SO . . . i'm back! Well, the fic is still in its early stages, so i have no idea if i can do chapters within a week of each other. Maybe every two weeks? Well, i wont jinx myself otherwise i'll get lazy. So, chapters coming in hot for a while? Once again, Read and Review so i can get a feel for how the fic is going in this direction, and you reaction to it. I'll see what i can do about putting up visuals in my profile . . . the new chapter of Naruto today gave me enough energy to finish this today so thank Kishimoto-dono!
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does. Similarly, i do not own any songs english or japanese.
Chapter Two
Your Journey Begins, Naruto!
The heroes of the past settled themselves back into their seats, looking forwards to the next chapter, but with no small amount of trepidation. At the moment, they all stared at the book, none of them volunteering to read it.
Minato, seeing nothing for it, reached for the book. "So I guess I'll—"
Obito's hand shot out, touching the book before Minato could. "Actually, sensei, I want to read this chapter. Please." Obito's tone started out forceful, but the please had a strange sort of anxiety mixed into it. Minato stared at his student for a good time, and Obito gulped, feeling somehow overwhelmed as the azure eyes seemed to drill through him, seemingly changing shades of intense blues. Eventually, Minato retreated, and relaxed back into the couch, arm wrapping around Kushina's waist.
"Okay Obito-kun." He grinned widely, and everyone around him had to stifle a smile at the exact match from his grin to Naruto's. Obito quickly flipped through the pages, before clearing his throat and beginning,
Kat—
"Sorry, I'm sorry!" Rin broke in, blushing when everyone turned to stare at her, "but, I just . . . Obito when did you get those glasses, and weren't they broken a minute ago?"
Obito blinked, the square rims now apparent as they winked in the light. His customary orange lensed goggles hung around his neck. Rin tried vainly to fight down a blush, the kind of blush that all girls seem to get when near a cute member of the opposite sex wearing glasses.
"Dobe wears glasses?" Kakashi asked, confused.
"Obito, you're eyesight as a ninja is already perfect, you don't need glasses." Tsunade informed him, also curious about this new information.
"Well, it's just that I have a second cousin who's an optometrist, and he said that even though it was unlikely it would happen to me, people usually hurt their eyesight when reading for too long or in bad lighting. So, just to be safe, I got these for reading." Obito said, rubbing his spiky hair nervously.
"Huh." Rin said, really that was all she could say.
Obito, seeing there would be no further interruptions, continued.
Katsu hit the ground with a bone jarring thud.
"What?! Who's hurting that girl?!" Tsunade barked, angered at the force used against the girl. Obito, having read ahead a bit, snorted with laughter. "You'll see." He grinned.
She choked on a gasp the fall ripped from her mouth. Realizing that during some point she had screwed her eyes shut, she quickly opened them, blinking up at the amused yet worried face of Naruto.
Grimacing, she growled out, "If this is because I didn't make any dessert last night, then your point has been made."
Shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter, Naruto reached down with both hands and curled them under her arms. Hauling her up onto her feet, he steadied her before dusting her off.
"I'm sorry!" he chuckled sheepishly, biting down more amusement at her pout. "I put a bit more into that last hit than I really should have."
"They must be training together." Minato voiced, brow furrowing.
"She didn't sound like an Academy student to me, though . . ." Kushina supplied, leaning her head back onto Minato's shoulder, face thoughtful.
"I'm more surprised that Naruto is sparring with her. It seemed like she was so precious, he wouldn't even think of hurting her. Here, he has no objections." Jiraiya pointed out, crossing his right ankle over his left knee. Minato hummed in agreement.
"Well that's why we are reading this book. To find out answers." Kakashi pointed out, only a trifle testy as he pointed to the book in Obito's hands.
Obito took that as his cue, and continued on.
Katsu shot him a look, 'do you think?' Shaking her hair away from her face, she redid her ponytail, loose from sparring for the past fifteen minutes. The sun had nearly broken from the horizon, signifying the early time the two were up. The breeze wasn't heavy enough to cool her body, but she ignored it and the sweat starting to gather on her brow as she took up her stance again. Her stance was high and peculiar, like that of a dancer. Her body was twisted to the left slightly; left leg moved forward a little way and foot facing Naruto, the other foot facing in the direction of her body, leg slightly pushed back. Her arms were held at the ready, left arm raised to heart level with elbow pointing down and her hand held palm facing Naruto. The other arm was curled by her side, yet held slightly away from her body, hand loosely curled into a fist.
"What a peculiar taijutsu stance." Jiraiya mused, looking back through his memories to see if there was a style he knew that held such a beginning stance.
"Ten more minutes, and we have to start getting ready for school." Katsu told Naruto, watching him with sharp eyes as he too took up his stance. It was the basic academy stance, but looser, allowing him to easily switch into another taijutsu style if he so wished.
The only thing moving were their hair and clothes in the breeze, both forms still and watchful.
Naruto attacked first.
Rushing her, he sent a haymaker straight for her, but Katsu had already spun on the toes of her left foot and dodged as she came to Naruto's side. She sent a jab at his kidneys, which he deflected with his other hand as he already twisted around to block. Katsu jumped back, then quickly shot forward to engage him. She planted a foot firmly on the ground, before raising her other leg for a roundhouse kick. Naruto caught the leg, and with a grunt of exertion, lifted her bodily up, before quickly bringing her down with the hopes of smashing her onto the ground. Just as Katsu passed overhead, she brought her free leg down for a kick on his right shoulder making his grip on her leg loosen with a surprised cry. Noting this quickly, she brought her foot down on his shoulder again, using it as a springboard as she flipped away from him. She landed on the balls of her feet, and made to rush him, before dancing away from his kicks. Naruto did not hesitate to follow her, making her backpedal as she dodged and blocked his attacks.
Stopping suddenly, she grabbed first one fist, then the other as he tried to get her with it. She raised her knee as she jerked him forward, but Naruto had already anticipated this. Using his own knee to block her rising one, he allowed himself to be jerked forward, and smashed his forehead against her own, knocking them both away from each other.
"Urgh!" Katsu cried.
"Enough!" Naruto said, blowing a breath out harshly.
"Those two brats don't sound half bad." Jiraiya said with a large grin.
"They really are good, though we would have to see them fight others to really get a good comparison." Kushina said happily, feeling proud of her sochi's abilities.
