Naruto's Apartment
What to take? What to wear? Naruto Uzumaki studied his limited wardrobe with a critical eye. At five years old he was not exactly the foremost expert on fashion, but then again he also wasn't exceptionally well supplied. The five shirts he owned were all black with designs. His two favorites were the Konoha Leaf symbol imposed in a brassy color over his chest and the one with a design of white flames licking up the hem to midway up the shirt. He felt both showed his respect to the village that he called home. Both were also gifts from Jiji.
The old man had done as much as he could to help him. More than any other orphan certainly. Jiji made an effort to give him gifts on his birthday, which happened to be the Day of Remembrance. While scores of people went to the cemetery , memorial stone, or made the trek to the place Yondaime faced down Kyuubi, the Hokage would spend time with orphaned children and widows or those crippled by the Bijuu's attack. No matter how busy his day the Hokage always made time to visit with Naruto. It was something the blond looked forward to in the coming year. The Hokage would sit with him while he unwrapped the gift with exuberance and joyful exclamations along with a grin so wide it made his eyes close. At least he had this past year.
What the Old Man didn't know was that Naruto not only used his gifts but he treasured them. Even the shirts now gently lain out on his bed. The shuriken and kunai holsters now resting beside the tan shorts he planned to wear were also given to him, and he treated them all like the precious gifts he thought them. The pouches, though only six months old, had been meticulously cleaned so that the leather of his tool pouch worked soft by treatment and glossy from polish already. The holster for his shuriken was cleaned every time he brought it home, and he was careful enough that the matte black material never damaged. The clothing he washed by hand in his bath tub, using the type of painstaking care that spoke of considerable affection. The gifts from his Jiji were the best kept items in the whole of Fire Country, and in his opinion, it was barely adequate.
His stipend covered his rent, food, and training supplies with a small amount left for clothing and personal items. He saw that a lot of the people in the shops tended to leave when he entered, and the owner or clerk would be entirely indifferent to him. He usually was charged a lot, more than he expected to be, at any rate. He knew his ryo had to last, thus he had developed a habit of buying instant ramen, bread, rice, and milk. He drank water from the tap to save money. It allowed him to save up for the supplies he used care for his precious possessions.
Naruto also used his money on renovations for his apartment. The place was run down when the Hokage and Dog had brought him there: The floors were a rough wood that had splintered from years of wear and abuse, the windows were filthy with dirt and grime, the pipes in the kitchen rusted and the hinges were broken on two of the three cabinets in his little dining room/kitchen combination space. After half a year preparing for the Academy he had enough time to clean the place fairly well. The windows were clear, allowing the early dawn's orange light fill his little place. The floors were not new, but he sanded them down smooth. His piping was still an issue, but if he ran the taps for a minute the sludgish brown would be turn clear. It had to do for the short term.
His bed was in a corner of the main room that served as living room and bed room. A battered bedside dresser he had found and patched up fairly well was next to the head of the bed. It held his clothes in the upper two drawers. His training gear was neatly organized in the bottom most drawer. He had put a roughly cut cardboard divider between his stacked weapons and the few training tools he had. A pair of five pound ankle weights that Dog had given him when he found out Naruto wanted to be a ninja. A weighted vest that went from 10 pounds up to 50 when little iron rods were added also sat neatly folded and cleaned next to the weights. The vest had been a gift from the Hokage when he saw the ankle weights. He had all the little rods neatly lined up in the remaining drawer space. They were his only two pieces of extra equipment on the other side of his flimsy divider. Like his other gifts, they were spotless despite regular use.
He had noticed that most of the other tenants in his building had left shortly after his arrival. The landlord had sold the building to the Hokage, who in turn kept the building as an unofficial home for homeless students of the Ninja Academy. Naruto recently had started to joke with the Hokage about naming it The Uzumaki House. He was the only person residing there, and sometimes the Hokage would smile and something in his eyes would gleam. He did have an inkling of what that gleam meant: a plan for the place. Well,if he could read the old man as well as he thought he could. There were other things Naruto could set in motion though. He had a vague idea he had gotten watching Dog.
