I know this update took like….months, but it's here. School is winding down, and I just crammed for finals. xx;; Now my brain is about to explode, and I have about an hour and a half to churn out a chapter for you guys.

Chapter 10

Of contemplations

The sun had started to set, and Kaisou's mother had come to take her home. She thanked him again for playing with her daughter, and Naruto said that he had been happy to do it. He set off for the hotel alone, looking at all of the shops that were trussed up in bright neon lights and fluttery banners. Men called out to him to buy this and that, a rose for a lady friend, a new jacket with all sorts of secret compartments. He stopped in at a small food stand and slid onto one of stands, looking up at the menu, then through his wallet to see how much he could afford to spend. In the end, he ordered a plate of gyoza, one of his favorite non-ramen foods. As the plate was set in front of him, he broke apart his chopsticks with a muttered, "Itadakimasu". The man behind the counter smiled as the boy dug into his food with relish.

Naruto soaked the gyoza in the dipping sauce before plopping it into his mouth and chewing on it thoughtfully. He decided that when he had off from missions, he wanted to maybe travel back here, maybe…

He stopped his thinking process. What was he saying? He couldn't come back here. Naruto cursed his momentary lack of sanity as he shoved another gyoza in his mouth.

"But…"he thought, "It would be nice."

After he finished his meal and paid, the stand owner said a hearty thank you, and to please come again. Naruto promised that he would try, commenting on how delicious the gyoza had been.

The cool breeze toyed with Naruto's blonde locks, making them swish back and forth, tickling his ears. At that moment, he realized just how sore he was, and it seemed like it would take forever to walk back to the hotel.

Wait.

Naruto looked around. He didn't know which was to go. The village looked so different at night. He wandered around for a bit, trying to find the way on his own, but succeeding on making him more lost. He sighed. Suddenly, a pair of hands reached out from the shadows and snatched him into a dark alley. Before he could yell, a hand was clamped tightly over his mouth.

"What's a pretty thing like you doing out here all by yourself?" a voice hissed into his ear. Naruto winced at the foul smell of the man's breath. It was obvious that the man had been drinking, and Naruto wondered if the man even owned a toothbrush. Naruto kicked his body back into the other man's, effectively knocking him to the ground. Just as he was scrambling to his feet, three more shadows appeared out of the alley.

'Shit…" Naruto thought. One of the more sober looking men stepped forward and looked over his "prey".

"A ninja, eh boy?" he said, his eyes falling on the Konoha hitai-ate. The man reached for it, but Naruto slapped the hand away. The man scowled.

"You should learn to behave-"

A tall figure with silver hair jumped between Naruto an the man.

"Kakashi-Sensei!" Naruto said in surprise. The Jounin looked over his shoulder with his visible eyes curved up into a crescent.

"Naruto, don't you know how to keep yourself out of trouble? Now we have to clean up this trash. Since you made mess, you have to help!" There was a smile in his voice, and Naruto grinned mischievously.

"Aww…sensei…do I have to?" he asked, pouting slightly. His sensei nodded, and tugged Naruto over to him.

"Now, my student, the first thing about cleaning up is making sure that you don't make more of a mess. No blood splatters or severed limbs please. Next, make sure you are efficient. We want to leave this place cleaner than when we left it, right?" Naruto nodded, grinning. Some of the men that were still there looked confused. At least two of them were blackout drunk. The one who had tried to take Naruto's headband had his fists clenched , ready to fight.

"Don't ignore us!" he yelled, throwing himself at Kakashi, who easily dodged, and sent the man tripping toward Naruto, who, was the man fell forward, brought his knee into the other's nose. He fell to the ground, clutching at his face, yelling in pain. The last three charged drunkenly forward, and Naruto and Kakashi knocked them out with little problem.

When all the men were in a heap in the back of the alley, Kakashi brushed off his hands. Naruto had his hands behind his head, surveying the damage they had done.

"Let's get back to the hotel now," Kakashi said. Naruto nodded, and with a last glance at the men behind him, he turned to catch up to his sensei. As they got back to his room, Sasuke emerged from the shower room in his night clothes.

"Dobe. Where have you been?" he asked, sounding completely uninterested.

Naruto thought for a moment, and then said, "Kakashi-Sensei taught me how to clean."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, but didn't let his confusion reach his yes as he entered the room after Naruto.

Ya know how the anime has filler episodes? Well, this is a filler chapter. ;;

Sorry for the shortness ;; I had no idea where I was going with this. I'm in school, and we're taking finals, but I didn't have a final this period, so I stole the computer. Anyway I figured since I had over two hours to do nothing, I might as well update a bit. sigh

Me: Well, that was one of the shortest chapters I've ever written.

Sasuke: Hn.

Naruto: Why did you say I like gyoza? I like RAMEN! Do I have to spell it! R-A-M-N! RAMEN!

Me: …

Sasuke: …

Kakashi: …

Sakura: …

George Bush: Wow! You're an awesome speller!

Me: …we all hate you Bush, go away.

Bush: Give me your oil and money, or the terrorists will have won!

Sakura: bitch slaps him

Bush: XX Owie