"Nice one Naruto." Katsu said with a tight smile, rubbing her forehead. Naruto grinned at her, and she couldn't help but give him a full one back.
"How come you didn't try to switch up your style?" she asked curiously.
Naruto shrugged. "That can come when we have more time. For now . . ." he trailed off at her pained groan. "What?" he asked.
Hands on her hips, Katsu looked at him with a sulky expression. "Hurry up and make nice with those clan brats, so you can beat them black and blue, instead of your supposed best friend."
"Have I told you how much I love and adore you today?" Naruto asked with a sweet grin.
"That a boy." Minato laughed. Kushina pushed him with a playful pout, before snuggling back into his arms. Rin and Tsunade giggled at the couple.
"Oh sure, a cheesy line and all the girls are putty in your hands— it's because you're a freaking bishounen, unfair bastard." Obito mumbled, prompting snorts of amusement from his teammates.
"Make it an even six!" Katsu laughed merrily, skipping back to the house. Naruto chuckled fondly at her, following her back in. They both separated to their respective bathrooms, clothes already there.
Cleaning quickly, they returned to the kitchen, where Katsu had prepared breakfast before their sparring session.
"Yum!" Naruto eyed the breakfast table hungrily, eagerly gathering up his fill of food.
Katsu shook her head at him fondly, calmly eating her rice and fish.
Naruto frowned at her simple meal. "You need more than that, Kuro-hime." He said chidingly, lading out a bowl of miso soup for her, and handing her two onigiri.
"Aw! He even has a pet name for her!" Kushina squealed happily, gushing at the cuteness of their young love. Minato laughed at her silliness.
"Well, yes, but you know I never eat much anyway. Don't need to get too big or else I won't be able to follow you in a spar!" Katsu laughed him off.
He suddenly grinned, speaking about some secret joke only the two of them were in on. "You'll be the only civilian with such badass ninja skills, ne?"
"Damn straight." She boasted, ocher eyes glinting wickedly.
"She sounds kind of like you and Tsunade, Kushina-san." Kakashi observed. Kushina and Tsunade smiled proudly, before turning sour looks at Jiraiya as he muttered, "Yeah, but nowhere near as violent I bet."
She suddenly perked up, before quickly downing the rest of her milk in one gulp, and gathering up the dishes.
"We better hurry, don't want to be late!" she said, walking over to the sink and starting to wash the dishes. Naruto quickly followed her with his own dirty dishes, depositing them in the sink before taking his place at her side to work on drying the dishes. Together it took them little time to pack up the dishes, and they immediately left for the doorway, where the cubby holding their shoes and bags rested against the wall.
"Oh, wait!" Katsu cried, as she turned and dashed back into the kitchen. Naruto barely had time to form a question before she was back with two bentos, and a few smaller wrapped packages.
"Here's your lunch." Katsu handed him the bento wrapped in an orange cloth, before handing him the smaller wrapped items. Bending down to put on her slippers, she thanked Naruto when he opened the door for her, and closed it behind them, locking it.
"She cooks breakfast, lunch, and dinner for him? She is so sweet!" Rin cooed, giggling with Kushina.
"The power of the Namikaze Charm is indeed overwhelming." Minato said, as if parting with a secret, eyes glinting with laughter.
"Thanks, but what are these?" Naruto indicated the mini-bentos.
"Those are for Iruka-sensei and Hinata-chan. After today we have a break, so there won't be much interaction between you and them anymore. Tell Hina-chan I said good morning, and tell Iruka-sensei that I said hi as well, won't you?" Katsu informed him, both now walking briskly down the path leading into town.
"Of course hime." Naruto nodded, tucking the packages with utmost care into his backpack. They walked in companionable silence to the edge of town, where store keepers and workers were just arriving half-drowsy to begin their busy work days anew.
Naruto stopped and turned to Katsu, before stopping at the look on her face. She stared at him in resignation, with the tiniest bit of annoyance lurking beneath.
Naruto sighed. "Oh hime . . . you know, I . . ."
"It gets annoying to purposely change routes just for you, right? When can I start doing what I want and not keep our friendship a secret?" Katsu interrupted him.
"Again with the contradictions in their relationship!" Rin said, thoroughly confused.
"He adores her, but he's not afraid to pound her into the ground. He doesn't want to be away from her, but he hides the fact that they know each other?" Kakashi listed the so-called contradictions, ticking them off on pale fingers.
"It makes sense actually." Minato said, explaining further as the others turned to look at him. "Judging by what was said regarding the villagers treatment of him, it could be possible that she would face the same discrimination— though hopefully not to the same extent— just by being seen associating with him."
"So he just wants to keep her safe." Kushina finished, troubled by how hard her son had to work to keep his precious people.
"If the villagers ever hurt you, I would tear open the seal on my body, and allow the Kyuubi to finish what he started eleven years ago!" Naruto snapped, glaring at her. Katsu's flinch was barely perceptible, but he had been with her for so long that he saw it clearly, so his face and tone softened.
. . .
"Oh . . . shit." Jiraiya's voice was muffled by his hands covering his face.
. . .
"No!" Kushina moaned in horror, doubling over into herself. "No!" she sobbed, holding herself around the middle tightly. The very thing she wished never to brand her children with, the very same thing . . . her son had it, and what's worse the villagers knew it too!
"He's the . . . he can't be!" Tsunade said faintly, shocked beyond all belief that her red-headed friend's child would become the new Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi.
Minato had paled considerably, lifting Kushina up and settling her into his lap, hugging her so tightly it seemed like he wanted to meld her to him. As he murmured soothing things into her ear, trying to calm down her painful sobbing and shuddering, his own mind was working quickly. Apparently, something would happen that would require a new Jinchuuriki to be made. Had Kushina's seal failed somehow? He knew the woman in his lap would rather die than let the beast out without a fight to the death. Would something happen to his love in the future? NO. His heart rejected the thought, but his mind wasn't so quick to scratch off the option. He could only hope. . .
Team Minato were no better, wondering why the boy was the new Jinchuuriki. Due to how close Minato was to his team, Kushina had told them about the secret of her being a Jinchuuriki. But how did . . . ?
