Author's Note: Hiya! Hey everyone who read this story before! As you might know from reading the summary, this is a remake! I'll still keep the original up just in case you want to... Uh, I don't know... Look and distinguish the changes. I'm doing a remake because I just feel the first 10 or so chapters of this story sucked. I would just make edits and stuff, but this is going to have a lot of changes from the original, so I'm making it a totally completely different story. I'm sorry for everyone who doesn't want me to do this... But I'm sure you'll like this one just as much as the other one! It's going to be better written and better descriptions. One of the main differences is the OC's personality... But, you'll see for yourself. I hope you enjoy this story! Bye!
Summary: Imagine your favorite anime. You love it, right? Would you love to live there forever, though? Jalen, a 12 year old boy, doesn't. But is the Naruto world as unreal as he thought? Or is the "real world" the unreal one? Will he survive? Will he ultimately mess up the storyline? Only time, and a substantial amount of sulking, will tell.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I wish I did, though...
Grey Eyes
Chapter 1
"Wwwwwaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!"
I'm falling! Oh, God, why am I falling?! I was just inside of my comfy bed! Why am I falling?! I'm plummeting to the ground like a rock!
Although, rocks don't get hurt when they fall from hundreds of feet high. They're rocks; they're sturdy. So, I guess I'm falling like... A plane? Yeah, that'll work. Planes explode and people die when planes fall from hundreds of feet to the ground at lightning fast speeds. I'm probably going to explode in a crimson gush and slowly die... Or I might get the lucky satisfaction of dying on impact.
"Wahaaaahhhaaaaahhhhh!"
Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating. I'll still die, though... Wait! Why am I already accepting my death?! I don't want to die, I want to live! But... Why am I falling, though? I was in my comfy bed earlier... I was just about to read my Naruto Fanfiction. Believe... It?
Oh, no! Not yet! It can't be time, yet! No... No... No..!
"Jalen! It's time for bed," my mom yells from the kitchen. I'm in my room right now, so I could easily fake that I didn't hear her. It gives me another minute or two, but it can sometimes have dastardly consequences.
I desperately grab my blue ink pen and color in the white spots. I'm writing my comic right now, so I don't really want to go to bed quite yet.
After another minute or so, I can hear my mom call again, "Honey! Go to bed, okay? You know it's a school night!"
I think of all the consequences of not responding. I then think of all the advantages of not responding. The latter lost.
"Alright, mom," I sigh. I gingerly grab my comic book and pens and toss them on my dresser. I step over my bookbag and walk out my room, heading to the kitchen. My mom awaits me, and as usual, she's doing her homework. She never finished college, so she's trying to finish it on the computer. She rarely gets a good nights sleep anymore, so I'm constantly worried for her.
"I love you," I hug her and recieve a kiss on my forehead. "Can I stay up a little longer, though?" I whine. Even though I'm twelve years old, I still have my childish moments. I don't show it much, though. Unless I'm alone with my mom at home.
"You know that you can't do that," she replies, sending me off. I give her a sorrowful stare, but she ignores it, going back to her hellwork. That's what I call it, anyway.
I sigh and mutter a few obscenities before walking back into my room. I'm not proud of how my room looks, probably because I'm kind of a clean freak. It's not really filthy... But it's not clean either.
I ignore the state of my room and grab my phone. I make sure to turn down the ringer and volume before turning off my lights and going to bed. But, I don't exactly "go to bed." As most kids my age, I hide under the covers and play on my phone. Well, not play on my phone... I read. Fanfiction, to be exact.
To be more exact, Naruto Fanfiction.
What should I read tonight? I go through all of the Naruto stories, but none of them really peak my interest. I settle for the longest one I find, because I plan to be up for a while.
Did I mention Naruto is my favorite anime? If not, then I should have, because it is. I really love the plot and everything! Unfortunately, I haven't seen the first show in a while, since I'm currently going through Shippuden.
Suddenly, while reading the Naruto story, I recieve a text. I thank God that I put my phone on silent and begin reading. I don't usually get texts at this time of the night, so I'm pretty curious. If only I was... Less curious.
The text was from someone named "Naruto Uzumaki." There are two things wrong with this. One, I don't have anyone on my contacts named Naruto Uzumaki. Two, there was no number. Just, "Naruto Uzumaki." This freaked me out a little, but let's get on to what the text said.
