Prologue: Forbidden Technique!

A/N: I promise...that this will be the last story I will do unless I finish one of my other ones. Three is a crowd. Seriously...but it was just too much to pass up. Then again, I think I said that for my second story so...hmm...I smell a dilemma here...

But anyway...isn't it nice to be back?! Well, I'm not really back, but I've finished studying for my AP's and finals, so that's why I'm writing right now. Actually, I still have my SAT…but I'm not too worried about that. Kind of.

So, this is my interpretation of a Naruto/Mahou Sensei Negima Crossover. Although a lot of people told me that this type of story has to have a harem because "hey, it's Negima. Negima is a harem world!", I'm not your normal author now, am I? I explicitly stated in one the chapter in one of my stories (so specific, right?) that I would not do harems, straight out. If you don't like it…well suck it up like a man (or woman) and read the story or kindly pick up a different story and say "woah! This is way better!" :D

All ranting aside, I wanted to do this because I felt that…idea hit me and I was surprised that no one wrote something like it and never even got close to it! But then again, it is kind of AU, and there are infinite different interpretations of an alternate universe, but still…

Finally, before I finish my A/N, I just want to give a shout out to Vandenbz! He helped me out with the plot of this story and is such a great help (is because he's still helping me out). So kudos to you, sir. Don't worry 'the king of ranting' you'll get your turn. :D

Either way, I hope you enjoy this story and this is the first release of my third story: As You Are.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Negima. That goes to Kishimoto and Akamatsu, respectively.

Prologue START

Naruto was panting heavily from sprinting away from the Hokage Tower as quickly as he could after successfully completing his special test. He was tired, but he had actually done it! He had snuck into the Hokage Tower and managed to sneak through all of the high-strung security, quickly grabbing the Forbidden Scroll that was now snugly resting on his back in the process. Dead last he may be, he definitely wasn't so stupid that he didn't know what he had done was an extremely difficult feat that no academy student should have been able to do. To get through the Hokage's own special ANBU that were handpicked by the strongest man in the village and get out of the building without alerting a single one of them was something that even a skilled Jonin should not have been able to do either. Elite Jonin were strong, but ANBU were ANBU, the best of the best, the cream of the crop of all the ninjas in a village, and the ANBU specifically chosen to protect the Hokage were the absolute best.

But that wasn't the point. Naruto was now panting in the forest that he had sprinted to in his barely controlled exhilaration. He wanted to shout and scream in joy, but that could easily gather the attention of some stray civilian or, Kami forbid, one of the ninja searching for him and his precious cargo once the alarm was raised. And that attention was something he didn't need right now, especially if he wanted to pass as a Genin. True, he longed for attention, but not right at this moment. Right now, he just wanted the headband that would shine on his forehead proudly, indicating his vocation and loyalty.

The blond felt he had taken enough time to rest and pushed his hands off of his knees, straightening his back and pulling the large scroll off his back as he looked around, taking a slow check of his surroundings.

'This seems like the place I'm supposed to be; everything is so different at night. Mizuki did specify to be around this area.'

The to-be-Genin took a moment to ponder lightly at how Mizuki-sensei would find him, but brushed out the needless thought out of his mind, justifying that Mizuki would find him because he was a Chunin.

As he sat down, Naruto carefully opened the scroll and rolled it out on the floor, widening his eyes as he read the titles of some of the extremely awesome techniques that were now exposed to him. However, there was one technique that caught his attention immediately: the Shadow Clone Technique. Now, clones were not Naruto's favorite jutsu in his small repertoire. In fact, it was so far from his favorite that he hated the technique with a passion, but he needed something to act as a misdirection of sort for his pranks or when he needed to run away from the civilians; besides, any addition in numbers was welcome to him. As he read the contents and descriptions under the Shadow Clone Technique, Naruto's face lit up as his lips curled up in an excited grin, his excitement showing clearly.

He stood up and brought his hands into the only sign the technique required; Mizuki said to steal the scroll and wait for him. He never said that Naruto couldn't look through the contents of the scroll and take a little prize for himself other than the headband that he longed for.

