Never Alone
Chapter 1 – Knives
It wasn't even staring in all honesty. It wasn't the staring, it wasn't the random hateful words, it wasn't the whispers Naruto could never make out, but always present behind his back. It wasn't the occasional glare an adult would send his way. It wasn't the bullies or lack there of, and it wasn't the fact that nothing he ever did was good enough. In all honesty, if that's all it was then the six year old could plaster on a smile, and face the world with everything he had.
No, it wasn't that he lacked strength or character, because even his childlike mind knew giving up was never really an option, and he'd be able to keep going no matter what. The true thing that hurt Uzumaki Naruto, child of Konohagakure, the greatest ninja hidden village in the whole wide Elemental Nations was the simple truth that he was alone.
People everywhere, all around him moving on with their lives. With never a passing thought for the child walking down the road, hands stuffed in his pockets, and on the verge of tears. Nobody ever stopped to ask him if he was okay, no one would make sure he got to his apartment at a reasonable time. Nobody would come check up on him if he were to suddenly get sick.
Uzumaki Naruto was a boy who could face anything in the world, and that was the problem itself. Anything he could face, he could handle, win or lose he'd walk away stronger, but there was nothing in his world to face. In his world he was alone. He could see outside his little bubble, he could interact with the same world as everyone else, and yet, this world refused to acknowledge him.
It was thoughts along those lines that led the young Uzumaki to his current predicament. Specifically the mob of angry villagers chasing him, with the six year old fleeing, and laughing at the top of his lungs as grown men struggled to keep pace with the small boy. Several covered in varying garbage from the garbage bomb Naruto had set up on the roof of the market district, raining trash down on the people below, and ruining various products on display.
"Get back here you damned brat!"
They screamed as one as Naruto rounded a sharp corner, leaving the heavier men tumbling trying to change direction. This only incited Naruto more as he stopped to turn around, and blow a raspberry with his eyelid stretched down, and hollered back at them, "You'll never catch me ya stinkin' creeps! I'm gonna be the greatest Hokage who ever lived!"
The roar of frustration from the crowd behind him was met with raucous laughter from the small blonde as his grin stretched so much it hurt his cheeks a little. This was it, these were the moments he lived for. As he dashed by people who normally turned to glare would look on in shock and confusion. They noticed him, they couldn't ignore him. Many even set to chuckling as the trash covered men behind him lumbered into view cursing the small boy that was the bane of their peaceful business hours.
Naruto dashed quickly down an alleyway, feeling the wind chill his face as he had begun to work up a sweat from the run. He knew there was a chain length fence ahead in the middle of the alley, and he could just now hear the mob of twelve or so angry men entering the mouth of the alley. Naruto hopped on to a crate he had placed before the whole garbage bomb incident without breaking his stride, and then vaulted over the fence in the middle of the alley.
As he sailed over he pulled a small bit of ninja wire strung up crisscrossing over the roofs of the two buildings he was passing between, and let his weight and momentum pull all the objects it was connected to. A moment later there were screams of rage and disgust as about twelve trashcans full of old garbage were pulled from up high to empty down on the men below.
Naruto landed rolling to bleed off the momentum and force of his motion, but botched it just a bit into a tumble as he couldn't hold back his laughter until the landing was complete, which sent him rolling up against a crate where he was currently holding his ribs, and trying to keep from crying as he laughed loudly at the angry men on the other side of the alleyway.
In his mind the Uzumaki was congratulating himself on a prank well done, and noted he needed to get away before the men cleared the fence en route to him. Standing shakily, and patting himself down to check for any damage in his tumble Naruto nodded in satisfaction, and turned to run out the other side of the alleyway before the wrong type of attention came his way, namely the ANBU or his Jiji.
He took a right at the mouth of the alleyway, and looked to see if anyone was watching for him when suddenly he was jerked up roughly by his collar from behind. The sudden jerk almost choked him, and dangling from the persons grip didn't help him as he swung. He tried moving his feet like he was running in an attempt to get away while mentally cursing himself, "Damnit! It's left, right, then left again, why didn't I remember?"
The young boy tilted his head up to look at the man holding him, and almost wished he didn't as the reek of alcahol hit him dead in the face. Naruto gulped heavily seeing the rage in the mans eyes. It was one of those villagers. The ones who would take any excuse to punish him for things he didn't do, or even spat at him as he walked by. The worst of which were some business owners who didn't even let the young Uzumaki shop at their stores.