"If you want to live your dreams, text back, "Believe it!""
That's... Interesting. To say the least. A random person named Naruto Uzumaki, most likely an obsessed cosplayer, has somehow gotten my number and texted me some shady crap. Would you text back? I, normally, wouldn't. But, I'm currently doped up on Naruto... So I start texting back. I text the word "Believe" and freeze.
I don't think I can explain this right... So please, try and bare with me. But, I feel... Energy inside me. I feel all pumped up like I'm about to run a race. But, in a better way... I feel amazing, really! I've never really felt like it before!
But that's probably nothing, right? I'm just on a sugar rush or something, right? Yeah, I would have thought that... If I wasn't able to, uh, see blue fire inside me. It's... It's not fire, though. It doesn't burn... It strangly reminds me of chakra...
I prevent myself from screaming. I can't scream now... It's too late for that. Right now, I'm too excited and pumped up to stop. So I type in "It."
This, right here, is where things get a whole lot better. The blue fire is burning harder and getting bigger inside of me, and I can tell that someone else is in my house. My mom, of course, but... I can feel her! It's an amazing feeling! I feel ecstatic! I feel aroused!
I feel alive!
And then I feel nothing because I black out. And I wake up falling to my death into what looks like a city!
That's what happened. But, thinking back on it, I feel like I know where I am. I'm falling into the Naruto world, right? It only makes sense... But that doesn't exclude the fact that I'm falling to my death! And I'm finally close enough to count down until my unfortunate demise!
5...
I close my eyes.
4...
3...
I put my hands over my eyes and get in a fetal position.
2...
1...
I get ready to feel the most pain I've ever felt in my life. Goodbye world... I'll miss you...
Thud!
"Ow!"
A hard hit, then a pain-filled yelp. Did I land on someone? But, who? Whoever they are, they smell like some sort of ramen. None I've had... But, I can just tell it's ramen...
"C-Can you get off of me?" The person asks. I open my eyes instantly and jump off the person, landing on my butt. This boy's voice sounds familiar... Who is this person?
I'm totally grateful for whoever this guy is, since he practically saved my life... But... This is too confusing...
The boy looks up, one eye closed and his right hand rubbing his head. I recognize him almost instantly. He has unruly blond hair and electrifying blue eyes. He also has three whisker marks on each side of his face...
...
Any Naruto fan would have easily recognized this as Naruto Uzumaki! He even has on the orange jacket and orange pants! And, if my hypothesis that I'm in the Naruto world is true... This is the real Naruto and not just some really obsessed cosplayer! I'm looking at the real Naruto!
...
Or... Or I'm asleep right now and this is a dream. Yeah... It must be. I'm dreaming right now... Yeah... That must be it. No one can just randomly appear in the Naruto world! It's unscientifical!
"Hey, um. Hey, um," he starts, staring at me the same way I'm staring at him. "Who are you? And why did you just suddenly fall from the sky?"
I'll have to play this cool... Even if this is a dream, I need to concentrate so I don't wake up until I want to.
"I-I'm sorry for f-falling on top of you!" I stutter, bending down in the Japanese way. Yeah... Of course I'm nervous. Who wouldn't be?! "My name... My name is," I pause. What am I supposed to say? My real name? I guess my first name, but my last name won't work. I know that for certain. "...Jalen. My name is Jalen. And I fell from the sky because..."
I fell from the sky because... Well, I don't really know. I'm from another world where you aren't real and people watch your life on TV and computers. I got a text from you, on a phone, something that doesn't exist here, and I ended up falling from the sky. You softened my fall... Hahahaha!
NOT!
Yeah, I'm sure that won't work. Even if this is a dream, I'm almost positive I'll be ignored and called crazy.
Now that I'm looking around, I can tell that's it night time in the village. People are walking by, and some gave us confused stares. I ignore them, looking back at the confused Naruto.
"I... Don't have an answer to that," I deadpan, deciding that that is the best answer.
Naruto scratches his head while also tilting it. "You're... Kinda weird," he says, making me frown. Of course I'm weird to you. To be honest, this whole world is weird to me. "But," he stares at me, like he is inspecting me. He is mostly looking at my eyes, though... Are my eyes a weird color?
