Warning, this story contains spoilers (don't they all?), so read at your own risk. Naruto doesn't belong to me. Good thing, too. I probably would have ruined it. (lol)
Chapter 2
Not in Kansas Anymore
Well, here I am, in an interrogation chamber.
This is all still so bizarre. I'm in Konohagakure, for duck's sake!
But seriously, I used to be sixteen years old. Why am I a kid again? I haven't actually looked at myself in a mirror yet, but judging by the reactions of the people of the village, I was just a troublemaker. Not only that, but my voice is much higher than before. Not that it was a bad thing. Maybe I could ask Anko-chan for a mirror. I wonder if I look like I did when I was a kid.
Oh, how I missed pre-puberty.
I can't tell her I'm from a different dimension, a different Earth. If I do that, there's no telling what'll happen. I could be questioned further about my world. How was I supposed to explain to Anko-chan that she was a character imagined by a man?
Besides, I don't want to be interrogated anymore. I want to get out of here as soon as possible. I want to go introduce myself to the characters I've grown to love and admire. Telling Anko-chan I know the future will make me a valuable asset and I'll never leave their sight.
No, I had to come up with something else. Where could I claim to be from? Another village? No, they probably verified with the other hidden villages that I wasn't from any of them. Maybe a civilian? That might work, actually. It could also explain my fascination with Konoha, the reason I was shouting so ecstatically around the village.
But wouldn't they be wondering how a civilian kid could evade their Military Police Force for over an hour? Wait… how did I even do that?
There was no way they would believe that I wasn't trained somehow. Man, this was becoming a challenge. Like Shikamaru would say, troublesome.
Okay. I can't tell her I'm from a civilian village, and I can't tell her I'm from a different Earth. Maybe…
The moon? I could claim to be a member of the Ōtsutsuki clan. It might work, but I would need to make sure of something first. I really need a mirror…
"So? Are you gonna talk?" Anko's voice snapped me back to reality. I looked up at her. She had a small frown on her face.
Weird… Back on the other Earth, I had a major crush on Anko-chan (hey, don't judge, I had my reasons), but now… she just seems… old. Why was that? Was it because I was a kid again? Did this mean my taste in women was biological rather than psychological? Am I now a kid with the intelligence of a sixteen-year-old rather than a sixteen-year-old in a kid's body? Interesting…
"I need a mirror," I admitted.
Anko raised her left eyebrow. "Really?"
"Yup," I quipped, closing my eyes.
"I guess… You can use my forehead protector. It's the best I can do for you right now."
That works. Anko reached behind her head and untied her forehead protector. After she had removed it, she rubbed the surface of it with her coat, then tossed it to me. I caught it and looked at my reflection. As soon as I did, my eyes widened.
"What the…" I muttered. My eyes…what the hell are they? They do look cool, but still…
"Problem?"
"N-no…" Holy shit. I am more handsome than a pile of homemade biscuits, and that's saying a lot! That's more than I can say about my old self… Damn.
The kunoichi leaned on her arm, with her elbow on the table and her palm to the side of her head. "So, are you going to tell me where you're from?"
"Right. I'm from…" Then I pointed up.
"The sky?" she asked.
I shook my head. "Further."
"…The moon?"
I nodded. Suddenly, a thought popped into my head. "Um, Anko-chan?"
"Yes?"
"Can I stay here in Konohagakure? I really want to live here. Like forever."
"You don't want to go home?" Anko showed a concerned expression.
"No, the man who raised me…" I remembered Toneri, who was the only real member of the Ōtsutsuki clan left. "I was banished from the moon."
Anko gave a disappointed sigh.
She actually bought my story. Well, whaddaya know. I mentally gave myself a high five.
"If you want to stay here and become a shinobi—'cause let's face it, you could make it easily, given how you ran from the police for so long—you'll probably have to enter the Academy at the bottom level. Before that, however, we have to talk to the Hokage."
I gave Anko a thumbs up. "Sweet."
Anko began to walk toward the exit. "I'll be back in a few hours, so wait for me, please?" She suddenly stopped. "Seriously, can I get a name? I want to call you by something."
Name, name, name. What's in a name? My dog's name is Scrat, my best friend's name is Jay… Name…namenamenamename… Damn, what name can I use?
Okay, the first thing that comes to mind. Pancakes. Shit, that won't do.