Jiraiya had the same question as the genin, because he slammed a fist down on the coffee table in anger, startling the others. "Why is his status as a Jinchuuriki common knowledge? Whoever the Fourth Hokage is, he has to be a fool to do such a thing. It seems in the future the Kyuubi escaped from Kushina, and nearly destroyed Konoha I'm willing to bet. Naruto must have been used to seal the beast, but why are the villagers treating him in such a way?!"
Tsunade nodded in agreement, clearly furious, and her harsh voice bit out, "Then the boy is a hero they should all respect! Instead, it appears they see Naruto as the demon himself! Why has no one come forth to explain the sealing to them?!"
"Which begs the question: Where the fuck am I?!" Kushina wailed, voice slightly muffled, pressed against Minato's chest as she was. Minato shushed her, rubbing her back and arms lovingly.
"Or where am I, even? I wouldn't allow this to happen." Minato said, anger finally showing through his voice as flinty eyes like chips of ice glared holes into the book.
"I have a feeling we'll be finding out this chapter." Obito said coldly, though his anger was directed at the village he thought was a veritable paradise, instead of this cold place he was reading about.
"Just for a little while longer, Katsuhime. When I become a ninja, the civilians will face bigger consequences if they try to hurt me, so when I'm safe from their attack so will you be. Then, and only then, will I bring you to light."
Katsu sighed, feeling guilty for bringing it up. "I know, but . . ."
Naruto bumped shoulders with Katsu, leaning closer to her. "I know something that'll cheer you up." He said lowly in her ear.
"What?" Katsu whispered back.
"At lunch, look towards the direction of the main street market. Something really special is going to happen then." He leaned away from her, smirking. Katsu giggled, and nodded, good mood now back. They hugged, and bid each other farewell, before parting ways.
"He's got your indomitable spirit, Kushina-chan." Rin said quietly, desperate for anything to stop the sobs that were now silent, but not any less painful to see.
"And, Kami-sama help us all, your pranking abilities if I'm reading this right." Surprisingly it was Kakashi who gave cheering up the woman a shot. The fact that it was Kakashi who tried, made Kushina give an extra effort to calming down, smiling tremulously, even though the tears had yet to stop. Sighing at the bittersweet victory, Obito read.
Katsu continued on straight through the street, sending sunny smiles and chirpy greetings to the stall owners and early-bird mothers walking their brood to the daycares or to school. Naruto stuck to the shadows, taking a long route that would coincide with the road he would have taken to the Academy from his apartment. Eventually he disengaged from the alleys, and jogged through the thickening crowds of people on his way to the Academy.
"Demon."
"Murderer."
"Look at it, just walking around free."
"I wish Hokage-sama would think about us . . ."
The barely whispers floated around him, seeking to find a chink in his defensive armor, and sink into his skin like poison barbs. The villagers didn't seem to care if they heard him or not.
"Poisonous bastards." Kushina snarled like an angry tigress, forget vixen, eyes burning like coal as she stared at the coffee table
"I'll never be able to look or think of Konoha the same way ever again." She continued, ignoring the squeezing of Minato's arms as he tried to convince her to calm down.
"Same for us all, I'm sure." Tsunade said cautiously, eyeing Kushina's form as it trembled with rage.
Naruto had heard these things for as long as he could remember. Maybe, it hurt him to hear before . . . but now, he had precious people to love and protect, and they would love and protect him in return. 'Let the villagers whisper. One day, they'll see me for who I am, not what they think I am.' Naruto thought, determination setting his shoulders, making his stride longer and more powerful as he continued to the Academy.
Minato smiled down at Kushina, playfully jostling her in his arms so she would look up. Kushina did, and catching sight of his smile, managed to let go of some of her anger.
Naruto made it with little time to spare, wrenching open the door of the classroom to see Iruka-sensei just rising from his seat to start attendance. His friend and teaching assistant Mizuki was seated at the desk in the chair next to Iruka. Naruto fought the urge to growl at the man; he hadn't liked the vibes he sent off towards him from the start.
Iruka frowned at Naruto. "Cutting it a little too close again Naruto. Take a seat."
Naruto rubbed the back of his head in a sheepish manner.
"He gets that from sensei!" Obito and Rin squealed together in silly happiness.
"Gomen sensei." Naruto went to his seat, in the back right corner of the room, directly in front of the window.
Iruka eyed Naruto one last time, before sighing in resignation, and starting off the attendance.
"Aburame Shino." He called.
"Here" A stoic voice came from a boy in a large jacket, of which the collar covered half of his face. He wore sunglasses, so no one could really describe his physical experience, beyond, "a pale brunette with short hair."
"Oh, the Aburame clan heir, that's Shibi's kid." Kushina realized.
"That's right, we can find out about our year mate's kids too." Minato realized.
"Yeah . . . but the thought of Shibi having a kid . . ." Jiraiya muttered, shivering at the creepiness. Tsunade huffed and punched his gut, making the Toad Sage double over in his seat.
"Akamichi Chouji."
"Mmrph." The 'large-boned' boy (even this narrator fears calling an Akamichi the 'f' word, and said narrator isn't even in the same dimension) garbled out through his mouth full of chips that he was steadily adding to with each swallow. His light brown hair stood up with one lock falling into his face, and swirl marks on both cheeks.
"Chouza's boy." Minato said, sweat dropping with a grin.
"Ayumasa Shinji."
So it continued as he went down the list. Only half of his attention was on the roll call, however, with one Uzumaki Naruto taking up the rest of his thoughts.
At first, like the other villagers, he hated Naruto for what he carried, thinking of him only as the demon fox. However, having Naruto as his student every day (though not all day as the boy found it prudent to cut class for various reasons), had forced him to see beyond his own unfair and unjust hatred and see the little boy who was struggling with the weight of the village's scorn. After a while, Iruka cast aside his distrust and hatred of the boy, and now genuinely cared for him. Iruka tried his hardest to be fair and objective with all students, not wanting to have favorites, but he couldn't deny that he felt more invested in Naruto's well-being than in the other students.
"Haruno Sakura."
"Hai!" a girl with unusual light pink hair, an unusually large forehead, and light green eyes promptly spoke up.
"Civilian born must be." Rin commented, and her teammates had to agree, but the adults either hadn't heard or did not care about the girl's name.
