Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Naruto…
AN: Now the first few chapters will be following the Manga to a degree. With obvious little deviations. Eventually I'm going to break off from the Manga as, as we all know, it's been rehashed a million times. For now though…you'll have to put up with it. Also, Chapter 3's revision will be coming in a couple of days as Chapters 3, 4, and 5 get progressively longer and longer. I just hope I caught everything that needed to be revised…
Chapter 2: Dreams Don't Die
The Hospital
The remaining evening and through the night, until morning was extremely rough, not just for the ANBU tasked with Guard Duty and Suicide Prevention, but for Reiko was well. Her dreams were horror filled nightmares, reliving the deaths of Iruka and Naruto and echoed with Mizuki's dying screams as he was burned alive, causing her to lash out in her sleep. Her screams and cries of anguish tore at the hearts of some of her Guardians, causing most of them to look back to the times when they were that innocent, when killing was still something that gave them nightmares.
Reiko had rolled herself off the hospital bed on more than one occasion, causing the Nurses to have to strap her to the bed, in some small measure to keep the poor girl from hurting herself in her sleep. If one could call it that.
An ANBU or two had gone over and sat on the girls' bed, gently stroking her head, and whispering soft, comforting words. While this might seem uncharacteristic of the villages masked defenders, they were still very, very much human. Those kind little actions had provided Reiko a small reprieve from her nightmares. But once that ANBU's shift ended, the nightmares started up again, almost as soon as the ANBU had gotten up.
The Nurses had even tried to drug her into a deeper sleep, a sleep beyond the reach of nightmares, but Reiko proved unusually resistant to those drugs. Nothing seemed to work for as long as the drugs should've worked on a normal person as Reiko's metabolism broke the drug down to impotent levels. A few nurses had taken up what the ANBU had started, but they had other duties to attend to and couldn't stay for any meaningful lengths of time.
Inside of Reiko's head, she watched the event that caused the death of two of her most beloved people. And the callous words she had said to Mizuki as she stood, towering over him while channeling the Kyuubi's chakra. She recalled what she said about wanting Naruto to die at some point which caused her to flinch at her callous and horrible words. So she questioned herself on whether she truly did want 'Naruto' to die or not and it didn't take long for her to come up with an answer. She never wanted Naruto to die. She spent half her current life, the last six years with him, growing into her own person while her 'fake Naruto' grew into his own person. Over those years, she grew attached to him, essentially becoming his sister, a true sister, and not just the being who was a part of his creation. For the second time in her life, she had gained someone to love. First her 'Okaa-sama,' The Kyuubi, and then her clone, her Naruto.
Over the years she had expected Naruto that Naruto would eventually die when they became Ninja as he never really took time to think first. Which, while a virtue in some situations were actions are needed, was more a problem than anything. Something which the Kyuubi helped Reiko learn to do, to think first, but Naruto didn't have that 'little voice' in his head like she did that guided her. Reiko did try her hardest to enact a similar change but she never truly appreciated just how stubborn her original self was. Though she occasionally thought the emotional pain caused by the cruelty of the people of Konoha might drive Naruto into a suicidal state with their looks and words…which they thankfully never managed to do.
Naruto's emotional fortitude against his mistreatment didn't stymie her anger and hatred from growing over the past six years at the treatment of her Naruto. When he began publicly spouting that he would become not just Hokage, but the greatest one there ever was, her plans, and that of the Kyuubi's, changed slightly. Eventually her attachment to her 'clone' grew to the point that she would follow him to hell and back in order to establish his dream. From there, she could be his right hand, guiding him from the shadows, in order to 'destroy' Konoha from within. Under Naruto's reign, and with her guidance, they could've brought about such catastrophic change to Konoha that no one would be able to recognize the new Konoha that rose in its palce. A Konoha that was, by proxy, under her control.
But now he couldn't do that. He couldn't get the recognition he wanted, that she wanted for so long, because of a stupid Ninja with a grudge against the Kyuubi, that had a lack of faith in the previous Hokage's sealing abilities. Her heart ached painfully due to Naruto's untimely demise, but that pain was nothing compared to the pain she felt for kind 'old' Iruka-sensei. He was amongst a small cadre of people who she considered to be of any real worth due to his treatment of her Naruto.
Naruto…He had grown up to be a stronger person then she could ever be. He had withered the storm in her stead, taking the emotional abuse in stride, while she…she had given up, given up her old life in exchange for a new one. Reiko eventually began to look up to Naruto, and at his strength, a strength she wanted, a strength she admired, but was forever out of her reach, ever since she agreed to become Reiko and gave up being Naruto.
One of the thoughts she occasionally toyed with in her head when she let her mind wonder astray was the thought that maybe she was actually the 'special clone' created by Naruto and the Kyuubi in order to give the Kyuubi a place to 'live' within a body that better matched the Great Fox's own gender. It was a thought that never ceased to amuse the Kyuubi when she 'overheard' Reiko's internal musings. But the fact that SHE had the Seal proved otherwise. And proved to Reiko about her own weakness as a child that was, physically, all on her own.
