never admit it. With their concentration broken into itty bitty pieces, the two boys lost their balance and the contest. Soon after, Sasuke returned to the tree were he was leaning before with a rather unsatisfied expression, while Naruto chased Konohamaru all over the grassy fields.

This left Shikamaru, Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Neji and Tenten as the remaining limbo contestants who were yet to be caught by the limbo pole. Hinata suffered a similar fate as previous contestants. After Naruto had caught Konohamaru and taught him a lesson, that is to say, properly demonstrated the how to make the girl jutsu look really good, at the exact moment when Ebisu showed up looking for the Hokage's grandson, Naruto and Konohamaru returned to watch the limbo contest. As Hinata had her turn Naruto again, with all the good intentions in the world, decided to cheer for her, which caused her to blush brightly and lose her balance, falling backwards into the ground.

Shino found himself at a tough choice. He was doing well, but then noticed a little bug in his path. He certainly didn't want to step on it, but the stubborn suicidal bug wouldn't move out of the way and he was getting tired of standing there in such an awkward position bent backwards. Ultimately, Shino tired walking sideways under the limbo pole to avoid the bug and that was what cost him his balance.

Neji was getting a little tired of doing such 'trivial things' and it didn't help that Tenten was trying to get him to admit that he was having fun. He got into such a stubborn mood; he wasn't sure if he should quit to prove her wrong or win to prove how trivial limbo really was. In the end, he lost his balance when Tenten started chanting "limbo Neji, limbo," and got everyone else to join the annoying chant. That girl was definitely having way too much fun today. Suddenly Neji felt a sense of understanding for his cousin Hinata, maybe the embarrassment he felt when everyone suddenly started chanting, was similar to how she felt around Naruto, though the cause was obviously different.

With most of the contestants eliminated, only Shikamaru, Kiba and Tenten were left. Kakashi was drowning his sorrows of having his entire team eliminated by eating cookies and reading Icha Icha Paradise, though he really didn't really look all that sad, he was enjoying the afternoon.

Asuma and Kurenai were flirting, or as they said, having a friendly conversation and Gai was cheering for Tenten and trying to give her advice, while she completely ignored him in favor of relaxing and having fun.

Kiba was doing alright until Akamaru decided that he wanted some picnic food too. Kiba's instincts kicked in and in perfect sync he mimicked Akamaru's movements. That was not a good idea because Akamaru was small enough to pass under the pole in puppy form, but Kiba was not.

That only left Shikamaru and Tenten as the finalists. Shikamaru was feeling lazy as usual, but they made him limbo anyway. As he bent backwards as much as he could, he caught sight of the fluffy white clouds flying in the clear blue skies above so carefree. He really liked to watch the clouds, it was so relaxing he let himself go and dozed off right there.

"Shikamaru was eliminated. Alright Tenten, one more victory and you win!" Gai cheered.

"It doesn't matter; I'm in it just for fun, Gai-sensei!" Tenten replied.

"Well yes, of course, but you'll try your best right?" Gai asked.

"I guess so. Okay, Shikamaru it's my turn... Hey Shikamaru?" Tenten poked him but Shikamaru didn't move. "He's sleeping."

"The contest must go on!" Gai insisted.

"We'll have to move the pole or Shikamaru," Naruto analyzed the situation.

"Or both!" Konohamaru added.

"I'll help!" Rock Lee declared with a determined pose and held up the pole.

Naruto pulled Shikamaru out and delivered him to Ino, who had joined Chouji around their team's picnic basket, though her appetite was no where near as big as his. "Delivery!"

"Thanks, I think," Ino replied. Shikamaru looked quite peaceful sleeping. Maybe it was best not to take these contests too seriously.

From the beginning, Tenten was focused on simply having fun and didn't care too much about winning the limbo contest. Sure she would try her best, but fun would still be her main focus and it was that which brought her victory in the end.