"That's another one who cares about Naru-chan then!" Tsunade said, relief filling her. Suddenly, the sound of rustling and a soft scratching sound filled her ears, and she turned in slight confusion to the direction it was coming from.
"Obito . . . what are you doing?" She queried.
Obito, not realizing he was the center of attention at the moment, looked up at her question, and turned violent red at the surprise of catching everyone's eyes. "Ah! I . . . um!" he stuttered and mumbled, fiddling helplessly with his hands.
Rolling his eyes at the dobe Uchiha's uselessness, Kakashi prodded him along. "You were making a list." He said helpfully.
Obito's face suddenly cleared, and a grin crossed it, looking much more natural and at home than the embarrassed and nervous expression from before.
"Yes! I ah . . . I am making a list of all the people who are nice to Naru-chan. Lil' Miss Katsuhime is at the very tip top of course. He mentioned others last chapter too! Those Ichiraku's, the father and daughter, uh Iruka-sensei— I think I've seen him around the village before— and Sandaime-sama of course!"
"That's a good idea Obito. When we get home, we'll buy gifts for all those people." Kushina said, a natural and genuine smile now back on her face. "Keep reading! What else does Iruka say about Naruto?" Kushina insisted, waving her hands at the book.
It was hard for Iruka to keep his peace with Naruto. The boy was such an enigma. He was strictly average in every subject. His grades were not horrible, nor were they all that good. He was just straight in the middle. The thing is Iruka knows that Naruto can do better than this! It's not as if when asked something the boy doesn't know the answer. Instead he doesn't answer at all, and skillfully deflects the question over to another. Why was Naruto holding back? More importantly, why was Katsu allowing this?!
Aside from the puzzle Naruto was, Iruka also connected with the boy's life story. There were a few similarities. For instance, he and Naruto were both orphans.
Obito choked, eyes wide and unseeing, focused on the last sentence. The others were no better, faces frozen in masks of horror and grief that last sentence echoing in their minds.
He and Naruto were both orphans . . .
Orphans . . .
ORPHAN!
Immediately, the eyes of the genin and sannin locked on Minato and Kushina. Minato's arms had fallen from Kushina, his face pale as the couch he rested on and horror etched into every line and curve of his face. His blue eyes were unfocused, and filling fast with tears. It was Kushina though, that scared them . . . whatever happiness she had finally gotten back seemed to just break inside of her, like a rock smashing through glass.
Kushina lurched up from the couch with a groan, eyes roaming around the room in dazed horror. Minato, finally snapping out of his stupor, made to grab for her, but she suddenly moved, body jerky and wobbling. She rounded the couch, and made for one of the doors behind it.
Minato scrambled up, flashing to her side. He opened his mouth to say something, then looked at her face and shut his mouth with an audible click. He put a hand on her back, firm yet gentle, and opened the door to lead her into the bedroom. He made sure she was lying down comfortably, before turning back to the open door. He popped his head out of the room, and gave the rest sitting on the couch a heavy look.
"We'll continue tomorrow. Team, bunk together okay?" he said softly, then retreated into the room and closed the door.
Jiraiya and Tsunade looked at each other, the shock of what they read just starting to clear away from their minds after the Habanero had stumbled away like she was heading for the gallows. Tsunade bowed her head in sorrow for the younger woman, heart breaking for both her and the boy who hadn't even been born yet— but who she cared for like family, and was caring more deeply for still. Jiraiya sighed heavily, unable to come up with any words at all to soothe the young ones or his own beloved teammate.
"Get some rest kids." He said at last. "If you can, wait till tomorrow for food, and we'll start up again when we're all awake and good and ready." Turning slightly, he helped Tsunade up, and then retreated to the second door next to Minato and Kushina's room. The door closed with a soft click, and still the three young shinobi would not look at each other.
Rin broke the silence first with a rough clearing of her throat. Kakashi started the slightest bit, and then took the lead. "We had . . . better get to bed. Let's hope those guys really thought of everything and gave us some clothes to change into." He got up and walked off to the last unoccupied room, stepping in and leaving the door open. Rin and Obito looked at each other and smiled, thinking just how exasperating Kakashi's unflappable attitude usually was, and just how much they appreciated it right now. Standing together, they walked into the room and closed the door. Later on, after they had discovered that yes, the duo had given them clothes— somehow they had gotten their own clothes straight from home and brought it here— and showered, they wondered if they would hear Kushina's sorrow any time soon. Fortunately or unfortunately, they weren't sure which exactly, nothing was heard, and figuring that Minato had worked his charm again, left it at that and retired for the night.
What they didn't know was that the rooms were soundproof.
The next day, Obito was the first to wake. He hesitated, wondering whether or not to shake his team awake, before deciding against it. They would waken naturally after his shower most likely. Obito showered, and as he suspected, when he came out from the slightly steamy bathroom, Kakashi and Rin were awake and looking around as if they had forgotten they were transported here from Konoha yesterday. Obito's eyes darkened and he immediately switched trains of thought. He didn't want to think about . . . there, just yet.
"Morning!" he said brightly, throwing his towel on top of his bed. Luckily, no one had to sleep on the floor as there were three beds made and ready for use. Those two strangers really had thought of everything.
"Morning." Rin yawned, then blushed when she realized how big and loud her yawn was, and especially around Kakashi . . . Suddenly conscious of the fact that she was neither freshly showered, nor was her breath all that minty, she scrambled up from the bed with a heavy blush and walked as calmly yet quickly as she could into the bathroom.
"I'll be going in then!" Was all they heard before the door shut. Obito glared at Kakashi, knowing why Rin was rushing, and all Kakashi did was stare dully at him in return. Growling at his unflappable nature, Obito turned to his bed and busied himself with making it up. Eventually Rin came out and Kakashi went in, he only spent fifteen minutes in there. The problem came when they faced the door leading to the living room and kitchen area.
As one, they glanced at the door handle, then at each other. None of them were too eager to go out there among the heavy atmosphere they were sure still lingered. But, what choice did they have? Taking a deep breath, they steeled themselves and opened the door quickly, striding out as one unit. Stopping, they realized no one else was out there. Obito looked at the other two and they shrugged. Closing the door, they ventured into the kitchen. Rin gasped in appreciation of the room's beauty.