Iruka…He was one of the few people to show kindness and indifference to Naruto and that immediately endeared him to Reiko. Iruka treated Naruto just like he would any other person. No, that was wrong, thought Reiko. Iruka treated Naruto almost like family, taking Naruto out to dinner on more than one occasion in order to try cheering him up, which lead to him taking her along once he realized just how close Reiko was to Naruto. Spending his hard earned money on the two orphans to give them, mostly Naruto, a glimpse of happiness and light in a world that seemed to want to darken theirs. Like Naruto, she decided that Iruka wasn't supposed to die. He was supposed to stay alive and support Naruto like she was planning on to. He was supposed to be alive to continue being the 'Father figure' that Naruto looked up to him as. In fact, his death hurt her far worse then Naruto's…as Iruka wasn't a clone that could be remade.
Sure they had Old Man Hokage, but that wasn't the same. He was more like a strict Grandfather, hence the 'Old Man' bit and the Hokage couldn't see them often enough due to him being the village leader, and taking care of the village. Though now that she thought about it, it was always Naruto the Hokage paid close attention to…seemingly putting up with her due to her relationship with the blonde.
Her eyes cracked open and she gritted her teeth in rage. She took some solace in the fact that she had killed the man, rather painfully, who killed two of her precious people. Her lips curled up slightly as she remembered that fact, before flinched and lurching forward in a dry heave. Or rather, attempted to lurch forward but the straps keeping her from falling off the bed, prevented that motion. Her body convulsed as she remembered all the gruesome details as she killed Mizuki. The smell of burning flesh, of evacuating and burning bowel movements, the cries of pain and pleas of help.
Her ANBU guard quickly cut the straps, seeing the panic in Reiko's eyes as she struggled. They didn't need her going into a panic attack and the straps were only there to keep her from falling off the bed to being with. Once freed of her straps she rolled off her bed and lunged for a nearby garbage pail, where she proceeded to dry heave over it. Soon the tears started and the sobbing began while occasionally groaning in pain over the bucket, unaware that the ANBU had called for the Nurse. Only did she notice someone else was in the room when a soothing hand began to rub her back. She looked to the Nurse, slowly, with tear stained cheeks, and then to the ANBU.
"I...I killed…Him…" She spoke softly, voice cracking, as she came to terms with her actions. She killed someone herself. She actually killed and it hurt. Why! Why did it hurt? She'd seen far gruesome deaths due to the images her 'Okaa-sama' had shown her, so why did it hurt so much? Why did it make her so sick even though the bastard killed two of her precious people? Internal questions wouldn't get her answers, she realized sullenly, so she had to vocalize them.
"Why…why was it so easy? Why am I...Why am I hurting because of it? That...that son of a bitch deserved it, so WHY!" She screamed. "Isn't the first kill supposed to be the hardest?" She cried out in the ANBU's direction. She wished she could see his face from behind that damnable mask so that she could see what he was thinking. The Nurse couldn't help but follow the young Genin's gaze as she too looked at the ANBU.
The ANBU simply shook his head as he stared down at the Genin. "The first kill isn't the hardest. It's the Second. The first kill is quick, simple and easy because your reacting on training, usually the training makes you not fully realize that you're truly about to kill someone. It's the Second Kill that you realize that you're about to end someone's life. That hurt is remorse that you're feeling. Whether he deserved it or not, which he did, it proves that you have a heart. Keep that innocence with you, keep that feeling of remorse for each life you will take in the future, Genin, but remember when the time comes to kill again, that it's either your life, or worse, or theirs." The ANBU said gravely.
Reiko simply stared, wide eyed and pale, as she listened to the ANBU talk and shakily nodded. This man was a part of the Hokage's handpicked elite, one of the deadliest Ninja in the village aside from the Hokage himself. And she hadn't be expecting an answer from him, so when he started speaking, she listened and she listened carefully. When he finished talking she nodded slowly as she let the information sink. It wasn't hard to figure out what the 'or worse' thing the ANBU had mentioned might be, after all, it had nearly happened to her in the forest just outside of Konoha.
A loud knock on door drew her attention away from the ANBU just before it slid open to reveal some Chunin standing there with a scroll. "The Hokage wishes to know if Miss Inoue is well enough to take the photo for her Genin ID and after that he requests her presence. I have the written orders here if you wish to see them, Sir" The Chunin addressed the ANBU guard, who simply nodded and took the scroll. He checked it over once, verifying that it was real, before opening it. Reading it over the ANBU nodded, rolled it back up and pushed some chakra into it, causing it to poof out of existence.
"Are you well enough to go?" The ANBU asked softly as he turned to face Reiko once again.
"Y-yeah...As well as I'm gonna be all things considered" She replied, trying to be cheerful, but it came out rather forced. "Sitting around here…feeling sorry for myself isn't going to do me any good…T-that…and…Naruto would kick my ass if I moped around like this for any longer" Her voice quivered tremendously as she fought back tears. "Let's go!"
The ANBU nodded and placed a hand on Reiko's shoulder and Shunshin'ed her out of the room and to the proscribed locations. Just after a quick stop to the bathroom so Reiko could wash her face clean of the tear stains.