"At least I actually did something this time..." thought Naruto as the villager started screaming about him getting whatever it was that was coming to him, and waving his fist threateningly in Naruto's face making the young boy squint his eyes in preparation for the pain that was to come. When the man went back to yelling Naruto relaxed slightly. This was one of those guys who had to build himself up enough to hit a kid, so Naruto gave him a minute to collect his courage while looking for a possible way out of the man's grip.
Up on the roof above him, the Uzumaki noticed a familiar porcelain mask with a spike of silver hair poking up above it. Naruto's eyes widened as he recognized operative Inu, who sometimes watched him, and Naruto noticed his tense posture as he observed the situation from his vantage point. Naruto had been in a situation like this once before, and it had gone very bad for the villager trying to break into his bedroom after he had broken into Naruto's apartment.
Naruto screamed at the man, "Hey mister, you gotta let me go!"
The man scoffed, and Naruto could see a vein bulge out on his forehead, annoyed at being interrupted by the kid he was threatening. The man began shaking Naruto around, choking him just a little, and Naruto noticed Inu tense up on the roof, and reach for something behind at his side.
About this time the man had finally worked himself up enough, and Naruto squinched his eyes shut tightly waiting for the small thunk noise he had heard once before signifying the end of a man's life, but instead all he heard was a slapping noise, and another grip on his collar. This one pulling him away from the first one.
Naruto opened his eyes, wondering what was happening, and heard a gruff voice say, "Cool your shit Takeo! I got a better plan for the little bastard. Ain't like we can do anything out here anyways."
Naruto saw a heavily muscled arm stopping the other man's fist from hitting his as the bigger man roughly pulled Naruto away from him. Up on the rooftop, Inu had relaxed his stance, and continued observing the situation, although Naruto noticed a hand signal to another unseen operative, and was sure someone would be tailing him as the big man now started dragging him away.
The little blonde look up at his Savior? Judge? Executioner? From the look of him he might be the last two combined. The man stood at a massive six feet tall, and and his upper body was heavily muscled, probably the biggest guy he had ever seen as far as shoulder width went, and green shouty man was a pretty big guy. However the man's lower half seemed average, and Naruto was currently wondering why someone would train their upper body so hard, and neglect the bottom.
The newly named Takeo was spluttering after being so suddenly interrupted, and stepped forwards after the big man, shouting, "What's the big deal Suji!? I was just gonna pop him once, and go about my day, asshole!"
The big man, named Suji turned back, still keeping an iron grip on Naruto. Now Naruto's observations were moving up to Suji's face, and could see a long scar running from his forehead above his right eye around the right side of his face, trailing back towards his right ear. His brown hair trailed halfway down his back untied and wavy, but Naruto could see the beginnings of a receding hair line starting at the front. Suji had a large brown goatee, and was currently glaring so intensely with his cold light blue eyes, almost grey, that Takeo actually flinched when he met them. Suji said loudly, "Then you're an idiot! Do ya think that little chase hasn't attracted the damn ANBU?"
Takeo instantly paled. Apparently his liquid bravery had erased the fact that there were consequences for his actions from his head. About this time a crowd of stinking angry men erupted into the street, surrounding them, and Naruto knew he was pretty much screwed. There was no way he was getting away with them all around him. He braced himself for when the inevitable would come as they all hollered inwards towards Suji and Naruto who they had surrounded.
Suji shouted, "Shut up ya louts! I'm gonna give the kid what he deserves since none of you got the balls to do more than chase and yell!"
Many of the men seemed agitated at his insult, but most cheered as the big guy holding Naruto's shirt marched him down the road back towards the market district. For five minutes on the walk back Naruto listened to the men grumble about him being a brat, and the things Suji would do to him. As for Suji himself, he didn't say anything, which made it even worse as Suji's face was set with a look of grim determination as he gazed straight ahead, never relaxing his grip on the blonde who was desperately looking for a way out of his current situation.
They marched into the Market district, and were met with cheers from some of the shopkeepers, and some villagers asking aloud, "You actually managed to catch him!?"