"Let's do something nice for the others, ne?" Rin murmured, turning to look at both boys. The boys agreed, and so Team Minato made breakfast, even giving homemade ramen a try. It came as a shock to the Inuzuka and Hatake tat Obito knew how to cook, and especially that he could make homemade ramen. Obito merely shrugged, not offering any respite for their curiosity, and so they continued on. They had just finished putting everything on the table, when both doors to the other bedroom swung open. Jiraiya and Tsunade came out first, followed a few moments later by Kushina and Minato. The team suddenly felt inexplicably nervous, and wouldn't meet the adults' eyes. When Obito and Rin turned to look at Kakashi in surprise— it usually took a LOT for the other boy to back down— he merely shrugged and let some of the discomfort show. Though outwardly they took his word for it, inside they were even more surprised. Kakashi usually never let so much emotion show . . . this book was already working wonders. Then they winced at the thought and made sure not to look at their sensei or Kushina as they sat down.
"You guys cooked all this?" Tsunade asked, surprised. Slightly startled, they nodded. Tsunade nodded approvingly and filled her plate.
"Looks good! Itadakimasu." She said, before digging in. The others followed suit, though Kushina and Minato more slowly, and on the red head's part more reluctantly. That is, until she smelt the ramen.
" . . . Ramen?" She muttered questioningly, wondering if she had finally cracked. Obito grinned and popped up from his chair, reaching for a bowl and ladling the ramen into it. He plaed it next to Kushina's sparse plate, and sat down.
"It really is ramen." Her voice had the tiniest hint of emotion coloring it, and she looked at the three genin with confusion. "Which one of you cooked this?"
"I did Kushina!" Obito chirped, hoping his cheeriness would compel her to work up at least some enthusiasm.
She stared at him in shock, belatedly noticing the rest doing so as well. "Why?" she asked.
"To . . . cheer you up." He said, though now he wasn't as sure as he was before. His cheeks gained a light dusting of rose, and he fought hard the temptation to just look at his plate. "I just . . . uh."
"I didn't know you could make ramen." Kushina continued, now even more confused and a little worried at the boy starting to shrink into himself a tiny bit. Was this really the confident and brash kid she knew? The people around her were starting to change a little with each page of this book . . . or maybe, they were being more of themselves then they allowed before.
Minato, seeing where Obito was going with this, cut in to save the floundering boy. "Just goes to show you that things change." He said lightly, his words seemed to only be for face value. But Kushina knew better, and the others didn't need too many context clues to figure out his meaning either. Kushina and Minato stared at each other for a long time. Finally, Kushina nodded her head, at first hesitantly, then a second time with more surety.
Turning back to her food, specifically the ramen, she said thoughtfully, "At least I know I'm not neglecting him. I'm just dead."
"And we'll change that. We'll change all of this." Minato said with no room for argument.
Kushina nodded, and tasted the ramen.
And blinked.
Then took another bite.
And blinked twice.
"Obito! This ramen is delish, -ttebane!" Kushina crowed with stars in her eyes, and then realized she said –ttebane, and said "Damn!"
They all breather sighs of relief; Kushina was back.
After cleaning up from breakfast they returned to the couch in their original positions.
"Do you remember where you left off Obito?" Tsunade asked the young raven, who nodded in response.
"Yeah, right . . . aha! Here." He laughed victoriously, then commenced reading.
Naruto's parents as well as Iruka's had died in the Kyuubi Attack eleven years ago. Naruto and he at that age wanted the villagers' attention and did pranks. Or at least, Iruka amended, that was Naruto's reason before. Ever since Naruto met Katsu and the Ichiraku's, he no longer did pranks for attention. They were purely just for amusement, something he found out in his third civil conversation with a younger Naruto earlier on in their relationship. So, the similarities pretty much stopped there, and Iruka was glad for it. At least Naruto had figured out that their attention wasn't worth hurting himself for way earlier than Iruka had.
"Hyuuga Hinata."
"H-here." A shy girl, pale face illuminated by a blush stuttered out, fingers poking together out of nervous habit. Her short hime-cut blue hair swayed in the breeze coming from the open window from the back, and her white eyes— without pupils— tinted with lavender looked down at her desk. Occasionally she would look up to gaze at the blonde boy in the back.
"Sounds like the Hyuuga heiress." Kushina noted, surprised Hiashi had a girl.
"She doesn't really sound like a Hyuuga. She's shy first of all." Rin said incredulously. The rest of the group nodded, but only Obito piped up with an optimistic (insult) comment, "So there's hope for the Hyuuga's after all. OW!" Obito yowled when Rin sent a well-aimed elbow into his side.
"And . . . it sounds like she's got a crush on your boy, Minato." Jiraiya said, grinning at the thought of Naruto's popularity with the women. Minato chuckled. "As nice as I'm sure this Hinata girl is, sadly I don't think anyone will be able to tear his eyes away from Katsu."
"Inuzuka Kiba."
"Yo!" "Arf!" both dog and master answered. The young and brash Inuzuka had a feral grin on his face, red clan markings stretching to fit it. Atop the wild-haired brunettes head, covered with a fur-lined hood, sat his partner, Akamaru, a small white puppy.
"I guess Tsume oba-san actually became Clan Head." Rin sounded a little too shocked, not that those who knew the rough and tumble Inuzuka woman could argue too much.
"Doesn't she have a little girl now?" Kushina asked, struggling to remember.
"Nara Shikamaru."
Iruka was answered with a snore, and a vein popped up on his head. Reaching his hand out to the side, he touched the eraser sitting on his desk. Picking it up, he hurled it at the sleeping Nara, and watched with satisfaction as the lazy boy woke up with a start from the pain of impact.
"Troublesome." The boy grumbled, rubbing at the mark on his temple left from the eraser, before returning to his nap. Iruka searched deep inside himself for calm.
"Oh, Shikaku." Minato shook his head. Kushina laughed, "Poor, poor Yoshino-chan."
"Uchiha Sasuke."
Iruka turned a helpless gaze to the reclusive boy, who uttered no words or even sounds to respond. He merely sat with his hands in front of his mouth and fingers laced together, leaning on his elbows.
"Fugaku's kid, it seems." Minato said politely, but it was an empty and blank politeness that reminded the others of hi personal feelings regarding the Uchiha Clan Head.
"The second one. If I recall, Mikoto already has one son." Kushina said thoughtfully.