He suddenly grins, though. "My name's Naruto Uzumaki, the best ninja in the world, believe it!"
I blink, then blink again. The longer I stare at him, the longer I feel that this isn't a dream. I also feel kinda warm... I would later realize it was because he had refreshing chakra.
"Well, see ya later, Jalen!" He grins, getting off the ground and dusting himself off. He extends his hand, so I grab it, pulling myself off of the ground. He turns around, still grinning, and runs off, waving bye. "I'm becoming a ninja tomorrow, so I have to get up early! I'll see you some other time."
That's what felt different! One, he looks my age. Second, he doesn't have on his forehead protector! So, this is basically the start of the show...
...
And he's leaving. He said he'll see me again... But in a world filled with ninja, and not knowing where I am...
I can't let him leave me. It was pure luck that I fell on him, but I don't think I'll be having anymore coincidences. I need to follow him, I need to befriend him! And doing that, I should be able to survive... In... This world...
This world...
I'm in a different world. Away from everyone I love...
...
"No, Jalen!" I coach myself. "It's no time for thinking, I just need to do!" I nod, and with a breath of renewed air... I run after him.
"Naruto! H-Hey, wait!" I yell. I somehow catch up with him and grab his shoulder to turn him around.
He gives me another curious look before asking, "Huh? What do you need?" I bite my lip. I feel my breath stopping as I realize what I just did. What am I going to say? Let me live with you? I doubt that he'd just let some random boy that he hasn't met for ten minutes stay with him. I wouldn't!
But... There's no point in not trying. If I don't try, then I'll die without doing anything about it. And maybe this is just a very realistic dream... So I might as well stick around with the main character! I'll have to suck it up and just ask!
"N-Naruto," I look down. "Can... Can I please, uh, stay... With you?"
Time stops. The only things that were still moving was Naruto and I, as I wait for his answer.
"S-Stay with me?!" Naruto exclaims, widening his electric blue eyes. "Why? Don't you have a home?" I wish I did...
"No," I answer. "And my parents are dead. I literally have nowhere to go..."
I guess that lie will have to suffice for now. It's probably very cliche, though.
Naruto's face turns from a mixture of surprise and confusion to sadness. He opens his mouth to talk, but nothing comes out. After a while he looks down. "I'm sorry," he apologizes.
"Don't be," I tell him, grabbing both his shoulders for him to look at me. "You're the same, aren't you?"
...Why did I say that?! I'm so freaking dumb! Why would I even respond to his apology?! Gah! I'm so stupid, so stupid!
"How did you..?"
"Through my years living alone, you see things!" I say, talking a bit louder than I wanted to. "I see how the villagers treat you! I even see how the kids treat you! I've always... I've always wanted to say something to those people... I've always wanted to punch each and every one of them in the face!" I would have stopped there, but a newfound emotion came over me.
"I've noticed how you're always alone," I continue. "I've always wanted to, uh, be your friend, but I was too shy..."
Naruto looks surprised. He doesn't say anything as he watches me ramble on and on. After I finish, he still doesn't say anything. His eyes are widened, and his mouth is slightly open...
"C-Can I just stay with you, please? Only for one night... I promise I won't do anything bad, or anything like that..."
What am I saying?! One night?! Well, this is just a dream, so I should wake up soon... And what did I mean when I said I wouldn't do anything bad? What bad thing would I be able to do? I guess stealing and stuff...
"S-Sure," Naruto mumbles, a light tint of red on his face. I feel my face getting a little hot, too.
But... He actually said yes. I don't believe it, not one bit... He would actually let a random boy he saw on the street live with him... Is that generous, or just plain stupid?
He starts walking away, motioning for me to follow. I do, so we are now walking side by side to his house. Or... His apartment. When the silence between us became unbearable, I decide to talk. Before I can, however, Naruto did.
"You know," he starts. "Y-You don't have to stay with me for one day," he pauses. "You could stay... You could stay as long as you need to..."
I stop walking. Did he really just say that? He said I could actually stay forever?! I... I was definitely going to beg him to let me stay longer tomorrow, but... But this is perfect! I'm probably the luckiest person alive to just randomly fall on top of Naruto and now I won't be wandering this village alone!
