Soi Fon was in a seiza position as she waited for Yoruichi at the Wayshrine near the Lightning Rod Mountains. It took some time, but she finally got the Manjū from the Land of Hot Springs, and now she just needed to give them while enjoying some long await time with her charge. The petite bodyguard waited patiently; hours turned to days, weeks, and now a month.
Soi Fon was starting to get worried that some sort of accident happened to Yoruichi, and if she didn't appear soon, she would report to the Raikage about her concern. As her anxiety started to peak, the door to the Wayshrine opened, revealing Yoruichi with bandages wrapped around her arms and legs.
" Lady Yoruichi!"
Soi Fon called out, feeling relieved that her charge was relatively fine.
" Hey, Soi Fon."
The dark-skinned Kuniochi greeted her bodyguard nonchalantly before asking.
" I'm out of supplies. Do you have the next batch ready?"
" Of course! And I also got the Manjū!"
Yoruichi looked confused by Soi Fon's exclamation as she asked.
" Manjū?"
That seemingly innocent question stabbed the bodyguard through the heart, and with a cramped smile, she reminded her charge.
" The Manjū you had me get from the Land of Hot Springs."
" Ah! Now I remember! Let's see them then; I am craving something sweet now."
Soi Fon took a storage scroll and brought out some wooden boxes filled with Manjū with a puff of smoke. Yoruichi opened one of the boxes and picked one, then started munching on them. The petite bodyguard noted her charge's injuries and asked with concern.
" Are you alright, Lady Yoruichi? Your injuries seem recent."
The dark-skinned Kuniochi swallowed her sweet bun before answering.
" Just some scratches from training, nothing to worry about."
Yoruichi decided to keep quiet about Naruto for now as she was still deciding whether to consider him a friend or an enemy. Soi Fon nodded, then asked out of curiosity.
" How are the mountains? There is no shortage of myths, legends, and rumors about them."
" Unpleasant as expected, and nothing actually lives in those mountains, so no Thunder Birds or Lightning Beasts. There isn't even any plant life, just scorched rocks, rain, thunder, and lots of lightning. However, the cave of my Father's Clan is cozier than expected, so that's a plus."
While the dark-skinned Kuniochi gave an edited version of her time in the Lightning Rod Mountains, the petite bodyguard made tea to go with the Manjū. After an hour of talking, Yoruichi picked up the storage scroll filled with fresh supplies and got ready to leave.
" Lady Yoruichi, would you like a bath before leaving?"
Soi Fon offered with an obvious ulterior motive of helping her charge get cleaned up.
" No thanks, I'm good."
" Oh..."
The petite bodyguard looked down at not being able to spend more quality time with the dark-skinned Kuniochi. Yoruichi left quietly, and Soi Fon felt abandoned. She curled up with her knees to her face with a somber expression while muttering.
" I got you your Manjū, and you didn't even stay the night, Lady Yoruichi."
The petite looked at the now empty boxes of Manjū and sighed as she went to clean up. She then saw something unexpected, a half-eaten Manjū. Yoruichi usually leaves no leftovers with her large appetite. A temptation appeared in Soi Fon to eat the half-eaten Manjū and share an indirect kiss with her charge. She shook her head to banish this temptation from her mind while muttering.
" No, I'm not that desperate! But... it would be a waste just to toss it out, and I worked hard to get them for Lady Yoruichi. Wasting food is poor etiquette, and Lady Yoruichi has already eaten her fill. Plus, she won't be back for weeks, and even a storage scroll won't extend its shelf life that long. It's a waste, truly a waste, and food shouldn't be wasted."
Soi Fon talked herself into eating the Manjū and reached for it. She held it with both her hands as her heart pounded in her chest at giving into temptation. With a blush adorning the petite bodyguard's face, she opened her mouth to get an indirect kiss from her crush. Her heart sounded more rapidly as she was about to take a bite, but suddenly...
" Oh, yeah, Soi Fon, mind doing something for me?"
Yoruichi reappeared, making Soi Fon panic and toss the Manjū in her hand up in the air. The dark-skinned Kuniochi caught it and nonchalantly finished eating it. The petite bodyguard watched in disappointment and felt like crying as she asked.
" What do you require, Lady Yoruichi?"
" Mainly, more variety in food supplies than typical rations, maybe some herbs and spices."
" Yes, My Lady."
Soi Fon replied with a somber tone, and Yoruichi turned around to leave again. The dark-skinned Kuniochi had a mischievous smile as she muttered.
" Too easy, Little Bee."
________________________________________
Yoruichi delivered an axe kick, and Naruto raised his arm to block. The ground cracked under his feet as the force of the dark-skinned Kuniochi's attack was strong, and the blonde formed a spear hand to counterattack. She twisted her body to evade the blow from her opponent but still got nicked for her troubles by his spear hand on her outer thigh.