"Seems he turned out like a true Uchiha." Jiraiya snorted. Obito did not comment, but his hands curled into fists so tight that his nails bit into the rough skin of his palm. Deep down, he was both relieved and saddened at the mention of an Uchiha in the book, because then maybe the whispers he had been hearing in the clan compound were really just rumors . . .
"Uzumaki Naruto."
"WHOOOOOO!" The room filled with the blazing cheer that ripped from the occupants of the room in excessive degrees of enthusiasm and spirit.
"Yo." His own response, though the same as Kiba's was said in a far cooler way, and this rankled— for some strange reason this narrator knows not, the pricks— the children of the class.
"Baka!" Sakura screeched, standing up and pointing at Naruto. "Stop trying to act so cool like Sasuke-kun!"
"Who is that bitch?" Kushina demanded, angered at the girl's unprovoked remark.
"Sakura Haruno, comes from a civilian family we expect." Kakashi's voice ccame out monotonous and slightly bored, the same as if he was doing a mission's report.
"As if anyone wants to act like a stuck up Uchiha." Obito snorted darkly, a bitter smile curling his lips. His teammates looked at him in alarm, never really having seen such a dark side to the usually bright boy before. The adults were concerned too, but hid it far better than the genin did.
"I can think of quite a few people who could take a page out of at least one Uchiha's book." Minato said quietly, gaze heavy on his student. Obito gave a small smile in acknowledgement of sensei's words.
"YEAH!" Other fangirls chorused throughout the room— basically every girl in there except for Hinata. Naruto, who hadn't yet turned from gazing outside the window, finally turned at the unanimous shout.
"Hm? Did you say something?" He asked absently. Iruka and Mizuki suddenly wondered if he had met a certain one-eyed jounin who habitually said the same exact thing.
"BWAHAHAHAA!" Jiraiya guffawed, slapping a large hand on his thigh. "Minato's coolness, geez the kid is your copy in every way!"
Kushina looked put out. "Did he get nothing from me?" She wailed, only half meaning it.
"Your stubbornness and determination." The answer was voiced by everyone in the room besides herself with a deadpan expression. Kushina for her part, didn't even have the decency to look contrite, and instead flashed a foxy smirk and the peace sign.
The girls all shrieked and hurled insults at him. Kiba looked at the boy and laughed. "HA! Stay in character Naruto, and fade back into the background." He snorted, and Akamaru yapped to back up his statement.
"Hn." Sasuke said in vindictive agreement . . . this narrator must pause. How, did that translate to so much . . . ?
"One: I agree with this narrator. Two: Why are they being so mean to Naru-chan?" Rin huffed, arms folded tightly in anger and irritation.
"Those temes!" Kushina growled, fist trembling as she held it up in some sort of promise for vengeance. Minato sweat dropped and soothed her ruffled feathers.
"Well said, Sasuke." Shikamaru noted lazily, but with a mocking edge to his drowsy voice. Naruto sent the sleepy boy a grateful glance. Only he, Chouji, Hinata and Shino treated Naruto with civility— indeed the former two could even be called friends if he were to stretch it. "ENOUGH." Iruka cut in sharply, but the kids weren't done yet.
"Yamanaka Ino!" he shouted out, glaring daggers at the unruly children.
"Here! And by the way, Naruto-baka," Ino added the suffix to his name in a teasing voice, so Naruto knew she wasn't entirely serious, tossed her long pale blonde ponytail over her shoulder with all the pomp of a noblewoman with her pale blue eyes drilling in to the bored looking boy. "How cool do you think you can be in such a horrible outfit?"
Shikamaru sighed. "Not that it's any of the harpy's business, but you had better outfits in the previous years. What gives with the eye-searing colors?"
Naruto turned eyes now glinting sapphire with his amusement. "Shika, what happens after every one of my pranks?"
"You get chased by the ninja." He answered easily.
"What kinds of ninja?"
Shikamaru was starting to get it, but continued for the other idiots. "Chunnin, jounin, and ever since four months ago, ANBU."
Naruto smiled slow and easy (making quite a few girls blush at the confidence he oozed before cursing themselves and him at their momentary betrayal of Sasuke-kun),
Minato snorted, muttering apologies when everyone turned to look at him with amusement.
and purred, "In an orange jumpsuit no less. With the exception of Iruka for however brief a time, did they ever catch me?"
"No." Shikamaru said, looking bored. "Even with Iruka-sensei, you stopped letting him catch you after a while. Once ANBU join, you let the chase last a little longer until you turn yourself in to the Hokage personally."
The sharper minds caught on to it. Chouji, Shino, Hinata, Sakura, Iruka and Sasuke— though it was only the last that looked mad because of it, and glared blackly at the supposed 'Dobe'.
"NO WAY!" Sakura screeched, "As if the baka could be that good—"
"Anyway, I wore it on account of a dare." Naruto said, almost like it was an afterthought, completely cutting off the fuming rosette. Truly, it was Katsu herself who dared him, which he still found odd since she refused to dress him up in anything less than a fashionable state more suited for models than ninja. Women, honestly . . .
Iruka snorted, harshly cutting off Sakura before she could start up again. "The boy has shown incredible stealth in some of the brightest colors imaginable. Actually, that jumpsuit is most likely a training method. At least his unconventional fashion serves a purpose unlike you kunoichi-to-be." Iruka cast specific glares at Sakura in her crimson red Chinese battle dress, and Ino in her purple attire that, without the bandages on her midsection and legs, would be much to skimpy for a young girl.
"HMPH! Fan girls, and they have such nerve to berate the boy. He's not even the dead last!" Tsunade snorted in contempt of the future females. Fan girls were a universal problem, no matter the time zone or dimension . . . this narrator knows it well.
"But the kid is badass." Obito crowed, eyes sparkling behind wireframes.
"For even ANBU to have such a hard time . . ." Minato trailed off, but pride in his son soaked every word. Kushina hugged the arm around her middle, and they smiled at each other.
"With parents like you too . . . especially since he has Kushina's prankster habit— poor Yondaime!" Jiraiya grimaced, before booming laughter escaped him again.
"Now, enough chit-chat!" Iruka's voice and eyes were sharp and promised pain to any who dismissed the order. "We'll continue with our lecture on battle tactics for teams . . ."