XShuyaX

(Time Skip: One hour)

Naruto's body was exhausted as he lay panting on the ground, his back flush against the cool grass in the night as the full moon shone its ethereal light down on him. However, his mind did not register the loss of energy from the joy and euphoria that he'd received from achieving something that he thought was amazing and would lock him in for a position as a Genin. A Genin! He would be a Genin that went through a rigorous special test that required him to sneak into the Hokage Tower and quietly steal one of the village's most prized possessions without getting caught...except by the Hokage, but he had taken care of him with his special technique, the Sexy no Jutsu! Either way, Naruto would give back the Forbidden Scroll, but only after Mizuki-sensei had passed him.

'Now that I think about it, where is Mizuki-sensei? Isn't he running kind of late?'

At that moment, he heard a quick rustle in the leaves before someone landed in the forest clearing, someone that Naruto recognized immediately. Shooting up from his position, Naruto made a mock-salute and smiled.

"I found you…" Iruka growled with no small amount of irritation, his body crouched downwards so that he towered over Naruto menacingly. Sadly for the teacher, the blond student didn't seem to notice the threat and continued to smile, unperturbed.

"Hey, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto said with glee, expecting his sensei to congratulate him and give him his forehead protector immediately. However, the response he received wasn't something he was exactly expecting.

"Don't just 'hey' me, Naruto! What are you doing here this late in the night, and why did you steal the scroll?!" Naruto widened his eyes in surprise before closing them, sheepishly scratching the back of his head.

"Wasn't that the special mission that you and Mizuki-sensi had planned for me to finally pass as a Genin?" Iruka narrowed his eyes at Naruto's seemingly clueless demeanor. Did the dead last really steal the Forbidden Scroll because he had thought it was a mission and nothing else?

"No, Naruto. Who told you that this was a mission? This could be taken as an act of treason; for Kami's sake, Naruto, you could be put behind bars for this, and this is before you even become a Genin!" Iruka shouted at the surprised blond, worry clearly evident in the older man's voice. Naruto, however, seemed to quickly grasp his usual demeanor again and just smiled his normal, foxy grin as he spoke again.

"It's okay, Iruka-sensei. I would have given it back anyway. I promise that I wouldn't have taken it! You can take my word for it! And besides, I learned this really cool…well...two really cool techniques from the scroll. If I show them to you, there's no way you can fail me this time!" Iruka wasn't so sure about the cool part, and he wasn't so certain of not failing Naruto either. What could the dead last have learned in the hour that he had the scroll with him to impress him so much that he would give him a forehead protector on the spot? It seemed that he was about to find out when Naruto bent his knees and brought his hands together, but it was all ruined in a single moment when suddenly, multiple kunai and shuriken were thrown from the trees in the surrounding forest.

Iruka, showing that he was certainly Chunin material, quickly moved from his spot and grabbed Naruto in his dash for safety. The projectiles missed, but it was by a hair's length...for only Naruto. If Iruka hadn't responded at the instant he did, the projectiles would have definitely hit Naruto in a location that would have either caused nonstop bleeding or instant death, something that the Chunin noticed with an alert mind. Their assailant in the forest was out to kill.

"Iruka-sensei!" the blond shouted in surprise and worry as he saw his favorite teacher get struck by a multitude of weapons. The blond was obviously frightened by the pieces of metal jutting from Iruka's body, but when he heard Mizuki land in the forest and grin savagely, fear flooded throughout the blond's body. He knew. He knew that it was Mizuki that had hurt Iruka, but the question of why Mizuki would do such a thing was echoing in his mind as he tried his best to interpret the situation.

"Thanks for finding the idiot, Iruka," the silver haired man said as he stood up. Naruto noticed two large shuriken strapped to the man's back, only making Naruto even more afraid of the man that he considered his other sensei. The visage of the man became feral as Mizuki smirked at the look Naruto was giving him.

