Voice of the Wanderer
Naruto Fanfiction
Disclaimer: I don't own a single shred of Naruto.
Chapter 1: My Spirit Will Go On
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Time, an ever present, ever living entity of earth, waits for no man. It flows through history, meeting faces and never seeing them again for all the years to come. As powerful as time is, however, there was only one living person it couldn't flow through, until just recently. My name is... hmm... actually, I've all but forgotten that aspect of me. I've lived for so long, seen so many faces, and watched them all die right in front of me. I was born like you, but didn't live your life.
Ever since birth, people have been underestimating me and treated me like I was the scum of the earth, and I understand, at least to a certain extent. It took me a while to gain their trust, especially because I finally understood why I was treated as if I was less than the very brown substance that is the foundation of the world we live in. I gained their trust, formed friendships, gained relationships, became stronger. I had my share of enemies, but they helped me through it all, and I don't think I can ever thank them enough.
Where my benefactors are now, I know and at the same time, don't know. Remember what I said when I mentioned that I was born like you, but didn't live the same life you did? I was being down to earth serious. There was something inside me, something that should have been killed but refused to die. He... or rather, it, is an evil entity, or so I thought. We never really learned to get along with each other, but as time passed, we drew a line on each other's thoughts and decided to do some bonding.
Actually, this being was so much of a pompus and negative entity that I had to open up to him myself. I suppose I'm glad I did. He wanted me dead so he could escape and live the world as he used to. But he was sealed away, unable to move around in his cage, so he made the best of his sealed eternity. We talked, bonded, formed a friendship, despite his constant protests of being against such an idea. As evil as he was, I was able to purify him.
He's not around anymore, moved on like the rest of my benefactors. But I suppose you're wondering something right now, why haven't I moved on? That is a question I don't mind answering. You see, before he moved on, he had one final gift for me. At the moment, I was dying, almost already at the brink of death, when he did the unthinkable. His spirit dissolved into my flesh and my bones, pouring out his remaining strength to me, so that I may live.
That selfless act to save my life, cost him his own, but you know what? He didn't mind. He told me that I was his first friend and he wanted me to live out the rest of my life. As his purified spirit ascended, he smiled to me, telling me to live for him and for everyone who died trying to protect me. Now you're probably wondering, who died? Who was protecting me from what? I can answer that too. My benefactors died, protecting me from what may have been the saddest end in the world.
I was captured by very evil people. Now, these people weren't really up for negotiations, especially when I was the last person on their list of people to kidnap. This group of people, this organization, was a group that I trained for years to overcome, but I was weak. I was still too weak. They called out to me, begging for my help, but I couldn't. I couldn't even help myself. And so they, just as my first savior, did the unthinkable too. They all gave their lives so that I may summon the strength to defeat these people. When it was all over, everyone around me, all that I lived for, all that I would have died for, were gone.
Their bodies rested from the dirt where they once came from, our very early ancestors anyway. I was the last one to be breathing any oxygen. As far as my ocean blue eyes could see... nothing but death and destruction. I looked around the place where I was born and grew up in, the buildings that housed me since birth, the people I swore to protect, were the things, the ones who protected me. And so I lived, waiting for time to claim me as it should, so I can join them in eternal happiness.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Remember my first benefactor? The one who said that I was his first friend? When his essence fused into mine, I gained one of his gifts, or rather a curse if you will. I wanted to join my loved ones in peace, but I learned that I couldn't. Said benefactor was no ordinary entity, he was an eternal one. A an evil fox demon who was responsible of the deaths of countless innocents. He was sealed inside me after he was bested by my hero and the one I later learned to be none other than my own flesh and blood, my own father.
At first, I hated him for putting this demonic curse into me, for causing me to live my childhood devoid of any happiness that children should go through. But then, how could a son hate his father forever? Sure my childhood sucked, but I would never have made such a friend like that demon, if not for my father. That demon saved my life, when I was at the brink of death. Because I was able to live, I was able to rid the world of the evil curtain that shrouded it and would have for a very long time. I half wish that the demon didn't though. His curse was the power of immortality. With such a curse, I was able to live through it all, not able to die.
Because of my inability to die, I traveled the world, exploring all of life's mysteries just because I can. Due to my carelessness, I should have died many times, but the demon's power wouldn't allow that kind of ending for me. It's not like it was my intention to get killed, but you know how we humans are, we're just careless, right? There were so many things I learned and so many new friends I made, but in the end, they all grew old and died, while I remained at this age, this cursed age of 17.
How long has it been? How long have I been 17 years old? My seemingly countless amount of calendars can tell me that. The last time I looked, I've been 17 for 500 years. Has it really been that long? I kinda forgot since time can't really pass through me, or rather, I can't pass with time. But enough about my past. I'm tired of reminiscing, I can't handle it anymore. I always end up crying myself to sleep whenever I have to move to a new home so people wouldn't think of me as an immortal freak of nature.