He knew that the ANBU team with Dog in it practiced at Training Ground number 20 every other day in the mornings between four and six AM. How? He watched them. Not that he could see much usually. They moved quickly, efficiently, and silently. He saw their techniques though: fireballs exhaled from behind masks, water dragons exploding out of the pond, walls of earth rising up from the ground, bursts of brilliant white-blue crackling lightning. Naruto saw, and he hardened his resolve. He decided to find ways to test himself against these Ninja Experts somehow.
Naruto decided the Leaf decal would be the least offensive to the townspeople as a whole, and set about getting ready for his first day of the academy. When he had clothed, eaten, and finished cleaning up his resultant mess, he looked at the clock. Still had twenty minutes and the school was not far. He considered this a moment. Would he have time to exercise? He decided he didn't. Covering up his tracks and making it on time would be hard enough. He didn't want to be tardy.
Naruto's door opened with a bang and he bounced energetically outside with a huge smile. He quickly locked the door before taking off at a run, working his short arms far more enthusiastically than needed. He grinned at passerby and shrugged off their icy glares and cold indifference. He didn't worry himself much over it for now. There was little to be done for the time being. He raced along at a fairly quick pace for someone so small, and soon was outside the academy. He was still ten minutes early, and so was immensely surprised by the sight of Sarutobi in his sweeping Hokage Robes and hat speaking with a younger ninja who had a slash across his nose and upper cheeks.
"Are you set on this path, Hokage-sama?" The young man seemed resigned, a little resentful even. His back was to Naruto, who skulked just out sight of Sarutobi.
"I am Iruka, please understand that this is for both of your good. You are going to have a class full of clan heirs and likely a powerful group of promising shinobi. There are very good chances you'll get both Hyuuga twins, Sasuke Uchiha, Shino Aburame, Kiba Inuzuka, Ino Yamanaka, Choji Akimich, and Shikamaru Nara. There are a lot of good prospects, and I have faith you will treat all of your students with equal care and respect." Sarutobi had pierced Iruka with a sharp gaze, the kind of hard, steady stare that Naruto had not seen before from the old man.
"Oi! Jiji! What're you doing here?" Naruto's loud voice called as he ran up to the two men. Iruka's eyebrow twitched.
"Could you show the Hokage some respect? He's the strongest ninja in our village, as well as our leader." The man lectured him in a tone that brooked no argument. Naruto grinned at him, rubbing the back of his head.
"It is fine Iruka." Sarutobi smiled at Naruto, "Young Naruto is showing respect in his own way." The old Hokage decided to answer the question the boy had put to him, "I am here to talk to all new Academy students. Traditionally, the Hokage or a representative he chooses comes to welcome new students."
Naruto gave a laugh while he boasted, "C'mon jiji, we both know you came to see me! After all, I'll be the best in no time!"And we both know it, don't we old man? There's no denying you pay a lot of attention to me compared to other kids. Must be something you aren't saying.
The Hokage gave a chuckle. Naruto being so full of fire was such a blessing. It seemed his laws had at least helped his future prospects. A shame Minato's wish had such a price. Those fools, blaming an attack on the one who saved them. They may as well have blamed Minato himself! Shinobi of the Leaf ought to have known far better.
Sarutobi nodded at Iruka, "Umino Iruka will be your sensei for the majority of your lessons. He is a very skilled ninja and capable teacher. I hope you will come to respect him as much as you respect me. Iruka, this is Uzumaki Naruto. He is quite bright and energetic. I hope you two will be able to handle each other."
Iruka gave a small smile. It appeared he couldn't help but catch the infectious happiness that emanated off of Naruto. "If Naruto gives his best and works hard, he and I will get along fine Hokage-sama." With all the whispers and rumors about the kid I'd never expect him to be so, well, happy, Iruka thought. I will give him a chance, not that I have much of a choice. Besides, Mizuki will be around to help me if he isn't what he appears.