"Naruto, good job on the mission. Now complete it by giving me the scroll!" Mizuki shouted from the tree branch, his smirk gone, now replaced with a serious face that belied his underlying intentions. His hand was extended in expectation, waiting for the stupid blond to throw him the Forbidden Scroll.

"No, Naruto! Whatever you do, don't give it to that traitor!" Iruka shouted, coughing up blood as he finished speaking. Naruto whipped his head from side to side; his mind couldn't take in the serious situation, as a result he was losing his composure. He could paint the Hokage Mountain with ease and run away from Chunin and Jonin alike, considering that a good time, but throw the blond into a situation that was a life-or-death ordeal with a complete lack of instructions, and he would be utterly lost. Of course, he had no real experience in these kinds of situations; usually, it was him that was receiving the beating, not someone taking it for him.

Mizuki snarled when Naruto brought the scroll against his chest, holding it protectively. Iruka relaxed his shoulders, thankful that his student had not given Mizuki the scroll. However, he knew that this was no time to let his guard down; Mizuki was still here, and he was injured. Naruto was not even a Genin. Far from it, in fact; he was the dead last in the academy, so what could the two of them do to hold off Mizuki before backup came?

"Fine, if you're not going to give me the scroll, I'll tell you the truth!" Iruka understood immediately what Mizuki was about to reveal to Naruto, but he couldn't intervene in time. "You know why everybody hates you?! You know what no one could say to you and that you don't know yourself because of a law?! You…YOU are the Kyuubi!" Mizuki shouted at Naruto, revealing what he believed was something that the ignorant blond had no idea of.

Naruto was backing away from Mizuki when he had first begun to scream at him, but he straightened when he heard Mizuki accuse him of being the Kyuubi.

"What?" Naruto asked in a disbelieving tone. Mizuki laughed at Naruto's face; it was so dumbfounded that he had to laugh at it. It was a dirty laugh, more comparable to a sneer that was meant to point at the blond's lack of intelligence. However, Mizuki misinterpreted the look Naruto was making.

"That's right! You're the-"

"Kami, you are stupid." Naruto remarked, interrupted the gloating Chunin. Mizuki dropped his smirk and glared down at Naruto, who was looking back up with his own glare. "What, you think I didn't know that the fox was sealed inside of me after being called the fox or the demon every day? And what, you think I didn't notice that my birthday was October tenth, the same day that Konoha was attacked by the Kyuubi? Not only that, but you think I'm the Kyuubi? Someone needs to learn some Fuinjutsu and have some respect for the fact that the Fourth Hokage was a Seal Master," Naruto said, his tone laced with anger and fake stupidity.

"Shut up, you demon! I'll kill you!"

"I won't let you!" Iruka shouted with determination, his body shakily getting up despite the pain he was going through. Naruto watched, surprised as his sensei stood up and dropped into a defensive stance, a kunai at the ready.

"Why do you defend that demon?! He killed your family!" Iruka shook his head, understanding that the Mizuki that he knew was a façade.

"He's not a demon. He's Naruto…" Iruka turned around and gave the blond a smile and said, "…and he is my precious student who I believe will become Hokage one day." Naruto widened his eyes in shock; this was the first time he had heard someone say that they believed in him and his dream.

"Damn you, Iruka! I'll kill you first and make that demon watch, and then I'll kill him slowly!" Mizuki shouted as he grabbed onto one of the shuriken resting on his back, his voice echoing throughout the forest clearing. His anger was overtaking him, and this was something that Iruka noticed and hoped to take advantage of soon. However, before he could prepare for any kind of attack or frontal assault, Naruto was suddenly standing in front of him, the scroll leaning on the ground as Naruto held it at one end.

"You're not laying a finger on Iruka-sensei, traitor. For everything you think you can do to him, I'll do you worse a thousand times!" Naruto promised, his facial features becoming more and more feral by the second as his chakra output increased to ridiculous levels. Mizuki and Iruka both felt the incredible increase in Naruto's chakra, causing both of them to experience fear for different reasons. One felt that the demon was showing his true colors, and the other felt that the fox was taking control of his pupil.