And so it continued, Naruto and the rest of the students tuning in and out. Naruto took a glance at the clock on the wall. Lunch would be in fifteen minutes, he realized. His eyes strayed thoughtfully to the outside. 'It'd be best to start preparations now.' He decided. Raising his hand, he asked, "Ano, Iruka-sensei, is it okay if I head to the bathroom really quickly?"
Iruka looked impatient at the interruption, but allowed it with a nod of his head. Naruto walked out the room without a backward glance, before suddenly disappearing. Ten minutes later he walked back into the classroom, apologizing for the interruption. Iruka suddenly felt a shiver run down his spine, and he looked at the blonde boy that sat oh so innocently in the back. He had a sudden thought that the boy had done something, but he couldn't have had time to cause any havoc in that short "bathroom break" . . . could he?
. . . OH GOD.
"Iruka." Iruka snapped out of his horrific musings when Mizuki shook his shoulder. Turning to the other man, the other explained himself. "It's lunch time." Then he turned and left the classroom for his own lunch.
Iruka nodded, pushing back thoughts of an impending chase into the back of his mind. "OK, Lunch time! Everybody, go out and eat, but I better see ALL of you back in class in thirty minutes!" He said firmly, and the class made a hasty agreement as they scrambled out the room. Well, most of them. Shino walked at a far more sedate pace, as did Naruto, though he made a detour to the teacher's desk. Chouji was at the desk shaking Shikamaru awake, coaxing the boy to make the effort to walk to the Academy lawn and spill out area. Iruka however was focused on the sauntering blonde headed straight for him.
"Anything I can help you with Naruto?" he asked, smiling down at the younger boy.
"I don't know how you two got so close, but she's sending you treats now." Naruto said, taking the green wrapped package and plunking down in Iruka's desk. Iruka picked it up, unwrapped the small cloth and opening the box. Inside was a cupcake, carefully iced with cream cheese frosting. Iruka's face lit up, and he quickly took a bit of the treat.
"This is delicious!" he sighed happily. "And the only reason we're so well aquainted, as you well know, is because she often waits for you after you're being scolded by Hokage-sama."
"Psh, as if the old man is really scolding him." Kushina laughs, remembering the "scolding's" she would receive from the Sandaime for dispensing her own brand of justice to her school bullies.
"Makes having me in your class bearable right?" Naruto teased, grinning foxily at his teacher.
"Only just." Iruka countered, gently cuffing the boy in the back of his head. Ignoring the protests, Iruka moved on to a topic of concern.
"Naruto, what did you do?" Iruka asked, almost scared of the answer.
Naruto smiled at him. "Whatever could you mean sensei? Better hurry and eat, you'll need your strength dealing with a bunch of hyper pre-teens, right?" The voice was too sugared, too smooth. It raised hairs on the back of Iruka's neck. Still, he didn't stop the boy from walking out his classroom. Plausible deniability would be the comfort for his conscience.
Naruto stepped out into the bright sunshine of the outdoors, and he breathed deeply of the sweet scents around him. Freshly cut green grass, the smell of tree bark soaked in a heavy heat . . . thanks to the Kyuubi enhancing his scents far beyond that of a normal human, he could experience entirely new things that perhaps only ones like the Inuzuka would have access to. But he could observe nature later. He had a schedule to keep. Opening eyes he hadn't realized drifted shut; he stepped into the crowd of lounging students.
The others ignored him, and he did the same.
"This answers one question." Minato muttered quietly, but Kushina wanted an explanation.
"What question does this answer?" she asked.
"Why he and Katsu were training. He doesn't really want to, but it's a necessity, that eventually turned into a joy." He explained succinctly. The others caught on, and Tsunade explained it further.
"The other children, probably following the adults, don't seem to like him, with the exception of a select few. So, Katsu must have offered to help him become the best ninja by training alongside him and giving him someone to bounce ideas off of, spar with, to use to improve himself. "Tsunade said with a grim satisfaction.
"She shouldn't have to do that, but I'm glad she is anyway." Kushina said.
He was looking for someone specific anyway. He looked around before spotting her curled up at the base of a tree close to the Acadamy wall that enclosed it from the rest of the street. He walked up to her, a cheery smile on his face.
"Hi Hinata-chan!" he said loudly, prompting a squeak out of the girl who hadn't noticed him. "I have something for you!"
"I-I- I w-was wondering about th-that N-Naruto-kun." Hinata said, looking at the ground. Naruto frowned at her avoiding his eyes, but said nothing.
"You're getting better with the stuttering, Hinata-chan." He said gently, praise evident in his tone. He— and by extension Katsu, since Naruto wouldn't allow her to meet any of his school mates, for her safety!— Hinata blushed cherry red, before peeking up at him and giving him a small smile.
"W-what d-d-did Katsu-ch-chan send f-for me t-today?" she asked, now turning to face him and look at him directly. Naruto smiled a touch of exasperation showing on his face. She may have faced him now, but her stuttering had gotten a little worse. 'One step forward, two steps back?' he mused, before rummaging through his bento bag.
"Yeah, some sweet little treat, I'm sure." He said absently, looking through the bag. As he looked, Hinata took the time to think about the boy who she had befriended, though it was something she only thought would happen in her wildest dreams. She had at first developed a large crush on him when he had taken a beating meant for her from three bullies when they were small. After that she was always on the lookout for him, and she was nearly overcome with joy when they were put into the same class.
However, that blessing was also a curse— though not for long. Though Naruto took the initiative in befriending her, she came to find out it would go no further than that. He told her months into their friendship that the reason he had contacted her first was at the urging of his best friend, a civilian, though she wouldn't learn the name for another year. Though she was heartbroken, she still stayed with Naruto, knowing friendship was better than nothing. And she was glad for it too, because when she saw the soft fondness and obvious happiness the mere thought of the other girl put on his face, she was extremely grateful for the two of them. She knew then that she wouldn't have stood a chance. Now if only Naruto-kun would let her actually meet Katsu-chan!
"So she did have a crush, but now she's letting it go." Jiraiya said with a knowing voice, grinning in manly comradeship with Minato. Minato humored his sensei, chuckling.
"An unknowing heartbreaker is really the worst." Rin sighed, but her amuse grin did not lend credit to her statement.
