Nemawashi – the idea that people, like flowers, bloom in their own time and their own individual ways

The world wasn't as bright as Naruto imagined.

Sometimes, he'd think about things that made him feel bad afterwards, like if he had enough ramen at his small apartment or if the milk he bought was okay for once. Sometimes, he'd think about the Academy and wonder if he could ever become a shinobi. Sometimes, he'd think how different everything would be if he had his Mama or Papa or both.

He wasn't that stupid like his teachers said. He wasn't blind or deaf either. He could see and hear how the other villagers looked at him whenever he walked on the streets and hear what they whispered about him. They looked at him like he looked at the dumpster behind his apartment. What was so hard about putting some puzzle pieces together? He wasn't Shikamaru or Sakura, but his brain worked sometimes.

Yawning, Naruto stretched his arms in the air. "Ah, I'm full!"

After eating several bowls of ramen at Ichiraku Ramen, his stomach felt like it could explode. It was around sunset time and there were still plenty of villagers in the streets, buying whatever they needed at shops and food stands. There were even some Chūnin shinobi. Naruto quickly looked away when one of them glared at him. He shuffled past the woman awkwardly and kept his eyes on his toes.

He suddenly grunted when he crashed into a barrel and tumbled to the ground. Cold water splashed onto his body, making him yelp. Immediately, someone came running out of a nearby store and gasped.

"You—Brat, what did you do?" the thin man said, pointing at the soaked boy.

Naruto shook his head, sending water droplets flying from his hair. He grinned sheepishly. "Hey, uh, I didn't mean to spill it."

He squeaked when the man hauled him up by his shirt and shook him. "You little brat, you're going to the woods and refilling that barrel! You got that?"

Naruto widened his eyes. "What? Wait, I—"

The shop owner scoffed. "Look at you. Don't you have any respect for your elders? What's with the way you speak to me, huh?" He shook Naruto harder, making the boy's teeth rattle. "Learn to take responsibility, eh? You and y—"

The man's hand suddenly let go of Naruto. The two blinked before looking at the interruption. A small crowd had gathered, their whispers an incessant buzz in Naruto's ears, but he didn't pay any attention to them. His eyes locked onto the young man that had swiped the shop owner's hand away. He didn't look like anyone Naruto had seen before and he had seen a lot of people. His hair was brown and a little fluffy, which was kind of funny, but his eyes—Naruto had seen the same eyes in some shinobi and even Jiji sometimes. He didn't look like a shinobi, with his dirt-streaked white shirt and black pants, but there was something about him that screamed danger despite his soft face.

"You're in my way," the man said, his voice smooth.

"It's him," a woman whispered.

"Sawada."

"What's he doing here?"

"Heh, I thought he killed himself by now."

"Hey, he can probably hear you!"

Naruto looked back and forth between the crowd and the mysterious man. Sawada? That name kind of sounded familiar but he couldn't remember where he heard it from. He mentally pulled his hair. This was why Hoshino-sensei said that he couldn't remember anything from class! Naruto tensed when the man lightly shoved the shop owner out of the way before heading down the street, lax and unbothered by the whispers and glares. Naruto had never seen them look at someone like they looked at him.

Scrambling to his feet, he dashed to follow the man. "Sorry about the water stuff!" he said over his shoulder.

The shop owner blinked before saying, "H—Hey, come back!"

Naruto ran down another street, looking around frantically to find any signs of the man. Scratching the back of his head, he groaned. "Where the heck did he go?"

He searched the streets again and even the next district over, but the man was nowhere to be seen. It was as if he vanished into thin air.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, you brat? Get back here!"

Laughing, Naruto escaped the owner's reach and dashed out of the pottery store. Some colorful paint was streaked on his shirt, hands, and face. He grinned. "I just wanted to add some life there, old man!"

The owner gaped at him. "Y—You… Get back here!"

"You're welcome!" Naruto said, sneaking through crowds of people.

He liked Sundays. There was no Academy on Sundays and Jiji sometimes came by to visit and give him little presents, too. Giggling, Naruto quickly closed his mouth and hid behind a dumpster just as the potter and his workers ran by. Their angry shouts soon faded after a few minutes. Naruto snickered under his breath. "No one can catch me," he said, sprinting out of the alley.

"—een him around?"

Naruto squeaked lightly before hiding in the shadows again. Two young women passed by and he couldn't help but blush a bit. They were both really pretty. He mentally shook his head. No, nope, never. No one would be as pretty as his sweet Sakura-chan! Still, he couldn't help but stare as the women walked down the street. He recognized them both but only from a distance. He'd seen them around but never approached them.