The group stopped in front of a small two story building with a simple sign mounted above the door reading, "Yoiniku" In front of this door Suji said to the small crowd, "Now Ya'll clear out. None of this even happened, you got it?"
Most of them nodded and began to disperse, but the drunken man from earlier Takeo still in his paled shade asked hesitantly, "Suji...You're not going to do something you're gonna regret later...right? I mean...he's just a kid..."
Takeo trailed off as he realized what he had just said aloud. Suji set a big hand on Takeo's shoulder and with no effort sent the man stumbling back with a little shove, saying, "Get out of here Takeo. This ain't any of your business, unless you're gonna try and stop me."
Takeo looked between the kid and the big man holding him before slinking off casting frightened glances back towards Suji and Naruto as he left. Naruto heard the big man mutter, "pathetic..." under his breath, and the young Uzumaki was quaking in his tennis shoes now that he had seen how easily the other normally aggressive men submitted to the big guy towering above him.
If normal villagers were that scared of him, then how scared did Naruto need to be? The boy wasn't sure, but it probably ranked up there with pretty damned. As their blue eyes locked with each other, Naruto felt a lump growing in his throat. He was scared...He was scared, and everybody had just left him alone with the scariest looking man he had ever met. Naruto knew if it was any other kid, that mob would have been after Suji.
The big man gave him a little tap to turn him around, and drug Naruto into the shop, oblivious to his trembling lips, and sniffle starting. Then inside of the shop consisted of perfectly sanitized and sparkling white tile as well as a perfectly cleaned glass case which was refrigerated, and had all sorts of meats on display, but Suji walked around the case tugging Naruto with him.
The big guy broke the silence, saying, "You remember what you did here ya little twerp? You remember the so called prank ya pulled on me a few weeks ago? Well now it's time for payback."
As Suji was saying this he led Naruto through a tan swinging door, into a freezing room with no light at all. The big man flipped a light switch, and Naruto whimpered as he saw blood all over the tiled floor, and more on tables surrounding the room. There was part of a carcass laying on a band saw that was split down the middle, and Naruto could feel tears stinging at his eyes as Suji lead him to the back of the room where there was a three basin sink, and a bunch of knives.
Suji fixed the blonde with a glare, and said roughly, "Don't run. You won't make it far."
Naruto couldn't run even if he wanted to, a couple tears were now running down his face, and he was sniffling nonstop. His legs felt like jelly. Suji released his grip on the blond who just stood there looking at his feet, shaking in the cold while the big guy pulled out knives one by one, and laid them out on a metal table next to the sink.
Next he pulled down a black object with four small feet, and a lid, which he lifted off, and placed next to the knives. Inside was a handle to rotate a stone. Suji said to Naruto, "Three sides kid, coarse, medium, and fine. We go in that order. Now get to sharpening."
He placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder, and moved him over to the table where he demonstrated the angle he wanted, and how all the knives were totally blunted, and without an edge. As he mentioned that his glare grew harder, and Naruto finally let out a sob, and mumbled, "M'sry."
"What was that?" replied Suji, handing the biggest knife over to Naruto, and pushing him up to the sharpening stone.
Naruto sobbed as he said louder, "I said I'm sorry..."
He broke down and started crying, all the blood around him was getting to him, his nostrils were filled with the smell of raw meat, and the cold was making his ears hurt, and he was scared, and being ignored was better than this!
Naruto struggled to stop crying for almost two minutes before he regained control of himself, now furious he had let his control slip after he told himself he wouldn't cry any more. As for Suji, he just watched Naruto cry, and when he finished, said forcefully, "You only think you're sorry kid. These knives are my whole life, and you think it's funny to come in here and blunt'em in the middle of the night? Do you not care I could end up out in the street if I couldn't work because of this? That's not a prank, and you're not sorry!"
Naruto sniffled, and glared back at the man, his anger slowly fading. He recognized this room, although it had been a lot less bloody at ten o'clock at night. Naruto remembered slipping in through a window, and cutting the knives against the blocks until Someone had come down the stairs in the front shop room, already shouting, and he had hauled ass outta there just before the owner could grab him.
Suji said, "You're gonna be sorry soon enough, now get. To. Sharpening."