End of Event 20

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Event 21: Sound Ninja's Day Off

For being it the Sound Village, it was rather silent, save for the quiet sounds of a teenager whistling while he cleaned a strange machine. Kabuto took a step back and admired his work. The green and black contraption was spotless, just the way he liked it. He picked up the cleaning supplies and bucket, and tidied up, putting each item away where it belonged, it bother him when things were not organized.

"What the hack is that?" It bothered him even more when people didn't mind their own business. Tayuya stood before his precious machine, staring at it as if it was a rare bug.

"This is mine," Kabuto made sure to establish ownership over the machine, hinting that she was not allowed to touch it.

"That doesn't explain what the fudge it is," Tayuya once again stated her question.

Shaking his head hopelessly, Kabuto replied, "it's a jeep."

Tayuya blinked in obvious confusion, "and a jeep would be?"

"A type of car," before she asked what a car was, Kabuto explained "a car is something you ride in."

Tayuya raised an eyebrow. "There are no horses here."

"It doesn't require horses to move, it runs on gas," Kabuto did not like Tayuya's expression, it was filled with curiosity and determination.

"Let's see it work then," the orange haired girl hopped in the back of the jeep and stood with an impatient look, waiting for Kabuto to activate it.

"Fine, but only once around the hideout," the silver haired young man sat behind the wheel and retrieved a small silver key from his pocket, with a musical note keychain attached. After inserting the key in the ignition, he turned it and like magic, the motor started emitting a purr-like sound and the jeep softly vibrated. "Hold on to something."

"Why?" Tayuya's question was soon answered when Kabuto stepped on the gas as an amused grin appeared in his face. Tayuya fell in a sitting position on the back of the jeep and with a few colorful words, she once again hopped to her feet.

The jeep moved through the tunnels with amazing speed, finally reaching the surface. The wind, the speed, it was all heaven for Tayuya. It ended too soon, when Kabuto stopped once again at the entrance to the tunnels. "That was twice around the hideout, time to get off."

"I want to use it!" Tayuya nearly squealed in a very uncharacteristic way.

"You don't know how to drive, besides, I need it," Kabuto knew, he simply knew, from the second Tayuya found his jeep, that his trip would be ruined.

"Don't be so fudging greedy, there's enough room in this thing for four people, so we can both ride it," Tayuya insisted.

Kabuto sighed, his afternoon was ruined, or maybe not? "I'm not going to spend the afternoon driving around the hideout. I was planning to go the next town while Orochimaru is distracted."

"What's up with him anyway? He's been locked in his room for days and won't let anyone in," Tayuya asked.

"Why would you want to try to go in there?" Kabuto had a suspicious smirk.

Tayuya glared at him, "none of your fudging business!"

"If you must know, it's because one of his snake's eggs hatched and he doesn't want us to see him baby talking to the little snakes and playing with them like a child," Kabuto revealed.

Tayuya looked surprised and in disbelief, "seriously?"

Kabuto nodded and she burst out laughing. "You didn't hear it from me!" It was bad enough that Orochimaru had insisted that Kabuto stayed until the 'birth' ended, just in case his precious pet snake needed a doctor.

"Wait till Kin hears about this!" Tayuya was still in uncontrollable laughter.

"Fine, make fun of him, just don't say I told you anything," Kabuto reminded. Orochimaru would kill him if he knew. Kabuto gently pressed the gas pedal again, driving slowly down the tunnels. "I'm going to get ready to go to the next town. I can't go there looking like a ninja."

"Can't you just use a transformation jutsu to blend in?" Tayuya asked.

"That's not how civilians do it, the experience wouldn't be the same," Kabuto reached the underground garage area once again and got off the jeep. He made sure to take the key with him.

"When are you leaving?" Tayuya inquired.

"In about fifteen minutes," Kabuto realized only after he had said it, that it probably wasn't a good idea.

"Good, I'll get Kin, don't leave without us or else!" After stating her threat, Tayuya ran off, ignoring Kabuto's protests.

