Pursuing Happiness

Written By: Matdeception

Disclaimer: These things are like Taxes, you just want it done and out of the way.

Chapter 4: Aroma, Texture, Taste

The life of Hokage was one of self-sacrifice, this was simple fact; A fact many people misunderstood. Sarutobi often wondered if anyone but other Kage's truly understood everything he and the ones who came before, or after him, had to give up in order to do the job justice. Pfeh... job, what a joke. Anyone who believed this was a job had to have their heads, and values, examined. Hokage was more then a job, it was a life, it was putting behind your own goals and dreams as a person and donning the role of another.

Sarutobi had, once upon a time, wanted to be nothing but a scholar, and while he was a scholar of jutsu that particular facet of knowledge wasn't the only one he wanted to explore. Little known to anyone, other then his former teammates turned advisers, he once wanted to be an archaeologist. He wanted to uncover the secrets of the past, learn of their ancient ancestors from that mythical time before the coming of the Sage and the gift of Chakra. He yearned to discover secret tombs of long forgotten warriors, kings, or even regular people who served others. Yet... what he wanted, and what his life as Hokage allowed were two different things, and could never be one.

He sighed tiredly, flicking a match across his desk. The abrupt smell of sulfur and angry hiss of fire erupting into being a familiar comfort. Lighting his pipe, he flicked the spent match away and turned in his chair to stare out the window. He could see it even from here, his home nestled comfortingly near the outskirts of the village to the north west. How long had it been since he was last there? He honestly couldn't remember; More and more his energy just didn't last and he resorted to sleeping in the tower rather then drag himself home for the scant few hours of rest he managed to steal every now and then. Maybe he should just pass it on to his children? His eldest daughter might enjoy it, especially with child number two on the way; Though he dearly hoped she wouldn't name this one after Konoha in anyway shape or form. Konohamaru certainly didn't enjoy his name, a fact the old man couldn't bring himself to blame the child for.

A soft flutter echoed, and Sarutobi knew he wasn't alone anymore. Glancing at the white masked ANBU kneeling near the door, he sighed. "What is it?"

"Yuuhi Kurenai, Jounin, and Uzuki Yuugao, Chuunin, wishes to speak with you on a matter concerning Uzumaki Naruto." came the plain, unrecognizable voice of the ANBU.

"Send them in." Sarutobi waved the man off, ignoring as he vanished in a swirl of leaves.

"Well... what do I owe the honor of a late night visit from two lovely beauties such as yourselves?" were the first words from Sarutobi, in that kind if slightly perverted tone he reserved for those of the fairer sex. It was one of his many quirks that Kurenai had noticed years passed, and one that was utterly harmless. At least, harmless in comparison to his habitual smoking, but she paid that no mind as she approached his desk flanked by Yuugao.

"Concerns." she said seriously, placing Naruto's confiscated scroll on his desk.

Sarutobi eyed the scroll briefly, "Concerns about what, exactly?"

"Everything." Kurenai shook her head, "First would be this..." she nodded towards the scroll, "... which contains Naruto's accumulated research that allowed him to engineer the Kage Bunshin."

Sarutobi frowned, "He knows the Kage Bunshin?"

"He does." Yuugao interjected, "Verified it myself. From the seal, to the way the clones are created, and memory absorption."

The Hokage opened the scroll, thoughtfully glancing over the many varied notes and designs of the chakra system, thoughts on differing applications and chakra and molding and results of various experiments. He glanced at Yuugao, "The dangers. Does he know the dangers?"

"He's been told." Yuugao allowed slowly, "But does he understand them?" she shrugged, "If it were any other kid I'd say no, not a chance in hell, but this is Naruto were talking about here."

"I've ordered him not to use for the time being." Kurenai informed helpfully.

Sarutobi nodded, eyes drifting back to the scroll for a time. "Your second concern?"

The Genjutsu mistress nodded, "Today I watched him and Haruno-san engage in a spar, utilizing skills that should be well beyond their capabilities." she frowned thoughtfully, "Chakra Enhancement particularly, utilized at a low to mid Chuunin level."

Yuugao frowned slightly, "You know... come to think of it, that's something that's been bothering me as well."

Kurenai blinked, "Why?" she sighed, "Don't tell me you're the one that's been giving him all this extra training."

For herself, Yuugao just looked sheepish. "Well, not as much as you'd think. Just pointers here and there on the Academy taijutsu, and some other things, but certainly never anything about Chakra enhancement." she eyed the Hokage, "I'd like to point out that I've filed similar concerns about this with my superiors, and since anything relating to him gets sent to you I figured you knew about it."

Sarutobi smiled weakly as both women eyed him accusingly, "... Okay, I confess. I may have given him special permission to peruse some of my Archives..."

Kurenai had a sinking suspicion, "Those gifts for... your lady friends..."

He grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head nervously, "... They were really happy with them?"

Kurenai just sighed, "Right. That's one mystery solved."

"Just how happy are we talking about, eh old man?" Yuugao didn't leer per say, but it was damn close.

"A gentleman never tells." Sarutobi said with a grin.

"Why me?" Kurenai shook her head tiredly.

"Well..." Sarutobi frowned, turning his gaze back to the scroll, "... the matter of the Kage Bunshin is a serious one. I'd like time to examine this in detail." he glanced at the Genjutsu mistress, "Bring him to me tomorrow, after you've finished with your team for the day."

Kurenai nodded slowly, "I've a rather lengthy assignment for them tomorrow, but I could come up with something else if you'd like.'

He waved that notion off, "No need, as long as he gets here some time tomorrow your plans should be fine."

"It will be done." the Genjutsu mistress nodded.