Naruto for a moment considered using the knife he held on the big man. He remembered the basic swings and attacks taught at the academy, but he still didn't have access to his chakra, and without that he doubted he could do more than piss the older guy off by slicing at him with a blunt knife.
Naruto looked at the grey oil stone in front of him, and adjusted the knife to the proper angle as he's been shown, and drug the knife across the stone, covering as much of the blade as possible in a single stroke. The sound of metal pulling against stone was grating, but Naruto did it a second time, and a third, and a fourth, and he kept on until he heard a grunt from the big man watching him.
Suji said, "Now you're going to sharpen every one of them until I can cut without feeling any resistance, the mineral oil is in the cabinet underneath the table, keep it oiled, and sharpen the tips especially. When you're done with that, file all the blades at the same angle on the steel I set with the knives."
With that Suji walked to the other side of the room while Naruto kept sharpening, too afraid to try and make a break for it as he'd have to run past Suji to get to the door leading outside. That didn't stop Naruto from looking for an opportunity to run though. He watched as Suji pulled his long hair into a ponytail, and then folded that on top of his head before placing a hairnet on top, which Naruto thought made him look silly.
If that wasn't enough, he pulled out what looked like a hairnet with a strap, and affixed it over his mouth, and goatee. Naruto couldn't help but chuckle as he saw the stupid looking garments on the big man, prompting him ask, "Something wrong, brat?"
In Naruto's genius six year old mind he couldn't help but see this as his chance to get revenge on the big guy by being brutally honest, and saying, "Yeah, those look stupid!"
Naruto noticed in satisfaction the twitch he got out of the big man who retorted angrily, "Yeah, well at least I ain't cryin' like some whiny little kid!"
"I AM a little kid!" shouted Naruto in response.
"Then do what the adult says, and get your ass to sharpening! It ain't gonna do it itself!" Suji hollered back.
Naruto grumbled as he went back to sharpening, his previous fear almost forgotten in annoyance. After a few dozen strokes Naruto moved from coarse to medium, before looking over to spot Suji lifting up a whole side of a cow onto a hook, and taking a saw efficiently to the thing as it bled on the floor, causing Naruto to get a little queasy as he heard the sound of tearing meat and fat mixed with the dribbling of blood.
Time passed with Suji breaking down the pieces he had sawed off of the beef side, and Naruto's hands quickly grew numb as each stroke became clumsy and painful with the cold. Pretty soon his teeth were chattering, and he couldn't believe Suji was back here wearing short sleeves and a vinyl apron apparently not bothered.
After nearly an hour of this routine a bell rung from up front, causing Suji to shut his band saw off, and walk towards the front, still blocking Naruto's path outside. The blonde continued sharpening while hearing a business deal happening out in the entrance room. His knuckles were really sore from gripping the knife, and bearing down slightly on the blades as he sharpened.
Soon enough Suji was back, and he walked over to inspect the blades Naruto had sharpened for him. The kid was now halfway through the pile of knives. Naruto flexed his hand before picking up another knife only for all the joints to pop loudly as he did so. Suji noticed it, and ran some warm water in the sink, instructing to Naruto to wash the residue off the knives before continuing.
The little blonde complied, and jerked his hands back hissing as they entered the warm water straight from the freezing air. It felt like he was stabbing his joints with needles as they cramped up, and he sent a glare at the older man who chuckled, and said to ease them in next time. Naruto did so a few moments later, and sighed in relief as his hands soaked in the lightly steaming water.
Naruto reached for one of the green scouring pads on the side of the sink, and cleaned the grey residue off, while Suji went about breaking down more cow parts. Naruto occasionally winced as the band saw shrieked against bone, his ears not used to the loud noise. Naruto looked over towards Suji, and realized for the first time since he got there that the big man wasn't paying attention to him.
The youth shivered in the cold while contemplating an escape. Suji hadn't dropped his guard for very long, and there was a chance he was just screwing with Naruto for kicks, but if the boy could make it to that tan swinging door he felt he had a good shot at outrunning the owner. He'd get out of here, and he'd tell his Jiji that the big man had threatened him with knives, and Suji would rue the day he made Uzumaki Naruto cry!
Naruto started moving carefully towards the door, timing his steps with the bone passing through the band saw blade in Suji's steady rhythm, and soon had his hand resting on the swinging door, his ticket to freedom. Naruto pushed slightly before his whole body locked up when Suji said quietly from his position where he had shut off the band saw, "You going somewhere brat? I don't think those knives are done yet."