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Tayuya found Kin training with her teammates Dosu and Zaku. "Kin, take a break, I have to tell you something."

Tayuya sounded like she was up to something and Kin was curious. "What is it?"

"Come over here," Tayuya called.

Curious to know what was gong on, Kin followed, until Dosu and Zaku complained. "Hey, quit taking breaks when it's not break time!"

"Mind your own business, Dosu!" Kin retorted.

"Yeah, don't be nosy about girl talk," Tayuya's attempt to keep Dosu and Zaku out of it, ultimately resulted in failure, as she was not the kind of to like girl talk and they knew it.

Dosu and Zaku decided to pretend they didn't notice something was going on and follow the girls later. "Girl talk? I don't want to hear it, it may be creepy," Zaku covered his ears.

Kin glared at him and left with Tayuya. Once out of earshot, she asked, "what's really going on?"

"Kabuto has a strange machine that moves by itself with gas," Tayuya revealed.

Kin blinked, "a machine, what does it look like?"

"It's green and black, it has seats, a wheel and pedals to control it. Kabuto also used a key to activate it. I've never seen such a thing before in my entire life. He said it was called a jeep and it moves really fast. You just have to see for yourself what it's like to ride on that thing!" Tayuya clearly liked the jeep.

Kin's eyes lit up, if Tayuya was actually exited about the ride, then it must have been really good. "I want to try it!"

"Kabuto is leaving in a few minutes to the next town. I'm going to change into something less ninja looking. He plans to go to town as a civilian." Though using a jutsu to change her appearance would be more practical, Tayuya decided to play along and change her clothes.

"This will be so much fun!" Kin rushed to her room to change.

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Several minutes later, Tayuya knocked on Kin's door. The orange haired girl was wearing black pants and an orange tank top that matched her hair, which was now in a ponytail. "Hey Kin, you ready yet?"

"Almost, come in," Kin's voice came from inside the room.

Tayuya entered the room to find her friend putting on makeup. "What the hack are you doing?"

"I'm putting on make up, if we're going into town as civilians then it kind of fits." Kin finished up her makeup with bright red lipstick that matched the red highlights in her black hair.

"You even dyed your hair?" Tayuya inquired.

"It's instant temporary dye, you just brush it on," Kin admired herself in the mirror one more time. She was wearing a black strapless top, red leather pants and black boots.

"C'mon let's go," Tayuya rushed, but Kin was quick to stand in her way.

"You're not going like that are you?" Kin asked, even though she knew the answer.

"What the fudge is wrong with going like this?" Tayuya didn't like dressing up.

"At least change the sneakers," Kin crossed her arms and refused to move from her position at the door.

"What's wrong with my sneakers?" Tayuya happened to like those old beat up sneakers.

"If you must wear sneakers fine, but use mine." Finally moving away from the door, Kin searched in her closet for a pair of black sneakers. "Here you go."

"Fine, if it'll make you shut up." Once Tayuya was done changing her sneakers, she looked up to find Kin staring at her with a very evil expression. In her hand she held lipstick. "No fudging way!"

"C'mon it's not going to kill you!" Kin insisted.

"I'll kill you if you try it!" Tayuya threatened with obvious intentions of carrying out her threat, should Kin push her luck.

Fortunately the dark haired girl was smarter than that. "How about eye shadow then, just a bit?"

"What does it matter?" Tayuya had always been rather tomboyish, not caring about girly things like makeup. In fact Orochimaru was probably more interested in makeup than her.

"We both need to look our best because we may find some cute guys in town. Think about it, it's our chance to hang out with guys who don't look like mummies, barrels, bugs or freaks." Kin included Dosu in the mummy category, with Jirobo most likely being the barrel, Kidomaru and the others were classified as freaks. "Will you be brave and let me put make up on you? You can think of it as camouflage to blend in with the civilian crowd."

