Disclaimer: Blah blah blah Not Dead, Owning Naruto Not.
Naruto choked. The flock of blond hair swayed around the person's shoulders like a halo and a peal of crystalline laughter echoed. Naruto winced as the sound of grinding glass assaulted his ears. The figure hugged the boy. The blond felt his breath catch in his lungs as his side were shattered in pieces. The individual released him after one excruciating moment. The boy twitched and extended his hand toward the silhouette, reaching to grab at something, but he could find no purchase on the ethereal garment worn by it. There was the fact that they had never been close to each other in the first place; the shape was so far away in fact, Naruto could only perceive the blond hair. The shadow laughed again and started to walk down the road. Naruto willed his legs to fight and win against the black tar of anguish that engulfed his limbs in dreadful cement but it was a lost endeavor. He tried to cry, to scream, to howl after the departing woman, but the tar was already up to his mouth, pouring in his throat, strangling him, drowning him, killing him. Naruto struggled to escape the abyssal prison of dark, heavy fear but kept sinking lower in the despair. The boy hollered one last time and the black emptiness shattered with the blaring sound of an alarm.
The bed threw the blond off, the blanket trapping him in its knots and folds. Five full seconds kept him floored before sleep ceased to fog his brain and the damp white of his bed-sheets made itself know to him. His eyes slowly focused on the familiar room he was in, with the familiar nightstand, the familiar wardrobe, the familiar drawings all around on the wall. It took the blond a moment before he could get himself out of the sweat-drenched cover. Naruto slammed a hand against his alarm to shut down the cringe-worthy alert before he glanced with a grimace and teeth gritted at the mess he had made of his bed. He would need to change the sheets. Shakily, he made his way to his bathroom and splashed his face with ice cold water. Blinking to chase the droplet caught in his eyelash, he stared at his reflection in his mirror and flinched when the reflection stared back.
"You are so weak."
The blond snarled and broke the glaring contest he was ultimately fated to lose and flung his night garment against the wall, slipped on a sweatshirt and a pair of pants, some orange monstrosity he had bought on discount, stomped off to his entrance to hastily put some shoes on, and sprinted at full steam fueled speed toward his destination.
His respiration hitching, Naruto's fist impacted the wooden post hard enough for the skin to explode and the wood to protest. The boy huffed and, in a fluid motion, threw his other fist to punch the target while withdrawing the first one brusquely. He paid no mind to the blood escaping the scorched knuckles in rivulets, and he ignored the pain. The blond quickly lost himself in the stultifying motion, numbing his mind to prevent it from wandering. He had had the nightmare again. Naruto switched from punches to kicks and started attacking the wooden post with high and low roundhouses and vertical hits. He hated it. The boy exploded in a burst of speed and doubled the rhythm of his kicks, and old, dried bark started flying from the wooden post, torn off by the violence of the assault. He did not need it. Naruto began alternating between kick and punch, this time moving back and forth, closing in the post for a gyaku and getting out for a mawashi, feinting left, right, dancing around the post, shadow boxing against the piece of wood. A snarl etched itself on his face. He did not want it. With powerful exhalations, the blond kept striking the block of wood as if it had fatally insulted him. The only things he needed was the strength. The dull sound of wood being mauled echoes the clearing. The strength to prove a point to the village. The whistling of air whirling around his fist pierced the morning quiet. The strength to cow the glares and the whispers. Naruto snarled again and fury distorted his face. Strength to freeze the hate. With a kiai, the boy struck the post and wood shattered around his fist and sawdust exploded around him. White pain shot through his left hand and up his arm but it was in red anger Naruto howled, his fist embedded in the wood of the training post. For a second, the blond stood, stopped in time, unmoving, not breathing, held captive by his own attack before the snare was lifted.
Naruto breathed. Letting his wounded arm hang at his side, Naruto wiped the sweat from his brow with his good hand, before surveying his surrounding. He was still alone, and the sun was high already, early grey dawn having morphed to orange morning. Good. It meant he very probably would not have to vacate the training ground. Good. He had poured blood, sweat, and part of his anger at the training post but was certainly not feeling like dealing with people who'd obviously be obnoxious. Throwing a glance at his useless left, Naruto frowned. His routine, the physical part of it at least, was finished, but what was mildly upsetting was that he probably would not be able to do anything else with his left hand for the rest of the day, with the pain pulsing through it. However, what he had planned for today was not important enough to suffer through a broken bone. Plus, if he did, he would have to go to the hospital, and he would sooner die than go there. No, it would heal soon enough that he could avoid a stay at the madhouse if he was careful. After a second, the blond shrugged. Doing the exercises with the right hand only would be good enough anyway. Naruto threw his shirt away, wincing slightly when he had to pass his left hand through his sleeve, keept his blue eyes from looking down at his torso, and sat under an evergreen oak. He never fell sick, and reading and practicing his chakra control with a damp shirt was really uncomfortable. Not wasting more time, the boy took a leaf from the tree in the palm of his good hand and closed his eyes.
It was an exercise they had learned the theory of in the Academy, after they had been explained what chakra was, so long ago already. The goal of the manipulation was to funnel the life energy to make the leaf stick to the palm of one hand and then turning said hand horizontally, palm facing downward. The exercise was complete once the one practicing it could do it without thinking about it. Naruto inhaled a long, deep, and filling breath, eyes closed, before diving down in himself. The world collapsed and shrank to a singular space filled to the brim with chakra and overflowing. His breathing halted to a momentary still, Naruto basked for a moment in the ocean of warmth that was waiting for him in his abdomen. Even after five years or so, it was still incredible for him to think he, his body and his mind, was creating this pool of energy. An energy that could bend the world around him. Naruto enjoyed the sensation for a few more pulses before he focused on his task.