The young Uzuaki's stomach felt like a ball of ice had decided to take up residence all of a sudden as he shakily turned around to face Suji's intimidating and unflinching gaze. The man's eyebrows were set low, and his slight receding hairline gave the illusion of a giant forehead. More noticeable to Naruto though was the fact that the lower eyebrows made Suji's face look like a permanent intimidating grimace.
For a moment he considered bolting, and just outrunning Suji, but his ego wouldn't have any of it as he loudly exclaimed while pointing angrily at the big man, "Yeah actually! I'm getting outta here an' I'm gonna tell my Jiji-"
Suji's voice wasn't loud, but it immediately cut through Naruto's words with a patronizing tone that pissed the kid off to no end saying, "Tell him what? That I got you out of a beating after a prank, and made you resharpen some knives you dulled?"
The blonde boy's mind ground to a halt as he processed Suji's words. He desperately looked back in his mind for anything the big man may have done that the Hokage would take offense to, and came up blank. He stuttered out, "W-w-well..."
Suji's voice cut in again saying, "Don't mumble brat. Even if everything that comes out of your mouth is more stupid than the last thing, as long as you believe in it then say it proudly."
Naruto could feel a vein pulsing in his forehead at the comment, and yelled back, "You're an asshole!"
Suji didn't miss a second and responded, "I see Konoha's shinobi training at it's finest. Truly your observational skills are a boon to our fine village."
Naruto was beyond pissed now as he screamed in frustration, and stormed out the swinging door. A second later he was suspended in midair for the second time that day as Suji casually lifted him by the shoulder in a one handed grip, and proceeded to pick him up without effort. Suji was strong enough he didn't even need to grip tightly to lift Naruto, and the young boy could feel the callouses that covered the mans hands even through his shirt.
Naruto was lifted, and placed on Suji's shoulder, hanging over like a sack of potatoes as the big man carried him up the stairs next to the meat counter leading to the living area above. On the second floor was a hallway with 4 doors, Suji opened up one leading to his bedroom/office as noted by the bookshelf and desk crammed into a corner, and a bed in the opposite one.
It was in this room that Naruto was set again on his feet, and waited stupidly while the big guy dug around in the desk drawer. Naruto's mind struggled to catch up with this recent turn of events, and as he came to the realization that he had just been transported like an inanimate object by the most aggravating person he had ever met he decided to look for escape routes.
The Uzumaki glanced out the small window, and spotted an ANBU operative in a Neko mask watching like a hawk from the rooftop next door, but her posture was relaxed, meaning to Naruto that she didn't feel he was in any particular danger. While that eased his young mind, he still glanced back at the door they had just come through. He started easing towards it when Suji's annoyed voice rang out, "Can't you hold still for a damn second?"
Something about the tone made the boy's legs freeze in place. A second later Suji approached him, and put two-hundred ryō in the boy's hand. In response Naruto just looked down into his hand confused before gaping back up at Suji, and then back down at his hand once more, uncomprehending.
Suji said, "It's your pay. You work, and you get paid, that's how the world works. Even if you have to go home early today because you're a little bitch you still get paid."
Naruto clenched his teeth as his eyebrow twictched, and ground out angrily, "I'm not a bitch, and can you even call kids that?"
Suji responded in that sickening condescending way Naruto had grown to loathe, "Only a bitch leaves because he's cold, and if it's not allowed, then feel free to do something to stop me."
The blonde's teeth felt like they were going to break as he ground out, "I wasn't leaving because I was cold you asshole."
The big man raised his eyebrow in confusion while stroking his beard lightly, and responded, "Oh? Then why were you leaving?"
Naruto flinched at the question. He honestly couldn't believe the man's stupidity? How dare he ask that after he...after he...
After he what? What had he even done besides insult Naruto, and talk to him like he couldn't care less about his opinion? Naruto was more than happy to do that right back. The young Uzumaki felt a lump form in his throat, and stuttered out, "I had to leave...before you...y'know..."
"Before I what, Naruto?" asked Suji, using the boy's name for the first time since they met. He continued, "Before I what...yell at you? Start hitting you?"