"This better be worth it and it better wash off fast later," Tayuya looked like she was being cruelly tortured when Kin put the smallest amount of make up on her. "Alright that's enough; let's go before Kabuto leaves without us. I gave him the 'or else' threat and I'm going to have to think of what to make of it if he does leave without us. Orochimaru won't want me to kill his doctor, so the obvious revenge is ruled out."

"What's up with Orochimaru these days anyway? Does he have a cold again?" Kin asked as the two girls headed to meet Kabuto.

"You know he's a total baby when he catches a cold, it's so pitiful it's embarrassing, but no, that's not it this time. Kabuto told me and don't tell him I told you, one of Orochimaru's pet snakes had babies and he's playing with them," Tayuya revealed.

Kin laughed, "Oro's a daddy!"

Tayuya burst out laughing, Kin could come up with a few funny things to say every now and then, which is why they were friends, despite their obvious differences in personality. "Oh, man, if he heard you saying that! Actually, I think he's a granddaddy."

"You know what? I think he would be more offended to be called old than to be called the father of a snake," Kin commented.

"I agree," Tayuya nodded.

Finally the two girls made it the area of the hideout where Kabuto was waiting. On their way, they picked up some extra shadows. They were fully aware that they were being followed, but didn't make any effort to stop them. Not just Dosu and Zaku but also Kidomaru, Jirobo, Sakon, and therefore Ukon, and even Kimimaro were following them curiously. The girls didn't often dress up like that.

"Do you realize someone is following you?" Kabuto was wearing jeans and a tshirt, no ninja headband. He looked at the girls' clothing. "You two didn't have to get all dressed up for me, but I appreciate the thought."

"Shut the fudge up. Of course we know we're being followed. Who cares? That jeep thing can out run them anyway," Tayuya answered.

"I see, it's the thrill of the chase, except the fun part is being chanced and knowing we can't be caught. It does sound like fun." Kabuto hopped in the driver's seat while Tayuya and Kin argued over who would ride in the front.

"Don't take us so lightly," Kidomaru jumped out of hiding and the others followed.

"What is that machine of yours?" Sakon inquired.

"It's called a jeep and it's a type of car, cars are very rare, they move without being pulled by horses, they run on gas," Kabuto caused the others to blink in confusion and stare with curiosity.

"That thing really moves? I want to try it!" Zaku exclaimed.

His voice was followed by a chorus of "me too!"

"No, no! I only invited the girls, well actually, they invited themselves, but that's not the point," Kabuto argued.

"Tayuya and Kin, leaving your own teammates behind to go with Kabuto, how terrible!" Sakon exaggerated the drama.

"It must be the silver hair, girls love it." That little comment earned Kabuto a double death glare from Tayuya and Kin, followed by both girls undoing his ponytail and messing up his hair. "Stop that!"

"Forget your stupid hair I want to use the jeep. Don't be so selfish four eyes," Kidomaru paused and realized something. "Hey, where's your extra pair of eyes today?"

"Contact lenses" Kabuto replied.

"Isn't it more convenient to wear them all the time?" Sakon asked.

Kabuto shrugged, "I like my glasses."

"Forget that, I want to try out that jeep thing," Jirobo insisted.

"Oh, dear I hope you're not thinking of asking for a ride," Kabuto exaggerated his worry.

"Why is that?" Jirobo asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Dosu and the others laughed, until Jirobo caught on and attempted to punch Dosu. Dosu dodged, narrowly avoiding the attack, but Jirobo couldn't stop on time and accidentally hit Sakon instead.

"Hey fatso, why did you do that?" Sakon retuned the punch, making Jirobo stumble backwards and step on Zaku's foot in the process.

"Shiny!" Zaku yelled while hopping on one foot. "You'll pay for that!" Zaku attempted to hit Jirobo, but he got out of the way and Kidomaru was caught by the attack. A chaotic battle began.

