Naruto – One Thousand Faces
Chapter One: Kindred
Uzumaki Naruto stared up at the Sandaime in awe. In the man's wrinkled hand were three spare keys to Naruto's apartment. "You're giving me these jiji?" The Sandaime nodded with a kind smile at the child.
"It is your ninth birthday Naruto and it is your second year at the academy." He gently placed the keys in the boy's hand and held them there. "You are on your way to being a ninja and can take care of yourself now. This is my present to you." He held back a snort and kept his face straight as he could. It was also his gift to the the many caretakers that had been watching Naruto since he was a baby. He watched as Naruto's little face lit up with glee. He pocketed the keys straight away. Sarutobi also pulled a small envelope from the folds of his robe and handed it to Naruto as well.
"What's this jiji?" Naruto examined it carefully to find it full of ryo. "My stipend for this month came last week."
The Sandaime smiled once again. "Consider it another present from me. Go enjoy yourself today and have a happy birthday." Naruto jumped with a shout of joy and ran off towards the market where his favorite place in the entire village was – Ichiraku Ramen. Hiruzen watched him until he rounded a corner before he turned north and walked back to the administrative tower. As he walked he sighed and noted the ANBU guard that was following him as usual. He muttered under his breath, "Forgive me Minato. I can't control the actions of the citizens on that day, but at least I can make your son's birthday a little happier." From there he resigned himself to another day of paperwork and doling out missions to genin.
Naruto was running full tilt through the streets, getting all manner of shouts and threats from the surrounding citizenry, but he couldn't hear them over his own laughter and the feeling of joy that filled him. He could finally live on his own without those stupid caretakers watching his every move and telling him what to do. With a soaring cry of "FREEDOM!" he turned the final corner and dashed under the flaps into his favorite dining stall, hopped up on one of the stools and proceeded to count his birthday money. Teuchi came over to greet him and watched Naruto separate the paper notes into five neat and ordered stacks.
"What's going on Naruto?" Teuchi asked.
"It's my birthday today Teuchi-jisan!" Naruto beamed up at him as he finished sorting the money. "I got the spare keys to my place and enough money for five bowls of ramen to celebrate."
"Ah!" Teuchi grinned back at him as he started to prepare the first bowl, "I see. So how old are you today Naruto?"
"I'm nine years old today," he said. "Old man Hokage says I'm old enough to live on my own now and this is the first year that I can attempt to graduate from the academy."
"Really?" Teuchi had an eyebrow quirked up as he handed Naruto his first bowl. "Children can graduate from the academy that early?" Naruto had already dug into his bowl with a loud 'thank you for the food' and was slurping with gusto, but he gave an vigorous nod to the affirmative. "Is that really safe?" Teuchi placed a hand behind his head as he mulled over that information.
"Only the best of the best students can graduate on their first try," Naruto said through a mouthful of noodles. After he'd finished his first bowl he continued, "So of course I've gotta give it my all. I'm gonna be Hokage some day and it would be for the best if I got an early start." He held up his bowl for Teuchi to take and waited patiently for his second bowl.
"If you say so Naruto. Happy birthday."
As Naruto began slurping his second bowl of ramen down another customer slid under the flaps and took a stool at the opposite end of the stall. Teuchi went to welcome him and take his order. The man pointed to Naruto and said, "One of whatever he's having." The man's voice was weary and strained, as though he'd not rested well in some time.
"Excelent choice!" Teuchi said and went to work preparing a bowl for the man. As he worked Teuchi took note of the man's appearance. His clothes were in poor condition and his traveling cloak was in tatters somehow holding together better than they should have, and his dark brown hair was tangled and wild. There were shadows under his gray eyes and they bore a deep exhaustion that no man only in his mid twenties should have. Teuchi set down the bowl in front of the man and took his payment, which the man pulled from a threadbare and nearly empty wallet.
"Another!" Teuchi turned to see Naruto holding up his bowl and he moved to take it from him and started making another bowl. Naruto seemed to be watching the older man with interest. Teuchi wondered for a moment why Naruto would be so interested in the other man, then realized that this person had not recognized the little blonde. He gave Naruto his third bowl of ramen and while he did dig in with no less vigor than usual, his eyes never left the other customer. For his part the other man ate with a quiet dignity that Teuchi rarely saw in men so young.