Try again. Pancakes.
Pancakes.
…What the hell? Why does that keep popping up? Oh, that makes sense. I'm hungry.
Let's think about it. I could use the name of another character from a different anime. Ichigo? No… doesn't feel right. What goes well with Ōtsutsuki? Maybe from a game? Oh! Yes, that would work! Ryu Ōtsutsuki!
"My name is Ryu. Ryu Ōtsutsuki." That doen't sound half bad. Thank you, Street Fighter!
"Ryu, huh? Well, it's nice to meet you, Ryu. You already know who I am, so I don't think I have to introduce myself." A sadistic grin suddenly appeared on her face. "When I get back, we're going to have a nice chat about how you know me, how does that sound, Ryu?"
I visibly shuddered. She is so going to torture me. I'm screwed.
I watched as Anko left the room and closed the door. What am I supposed to do now? If I have to wait here for hours knowing what might happen when I get back, I'll go insane!
After closing the door behind her, Anko looked at Ibiki, who was still staring through the one-way window with a frown on his face. His expression alone was enough to give Anko the same look.
"What's with that face?" she asked.
"Something is off. Almost everything he said was a lie."
The woman's eyes widened. "He was lying? He seemed really genuine to me."
"Reading people is my specialty. Most of that was definitely false." Ibiki's expression grew soft. "There was only one thing he said that was true."
Anko rolled her eyes. "Let me guess. It was when he was talking about the moon."
"No."
She raised her eyebrows. "No?"
"It was when he said he wanted to live here forever."
"…hmm…" There was still something that worried Anko. "You said there was an important reason why we shouldn't just let him go. What was it?"
Ibiki sighed. 'If only you actually followed through with your studies…' "Anko-sama, you saw his eyes, right?"
"Yeah. They were really strange. I figured it was probably a kekkei genkai."
"Right." Ibiki simply looked at Anko, waiting for her to piece it together.
Anko wasn't going to get very far. "If it's a kekkei genkai, couldn't we trace it to its origin to find out where he's from?"
"Yes. What else?"
"…" Anko simply shrugged.
Ibiki sighed again. "You should probably go back to the library and reread the book about dōjutsu kekkei genkai."
"…Why?"
The leader of the Konoha Torture and Interrogation Force was getting close to banging his head on the wall out of frustration. It was becoming very clear to him as to why Anko wasn't on the team. He managed to calm himself before he accidentally let his emotions be visible.
"That boy's eyes aren't in the book, Anko."
"…"
"No one has ever had those eyes before. No one has ever seen those eyes before." Ibiki paused. "If he really is from the moon, he wouldn't have something like this."
Anko frowned. "Where do you think he's from, Ibiki?"
"…I have no idea. We need to speak with the Hokage. Now." Ibiki walked away, but before he left the room, he turned and spoke. "Anko, please stay here and make sure he doesn't escape."
"…Sure, I guess."
The students of Iruka-sensei's class were discussing the strange even from yesterday before their sensei arrived to teach them. Many students had mixed reactions to the boy that passed them screaming his head off.
"I'm telling you, that kid knew me somehow…" Shikamaru uttered to his best friend, Chōji, who was munching on potato chips.
"Hmm, that's pretty weird," was his reply after swallowing a mouthful of chips.
"But I don't know him at all. And his eyes…"
"Well," started Chōji, "are you going to do anything about it?"
"No way. Too troublesome."
Meanwhile, Hinata Hyūga was silently watching her classmates in confusion. 'They saw him too?' Hinata remembered what the mysterious boy had said yesterday and blushed furiously. 'How did he know I was looking for Naruto-kun?'
It seemed that everyone in the classroom had seen him yesterday. He had looped around the entirety of the village three times, after all, which was impressive, even for a genin. All while screaming his head off. He was pretty loud, too.
Hiruzen heard what Ibiki said about the newcomer and frowned. He did not like the sound of someone with a new dōjutsu appearing in the village, especially one of unknown origin. Even more so one with a new dōjutsu that no one had ever seen. However, when Ibiki explained that the newcomer was a nine-year-old boy who wished to become a Konoha ninja, his expression softened significantly, and he let a smile graze his lips.
Then Ibiki gave him a description of the boy's eyes. They were by far the strangest he had ever heard of. He seemed…intrigued by them. Hiruzen made up his mind rather quickly.