"Now's our chance!" Kabuto started the jeep and got ready to leave. Kin and Tayuya hopped in the back of the jeep to avoid being left behind.

They zoomed past the fight and the fighters realized that the machine called jeep really was as fast as they heard. In the blink of an eye, all they saw was the ying-yang painted on the extra tire's cover in the back of the jeep, becoming a dot at the end of the tunnel. "Come back here!" They all yelled at once and engaged pursuit to no avail.

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It wasn't until Kabuto, Tayuya and Kin were outside the hideout and had lost sight of their pursuers, that a cough caught their attention. Sitting next to Kabuto, unnoticed until then, was Kimimaro. "Hello," Kimimaro casually greeted.

"When did you get here?" Kabuto had been so focused on his driving, he didn't even notice. The girls were too busy enjoying the ride and making fun of their teammates until they were left out of sight, that they didn't notice Kimimaro either.

"I sat down here while everyone was arguing. It seems I'm quite easily forgotten and ignored," Kimimaro sounded sad.

"Sorry, we didn't mean to ignore you," Kin said.

"We were just distracted," Tayuya added.

"Oh, that's great, now you're being nice to him?" Kabuto's hair was starting to get on his nerves now that it was out of its usual ponytail and the wind kept throwing it in his face.

"Jealous?" Kimimaro smiled.

"Shut up," Kabuto growled.

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Kabuto, Kimimaro, Tayuya and Kin reached the next town a lot faster than they possibly could have on foot, even by ninja standards. "We're here already?" Kin was amazed.

Kabuto nodded, "I really don't know why cars are so rare, if only people would see how useful they are and make more."

"They would be too easy to track," Tayuya pointed at the tire tracks that marked their path in the arid grassless ground.

"Yeah, there's that," Kabuto admitted. "They wouldn't work so well for ninja and it would be inconvenient in heavy vegetation, but still," at a lower speed Kabuto entered the main street of the town. "At least because cars are so rare, it's easy to find a parking spot."

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After parking the roofless jeep, the four sound ninja were off in different directions in the mall, leaving Kimimaro by himself. I'm not sure what I should do here," he shrugged and figured his first action should be to find a place to sit down before he started feeling dizzy. "Being sick sucks," Kimimaro found a bench in the mall and sat down.

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Kin had somehow dragged Tayuya to a clothing store, where the orange haired girl was extremely bored. "Do you even have money to pay for this? If we steal it, it'll blow our civilian cover."

"We'll just look at the clothes for now and think about how to get them later. It'll be fun to try them on!" The way Kin said it like she actually meant it frightened Tayuya. "What's wrong, you look like you saw a ghost?"

"Kin, seriously if shiny like this is your idea of fun, you're one very deprived girl," Tayuya shook her head hopelessly.

"I should have known you wouldn't like shopping," Kin pouted.

"Let's get out of here before I blow our cover by going on a killing spree. There are too many preps around here and over there, emos. Who puts the emo clothes next to the prep clothes?" Tayuya walked out of the store.

"Where are you going?" Kin followed.

"This is boring, there's nothing to do in this town." The place was a mall and a few houses around it, as if people wanted to stay close to the mall all the time. It made Tayuya sick.

"Hey, isn't that Kimimaro over there?" Kin noticed the familiar looking boy sitting on a bench staring into a fountain.

"Yeah, looks like he's as bored as we are," Tayuya observed.

"Speak for yourself, I was having fun," Kin pouted and crossed her arms. Why did she leave the store anyway? Then again, it's not like she had any money and she didn't want to blow her cover by stealing.

"Hello," Kimimaro greeted them. "Are you here to rest too?"

"Seriously, being sick must suck, resting all the time," Tayuya couldn't stand it if it was her.

"It's not so bad," though he was saying that, Kimimaro gave them the saddest look possible.

"Come with us, we'll go somewhere we can all enjoy," Kin invited.