He notices that I'm not walking with him and turns around, but before he can say anything, I hug him. I know that's probably not the best or right thing to do, but that's the only way I could express my happiness without it sounding fake. I'm often told I'm very snarky.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!" I exclaim, a big smile on my face. He laughs childishly.
"Haha! No problem! I'm such a good person!"
We make it to where his apartment is located. We walk up a bunch of stairs and see this hallway-like place, although we aren't inside, yet. There is a door in the middle of the hallway, so he takes out some keys and open it.
My first thought as we walk in the room; messy. Ramen cups and weapons and scrolls and dust and everything is littered across the floor. How does he live like this?! How can anyone, no matter how dirty they are, live in such... Such filth!
Naruto notices my expression and sheepishly laughs, "Sorry, sorry," he starts to desperately clean up. "I didn't think I would have company!"
That... Doesn't mean you have to live like this... And can't you just use the Shadow Clone Jutsu to get done faster? I swear... Naruto...
"Done!" He exclaims in all his greatness. I sweatdrop before walking further in the room. Wow, it looks exactly like it does in the anime... But, nothing is animated. Everything looks real... I'm in the real Naruto world...
Without my mom...
"Jalen? Are you okay?" Naruto asks me, bringing me out of my tear jerking thoughts. "You looked pretty sad for a minute," he says.
I give a fake smile, holding back tears. "I'm fine. Thanks again, Naruto!"
"No problem, Jalen!" He exclaims. He walks over to his kitchen and opens up a bottom cupboard. "Do you want some ramen?" He asks. I just nod.
This place smells exactly like him, like ramen. Although, I'm sure it's not healthy to smell like and eat only ramen all day. Oh, well... Who am I to judge his eating habits? I hardly eat anything else except fish at home...
Home...
I sit at the table while Naruto makes the food. I see his ninja headband on the dresser... There's only one bed... He has a closet and a bathroom... It's a perfect place for one person. I just hope there's no roaches...
"It's ready, it's ready," Naruto sings after a while. "Ramen~. Ramen~," he pours out the unnecessary water and places a cup in front of me. He gives me some chopsticks and then sit down himself. "Itadakimasu!"
"I-Itadakimasu," I say, looking down as I fumble with my chopsticks. There's no way I know how to use these... I'm gonna look like a complete idiot...
"What's wrong?" Naruto asks, looking up at me with curious eyes. He's still slurping up ramen, but he's slowing down to talk to me. Like... Like a little kid... "You don't eat ramen?"
Think of a lie! Think of a lie! Think of a lie! Think of a lie! Think of a lie!
"No one's ever taught me how to eat with chopsticks," I say. "I've always lived alone, remember? On the streets..."
He gulps down all the ramen and looks at me seriously. "Really? How did you survive for so long?!"
"When you really want to live, you find a way," I decide to say. That's a good lie, I guess... "Anyway, how about you? Why're you living in this house alone? How do you pay for it?"
He grins. "Old man Hokage is letting me stay here for free until I become a ninja," he explains. I just nod, already knowing this. "I'm going to the Orientation tomorrow. I'll become an official ninja then!"
"Wow, Lord Hokage is letting you stay here for free?" I muse with a sly grin. "You must be special, huh."
His grin gets bigger as he sheepishly scratches his head. "Oh, I'm nothing special, ya know," he says. Although, I can hear a slight hint of worry in his voice... I wonder why? I guess he doesn't want me to know he's the Nine Tail's Jinchuuriki...
We kept mindlessly talking - I decided to just slurp the ramen from the cup. It was surprisingly the best thing I've had in a while - before Naruto decided it was time to go to bed. I was actually pretty surprised of this, considering it's Naruto! But, he told me it's just because he doesn't want to be late for his Orientation. He unsurprisingly left the table without cleaning up, so I had to.
After I finished eating and cleaning, I found out Naruto already had his night clothes on. The pajama's are gray in color with white lining, and he is wearing a gray and black night cap. It's amazing how he goes out wearing orange, then goes to bed wearing black and gray. That's... Just... Wow.
He was sitting on the bed when he said, "You don't have any pajamas." I resist the urge to facepalm at how late he realized that. Then again, I went to sleep in red and black pajama pants and a gray T-shirt... What am I wearing now? More importantly, what do I look like?!
"Oh yeah, I don't," I say in fake surprise. "Do you have any I could borrow?" I ask. He just nods, jumping off the bed and running over to his closet. I notice the smile he has on is just... Blinding! He must really be tired of being alone...