Yoruichi used Naruto as a springboard to get some distance to activate Shunkō for a brief moment to close the distance instantly, then switched off her Jutsu before unleashing a barrage of punches. Unfortunately, the blonde could keep up, unlike before, and blocked with one arm by positioning his hand and elbow. He could see every attack of the dark-skinned Kuniochi and react to her speed easily.
Naruto grabbed Yoruichi's wrist and clenched his fist before punching her in the face, but she lowered her head to block with her forehead. The dark-skinned Kuniochi grabbed the wrist of the hand, grappling her before lifting both her legs off the ground to kick with both of them at his chest, then tried to get the blonde in an armbar hold. Unfortunately, the blonde held his ground and tried to slam her into the ground.
Yoruichi slipped away and activated Shunkō briefly to get behind Naruto to use a double chokehold while using his back knees as platforms to force him down. The blonde lost his footing and was now on his stomach, but then held out his index and middle finger and stabbed her arm. The dark-skinned Kuniochi grits her teeth as his finger pierces her flesh, but he isn't done there as he gets ready to use his other hand to pierce her other arm.
Yoruichi used Naruto as a springboard again to escape and was frowning as she was covered in sweat. The blonde pulled himself up and rubbed his neck before getting into his stance, waiting for her next move. A tic mark appeared on the dark-skinned Kuniochi as she was upset about him giving her the initiative again, as it felt like he was taking it easy on her.
Yoruichi used Shunkō for a brief burst of speed again to close the distance and raised her fist to punch Naruto in the face, but it was a feint as she used her momentum for a low kick to knock him off balance. Her kick struck true, but the dark-skinned Kuniochi grimaced as it felt like she was kicking a steel plate. The blonde then threw a punch at her, and she crossed her arms to block the attack, and her back slammed against the hard ground.
Yoruichi then grabbed Naruto's and used a clever bit of leverage to use an improvised circle throw. The blonde hit the ground hard, and she tried to get him in a submission hold while still grappling his arm. The dark-skinned Kuniochi soon found her feet off the ground as he threw her in return with nothing but his monstrous brute strength.
Yoruichi regained her balance before landing, and Naruto got up before passively waiting for her again. The dark-skinned Kuniochi started to get annoyed and said with an upset look.
" You know-!"
An alarm clock rang, signaling the end of the sparring match, much to her annoyance. Naruto relaxed his stance and started to stretch nonchalantly before telling Yoruichi.
" Lunch should be ready."
The dark-skinned Kuniochi huffed with an annoyed expression before saying.
" You know, you should be taking the initiative while sparring when you have the opportunity to not handing it over like it candy!"
The blonde gave her a cheeky grin and retorted.
" But I like watching you scratch your head trying to figure out how to take me down."
" Screw you!"
Yoruichi replied with anger. If it were before, Naruto would be doing everything he could to keep up, but now, with his body tempering easily surpassing hers and his base speed being almost equal as well, things started to lean in his favor. The blonde could take and dish out damage better than the dark-skinned Kuniochi even before. He was previously scrambling to keep up, but now his speed matched hers.
Yoruichi sighed, looking exasperated and frustrated before saying.
"You are a monster, you know that, right? You used three different Body Tempering Manuals, which is still suicidal, and here you are with a body as tough as steel and ridiculous levels of brute strength that I think only a handful of Shinobi in the world can match."
" Flattery won't earn you extra desserts."
The dark-skinned Kuniochi rolled her eyes at the blonde's retort. She continued to rant.
" By all accounts, you should be dead or have some serious side effects from using three different body tempering manuals, and yet you are as hearty as an ox. It feels like I am punching iron when sparring with you, and now you're only slightly slower than me. It took you what? A few months or so to get this strong?
I may be a genius on all accounts, but you're a monster!"
" That sounds like a skill issue."
Naruto replies with a playful smile as he watches Yoruichi's eye twitch and sigh, looking annoyed and frustrated. She then told him.
" If you were anyone else, I would punch that smile off your face."
" I didn't realize I meant that much to you."
" No, you don't; I would just hurt my hand trying to punch your ugly mug."
The dark-skinned Kuniochi retorted dryly, and the blonde snickered before going to check on lunch. Today's lunch was swordfish skewers with a couple of different dry rubs and sauces used on different skewers for variety, with jelly-filled rice balls for dessert. The Shadow Clone in charge of watching the skewers saluted jokingly the original before dispersing itself.
Naruto sat out the dozens of skewers on different plates organized by flavor, and Yoruichi got one of each flavor to try, along with a few rice balls. The blonde enjoyed his cooking and the chicken-like texture of the fish. Soon after, everything was eaten, and the dark-skinned Kuniochi rubbed her belly, looking satisfied.