"Sounds like fun, where are we going?" Kimimaro asked.

The girls scanned the area for a possible destination. "There!" Tayuya pointed at the food court area, specifically at the ice-cream stand.

"Great idea," Kin agreed.

"I could use some ice-cream but I don't have money. I'm suspicious enough as it is because I didn't have time to dress as a civilian before we left. I don't want to blow your cover," Kimimaro voiced.

"It's okay, I don't have enough money for clothes, but I think I have enough for ice-cream," Kin assured.

"Yeah me too, c'mon we'll invite you," Tayuya insisted. Kimimaro smiled, though he would never admit it, the liked getting attention.

xoxox xox xoxox

Sometime later, after eating their ice-cream, the three sound ninja wondered around the mall completely broke. "Orochimaru gives us such a small allowance," Kin commented.

"Small? There's the understatement of the whole fudging century, A little more and we'll be paying him to work," Tayuya dramatized.

"We totally need to get more money out of him, this sucks," Kin pouted.

"Hack yeah," Tayuya agreed. The entire time Kimimaro quietly walked between the two girls, with his arms around their waists, supposedly so he wouldn't feel dizzy and fall.

xoxox xox xoxox

A little later, they spotted Kabuto carrying several bags. "How's the shopping going? We'll be visiting the beach hideout next week, so I wanted to get some supplies."

"The beach hideout?" Kin squealed. "Why didn't you say so before? I need to buy something to wear, or rather steal it since I have no money."

"Didn't you buy a bikini last month when you dragged me all over the fudging store?" Tayuya reminded her.

"Yes, but if we're staying for a week I'll need more than one. What are you going to wear? You didn't buy anything that day?" Kin reminded.

"Shorts and a tank top," Tayuya sounded uninterested.

"You're not going to get a tan like that," Kin pointed out.

"I don't care about getting a tan," Tayuya replied.

Kabuto was getting impatient. "If you would be so kind to look this way, ladies," Kabuto proudly help up a credit card, Orochimaru's credit card. The two girls immediately let go of Kimimaro and attempted to take the card from Kabuto. "Not so fast! Let's all go to the store and I'll decide how much you each get to spend. Kimimaro you're looking kind of pale. Why don't you rest on that bench over there and watch the bags for us while we go buy some things."

As Kabuto and left, linking arms with Tayuya and Kin, Kimimaro glared at him and grumbled, "cheater, using that card to get all the attention." Kimimaro sat on the bench and continuously kicked Kabuto's purchases, with a sharp bone sticking out of his toe.

xoxox xox xoxox

Kabuto, Tayuya and Kin arrived at a store with all sorts of beach related supplies. It took a while for Kin to decide on what tanning lotion she wanted, since she kept changing her mind, until Kabuto, being a doctor and becoming bored of all the waiting, gave her his opinion on which one was better for her skin. Moments later, Kin was happily bouncing about in the bathing suit section, while Tayuya was just about ready to die of boredom. By the time Kin decided what she wanted and actually convinced Tayuya to get something new wear at the beach, the girls had lost track of Kabuto, or rather Kin had left him behind in her mad shopping dash, to which she dragged Tayuya.

After a quick search they spotted Kabuto examining some surf boards. "You surf?" Tayuya asked.

"Not really, but I want to try it, besides Orochimaru's birthday is soon so I better get him something," Kabuto mused. "By the way thanks for ditching me back there."

"We didn't ditch you, you were just being slow. What's that about Orochimaru's birthday?" Kin inquired.

"Remember last year when Orochimaru kept asking if we had something to tell him and no one knew why?" Kabuto reminded.

"Yeah, then he made us run laps around the hideout without rest for three days straight, except Kimimaro who had to run for a week." Tayuya's memory of the occasion was followed by a stream of colorful words, remembering how much her feet ached afterwards.

"I think that's what finally pushed his health over the edge," Kin commented.