The boy observed his chakra, the way it was dripping naturally in his coils, like water overflowing from a glass, and noted with no small satisfaction the flow was plentiful but tame. And tomorrow, it would be even tamer than today. The blond eventually actively began to draw on the energy. The life force readily jumped in his coils, as if eager to answer his demands. The blond circulated the invigorating force through his body, letting the chakra seep in his muscles, his organs, and his bones. Soon, he was humming with power and he could feel the pain in his left hand subside. Chakra really was the remedy to all woe. Focusing the flow on his right hand, Naruto carefully allowed the energy to leak out of the tenketsu in his palm, trickle by trickle. His eyes shot open and looked at the leaf perfectly stuck to his palm. It was nowhere near enough. The blond took another leaf and this time, stuck it to his forehead. Then two more he placed on his elbows. Finally, two more he glued on the side of his knee. His eyes carefully avoided looking at his naked abdomen at all time.
"You are in control."
The rhythm of his diaphragm still precisely reigned in and controlled, the boy danced through a kata, still carefully channeling the chakra within him everywhere the energy would reach, ignoring the itch in his left hand. Naruto smiled in reminiscence of the difficulties he had faced to perform the exercise at first, five years ago, much less his own, more complex version of it. The blond smiled at how today he flowed from stance to stance like water with ease. He had discovered through his early, miserable attempts that he had a big amount of chakra, and that meant the relatively precise control of it necessary to achieve the exercise was difficult for him to attain. Still, the leaf exercise was the first exercise of Konoha to develop chakra control, the level one, nothing easier, and the old man had said strength could come in many forms but control was always its very foundation. So Naruto had chewed and swallowed the frustration bubbling inside him and had powered through. If control meant strength, then he would control. The kata finished, the boy examined himself under all side to check all the leaves were still where they were supposed to be. He knew the answer already, but seeing and touching all five leaves perfectly in place and undamaged brought a grin to his face, the last lukewarm remnants of his previously scalding hot anger bleeding off of it, enlarging the grin into a smile. The blond started another kata.
He would control as much as he could and maul a tree when he couldn't.
The sun had since long risen westward, shining upon a clear midday when Naruto ceased his routine, his last kata finished. His brow marred with sweat, the boy gathered his belonging slowly, trying his best to maintain the flow of his chakra inside despite his fatigue. Having successfully clothed himself, Naruto left the training ground, entering the city once again after a few minutes walk. Without warning, the blond broke into a blur above the populous streets of Konoha, taking shortcuts and forgotten alleyways to reach his home as fast and stealthily as he possibly could. The air whipped his face and roared in his ears as he ran and jumped, his feet fast and assured, never tripping once on his race. His eyes were catching the most minute detail to help him navigate his acrobatic route. The tip of his fingers and the sole of his feet were burning him as they made him aware of even the tiniest bump they encountered on his free-run, allowing him to correct his balance on instinct. The mad chase between him and the glaring sun ended abruptly as he reached his flat.
The boy took a long, greedy breath of air as he crumbled against his door, easing the flow of his power and relaxing his focus, a large grin plastered on his face, his mind slowly coming off the adrenaline high he had self-induced. Chakra was so awesome. Now he just needed to drag himself inside to eat, even though the floor looked so appealingly comfortable right now. Naruto stayed sprawled for another minute before he vanquished his exhaustion and forced himself to go inside. The flat was in the same chaotic state he had left it earlier this morning. It was not like he had someone to clean for him and his caretaker would not come before two days. His nose scrunched in disgust at the smell of his own sweat, he threw every single offending piece of clothing and other in a large basket before heading to the bathroom. He smirked at his reflection before stepping under the shower.
"Not today."
It was hours later when Naruto sighed as he perused several books and scroll strewn open on the table in front of him. He had read everything several times, his eyes surfing on the words, his mind drinking the knowledge deposited along the ink, the information printing itself deep on the folds of his brain. There was nothing more he would get out of these manuals. He understood that fuinjutsu was a somewhat lost art and mainly mastered by a now dead clan; that explained the lack of resource about the science. But it did not make it any less frustrating to only be able to skim the subject, given how interesting it sounded. Naruto sighed again. The worst was that three days from now, he would have less time to explore the archives, as the Academy was starting again. The bane of his existence. His personal place of misery. The antechamber of boredom. The blond stifled another sigh. At least, it would be his last year. He was confident he would graduate; he had everything down, be it the three jutsu or the theoretical knowledge, even his subpar taijutsu was good enough to pass. Then he would become genin and he would have access to the restricted department of the archives where treasures were waiting to be unearthed. Or dusted. Naruto smiled, his eyes glazed and looking right through the various introductory scrolls, not seeing them. He was startled back to the present by the growl of his stomach.
"Whoah there. Hungry much?" The blond chuckled while looking down at himself. Another groan of protest shook him to the bone and the boy jumped to his feed.
"Alright, what about some ramen?"
The third rumble of hunger all but confirmed his offer. "Alright, alright, no need to get all angry on me." The boy whispered, patting his belly before clearing his way out of the mess formed by the piles of books littering his floor and toward the small kitchen corner of his flat. In quick, practiced motions, the blond boy set a pot full of water and a pan on the fire, and a small stool in front of the stove. In under a minute, Naruto hacked garlic and pork meat and threw them in the pan where some spice were sizzling in oil already, while a chicken broth was simmering inside the pot. He was about to add the noodles to the pot when someone knocked on his door. Naruto took the time to plunge the somen in the boiling water and check the state of the meat before hopping off his stepladder and getting to his door. The imposing form of the Hokage was taking up the frame.