Despite his fear, Mizuki's pride made the man take one more barb at the weak academy student standing in front of him.

"And what are you going to do? You're not even a Genin. There's no academy student that has ever beaten a Chunin!" Naruto raised his head as he brought his hands together into the Tiger hand sign, his stone-cold blue eyes boring into those of the silver haired man's.

"There's a first for everything. Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)!" Clouds of smoke enveloped the clearing immediately after Naruto initiated the jutsu. A few moments later, the clouds disappeared, and what appeared in their place made Mizuki fear what would happen in his immediate future.

Hundreds of clones had filled up the clearing and the forest in all directions, each and every one of them staring at Mizuki with a smirk on their faces.

"Hey, why are you backing away?" One of the clones asked when Mizuki faltered in his footsteps.

"Didn't you say you were going to kill me and Iruka?" Another clone asked sarcastically. Iruka looked at the clones that had filled up the clearing and then glanced at the Naruto in front of him with pride; this was the true Naruto who was able to call upon his reserves to use a Jonin-level technique that he only needed an hour to learn. This was Naruto, the boy who he believed would become the Hokage someday, and he was making a hell of a start in his ninja career if the two of them survived the night, and it seemed likely for both of them to live to see another day.

"Well, if you're not coming for me…" Each of the Naruto clones grabbed onto the Forbidden Scroll as if it were a massive club, and then charged at the sweating Chunin. "…Then I'm coming for you!"

"AAAHHHH!" Mizuki's screams of pain were never heard outside of the forest. The sounds of his body getting beaten with a scroll, however, were audible enough inside of the forest, as Iruka watched with a sweatdrop, despite the situation, as Naruto continued to pummel the man with one of the most precious and revered, if not the most precious and revered, scrolls in Konoha's history.

'Only you, Naruto. Only you would use the Forbidden Scroll to beat someone down with it.'

After a minute of nonstop pounding, all of the Naruto clones dispersed, leaving the original standing alone in the forest as the night slowly turned to dawn. Mizuki was on the ground, his body broken in multiple places from the severe beating he had just received from the academy's 'dead last'.

"Wow. Is he really a Chunin ninja, Iruka? I didn't think they were supposed to be this weak," Naruto said, stating his internal thoughts. Iruka chose not to reply, as he was a Chunin as well and probably even weaker than Mizuki was. He leaned against the wooden building, breathing in slowly as the fresh scent of the forest entered him; the wounds he had received were nothing major. All the two had to do now was wait for ANBU to arrive at the scene to arrest the traitor. Then they would have to explain what had occurred to the Hokage so that Naruto wouldn't get into too much trouble, although explaining how Naruto had beaten Mizuki would be…interesting. Telling the Hokage that the blond had not only beaten a Chunin, but had absolutely pummeled him with the Forbidden Scroll would definitely get some kind of reaction from the Hokage, most likely laughter.

Iruka slowly started to get up, remembering that he had to go to the Academy to give one last speech to the graduating class and assign them their teams. But first, he would have to go to his place to clean up; arriving at school with bloodstains on his clothing and holes in his jacket and pants was probably not the best way to go to the Academy or give his final speech. No, that probably would frighten the children, despite the educational purposes it could serve.

'Speaking of Genin…'

"Naruto, come over here," Iruka said. Naruto was standing in the same spot as before, his eyes closed as he reattached the scroll to his back.

"Hai, Iruka-sensei," the blond responded quickly. He walked away from the downed body of Mizuki and walked over to his teacher that he vastly appreciated right now; Iruka had said he believed in him, so Naruto didn't want to let him down in any way. When the blond was right at Iruka's feet, he stopped and sat on the ground in front of his teacher.

"I have a present for you, Naruto, so close your eyes." The blond eagerly shut his eyes, waiting for whatever Iruka would give him. A few moments later, he felt something cool press against his forehead, and then a fabric warp around his head. "You can open your eyes now."

