//------------------------------// // Other Senseis - Apples // Story: Short Bits and Withers // by Andrew Joshua Talon //------------------------------// The sun was just breaking over the horizon as the three genin walked down the road, a few miles outside the village walls. "Ugh... It's way too early," Sakura grumbled. "No worse than with Kakashi-sensei," Naruto pointed out. "Well, at least we're meeting our new substitute sensei somewhere else," Sakura offered. They were heading to a local farming village, which actually provided Konoha with a lot of its produce. Lines of apple trees could be seen, as far as the eye could see. "Still, why'd she ask us to meet her on a farm?" Sasuke wondered, as they approached the large apple farm's entrance road. "I don't know, but I don't care!" Naruto said with a bright grin, looking around, "I just like being out here!" "You're cheerful," Sakura said sardonically. "Why shouldn't I be? It's a beautiful day, we're going to a farm..." They crested a rise in the road, and Naruto spied a tall, beautiful, busty and muscled blonde woman in the orchard. She wore denim shorts, a tight tanktop, a short jacket, boots and a cowboy hat. She reared her foot back, and kicked a nearby tree hard. A flash of chakra left her boot, and every apple on the tree fell neatly into buckets around the tree. She caught one and tossed it into an extra barrel. She looked up with a grin, and waved her arm, making her long golden hair wave in the sunshine. "Howdy! Come on up!" "... And our sensei is sooo hot," Naruto murmured. Sasuke nodded. "So was the last one," Sakura growled. "So you admit she was hot?" Naruto asked, teasing. "NO! SHUT UP!" They met up with the tall blonde woman, who wore her Hitai-ate around her throat on a bandanna. She grinned. "Ah'm Applejack! You can call me Applejack-sensei! And you must be Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke! Nice to meet'cha!" "Sensei!" Naruto cheered. "Sensei," Sakura and Sasuke said dutifully. "So, you run a farm while you're a ninja?" Sakura asked. Applejack nodded. "Sure as shootin'! The Apple Clan learned how to use ninjutsu fer farming long ago! We've been feeding Fire Country since the time of the First Hokage!" "Awww... Farming ninjutsu?" Naruto whined. "What's cool about that?" Applejack smirked. She tossed out an appleseed under Naruto's feet. He stared dubiously at it. "What's that gonna-?" Applejack slammed her feet down while forming a handseal... And the seed erupted into an apple tree, sending Naruto flying. Sakura and Sasuke barely got out of the way as the blond ninja was tossed up into the air. "AAAAHHHHHH!" CRASH "Owwww...!" "That answer yer question?" Applejack asked wryly, as Naruto got up. He ran back up, and grinned. "Cool!" "What else?" Sasuke asked, still skeptical but more polite than Naruto. Applejack grinned, and cracked her knuckles. "Well now... Can't give away all our family jutsu, o' course, but..." She leaped over the fence and over to a large boulder, that was sitting in one of the fields. The three genin followed. Applejack nodded to the boulder. "How much would you say that weighs?" "Average density of granite, the size of it... Ten tons?" Sakura guessed. Applejack nodded. "About that..." She went over, gripped the boulder, and lifted it right over her head. She shifted it to one hand, smiling appreciatively as Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke all made small noises of amazement. "WOW!" Naruto cried. "That's great!" "Eeyup," Applejack said. Sakura glowered as Sasuke stared very intensely. Applejack set the boulder down. "But first," she said, "you youngins need a good breakfast! Come on up to the farmhouse!" "And she's cooking us breakfast too?" Naruto murmured. "Best. Sensei. Ever," Sasuke stated quietly. "Ooooh!" Sakura growled, "you... You shallow boys!" "What? We think she's awesome! And hot!" Naruto whispered back. "You two are all about the shallowest things!" Sakura grumbled. "You'd never see me acting so shamelessly over some hot ninja!" Naruto gave her a wry expression. As did Sasuke. Sakura's scowl deepened. "When it's our sensei!" She hissed. They came up to an old, but very well maintained farmhouse. A tall blond man, built like a Greek God and wearing nothing but pants, emerged from a barn carrying a large wagon of apple barrels on one shoulder. Sweat glistened off his cut body, and his jaw was lantern shaped. His eyes were blue and clear, and his cheekbones were high. "And this is mah brother, Big Macintosh," Applejack said pleasantly, "he's taking a break from his jounin duties." "Humina..." Sakura mumbled, drool dripping from her lips. She froze as she felt the stares from her teammates. She discretely wiped her mouth, coughing while her cheeks burned red. "... Shut up."