One of them had short, wavy black hair and scary eyes that reminded him of Ino. Well, they were cousins, even though the pretty lady didn't have blonde hair like her family did. Naruto saw her working at the flower shop a few times. She wore a dark purple sleeveless shirt and some shorts with long, open-toed boots. The other lady looked much nicer with bright eyes and a nice smile. She wore a green turtleneck shirt and a black skirt. Her short ponytail bobbed up and down with each step she took.

"Who?" the ponytail lady said. "Ah, do you mean Tsuna? Yes, he came by yesterday to get patched up." She sighed. "I don't know what he does in the Forest of Death every day, but I can't help but worry. Why do you ask, Hana-chan? Did he meet you yesterday, too?"

The scary lady scoffed. "Sawada never comes by. He knows what's in it for him if he does." She glanced at her friend. "If he does come by again, let me know. We need to talk."

Naruto tilted his head. Sawada? That name sounded really familiar. He widened his eyes, remembering the man from a few days ago. Before he could stop himself, he dashed out of his hiding spot and stumbled in front of the two women, blocking them.

"Y—You know where he is?" he said.

The scary lady narrowed her eyes, making him flinch. She looked terrifying up-close, even scarier than Ino. "What are you talking about, monkey?"

Naruto blinked. Monkey? He huffed. "I'm not a monkey! I'm Uzumaki Naruto and I'm going to become the Hokage one day, dattebayo!"

That got him nothing but an unimpressed stare and a small giggle from the ponytail lady. Naruto faltered a bit but stood his ground. Frowning, he pointed at the women and said, "I'm serious! I'm going to become Hokage in the future so—so be careful! I'm not going to let that kind of attitude go that easily!"

The ponytail lady smiled at him, making him blink. No one ever smiled like that at him; still, Naruto couldn't help but keep his guard up. "Really?" she said. "I'm sorry about that then, Future Hokage-sama."

Blushing, Naruto scratched his cheek and avoided her eyes. "O—Oh, well, I guess you're okay then. I'm not the Hokage now but I'll remember you! Um, I mean, what you said."

"Naruto-kun, right? Can I call you that?"

Naruto's face felt hot. "Oh, uh, yeah." He quickly shook his head. "But only for now! Not when I'm Hokage!"

The ponytail lady grinned. "Okay! Got it. I'm Miura Haru and this is my friend, Yamanaka Hana." She stuck out her hand, which threw Naruto off. He took a step back, eyeing it warily. Haru's smile dropped a bit but she still held it in place. "I'm not going to hurt you, Naruto-kun. It's a handshake! See." She grabbed Hana's hand, ignoring her protests, and shook it enthusiastically. "Some people do this as a way of greeting each other for the first time!"

"Stop saying useless things," Hana said, rolling her eyes. "You're going to give the monkey weird ideas."

Haru pouted. "It's not weird, Hana-chan! And stop calling him monkey!"

Naruto wasn't sure what to say or do. He just felt completely ignored by the bickering women. He was almost tempted to run away but the man from a few days ago kept him there. "Hey!" he said, making them pause. "Um, I was wondering if you knew him. Sawaha!"

Hana raised a brow. "Sawada? What do you want with him?"

Naruto perked up. "Can you tell me where he is? I tried to find him everywhere but I couldn't! He's like—like a ghost or something!"

Haru looked at him, confused. "Why are you looking for him, Naruto-kun?"

"Oh, uh…" Naruto rubbed the back of his head and looked down at his feet. "I just wanted to tell him something."

"Tell him something," Hana said, testing the words on her tongue. Naruto tensed. She really was a scary lady, probably scarier than Ino. "What do you want to tell him?"

Haru laughed a little nervously. "Hana-chan, you're scaring him. He probably wants to keep it a secret, right, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto flushed. "Um, yeah, kind of."

He silently prayed that Hana wouldn't talk to him anymore or he might spill everything. And how embarrassing was that? Telling them that he wanted to thank the mysterious Sawada man for getting him out of trouble? Hokages didn't need help from anyone and he was going to become one!

Haru smiled kindly at him. "He's a very hard person to get a hold of, right?" Naruto just nodded, relieved that Hana wasn't the one talking. "I'll tell you a secret but you can't tell anyone, okay?"

Hana pursed her lips. "Haru."

Her friend just waved her off. "He's just a kid, Hana-chan."

Naruto scowled, but it looked more like a pout. "I'm not a kid! I'm 6-years-old!"

"Still a monkey," Hana mumbled under her breath.

Haru giggled. "Of course, and the future Hokage!" Naruto blushed at that. No one ever took his dream seriously, not even his teachers at the Academy. Only Jiji did. "But promise me, Naruto-kun. You can't tell anyone, okay?"

Naruto nodded. "I promise!"