"It's nice that their good friends, but he sure seems overprotective of Katsuhime." Tsunade said, chuckling at the slight overzealousness of the youngsters. The others chuckled with her, before returning to the book eagerly.
"Here!" Hinata was startled out of her walk down memory lane by a small box wrapped in purple cloth presented before her. Thanking the whiskered boy, she unwrapped the treat, and opened it before gasping and smiling happily. Inside was a new creation of Katsu's a cinnamon bun cupcake, with frothy white icing whipped into a peak laid delicately inside the box.
"It's wonderful!" Hinata said softly, joy suffusing every word as she took a tiny bite of the treat. Naruto smiled, and nodded. Katsu knew that Hinata's favorite food was cinnamon buns.
"She enjoys having people eating her cooking, and loves it even more when they're as wild about the food as her." He said fondly. Suddenly he perked up, and Hinata looked at him with confusion. Her confusion arose when he suddenly jumped from a seated position next to her, to the top of the wall surrounding the yard and facing the village.
"N-naruto-kun?" Hinata said, but then an explosion startled her so bad she almost dropped the cupcake.
Naruto didn't answer, instead he watched with sharp eyes and a predatory grin as the prank unfolded. 'Are you watching Katsu?'
'So this is what he meant.' Katsu thought idly as the peace of the village fell like dominoes. The explosion was actually one in a series, each a different colored cloud— which was actually paint, she realized upon closer inspection. The paint bombs were set up in different areas around the village. One in the center of the market, one near the post office, another close to her school, and another by the Academy. The clouds were pink, orange, yellow, and red respective to their places. Screams of surprise and rage rose up like the crescendo of a concert. She clapped twice, and then promptly burst into gut-busting laughter at the sight of paint splatter ninja all running around trying to figure out what happened. When she saw two ANBU streak past her, covered from head to toe in rainbow paint and gold glitter, she stopped laughing. She processed this in her brain, and it almost broke from the hilarity. Instead, her legs went out from under her, and she doubled over in a kneeling position, hands clutching her sides as she howled. Looks like the ANBU quarters got it too.
The ones reading in the room were faring no better, howling and cackling. Obito was struggling to keep the book in his hand, the other one wiping away streams of tears from his cheeks. Kushina had long since fallen off the couch, and Minato was clutching at his ribs too hard to even help her up. The two sannin leaned on each other, weak from laughter.
Back at the Academy, Naruto could be found in a similar position to Katsu, though his howls had now died down to cackles, and evil sounding ones at that. The other students were both exasperated at his never-ending pranking streak, awed at the fact that he hadn't even left the school and it had still went off perfectly, as well as confused as to how it exactly happened.
"NAAAA-RRRRUUUUUU-TOOOOOO!" A near crazed bellow had all the observers shrieking and jumping, whipping around to see a clearly infuriated Iruka storming over to the trembling form of Naruto, who was trying gamely to stop laughing.
"H-Hai, Irukahahahahaaaaa!" Naruto was finding air difficult to come by, and another pulsing red vein popped up on the teachers head.
Before he could even tear the impertinent brat a new one, four ANBU suddenly surrounded the boy, and Iruka goggled at them. The ANBU headquarters had been most definitely hit, as all four ANBU were now decked in rainbow and sparkling in the sun.
One who bore the mask of the rat spoke up first. "Uzumaki Naruto, you are to come with us to see Sandaime-sama."
"Wouldn't this be a matter for the Hokage?" Jiraiya asked, suspicious.
"On what grounds gentleman? Oh, and fair lady, sorry Neko-chan." Naruto said, still giggling a little as he shakily got to his feet.
"Naruto, there's no one else in this village who would, or probably even could do it." The mentioned Cat ANBU said, but there was a foreign tremble almost unnoticeable in her voice. Naruto, of course, picked up on it.
"Careful neko-chan, I almost detected emotion in your voice. You have no evidence, but that's fine I've wanted to see jiji anyway." He turned to his sensei and gave a two finger salute. "Later sensei!" And, with the turtle ANBU grabbing a hold of his jacket, they vanished in a whirl of leaves.
They appeared in the office of the venerable Hokage, standing to attention, as professionally as they could looking like walking rainbow sprites. The Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen took one look at them, and bit down on the pipe in his mouth to prevent any sound of hilarity.
"Sensei!" Tsunade gasped. "But what about—"
"Where is the Yondaime?" Minato asked, feeling a shiver of foreboding going through him.
"Thank you ANBU. Dismissed." He said gruffly. They did as told, leaving so fast they seemed a blur. Focusing back on Naruto, he shook his head in half amusement and half exasperation as the boy just took a seat at his desk casually, as if he hadn't pulled a village-wide prank, and opened up his bento. The boy in question felt his jiji's gaze on him and looked up at the man, grinning with utmost wickedness and unrepentant of his deed.
"Naruto—" he was cut off as the boy pushed the bento in the middle of the desk, equal distance between them. Naruto merely grinned.
"We'll be here for a while. Have some lunch jiji! Katsu packed a lot, I think she knew I would be seeing you today. . ."
Hiruzen looked at the boy, before giving in and laughing long and loud, reaching for an onigiri.
"Clever girl seems to know what you'll do always." Hiruzen said, still laughing.
"She misses you. Why not come over for dinner sometime? Then you can introduce us to your grandson who we've only heard of." Naruto suggested, popping a shrimp into his mouth.
"I miss her too, so perhaps." He agreed. "in order to feel like I'm at least trying to keep this village from going under with one of your pranks . . ." And so he gave Naruto the standard warning of keeping the pranks to a minimum and not quite so widespread, though both knew the blonde would do no such thing. So that talk ended rather quickly and instead they enjoyed the lunch. When Naruto walked out of his office waving, he turned to the picture of his successor/ predecessor. No matter how many times he looked at the picture, he was still struck on how much the same Naruto and Minato looked. The Sandaime smiled at the picture of the deceased Fourth Hokage and said, "As expected of a child from you and Kushina, Minato-kun, he will be something great."
. . .
. . .
. . .
"WOOHOOO! I'm going to be the Fourth Hokage, HELL YEAH!" Minato whooped, his reaction at odds with the shell shocked faces of his companions. They were even more shocked at the uncharacteristic display from the usually composed and ultra-cool jounin.
Reviews are love and peace my friends!
