The Golden Revenant, Chapter One: There is no friend as loyal as a hook

Naruto Uzumaki was a mysterious young lad, he didn't like crowds. He would avoid them at all costs. He had a natural talent for stealth and camouflage. He could move without a sound, blend with the shadows, and hide in plain sight.

He wore a simple green sweater, tan shorts, and brown boots. He liked the colour orange the best, but felt it a bit too conspicuous. He did wear an orange shirt under his sweater though. It was a tad warm for this weather but nothing unbearable.

He's been training for the past year and a half to be a med nin, the first step is learning medicine. He's been apprenticing at the hospital, mostly grunt work but it's informative. He'll be starting his ninja training at the academy in a few weeks, and once he's done with that he'll begin the next phase of his medical training: Medical ninjutsu.

Right now he was walking in the park, he heard a group of kids off in the distance. Naruto dashed into the bushes, and waited. He really didn't like crowds. However, as much as he didn't like crowds... He hated the sound of someone crying even more.

He peeked out of the bushes, and sure enough there was a girl about his age being picked on. He debated going to get an adult, or waiting it out... But when one of the boys kicked her Naruto made up his mind. He charged out of the bush, and dropkicked the guy who hit her. He grabbed on to the back of another kid's shirt and yanked him off his feet.

He tumbled toward the pink haired girl, and grabbed her hand. The two of them ran away. Naruto led her out of the park, through the market, and back to his place. She had a nasty gash on her leg, and her breathing was shallow. "I think we lost them..." Naruto shook his head and prodded her in the side. She flinched roughly. "You're injured, I'll patch you up and get you some warm tea. No offence, but you look like you need it."

Sakura just blushed and nodded. They made their way to Naruto's apartment, and once there Naruto set her up on his couch. Sakura took the time to look around his room while he got his things together.

The apartment was fairly spartan. The only clutter was some scrolls, books, and the occasional ninja tool. There were some house plants though.

Naruto came back with a med kit. He cleaned out her wound, and wrapped it with gauze. He then told her to lie down and pull up her shirt. He poked her abdomen a few times in different places, then told her to breathe deeply but slowly. "Your ribs aren't broken, it's just the starting of a soft tissue bruise. Still, you should take it easy."

He gave her some aspirin and an ice pack, and went to fix tea. Sakura put the pack on her side, and called out to him "How come you know so much about that stuff?" Naruto called back to her. "Training to be a med nin, already rated for first aid. The first thing you learn is how to tell if something is beyond your capabilities. After that it's all identifying problems and solving them. Like I did with you just now."

After a few minutes Naruto brought her a cup of tea and bowl of ramen. "You looked hungry..." He went back to the kitchen and got his own bowl.

As they ate Naruto got a rundown of what happened. "I was playing in the park when those mean kids showed up. They teased me about my forehead, and then... I kind of punched one of them in the face. That just made them angry. That's about when you showed up."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "What's this about your forehead?" Sakura blushed and shrunk into the couch. "I... Well, I have a big one." Naruto took a look at it, he poked it. Then tilted his head and squinted his eyes. "Nah... I don't see it. Are you sure they weren't making fun of your hair?"

Sakura puffed her cheeks out, and glared at him. "There is nothing wrong with my hair!" Naruto put his hands up defensively. "I'm just saying, pink isn't exactly a standard hair colour..." Sakura frowned, but then huffed and turned her nose up dismissively.

"I don't care what you think, my hair is fine the way it is!" Naruto smirked, "And your forehead isn't?" Sakura gave him an odd look. "That's different..."

Naruto shrugged. "Doesn't seem that way to me. You're fine just the way you are, all of you. Everyone's got something about themselves they don't like, but flaws are a part of beauty. An important part."

Sakura raised on of her eyebrows. "How are flaws important for beauty?" Naruto pointed out his window. A few clouds floated around in the sky. "Think of it like a sky without clouds. It's boring, all blue. Hardly a proper sky at all! The clouds add variety, substance." Sakura smiled at that. "Is there anything you don't like about yourself?"

Naruto nodded gravely, then lifted his left arm. A hook was the only thing sticking out of his sleeve. "I lost my hand in a tragic toilet accident." Sakura looked at his hook quizzically. "...You had both your hands earlier."

Naruto laughed, then dropped the hook he was holding. He was carrying that thing around for months waiting for the perfect moment. "Good eye!"

Sakura laughed. "So, are you gonna go to the academy too?" Naruto nodded. "I suppose I'll meet you there, right?"

Sakura nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, we'll see each other all the time!"