"How long have you been training like this?" Shino asked, resting against the tree that had become their teams meeting point. Yesterday had been quite a revelation for the young Aburame, of his faults, of his strengths, and just how little he knew about those he had spent his years in the Academy watching. That they were able to hide their abilities wasn't a surprise to him, he had done it himself and had quite honestly expected it from his classmates. The truth of just how much they two held back both humbled and irritated him.

Naruto was lying perpendicular along the seesaw in what Shino believed would be his ritualistic waiting spot. He looked distracted, eyes unfocused as he gazed into the morning sky littered with clouds. He didn't answer immediately, but Shino hadn't expected him too. Peculiar as his relationship was with Sakura, the blond tended to let her answer for him, only interjecting if she made a mistake, lacked the information required, or the matter was serious on a level the young Bug-nin hadn't quite been able to gauge yet.

Sakura blinked, looking up from a plain black book, plain except for the fact it had a hand drawn title that proudly stated 'Sakura's innocent, in no way evil or nefarious plans on dating one Uzumaki Naruto.' A diary of some sort, at least Shino hoped so. "Hm? How long?" She frowned cutely, biting her lower lip in that strange way she often did when concentrating, "... Uh, just over two years?"

"For as long as I can remember." came Naruto's soft voice in reply.

Shino nodded, considering, "Uchiha Sasuke received the same training as well, hasn't he?"

Sakura shrugged, "Well, yeah, he's been doing it almost as long as I have. Not the morning workouts mind you, but everything else..." she frowned then, "How did you know about that anyway? Sasuke always made a point of training with us in secret."

"Assumption based on conjecture, observation, and finally validation." Shino said simply.

"Heh." Naruto chuckled, "He did give it away, didn't he?"

"What are you talking about?" Sakura half snarled, "Who gave what away? When?"

Shino eyed Naruto curiously, but if the boy cared to elaborate for the pinkette he made no move to do so. He sighed, "Sasuke gave it away at the bridge yesterday, his knowledge of Acceptance training, how easily he integrated into the circle, and other various tells..."

"Oh come now Shino." the blond tilted his head expectantly, "That's a fairly obvious deduction, surely you won't deny us your other observations on Sasuke."

Sakura scratched her head, "Okay, I'm lost here, just what are you talking about?"

Shino stared at the blond, at his amused eyes eyeing him expectantly. For a moment he considered just not answering, and on any other occasion he wouldn't have, but that's when he had a sudden epiphany concerning the blond. He was a teacher, he taught Sakura, Sasuke, and anyone else who'd listen, but only after they had made a step on their own, whether a right or wrong step. This wasn't a lesson for him, he realized, it was a lesson of observation for Sakura.

"Uchiha-san seemed upset at my presence, indicating an emotional response of... perhaps abandonment? Betrayal?" the Bug-nin supplied helpfully.

"Bah, he's not that emo!" Sakura defended flippantly

As expected, Shino grinned inwardly when Naruto just sighed tiredly, looking at Sakura in that way that meant she made a mistake. "Isn't he, Sakura?"

The pinkette snorted, "You're just seeing things. Sasuke didn't act any differently from the tens of times we trained before then!"

"He didn't act." Shino said simply.

Naruto nodded thoughtfully, "It's not in his words, but in his body. A simple flex of muscles, or errant twitch, a narrowing of the eyes. Details Sakura, it's the details that paint the picture."

Sakura bit her lip again, he decided that it was one of her cuter expressions, as she concentrated. The Bug-nin could already imagine the girl dissecting her memories of yesterday, looking over ever glance, every gesture, every action on Sasuke's part in an attempt to see just what the two of them had seen.

Naruto turned his gaze back to the clouds, letting the girl go about her thoughts in silence. As the light of recognition reached her jade eyes, Shino's respect for both his team mates went up a notch. Naruto didn't give people the answers, he helped plant the seeds, helped it grow, but did not do the growing himself. Sakura impressed him with her stubbornness on things, and the complete lack of it when it came to learning, to understand what she had missed. He'd never admit it to anyone, but one of the reasons he kept to himself in the Academy was simple maturity, a trait most if not all of his peers lacked. Truthfully, he'd never have attributed it to Sakura, but as he was often doing these days he was once again forced to face, and accept, different facets of the girl he did not pick up while simply observing her.

"Hmmm." Sakura hmmed, "He was tense wasn't he? At first... once he joined the circle, he relaxed, but before that it was like he had reverted to that annoyed, guarded jack ass he was when we started harassing him."

Shino raised an eyebrow at that, even as Naruto chuckled.

"But why?" the pinkette frowned, "He hadn't been like that around us in a long time. What changed between the last time and this time?"

"We graduated, for one." Shino helpfully supplied.

"Well, yeah." Sakura said with a roll of the eyes, "He might have been annoyed he didn't get on our team, but that wouldn't be enough to make him go all anti-social freaky freak on us."

"Make him go 'anti-social freaky freak' on us?" Naruto chuckled, "The way you butcher our language is inspiring Sakura-chan, truly inspiring."

"Shut up." the pinkette snapped, eyes narrowing thoughtfully as she stared at Shino, "... you."

He raised an eyebrow at that, saying nothing. Shino could practically see the gears turning in her head as she began to put two and two together.

"It's you." she said, scratching her cheek cutely, "You were there, some one new, some one unknown. Some one who until yesterday we hadn't ever trained with, and yet there you were, taking part in the circle. It's like... he could think..." she blinked, "He thought we replaced him."

Naruto tilted his head, grinning at Shino, "Tell me, truthfully, isn't she ridiculously cute when she figures something out?"

"Bah!" Sakura snorted, crossing her arms petulantly, utterly ignoring Naruto's question, "That idiot thinks we could replace him?!" Shino was rather impressed with the girls vicious snarl, "Just because we invite some one else doesn't mean we're replacing anything. It isn't like we can't have more friends then just him!"