He pulls out an exact replica of what he is wearing, minus the hat. Before he hands them to me, however, he says with a scrunch of his nose, "Before you put these on, take a shower; you stink."
...What? What did he say? I stink? Th-That's impossible! Before I fell into this world, I clearly remember taking a shower before I went to bed! Actually, I take a shower morning and night! I sometimes get yelled at for wanting to take one during the day! You might know this already, but I'm a shower freak! The king of showers!
So, there's absolutely no way I stink! No way what-so-ever!
"Oh, I do? Hahaha," I sheepishly scratch my head, a sheepish smile also on my face. I have no intention of flipping out on Naruto, yet. I'll just take another shower and then go to sleep. Hopefully I'll be back in the real world when I wake up. And I can check myself out in the bathroom.
I take the clothes out of his hands and walk in the bathroom, softly closing the door behind me. As if the apartment would break down if I didn't. I resist the urge to fall to my knees and sulk. Instead, I shake off all of the sadness I have and turn to the mirror.
I understand now why Naruto believed my story of living on the street. I look like... I literally look like I've been abused all my life. I also look like I've really been living on the street forever...
I have messy blue hair. Not the cool kind of messy... More like the "I haven't brushed my hair for years" messy. It also looks kind of darkened, like it's too dirty. I look like I haven't washed it in years.
I have plenty of healing cuts along my arm and an obvious scar on my left cheek. I winced at that. I don't like it. I also have a bandaid on my nose, probably hiding another scar. I don't want to unpeel it... I'm afraid of what I'll see.
I'm wearing a black T-shirt that looks a little too big and an orange jacket with black linings. My shorts are blue, and I have more cuts on my legs. I'm wearing blue sandals... And now that I realize it... There's dirt all over me. It's not very obvious, but I'm very dirty. And my shorts have holes in it...
But... The uneasiest thing about me is... My eyes. They're grey. They hardly have any color in it at all. Just staring at myself makes me wanna ask what's wrong. I look... I look so depressed. I look suicidal even!
I quickly turn away from the mirror and strip naked. I really need this shower...
...
After the necessarily long shower, I put on the clothes he gave me and walk out. They surprisingly fit perfectly! Before I approach him, however, I make sure to put on a smile. Even if it's not entirely real, I don't want to look as dead as I did in the mirror. I'm not really a depressing person at all! I'm, uh, very emotional, though, I guess... I just don't want to leave my world to some imaginary and fake one. I'm already missing everyone...
"Wow, Jalen! You look so much more refreshed!" He gleams happiness, like a beacon of light. You know... Knowing Naruto's life... I can't really stay sad for long. His life has been horrible, but he's still able to be joyful... If he can, I can, too!
"Thanks, Naruto!" I exclaim, a real smile on my face now. I suddenly feel the need to see what time it is, so I start looking around for a clock. There's a digital clock on top of Naruto's mini dresser beside his bed. It says it is 11:24pm.
"Um, hey... Um, hey," Naruto starts, sitting down on his bed. "How old are you?" That's not random at all.
"I'm 12 years old," I reply. "How about you?" I ask, even though I knew.
"I'm 12, too!" He says in complete happiness. "When's your birthday?"
"December 25th."
"Mine's October 10th! That means I'm older than you!"
"...You know it's past 11 o'clock, right?"
"Whhhaaaaaa?!" He swiftly turns his head to the digital clock and gasps. He just stares at it, as if it's some kind of illusion. After a while he turns back to me, a funny look on his face. "Well, I kinda have to go to my Orientation tomorrow, so I have to go to bed, or else I'll wake up late," he explains, turning off the lights. I just nod, watching as he yawns and then walk to the bed.
He childishly jumps in the bed, pulling the covers over him.
...
...
...
"Jalen," he looks up, a sheepish smile on his face. "There's only one bed," he says. I sweatdrop. How many seconds did that take?
"That's alright. I'll just sleep on the floor," I say, looking at the floor with distaste in my emotionless eyes. He furiously shook his head.
"No! You shouldn't have to! I can sleep on the floor!"
Hook. Line. And sinker.
Before I can finish my successful trick on Naruto, he suddenly inquires, "Why don't we both sleep on the bed? We're both guys, after all."