Naruto opened his eyes disbelievingly. Iruka was smiling warmly at the blond, his forehead completely bare. Tears began to seep out of the blond's eyes before he threw himself at his sensei in a strong hug.

"Ouch, you brat. I still have injuries!" Iruka said, although it wasn't in anger; the term he used for Naruto was more out of endearment and pride. After three tries, Naruto had finally succeeded into becoming a Genin; what teacher wouldn't be proud of someone that constantly strived for his aspirations and did their best every day?

"Ah, sorry, sorry!" Naruto apologized immediately as he let go of Iruka and stood up, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment as he laughed. Iruka couldn't help it; he laughed with his student before slowly standing up again. "Hey, Iruka. Want to see something cool?" Iruka raised his eyebrows; what else did the blond have to show him?

'Actually…shouldn't I say no? 'Cool' coming from Naruto is something like painting the Hokage Mountain so…' However, before Iruka could even respond, Naruto was already going through a few hand signs slowly, not even waiting for his teacher to respond whether he wanted to see or not. 'I figured as much.'

Suddenly, an ANBU appeared in a swirl of leaves in the clearing along with multiple Chunin and Jonin. Naruto, who had been going through his hand signs, faltered in his last hand sign before slamming the ground with his right palm. What occurred next would confuse what happened to the blond, and this would remain an enigma until Iruka was able to recall what seals Naruto had performed before suddenly disappearing in a plume of smoke, the blond and the Forbidden Scroll not visible in any portion of the clearing after the smoke dissipated. None of the higher-tiered ninjas could feel anything; the blond's chakra signature was simply…gone. And with that realization, one singular thought ran amongst the group of ninjas in the clearing.

'We are screwed when we report this to the Hokage.'

A groan was heard from the clearing. The ninjas took a moment to stop looking around before noticing a lump of beaten flesh in the middle of the clearing, groaning in pain as it regained consciousness.

"Someone grab the traitor and send him to the T&I Department. There are some questions he is going to answer." One of the Chunin went up to Mizuki and grabbed him before all of the ninjas in the clearing disappeared as one in either a swirl of leaves or a plume of smoke.

XShuyaX

(Location: Outskirts of Mahora)

A woman continued to swing her sword in methodical and beautifully practiced strokes; not a single motion was wasted as she flawlessly swung her blade in a diagonal arc. Spinning around and twirling her body, she performed a circular slice through the air, the sharpness of the swing creating a high pitched sound that screamed danger.

Suddenly, her relaxed swings stopped as the blonde woman became tense, feeling a kind of pressure buildup to the west of her. She was on the outskirts of Mahora, so going a little bit further wasn't too much of a hassle; in fact, whatever she had felt was right outside of the barrier surrounding Mahora, so the Headmaster would not have any idea what the pressure was. In fact, unless someone was as skilled as she was at sensing or was nearby, they would not notice the buildup of pressure. With this train of thoughts in mind, the woman sheathed her sword but kept it firmly in her hand in case whatever she found required the use of her blade.

Sprinting through the forest, Touko Kuzohana found what she was looking for…at least that was what she thought. What she found was a blond child that had not even started puberty based on his height. He was face down with a ridiculously large scroll strapped onto his back, although the scroll was completely outdone by the oddity of the boy's choice of clothing.

'What kind of clothing is that?' The master swordswoman asked to herself as she allowed herself to get closer; then again, she had seen stranger arrays and styles of clothing during her visits to the magical world. Carefully walking up to the boy, although she felt no real threat from him, she eventually ended up at his side as she stood right above him. Looking down at him, the blond child was softly breathing, seemingly asleep. However, not one to take things just by appearance, she leaned down and touched the boy's neck to check for a pulse to check how healthy he was. Confirming that he was actually sleeping and in no actual danger, the next question that came to mind was why this child was sleeping in a forest in the outskirts of Mahora with such tattered, abominable clothing and a scroll attached to his back. However, she knew her questions would only be answered once the whiskered blond woke up.