"Which is why we'll track him down in a day or so and beat that notion out of him." Naruto interjected soothingly, as if planning to inflict bodily damage on another could possibly be comforting...

Sakura grinned happily then, nodding as she rubbed her hands eagerly together.

Okay, maybe it could be comforting. Shino had a second epiphany that morning, this time about Sakura.

She was batshit insane.

Naruto caught the smell first, his nostrils flaring rapidly as his eyes snapped open and looked too and fro. At least, she thought so, Shino for himself didn't react in the slightest. His general impassiveness would be a challenge, she knew that, but she had hoped she could catch him off guard.

Sakura caught it soon enough, her reaction far more grandiose and amusing as the girl gagged as the retching smell hit her nostrils. "Dear god, who farted?!" she snapped loudly, glaring at Naruto who ignored her in favor of tracing down the source of the smell.

Kurenai waved cheerfully as three sets of eyes latched on to her, or rather the long cup she held in her hand. She took a long satisfying whiff of the liquid, enjoying the aroma immensely. "Mmmm... Good morning."

"Gah!" Sakura gagged, pointing at her accusingly, "What is that stuff? It reeks!"

"Does it?" the Genjutsu mistress feigned ignorance, sniffing the drink again, "Smells fine to me."

"It's odor is akin to sewage." Shino said simply, expertly hiding his less then obvious disgust at the smell.

Naruto had a nasty face, like some one trying to fight the overwhelming need to heave up their breakfast. "It's... unpleasant to say the least." he eyed her warily, "What is it?"

"This?" Kurenai raised the drink slightly, shrugging at their nods, "Well, it's a mixture of vitamins, minerals, herbs with a trace amount of energy and blood pills ground up and thrown in. Probably, if not the healthiest drink you'll ever find for growing nins anywhere."

"Healthy?!" Sakura winced, "If being healthy means drinking crap then I'd rather be the unhealthiest kunoichi ever!"

She was amused, immensely so. Honestly, she had expected these reactions, at least from Sakura and Shino. Naruto's reaction went against the grain, she had expected him to shrug in that amusing way of his and show his knowledge, perhaps deign her intent. That he hadn't was comforting, very much so as she felt a bit of that apprehension she had felt since yesterday fade away. As mature and some what intimidating he could be, there were things he did not know and could yet learn.

"Oh?" Kurenai raised an eyebrow curiously, "Is that a challenge Sakura?"

"It's not a challenge, it's a fact." the pinkette said with absolute seriousness.

"Challenge accepted." she said with a grin, finishing the drink off and depositing the cup in the trash. "On to business then." she pulled three some what bulky envelopes from a pouch on her hip, handing them to her students, "Here's a private training regime I've devised for each of you. I expect you to study the material within, and be prepared for evaluations in two weeks."

Naruto and Shino both nodded, putting away their envelopes with out opening it.

Sakura opened hers, glancing over the information. "What?" she deadpanned, half glaring at her sensei, before leveling a hellish glare at Naruto. "You did this, didn't you?"

Poor innocent Naruto blinked, "Uh... if I did, I'm sorry?"

"Liar! Why else would there be 'Sculpting' in here?!" she snarled, lunging at the blond. She didn't quite make it to him, finding herself dangling in the air as Kurenai held the back of he shirt. Naruto looked both relieved and curious, but she couldn't fault him that.

"Sakura, Naruto had little to do with your regimen." Kurenai defended the blond, "If anyone is at fault, it's you."

Sakura frowned curiously, "How do you figure? He's the one who always wants me to Sculpt, even though he knows I hate it!"

Kurenai nodded, "It's because you hate it that I'm ordering you to do it." she said simply, idly walking away with the dangling girl, displaying a strength that belied her slim figure, "Doing what we love isn't what defines a person, it is the conflicts and how we resolve them that pushes us forward. You hate sculpting, it irritates you, angers you, and is just frustrating, isn't it?"

"Duh." was Sakura's flippant, petulant reply.

"Then how you deal with it, how you solve your conflict will help you grow, well help you understand aspects about yourself that fighting, or tossing jutsu around would never show you." Kurenai said simply as she lowered her down, "That is the purpose of the exercise, and as my student I expect you to do it."

Petulantly, Sakura crossed her arms and looked away, nodding slightly. "Yes, sensei." she glared at Naruto, then grinned suddenly as she pulled out her book and began writing notes. Kurenai could have sworn she heard her say "... sculpture smashing."

"Yosh!" Sakura chirruped, "This is going to be the best date ever!"

Naruto sweated slightly, "Uh... thanks Kurenai-sensei." Came his sarcastic reply

Kurenai just shook her head. Kids, she swore she would never understand them. "Now, on to today's lesson." she said as she took a seat on a park bench, "Genjutsu 101 or, as my own sensei put it..." she chuckled lightly, "... the beginning of the end of wonderment."

That raised a few eyebrows from her students. Good, she had their attention. "Genjutsu is a strong art, some may say it's stronger then Taijutsu or Ninjutsu combined, but that's an opinionated belief at best." she explained, "And that opinion is held by a scant few. Can anyone tell me why?"

"Cause it's annoying to learn?" came Sakura's blunt response.

Kurenai nodded, "Exactly. Genjutsu isn't something you can learn simply by running laps, sparring, or simple minded determination. You can't simply form the seals, mold the chakra, and expect the jutsu to fire like you can with Ninjutsu." she raised her hand, fingers sprayed wide, "Unlike other techniques that launch balls of fire, or arcs of lightning, Genjutsu relies on the senses of it's victims to have effect. Ergo, you have to attack a persons senses." she started counting down with her fingers as she spoke, "Sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell. You have to combine all these to craft Genjutsu."