"Jiji!" The blond exclaimed with a smile, before noticing the mask-wearing ninja behind the old man and frowning lightly. "Or is it one of those time I should call you Hokage-sama?"
The old man smiled before shaking his head horizontally. "No Naruto-kun, I just came to check on you. May I enter?"
"Sure!" Naruto stepped aside to allow the Hokage entrance before blocking the frame just as fast with his body. "But he is not welcomed." The blond stated, eyeing the masked bodyguard. The Hokage turned around slowly and looked at the boy. "Why is that?"
"Because I can tell he doesn't like me. He stares at me behind his mask." The blond answered, this time returning a glare to the ninja's blank face.
"How would you-"
"My skin prickles when people look at me like that, Jijie." The blond interrupted.
The Hokage sighed and threw a glance at the ninja. Naruto saw the man start minutely before he disappeared in a great deal of displaced air. The boy tsked. "Show off. What's he afraid of anyway?" He muttered, as much for himself as for his grandfather. "It's not like you're the Hokage and super powerful." He added, eyes rolling.
Hiruzen chuckled. "True. He is a bit stupid for thinking you'd ever think of hurting me." The Hokage said in a loud voice while looking at the blond with a raised brow. "You would not, would you?"
"Of course not. And should you be talking that loud? Maskman can probably hear you."
"I know. And I want him to hear it." The old man explained to the boy with a smile and a wave of the hand, signaling the end of this particular discussion.
"Do you want ramen, Jijie? I'm cooking some right now." Naruto offered as both made their way in his living room, the mention of the food making his stomach rumble.
"Oh no, Naruto thank you. I already ate." Hiruzen declined with a smile.
"You have no idea what you're missing Jijie." The blond claimed with a grin while going back to the kitchen and his cooking. It took the blond another minute to dress his dish in the way he liked it, time Hiruzen took to dodge the mess strewn on the floor and seat himself on the second and only other chair inside the apartment. The old man observed the walls of the apartment, all covered in similar drawings of plants and trees before his eyes took in the sight of the lone blond kid working some magic in the kitchen. He sighed.
"So, Jijie, what's up?" Naruto asked, setting his food on the table and inhaling a large mouthful of noodles, jamming his own question. Hiruzen offered him a smile.
"Well, as usual, the sky I suppose."
The Hokage watched in undisguised amazement as the boy vacuumed away his ramen hanging from his mouth before swallowing everything like some hellish pit.
"Ah ah. You're funny Jijie." The blond deadpanned eventually. "No really Jijie, are you good?"
"It's not your role to inquire about old people Naruto. Old people should inquire about you."
The boy peered at his grandfather for a second before shrugging. "I don't know. You're the only one who ever asks if I'm good, so I guess I also want to know you're good too."
The Hokage smiled. "Well… Yes, Naruto, I'm good. Thank you for asking. And you? Impatient to go back to the Academy?"
Naruto returned the smile and took another mouthful of his ramen before chewing slowly, blue eyes glancing somewhere not exactly there. "Good and absolutely not." The boy eventually said, eyeing the Hokage again. "It's super boring there Jijie!" The blond paused for a moment. "Plus, they don't like me." The boy shrugged and added in a monotone. "Nobody does but you anyway."
The grimace on Hiruzen's face did not escape the boy's notice but before the old man could touch on a subject the boy was not interested in tackling, Naruto continued. "Well, maybe not everyone…" The blond said with a gaze lost in nothingness and a conflicted expression painted on his face, before he focused and kept talking, cutting short the question he knew the old man had. "Anyway, as I said, well, it's all pretty boring. I know everything they want us to learn. And they don't really teach us anything! It's all just about stuffing our brain with useless things. Urgh."
The Hokage raised an eyebrow and smiled lightly. "Really, is that so?"
"You know I have excellent memory Jijie." The blond said, gesturing to the room around him. "It's just a waste of time."
"Oh? So you know everything already?" The old man asked, both eyebrows raised and a small teasing smile tugging at his lips.
"Tch! Of course I do, believe it!" The blond exclaimed. "Everything is going so slow. I already emptied the library section we have access to!" He whined.
"Well, everyone learns and understands at their own rhythm, Naruto." His grandfather reasoned in a soothing voice.
"Yeah, but there is nothing to understand Jijie. That's the point. What we are taught… It should take like, two seconds and bam." The boy gestured, slapping his fisted right hand against his left palm. "We only need to know stuff by heart. We don't use our brain! Plus, if everything is in the books, I see no point."
"Well, what if you need the knowledge once you're away on a mission? You won't always have a library easily accessible, Naruto." The Sandaime smiled when the blond offered him an unsatisfied pout. "And I trust you should find this year interesting then, because you'll use your brain plenty, trust me."
"Really? How so?"
"Because you'll be taught strategy among other things this year. Now if you know everything, how about I test you?" The Hokage offered, with a sideways grin Naruto knew.
"Pff, fire away Jijie. I know all on everything."
"How many tenketsu in our body and their purpose?"
"Three hundred and sixty-five. And it is to distribute the chakra within and without our body."
"Ideal angle of throw for maximal distance traveled?"
"Forty-five degrees."
"The two different types of genjutsu?"
"External genjutsu are light chakra constructs that can be easily dispersed by physical contact. One example is the traditional clone technique. Internal genjutsu affect various parts of the brain of the target by altering the chakra flow. They often need contact to be layered or at the very least some kind of trigger. The target can escape by disrupting their chakra."
