In the corridor.
"Anko, do you wear this when you train, too?"
"Yep. It's easy to move around in."
"Does it come in bigger sizes? I want a set, too. It looks really cool."
"You? A boy wearing fishnet?"
"What does that matter? As long as you like it, I'll wear it for you!"
Anko laughed even louder. "You little brat, you're such a sweet-talker. Once you're a little taller, I'll give you a set."
Son Goten lay against Anko's shoulder and turned back to pull a triumphant face at Naruto, who had followed them out. He looked as smug as could be.
I've come out ahead on this one. Not only do I get dumplings, I've found another candidate for my wife, Son Goten thought delightedly.
He breathed in the faint, sweet fragrance on Anko and felt her body's heat.
The shadow of the Land of Waves?
It didn't exist.
Boys and all that-get the hell out of my head!
"Anko, can you take me to your place after we finish the dumplings?"
"Do you have one of those big bathtubs?"
At the end of the corridor, Son Goten's voice grew more and more distant, accompanied by Anko's hearty laughter.
Anko's House.
More than twenty empty wooden skewers were piled in front of Son Goten.
He patted his round little belly and let out a sweet-smelling burp. Anko sat beside him, her chin propped on her hand. The longer she looked at the little brat, the more she liked him.
"Goten, Kakashi said you're really strong. You can even take his Lightning Blade?" Anko asked casually.
"That move's too weak. It made my hand tingle." Son Goten picked up the last dumpling and tossed it into his mouth. "Anko, I heard the old man say there's a Chunin Ninja Exam in a few days?"
"Mm-hmm. I'm the head examiner for the second round." Anko narrowed her eyes. "You want to enter?"
"Of course. If I don't bring home first place, how can I have the confidence to get married?" Son Goten hopped off his stool and waved a fist at Anko. "Once I become a Chunin, I'll come marry you."
"You little brat. We'll talk once you're taller than me." Laughing, Anko flicked Son Goten's forehead with a snap.
After saying goodbye to Anko, Son Goten didn't go home. Instead, he wandered over to Konoha's shopping street.
Since he was entering the Chunin Ninja Exams, he needed some "equipment." Although he mainly fought with his fists, his Saiyan combat instincts told him he needed an excuse to see that girl with the hair buns.
Tenten's ninja tool shop.
Tenten sat behind the counter, carefully wiping a Shuriken with a piece of flannel.
"Welcome..."
Tenten looked up at her visitor, and her hands went still.
"Son Goten? Didn't you go on a mission to the Land of Waves?"
"I'm back. Just got back." Son Goten walked up to the counter, his face serious. "Tenten, the Kunai in your shop aren't very good quality."
Tenten raised an eyebrow and slapped the Shuriken in her hand onto the counter. "Nonsense! Our ninja tools are all made from the best steel in Konoha. Don't think you can use that as an excuse not to pay."
"See for yourself."
Son Goten pulled a Kunai out of his clothes that he had casually picked up along the way (actually, he had swiped it from Kakashi's pouch).
He held the Kunai's tip between two fingers, then, right in front of Tenten, gave it a gentle bend as though he were kneading dough.
Creak-!
The Kunai, forged from refined steel, instantly became a beautiful U-shape in Son Goten's hands.
Then he kneaded it a few more times, actually squeezing the Kunai into an iron ball.
"See? It bent before I even used any strength. How am I supposed to trust quality like this during the exams?" Son Goten patted the iron ball in his hand, looking innocent.
Tenten's jaw dropped in shock.
That was specialty steel!
Even a Jonin would need chakra to damage it, yet this kid had squeezed it into a ball with his bare hands?
"Are... are you a monster?" Tenten snatched the iron ball away, her heart aching. "This costs money!"
"Tenten, I'm going to be taking the Chunin Ninja Exams." Son Goten leaned over the counter, resting his chin on the backs of his hands as he stared fixedly at Tenten's two adorable hair buns. "You've got to pick out some good stuff for me."
Tenten rolled her eyes at him, then turned and took an exquisite scroll off a shelf. "This is a shipment I just got from the Land of Iron. Its sharpness and toughness are both first-rate. But it isn't cheap."
"Money's no object." Son Goten slapped down a stack of gold notes with extravagant confidence. He had looted them from Gato. "This should be enough to buy half your shop, right?"
Tenten's eyes lit up at the stack of gold notes, and her attitude changed instantly. "Oh, Goten, you should've said so sooner. Come on, pick whatever you like. I'll give you twenty percent off."
While Tenten had her head down counting the money, Son Goten leaned closer.
He caught the peculiar, faint scent of metal mixed with gunpowder on her. Though it wasn't as fragrant as Anko's scent, it had the advantage of being fresh.
"Tenten, how about a bet?" Son Goten suddenly asked.
"What kind of bet?" Tenten kept counting without looking up.
"If I take first place in the Chunin Ninja Exams..." Son Goten chuckled. "You have to wear a qipao and dance for me."
Tenten's hands stopped.
She looked up, a faint blush spreading over her cheeks. "A qipao? Dance? Son Goten, what goes on in your head all day?"
"This is art! The pursuit of beauty!" Son Goten looked utterly solemn, his gaze so sincere it hardly seemed fake (if one ignored the drool at the corner of his mouth). "I heard a qipao shows off a girl's figure best. Your legs are so long, it'd be a shame not to wear one."
Tenten gritted her teeth. At Son Goten's expression, which seemed to say, "It'd be your loss if I didn't get to see," she grew so angry she laughed.
"All right, you want to bet with me?" Tenten planted her hands on her hips and glared at him with her large eyes. "First place? Get past Neji Hyuga first, then we'll talk. He's the acknowledged genius of this year's group, with the Byakugan and an absolute defense. What if you lose?"
"If I lose, I'll test new ninja tools for you for free for the rest of my life. You can torment me however you want." Son Goten brimmed with confidence.
"Deal!" Tenten held out her little hand. "Pinky promise!"
Son Goten hooked his finger around Tenten's and took the opportunity to squeeze her soft palm.
"It's a promise. But I want to see the kind of qipao with really high slits up the sides."
"Get out!" Tenten's pretty face flushed bright red. She grabbed a model Shuriken and hurled it at him.
Son Goten dodged it with a laugh and scooped up the ninja tool pouch he had picked out.
"Neji, huh? The Byakugan, huh?"
Son Goten stepped out of the shop, the setting sun stretching his shadow.
He remembered how Hinata had trembled in fear of Neji that day, then thought of the qipao dance he would soon get.
"For my wife's qipao, I'll just have to ask big brother Neji to spend some time flat on his back in the hospital."
He slung the ninja tool pouch over his shoulder and walked toward Ichiraku Ramen, whistling.
"Hey, mister! Ayame! I'm back! Get thirty large bowls of chashu ramen ready. It's time to eat!"
Before you continue