Shino nodded, speaking up, "If you fail on any sense, that leaves a weakness in the Genjutsu that can be exploited."

"Precisely." The Genjutsu mistress nodded, "Yesterday I evaluated your skills, using a genjutsu that covered all the senses but sound."

Sakura frowned, "You left sound out, yeah, but wind doesn't have a taste. So you left that sense out as well, sensei. And smell, left that out also."

"Did I?" Kurenai looked dubious.

Naruto shook his as he answered the unspoken question. "No, she didn't Sakura. Wind may not have a taste, or a smell of it's own, but it is a carrier."

"Wind carries the fragrance of the area, like a wind blowing through a field of flowers, you would receive their fragrance." Shino nodded, continuing, "And while taste is harder to pinpoint, you can extrapolate that it carries kicked up dust, particles of ash from the foundries, or a number of things."

"Oh." Sakura frowned thoughtfully, "Okay, I think I get it."

"You do have a knack for catching on quickly." Kurenai said in all seriousness, "Now, because I didn't include a sound effect to the wind I left a critical weakness within the technique, which allowed you all to break the Genjutsu." she looked at Naruto pointedly, "Naruto, you discovered the flaw immediately. If you used a genjutsu in the field, relied upon it in fact, can you imagine the potential disaster you'd now have on your hands because you didn't cover this aspect of the technique?"

"I can." the blond nodded seriously, paying her strict attention beyond his normally amused detachment; Kurenai was pleased. He grinned then, a mischievous light coming to his baby blue eyes, "That drink, you used Genjutsu to make it smell bad, didn't you?"

Kurenai raised an eyebrow at that, "Is that what you think?" at his nod, she turned to the others, "And you? Is that what you think?" at their nods she shook her head, "No, I did not. Believe it or not that drink smells that bad. You are, however, correct in the fact I did use a Genjutsu."

"You used a Genjutsu on yourself." Shino interjected, "To make it smell as something other then sewage for yourself."

"That's right." She looked at them all seriously, "I used a genjutsu on myself to mask not only the smell, but the taste of it as well." she chuckled lightly, "It tastes almost as bad as it smells, by the way, but that particular lesson is for another time. Back to the task on hand." she pulled out a folded paper from her belt pouch, "Today we're going to smell the flowers, touch the stone, taste the dirt and all things in-between."

Sakura frowned, "Wait, we're going to eat dirt? What kind of dumb idea is that?" she snorted, "Why would we ever need to know what dirt tastes like?"

Naruto answered, his voice tight and guarded, "In case you ever decide to use a genjutsu to make some one believe they've been buried in the earth..." he sighed, "... and make them believe their suffocating."

The pinkette blinked owlishly, "Whoa... genjutsu can do that?!"

"It can..." Kurenai said slowly, "... but that's not the lesson for today." she stood up then, gesturing for them three of them to follow, "Today we experience the sensations Konoha has to offer."

Sakura would never admit it, not in a million years and especially not to her sensei of all people, but she absolutely loved this lesson. The trip to the Yamanaka flower shop to spends hours just smelling the flowers, feeling the texture of the petals, or the earthy taste of mulch was rather... calming to her. That it took place in the home of her best girlfriend was a plus, even if that girl was out and about with her own team. She idly realized she hadn't seen hide nor hair of the girl since graduation, and made a vow to see her soon.

Their next step, the forests of Konoha, where the great ironbark trees stood like tall sentinels watching for intruders was interesting. The feel of the bark, the grainy feel of dirt between her fingers. She enjoyed that, she enjoyed getting right down and dirty, she enjoyed the purity of the sensations they were experiencing.

Naruto was enjoying it too, which was perhaps the one sour spot of this particular assignment. Not that he was enjoying it, that was fine and dandy as far as Sakura was concerned, but it was his look as he enjoyed it that made things irritating. The boy knew so much, he possessed experiences so much she never thought she would see him so down right excited about something. It was, strangely, like he had never experienced what Kurenai was trying to teach them. Like he had never before broached Genjutsu like this. He looked... excited, utterly absorbed as sensei pointed things out, handed various articles from rocks to clumps of dirt around for each of them to look at.

He looked at her like a thirsty man would water, drinking up her words and explanations with a fervor that upset the pinkette. She fumed about that, a lot, but forcibly pushed it into the back of her mind. She was nothing if not an attentive student damn it, she'd pick up everything Kurenai was trying to teach them.

She smiled then as a thought suddenly occurred to her. Naruto wasn't all the chatty generally, but like a kid in a candy store he'd talk endlessly about something he liked, or was new to him. This was good! She could already see all the fun conversations she'd have with him and Shino when Kurenai was gone for the day.

She couldn't wait.

Shino frowned as they stood just inside Moritake's, off to the side away from the customers coming in for a late lunch. He forcibly shut out his growling stomach, focusing instead on the varied smells of the oh so intoxicating food being made and consumed. The sharp scent of teriyaki sauce mixed with barbecue sauce, the aroma of spices delicately overshadowed by the smells of cooked meat combined into a gestalt of mouth watering intensity. His stomach growled loudly.

Kurenai looked amused, but said nothing as she stood there, enjoying the smells herself.

Sakura was not so quiet. "Maaaaah... why can't we eat sensei? I'm starving!"

"You just can't." the older woman said. Shino wondered idly if she was just being mean about it, or if there was some other object lesson he had overlooked. She was so like Naruto when it came to pointing things out, letting others make the first step before she corrected or congratulated them.

Naruto for himself mimicked Kurenai, not saying anything but standing there, with his eyes closed as he took in the wonderful scents.

"What's this?" a gruff voice, male, spoke up from their right. Shino frowned, eyeing the gruffy bearded man with an unlit cigarette pressed between his lips, taking note of Chouji, Ino, and Shikamaru who stood in front of him. "Didn't think you'd be the type to eat at Moritakes Kurenai, not for lunch anyway."