Teuchi scratched his chin for a moment, taking stock of this new information. Outsiders were a rarity this far into the town unless they were merchants or craftsmen. Vagabonds normally avoided the hidden villages for one reason or another so this was an interesting turn of events.
"Where are you from stranger?" The other man looked up, pausing to finish a bite of his ramen before speaking.
"I come from nowhere. I have no home, so I merely wander."
"What do you plan on doing here in Konoha then?" The man took another bite of his ramen before answering.
"I will try to find work if I can, and if I can not I will move on to other places until I do. I may just be passing through here though, since hidden villages rarely hire outsiders." Teuchi watched him finish his bowl and set it down. He seemed to be readying himself to leave and Teuchi wondered when this young man's next meal would be, or where it would come from.
"One more Teuchi-jisan!" The great roar had come from behind him and he found himself jumping in spite of himself. When he turned around he found Naruto holding his bowl up, but before Teuchi could move to grab it Naruto leveled his chopsticks at the other man. He stared for only a moment before saying, "...and one more for him too." The other man turned to stare at Naruto with those tired gray eyes of his and he seemed shocked for he did not speak.
Teuchi found himself watching as the two stared at each other. It was rare for Naruto to even take notice of strangers, but giving up a bowl of ramen was unheard of. Moments passed while some sort of silent conversation passed between the two of them and it seemed an agreement was reached because the other man sat back down. That was Teuchi's cue to get busy. So he made two more bowls at a brisk pace and placed one in front of each of them. Naruto dug in with gusto once more while still eyeing up the other man, who seemed to say a small prayer before picking up his chopsticks once more.
What he had just witnessed struck Teuchi as having some kind of weight to it. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something very meaningful had passed between the two customers in his stall. He felt as though something had changed in the very fabric of his being after seeing it and a shiver ran up his spine. The phrase 'two kindred spirits' came to his mind unbidden. He silently watched them both finish their food and as they stood to leave he heard Naruto's loud 'thank you's as if from far away.
He decided to close the shop early that day and spend some time with Ayame.
(0o0o0o0)
Outside of Ichiraku Ramen Naruto approached the other man slowly and asked, "Where are you staying tonight?" The other man gazed back at him with one eyebrow raised, but not moving. "You do have a place to sleep tonight, right?"
The traveler pulled a tired and patched old sack over his shoulder before replying. "I had planned to make my bed wherever I might find a soft patch of grass or dirt along the road." Naruto watched him pull his tattered cloak tighter around him. "I have only enough money left to buy some supplies for traveling. I should probably get what I need quickly and leave before the gates close. If I stay too long your village's ninja might get suspicious." Narto hummed in thought. As the man talked he could see the people walking by them looking down on him. He had long since stopped paying attention to how the villagers looked at him, but they were giving the same look that he had gotten all of his life to the man standing across from him. That didn't sit well with Naruto at all.
Naruto gave him a long hard look before he responded, "It's decided then! You're staying the night at my apartment." The stranger's eyes went wide at this declaration and he put a hand to his head in disbelief.
"I can't accept that. You don't even know who I am." he said, "What if I turned out to be some sort of killer or a rogue ninja. You shouldn't go around letting random vagrants stay with you."
Naruto pointed straight at the man, "Then we'll remedy that right now. My teachers always told me it was polite to give my own name first so here it goes!" He pointed at himself with his thumb and said, "My name is Uzumaki Naruto! I'm going to become a great ninja once I'm done at the academy. Then I will become the next Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village." He announced all this with a wide and proud grin. "Now we have that out of the way, what's your name?"
The man hesitated a few moments, unsure what to think of this young boy standing before him. He stared hard, taking in that head of blonde hair and those blue eyes brimming with confidence and kindness. Then he smiled a weary, tired smile. "My name is Uragirimono Itansha. I am a wanderer and a vagabond. I have no home and no family. I seek only a place to belong."
"Good," Naruto gave a hearty laugh and moved into a more relaxed pose. "Now that we know each other there's nothing to worry about. You can at least stay one night with me and get going in the morning." Then he turned and started walking down the street beckoning Itansha to follow. "This way Itansha-niisan."
