NaruHina: Permission to Engage

Permission to Engage

"Where are you taking her?"

The room was tense as three kunoichis from Konoha surrounded their target. They were all menacing and fierce, secure in their information-gathering skills. Not only that, they were jonin-level, their ninjutsu and taijutsu skills battle-honed and tested.

The taller one with brown hair balled into buns on each side of her head twirled a kunai. The blond-haired one with the exposed navel peeking through her purple dress cracked her knuckles. The one with pink-hair and a diamond healing mark on her forehead brandished her weapon over him.

The man being interrogated was glued to his chair, but his eyes darted fearfully from one angry face to another.

He started to sweat, his heart pounding. He swallowed audibly.

"I don't know," he said, his voice filled with dread.

He knew it was the wrong answer as the pink-haired woman bore the full weight of her power and smashed her weapon onto the side of his head.

She peered at him, green eyes relentless and unforgiving.

"I'm going to ask you one more time and you're going to give me the answer I want to hear. Where are you taking her?"

"I don't remember," he whispered.

The man buried his face in his hands and braced for the blow.

It came again, the rolled up newspaper made a loud whooshing sound through the air and collided against his temple, making Naruto blink back tears of pain.

"Sakura!" he yelled. "Don't you think this is too much?!"

"No!" she snapped. "You wanted help, and this is how you're going to get it. You're the type to learn through physical contact. I'm going to beat it into you."

Her eyes glinting, she whacked him again. "Now say it! And remember it this time: The bluff overlooking Konoha, on the stone faces of the previous Hokages."

He repeated the sentence. "I'm taking her to the bluff overlooking Konoha, on the stone faces of the previous Hokages."

"Correct." Whack!

"You make dinner reservations at the inn first, then give her sunflowers, her favorite flower."

"I make dinner reservations at the sunflower inn—"

Whack! Whack!

"Incorrect!"

"Sakura, let me have a try," Ino suddenly said, grabbing the rolled-up newspaper from her hand and smacking Naruto over the head before she even asked a question.

"Ino!" Sakura said sharply. "Stop!"

Naruto glanced at her gratefully, pleased that she was defending him from Ino.

"You're doing it wrong. You have to hit him on the side of the head. He won't feel it if you do it that way—and roll the newspaper more tightly," Sakura said.

Ino nodded. "Gotcha." She did as instructed.

Naruto didn't even try to dodge the blow that came.

"Ouch!" he yelled. "Ino, you didn't even ask me anything!"

He raked his fingers through his blond hair, gently massaging his throbbing head.

"Ladies, we are not playing whack-a-mole here," came Tenten's dry voice.

They looked at her.

"Let's focus on our objectives?" Tenten reminded them.

Ino and Sakura grinned. "Sorry, Tenten."