Kurenai didn't open her eyes or even look at him. She inhaled, keeping that smile on her lips as she said, "Ignore distractions, especially the bad ones. Learn to do that, and you can truly appreciate what your senses are telling you."

The man frowned, "You can't still be upset about..."

"Time to go." Kurenai said suddenly, but Shino caught the briefest glare she shot the man. "Next is this quaint ramen shop down the street."

Sakura made a face, "Ugh, ramen."

"It's not so bad." Naruto defended, which Shino thought was curious. "Ichiraku Ramen is truly the nectar of the gods."

The gruffy man rolled his eyes, "Whatever, Kurenai."

"Enjoy your lunch, Sarutobi-san!" she replied cheerfully, strolling out the door.

Dusk had long since fallen, the hustle and bustle of the daily grind gave way to the more pleasant sounds of laughter and enjoyment of people letting off steam, heading too and fro, and just generally enjoying what free time they had before heading home. She could see the Hokage's tower in the distance, Sarutobi's office obvious to her even from this great distance, idly wondering what the man had discovered after looking over Naruto's scroll.

She shook that thought off, turning her attention to her students thoughtfully. Sakura sat at the table, eyeing the kitchen not unlike a predator eyes it's prey. The girl had been the most vocal of her hunger and general irritation at the assignment, but despite that she noticed the girl remained focused on the task at hand. Smelling this, touching that, tasting whatever she could even if it wasn't particularly palatable. Her focus and determination still amazed Kurenai, the older woman honestly doubted she would ever get over how much so, especially with how young she was. Heck, when she was that age she didn't want to do much more then throw laze about and waste time, it was hard to imagine herself being that focused so early on.

Turning to Shino, she wanted to sigh at his stoic posture. The boy was hard to read, there could be no doubt of that. Focused, obviously, but where Naruto and Sakura allowed themselves to get caught up in the feel of the moment, Shino retained that almost clinical detachment he held with most everything. Or at least she thought so, for all she could generally read from one of his clan this could be what passed for giddy excitement on their part. It was a shame, she honestly believed, for the Aburame to adhere to self control so early. It almost made them seem... mechanical, robotic, even if she knew they were anything but.

Naruto, now this was an interesting day to be around the blond. Always so calm, so controlled since she had met him but for today. Today, he let his hair down, so to speak. He was generally excited, like he was learning something he hadn't ever thought to study, which made sense to her. Genjutsu was notoriously difficult to learn, never mind finding a teacher willing to teach, or a student willing to put the time in to learn the art. She hoped, sincerely, all three of her students would take a liking to Genjutsu, enough so that she could focus a great deal of attention on it. She was kidding herself, of course, lucky she may have been to find such a welcoming first team, she doubted she'd be able to keep Sakura away from Taijutus, or ninjutsu, or pretty much anything but genjutsu.

"Hungry?" Kurenai asked innocently enough, enjoying the fierce growl from Sakura at the question. "Good to hear."

Shino stated simply. "You ordered for us."

"Yes I did." the older woman smiled, "It's the final bit of today's lesson."

The food arrived in short order, four bowls of a bland looking paste that looked rather unappetizing and possessed no smell of it's own. Utterly uninteresting, Kurenai remember thinking that when she had been in their shoes.

"Go ahead." she motioned to the bowl, "Take a bite."

They did so. Sakura grimaced, grabbing a napkin and scrapping the paste off her tongue. Shino managed to swallow it with out prompting, to his credit. Naruto also managed to swallow, helped by a generous amount of water. They looked at her, irritated, patiently, or curiously.

Kurenai smiled pleasantly, "Scrumptious, isn't it?"

At Sakura's glare, Shino's reserved look, and Naruto's apparent amusement she continued, "This is a fluffed up version of the rations we get when out of the field. It's bland, utterly tasteless, but full of nutrients and enough proteins to keep you going for days."

The Genjutsu mistress formed a seal, a three dimensional interpretation of a human chakra system began floating in the air above the table. The other customers ignored the Illusion, she had keyed it to just them. "Now, I'm going to teach you the art of Self-Delusion, a fairly basic Genjutsu technique. The seals are Ox, Crane, followed by molding the chakra just so."

Chakra began to flow along the illusion, focusing thin lines along the mouth and tongue, connecting with the nostrils before traveling up to the brain. "Go ahead and practice until you feel you're competent with the way it's molded."

She watched them closely, idly eating her own bowl of paste as they did so. Sakura caught on quick, followed by the boys. Once she was sure they were ready, she continued, "Now, we've spent all day smelling pleasant, and not so pleasant things. We spent time feeling the texture of wood, rock, concrete, and other things. When you mold the chakra you need to link sensations to the various senses, such as the smell of sunflowers to the nose, or the taste of chicken to the tongue and mouth."

Manipulating the illusion, a red circle appeared with a chicken leg in the middle, followed by a yellow circle with a sunflower. This time as the chakra began to mold the lines connecting to the mouth turn vibrant red before flowing up into the brain, as the lines connecting the nose turned yellow.

"Now, theoretically if this is done correctly this bland, tasteless, odorless paste will smell like sunflowers and taste like chicken." she finished her explanation, watching them for understanding.

"So say I want to smell teriyaki sauce, but taste my oh so delicious ramen, I simply have to link what I believe the smell of teriyaki is to my nose, while linking the taste of ramen to my mouth." Naruto moved to clarify, "Then no matter what I smell, or taste, it will be exactly that?"

"In simplistic terms, yes." Kurenai nodded. "Generally you'd attribute the smells and taste to a specific item, that you specify in thought as you mould the chakra. Like imagining the ramen superimposed over the bland paste, so when you eat it you get the taste you want, but still leave yourself open to enjoy other tastes, like a flavored drink."