"The name of the five active divisions of the Kogun and their role?"
"Gauntlet in Konoha solely for the village defense, the Red Shield against Iwa, the Blazing Sword against Kumo and Kiri, the First Shodai against Suna, and the Phoenician inside Fire Country as a whole, for domestic peacekeeping, public and private mandates, and genin tutorship. Nice try but that's no problem to me Jijie." Naruto shot back with a smug tone, sending to his grandfather a challenging look. The Hokage glared back mockingly for a second before smiling and leaning in his chair.
"Very good indeed Naruto-kun. But it simply means your lean quickly. Some people need more time."
"But that's just memorizing some completely useless information! That's not learning!"
The old man shook his head. "It's not useless Naruto, never underestimate the edge knowledge can give you."
"Oh come on Jijie." Naruto exclaimed with a sigh. "When was the last time knowing about tenketsu gave you an edge?" The boy asked, not trying to hide the tease in his voice, and grinning when the Hokage sighed. "Ah! See? I'm right."
The old man smiled and chuckled. "Alright one for you, but how many for me? Some teaching at the Academy might be weird or seem strange, but know that knowing every last thing about tenketsu is essential for being a medic ninja, for example."
Naruto took a thinking pose for a moment. "But then why don't they teach that stuff to medic students only? It doesn't make sense to teach us that."
The Hokage sighed. "Do you know why the Academy was created Naruto?" The old man asked, interrupting the young blond's whining. The question silenced the boy who struck his thinking pose again.
"I don't know," admitted Naruto after a minute of chewing on the problem as well as some noodles. "To give everyone an education?"
"Yes and no, Naruto. One objective is to find children with potential. Not necessarily to be a ninja in the traditional way, but to be maybe interested in iryojutsu, in genjutsu, in strategy and so on. There are many branches in the Konoha military, Naruto, not just front-liners."
The look of comprehension dawning on his mind etched itself on the boy's face. "So… We are taught about all that so that teachers can find some potential iryo-nin?"
"Exactly."
"But… Aren't we a bit… Like, young, anyway?"
"Talent is best cultivated early Naruto."
The boy nodded as if convinced before a grimace deformed his visage. "Doesn't change the fact that it's boring. And I don't think we have any medic in our class, given we had to spend two years on it!" The blond exclaimed with an overhead throw of his arms.
The Hokage gave him a wide smile as an answer. "Why do you say that? Didn't you take it like a charm? Maybe you have potential."
Naruto returned his grandfather a dead look. "Yeah, Jijie, ah ah. Even I know you're supposed to trust your doctor. And no one would entrust anyone to me."
The Hokage visibly held a sigh and palmed his face in his right hand. "Naruto-kun," the old man soothed. "You are a brilliant boy, and I'm sure that-"
"It's ok Jijie. I know what you wanna say." The blond offered the old man a smile. "I have you, that's enough for me."
The Hokage sighed deeply but said nothing, just watching as Naruto torpedoed what was left of his ramen. "What would you rather learn then, Naruto-kun?" The old man asked suddenly as Naruto inhaled the last noodle.
The boy chewed for a second before he gulped audibly, not just from swallowing his food. "Well, I've read the books about fuinjutsu theory." The blond's voice trailed off and he looked at the old man seated in front of him with more than curiosity in his eyes.
The Hokage smiled, ignoring what was shining in the blues orbs. The similarities really were astounding. "Ah? Tell me more?"
"Well," the boy started again with a very quiet voice. "I was wondering, really, how it works. There is nothing in all those scrolls." The boy gestured at the mess precariously piled on one extremity of his table.
It was past eleven when the Hokage ended the conversation, reminding Naruto that, even if he didn't have school tomorrow, it was no reason to go to bed this late, and that, in all honesty, they had already crossed the boundaries of what was reasonable for a boy his age. As Naruto expected, as soon as the Hokage exited his door, there was a great deal of displaced air, and the masked ninja appeared again at the old man's side. The blond accompanied his grandfather until the end of the external gangway of the second floor. Naruto hugged the old man, making the masked man tense visibly, a fact the boy answered by showing the ninja his tongue.
"Night Jijie. You visit back in a week?" The blond asked, his voice barely a whisper in the cold evening air.
The Hokage squeezed him firmly. "Yes my boy. In a week, to see how the new year is treating you. But you know not to be a stranger and come to my office, even if you don't need anything, right?" He asked, engulfing the boy in his arms.
"I know Jijie. It's just… I like it when you're here."
"And I like it too. Be good Naruto, alright?"
"Promise Jijie." The boy answered, giving the old man a peck on the cheek. The Hokage smiled and kissed the blond's forehead.
"Night Naruto-kun. Sweet dreams."
From the second story of his complex, Naruto watched as the two figures disappeared in the wobbling street lighting. Disappointment shone in the blue eyes and the boy sighed, trying to keep his thoughts away from the discussion he just had with the Hokage and the one thing the old man had refused to touch. He kept on staring long after his grandfather had disappeared from view, his gaze lost into nothingness, before finally turning back to his flat. Perhaps he was not straightforward enough? Perhaps the old man had not seen the hint?