Fortunately, heaven finally answered my prayers after so long. Just last month, when I accidentally prinked my finger while sowing some clothes, I noticed something. Whenever I would get injured, I would heal from it quickly. But this time, the healing was much slower than usual. The wound closed after about a minute, still faster than the normal cellular regeneration of any mortal being, but it was definitely slower. Two weeks after that incident, I found myself growing a mustache, something that has never happened to me before. Putting two and two together, I realized that without the demon inside me, his essence would have eventually faded away.
Time is catching up to me now. After 500 years, I think this may be my last century in this world. I can finally join my friends and family, wherever they may be but not just yet. For centuries, I've been going from town to town, trying to live a normal life. Ever since my not so literal age of 47, I stopped making any relationships because I know I would just cry about them when they died and left me. But since this is going to be my last strand of life, maybe it won't be too hard to do it again.
I sighed to myself as I took a glance at the institution where my learning would take place. The building and the ones next to it didn't look too bad, but it was mainly the name of the building that sort of got to me. It was like de ja vu of sorts. As a 17 year old kid... erm... person, this new continent forced me to go back to school. When I made my umpteenth identity, I stated in my information and records that I'm a transfer student from a the western lands. What did they call that place? I think it was America, back when I was last there, some years ago.
I learned in there that having blond hair wasn't a rarity at all. A lot of people had blond hair in that place, but they all spoke a language that I didn't, a very odd language called English. It took my a while to learn that, and I have to say that I've gotten pretty good at it. But I won't need English for where I am. I'm here again, back in good old Japan, where I was born and raised. I haven't been here for a couple of centuries and it's nice to be back home. Oh and, my new learning institution is called Kono high school.
I chuckled at the thought of it. Kono high kind of matched Konoha. You're not laughing? Well I thought it was funny. Anyway, I don't think I'll have to worry about money for a long time, maybe even ever. America, where I lived for a good portion of my seemingly eternal life, I made friends with this really old man. I saved him from being mugged by a bunch of low life crooks and in turn, he took me in. He died about a couple of months ago, a smile crept on his wrinkled face as he left the world. But before he did, he made sure that my name was in his will.
To make a long story short, I'm pretty much the richest "17" year old person in this planet. And to top it all off, the exchange rate from America to Japan is pretty heavy. My already massive bank account is pretty much quadrupled, maybe even more. I have enough money to keep me living the good life for a long time, but my travels around the world taught me a bit of humility, as did my previous teachers. I don't live in a mansion or a large corporal estate, and I promise you, I can do that. I've had enough lessons on business to be able to run a successful one but that's not the kind of life I want. I live in a pretty normal house, not standing out from anyone else' place. I choose to live the rest of my life in peace.
Oh dear, I think that was the tardy bell I just heard. How time finally passes by me, hm? I hopped off of my motorcycle and chained it to a save spot. I've been here before, for my orientation and was shown around the place, so I know where to go. I entered the main building and proceeded to my locker. I entered the combination that I was given, a week ago, and opened it. As I placed my helmet and back pack away, I pulled my books out. I was about to close it, when my eyes swerved to a mirror that was seemingly glued inside my locker.
I looked at myself, a bit proud that my image hasn't changed much, over the years. My hair is a little longer than it used to be, longer than when I was serving under Tsunade-baachan, but still short, to some extent. I never really felt like fixing my hair, as it would never obey my commands and just spike up on its own. I'm actually glad that this place has a uniform conduct. With all the clothes I own, I don't think I would have been able to choose a proper outfit for the day.
I stand at a good 5'11, a height that never really improved or worsened. Throughout the years, I've been keeping up with my shinobi training though, training only within the confines of my own home or private living quarters. The age of shinobi is over, I'm the last of my kind. If someone saw me forming the Rasengan on my palm, or creating shadow clones, they would refer to me as a magician. The hidden village of shinobi were just that, hidden. Their age ended without anyone to continue their legacy, except myself of course. I think my physique has been maintained pretty well, having a rock hard abdomen structure and an equally tough set of pectorals.
My arms and legs were quite toned too. But males are required to wear black jackets to match with their black pants, so I suppose no one will be seeing my arms. My outfit was a simple set of black pants, a white collared shirt, the aforementioned black jacket, a red tie, and a pair of white shoes. I'd have to say that this is pretty comfortable. I carried my necessary books and closed my locker, heading straight for my first class.
When I arrived, I looked at my list of classes again. The paper said "room 3A." When I looked at the wall, it did have a sign that said 3A. I guess this is it. Beyond this door is my first educational class since that time in New York when I learned how to speak English. I knocked on the door, a both excited and wracked with a serious case of what felt like my first nervous breakdown. Okay, I don't know why my body is reacting this way but I have to shake it off. When there was no answer, I knocked again.
Suddenly, the chattering from inside the room, stopped. They probably heard my knock, which was a little louder than the first. I heard footsteps coming closer and closer. That must be the teacher coming, or someone of equal stature and position in this school. When the door opened, it took a lot of willpower to keep my jaws from hanging down. What in the world was he doing here? He died with the others, right? Right in front of me was a carbon copy, a spitting image of my first teacher, Iruka-sensei.