By now many of the children had started to arrive with their families in tow, and when the adults turned to greet the closest - a man in a blue kimono with black hair and matching eyes and a boy with spiky bluish black hair who could only be his son - Naruto managed to sidle off to the side of the group of families to stand alone. He always found watching people fascinating. The excited and boastful children, the proud and sometimes concerned parents, the clan heads explaining how they were to be the next leaders to their son or daughter.
Or daughters, Naruto internally corrected as he watched a stern looking man with lavender or faint lilac colored pupil-less eyes, and long dark hair speaking to two girls nearby. One seemed to shrink under his gaze while the other seemed to mimic his demeanor. He had heard Sarutobi mention the Hyuuga twins – this had to be them. The one with shorter hair seemed almost completely broken; her face downcast and her eyes set to the floor, almost trying to hide herself in her gray jacket. She was almost ignored by the other two, and when the father and her long haired sister spoke to each other he saw the glint of pride in the Hyuuga patriarch's eyes.
Naruto wondered, idly watching other families now, if his parents would've been proud of him today. Nervous or excited? Scared but understanding? Would he even be a ninja hopeful if they were alive and here? He'd have to try and wheedle it out of the old man later. There was definitely something there when it regarded Naruto, and even if it made him uncomfortable, he deserved the truth. By any means available.
Soon families stopped arriving, and Iruka waved a hand. Silence fell instantly as Sarutobi moved to stand before the collected citizens. The aged shinobi gazed about, taking the sight in: the hopeful faces of this new batch of students, the solemn stares of the clan leaders, civilians looking either proud or worried. He smiled, his kindly face seeming to exude happiness as he unclasped his hands from behind his back and spread them wide in a welcoming gesture.
"Welcome!" He lowered his hands and returned them to their former resting place. "All of you have chosen to walk along the path of becoming a ninja. This path is one that the village holds in great esteem. All of our ninja start this path as you are now. Every legend, every great hero, even our beloved Yondaime Hokage and the Sannin started their journeys here: Konoha Ninja Academy. Looking out among you, I can't help but wonder if the next legend is among you. Will one of you become the next Tsunade, a kunoichi of great strength and skill? Maybe someone will take the path of Jiraiya the "Toad" Sage, or maybe even like Minato Namikaze? Who among you will become the next ninja legend?"
He allowed the tantalizing thoughts to settle in their heads. He wanted to motivate the youngsters and give them goals to shoot for. He also had words of caution to give. "Do not act with undue haste," he warned them. The life of a ninja is fraught with peril. Danger is a constant companion, and death is often the downfall to unwary shinobi. For every legendary shinobi there are thousands who do not accept their limitations and fall prey to their hubris. Those who are brash, arrogant, or ruled by their hatred and greed will most likely share the fate of those who fell before them. Learn from your sensei, learn from the mistakes of others, and most importantly learn yourself. Only by knowing ourselves and accepting our own individual strengths and weaknesses, shortcomings, and areas of skill will we have a chance of not only surviving in this era, we ensure that we will not feel the grievous emotion of losing our friends and loved ones."
Sarutobi smiled once again, showing the creases around his eyes showing that implied he did so freely and often. "The Will of Fire, our greatest strength, is our unyielding determination to love and protect our village, our homes, our families and friends. It gives us our power to persevere. It is what all ninja of Konohagakure share: our bond that ties our hearts and binds us together as more than a village; it makes us family."
He looked at individual faces, and saw Naruto in the back and spoke in his calm, carrying voice, "The Will of Fire was kindled by the Shodai and his brother the Nidaime, brother Hokages. They passed it on to those they taught, who passed to the next generation and so on. I myself inherited my own from those who came before me. It is my sincerest hope that you all will come to have the gift of our forefathers and treasure it until you pass it to the next generation."