Naruto squashed the train of reflection and then proceeded to shake his head ruefully at the thought he had every single time he was in the gangway; the thought of the five deserted apartments next to the one he was living in, just so people would not have to be near him. And his grandfather wanted him to find friends. A crooked smile made his way to his lips; talk about impossible. It was kind of hurtful. But one small part of the boy's brain also considered it flat stupid. Naruto stepped through the door in his small living quarters. It was quite a luxurious place for a lone eleven years old, with a bedroom, a kitchen combined with a living room, and a bathroom. And the best part was that Konoha was paying for it. Which was a relief because, as far as Naruto knew, he had no money other than the small sum the Hokage gifted him every month. He wasn't even sure if this pocket money was not coming directly from the old man's personal treasure. The boy sighed before his fist clenched. He would become a ninja and give the money back to the old man, ryo for ryo. Naruto relaxed his hands before he went to wash his face. Tomorrow, he would train and learn, like he had done for the past five years. Tomorrow, he would grow closer to his dream. For that, he needed all of his energy and as such, would go to bed early.
Monday came quickly, and with it, the first classes at the Academy. For the last year, thought Naruto as he made his way toward the grey, concrete building, his satchel weighing on his shoulder with all its book fullness. He had received the books on Saturday, courtesy of the Hokage, to make sure no one tried to deprive him of the manuals like it had been the case during the first two years. Walking casually, he glanced without seeing them at the civilians going about their life, unimportant faces scowling in disgust and hate at his mere presence. He could have disappeared, could have made his way to the Academy invisible to them. He had the skill to do so, he knew it. But, dressed in one ugly ass neon orange garment, he also knew he was one disagreeable, detestable eyesore. Like an itch the villagers all wanted to scratch but were forbidden to. And Naruto enjoyed that. It wasn't much, the more objective side of his brain had supplied to him more than once that it was probably petty, but he enjoyed it. Because he knew it made every last one of the villagers seeing him uncomfortable. He could not do much more, in the first place because he had given his word to his grandfather, and that breaking it would not feel right. But maybe he could goad them into doing something stupid, and then all the bets and promises would be off. But above all, if he ever decided to go to the Academy secretly, he knew it would feel like a loss. And he would certainly never grant any kind of victory to the village, not without fighting.
So the boy fought, in his own way, as he ignored the glares the villager were levying on him. He was careful to dodge the usual man who regularly tried to trip him, one hundred and fifty meters away from the school grounds. The blond knew the facial features of his assailant by heart now, as it was always the same dumb person at the same spot. Five years and the desperate humanoid still tried. One day, he would probably accidentally stab this particular man with a kunai, in the leg, right on the artery. The cut would be too deep to be healed and the poor man would die from blood loss before iryo nin could work their jutsu on him. A very unfortunate incident all in all and Naruto would plead innocence. The boy smiled at the silly thought before dismissing it with a head shake. He would need to read about laws before, to know if it was even feasible. The blond shook his head again. No, he had promised the Hokage, above and beyond reproaches. Killing a man would certainly not follow the guideline, especially while he was still officially a civilian. Yet if everything went normally, he would not stay a civilian for long.
Naruto reached the gates a minute after, checked he was still in the same old classroom, found his way in the labyrinth of the Academy grounds, and entered the small amphitheater. Soon the class filled with annoying children and annoying chatter. Naruto was, as per usual, seated alone in the back of the class. His hand was mindlessly doodling something on an open notebook. The other children, as per usual, were discussing among themselves, ignoring him copiously. The blond's eyes were lost, looking at nothing through the slightly foggy window. What was not usual in this morning of October, was that whoever their sensei was supposed to be had not arrived yet. For a first day, it was weird, even if the blond was not especially impatient about beginning some more boring lectures. Actually, Naruto was starting to wonder if the class was going to happen at all, given that the only reason a ninja would ever be late was sickness, which was something incredibly rare for shinobi. Not that the blond had two ryo to give about the health of the one he would have to call sensei for a year, he could not have cared less if someone suddenly barged in and announced his death.
"Hello class! Please sit down." A voice rang and recalled Naruto back to reality with a start. For a second, the blond panicked lightly about the strange happenstance but quickly dismissed it. He had wished for people's death more than once, he would know if he had that kind of power. Naruto reported his focus on the man who had just entered. Brown hair, brown eyes, tanned skin, and the general word would have been common were it not for the scar slashing horizontally through the teacher's entire face, just above his nose. "My name is Umino Iruka, and I will be the one teaching this class for this year." The now identified Iruka explained as whispers began to slitter in the class.
A sway of strawberry hair caught Naruto's eyes and he watched as a girl seated on the first rank rose her hand as high as she could.
"Yes, miss?"
"What happened to Kenji-sensei?"
"For personal reason, Kenji-san decided to ask for a transfer from the Phoenician, a request which was granted."
The man threw a sweeping glance at the assembled children. Naruto looked as Umino's eyes found his and hardened. The blond threw him his harshest glare in return before turning his head down to his desk. Naruto sighed and returned to his doodling; apparently, this teacher would be just like all the previous ones.
"Any other question?" The man asked, waiting for a second before turning his back to the silent class and chalking some words on the blackboard. "My office will be one one two, you can find me here if you have questions about what we study in class. He is not here today, but I'll also be helped by Miki Mizuki. The schedule for the class will stay the same as the previous year, from eight to seventeen, with an hour-long lunch-break. Thursday, Friday and Saturday will be the clan break. Of course, those of you not coming from ninja clan are welcome here and strongly encouraged to come to pursue training of all kind, just like always. We teachers will be here to assist." Turning back toward the children, the man smiled. "Let's start, shall we?"
The class nodded, knowing full well it was not a question and sat, waiting for the teacher to deliver his knowledge.
"Now, who among you know how to play shogi?"