Haru leaned down to whisper in his ear. "Come to Konoha Hospital next Wednesday at 5 PM, okay? I'll take you to him." She stuck out her pinkie. "Promise?"

Naruto stared at her hand before slowly raising his own and hooking his smaller pinky around hers. His lips curled into a big grin. "Okay!"

It felt good to smile.

Waiting wasn't fun and Naruto was never patient. Wednesday just couldn't come any faster, could it?

His school lessons went in one ear and out the other like usual. Nothing different there. There was some kunai and shuriken throwing practice with Sasuke having the best aim, but that didn't bother Naruto too much like it used to. He was just waiting for Wednesday to come.

When it finally did, he bolted out of his apartment and made his way towards Konoha Hospital. It was a large white building with a red cross above the main entrance. He never liked the hospital. He only went there sometimes to get shots with Jiji and they hurt. The doctors and nurses were kind of creepy, too. They didn't speak like normal people, always talking about measurements, blood, and some other things that Naruto didn't bother to think about. They were too complicated for him anyways.

Slipping in the shadows, he peeked around the wall to see if he could find Haru anywhere amongst the wandering civilians and hospital staff on break. Naruto scratched the back of his head. "What the heck?" he said. "She said she'd be here at 5. Was she lying to me?" Their pinky promise flashed in his mind. "She promised me though…"

"What are you doing here?" a voice suddenly whispered in his ear.

Naruto shrieked and fell onto his butt. He widened his eyes when he saw Haru grinning down at him. She waved cheerfully, as if she didn't just scare him a moment ago. "Hello, Naruto-kun!"

Scrambling to his feet, Naruto tried to speak but his words failed him. "You—Why did you—How—"

Haru giggled. "You're so cute! Hey, do you have a girlfriend yet?"

Naruto blushed. "W—What are you talking about?" He looked away. "I don't have anyone like that!"

Haru grinned, which sent danger signals in Naruto's brain. "Oh, but there's a girl, isn't there? Come on, you can tell me!" She thumped her chest. "Miura Haru, the best love-guru in Konoha at your service! Having lover spats or need a girlfriend? I got you all covered!"

Naruto stared at her strangely. "You're weird, Haru-san."

Haru gasped and clutched her chest in a dramatic fashion. "How could you, Naruto-kun? I'm being serious!" Suddenly, she straightened up with a smile. "Call me Haru-nee-chan, okay? Haru-san's too weird for me, too. Come on. Follow me!"

Naruto blinked at her retreating back before snapping out of it. "W—Wait for me, nee-chan!"

It didn't take long for him to catch up with the young woman. She paused for a moment until he reached her side and smiled down at him. No matter how many times she gave him a smile, Naruto couldn't help but return the gesture. She was nice, really nice compared to the other villagers. They all stared at the odd pair as they walked by, whispering under their breaths. Naruto glanced at Haru nervously but blinked when he saw her ignoring the others like they didn't exist. He looked down at his feet, which was a bit slower than Haru's elegant strides, and scowled. He was short now but soon he'd grow taller! That was what Jiji told him!

"Hey, Haru-nee-chan," he said in the almost stifling silence, "what's he like?"

"Hm?" Haru tilted her head. "Ah." She smiled, but it was sadder this time and her eyes looked distant. Naruto had seen the same look in other shinobi whenever he stuck around to hear stories about their missions at the bar, hiding behind a trash can. He didn't like it. Nothing good ever came out of that expression. "He's a very kind person. You must know that, right, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto didn't know how to respond, but his mouth worked against him at the most unhelpful times. "Eh? Well, he kind of looked scary. Just a little bit." He chewed on his lip. "I—Well, he kind of helped me, that's how I know him, and I wanted to thank him, but he disappeared really fast before I could do that."

Haru perked up at that, her eyes brightening a bit. Naruto's shoulders relaxed. Maybe his mouth wasn't that bad after all. "Really?" she said. "I'm glad to hear that. He can look a little scary but…it's because he's going through some things right now."

Naruto couldn't help himself. "What kind of things?"

Haru's voice softened. "It's a little hard for you to understand, Naruto-kun, but he's hurting."

Naruto furrowed his brows. "Hurting? Did he get hurt on a mission? Is he a shinobi? He looked pretty strong."

Haru smiled the same sad smile again. "Something like that. Come on. My apartment's nearby." She pointed at a nice gray building that almost looked like his, but it seemed brighter. "My room's right up there. See that window with the daffodils? That's mine!"

Naruto unconsciously held onto the hem of Haru's shirt when they entered the building. A couple walked out, greeting Haru cheerfully, until they saw him. Haru just gently led Naruto inside and upstairs, humming a soft tune under her breath. Her voice echoed quietly in the staircase before they reached the third floor. Her door had 306 written on it.