"Probably, later I figured out that Orochimaru was expecting us to tell him 'happy birthday'. Kimimaro was worse off because he actually remembered the occasion and gave Orochimaru a knitting set. You know how he can get a bit sensitive about being old," Kabuto explained.

"So you're getting him a surf board?" Tayuya inquired. Kabuto nodded and the girls burst out laughing at the image of Orochimaru, looking absolutely ridiculous while trying to surf.

"If we don't get him a gift that makes him feel young, he'll ruin our week at the beach hideout," at Kabuto's words of warning, both girls fell silent.

"Right, then let's get him the surf board," Kin nodded.

Tayuya also agreed, "let' tell him it's from all of us."

"We'll also need to get a cake for that day and party hats," Kabuto mused. "We might as well get the hats and decorations and hide them, that way we only need to get the cake later."

"Party hats?" Tayuya was in disbelief.

"And decorations?" Kin added.

"What is he five?" Tayuya caught sight of someone approaching.

"A childish atmosphere will make him feel younger," Kabuto explained. Kin and Tayuya discreetly tried to point out that there was a certain someone behind him, while at the same time trying to hold back laughter. "Remember, do not ask him how old he is and if he says he's in his twenties, pretend you believe him." Finally catching the hint, Kabuto turned around and came face to face with a pair of golden snake-like eyes. "Orochimaru!"

Flashback

"Who's the cutest little baby snake?" Orochimaru was still playing with his new pets. However, the parent snakes were getting annoyed because he kept trying to teach their babies how to play fetch and wouldn't let them take their naps. The two parent snakes nodded at each other and each bit one of Orochimaru's hands. "Ah!" Screaming of the top of his lungs, Orochimaru ran around the hideout waving his arms wildly with the snakes attached. Finally, he managed to get the snakes to let him go and proceeded to search for his local doctor, whom he didn't find. However, the remaining sound ninja were able to provide him with some clues of the medical ninja's whereabouts.

End Flashback

"Who are you talking about Kabuto?" Orochimaru asked. The three young sound ninja stared at him in disbelief. He was wearing torn jeans with way too many holes, a pair of old dirty sneakers and a dark blue tshirt with shiny silvery letters that read 'glasses are sexy'. He was also wearing glasses, except the glass part was missing. "Well? Who are you talking about?"

"Kimimaro, he's feeling the effect of old age," Tayuya blurted out.

"Yeah, that's why he's always resting," Kin aided her.

Kabuto nodded and when the shock sunk in, he asked, "where did you get those clothes and those glasses?"

"I needed a little help with some first aid," Orochimaru showed them the bandages messily tied up around his hands. Sakon was not a medical ninja. "I couldn't find you so I went so see if you were in your room, you weren't there, but the closet door was wide open and I saw some clothes I wanted to borrow. I borrowed your glasses to make truth to what the shirt says, but the glass part made things look funny so I removed it."

"My glasses, my precious glasses!" Kabuto dramatically screamed.

"Your glasses should be the last of your worries. What are you three doing here, running off without permission?" Orochimaru was annoyed.

Kabuto was too depressed to respond, so Kin spoke. "We can't tell because it's a secret." Orochimaru didn't look very convinced yet.

"Yeah, it's a secret for a special occasion, but we can't tell you what it is," Tayuya tried to make Orochimaru catch the hint and it worked.

"I see, well then, I'll go back tot he hideout so that you may all continue with your secret shopping." Orochimaru smiled, looking rather scary, even though it was supposed to be a happy smile because his minions were planning his birthday party. Orochimaru left Tayuya and Kin to deal with the depressed Kabuto. The silver haired young man would have to console himself giving Orochimaru's credit card a good workout.

End of Event 21

Disclaimer, I don't own Naruto. Event 20 is for Xinda. Event 21 was inspired by a conversation with Xinda about the lack of cars in Naruto even if they have other technologies; Kabuto's jeep was looks like Hakuryu from Saiyuki.