"Can I help you?" he asked. Of course he wouldn't recognize me, but this is amazing, what is he doing here? I saw him killed by Zetsu, along with Anko. It was then that I remembered something that some monks in China taught me, something about a lesson in reincarnation. To make a very long lecture short, reincarnation was pretty much a second life on earth, after death. However, the soul's memory of what it was on earth, was wiped clean, so he or she can live a fresh start with his or her new life. This must be what had occured.
But I wonder, if Iruka-sensei was reincarnated, does that mean the same for the others too? When my brain returned to reality, I remembered that this man asked my a question that I probably haven't answered yet. I bowed to him, embarrassed at my first impression on him.
"I am the foreign exchange student from the states. I'm sorry, I got lost on my way here," I replied, giving him a very terrible excuse for my tardiness. The man nodded and ushered me inside. When I walked in with him, he stood behind his podium and looked to the rest of the class. I looked around the room, it looked just like any other classroom, much like the ones in America, China, Korea, etc. When I was done looking around, I looked to my teacher and smiled.
"This young man, ladies and gentlmen, is the foreign exchange student from America. He has passed all of his entrance exams with flying colors and I do hope that you all will take advantage of the knowledge and wisdom that he can offer to you," he said as he finished introducing me. He turned to me with what looked like an emotionless look. How nice... "Young man, why don't you introduce yourself to the class before you take a seat?"
"Yes sir," I said, finally looking over to my classmates. My eyes widened when I saw them, well, some of them.
There were many faces to look at, but only some of whom I actually recognized. A teen, probably the same age as I would be, according to my appearance, sat at the side, gazing outside from the window. His head adorned a pineapple style haircut, wearing the ever so bored expression on his face as I remembered when I last saw him. Another teen, who sat at the other side of the room, opposite from him, was writing something in her notebook. She had two buns on her head, which was hair of course. Her chocolate brown bangs fell in front of her eyes. She wore exactly what the girls in this school wore. She wore a white, long sleeve blouse over her upper body and a black vest that could be buttoned up to hold her bust.
I rolled my eyes at that thought. She wore a red tie as well, but was hidden under her black vest, showing only the knot. She wore a red skirt that reached at mid-thigh and a pair of black high socks that reached just a couple of inches below the ends of her skirt. Lastly, she wore a pair of white shoes on her feet. There they were, Shikamaru and Tenten.
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. It's nice to meet you all," I said as I bowed to them as well. I figured it would be nice to use my old name one last time. This is my last century of life after all, right? I turned to face my teacher and bowed to him again.
"I am Umino Iruka, but you may call me Umino-sensei," he said. I nodded my head. I would have preferred Iruka-sensei but oh well, right? I turned around and wondered where to sit. There was only really one empty spot, and that one was behind the one who looked like a perfect image of Tenten. I took my seat and took my history book out, which was what this class was about. As I took my notebook out as well, I stole a glance at the girl who were one of the many who sacrificed their lives for me.
When Pein was about to strike me down, she and Lee were the first to come to my defense, losing their lives in the process. It's like seeing a ghost, but only she was really here. I'm not sure how long I was staring for, but when I caught my eyes blinking twice, my eyes met hers. She looked at my like I was a rapist. And to add to the misconception, I had a grin on my lips. I turned back to my table quickly. I was just thinking about our memories in the past, nothing else, but she probably wouldn't believe that.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare," I started. She spared me a glance and rolled her eyes. Oh great, I really do suck at first impressions, don't I? But does it really count as a first impression? Well, in their lifetime, I suppose it does. "It's just that, you look someone who was very important to me."
"Was?" she asked. I nodded.
"She... moved away when we were younger. I haven't seen her since," I said. Well, it isn't a total lie. She's not around anymore and hasn't been for many years now.
"I'm sorry to hear that, Uzumaki-san, but this isn't a class for recalling old memories. This is a history class and if you don't mind, I need to continue writing notes or I'll never pass this class," she said. Wow, I don't remember Tenten ever being this harsh. I wonder if the others are like this too. Come to think of it, would they be here? Tenten, Shikamaru, and Iruka-sensei are here so the others should be here as well. I suppose only time will tell. I looked away from the girl and paid attention to Iruka-sensei's lecturing.
Throughout the class, I mostly doodled on my notebook, especially with the given fact that I already knew all these things. I'm a living, walking relic, for goodness sake. I met Abraham Lincoln, I even helped Benjamin Franklin with his discovery of lightning. I know all these things about the Japanese deities; Amaterasu, Tsukiyomi, and Susanoo. Sasuke almost got me with Amaterasu once, when we fought for the last time, atop the face of the third Hokage's monument. I was balancing my pencil on my nose, when I heard a voice calling to me.
"I see you have some extra time for foolishness, Uzumaki-san. I'm disappointed, I did expect more from you," said Iruka-sensei. I had my hands on the back of my head, looking up at the ceiling. The entire class was looking at me now. "Tell me then, Uzumaki-san, a piece of background information on Amaterasu."
"According to Japanese mythology, she's the sun goddess, born from the left eye of the earlier god, Izanagi, as he purified himself in a river," I said in a tone that clearly meant that I know what I'm talking about. "If translated using the western language of English, her name can actually mean 'that which illuminates, or shines through, heaven.' And on top of all that, she's one hot deity, although if she heard me say that, she would burn me to a crisp."