When Haru ushered Naruto in her apartment, the boy stood awkwardly to the side as she headed to the kitchen. Her home was a little bigger than his, with a bigger living room, and much neater. There was a green couch and a desk with some books and scrolls piled on top of it. The vase of daffodils was the most vibrant part of the whole place. Naruto jumped when Haru placed some home slippers in front of him.

"Here," she said. "You can use these. Make yourself comfortable! Would you like anything to drink? Eat? I have some snacks."

"Milk, please," Naruto said, plopping down on the couch. "Thank you."

His heart nearly skipped a beat when Haru grinned at him. "Okay!" she said.

Maybe using those good manners Jiji told him wasn't so bad. It was a little weird but Naruto could deal with it, kind of. He mentally groaned. What was he doing? For all he knew, Haru was probably tricking him and might drug him or something. He heard about some shinobi who got poisoned from drinking tea and stuff like that by their enemies. What if this was happening to him now?

Think things through, idiot! he thought.

But he remembered Haru's happy smiles, her small token of kindness, the way she looked at him like a normal person and not some trash on the road. She could just be a good actor…

"Naruto-kun?"

Blinking, Naruto shook his head before realizing that Haru had placed a tray of crackers and a cup of milk on the table. His stomach grumbled then, making him blush. Haru giggled. "Eat up," she said. "I have more so don't worry!"

Naruto gulped. His fingers twitched for the crackers until his stupid reasoning got in the way. "Where is he?" he said, looking anywhere but Haru. "He's here, right?"

Did you lie to me? went unsaid. Naruto bit his lip. Why couldn't things go right for once? Maybe he was stupid, really stupid, for thinking that this was a lucky break for him. How hard was it to tell a guy thank you? Why did it have to go this far?

"Naruto-kun," Haru said gently, "look at me, please?"

Naruto's hands balled into small fists on his lap. His head turned slowly until he saw Haru's knees. His whole body shook, bracing for a blow. In fact, it was better that way. Kindness was almost fictional to him. Getting hit by reality seemed nicer somehow.

"You can trust me," Haru said. "You don't have to now, but you can soon, at your own pace. I know this is a little strange to you but I didn't bring you here to hurt you." She laughed softly. "I'm a medic-nin. It's against my own principals to hurt anyone. I brought you here so you can meet that man. It'd be difficult to find him on your own. He's not someone who wants to be found."

Naruto peered at Haru through his lashes. She seemed…so sincere, honest. Still…

"What does that mean?" he said. "I thought he's your friend. Why doesn't he want anyone to find him?" He looked down at his lap. "Is it because he…hurts a lot?"

Before Haru could respond, a soft knock came from her door. Naruto tensed. Haru gave him a small smile. "That's him."

Naruto's heart picked up its pace and he could hear his breaths as Haru answered the door. His palms felt sweaty, so he quickly wiped them away on his shorts. The man was here. He was actually here. Dreaming or not, Naruto wanted to—No, had to meet him.

His stomach immediately dropped when the door opened. His breath hitched. The man was leaning against the doorway, his lips bleeding. Blood—there was blood all over him. His shirt was torn and there was a bruise forming on his cheek. Haru almost screamed. "T—Tsuna-kun!" she said, supporting his weight. "What happened to you?"

The man—Tsuna, his name was Tsuna—breathed hoarsely. "Some Uchihas caught me…" he said. "For Nagi…"

With that, he slumped over, making Haru nearly fall over. She looked to Naruto with serious eyes, making him flinch. "Naruto-kun, can you get a pillow from my room and put it on the couch? Quickly!"

Naruto could only gape as Haru carried Tsuna over to the couch. "Naruto-kun, hurry!"

That snapped him out of his stupor. He clambered to his feet and immediately ran to Haru's room.

What the heck was going on?

A/N As a testament to my name, here you go. Another plot bunny made and ready to go. :^)

So, this is a different take to the NarutoXKHR crossover. It's more like a fusion where the KHR cast belongs in the Naruto world. No reincarnations or rebirths here. This will stick with the Naruto-world, but there will be changes eventually in canon. I'm not sure if I'm going to stick with Naruto's POV the whole story, but it could change. Depends on the timing, haha. Also, it's been a while since I watched Naruto so...

Also, really, I didn't abandon my other stories. I'm just terrible in keeping my plot bunnies in check and being consistent with updating. Most of my writing will depend on my mood, so I'm really sorry for that. I hope you peeps can understand. :^(

Thank you so much for reading! I hope to see you again in the next chapter.

Have a lovely day~

Little Miss Bunny