Ice blue bore into the tinted surface of sunglasses. There was no time to be lost as the bell which would announce the end of all war was ready to ring. The black lance moved just two square ahead and immediately promoted, effectively trapping the adverse king's escape. A hand hovered above the board, delicately touching a piece before retracting into the large sleeve of a grey coat.
"It seems like it is my loss, Uzumaki-san." The young heir of the entomologist clan congratulated, his defeat keeping his usual speech pattern to show.
"It was a nice game, Aburame-san." Naruto offered politely in return, his lips forcefully stretched in a thin smile. It was polite but true nonetheless. The game had been tense until the very last minute, Shino Aburame proving to be an extremely shrewd and calculating opponent, finding ways to delay his ultimate demise until the very end. The dark haired boy had fallen into Naruto's trap twenty-five moves into the game but had managed to nearly turn the table on the blond and had ultimately imposed a costly victory to the blue-eyed boy and a long-winded, three hundred moves worth match. Naruto's thoughts were broken by the extended hand of Shino crossing the board. The blond stared, inexpressive, for a second and shook it slightly and hesitantly.
"I hope we play again Uzumaki-san. Why? Because I also enjoyed the game." The glasses wearing boy declared, his usual way of wording things returning.
"I am sure we will have the occasion," Naruto answered, his skin crawling with a weird feeling.
It was the second the bell chose to ring eleven thirty and just as predictable as the movement of the gears of a well-oiled clock, the ritual of students rushing out to escape the stuffy classroom played out. Naruto and Shino were both left in the settling dust of the stampede.
"It was a nice game," drawled a voice from beside them, startling them both ever so slightly. Sprawled nearby, his chin squished against a desk, the brown eyes under the pineapple haircut riveted onto them, was unmistakably a Nara boy.
"Thank you, Nara-san."
"Shikamaru, Shino. Being called Nara-san is way too troublesome." The boy lifted his body like it was some dislocated puppet and dragged it, by the force of his will, or so it seemed to Naruto, to the classroom door. "I hope we get to play too." The boy bore his gaze in Naruto's and the blond felt himself swallow a strange lump. With a wave of his hand, the Nara disappeared. "See ya two after lunch."
Naruto reeled his eyes from the door-frame back to Shino's sunglasses and quirked an eyebrow, a trickle of cold sweat rolling agonizingly slow down his temple.
"Nara-san is quite… Energy efficient, let us say." The Aburame boy answered.
"So it seems." The blond nodded. "Well, Aburame-san, I'm off to lunch." The boy finished, exiting the room with the swaying gait of a drunk man.
Naruto settled down against his favorite tree, his chest heaving like the bellows of a great forge. The blond took a minute to calm his breath before he tried to analyze the reason for his discomfort. It was not the first time he had felt like this. It would always begin the same way, with either Shikamaru or Shino talking to him. Or even Hinata sometimes, even if it was rarer coming from the overly shy bluette princess. Either one of the three would talk to him and he would feel like he was drowning. He had long since identified that. The first time, some two years ago or so, had been so bad he had nearly fainted. He knew the trigger to his discomfort yet he could not tell what was the cause. Why, by the Will of Fire, did he feel like this? Absently opening a lunch box his caretaker had made for him, the blond let his thoughts roam freely in an attempt to pierce the mystery of the awkwardness awakened without fail by his three schoolmates. His chopsticks carried slowly and automatically some food to his mouth while the boy chewed on both his lunch and the old question.
Naruto had more or less forgotten the feeling during the month of the summer vacation, being apart from the three causes of his panic. He was not prepared for it to return like this on the very first day of his last year. The blond replayed the few words spoken at the end of their furious shogi showdown. Over and over again he saw his short conversation with his two classmates, the unknown feeling slithering back to crush his chest like some merciless boa. Over and over again, he coldly analyzed what had been said. Over and over he dredged up older interactions he had had with the trio. Yet, after an hour, and as the bell rang to signify the end of the lunch break, he was still at a loss. Naruto sighed as he slowly rose to his feet. Why was it so complicated? Save the Hokage, a few people would glance at him in indifference at best and literally everyone else would glare at him in hatred at worse. So why was it that when it came to those three, their eyes were void of anything he was used to and full of something he could not understand? The blond slapped his cheeks to clear his muddled thoughts and walked toward the school building.
"Alright everyone," started Iruka with a warm smile shining at the class. "First, congratulation on those who won this morning against their opponent. For those who lost, don't worry and remember to play regularly. Practice makes master after all." The man had a sweeping glance on the class before his smile disappeared and his features set themselves in seriousness. "This year is your last year. As such, we will work on every aspect of the shinobi arts you ever worked on since you set foot here. We will add to that strategic planning and resolution, as well as negotiation with everything it entails. The year will be loaded and time waits for no one, so I expect seriousness from all of you. The final genin examination will be a breather if you work diligently." The chunin almost glared at the gathered pre-teens for a second before his eyes softened. "I do hope we will have a fruitful year together." The man added in a mellow voice before his tone became dry and snappy. "Now I want everyone to open their manual titled The Art of Negotiation on page five."
Naruto fished the imposing leather backed book from his satchel, his fingers playing a second with the toad head serving as the button, and opened the work on page five.
"Basic psychology and its use in conflict resolution." The blond silently read, his eyes widening minutely and glancing over the page. It was a basic summary of the learning unit, and Naruto's interest was instantly nudged awake when he read words and morsels of sentences such as "body language deciphering", "reverse psychology" or even "hostage situation". Maybe he would indeed actually learn something this year.