Naruto nodded, eyes narrowing as he formed the seals. The others looked at him cautiously, but he just smile and said, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." and began to dig in. A tentative bite at first, followed by another, and another until he was eating the paste with gusto. He paused momentarily to drink his water, grinning "Tastes like cherries!"

Sakura made a determined face, "Yosh! I'll have tepanyaki!" she said as she formed the seals, concentrated, then took a tentative bite, and quickly became the equivalent to a human vacuum cleaner as she dug into the paste.

Shino followed suit, not making any claims or jovial boasts. Kurenai was rather amused as he took his first bite, his posture noticeably relaxing as he began to eat. She banished the illusion, and joined her team in their dinner.

Naruto was beyond fascinated. Genjutsu had never been one of his strong points, primarily because he never had teachers who'd ever spent time trying to up their skill beyond the hohum medium. Kakashi was skilled in it, he knew that was true, but for the scarecrow like man it seemed more of an after thought that he trained only because he thought it was expected of him. He certainly never trained in the little things, things that made people like Kurenai, Itachi, and other great Genjutsu users true masters of the art.

He glanced at the others, all happily finishing off their meals, when a thought hit him. The art of Self-Delusion... "Eh, sensei..."

Kurenai looked at him, those red eyes amusingly curious, "Hmm?"

"The art of Self-Delusion..." he paused slightly for effect, "... the name means it isn't a healthy technique, right?"

She nodded, a slight surprise in her eyes, "That's correct. It's a useful skill, but you must always remember that it's just that, a skill."

Shino frowned, "The means to trick our senses into feeling what we wish it to feel..."

"It can become an addiction." Sakura finished the thought, eying the bowl strangely, "I... don't think I like this technique."

Kurenai looked between them, slightly smiling in such a way that made Naruto realize this was one lesson she had been waiting to see if they'd pick up on it. "That's true." she idly pushed her bowl away, "Which is why you use it sparingly, or only in the most dire of situations."

"Like eating rations." Naruto threw in jokingly. He eyed stretched his arms, rolling his neck. "Well, if we're done sensei, I think I'd like to head home." he eyed Sakura, "You ready?"

Sakura nodded, smiling, "Yep."

Kurenai threw him a look, shaking her head, "While we're done here, I'm afraid I'll need to take you to the Hokage, Naruto."

Naruto nodded, "Figured that would happen sooner or later." he gave Sakura an apologetic look, frowning slightly at the flash of anger in her eyes. Quick as it came, it smoothed over into an impassive stare. What ever could that be about? "Hey Shino, you mind walking Sakura home for me?"

Shino nodded lightly, following the pink haired girl as she practically stormed out at that.

The blond frowned thoughtfully, glancing at Kurenai, "She seemed mad."

"Maybe a touch disappointed." Kurenai eyed her departing students thoughtfully, before shaking her head slightly. "I'm sure it's nothing serious."

"I hope so." Naruto chuckled lightly, eyes light with plain amusement, "I'm the one she'll be demanding a date from soon. An upset Sakura is a dangerous one."

Kurenai smiled wiry, "One must honor their bets."

The walk to the Hokage Tower was done in silence, which Kurenai was grateful for. It gave her time to mentally tease apart the events of the day, to calculate just how well her lesson had impacted her students. It went well for the three, her students took to her lessons with a particularly enjoyable gusto she could appreciate. Up until the end she hadn't seen or detected anything out of the ordinary, yet why then did Sakura seem so put out?

She glanced at the boy following her up the stairs. Naruto was relaxed, no sign of tension beneath the surface, completely at peace with his place in the world. That confused her some what, he knew they were going to see the Hokage concerning his knowledge of the Kage Bunshin. Maybe it was just her, but in his position at that age she couldn't see herself as anything other then a nervous wreck. One simply didn't see the Hokage unless it was a matter of extreme importance, or so she thought when she was younger. Yet Naruto didn't seem overly concerned, which was a curiosity she would have to consider in the future.

Kurenai knocked on the door to the Hokage's office. "Enter." came the slightly tired voice on the other side. She opened the door, stepping in and leaning to the side to let Naruto by before stepping in herself and closing the door. She glanced around thoughtfully, spying the aged leader of Konoha intensely studying several scrolls splayed across the length of his desk.

"Ah, Naruto my boy." Sarutobi looked up from the scrolls, smiling slightly. He glanced at her, nodding once before turning his full attention to the boy.

"Hey." Naruto waved, stepping up to the desk. "How's it going old man?"

"As well as can be expected." The Hokage took a seat, motioning for them to do the same. "I must say boy, when Yuuhi-san came to me last night I was quite surprised, and quite worried considering just what she had to report."

"Shinteki Bunshin no Jutsu." Naruto nodded, a slight seriousness entering his eyes at that.

"Correct." Sarutobi picked up the boys confiscated scroll, "You certainly out did yourself with this. If I didn't know the truth of the matter I'd never believe a twelve year old could have crafted such a scroll."

"Heh..." the boy chuckled lightly, "... be careful of preconceptions, lest they blind you to the truth." he stared pointedly, "You taught me that, gramps."

Kurenai softly cut in, "Have you had enough time to examine the scroll, Hokage-sama?"

"I have." Sarutobi nodded, running his fingers along the length of the scroll before rolling it up. "Quite frankly Naruto, I'm surprised at your throughness. The experiments, set backs, advances. You certainly explored many angles, some that only made sense from an abstract point of view."

"Patience is a virtue." Naruto shrugged, "Until I had explored every option I could come up with, advancing to the next step wouldn't have been all that smart."

"Indeed." he looked at the boy then, a pointed serious stare. "You've been advised of the dangers?"