A couple tears leaked out of Naruto's eyes, and he was furious at himself for losing control of his emotions twice in one day. Why did he have to meet a scary asshole like this guy anyways? Why couldn't he just be another loud angry villager Naruto could hate for ignoring him!? Naruto flinched back as the big man raised his arm, but no blow came. Just a solid weight on Naruto's shoulder which was totally engulfed by the big man's hand.
Suji said, "Look at me kid. I'll be the first to tell ya I'm an inconsiderate selfish asshole, but I ain't ever hurt anyone who didn't deserve it in my life, and I ain't about to start with a little bitch like you."
Naruto looked dumbfounded up at the man as he sniffled, and the big man said, "Now, are you going home with that little bit of pay, or do you wanna work for the rest of the day for real?"
The kid couldn't believe it, he was used to being hated, he was used to getting ignored, he was used to having to wreck entire areas of the village to just get people to look at him, why would this guy just offer to let him hang around? Naruto sniffed once more before getting the couple tears he had shed back under control, and said quietly, "I'll work."
That response got a grin out the big man, and Naruto noticed the man's overly large canines which would have added to Suji's intimidation value had the big man ever made one fast or threatening motion. Suji removed his hand from Naruto's shoulder, and led him back downstairs. They returned to the cutting room where Naruto finished up the knives over the next hour, and after that learned how to properly clean up behind Suji as he worked.
Naruto stayed for another four hours before the big man cut the last of his meat, and wrapped it for proper storage, and they began to clean and sanitize everything. It was kind of amazing to see the big guy making such slow motions compared to Naruto, and yet his efficiency was ridiculous, and spoke of years and years of experience. It took the big man only forty minutes to have the entire cutting room blood free, and the cutting boards white and pristine thanks to generous application of chemicals.
Naruto sat down in a corner watching Suji clean properly since the big man didn't trust Naruto to get every spec of meat, and he quickly fell asleep not even realizing how tired he was from working for just half the day.
It wasn't much later the big man finished cleaning, and noticed the child had fallen asleep in his chair in the corner of the room. Suji grimaced at the sight, thinking how annoying little brats were, always getting in his way. Although he did realize he had talked more to Naruto today than he had talked to everyone he had spoken with in the last two weeks combined.
Sighing tiredly, Suji lifted the boy up gently after he had washed and sanitized his hands, and carried him outside, flipping his shop sign off on his way out the door. He hadn't made it three steps out of his shop when a dark figure blurred into existence a foot in front of him. Suji only recognized the figure by the shock of silver hair poking up, honestly, who else had hair like that.
The operative said quietly, "Mah Suji-san. I hope you weren't too rough on him."
Suji grunted at the annoying man in front of him, and responded, "Little asshole was tripping me up running around me all day, I'm glad to be handing him over Inu-san."
The silver haired man took the boy, and turned to leave, but Suji stopped him, and handed over three-hundred more ryō to Inu, saying, "It's for him, since he worked all day. I may be an asshole, but I don't cheat people without a reason."
It went without saying that Inu was one of the few people who would make sure the money would actually be found by Naruto the next day, and the silver haired man nodded minutely at Suji before leaping off, never making a single sound despite leaping to the rooftops. Suji watched the spot where they had vanished for a minute before muttering, "Damn ninja. They make everything so damn complicated."
With that the big guy turned around, and lumbered back to his shop to turn in for the night.
The next morning Naruto groaned as he awoke to sore wrists and fingers from all the scrubbing and sharpening he had done the day before. He tiredly flipped his blanket up, and slid out of bed, knocking his toe against the small nightstand and immediately swearing to every deity he had ever heard of while holding his foot.
After the small episode Naruto noticed some money sitting on top of the night stand, and when he check his precious Gama-chan he saw he still had the money Suji had given him yesterday. He stared at it for a minute before putting the extra three hundred into gama-chan while muttering, "That guy's an asshole."
It was a hot Sunday afternoon, and Naruto didn't have school so he decided to go out and find something to do for fun, maybe he would prank some of the academy students since he didn't really want a repeat of yesterday. No sir, Naruto Uzumaki was staying faaaaaar away from the market district today, there was no way in hell he was going to-
"What are you doing here, brat?"
"I came to work asshole!"
Author's note: Plz give me tips I suck T^T