Iruka-sensei raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed at my knowledge about the sun goddess. I meant what I said though, I did meet Amaterasu once. How that happened, I'd rather not share. My classmates gawked at me as I took the pencil from my nose and started flipping it like it was some coin. Shikamaru's eyes were actually on me. If his past self were alive, he probably wouldn't care. Take that, Shikamaru! I may not have ever been able to beat you in Shoji but your expression of amazement today is something I'll cherish until I die. Then I can laugh at your face in the afterlife.
Tenten was also looking my way, having stopped her writing when Iruka-sensei called me out. She looked pretty impressed too. I guess all that studying is finally paying off. I never thought that I had the affinity for educational studies but it just goes to show that you learn something new everyday. Iruka-sensei sighed and nodded as I flashed him one of my trademark smiles.
"Well, at least you were paying attention to my lectures. I suppose I'll continue," he said as he turned back to face the board. Just then, I had the sudden urge to stand. I didn't want to, but my legs already pushed me up. Man, I'm really making one hell of a first impression with these guys. All they're doing is staring at me.
"Ne, Umino-sensei, why don't you let me teach for the remainder of the class period? I'm pretty good with Japanese mythology and besides, those bags under your eyes clearly state that you haven't had much sleep last night. What do you say?" I asked. I had no intention in saying any of that but I didn't want to sit back down either without doing something. Sensei looked me in the eye for a few seconds and nodded, accepting my offer. I cocked up an eyebrow. I didn't expect him to actually agree but whatever.
He stepped aside, sitting on his chair and allowed me to take the class from him. I took a stick of chalk and started writing some things down on the board. As I wrote, my classmates copied the notes down. As a shinobi, I do have heightened senses. I can hear everyone's pencil's moving, except for one person. I clenched the chalk stick, turned around, and tossed it at one pineapple haired teen who was looking at the clouds again.
"Pay attention, Shikamaru-baka!" I shouted. The guy looked at me in annoyance.
"How the heck do you know my name?" he asked. Oh shoot... he has a point. Okay, gotta think of a way out of this. I shouted that name on impulse and that's not good, not yet anyway. I looked at Umino-sensei's podium and saw a roll sheet and a separate sheet that stated who sat where.
"I know your name because of this roll sheet and this seating chart that happened to be on Umino-sensei's podium," I replied quickly, waving the two sheets of paper at him. In the inside, my heart was beating so fast and so hard that it was threatening to jump out of my throat. That was way too close.
"Fine, whatever..." said the teen as he pulled his notebook out.
The rest of the class was pretty entertaining. I got to teach one of the things I was really good at, mainly because I lived through it. It's one thing to learn something, but it's another thing to live the experience. When the bell rang for our next class, my peers exited the classroom, leaving my sensei quite baffled at the seemingly never ending stream of knowledge that was in my brain. I picked up my books and went to my next class as well. I ran my hands through my pocket and picked up my class list. While glancing at it, I bumped against someone's shoulder and almost dropped my books. I looked to see who it was and my eyes widened for the second time today.
Was that Sasuke? Sasuke Uchiha? The raven-haired young man narrowed his eyes at me for a second, before walking away. So he's here too, huh? When I arrived at my next class, the door was already open but not that many students were present yet. When I looked for a place to sit, someone sat right behind me. I turned to see who it was, my jaw dropping down.
"H-Hinata-chan?" I slightly stuttered as I uttered her name from my mouth. Damn she's gorgeous in that school uniform! The pale-eyed girl looked at me as she sat herself down on her seat. She looked at me strangely.
"I don't think I know you. Have we met before?" she asked me in her ever so sweet voice. Hinata was the third person who died for me, shortly after Tenten with the first one being Lee. I was really angered when she died because she confessed her love for me and I wasn't able to return it. Honestly speaking, I did have a little thing for the young Hyuuga but I was far too caught up with my need to become Hokage that the feeling shortly slipped away. I blinked twice, returning to reality. I sat down on the chair and turned to face her. I extended my hand out to her, shaking it.
"No, we haven't met before. You just look like someone I used to know," I said. She nodded at me and smiled. "By the way, my name is Uzumaki Naruto, a foreign exchange student from the west."
"I am Hyuuga Hinata, very nice to meet you, Uzu... maki... san..." she trailed off quietly. Her head tilted to the left, right, and then left once more, every time she stated a segment of my surname. I was about to ask her what's up, when she narrowed her eyes at me. "I'm sorry but are you sure we have never met? Just now, when I said your name, it felt familiar to me in ways that I don't know."
I looked at her quietly, of course she would react that way. Her past life had feelings that were so strong for me that it probably even rivaled my desire to become the Hokage. Everyone in the village pretty much knew it except me and oh how stupid I felt for it. I smiled at her, taking my hands away from hers. Those were the days of the past and it's unhealthy for me to keep reminiscing about them. Those were events that took place centuries ago and they wouldn't want me to torment myself for them.
"Yes I'm sure of it, Hyuuga-san. We have never met," I assured her. She nodded.