One day turned to two, two turned to three and soon it was Sunday and Naruto did not have to wake up to the dizzying sound of his alarm, the seventh day being a day of quiet and rest. The still quite warm sun rays of the mid-autumn shone brightly upon Naruto's head, his blond locks taking on a golden hue. The perspiring, shivering boy groaned almost painfully, a strange sound of distress escaping his throat for a second before turning under his damp cover and subtracting his face to the light. Less than twenty minutes passed before the unstoppable motion of the world and the celestial bodies made it so that light shone once again on the sleeping boy's face. Naruto groaned in the same fashion but this time, the boy made no move to fight the inevitable, his breathing labored and his eyes rolling left and right at a fever-induced speed under his lids. A minute passed, a choir of bird celebrating the rising sun and the wet morning, before the blond suddenly jumped out of his bed, a mix between a yawn and a weird, strangled cry of fearful protest escaping his lips as the boy righted himself after nearly tripping on the cover he had thrown haphazardly.
His shoulders knotted in angst and all four members tensed like springs, Naruto looked around him blearily for a second before his eyes focused on his bed and the drenched sheets. The boy sighed. It meant he had had the dream again. He had it more and more often nowadays and he had no idea why. He couldn't even remember it precisely; it was a muddy blur of alien images in his confused mind. The only thing he knew was that he had had fewer nightmares this summer. They had come back to haunt him, ever-changing and gluing him in somber fantasies, plaguing his sleep, absorbing his life like insubstantial leeches, leaving behind only a bitter taste pervading his mouth, a sickly sheen of sweat marring his skin and thoughts of death dripping from his brain.
Naruto shook his head vigorously to chase the last remnants of his night, a dread not unlike the web of a spider in its sticky quality. The familiar anger was bubbling in his chest as usual when he had the dream. The boy breathed deeply to even the rhythm of his heart and folded his legs under him to sit in a lotus position. The embers of his rage cooled rapidly and Naruto knew the nightmare had not been about It. Not really. His anger would not have diminished so quickly had it been the case. When he opened his eyes for the second time of the day, the boy realized he had meditated for half an hour.
"Time for some light work-out I guess."
The blond immediately threw on some sweatshirt and pants and found himself outside quickly. The boy basked a moment in the warmth of the sun before he began his usual, Sunday morning jog. Would follow some strength, speed and endurance building exercises, only to finish on some more chakra control routine, but nothing as intense or prolonged as what he would do during the week proper.
Hot water splashed on Naruto, washing the grim, fatigue and wear of his training away from his skin, muscles, and bones. The bathroom soon was drowned in fog: if Naruto ever admitted to a sin, it was his love for long showers.
A meal eventually having found its way to his stomach, Naruto pondered what to do with his day. Sunday was rest and relaxation. He knew he had until early evening until the Hokage would come to visit him, so the whole afternoon was free for him to do what he wanted. The blond eyed the small bookcase that was standing regally in the corner of his room, hesitated on the many flowers blossoming in the pots decorating his flat before he threw a glance at his unfinished sketchbook. The air had been a bit chilly during his run earlier this morning so his choice was quickly made.
A minute later, tucked under a red plaid, Naruto was reading. His good, old, worn out edition of the "Tales of the Kingdoms of Guangbai and Mohuhei" was open in his hands and the blond had a nostalgic smile as he read the slightly yellowish particular book had been his first ever companion after playing alone with wooden toys had become stale.
Relaxed by the fragrance of the blooming flowers of a begonia set on a nightstand behind his head, and comfortable in his couch, Naruto was seemingly entranced; his blue eyes were racing along the printed words of the book. Yet soon, he groaned as he read the same line for the third time. He could not focus on anything he read. Despite the pleasant perfume of citrus and orange blossom of the begonia, the stories he so liked seemed to escape his grasp. Stories about brave battling ninja, wicked warring daimyo and breathtakingly beautiful princesses. Stories about gods fighting to save Earth. Stories about young upstarts conquering a throne, a crown, and a queen. Nothing could catch his attention as a perplexing question was whirling in the blue of his eyes. Sighing, the boy ended his reading, his azure orbs staring at the printed words without seeing them, his thoughts on a matter miles away from literature.
"It was a nice game Naruto." Shikamaru Nara said, offering his extended hand to the blond across the shogi board. The blond shook it lightly and quickly withdrawn his perspiring hand.
"Yes, it was, Nara-san."
"It's Shikamaru, Naruto. Shi-ka-ma-ru." The brown haired incarnation of laziness sighed. "Please?" The young boy asked with an attempted puppy look, that the boy proved incapable of accomplishing entirely. Naruto wanted to laugh, or at least giggle, but it felt like a kunai was stuck through his throat. The blond tried to swallow to humidify his dry mouth but it was in vain.
"Ah… Yes… Of course," Naruto finally successfully gulped down whatever was clogging his throat with a weird head bob. "Shikamaru. Congratulation on winning."
"Well," the brown-haired Nara eyed Naruto carefully and the blond had to stop himself from fidgeting. "I play often with my dad and he is very good. I guess I picked some of his tricks."
Naruto set his jaw firmly and refused to flinch. He refused to acknowledge the pit that had just opened somewhere above his stomach and below his lungs. He refused to move a hand to his chest, where he would undoubtedly find blood gushing out of a hole.
"It would make sense." The blond answered dryly.
"Nonetheless, you are a tough opponent. I'm not certain I will win out next game."
Naruto's lips thinned in a line. "That is giving me much credit, Nar- Shikamaru."
"Not really." The ghost of a smile appeared on the Nara's lips. "You're troublesome ya know? I can't be lazy during our games."