"I will permit him to enter the Academy. However, I want someone to keep a close eye on him to obtain any information on his dōjutsu. Understood?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama. I do have one question, though."
"What is it?"
"Where will he be staying? He has no money, or a place to live."
The elderly Hokage gave the question some thought. "You said he knew a lot of people from the village, right?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
"Then I say you ask who he wants to stay with. He can make a list of them, and I can send someone to ask the people he lists if they are willing to adopt a young boy. Is that understood?"
Ibiki smiled and bowed before the village leader. "Yes, Hokage-sama."
"Good. You are dismissed." Ibiki rose from his bow and turned around, leaving the Hokage's office. He was satisfied with the Hokage's decision. This way he wouldn't have to deal with Ryu.
Noon, Hokage Tower
Ibiki did not like this.
Ryu's list of people with whom he wanted to live included the names of children. But what he found more unsettling was the fact that his first two choices were orphan children. Why did Ryu choose he wanted to live with orphans? Ryu's list said:
1. Naruto Uzumaki
2. Sasuke Uchiha
3. Kakashi Hatake
4. Hinata Hyūga
5. Iruka Umino
6. Anko Mitarashi
7. Shikamaru Nara
8. Teuchi and Ayame from Ramen Ichiraku
Ibiki chuckled to himself as he read the last entry on the list. 'Maybe the kid likes ramen or something.' He quickly returned to the Hokage with the list. As the Hokage read over it, he burst out laughing.
"Well, this is interesting," Hiruzen said after regaining his composure. "Well, Ibiki…if you are busy, I'll ask an Anbu shinobi to speak to the people on this list."
Ibiki nodded. "I'm afraid I have work to do right now, Hokage-sama. A spy from Iwagakure has been captured this afternoon."
The Hokage nodded. "Very well. You are dismissed."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama," replied Ibiki as he bowed. He then stood and left the room. Hiruzen read over the list once more, allowing an amused smile to appear. This really was interesting. "Ibiki seems to trust him, and Ibiki is never wrong about people. I suppose I have no choice but to perceive him as a non-threat for now.' After making a few editions to the list so that the parents of the children on the list would replace their child's name, Hiruzen raised his arm with a fist. Immediately, an Anbu shinobi appeared by his side.
"Yes, Hokage-sama?"
"I need you to approach these individuals and ask them if they are willing to adopt a young boy with a peculiar kekkei genkai."
"Understood, Hokage-sama."
"When you have spoken with all of them, I want you to return to me with a list of the ones who have agreed. Also…" Hiruzen paused for a few seconds. "…For the first two, ask if they are willing to accept a brother rather than adopt a child. I believe they would be more likely to agree to it in that sense. The first person, anyway. You are not allowed to share the information regarding the decisions of the people on the list with anyone, including the people on that very list. Do you understand your mission?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
"You are dismissed."
The Anbu ninja instantaneously vanished. Hiruzen smiled inwardly. 'I'd like to meet this Ryu character.' He made a hand seal, and in an instant, a shadow clone appeared beside him. The both nodded to each other and the shadow clone walked out of the room.
Meanwhile, Ryu sat in the interrogation chamber. Thankfully, he was not alone. Anko decided to join him while they waited for Ibiki's return. Ryu had decided to have a little… fun.
"Hey, Anko-chan?"
"Yeah, what?"
"You know Kakashi Hatake, right?"
"…Yeah, why do you ask?"
Ryu smirked and there was a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Do you know what's under his mask?"
The kunoichi scoffed. "Of course not. He never takes that thing off." Ryu began to chuckle to himself. "What?" Anko asked, confused.
"I've seen it."
Anko's eyes grew wide. "WHAT?! HOW? WHAT DID YOU SEE? WHAT IS HE HIDING UNDER THE MASK? YOU HAVE TO TELL ME!"
"Well…" Ryu was enjoying watching Anko squirm. It was so unlike her character to get worked up over something so trivial. Well, it was trivial to him, at least. "Let's see… There are only two things I can say about his face…" Ryu paused, watching Anko's anticipation grow.
"TELL ME OR I'LL KILL YOU!" the woman insisted, bloody murder in her eyes. Ryu chuckled.
"Nah, I think I'll save it for later."