Iruka clapped, as did many clan heads and the assembled parents. The Third Hokage gave a small bow before vanishing in a shunshin of swirling leaves. The teacher turned to his new class with a kind expression. Some of the kids were unfamiliar with the ninja technique gasping and "ahhh"ing. He was a young teacher, fresh out of training with top marks. He had Mizuki as an assistant, and he was glad his oldest friend was there with him. It made him a bit sad that Mizuki hadn't managed to come to the first day, but like he said, "Relax Iruka, it's mostly just getting to know the kids and telling them what books to get."
This first day would be fine. He was sure of it. "All right everyone, say goodbye to your parents and come to room 105. Down the hall, first right, then fifth door on the left. You have ten minutes."
Iruka turned to enter the building only to find that Naruto had somehow slipped past him and was already halfway to the corridor that went to his to classroom. I didn't even see him go by! Iruka thought. It certainly startled him to be sure. Granted, he hadn't been paying the closest of attention in his preoccupation but it was mildly impressive to move unnoticed like that. He had to have moved through or around the crowd quickly and without drawing attention to himself while Lord Hokage and myself were speaking to the group.
Iruka gave the boy a short head start before vanishing with a poof and cloud of white smoke. When Naruto opened the door and scanned the room. He was shocked to see the teacher already there, writing his name on the blackboard. "Sit wherever you like Naruto." Iruka told him without looking at him, partly to hide his smile.
Naruto stared blankly at Iruka for a moment. Iruka turned, back to his serious expression. "Are you all right Naruto?" He asked, raising an eyebrow slightly at the comical expression on Naruto's face.
The boy slowly grinned, "You have got to teach me that jutsu sometime Iruka-sensei!" Iruka wondered if the boy was really this loud or only excited. "Please sensei? Please? It's so cool!"
Iruka couldn't help chuckling at the imploring puppy eyes. The kid had a thirst for knowledge at some level. Even if it only was jutsu for now. "I plan to teach the three basic jutsu to the academy students Naruto." He smiled slightly at Naruto's crestfallen expression, "But how about this: if you do well in the first year I will teach it to you after the exam. Do we have a deal?"
"Oh yeah! You're on sensei!" Naruto held out his fist in front of him, "I promise to be the in the top of the class, and I don't break promises sensei! Believe it!"
Iruka laughed, but their discussion ended there when some of the other students began filing in. Naruto sat, a look of determination in his eyes. Iruka had to admit, at least to himself, that Naruto Uzumaki was nothing like he expected so far.
It took the class a while to settle down, finding their friends and sitting with them. Naruto found himself at the edge of a bench near the window next to a guy he recognized from outside. On the other side of that boy a girl with short pink hair was sitting. She had bangs covering her prominent forehead, but Naruto decided not to stir trouble. The girl seemed self-conscious and he could relate. Ever since that incident at the orphanage, many villagers ignored him. They wouldn't look at him, talk to him, or even acknowledge him. At least not unless he was loud and obnoxious.
Iruka allowed them to chat and laugh until it had been exactly ten minutes from the time he had dismissed them outside to say bye to their families. He then took a deep breath, preparing to use his special jutsu.
"SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP!" Iruka yelled, his Demon Head jutsu amplifying his voice and enlarging his head to triple normal size with pointed teeth. Instantly the entire class sat and grew silent. Iruka nodded with a pleasant smile, making a certain blond in the front left bench sweatdrop. What a strange and slightly horrific technique. Naruto decided Iruka might just be a little scary. Then again, he already could read him. Sensei may have the upper hand as a teacher, but I already have set the board and am playing a long game, he reminded himself as Iruka began his introduction to the academy and his class.
"All right students, my name Umino Iruka. You will refer to me as Iruka-sensei from now on." He started, his eyes kind but his voice stern. He seemed ready to take a no-nonsense approach to Naruto, who wondered idly if a bunch of clan raised kids with self-important families were going to like that. "Today we start with basics. I will give a brief explanation of what we will be doing for the year to come. Then we will break for lunch and taijutsu after that. Any questions?"
