Somebody That I Used to Know
Winter Whisker
Prologue: Beginning of the End
Naruto sat quietly in the worn wooden chair placed before a magnificent mahogany piece that doubled as both a dresser and a mirror. The sun was slowly rising through the window on the other side of the room. The shadows separated and shrunk until they dissolved into the feeble mauve light. And so Naruto sat there studying the face in the mirror. It was almost unrecognizable. So much had changed. And finally, after three years of sweat, blood, and tears, three years of grueling physical training, cruel mind games, and boring strategy, three years of loneliness away from comrades, home was only a day's travel away. They were leaving this last hotel, home to one of Jiraiya's favorite contacts, and would reach Konoha by midday. And so Naruto went back to studying the reflection in the mirror, lips turning slightly to form a delicate smirk. Konoha would be shocked when they saw her again. Naruto was sure of it.
Three Years Ago
"What the hell is this?!"
Naruto juggled a small cube with different colored squares decorating the surface.
"It's a Rubix Cube, brat." Jiraiya muttered, rolling his eyes at his student's idiocy. "Don't you remember? You're little pink-haired teammate was toying with one during your team training two weeks ago."
"You mean the mind game? Aww man. Couldn't I have started out with something cooler? Like weapons training or something?"
Jiraiya snorted. "That is weapons training–"
"No it's NOT!"
"If you would let me finish," Jiraiya cast a glare over his shoulder at his young charge "Think of it like this: when you run out of kunai, wire, and shuriken during battle, when your chakra is running low and your energy is running out, you have one weapon left – your mind. I have seen great upsets in battle – you might recall that Orochimaru, Tsunade-hime, and I defeated Hanzo, a massive shock at the time, because we used our minds in battle. Perhaps, the shinobi's greatest weapon is the mind, and it would be wise if you sharpened it and used it. Honestly, I have no idea how you have survived so long on such a dull mind."
"Hey! I'm smart! Just not book smart. I'm not like Sakura-chan in that I can read stuff once and get it right or memorize all the information for a test in one week. I'm not like Shikamaru, who can solve any problem, or Sasuke-teme, who's a genius at everything. But if there's one thing I know, it's how to survive. I know how to read people's faces and tell whether situations are safe or not. I know how to find shelter and food and how to steal or pickpocket. I know how to act and how to hide. So, ok, maybe I'm not the brightest, but I'm not hopeless."
Jiraiya smiled softly, secretly proud of his student. Suddenly, a loud cracking sound awoke him from his musing. He landed solidly on the next branch before turning around to spy his student picking himself up from a clutter of leaf litter. He sighed exasperatedly "We'll see about that."
For the next couple of hours, the pair traveled silently through the trees. Naruto abstained from playing with the Rubix Cube after the earlier incident led him to distraction. Every now and then, he would rotate it in his fingers, watching the light glance off the shininess of every crisply colored box, all arranged in a dastardly disordered way. Looking ahead, he could see his sensei fluidly navigating his way through the canopy and he knew who was responsible for messing up the neatly patterned rows of the infernal device.
His muscles were complaining by the time Jiraiya-sensei signaled for him to stop in a large clearing bordering a small, silent creek. The hard packed dirt near the center of the
glade showed obvious use over time, although no one was currently present.
"Yo Gaki, we're camping here for tonight. You're reward for not talking off my ears is a new jutsu," Jiraiya called as Naruto made the final jump to the ground from the trees.
"Really?!"
Jiraiya smiled at Naruto's enthusiasm. "Yes. It's a C-ranked Earth Ninjutsu called Doro no Ie."
Naruto scrunched up his nose in confusion. "Mud house?"
"Yup. Now it goes like this: saru (monkey), ryuu (dragon), ushi (ox), i (boar), and saru (monkey) again." Jiraiya slapped his palm against the ground, the pale sand glowing a soft blue for a second, before the ground started trembling slightly as a ruddy brown earth structure rose from the dirt. It looked like a small muddy hill or maybe even an old weathered termite hill.
Naruto scoffed. "That looks nothing like a house."
"Did you think a jutsu that looked more like a house would be better?" Jiraiya asked, honestly curious.
"I…well, no, but it would be nicer." Naruto hedged.
Jiraiya laughed. "Nicer won't help you when enemy ninja discover you."
He put his hands on his hips, surveying the new structure. "See you in the morning, brat," he grinned as he disappeared inside the dirt shelter, the entrance closing up behind him.
Naruto frowned "Hey! What about me?"
"I'm sure you can do it. After all, I just showed you how." Jiraiya's voice echoed feebly from within the mound.
"What?! That's not fair!" Naruto stomped the ground petulantly.
Jiraiya laughed "Life's not fair. Now, you might want to start on it or you'll be up all night."
"Stupid Ero-Sennin." Naruto grumbled angrily under his breath as he crouched down and began to practice the seal set.