"Oh and please, just Hinata is fine. I don't like my friends referring to me with honorifics. And I feel that being on a first name basis is a good way to strengthen an early friendship," she said. I nodded at that. That's fine with me.
"Then, Hinata-chan?" I asked.
"Yes, that will do, Naruto-kun," she said in exchange. She and I conversed about random topics for a couple of minutes until another familiar face entered through the back door. His skin was almost as pale as Hinata's, but he looked a little creepier than most teenagers with that kind of skin texture. His short, black hair was something I recognized as well.
Oh dear I don't think I can handle any more of these occurrences. I know exactly who this guy is. He stood in Pein's way, just after Hinata crashed on the ground. He stood valiantly, defending his pride and myself as Konoha shinobi, but eventually fell as well. The pale faced teenager approached me.
"Good morning, Sai," I greeted.
"Good morning... erm... who are you again?" he asked me.
"I'm sorry, my name is Uzumaki Naruto, a foreign exchange student from the west," I replied. The boy nodded.
"So... how do you know my name?" he asked. I pointed at a tag on his shirt. It read 'hello, my name is Sai.' The pale teen looked to it and nodded approvingly. Sai nodded at me as well and sat on his assigned seat, which was somewhere in the second row to the right. As the students started arriving, the tardy bell rang. I found it odd that our teacher wasn't here yet.
I started fiddling with my fingers in complete boredom and yet my peers all looked calm and collected, as if this was a frequent occurence. I then put two and two together. It's way passed the tardy bell, my teacher isn't here yet, my peers look like they're used to it. I pinched my hand to awaken me from my supposed slumber. If my deductions are correct then my teacher for this class is none other than...
"Good morning guys and I apologize for arriving late again. I seem to have gotten lost in the path of life," said that familiar looking silver-haired jou- I mean man. I rolled my eyes as I stared at his face. Even up to now he is covering his nose and mouth with some kind of black mask. I guess old habits just don't die, even when the person in question does. I held back my desire to shout at him for being late, just like I always used to. After he finished taking roll, I realize that my name was the only one that wasn't called. He looked to me, noticing what had happened as well.
"Well, it seems like we have a new student joining us today in this lovely path of Japanese literature," he said. I raised an eyebrow. Okay, now the universe makes sense again. Of course this would be a literature class, as this man loved to read novels in his spare time. I just hope it isn't about sex and porn either. I stood up from my seat and walked to the front of the class. I looked to my teacher.
"I am Hatake Kakashi. You may call me Hatake-sensei," he said as I nodded. I turned to the rest of the class, who all looked eager to meet me, namely the female side. I could swear I saw some hearts on some of their eyes. Hinata smiled at me and started blushing. Oh great, it's happening again. Like I said before, old habits just don't die.
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. It's very nice to meet you all," I said for the second time today, bowing to all of them as I returned to my seat. No sooner than two minutes upon opening our literature books to start on today's lesson, a knock on the door interrupted us. Hatake-sensei turned his head as the door opened, revealing a very attractive young woman. If possible, my jaw dropped even lower, possibly crashing on the ground if it could. Standing right there was my former crush, the pink haired beauty of my dreams, Sakura-chan. Her hair fell down to her shoulders, the layered style looking as vibrant as ever. She walked inside and handed sensei a note. He scanned through it and looked my way.
"Uzumaki-san, you're being called to the principal's office," he said. A few "Oooohhhs" were heard from my peers. Hinata simply looked worriedly at me. I gave her a smile, silently telling her that there was nothing to be worried about. I know it's not good for a guy to worry a girl but I kind of like the feeling that someone is worrying about me. It makes me feel like I mean something in their hearts and lives. I stood from my seat and followed the pink haired young woman out of the class.
We walked silently along the halls of Kono High School. She's definitely as beautiful as I last saw her, the school uniform hugging her curves which could make any guy drool. As we walked in silence, apparently the girl beside me couldn't take it anymore. Sakura was never really the type who enjoyed the powerful gift of silence.
"I don't believe we have met before. My name is Haruno--"
"Sakura," I finished. I smiled at myself, catching her attention. But this time, I actually have a means of being able to defend myself.
"How did you know my name?" she asked. I nodded to her question but before I answered her question, I took another glance at her features. She was the next person to buy me some time to recover, right after Sai was murdered by Pein. It's funny how I'm meeting my old peers in chronological order according to their times of death. I sighed to myself. I suppose that's enough about the past. I do have a question to answer, after all.
"It's just that your hair looks like the color of cherry blossoms, that's all," I said. She nodded at me.
"Yes, everyone seems to say that about my hair. I was often teased because of it when I was younger. There aren't many people in this country with natural pink hair, you know. Of course, I don't get teased anymore, not for that reason anyway," she said. I smiled at her.
"I bet you were also teased because of your forehead, right?" I asked. I think I struck a nerve there, right when I said that. She narrowed her eyes at me, about to say something too, when I cut her off. "Don't worry though. They can tease you about your forehead all they want because you have something behind that forehead that they'll never have. You're an intelligent young woman, Haruno-san. Don't ask my how I know either, I just do. And of top of that..."
I smirked.