Naruto nodded slowly, glancing at Kurenai before continuing. "I have."

"Very well." Sarutobi nodded, "So long as you mind these dangers, and swear not to teach anyone this technique with out permission from your commander, I see no reason to bar you from using it."

Kurenai blinked, honestly surprised, "Hokage-sama... is that wise?"

The Hokage looked at her, sighing slightly, "You have concerns, Yuuhi-san?"

Kurenai looked at Naruto, a slight apology in her eyes, before continuing. "This technique is a kinjutsu, Hokage-sama. While I have confidence my student will use it responsible, is it wise to give him free reign? He is still a child, sir."

Naruto eyes flashed with some annoyance, but was quick to cover it in a veil of amusement.

Sarutobi drummed his fingers along his desk, frowning thoughtfully. "Yes, he is a child. But he is also a shinobi, Yuuhi-san. As younger generations are fond of saying, old enough to kill, old enough to accept responsibility."

The red-eyed kunoichi grimaced slightly at that. It was not a saying she liked, nor any of it's numerous adaptations. That it was a sad truth of the nin world only hammered home Sarutobi's point. She didn't like it, but at the end of the day she supposed she didn't have to like it, she just had to accept it. "I see, my apologies Hokage-sama."

The Hokage waved her concerns off, turning his gaze back to the blond, "Now, do you have any questions concerning my permission to use the Kage Bunshin?"

Naruto looked thoughtful, glancing at Kurenai before turning his gaze back to the older man. "I can use it if I choose right?"

"Correct." Sarutobi confirmed.

The blond nodded, "Then I refuse." at Kurenai's surprised look, he continued, "If my team mate and sensei don't think it wise to use, I'll heed her advice and just not use it." he turned a serious, if soft gaze to the kunoichi, "I trust her to keep my well being in mind."

Kurenai felt a rather alien feeling at the boys proclomation; A soft, subtle warmth in her chest. The trust, the consideration the boy showed for her beliefs and experience was not something she had been expecting from him on this matter. It left her a bit off kilter, but happy nonetheless. "Thank you, Naruto-kun."

Sarutobi chuckled, shaking his head lightly. "You never cease to amaze me, Naruto my boy."

The red-eyed Kunoichi glanced at the older man, "Was there anything else, sir?"

"No, no that was it." he picked up the silver tipped scroll, dropping it into his desk. "You two have a good night."

The walk out of the tower was made in silence, for which Naruto was glad. He was irritated, very irritated. While he maintained that outward calm he was gritting his teeth inwardly. Two years. Two damn years of planning, of planting seeds and cultivating them in just the right way to achieve his goals. Two years, and all it took to derail his carefully laid plan was a woman whose reasons utterly baffled him. Don't use the Kage Bunshin? Okay, he could swing that. He hadn't needed it for the longest time, but to him it was just one of those facets of self he had long since grown accustomed too. Not using it would be like asking an Inuzuka to leave the dog at home, or a Hyuuga to ignore their Jyuu-ken training or their Bayakugan related abilities.

He threw a glance at the woman as they exited onto the street. She seemed as calm as ever, betraying little of just what was going on in that head of hers. Just why was she against him using the Kage Bunshin? Yes, he could have simply accepted Sarutobi's permission and used it despite her wishes, and perhaps he should have, yet he was curious. What on earth would cause Kurenai to insist he not use it? The inherit dangers of the techniques perhaps? No, he didn't think that. While they were indeed dangerous he had always presented the appearance of an extremely mature, if young boy who was always cautious when it came to such dangerous things. Did he screw up some how? Had Kurenai been disturbed by his actions?

Naruto frowned thoughtfully at that, thinking back to his actions since meeting the woman. He could admit he was perhaps intimidating, but he highly doubted the Jounin would feel even the least bit of fear if she had to face him in battle. Why should she? From her perspective he was simply a quiet, mature boy who unknowingly upheld one of Konoha's greatest responsibilities. So many questions, and really no answers in sight. He sighed internally, shaking those negative feelings off. The truth would come out sooner or later, like it always did.

"Naruto." she spoke suddenly, gently touching his shoulder and turning him. "Are you upset?"

The blond boy looked at her, head tilted slightly as he frowned thoughtfully. How to answer this, how to respond and not sound like the petulant child he suddenly felt like. Truth of lie... or perhaps both? He nodded internally even as he began speaking. "No... and yes."

Kurenai raised a questioning eyebrow at that.

"It's just..." Naruto continued slowly, "... I know the dangers, I know the consequences should I teach it to anyone. But I don't understand why you'd rather I not use it." he stared into her red-eyes pointedly, "Aren't nin suppose to use the abilities taught to them? Rather by sensei, book, or self aren't our skills meant to be used in accomplishing the mission or defending the team?"

"If you think that, why did you agree with me?" She asked evenly, still maintaining that calm demeanor she was known for.

Naruto took a moment to ponder that. How to answer and not alienate the woman. Even if he was annoyed he couldn't use the Kage Bunshin, his goal with the older kunoichi was far more important in his eyes then some jutsu. "A team listens to each other, helps each other, and even do things that make no sense." he said slowly, true belief in his tone, "We may question them at times, but we don't out right dismiss them. We hear them out, try to understand why they do what they do."

Kurenai frowned thoughtfully, "Just how old are you?"

The blond blinked. Well that was a rather loaded question. "Twelve."

"Really." the older woman took a deep breath before continuing, "How long have you had the Kage Bunshin... I'm sorry, the Shinteki Bunshin?"

Naruto wanted to snort. He could see where this was heading, "Just over two years."

"Two years." Kurenai nodded, as if confirming some suspicion. "Naruto, in that time how much have you aged?"

He made a point of looking thoughtful before replying, "You're implying I'm older mentally.