With a shake of his head Itansha hitched his sack over his shoulder and began to follow along wondering about this young boy. "I wonder Uzumaki-san," he said easily catching up with the much smaller boy, "What will your parents say when you bring home a stranger." When Naruto didn't respond right away he looked over and saw a sad look on his face. But in an instant it was gone replaced by an easy smile that didn't quite meet his eyes.
"I don't have any parents Itansha-niisan" With that Itansha was left unable to say anything more and silently followed behind Naruto as he walked confidently through town. It wasn't long before they came to a large apartment complex situated east of the central part of the village. Naruto's apartment wasn't large, but it wasn't exceedingly small either. I was just enough for one person to live comfortably and Itansha wondered where a young orphan would get the money for a place like this.
"I'm sorry for bringing up your situation Uzumaki-san," he said as Naruto put on some water for tea. "I didn't know."
"It's okay Itansha-niisan," he said in return. "You're not from here, so you couldn't have known." Naruto poured out two cups of tea and began rummaging around for something in his closet. "I'm sure I have an extra bedroll here somewhere. Jiji got it for me just in case something happened to my bed. Thankfully I haven't had to use it myself." It wasn't long before he found it and went to unroll it.
Itansha took a sip of his tea and shook his head once more. Perhaps he and this child had more in common than he thought.
(0o0o0o0)
Unseen, two figures watched as the young boy and his new companion entered the rundown apartment. Both figures wore identical black hooded cloaks and both wore white masks that bore red markings. One was fashioned into the shape of a cat and the other a dog. These two hooded figures remained in shadows and spoke no words. The world around them took no notice of them and they remained intent on observing the activity of the small apartment through it's window. When nothing seemed to happen other than polite conversation, the figure in the dog mask turned and nodded once at it's partner and received one in return before taking off in a blur of robes.
The masked figure made good time across the village's rooftops and climbed the outside of the Administration building in utter silence before stopping below a window and placing two fingers on it. After a moment the window slid open and the figure jumped inside. Upon entering the room the figure stood and gave a polite bow before straightening out. The Hokage was sitting at his desk as usual and had already turned to meet him. "Anbu-san," he said taking a puff of his pipe. A look of concern crossed his face at the appearance of the figure. "Has something happened?"
"Uzumaki-san is in no immediate danger Hokage-sama." The voice that came from behind the dog mask was light and male. "I have come to report on events that have transpired since your meeting with him this afternoon."
"Very well Inu-san," the Sandaime took another long puff of his pipe before slumping back into his chair. "Report."
"Uzumaki-san went directly to Ichiraku's as you predicted he would," the Hokage nodded at this as Inu continued speaking, "There he proceeded to order ramen and talk animatedly about his birthday with the proprietor. Shortly thereafter a traveler entered the stall and ordered as well." Hiruzen nodded once more and raised an eyebrow, wondering just where this was going. "Something passed between Uzumaki-san and this traveler in the stall, though we could not ascertain what that was, but after they had finished with their meals Uzumaki-san proceeded to offer the traveler lodging for the night."
Hiruzen's face suddenly became serious, "Is Neko still watching them?"
"Yes Hokage-sama," Inu nodded once and continued, "The traveler did not initially want to take Uzumaki-san up on his offer, but he can be quite persuasive when he wants to be and the traveler eventually gave in. They are currently having tea in Uzumaki-san's apartment as he readies a place for the traveler to sleep." Inu finished his report and stood ready to receive his orders.
Sarutobi Hiruzen closed his eyes, taking a pull on his pipe, and let out a tired breathy sigh sending a cloud of smoke out above his head. This turn of events was quite unexpected. It was October Tenth, which meant many of the villagers would be mourning their losses. People normally just ignored Naruto, though some would give him cold and distant glares. This night would usually be the night the ANBU detail around Naruto would have to be strengthened to avoid any ugly incidents as some of the rowdier villagers might try something. No harm had yet befallen the boy, but sadly Hiruzen had been unable to find a way to support the boy outside of his infrequent personal visits with him. Now something no one could have predicted was happening and the aged Hokage was unsure how to handle it.