Nobody spoke or moved to indicate they had anything to say, though Naruto noticed that both the spiky haired kid next to him and a couple of the other clan kids seemed to be somewhat confused or irritated by the last part. He caught the haughty girl in black regarding Iruka with an icy stare that made him uneasy. Maybe it was those eyes; after all, some called the Byakugan "the Evil Eye". Maybe this was why? He filed it away and returned his attention to Iruka.
"The beginning of the year will be mostly basic skills: reading, writing, mathematics, history, and other skills necessary for everyday life. This assures that even if you decide not to continue training in the coming years as a shinobi that you will have all the skills needed to become proficient at many professions civilians choose. The taijutsu practice will be done daily, though mostly this year it will be katas and conditioning. At your age it is unhealthy to strain your muscles beyond that."
Naruto frowned. He had been pushing himself hard when he trained. His weights and vest were used six days a week and his body recovered fine on the seventh. Jiji mentioned he had some kind of adaptability. It's odd, and he'd have to remember to ask the old man later. Things were not making a lot of sense.
Three Hours Later
Naruto sat alone under a tree with a swing hanging from one of its branches, his eyes wandering around the field. Most of the class just formed a fairly large group and were groaning about Iruka-sensei. Most, but not all. A pair of boys, one taller than the other with black hair pulled into a look similar to a pineapple and a stout boy with designs on his cheeks and brown hair, lazed not far off. The two Hyuuga girls were eating bentos silently. The one with shorter hair seemed to be unhappy but didn't say anything. A few older kids were further off, but not interested in a crop of new students. The kid with spiked hair was eating alone too, but he seemed focused, like he was thinking deep thoughts. A kid with a high collared jacket ate alone as well.
Naruto wondered if maybe they were just nervous about the academy. Iruka had spent the morning dictating things to them: what day they would study which subjects, the idea of guest teachers, what supplies they'd need, and so on. It was a lot to take in, and he knew this was just the prelude to actual ninja education. He supposed it made sense. After all a ninja without essential skills like writing and being able to do math was probably not very bright and would lower the chances of success in missions and be a major liability to his or team. No wonder Konoha was considered the strongest village, if they start training at five with such intensity they'd be very smart and strong ninja when they finally graduated. At least that's what Naruto figured anyway.
A rambunctious boy and his puppy were playing in a small clearing not far away. Naruto recognized him from the park on Sundays as Kiba Inuzuka. Kiba amd (and) his mom had been nice to him, but he he never went over to their place. His mom's dog, Kuromaru, seemed to have some kind of nose for trouble and had (much to Naruto's astonishment) told them Naruto probably shouldn't come onto the grounds until he was older. Kiba and he had shrugged when Kiba's mom agreed. Naruto wanted to talk to Kuromaru, but they hadn't caught each other on Naruto's down days since then.
The boys hit it off, both being loud and energetic. Kids like them were just bound to butt heads from time to time though, and Kiba seemed to always try and beat Naruto at everything from swinging highest to who could get across the monkey bars faster. Naruto wasn't slow by any means, but Kiba always was just a bit faster, stronger, or more agile. Kiba liked Naruto all right, but thought he just wasn't up to the challenge. So they were not very close, but Kiba figured Naruto was good for a few laughs with his easy going and somewhat dense nature.
"Hey, look who it is!" A boy with a pretty nondescript face and sneer was glaring at him while his friend, who looked like a breeze might knock him over he was so thin, cracked his bony knuckles. Naruto didn't know them, they looked way older than the rest of his class so he figured they must be in this years graduating class.