"You are beautiful. Believe it," I said as we arrived at the principal's building. Sakura was set in silence, the same uncomfortable one that we were in earlier. I really have to stop doing these things but it's so much fun. I know so much about these guys and yet they know nothing about me. When I opened the door to the principal's office, I saw a blond woman reading through some documents. She wore a much more professional looking business suit than some of the other adults that I've seen in this place. I guess the most noticeable thing in her outfit was the fact that her bust was showing a lot of unnecessary cleavage. I rolled my eyes at the sight. I really don't think I can handle this. I turned faced the woman as she looked up to me.
"Good morning, Tsunade-sama," I greeted, bowing to her. The blond nodded and shooed Sakura away with a flick of her wrist. Sakura nodded and exited through the door behind her. She turned back to face me.
"Uzumaki-san, Umino-sensei just came over a few minutes ago to tell me about your impressive performance in his class. I just have to say congratulations on impressing that man. Why don't we have a chat in the teacher's lounge at recess?"
"I would have to refuse on that one, baa-chan," I said, instantly regretting it. How did that slip out of my mouth? Was it reflex? I can only hope that she won't be too mad at me. I close my eyes in fear, readying myself for whatever she might lash out on me. Surprisingly though, I felt nothing. The woman just simply looked my way.
"Normally I would have pummeled you to the ground for saying that but I don't know, I think it's the way you said it that didn't sound so insulting. I don't know how you know about that little secret of mine that you'll have to keep to yourself or some punishment will be in order. Am I understood?" she asked. I nodded quickly. "Alright then, it's nice to meet you, Uzumaki-san. Now please return to your class."
"Hai, Tsunade-sama," I said as I bowed to her and walked out of the door. Just outside, Sakura was leaning against the wall. She saw me walk out of the room and pushed herself up from the wall. I smiled to her and made my way back to class.
"Wait, Uzumaki-san!" she called to me. I turned around to face her, wondering what she could want now.
"I don't mean to pry and I know you told me not to ask you how you knew but I'm very curious. How do you know that I teased about my forehead? Were you there when it happened?" she asked innocently. Her voice sounded really sad, as if she was reliving a terrible part of her life.
"I wasn't there, I'm sorry, Haruno-san. If I was there at the time, I would have knocked senseless, those who would dare mistreat you. You may have a bit of a temper and sometimes your rash decisions get to your head, but you're one of the strongest women I know, Haruno-san. Don't let what they say get to you. You're stronger than that, trust me," I said. I walked over to her and planted a kiss on her forehead. Okay I don't know what drove me to do that but it didn't feel as wrong as I thought it would, after I had done it.
Sakura placed her hand over the spot where my lips met her forehead. Without saying anything else. I turned around and made my way back to class, leaving a baffled pink haired girl. When I was out of her sight, I quickly made my way to the restroom. When I arrived, making sure that I was alone in there, I allowed my tears to flow from my eyes. I was holding them back when I kissed her forehead but I knew that they were threatening to come out.
This isn't fair. I know so much about them, yet they know nothing about me. I thought it would be fun earlier but it just hurts inside to know that my own friends don't know a single thing about me. Sure there are small occurences with Hinata, when she said that saying my name felt familiar to her, but cases like those just aren't enough for me. I let them all die in front of me because I wasn't strong enough to protect them. The stood up for me, defended me and their home until their dying breaths. I watched them die and could do nothing for them.
When my lips connected with Sakura's forehead, all those memories just came rushing to me, circling me like a raging typhoon. I want them to come back. I want to be with them again, laugh with them, eat with them, drink with them... I wanted to die with them. When my sobfest ended, I wiped myself up and left the restroom. As I walked back to my class, however, the bell rang again. Was I gone for that long? I picked up my books and walked to my locker. As I placed my books away and grabbed my wallet, I felt a tap on my shoulder.
It was Hinata.
"Hey, you were out of class the whole time. Did you get in trouble with the principal?" she asked worriedly. I shook my head.
"No. Hoka-" I stopped myself. I really have to control what comes out of my mouth. "I mean the principal just wanted to have a chat with me and boy did that take a long time! It was just about some unimportant things like introductions. I guess I failed to introduce myself to her during orientation."
"I understand. I guess I was worried for two reasons. When I heard that you were going to the principal's office, I had hoped that you didn't do anything wrong to catch her attention. Secondly, it's the way Haruno-san looked your way. I know I shouldn't say this, having just met you and all, but I felt a pang of... jealousy, when she looked your way," she said. Okay, that caught me by surprise, yet for some reason not so much either. Back in the past, Hinata must have known that I had feelings for Sakura, so she never said anything about her liking me. It only makes sense that she would say this now. Back then, she was full of stutters but this new Hinata doesn't stutter. I closed my locker door and walked with her.
"I'm flattered to know that you felt that way but you're right, we have only just met. I don't think it's right for either of us to be feeling that way yet," I said to myself. She nodded with a smile on her mouth as we made our way outside. Everyone had their own little groups of friends, except me. When we were still in the academy, Kiba, Chouji, Shikamaru, and I would hang out at random areas, just the four of us. But I doubt they recognize me now.