"Inu-san," Hiruzen spoke with an authority in his voice that was only used when giving these commands, "I want you to tap two more ANBU to assist you with the detail. I recommend Kuma and Tori for this task. Once you have given them their orders please go to the main gates and speak with the chuunin on duty and give them a detailed description of this traveler and find out when he came into the village. Have them send this information to the acting head of the Torture and Interrogation Unit. We will want to bring this traveler in for questioning once we can get him away from Naruto." Inu nodded once and then disappeared in a blur of motion.
The Hokage sighed once more and turned back to his paperwork. He hoped there wouldn't be much more added to the pile on his desk before the night was over. Even more he hoped that Naruto would remain safe through this turn of events. He sent a silent prayer to the Will of Fire that everything would be okay.
(0o0o0o0)
Itansha had woken early the next morning and sat contemplating the kind young boy who had lent him his home for a night. Naruto didn't have any trouble falling asleep, but Itansha had stayed up a bit later and watched him. He had spent some time thinking about his own past before falling asleep. After listening to Naruto snore for a few minutes he decided to try and repay him the kindness. He found some meager supplies in the kitchen cabinets and fridge and began to cook a decent breakfast for Naruto and himself. As he was cooking he had noticed that most of the boy's things were run down and his apartment, while adequate for his needs, wasn't in the best condition. Itansha made a decision then.
He heard rumblings coming form the other room as he finished and plated the food. "What is that wonderful smell?" Naruto shuffled sleepily around the corner into the kitchen and absently took a seat. "It's so early, but it smells so good..."
"I made us breakfast this morning Uzumaki-san." He placed a plate with a hearty helping of omelet and bacon before him and another across the table for himself. He put the dishes from the stove in the sink before sitting down himself. "I want to repay you for your kindness and this will be a start."
"Buhh.." Naruto was tiredly trying to wrap his head around that, but after eating a few bites he said, "You don't have to pay me back. Itansha-niisan," he took a few more bites of food before he seemed to wake up fully. "I couldn't let you sleep out in the cold, it just wouldn't be right."
Itansha smiled at that. "I know I don't have to Uzumaki-san, but you have shown me a great kindness. No one has done anything like this for me in quite some time." Itansha watched as Naruto became more awake with each bite of his breakfast until he seemed coherent.
"Thank you very much." Naruto said as he finished. "Where did you learn to cook like that Itansha-niisan?"
He smiled at that, "When you're constantly moving from place to place it's one of many skills you tend to pick up. I've picked up quite a few skills in my travels." Itansha took a few more slow bites of his food before continuing. "Can I ask you a few questions Uzumaki-san?"
Naruto smiled and gave him a thumbs up, "Sure thing Itansha-niisan."
"I've noticed that many of the villagers around here don't seem very fond of you. Do you know why?"
Naruto's smile slipped for a moment. "I don't know why," he said but then it was back in full force, "But I do know that I'll change their minds one day. When I become Hokage they'll all look up to me!" As he spoke Itansha saw a fire ignite in his eyes. That flame was so intense it startled Itansha for a moment, then Naruto turned and their eyes met. The vagabond's mind reeled as the full force of that determined look bore into him. He couldn't help but feel a spark of respect deep in his chest for this small boy.
The moment passed and Naruto went to put his dishes in the sink, giving them a thorough rinse before sitting back down again. Itansha took a moment to compose himself before going on with his inquiry. "Do you have any friends?" Itansha took the last few bites as Naruto looked thoughtful.
"I cut class sometimes with some of the guys at the Academy. I don't know if we're friends or not but they don't yell at me or anything." He smiled a little after another moment, "Teuchi-jisan and Ayame-neesan have always been nice to me too." Itansha nodded and put his own dishes in the sink.
Itansha took one more long look at Naruto. He had been a little hesitant still to make the offer he'd thought up as he was making breakfast, but after the last few minutes of conversation his mind had steeled and he knew what would best repay the kind little boy sitting at the table humming easily.
"Naruto, I think I can teach you something that will help you become a great ninja." Naruto's eyes lit up again, this time with an eager interest.
"Really? That would be awesome Itansha-niisan!"
"If you get dressed we'll go find a place away from prying eyes and I'll teach you what I know."
Without another word Naruto bolted into his room and Itansha heard drawers being opened and closed in a rush and a good bit of stumbling. While he watched the little boy run excitedly around his apartment getting ready to go chattering a mile a minute he started to wonder just what he'd gotten himself into.