" At least you're a decent cook."
Yoruichi compliments Naruto, and he just shrugs in reply before going to take a bath. After heating up the water with Fire Nature Transformation, the blonde entered the oil drum bath and relaxed. Alone with his thoughts, he considered his current situation quietly.
" My training is starting to plateau."
Looking at his scar-covered hands, Naruto asked himself in his head.
" What do I do next? I might stay here another month before calling it quits; otherwise I won't really make much more gains. Do I go back to Konoha then?"
He was tempted to just put that wretched village behind him. The blonde enjoyed his time outside of Konoha: no glares full of hate, no being chased away by shopkeepers or being overcharged by them, no need to use the Transformation Jutsu to hide or to just get groceries, and no need to look over his shoulder all the time. He thought back to his only friends in the village, Hinata and Tenten.
Naruto found that... they weren't worth going back to the village for their sake. The only reason he would seriously consider going back to Konoha was to avoid any chance of being hunted down by ANBU or ROOT, especially ROOT, as Danzo would want to use him as a Jinchūriki again if he ever got his hands on another Tailed Beast. The blonde had his fill of being treated for something he had no control over, and he wasn't even a Jinchūriki anymore.
Naruto wasn't confident in beating ANBU or ROOT, yet his age and inexperience were holding him back. He sighed as he knew he still needed to head back to Konoha despite his hatred and resentment of the village. As the blonde thought about what to do, Yoruichi showed up stark naked. She wasn't embarrassed in the slightest at being naked in front of him as she asked with a curious look.
" Why so glum?"
" Just not looking forward to heading back to my place of residence. I'm almost done training here."
Naruto answered truthfully while withholding where he was from as he took a moment to admire her. The dark-skinned hummed and walked over to the oil drum the blonde was in after washing off her sweat and grime and told him.
" Scooch over."
" Get your own, Yoruichi-san."
Naruto wasn't in the mood for Yoruichi's teasing as it wouldn't be the first time she tried this. Unfortunately or fortunately, she forced her way into the oil drum bath, causing water to spill out. The dark-skinned Kuniochi lets a sigh of contentment as she says.
" That hits the spot."
As much as the blonde enjoyed her soft breasts and toned body against his, he knew she was just teasing him or trying to throw him off balance to get information out of him. Naruto's little brother grew and hardened, and Yoruichi, of course, teased him for it.
" Someone's happy."
The blonde just huffed with an annoyed look and turned his back to her as he wasn't going to play the dark-skinned Kuniochi's game. She blue-balled him too many times for her amusement. Resting his elbow on the edge of the oil drum with his head in his hand, doing his best to ignore her as he just wanted to relax.
Yoruichi pressed her breasts against Naruto's back while wrapping her arms around his neck and asking.
" Say, Naruto-kun, can we be considered friends?"
The question threw off the blonde as it was completely unexpected, and he took a moment to think before answering.
" To a degree, but we're probably closer to acquaintances that know each other well as we're both keeping a lot of secrets from one another for our own reasons."
" I see. Then ask me anything you want, and I will answer to the best of my ability."
Naruto asked her in confusion.
" What brought this on?"
"You're leaving soon, aren't you? You look dissatisfied after your body tempering sessions, so I am guessing your growth is starting to slow down."
" Yeah."
The blonde answered the dark-skinned Kuniochi with a guarded expression. What she said next as it was sincere.
" I considered you a friend, more than others, as you see me as only me, and that means a lot to me, more than you know."
Naruto looked over his shoulder and saw that Yoruichi was serious. He sighed before asking.
" I guess you have some questions for me as well, and expect me to answer as well."
" Yes to the questions but no to the answers, as I want you to tell me about yourself of your own accord."
That was a big concession, but the blonde could not help but think that this was subtle manipulation in the back of his mind to slowly get him to open up. The dark-skinned Kuniochi only stared into his eyes with calm determination. Naruto decided to start big with his first question.
" Just who are you, Yoruichi? Full name and whatever titles you have."
Yoruichi grinned as she fully introduced herself.
" I am Yoruichi Shihōin, heiress to the Shihōin Clan of the Land of Lightning, court lady of the Daimyo's court, daughter of the Fourth Raikage, Shinobi of the Village Hidden Above the Clouds, and regular prankster to anyone I find fun to annoy."
She was met with a skeptical look by Naruto as he just turned away from her and went back to ignoring her. The dark-skinned Kuniochi's eye twitched, and she put the blonde in a headlock before telling him with anger.
" I'm telling you the truth, idiot!"
" If you're a lady, then I'm a monk!"
The blonde retorted, and she argued.
" Why would I waste my manners on you!?"
" Like you have any!"
The two continued to argue even after getting out and drying off.