Hinata and I bought our snacks. I was about to walk away when she pulled me to her direction. She lead me to her group of friends, and I wasn't surprised who they were. It's them, all of them. All of the significant people in my age group from my shinobi days were there, some of which were giving me a questioning look. Shikamaru, Sakura, Tenten, and Sai looked to me for a second and then continued eating their snacks.
"Guys, this is Uzumaki Naruto, a foreign exchange student," said Hinata, introducing me to them. Yamanaka Ino, a girl with long blond hair, walked up to me. She tossed her juice carton in the trash can near us.
"My name is Yamanaka Ino. It's good to meet you, Uzumaki-san," she said. It only took her a second to realize that it was either her mouth that felt weird or the name that she stated that sounded weird. I could see it in her facial expression, it's a bit funny actually. "I... you... have we met? Your name sounds really familiar."
"You too, Ino-chan?" asked Hinata. Ino looked her way. "When I met him for the first time and said his name, I had that feeling too."
As the two began their conversation, I found myself leaning on the pole next to me. I can't believe my luck, they're all here and little by little, it looks like some of them are starting to realize what role I played in their past lives. I looked to one person in particular, the girl with the two buns on her head. Tenten is a master when it comes to handling weapons of any type and fashion. I want to test something and I know it's going to work. If this is Tenten's reincarnation, then she should be able to defend herself from what I'm about to do. Plus, this may show them all a bit about themselves that they don't even know.
I grabbed a pen from my pocket and quickly threw it at Tenten. Her reflexes kicking in, she caught the utencil between her index and middle finger. She narrowed her eyes and looked to her hand. It moved on its own. I smirked as she examined her hand, still holding my pen. One of her friends and good friend of mine with a bowl cut hairstyle, looked her way, getting up from his seat.
"Tenten, how did you do that? I did not even see you look in the direction of that thrown utencil and yet you caught it with ease," he said. Tenten continued to look at her hand in amazement.
"Lee... I don't know how I did that. My hand just moved on its own and caught the pen in this form," she said as she looked my way. Before she was about to speak, her second friend started lashing out at me. His long black hair swayed in the wind, and his sharply pale eyes tried to pierce through me. This is him alright, Hyuuga Neji, Hinata's cousin.
"What in the world did you do that for? You could have seriously hurt her. What were you thinking?" he asked. I smirked once more.
"Just by looking at someone, I can tell a good amount of background information about them. Like Tenten for example. I met her in my first class here. When I first saw her, her eyes told me that she secretly practices weaponry when no one is looking. She doesn't like being underestimated, especially by men. She wants to prove to the world that women are about as good at anything that men are, probably even better. Am I right, Tenten-san?" I asked, completely making the whole thing up about being able to know a bit about them. I couldn't take it anymore. I just wanted to tell them who I really am and who they really are but I doubt they'd believe me. This way, I can get them to realize a bit about themselves. Tenten nodded at me.
"You're right, I do like to practice weaponry, especially with long range types," she said. I nodded and looked to the boy with the bowl cut.
"And you, just by looking at your body structure, I can tell that you enjoy training during your spare time. You're also an excellent martial artist," I said. Lee nodded slowly. I then made my way around everyone else, showing them my "powers of critical analysis" and were all amazed by it. I didn't say too much as it may give too much of myself away, but enough to calm my nerves a little. Seeing them all at once like this is too much for me. After about a minute, they were all silent. Even Sasuke was a little surprised when I told him that his parents were dead and he was probably under the care of his older brother. I gave it a serious thought though. Could Itachi actually be a good guy in this era?
The rest of the day progressed as normal as it should. I ended up joining Sakura and Shino for my third class, then Ino, Sasuke, and Neji for my fourth class. For my fifth and sixth class, I shared it with Kankuro, Lee, Chouji, Temari, Kiba, and yes of course, Gaara himself. I was rather surprised that Gaara still had that rough voice on his throat. I had hoped that his scary voice would have changed but it's all good. Gaara ended up being a pretty decent person in this era. I guess it's because he died defending the life of his friend, me. He died without regrets or negative emotions in his life. He was cleansed from all that and so was given a new life with a kind and gentle heart.
As I made my way to my physical education class, after dressing up of course, I was no longer surprised at who my teacher was. Being a co-ed class, my teacher was a woman, and what a woman she was. She was Mitarashi Anko.
"Alright you maggots, today we'll be learning a thing or two about self defense. I hope you're ready to get knocked down because from now until next month, this is all we'll be doing," she said. There were a couple of groans from my peers, but only half of them. The other half, my friends and myself, had no such reaction. Neji, Lee, Sasuke, Kiba, and myself were the ones who were a bit excited. Tenten, Sakura, and Temari looked pretty ready as well. We were then paired up against the opposite sex. Apparently, Anko doesn't believe in same sex battles and I do too. Often in my travels, I was put up against female warriors and kunoichi. Shinobi and kunoichi are all the same to me. I was paired up against Tenten. She slipped into a fighting stance.