The claim was heard by the whole class and Naruto felt twenty-nine pairs of eyes set on him. Shikamaru Nara had proven, in three days and since Monday, that he was the undisputed chief as far as shogi was in play. He had wiped the floor, so to speak, with everyone in the class, even their teacher. Admitting someone had made him break a sweat was something no one had thought to hear. Admitting Naruto was this someone was yet something else. The blond hesitated, the urge to disappear made even stronger by the sudden attention, until a familiar coldness swept along his spine, a familiar prickle made his skin itch, and familiar words hit his ears.
"Pff, as if he could match you, Shikamaru."
The incomprehensible gazes turned to disdainful glares and the silence turned to scornful insults.
"Yeah, don't say stupid thing Shikamaru."
Naruto felt his tension leave him as the familiarity of the situation washed over him. This, he knew how to handle. The anger of his youth had turned to disdain and had reinforced the walls of his pride. He was confident, their glares and insults could not hurt him. The blond turned to eye the Nara boy only for everything to crumble. Shikamaru was looking at him, and in the brown eyes of the clan heir, there was nothing Naruto could comprehend. It was at this moment the bell rang, freeing him from his torment.
The sun fell lower and lower westward and the sky was a painting of purple and orange when the sound of his stomach protesting loudly broke Naruto out of his recollection. The boy stood and stretched with a groan escaping his lips before he shook his head in an attempt to stop thinking. Satisfied, the boy took the book that had escaped his hands to put it in the bookcase again. With a sweeping glance, Naruto looked at his flat before he went and grabbed his satchel. Going back to his ruined couch, the started playing with the button closing the bag. The head of the button fastening the leather case was in the shape of a toad.
It was yet another mysterious present he had recently received, this one coming along a wallet also in the shape of an amphibian. Naruto was not against receiving presents, especially useful ones such as those. But he did feel uncomfortable not knowing who the sender was, as the Hokage had assured him he was in no way, shape, or form, responsible for the gifts. The old man had also said not to hesitate and use the objects. Answers would come in time, the one he called Jijie had said. The running theme, and maybe gag, between all the presents, at least identified the one responsible as one unique person. Naruto wondered for a second if he looked like a toad but banished the thought. His whisker-like marks on the cheek and his already relatively angular face gave him the appearance of a cat more than anything else. His growling stomach returned him to the present.
"Yeah, yeah."
Naruto did not have the help of his caretaker on Sunday. It was an already old arrangement, to help him grow more and more independent from the woman. After all, she would stop coming once he graduated. It meant he needed to be able to do a few things on his own, like cooking, cleaning the flat, doing his laundry and so on. So on Sunday, he was responsible for feeding himself. Throwing a cursory glance at the content of his fridge, Naruto decided on a stir-fry and immediately began working on it.
A few minutes later, the blond was sitting in front of a fuming serving of beef meat, fried vegetables of various color and potatoes and ready to dig in when he heard a knock on his door. Naruto grinned. The Hokage certainly had a gift to come right on time for dinner. The blond trod to his entrance and in the door frame was standing his grandfather.
"Good evening Hokage-sama," Naruto said with a small smile, gesturing the old man to enter, not paying attention to the masked man escorting the Hokage, as the ninja made no movement to enter his flat.
The old Sarutobi smiled. "Good evening, Uzumaki-san. How are you?"
The smile on Naruto's face faltered for a second before it settled back on his lips. "Good," he answered quietly in a slightly raspy voice before clearing his throat. "Good," the blond repeated firmly. "Do you wish something to eat?"
"I'd gladly take you up on that offer Uzumaki-san." The old ruler looked at the younger blond with seriousness and spoke with a small inclination of his head. "If you have enough of course."
"I always make two servings when you come Hokage-sama," Naruto said with honey coating his words. "It is my honor to be your host."
A grin graced the lips of the Hokage. "I'm greatly honored to be your guest."
"Enough, the food will go cold." Naruto ended their little game with a shake of his head and led the old ninja to his living-and-dining-room, where he promptly set up another plate of food for the Hokage along with a pair of chopstick.
"Itadakimasu." The old man said quietly in his low voice, before allowing himself to try some of his food. The perfectly cooked and seasoned beef melting on his tongue almost made him regret Naruto was not learning to be a chef rather than a ninja. Almost.
The pair ate in silence, only the clicking of chopsticks moving back and forth disturbing the quiet. Soon enough, Hiruzen regretfully saw his plate emptied of all the wonderful food it had contained. The old man had eaten with gusto, as fast as the younger blond seated across from him. Crossing his chopstick on top of his dish, Hiruzen sat comfortably against the back of his seat.
"So Naruto." The Hokage took a deep breath as he crossed his fingers in front of him. "How was this first week? I'm curious."
He saw a smile grace Naruto's lips before it faltered in one ugly grimace, but the second after, the boy's features were smooth and neutral.
"It's going well Jijie. You were right, I feel like we will learn plenty of interesting stuff."
A/N: Well. This chapter was complicated. I had two choices. I could either write about Naruto's entire time in the Academy, or I could write about just his last year. If I did the entirety of the Academy cycle, I know it would not have been interesting. Yet, with this time skip, I cannot help but feel like I've sort of cheated. No good solution. Anyway, thank you all for the reviews you left on chapter 1 and for the ones you doubtlessly will leave on chapter 2. ;-)
P.S: FYI, I edited chapter 1 slightly, and will edit this chapter 2 after a few days, once the inconsistencies and grammatical atrocities reveal themselves to me. This will happen every chapter, but rest assured, it will only be little tweaks to close minor plot holes.