Anko seemed to enter rage mode at Ryu's last comment. The boy, however, simply yawned and put his arms behind his head, just like Shikamaru's signature pose. "Getting angry won't help you find out what he looks like, you know," he teased. This was the most fun thing he had ever done in his entire life. Never did he think he would get the chance to tease a character from his favorite anime. This was a dream come true.
He decided to calm her down. "Seriously though… I don't think Kakashi wants me to reveal his biggest secret, so I won't tell you. For now." Anko's rage slowly transformed into disappointment.
"But," Anko began to say. "Have you actually seen Kakashi's face?"
Ryu nodded.
Suddenly, the door opened. A member of the Anbu squad stood at the entrance.
"Anko Mitarashi."
"Yeah, what's up?"
"You must come with me."
Anko didn't hesitate to follow the ninja out of the room. Since it was Anbu, it was most likely something important. She looked back at Ryu and said, "I'll be back soon, kiddo."
The door closed, and Anko followed the Anbu shinobi further from the door until he stopped and turned. Then he spoke. "Anko Mitarashi, the Hokage has instructed me to ask you a question."
"Alright, what is it?"
"Are you willing to adopt a nine-year-old boy with a peculiar kekkei genkai?" he asked.
Anko looked at the masked ninja, slightly confused. 'Peculiar kekkei genkai…" Her gaze wandered until it fixed on Ryu, who could be seen through the one-way window. Then it clicked.
Anko burst out into a fit of laughter, holding her sides together, which felt like they were splitting from her body. She even ended up rolling on the ground. 'That brat chose ME? HAHAHAHAHAH!'
After a few minutes of laughter, the woman stood and regained her composure. Then, with a single breath, she gave her reply to the question. "No." Anko wasn't about to let the kid have the pleasure of living with her, especially after teasing her with Kakashi's face.
The Anbu shinobi bowed and thanked her before vanishing out of sight. Anko sighed and headed back toward the door leading to the interrogation chamber when a voice stopped her. Particularly the voice of the Third Hokage.
"Anko… I'm here to see Ryu."
The Anbu shinobi was on his way to meet with the last person—er, people—on the list. Though he was not allowed to question his orders, as was his duty, he was allowed to wonder. Who was this boy, and what kind of kekkei genkai did he possess? Earlier, he noticed Anko looking at the boy in the interrogation chamber and assumed that it was him. However, Ryu was sitting in the corner of the room with his eyes closed, so he never got a chance to see the boy's eyes.
The shinobi finally reached Ramen Ichiraku. He stepped past the cloth at the entrance and noticed the shop was empty except for the shop owner and his daughter, Teuchi and Ayame. He bowed to them.
"How can we help? Are you here for some ramen?" asked Teuchi.
The shinobi shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I have a question from the Hokage himself."
"Oh…" Teuchi's expression became serious. "What is the question?"
"Are you willing to adopt a nine-year-old boy with a peculiar kekkei genkai?" the masked man asked.
Suddenly, Ayame's eyes were lit ablaze. "YES!"
Teuchi simply chuckled to himself. His daughter had always dreamed of having a son. However, Ayame rarely got time off from working at Ramen Ichiraku. During the times she did have off from work, all she was able to do was rest. She was a hard worker, and didn't have time to visit the orphanage. At least now, the offer was brought to her.
"I don't see why not," said Teuchi as he gave the Anbu ninja a bow. The masked ninja returned the bow and thanked him before leaving.
Within a mere thirty seconds, the man had returned to the Hokage's side.
"Hokage-sama, I have completed the task you have commissioned."
"Good," replied Hiruzen. "Please give me the list of those who have agreed." The masked Anbu did just that.
1. Naruto Uzumaki
2. Sasuke Uchiha
3. Hiashi Hyūga
4. Teuchi and Ayame
Hiruzen's eyes scanned the scroll with amusement as he read the names. Some of them did not surprise him, but one in particular shocked him tremendously. "Sasuke Uchiha actually agreed?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
'Interesting…' thought the Third Hokage. He honestly believed that if anyone would disagree, it would be the last Uchiha. "This is good. Please let Ibiki-san know that I wish to meet with him."
"Understood, Hokage-sama."
"You are dismissed."
The Anbu operative vanished from sight and Hiruzen sighed. 'This job is going to be the death of me.'
Ryu stared long and hard at his options before him.
So, he could live with Naruto if he wanted. This would perhaps allow the greatest control over his favorite ship (though he would never admit it openly), NaruHina. Maybe he could make it happen faster.
