Author Uozumi
Genre (Feme)slash/Romance
Rating PG-13
Disclaimer I do not own nor claim to own this. The characters, ect...contained within are not my property. This is an act of fandom and I do not make a profit from this endeavor.
Summary First there was Temari and Shikamaru, which turned into Shikamaru and Ino, but it really was Ino and Sakura, which turned into Sakura and Naruto, and the chain grows longer…
Note Let’s sit down to our pumpkin pie and eat it too.
First, there was Temari and Shikamaru. They were the first of the pairings that should never have happened. The two keep to themselves about how it started and meet in secret, using excuses as training or escorting to cover up trying to have a relationship during the daytime. At night, that’s when they were themselves, when they didn’t bother hiding anything because no one came up to the Northwest training grounds past a certain hour and they always left before the first overzealous shinobi could use it to train. The pair are tight-lipped about everything and won’t say when they started anything, but there’s a rumor that the first condom was found two years ago.
Ino of course figured it out. She had known Shikamaru the longest out of any of their friends. She cornered him one day in an alley and explained it all to him, her ultimate blackmail because shinobi of any village should never have a relationship with anyone from another village. It complicates security and can get a shinobi kicked out depending on who it was and what came of it. With a “how bothersome,” Shikamaru half-listened to Ino’s plan. They would date to cover up Shikamaru’s tryst with Temari. It would be perfect! Ino told him as Shikamaru eyed her. “What do you get out of it?” he asked. Ino only gave him a slight smirk.
Ino of course hadn’t told Sakura yet. Sakura was off on another mission with her duct taped Team Seven. Sitting in their apartment, Ino didn’t bother sweating how to explain herself. Sakura would have to see the whole reasoning in the plot. It was simple. If Ino was dating Shikamaru, then how could she possibly be dating Sakura? And if Shikamaru was dating Ino, how could he possibly be dating Temari? Perfect! Ino told herself.
Sakura, however, wasn’t so sure. She knew that Ino and she were almost as taboo as Temari and Shikamaru, but not so much since they did come from the same country. Sakura was a strategist, especially as she grew as a kunoichi. She examined the problem and what she could do about it and came to the rationalization that if Ino had to have a boyfriend, then she should have one also! It was a logical idea and so Sakura began to think of who could join their sham. Lee was instantly ruled out (she didn’t want to be cruel), so Naruto seemed the most logical candidate.
Naruto stared at the two for the longest time when they asked him. His first reaction was to ask something perverted – this was almost like a scene out of Ero-sennin’s manga! – but he refrained. It was Ino and Sakura after all and that would just be weird. It took some thought and after a bit, Naruto grinned and said, “Of course!” but they would definitely be supplying his ramen addiction for a long time he was sure. So Naruto broke up with Hinata and started going out with Sakura a few days later.
Hinata was now in a predicament. With Naruto leaving her for Sakura, she had to find a replacement and fast. She spoke to Gaara about it late one night. Naruto knew that Gaara and Hinata were secretly together and he had been helping his best friend and long running admirer out, but when his teammate begged for assistance, the blonde couldn’t refuse. Gaara and Hinata claimed to understand, but soon found themselves back in the awkward position they had been in for a year now. The head of the Hyûga and the Kazekage were not a coupling that would be accepted by everyone. Hinata would get a headache just thinking about the meeting with the elders if they ever found out. Thusly, they needed help and fast. Kiba was reticent at first to help the pair. He was jealous of Gaara and Naruto for scoring dates with the girl he wanted, but he realized that he couldn’t say no to her, especially when she made that face. Oh yes, she still held power over him. So Kiba agreed and Hinata and Kiba were a couple as most of the village said they should have been years ago.
That, of course, left Kiba in a lurch. He had been dating Ten-Ten for a while now and felt really bad about everything. Ten-Ten was never one to lie and cover things up, so when he explained the situation, Ten-Ten dumped him. He had never exactly been her type regardless; he was just a little too loud and wanted to be the leader just a little too much. Soon after, Ten-Ten finally snagged Neiji who wasn’t supposed to be dating her because Ten-Ten did not come from a family of ninja. The Hyûga were supposed to pick mates with people who had at least three generations of ninja in their family, so they had to keep it secret. So Ten-Ten went to the only person she trusted, Lee. She explained the situation to him and as much as Lee inwardly didn’t like it, he relented because Ten-Ten and Neiji were his teammates and best friends, and he wanted to make them happy. Ten-Ten of course felt bad because she was going against her reasons for breaking it off with Kiba, but at the same time she didn’t feel as bad, especially when she saw Kiba and Hinata together.
So in the eyes of Konoha, there was a typical teenage romance cycle occurring and the older Hyûga was still single, which made quite a bit of sense to everyone, especially those who knew him. Yet, when they can get away, what is presented is not true and the truth comes out when time and convience allows it.
Note I tried to work Shino, Sai, and Kankuro in, but they really weren’t going to fit.