Touko bent down and picked up the surprisingly light blond carefully before placing him in a compromising position against her side so that if he woke up, she would notice him squirming or trying to fight back. The twelve year old groaned when he was lifted off the ground but made no kind of resistance, showing exactly how unconscious he was. Ninjas were supposed to be able to react to any situation, and ninjas were trained to be aware enough so that even when asleep, one would wake up instinctually to someone with hostile intent nearby. Naruto, who had been the bane of his village from his birth, had been chased away by various shopkeepers and struck multiple times by the villagers, civilians, and even a few of the ninja. As a result, the newly instated Genin should have been able to wake up the moment Touko took her first step into the clearing Naruto was in due to her readiness to draw her sword, and especially the moment he was picked up. However, chakra exhaustion along with the botched jutsu Naruto had done prior to arriving in this new world was forcing his body to recover.

Taking her time to walk to her house instead of going to the hospital, she took a few moments to appreciate the care that the Headmaster and other officials showed in taking care of the nature around the large institution. After nearly half an hour of walking with Naruto still as a dead weight against her side along with his scroll, she arrived at her house, which was a cozy two-story establishment with clean white-washed walls and a stone pavestone path to the wooden double front doors. She was immensely thankful that no passerby had noticed her carrying this unknown boy, perhaps chalking it up to him being a relative of hers due to his age and sharing her hair color if they had seen the two of them.

Opening her door with her left hand since the other was currently busy holding the blond against her side, she was welcomed by the cool air that escaped through the door. Letting out a sigh of relief, she stepped into her house after removing her shoes and carefully placing them against the wall near the door. It was the season of humid air and celebration, a time of hot and sexy girls going over to the beach in their bikinis, and it was the time for kids to celebrate that there was no school for those precious months. Basically, it was summer.

Inside of the house, Touko placed the blond on a couch after carefully slipping the large scroll off of his back. While she took the scroll off of the blond, she realized that there were patches of blood on the scroll. However, there was no blood on the blond on any part of his body…meaning that the blood was not his. This troubled the woman, but she wouldn't make any assumptions, or not at least until the blond had woken up and had answered a few of her questions. And before asking questions, she would take a shower.

Fifteen minutes later, she was freshened and cleaned up, now wearing comfortable casual clothing. Thinking back on her decision earlier to not take the blond boy to the hospital, she found that it was a good choice. If she had taken the boy to the hospital, he would be placed in a neutral environment. There would be no reason for him to really answer the questions any of the staff of Mahora had even if they stated that they found him. If that was the case, all he had to do was say thanks and leave. Even if the Headmaster tried to exert his authority by declaring that the unknown child was technically on his grounds, the whiskered teen could just as easily say he was just passing by. In all technicalities, he was, since he was outside of Mahora's borders when Touko had picked him up.

And so, taking him to a comfortable home was a much better decision. After feeding him and giving him some spare clothing, he would be much more willing to answer questions and respond to any curiosities Touko had. She was uncertain why, but she had a feeling that she would want to keep his identity a secret.

For now, however, she would begin cooking a meal for herself…and her "guest" that she had brought in with her.

XShuyaX

(Time Skip: One Hour)

"Ugh…" Naruto groaned as he woke up. Experimentally opening his eyes, he was surprised to note that he was not in a forest or in a hospital, but rather lying on a comfortable couch. Taking a quick look around him, he noticed that the large scroll was leaning against the wall on the opposite end of the room, which was quite far away since he was in what he guessed was the house's living room.

He sat up against the couch, still surprised he was not in a hospital or his apartment. Looking around the room, he found it very neat and even large, nothing like his old room that seemed to constantly have broken pipes and electrical issues. The white washed walls weren't like his home at all; the way the room was organized and furnished felt more comforting than anything he had felt in the Konoha hospital. Not only that, but there was this…amazing smell coming from outside the room.

Taking his first steps inside the house, his feet thudded quietly, but apparently he was not quiet enough.

