• Part 1 - Enter! Manami Nara!

    Manami Shikai Nara


    Manami took a good look around as she entered the gates of her home village, Konoha. It's been a while She thought as she ventured deeper into the leaf village. As soon as Manami entered the village, she noticed the Ichiraku Ramen Shop. Manami's stomach rumbled loudly. She glanced around to see if anyone had noticed. No one did, so she went straight for the ramen shop, hoping to Naruto would be inside.

    Manami's spiky side ponytail bounced up and down as she pranced into Ichiraku Ramen. "Teuchi!" She called the owners name. He turned around and looked at Manami. "I'm back!" She said taking a seat. "Manami! So you've come back from the Hidden Mist Village after all this time." He said, fixing Manami her favorite; beef flavored ramen! Pots and pans were being shuffled around by Tenchi's daughter. Manami took a wafer of the ramen and he stomach growled loudly. "Oh, yes. The Mist Village; it's a great place. I believe it's been about four years.." Manami said. The smell of hot ramen still floated around in the air around Manami. It smelled just like.. Beef! Teuchi placed a bowl of beef ramen in front of Manami. "It's on me." He said, a grin on his face. "Thank you so much, Mr. Teuchi!" Manami cried as she jumped for a pair of wooden chop sticks.

    Ramen was her favorite of all foods. Manami removed her 'Happy Piggie' backpack and placed it on the ground under the bar stool she sat in. Manami began to slurp loudly on the fantastic ramen. "Oh, Teuchi, it's the best ever!" Manami told. He just smiled and went back to making more yummy ramen. Two male voices approached the ramen shop. Manami knew that she heard these voices.. "Iruka-sensei, you have to buy me a HUGE bowl of ramen!" It was Naruto and Iruka! Manami turned around with a noodle hanging from her mouth. She quickly forced it into her mouth and then said, "Iruka-sensei!" Iruka looked at Manami in shock. Naruto was confused, like always.

    Iruka took his hands to his eyes, rubbing them until red. "Manami? No way, so you've come back from the Mist Village?" He asked. "Yeah, sensei!" Manami blushed at the sight of Naruto. "Naru-kun!" She yelled and got up, hugging him to death."Woah, who the hell are you?" Naruto asked, not trying to sound rude. But then again, how could you ask someone that loves you that kind of question and not mean it rudely? Manami backed off of Naruto when he asked that. "You mean you don't remember?" She asked him, starstruck. Naruto though for a while. About three minutes passed until Manami said, "Okay, Naruto, don't strain yourself.." She told him. "Naruto," Iruka started "this is Manami Nara, Shikamaru's sister that went to train in the Mist Village." Iruka explained.

    Naruto continued to think. Then something must have hit him, because he abruptly blurted out "OH! I REMEMBER NOW!" Then Naruto's stomach growled like a bear in the woods. Manami chuckled. "Well, lets eat." Teuchi then fixed up two bowls of ramen and put them in front of the two. "It's on me." He said to them. "Oh, thank you! I'm starving!" Naruto yelled, stretching. They all began slurping on their ramen. "So how is Shikamaru doing?" Manami asked through her chugs of ramen. "Well, he's a chunnin now and I think he's got himself a girlfriend." Naruto said after taking a long slurp of ramen. "Oh, really? Who is it?" Manami asked, shocked that such a lazy good-for-nothing guy could get a girl. "Her name is Temari..." -He stopped to slurp noodles- "And she's really hot too!" Naruto started. Manami's pride was hurt when Naruto called that girl hot, so she changed the subject.

    Iruka then changed the subject so she didn't have to. "so, are you going to go to Lord Hokage about your placement?" He asked wondering what would become of Manami. She was known and welcome in many lands due to all her traveling. "Oh! How is old man third?" Manami asked, referring to the Third Hokage. Both Iruka and Naruto looked at their ramen, sick to their stomach. "What's wrong?" Manami asked the two. "Did something happen to old man third?" Manami asked, her eyes turning darker.

    "Well.. Lord Hokage he"-Iruka paused-", he passed away when Honoha was attacked. He was attacked by a ninja from the Sound village named Orochimaru at the end of the Chunnin exams. Lord Hokage gave his own life for the people of the Leaf Village." Iruka explained, with sadness in his eyes the whole time he spoke. Naruto's eyes began to water, but the tears soon dissolved. Naruto abruptly stood up and slammed his fists on the table before him, making the ramen broth shake inside the bowl. "Why!? why did the old man give up his life like that?!" He yelled at nobody, it seemed. "Naruto! He did it for the sake of the village and it's survival!" Iruka snapped back at him. A tear slid down Manami's face, she was upset about the third's death.

    "Old man third.." Manami said through her sobbing. Manami then brought her hand to her eyes, whipping away the tears rapidly; for a ninja must not shed tears. "Well then.. Who is the fifth?" Manami asked, still wanting to cry but said nothing more. "She is an infamous medical ninja, and master of slugs, Lady Tsunade." Iruka started, coaxing Naruto to sit back down. "No way!" Manami spit out, looking straight into Iruka's eyes. "Grandma fifth.. I'll visit her after I visit the training field." She stated. She thanked Teuchi for the ramen, and picked up her backpack, wrapping it around one arm. "Naruto, Iruka-sensei. It was really good seeing you both again. Especially you, Naruto." Manami winked at Naruto and then ran out of the ramen shop and to the training field. "Huh?" Naruto asked, confused again, as Manami walked out. Iruka sighed. Will you ever see that Manami loves you, Naruto? He though to himself. Naruto was scratching his head.

    Manami ran to the Leaf Villages training field, which, as she could remember, was a lot larger than the one in the Mist Village. Manami's shoes made a squishing noise, due to the lush and wet grass in the training field. She spotted the three wooden poles smack-dap in the middle of the large grassland. Manami noticed a tall and thin figure behind the very last wooden pole, on the far right. "No way. It can't be, could it? Not her..." Manami whisped to herself so the figure couldn't hear. Manami started slowly and cautiously towards the pole, and the unknown figure.