The stick boy spoke in a higher pitched voice, "It's that kid, Yoshiro. My parents said if I ever got the chance to let him have it." He drew back his fist and swung it forward. It was a haymaker that was pretty slow, and Naruto lunged wildly to the side. The fist hit the trunk of the tree Naruto had been sitting under. He heard a faint 'crack' from the area behind him. Guess that worked all right, Naruto sighed to himself as Twiggy yelled in pain from the fractured bone in his hand. He used the distraction to roll himself at the bigger kid Yoshiro. Small fists wouldn't work well against that size difference, and Naruto didn't know enough about fighting to really hurt him that way. Not yet, anyway. He instead took three steps and gave a jumping head butt to the taller boy's jaw. The motion looked almost like he had stumbled and jumped to right himself after the dive to get away from stick figure looking kid. There was a clicking sound as his teeth crashed together and he fell back unconscious.
Twiggy had recovered enough by then to watch his partner drop like a puppet with its strings cut. He saw the blond turn towards him, and he seemed much different at that point. There was something sad in those blue eyes now. Something he found slightly unnerving. He backed up a step, cradling his damaged hand as Naruto stepped forward.
"You should take your friend with you back to your sensei." There was a grin on Naruto's face as he rubbed under his nose. Even though he sounded loud and smiled like a fool, Twiggy was growing steadily more scared of the runty kid. He edged around widely to Yoshiro. Many of Naruto's classmates watched on in silence. They were shocked that a fresh student beat two near Genin level preteens with such absurd luck.
"If he hadn't moved away then that first punch would've knocked him out."
"A head butt?! Who fights like that?"
On and on the mutters started when the two older boys made their sorry way back to their own class. Naruto, who had sensitive hearing, ignored it all and heard a kid give a sigh. He knew it was the boy who sat next to him in class from the direction of the sound. Naruto flashed a victory sign at his classmates before sitting down in the same spot and eating his remaining rice ball. That was not the end of it though.
"UZUMAKI NARUTO!" A voice shouted from the building entrance quieted the majority of the students, though some smiled slightly vindictively. Naruto knew that he was not going to get a unbiased witness. He made his way over to the source of the voice, and it turned out to be Iruka-sensei and the two boys who'd failed to attack him waiting together With his new sensei. A feeling of danger came to him as he saw the smug look on the those boys' faces. He thought, This smells like trouble...
"Yoshiro and Han were telling me how they were attacked and injured by a boy with blond hair and blue eyes with weird marks on his face. Did you do this to them?" He indicated Han's swollen hand and the purplish black bruise already forming on Yoshiro's chin.
Naruto smiled at Iruka and scratched the back of his head. "I gave the jerk that bruise, but that stick looking clown punched a tree behind me! But sensei, they came after me! I just tried to get away!"
"Really?" Iruka seemed to consider this. He was about to speak when a voice from behind spoke up.
"The kid's telling the truth sensei."
Naruto wheeled around with an incredibly surprised look. The boy who sighed, the one with the father who had the fan on his robes at orientation and sat next to Naruto showed up, his eyes glaring at the two older kids. "Sasuke? You saw what happened?" Iruka asked, his expression neutral.
Sasuke nodded, "Yeah, those two went after Naruto, who was surprised and barely managed to avoid that one's punch." He looked at Han, then continued, "Naruto lost his balance and his head smacked into this guy's. Naruto told them to go back to their sensei. I think because they both had been hurt."
Iruka thanked Sasuke, telling him that if he was done eating he should head to class. Then he told Naruto to go with Sasuke while he had a talk with Han and Yoshiro. Naruto bounded off like a cork from a bottle. He caught up with Sasuke at the door, and said in a somewhat calmer voice than usual, "Hey, thanks for sticking up for me back there."
The other boy simply shrugged, "I wasn't sticking up for you. I just don't like bullies."
Naruto grinned widely, "Me neither! Well, thanks anyway!" He then sat down and busied himself with doodling on a spare scroll. He was only throwing off Sasuke, mentally going through some of his plans. He added one more to the list: Get even with the two losers who attacked him for no reason. Perhaps a harmless thing that wouldn't be too hard? A prank or practical joke? He didn't want to get blamed though... Decisions, decisions.