"Oh, you're awake? That's good. Why don't you come in the kitchen?" A woman's voice suggested from where the smell was coming from. The blond complied; his stomach was thinking more than his head currently. Turning right at the end of the room and entering into the kitchen, he widened his eyes when he saw a beautiful blonde woman sitting calmly at a table filled with delicacies of an unknown variety.

The blonde woman had a very full, hourglass body and beautifully colored skin. Her long hair went down to just above her thighs, only heightening her beauty. There were glasses resting on the table, which he assumed were hers. He looked at her, dazed at both her beauty and the food taunting him on the table.

"Ahhh…" She laughed politely before motioning him to sit on the chair on the opposite end of the table.

"Please, sit down. You must be hungry." At that moment, Naruto's stomach decided to betray him and growled hungrily. He laughed, embarrassed, before quickly sitting down. But he did not begin to eat, instead opting to stare at the table with a somewhat sheepish look. Touko looked at the child sitting across from the table, her chopsticks skillfully held in her fingers. "Aren't you going to eat?" She asked, a bit confused as to why the boy was hesitating to eat; she knew he was a lot skinnier than he looked because of the clothing he wore. Despite her voice having no real concern in it, mentally, she was worried that the blond was malnourished.

Naruto looked up at the woman that was smiling at him. He gave a fake smile back before speaking his mind.

"I'm just wondering why you're feeding me. Also, do you know where I am? I usually end up in a hospital room or at my house if I lose consciousness, so I was just wondering where this is. I've been around the village multiple times, and I don't think I've ever noticed a house like this." Naruto had, of course, not gone into every single building, but he had gone around the village multiple times, including the wealthy section and the not so good districts.

But the reason why Naruto was asking this was not just out of curiosity; he was plainly nervous. There was no one in Konoha that he knew that would treat him this kindly unless it was Ayame nee-chan or Teuchi oji-san. He had been treated kindly before…and he was betrayed every single time by getting backstabbed or hurt. He just didn't want to feel that kind of pain again.

Touko put down the chopsticks, her smile still on her face, despite the fact that she had noticed the fake smile plastered on the child's face and the few facts he had let slip, as if they were common things. Who loses consciousness for no apparent reason and constantly ends up at the hospital? She would have heard about him if he lived in Mahora. Also, what village could the boy possibly be talking about; there was no village even remotely near Mahora!

"You are in Mahora, and you are currently in my house where I am offering you food to eat. So eat…unless you want to say that my cooking is awful…" The way the older blonde said the last part of her statement made Naruto fear for his life for a moment. Making the wise choice, he quickly picked up the chopsticks and expertly picked up a piece of fish. Touko, satisfied that the blond was eating, began to eat as well. During their silent meal, she noticed that the child had relaxed somewhat as the meal progressed; he would only pick a certain food after she had eaten it.

'Is he suspicious that I poisoned the meal?'

After their silent meal, a roaring silence replaced the quiet sounds of pieces of metal clinking against plates. Touko went straight to business, placing her hands together on the top of the table in a business-like manner. Naruto instinctively straightened in the chair, watching the woman warily.

"My name is Touko Kuzohana. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions? I'm a bit curious on a few details that I just cannot connect the dots to." Naruto shook his head slowly, giving her his quiet and hesitant acceptance. "Good. Could you explain to me why you said that you lose consciousness as if it was a common affair and that you go to the hospital often? That certainly is not healthy, and where are your parents if you are having these difficulties?" Naruto flinched; he was not expecting this. This woman…she didn't seem to know anything about him!

'Maybe…I could make her like me before the villagers tell her lies about me!' Naruto thought hopefully, oblivious to the fact that he was nowhere near Konoha, and that he was, instead, in a whole new world.

"Ah, I'm Uzumaki Naruto." Touko made no reaction to the name, which encouraged Naruto even more. "I was training out in the forest and I lose consciousness every so often because of this reason. When I do, I normally end up in the hospital…but I hate it there because the doctors rarely give me the time of day unless the Hokage orders them to. As for my parents…I don't know of any." Touko held in a gasp; that would explain his malnourished state…no, it didn't. Then what about foster homes?

