Hello. The other fic I am writing is not abandoned, but I figured I would try a change of pace with this fic, and see which writing style I prefer. While this is currently a one-shot, I will likely expand it into a full fic once I make a proper storyboard.
While this is a story in and of itself, I also like to think of it as a character study in a way - not only creating a happy little story for Naruto coming into contact with one of the most universally loved duo of side characters in the Naruto universe (Ayame & Teuchi), but shows my thoughts on Konan, and how her life has affected her and shaped her, both in her intentional and unintentional tendencies.
Konohagakure, and the country it lived within, Hi no Kuni, enjoyed a wide variety of weathers. Citizens of Konoha were accustomed to seeing snow and rain in the winter, sunny weather in the spring and fall, with occasional storms in the summer.
In one of these stormy seasons, Naruto Uzumaki found himself playing outside. He didn't mind the summer rain, he giggled at the sounds of thunder, and jumped up in excitement at the first strike of lightning.
Many people in Konoha were afraid of the storms, or at least didn't feel the need to take a baseless risk in a village whose primary occupation meant people could die any day.
For Naruto, these stormy times were when he could run around like the kid he was, unburdened by the stares and whispers of other Konoha residents. These stormy times were the times that he thought of when he first learned the word 'freedom'.
Most kids in the orphanage were afraid of the storms, and the orphanage directors were afraid of kids getting hurt in it, but Naruto wasn't really one of their kids, at least that's what they pretended. You see, one day, the venerable Sandaime Hokage had placed Naruto in their care, and visited him from time to time, but never truly checked up on him for more than a few hours, one day every few months.
Thus, Naruto was alone for most of his, at this time, short existence.
As Naruto got tired of playing in the rain, he started walking back to the orphanage. You see, Naruto technically wasn't allowed to be back, and so he escaped through his orphanage window. The workers never checked his room, after all, unless they were going to complain about how dirty it was, and make him clean it up, under threat of getting no dinner.
Therefore, Naruto was shocked when he found his window locked. Did the orphanage workers know he was out? What would happen? How could he sneak back in and still make it in time for dinner?
Finding no way to get back in, Naruto walked up to the front door. Embarassed that he would get caught, Naruto rapped on the door with his small fists, and waited for a response. When he saw the door opening, Naruto's heart sank.
On the other side was Same-san, the old man who was second-in-command to the director. Same-san would yell at Naruto more than anyone but the director.
"What's this, little boy?" Naruto put on a brave face and decided to stand up to the old shark.
"I need to get back in, ttebayo!" the man's evil grin increased.
"What do you mean, get back in?" Naruto's eyes were widened.
"Come on, old man! You know I live here! I need to get back in time for dinner!" The old man tilted his head.
"I don't know what you mean – all the kids who live in the orphanage know not to leave. I think you've got the wrong place." Before Naruto could retort, the door was closed on him, and the gravity of Naruto's situation became clear – he no longer had a home. He couldn't see his best friend, and didn't know what to do.
Could Jiji help him? Naruto brushed that thought aside rather quickly – Jiji was the man who visited him every once in a while, wearing his strange red and white robes, who was respected by the orphanage staff. Jiji was the one who inspired Naruto to become the Hokage, but he didn't know who Jiji was, or what he did. How could he find him? Everyone surely had to have a Jiji, so even his name for this precious person didn't hold much weight.
With hope temporarily extinguished from Naruto, he aimlessly wandered further into town, until he vanished in the rain.
As Naruto wandered through the deserted streets of Konoha and the world became darker as night came close, there was one other figure there, unseen by the blonde. In fact, nothing would indicate there was another person, except for the small sheet of paper fluttering far above him, as it came to a rest on a rooftop, before unfolding, allowing what looked like thousands of little paper sheets to unpack themselves and form into a woman in a black cloak, with red clouds.
This woman was unlike any that most Konoha residents had ever seen, and among those who had, none were in the village itself. She had amber eyes, blue hair, and a neutral, but rather cold, expression. To this woman, the boy in the street was a complicated matter – he was a Jinchuriki who would one day die for her best friend's dream, but his optimism, his drive, and even his physical appearance was a painful reminder of her other, her now deceased childhood friend and lover, Yahiko.
The sight of a boy who resembled Yahiko was painful enough, but watching him aimlessly and hopelessly walk through the rain as a homeless orphan who needed food and shelter pained Konan's heart and awakened old memories. As such, she followed the young Uzumaki as he found a small area beneath a closed stand to sit down and curl into a ball, presumably waiting for the next morning.
Konan was not blind, nor was she poorly informed, and thus knew something else about the boy that many others in Konoha didn't – he was not only the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, but the son of the Kage who sealed the beast into his gut.
As Konan watched Naruto with fascination and despair, she realized yet another thing connecting them – it was often said that the bond between sensei and student was not too different from that of a child and its parent. Thus, Naruto could be considered her nephew. The boy's father was Minato, whose sensei was Jiraiya, who also taught herself, Nagato, and Yahiko all those years ago.
This final connection spurned Konan into action. While she knew that this boy would eventually have to die, she could, at the very least, give him a chance. Who knows, perhaps saving this boy could help heal the old wound in Konan's heart, even if it was just a little bit. Trusting in her anonymity, Konan used her chakra to convert her cloak into paper once more, before restructuring it into a dark blue robe and jacket, before floating down to the ground, and walking to a nearby store, a stall from the looks of things.