He could also live with Sasuke, much to his surprise. He knew putting Sasuke on the list of people to move in with was a long shot, but he still wanted to try. Apparently it had worked. He wondered why Sasuke agreed. Maybe Sasuke was told about Ryu's eyes, his 'kekkei genkai'. That alone was reason enough to want him around, he supposed.
He could also move into the Hyūga clan household. Hiashi himself had agreed to it. Ryu wondered if he consulted any family members before his decision. Joining the Hyūgas would allow him to have some kind of sway with diplomatic decisions thanks to his connection to Hiashi, the clan head.
Last but not least, Ayame and Teuchi. Among the benefits of joining their family were free food, frequent interaction with Naruto, and the ability to bring Ayame and Kakashi together. Ryu knew that Kakashi would grow up without a love interest, and that disturbed him greatly, since he knew Kakashi was perverted.
So…
Ryu was at a complete loss. What was he supposed to do? Who should he choose to live with?
He then suddenly realized something.
'What if I am here for a reason? What if I'm here to keep the characters that died in the original series from dying this time? I don't have all this knowledge for no reason, after all. Maybe I'm supposed to use it to save people.'
Ryu gave it some thought before circling one of the names on the scroll with a pen. He rolled up the scroll and handed it to Ibiki. The man took the scroll with a smirk.
"Follow me." Ibiki opened the door leading outside, and an excited Ryu followed him outside.
On their way to the Hokage Tower, Ibiki and Ryu passed near the Academy when Ryu noticed something fly out of one of the windows. It glided toward the two and landed at their feet. Ryu bent over to pick it up when he realized what it was. It was Naruto's paper airplane. Naruto had made it when he was asked to write down the name of the person he wanted to spend his last day on Earth with, but couldn't think of anyone. Ryu smirked as an idea formed in his head. He looked up at Ibiki.
"Ibiki-san, can I borrow that pen again?" he asked as he unfolded the paper airplane, revealing an empty piece of paper.
"…Why do you need it?"
"Come on, it'll be really quick, I promise."
"Fine," replied Ibiki as he handed Ryu his pen. The boy beamed at Ibiki before kneeling on the ground and writing on the paper. Ibiki peeked at the writing and recognized the name that Ryu was writing.
"What are you up to?" the man asked.
"Insurance," replied the boy as he folded up the paper back into the shape of the plane. "One more thing, Ibiki-san."
"What is it now?"
"Can you throw this back through that window? I don't trust my aim."
Ibiki was surprised by this. "Throw it back?" Ryu nodded. The man sighed. "Very well. Let's go after this." Ryu handed the plane to Ibiki, who threw the paper airplane back through the window with perfect aim.
Ibiki sighed and continued walking, Ryu right on his tail. 'Why am I doing these things for him?' Ibiki looked back at Ryu, who had a big smile on his face. 'He does look like Idate…'
"Alright. Now everyone write down a name. For the last day on Earth… who would you want to be with?" Naruto looked around the classroom and saw that most of the students were writing either 'mom' or 'dad'. Naruto didn't have any of those. He looked at the paper of the girl on his right, Sakura Haruno, and saw that she had written 'Sasuke Uchiha-kun'. He looked back at his own paper in frustration. There wasn't anyone whose name he could write on this. Instead, he folded it into a paper airplane and threw it out of the window.
"Hey Naruto!" Iruka scolded him. "Don't throw away your paper!"
Hinata Hyūga watched Naruto's paper fly past her. She then looked at the boy who threw it and smiled. She knew whose name she wanted to write down.
A minute later, as everyone was putting away their papers, Naruto felt something poke his arm. He looked to his left to see the paper airplane he had thrown not long ago. 'Huh?'
He picked it up and unfolded it, revealing what was inside. 'Hinata Hyūga?'
Hinata, who watched the paper airplane return to its owner, was now looking at Naruto as he read his paper. Then he looked over at Hinata, who quickly turned her head away, her face a bright red. Naruto had a confused look on his face.
'Why does my paper have Hinata's name on it? Would I want to spend my last day on Earth… with her?' Naruto never noticed it, but from that moment on, he would glance in Hinata's direction more often than he usually did.
Anyone who guesses who Ryu chose to stay with gets a chocolate chip cookie. (::)
Thanks for reading!