'No one tried to adopt him? There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with him…' She thought to herself.

'She didn't recognize my name…maybe she really doesn't know me!' Realizing that his chance to make a new…friend…was a possibility, Naruto pushed through.

"I'm surprised you have never heard of me before. I'm the best prankster in the world!" He boasted, thumping his closed right fist against his chest for emphasis. Touko let out another polite giggle, her hand over her mouth as her eyes closed in mirth.

"No, Naruto-chan. I'm sorry to tell you I've never heard of you before. And it's hard to believe when you wear such a noticeable choice of attire." The blond opened his eyes in shock and in excitement for obvious reasons and for reasons now explained before arguing that orange was a wonderful color and that everyone should wear it. Suddenly, a previous statement Touko had made to him made him stop speaking immediately. His mouth was halfway open, about to say something before he closed it. Then, he opened it again after carefully deliberating how to ask his question.

"You said I was in Mahora, right? Where exactly is Mahora?" He asked, an embarrassed chuckle escaping his lips.

At that moment, Touko had a theory enter her head, and wanting to test that theory, she stood up and began to walk towards the front door. Naruto stood from the table and followed silently. When the two walked outside, Naruto widened his eyes in shock at the world around him that was so different from the Konoha that he knew. There were street posts and lamps…but what were those 'things' with wheels moving without any kind of horse or animal? And what kind of clothing were the girls wearing? In fact, why did the guys and girls seem to have similar clothing; almost all of them were wearing identical clothing based on gender.

"Where…am I? This isn't Konoha." Touko took this moment to step to Naruto's side but made no motion to look at him, instead looking at the exact scene that was making Naruto wide-eyed with shock.

"This is Mahora. It appears you have never heard of us before or been near here?" Naruto didn't respond; his mind was going into overdrive at this moment. Suddenly, his thoughts all reached one destination and conclusion: he was no longer in Konoha. He wasn't even in the Elemental Nations anymore. Whatever his failed Reverse Summoning Technique had done had ripped him out of Konoha and threw him into a different world…entirely.

And the worst part about this realization was the fact that he didn't know how to respond to it. In fact, he felt more relief than sadness; he had lived his whole life in Konoha and was thrown into a place he had no knowledge of. And yet, he felt happy that he was away from that place. He would rather have not known the people in Konoha that hated him; nearly every face was the same in Konoha, giving him that dirty sneer or glare that clearly showed their hatred. And here…the first face he had seen gave him a kind smile, a warm welcome…even food. Sakura-chan? More like Sakura-who. The more he thought of it, the more he realized that he was a fool…his crush on Sakura was blind. Comparing this lady that he had just met to Sakura, Touko-san completely outranked the pink-haired banshee in everything; what made her so special to him was something that was becoming more and more of an enigma.

If anything, he felt sad that he had left Hokage-jiji, and especially his pseudo sister and father at the ramen counter. The thought of leaving those two made the realization of leaving Konoha suddenly very painful. Tears sprung out of his now red colored eyes with vertical slits.

The woman mage that was second only to the Headmaster, stood silently, waiting for Naruto to make any kind of emotion. When he began to cry, she bent down to her knees and asked –

"Are you okay?" She asked, her voice full of concern, something Naruto was a stranger to. For some reason, this made the blond child cry even more as he nodded his head and tried to wipe his tears away, except more would pour down his cheeks and drip off his chin. He wasn't used to this kind of treatment, and when it suddenly came to him…all of his bottled up emotions just wanted to be let out.

She didn't know why she did what she did next. Maybe it was because she never had any child of her own, despite her still youthful age of thirty, or maybe it was because she felt a certain connection to the child. Whatever the reason, she leaned forwards and brought her hands around the blond, bringing him closer to her chest.

He only cried more.

Chapter End.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the first installment of "As You Are". Like I said before, this is a Naruto/Setsuna pairing. Don't expect anyone else, because I do not do harems. At all.

Leave a review if you hated it, loved it, liked it, have some criticism, whatever. I'm all ears. :D