"Excuse me." She said, observing the middle-aged man and young girl behind the counter.
"Yes?" Responded the man with a smile, and Konan observed no ulterior motives in either person as they responded.
"There is a young boy who appears to be cold and hungry outside, may I pay for some food for him?" The man's smile turned into an expression of worry, before settling on a satisfied expression.
"Of course! We'll even give you both a bowl on the house, you for your kindness, and him for whatever he's going through." Konan's eyes widened, and she started to make a protest. She was an S-ranked Kunoichi, and rather good at reading people, but she didn't expect such kindness from the older man. To Konan, the only good Konoha-nin was Jiraiya-sensei, and even he abandoned her.
"Nonsense, nonsense. Ayame, please make sure this woman gets a seat, and make sure she gets a mug of hot tea – it's far too cold out there, even during this season." While a part of Konan knew she could escape in over one thousand different ways, she was here on an infiltration mission, and knew that if she performed shinobi techniques, she would be under suspicion, as she wasn't wearing Konoha shinobi attire, nor did she have a headband.
Also, the young girl, who Konan assumed to be the ramen chef's daughter, had a grip of iron, and escorted Konan, took her 'jacket', which luckily stayed in that form, before handing the blue-haired woman a mug of hot, strong tea, before talking to her animatedly.
"Wow, nee-san! I've never seen anyone so beautiful! Tell me, what are you; an actress, a princess, or an angel?" Konan felt a brief prickle of amusement and surprise at the last possibility – 'angel' was a term used to describe Konan frequently within the Amegakure rebellion. Despite herself, Konan smiled.
As one of the surviving Ame Orphans, an Akatsuki leader from its fledgeling days until now, and as someone who spent much of her time surrounded by the corpse-puppet of her lover animated by her best friend, Konan rarely felt that things could ever be innocent. However, Konan's heart, however unused in current times, went out to children, to orphans, and to those who reminded her of the good old days.
The young girl in the white bandana and robe, with her bright and innocent optimism, reminded Konan of herself from the times before she met Jiraiya-sensei, before he left, and before Yahiko's death.
"I'm none of those, but thank you for the kind words. I'm just a traveler, visiting the old home of the man who raised me years ago. As such, this is my first time in Konohagakure, and I must admit, it is quite the beautiful village. I must admit, I envy the fact that you can grow up here." While some parts of Konan's response were true, and others not so much, she did feel that this side of Konoha was the type of peaceful place Yahiko wanted to make. How ironic that Konoha played such a primary role in Yahiko's death.
As Konan took another sip of her tea, she saw the older man bringing the young, scrawny blonde inside. Now that he was closer, Konan could see the whiskers on his tanned cheeks, and his large blue eyes, looking at her with such wonder that only a child could possess.
True to their word, the ramen chef and his daughter, owners of Ichiraku Ramen, gave each of them a free bowl, but Konan ended up paying for the four more bowls that Naruto consumed. Realizing that Naruto's entire head could fit in one of those bowls, she wondered where all of it could have gone, but then remembered that in her younger, hungrier days, she had witnessed their old puppy, Chibi, eat entire loaves of bread without changing from the scrawny dog he had originally been.
Konan talked much less during her time in the Ichiraku family's ramen bar, but did listen to Naruto's conversation with Ayame and Teuchi. Just from overhearing him, Konan learned a lot about the young jinchuriki – he didn't know his parents, idolized the Yondaime, knew the Sandaime without knowing that he did, and only had one friend in the orphanage, a girl not much older than him.
As Naruto filled up and conversation drew to a close, Konan took her leave, placing her 'jacket' back on, as she left in the rain. Deciding to stay around for several more days in order to complete her mission, as she preferred peace to civil war any day of the week, Konan vanished as a stream of paper, as if she never existed to begin with.
For Naruto's part, he left the Ichiraku family much later, as he stayed the night with them once he told them he no longer had a home, but still vowed to find the woman who had seen him in the rain and thank her. The next morning, the Hokage gave him an apartment and life went on in Konohagakure, but for its Jinchuriki, much was changed – not only did Naruto have a new favorite restaurant and food, but a new chapter in his life, as he obtained an apartment and monthly stipend from the Sandaime Hokage.
The stormy seasons of Konoha were well-documented, and most people felt some level of annoyance, wishing they would go away soon. For Naruto, the rain that was so hated turned into his new daybreak.
Motivation is high, midichlorian count is higher. I hope everyone is happy in this last week of June, and I hope that those of you who have read this far will give me suggestions for a longer story - I have something in mind, and hope to emulate some writing tricks I've seen be successful in other, better-written fics.
Regardless, I hope everyone is having a good, happy, utterly and annoyingly joyful day.
EDIT (6/26): This fic will become larger than a one-shot. As of right now, I am working on uploading documents and backing up my computer in preparation for repairs and upgrades to several key components. As such, my actual writing will be delayed for several days, due to my computer not being present. That being said, I have a document with a few chapters in progress, and I should be able to crest the 15,000 word mark if I keep up my current pace.
~KoS