"You better not hold back, Uzumaki-san," she said as she charged at me. She threw the first punch, but I caught it easily. Rather than stopping her punch with my palm, I pushed her attack away and grabbed her wrist with the opposite hand. Having stopped her momentum, I pulled her towards me, her face nearing my elbow. She closed her eyes, waiting for the connection, but it never came, not in that sense anyway. I placed my other hand behind her neck and pushed her down. I kicked her shin to go the other way so that she spun forward and landed on the mat. I released her arm as she fell and simply looked to her. Tenten got up rather slowly and looked to me.
"Where did you learn to do that?" she asked me. I smiled at her.
"That's something you'll have to find out for yourself," I said as we continued our match. Every single one of her attacks, I dodged. I didn't even block them, I was way too fast for this kind of battle. As we fought though, I saw Anko whispering to Lee and Kiba, from the corner of my eye. When I knocked Tenten down again, both boys charged at me, but I'm ready for them. Kiba leaped above me but I was able to react fast enough. I raised my leg up and caught his arm with my foot. I swung him forward so that his body would clash with Lee. Both young men fell on the floor. My senses told me that more were coming from behind me and so I was ready.
Neji and Sasuke came from the side and from the back. Sasuke threw his punch at me, but I pushed his fist down, causing him to fall over. He flipped forward and landed on his feet, engaging against me in an all out martial arts battle. I stepped to the side and allowed Neji to join us as well. their attacks had some spirit in them and they definitely had the same style as their past lives, but they were sloppy and very slow. When they both punched at the same time, I circled my hands around their arms and pulled them back. I swung Sasuke over my body first, causing him to land on the soft mat below. Raising Neji up, I also swung him down, but was careful not to hit Sasuke. I heard claps from my peers as I bowed to them all.
"Not bad, new kid. Not bad at all," said Anko. I wasn't mad that she pinned them against me, it actually gave me a decent work out. I helped Neji and Sasuke up. Lee and Kiba were already on their feet when I got to them. Anko approached me, smiling at me.
"Interesting moves you've got there, kid. Do you have a martial arts background?" she asked. I returned the smile and shook my head, clearly lying to her face. If this was the old Anko, she would probably beat me to death for lying to her.
"I don't, sorry. Most of those were really done out of reflex in order to save my own life. I guess I just got lucky against them all," I said. I knew she wasn't buying it though, neither were my peers but they remained silent.
After our physical education class, we showered up and were dismissed to go home. Thankfully, today is Friday so there's no school for another two days. We all said our good byes to each other and went our own separate ways. I unchained my motorcycle and was about to put my helmet on, when I heard a call from behind me. I turned to see who it was but already had a pretty good idea of the identity as I recognized her voice. It was Ino. I wonder what she wants. When she neared me, she started panting a bit, showing the obvious fact that she was running from wherever she was, just to catch me before I left. She raised her blond head to face me.
"Uzumaki-san. I'm happy that I was able to catch up to you. I want to ask you for a favor," she said.
"What's up?" I asked in turn.
"Well, my dad is a little preoccupied with a business trip and he's out of town. I took a bus to get to school and have been doing so for the past few days but I don't feel comfortable around so many people especially with what I'm wearing. This school's uniform really puts us women at a disadvantage," she said, blushing at me. I raised my eyebrow. These new reincarnations are truly different from who they were in their past lives, which was to be expected. Their past lives were trained in the shinobi arts and can handle a few mere perverts or people who couldn't keep their hands to themselves.
"And I suppose you're asking me for a ride home?" I asked. She looked away and nodded slowly. I crossed my arms over my chest, thinking about it. This would be a good way for me to bond with another of my friends so I suppose it's not such a bad idea. "I guess I could. But my motorcycle is a bit of a one-seater so you might find it a little uncomfortable."
"I don't mind at all. Thank you so much, Uzumaki-san!" she said, throwing herself at me. When she pulled away, I placed myself on the seat first, followed by her. I placed my backpack in front of me so that she would have some room for herself. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Ino's curves and excellent physical condition added to that. As we rode off, Ino placed her arms around my waist.
"It's not as cramped in here as I thought it would be," said Ino.
"That's because of your curvy and slender figure, Yamanaka-san. You truly have an angelic appearance," I said. I don't know where I get off saying these kinds of things. I bet she would have slapped me if I said that to her, had we been in the passed. Through my jacket, I felt Ino's face warm up.
"Um... thank you, Uzumaki-san," she said. The rest of our ride was silent until she told me that I passed her house. She hopped off of my motorcycle and bowed to me.
"Thanks again, Uzumaki-san. I really appreciate this," she said as she smiled at me, turning around to enter her house. I waved my good bye to her as I proceeded home. This wasn't such a bad day after all. I'm kind of disappointed that there won't be school tomorrow or the day after. I really want to get to know these people again, in a sense.
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This is just an experimental story. I'm not sure how far this will go, as I've only thought of the first chapter during my first week of school. Although there was a bit of combat action in this chapter, there won't be much of it in the story. I'm going to try to base it around the romance/drama field. As for pairings, I don't know how that's going to turn out either. I will decide on pairings eventually though. Or maybe I could write a harem. I've always wanted to write one of those. Tell me what you guys think about it.
Ja ne.