"Aren't you?" the woman asked pointedly, "The jutsu you've used transfers it's memories to you, everything they've learned, or seen becoming part of you. Measuring a person's age isn't simply a matter of time, but a matter of experience and wisdom."

Naruto shrugged at that, "And every time I used a clone I was aging, even if only mentally, to the point I couldn't even be considered a child anymore."

"Exactly." Kurenai sighed, "Childhood is to be enjoyed, not skipped by cramming weeks of experience in the span of days, or even hours. That is why I don't want you using that technique."

How to respond to this? Naruto weighed his options carefully; If he played it right he could unbalance her and gain access to his precious Jutsu, but if he played it wrong he could alienate the woman. As much as he cared for the Kage Bunshin, some sacrifices had to be made if he wanted to set the seeds for his goal. In the end this lifetime was about Kurenai's happiness, and he'd be damned to muck that up.

Naruto let out a sigh, nodding once. "As you wish."

Kurenai smiled softly, "Thank you for understanding."

Sakura huffed, pushing the boxes of tools out of the way and clearing a small section of the table. She glanced around with curious eyes, mentally pinpointing the instruments she would need and collecting them. Hammer, chisel, pinches of ash for coloring and sandpaper for smoothing. Double checking her tools one more time, she turned instead to the boxes she had pushed away. Most of them contained materials for other projects Naruto was working on, but there was one box in particular she knew held the stones she would need. She found it at the bottom of the stack, a decent sized box with stickers of flowers and sakura petals decorating it's outside.

She pulled the box free, running one hand over it's surface as her delicate fingers traced it's texture. It had been while since she had opened it, not particulaly a fan of the task she had been given. She sighed, shaking her head as she opened it. There were several sculptures inside, small pillars of half finished works that were anything but beautiful. She lifted one in particular out, the raspberry alabaster stone she had tried to sculpt twin hearts out of months ago. Deftly tracing the terrible crack down the middle of the hearts, she felt her irritation at that particular mistake return to her. It had been one of her last attempts at sculpting, it reminded her just why she had given up on this particular hobby.

Sakura knew she wasn't a very patient girl. Stubborn, yes, but not patient. The art of crafting stone into beauty was painstakingly slow work, utterly boring in her honest opinion. She had only expressed interest in it as a way to spend more time with Naruto, but even the thought of being alone with the boy in his workshop could not temper her patience enough to be any good at it. She still tried, regardless, until her impatience had seen her ruin this particular piece. Naruto had been there, watching her as she angrily slammed her tools down. Like the playground he had offered her little more then words...

"Patience isn't something you pick up over night. You need to tease it, encourage it. Allow it to come free bit by bit, don't try and force it."

Sakura sighed, shaking her head. She hadn't really gotten it, but that was par for the course with the boy. She remembered throwing this particular piece in the trash and stomping out of the garage that day. She had honestly thought it long since gone, but to find it here just reminded her of all the effort she had put into it, only she didn't feel the aggravation she had felt when she last looked upon it. Did he save it for her to stumble upon? Was it to remind her that growth required time? She didn't know, but she wouldn't be surprised.

"Sakura." the deep voice of her companion reminded her she wasn't alone.

"Sakura." Shino called, perhaps a little irritated at their extended stop. He spared the night sky a glance, frowning thoughtfully at that. The girl had insisted on this little side trip, a sojourn that was already nearing two hours in length.

"I know." the girl grumped, setting the stone down. "I just wanted to get some things set up for later."

Shino grunted. That was the same excuse she fed him half an hour ago. If Naruto hadn't specifically asked him to walk her home he didn't doubt for a moment he wouldn't have just left her here. This place, Naruto's garage if he had to guess, was rather interesting to his eyes. It was one thing to be told he was an artist, it was something else entirely to see it first hand. He spared the half formed Sculpture in the center a througho inspection, before moving on to the paintings. He had several unfinished lying on easils to the side, their contents as varied as the boys supposed tastes were. He ignored these, lightly stepping the length of the garage as he looked around curiously.

In time he found several canvas paintings stacked in the back. They were framed cheaply, but effectivly, keeping the elements from ruining the pastel of colors etched across their length. These Shino wondered about; they lacked the quiet if jubilant sense of vitality the others held. One in particular caught his eye, a crowd of people packed along a street. Their colors were muted, grey or dark that implied a sense of banality. At the center was a boy, Naruto he guessed, with a rather irritated look in his eyes. The coloring on him was a degree of mangitude brighter, highlighting his presence while making everyone else in the painting distant someway.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Sakura peeked over his shoulder, frowning cutely at the painting in his hands. "Ah, that one." there was a sudden dark tone to the girls voice that left him curious.

"What is the underlying message of this painting?" Shino asked with a thoughtful frown marring his features.

Sakura grimaced, "It's just an old painting that doesn't mean anything anymore."

Shino raised an eyebrow at that. He had only stumbled upon the painting, but the girls tone had dipped darkly at his question, like the paintings mere existance sparked painful emotions with in. He wondered about that as he set the painting back down, unable to keep the question from his lips, "What did it mean?"

The pinkette huffed tiredly, giving him an annoyed and put upon look. A moment of silence past before she answered, "To be utterly alone in a crowded city of apathy." Sakura turned away after that, pausing only long enough to shoot back, "Come on, I'm done here."

Shino was passive, allowing his gaze to fall on the painting for a time. Sakura called out to him to hurry up, he turned with hands in his pockets and followed his team-mate out. A city of apathy? A curious expression...

TBC

AN: And I believe that catches me up on this specific story. Next chapter starts with a time skip, a bit more interactions around Konoha, then dives head long into a C-Rank mission (Not Wave, so fear not on that front) that starts hinting at a plot beyond Naruto's goal for Kurenai's Happiness. Yarp.