Well... The bed is small, but it can hold both of us... More like, it'll probably be uncomfortable, but at least I won't have to sleep on the floor. And I won't feel right making Naruto sleep on the floor, considering this is his apartment.
I slide in the bed and pull the covers over myself. I try to get as far away from Naruto as possible, but if I scoot over anymore I would fall. I sigh and turn my body, now facing Naruto... And find myself staring in his blue eyes.
Of course I'm interested in his cool, blue eyes. I've never met anyone with blue eyes, and especially never up this close where I can see every detail. Then again, this is a little too close for comfort...
I close my eyes and turn around so my back was facing the boy. I don't particularly like my face being inches away from another boy, even if it is Naruto...
"Hey, Jalen," Naruto says softly, pulling me out of my thoughts.
"Yeah?"
"Um, well... Um, well..."
"Spit it out," I demand. I'm making a note of not being rude, but I'm pretty sleepy... I get irritated sometimes when I'm sleepy.
"Since we're both, uh, living together... And we both don't have any parents," he pauses, as if hesitating. "W-Wanna be brothers, ya know?"
...
Did he just ask if I wanted to be brothers with him?
"Naruto," I start. I need to know... "Why... Why would you let some random person stay the night over your place? There's a thing called being too nice... I just need to know..."
He doesn't answer. I'm starting to think he fell asleep or something, but he suddenly asks, "You said you were always alone, right?"
I don't answer. I just shift uncomfortably, feeling his eyes bore a hole in my head.
"So you know, right? You know how hard it is to be alone," he says, his voice cracking a little. "And... I'm a good judge of character... I could see in your eyes you weren't bad. You looked broken, lonely. I just," I feel him turn in the bed, his back slightly touching mine. "I don't want to be alone anymore..."
That's... That's so sad. One, he's been so alone all his life that he won't decline the request of a random boy to stay with him for one night. Second, he's so scared of being alone again that he actually told me that I can stay for as long as I like... And just to make sure that he won't be alone, he asked me if I wanted to be his brother. That's just...
"Huh? Jalen? What's wrong? Are you crying?"
"Of course not!"
...In my defense... Seeing how sad Naruto is in real life is enough to make you at least shed a few tears.
Naruto laughs. It got quiet fast, though. The silence is unnerving, even. I feel that Naruto is waiting for something...
I suddenly remember I didn't answer his question.
"Naruto," I say, then feel him stiffen. "Of course I'll be your brother!"
He turns to look at my head again. "Really?!"
"Of course!"
We both laugh this time. I really feel at ease... Maybe this is why I was sent to this world? So I could befriend Naruto and let him know he's not alone? I guess... I don't know...
Hopefully... Hopefully when I wake up, though... I'll be back in my real world.
And with that thought, I fall asleep by the already snoring Naruto...
~At A Secret Base Far Away~
Scary.
That's the first word she thought of when meeting Orochimaru. The snake practically lusted over the girl, and she was scared. She knew of Orochimaru's tests, she was just lucky Kabuto wasn't there. She would survive for a while, but she knew she would never be safe.
She seemed to be a pretty good fighter, and very unique. That's what the snake said, anyway. It was probably the fear, though. She knew she would die a cold death if she wasn't strong. And she made sure to leave a good enough impression. Not that good, though... Orochimaru could get really creepy to people with prodigy-like qualities.
She was told to fight and fight until her whole body bled, until her whole body ached. And all she got out of it was a chance to live another day. She was locked up in some sort of prison until they wanted her to fight again.
I'm not gonna survive, she always tells herself, but she somehow always managed to. Someone just kill me, she wants to say, but she can't. She wants to survive to be able to do at least one thing while in the world...
Oh, God... Please allow me to survive one more day, she prays each day she was there. So one day... I'll be able to meet Sasuke Uchiha... Because...
Because she loves Sasuke Uchiha.
Author's Note: Well... You can see the differences a mile away. You can also see some of the same things, too. Anyway, I hope you all liked this chapter... And don't worry about Jalen! He may be a depressed, emotional guy (Not like Sasuke) but he won't be weak. I promise you that much, at least. And even if he seems kinda weak at first, it's called character development. :P
And what was that about at the end? Well... You'll see... Muhahahaha!
Bye nii~!