Hokage's Office. A little later that day.
"Come in" Came the Hokage's powerful voice from behind the door. A paler then usual Reiko was lead into the Hokage's office by the same ANBU that took her from the Hospital Room. Turning to the ANBU, the Hokage gave a quick nod to him, before dismissing him. The ANBU nodded in turn before turning to leave.
"Reiko…" Sarutobi said softly as he looked sadly down to her. "How're you holding up?"
"Truthfully, Hokage-sama? Not well, but I'll live…I have to…for Iruka and especially Naruto." Sarutobi winced slightly at her formal tone; never once had Reiko called him Hokage-sama. Like Naruto, she had taken up saying 'Old Man' since the two had been inseparable. Sarutobi noticed a small smile creeping onto her face as she seemed to remember something. "Just don't expect me to be pulling any pranks like Naruto did…he did more than enough for the two of us, isn't that right, Old Man." She said with a sad laugh.
Sarutobi blinked, before chuckling softly. "That he did, that he did indeed…His and Iruka's funeral is in three days. Team assignments have been delayed for the funerals and pushed back a week. I thought you would want to know."
"Yes…I did, thank you…" She paused for a moment before taking a deep breath; she should probably inform her Leader that she had…learned a Jutsu from the forbidden scroll. She gulped and opened her mouth again. "Hokage-sama…Naruto and I…we…decided to read the forbidden scroll...and we learned a Jutsu from it…the Kage Bunshin…" She said hesitantly.
The Hokage leaned forward at his desk, placing his shoulders on the desktop, and joining his hands together in front of his mouth, a grim look was on his face. Reiko shivered at the grimness on her Hokage's face and dread filled her. 'Ooh…I am so screwed…' Reiko thought fearfully.
"I figured as much, Miss Inoue." Came the Hokage's stern voice. 'Very, very screwed' If Reiko could've paled any further; she would've at this moment. "However there is no punishment for reading the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing. The punishment comes from the price to be paid for using such skills learned from it in the first place. And there is no one to punish for taking the scroll in the first place. Had Mizuki been taken alive, he would've been executed for his Treason and Murder. Just remember, that using the Kage Bunshin is Punishment enough"
Reiko blinked, then blinked again, and finally blinked for a third time as she processed the fact that she wasn't going to have the world come crashing down around her. She stumbled back onto a chair that had conveniently appeared behind her and stared hard at the Old Man. The Hokage lowered his hands and hidden behind them was a grin. Reiko's jaw dropped. He put the fear of god into her and he was smiling? Then she realized it, he was messing with her. The evil bastard was messing with her. "Ohh, I'm gonna get you for that. Naruto-Style, Old man. One of these days I'm going to get you back for that!" Reiko promised, shocked out of her depression for a moment by the Hokage's 'prank.'
Just then, the door smashed opened and a little scarf wearing kid flew through it, holding a shuriken. "Old Man, Prepare to fight!" The Hokage let out an exasperated sigh and thought 'Oh, lord…It never ends does it?' The little kid suddenly got tangled up in his scarf and fell over right in front of Reiko. 'The heck?' Reiko thought in surprise as she stared down at the tangled heap in front of her.
"Ahh! Damn it! Who the heck set that trap!" The kid yelled as he rubbed his head. The kids tutor followed in moments after and exclaimed, rather loudly, that there wasn't any trap, but the kid didn't seem to hear him.
The kids gaze turned to Reiko and they stared at each other in surprise. The tutor turned as well and snidely turned his lip up as he recognized Reiko. 'The demon brat's little thrall it seems.' The tutor thought, 'Would've been better if both of them died.'
"You…" The little kid growled at Reiko. "You did something! I know you did! You stupid bitch!' The kid yelled, causing Reiko's and Sarutobi's eyebrows to twitch. "Watch your language you stupid little punk! I didn't do anything!" Reiko yelled in response and got up from the chair she had fallen back on before grabbing the kid by the collar of his shirt, taking a hand full of his scarf with it and pulled him up to look her in the eyes.
"Release him this instant! He is the Grandson of the 3rd Hokage-sama!" The tutor screamed while waving his arms about frantically.
"Eh? This brats your grandson?" Reiko asked as she looked at the Hokage, surprised. Sarutobi let out another sigh before nodding, "That he is…that he is…" Reiko gritted her teeth as she looked down at the brat that called her a stupid bitch. Her friends-no family had just died yesterday, and while she was joking just a few moments ago, it was something to get her mind away from the fact, that and she knew the Third to a fairly familiar level.
"Listen here brat, I just lost my family yesterday and I am in no mood to deal with bull shit, you got that?" She said darkly causing the kid to blink a few times. "Ha! Yeah right! Like I'm gonna believe some lame excuse like that! You're just afraid to do anything to me cause my Grandpa's the Hokage!" The little kid shouted arrogantly and caused his Grandfather to wince.
One could almost hear Reiko's teeth grinding together as her face contorted in rage. "I was trying to be nice…" Reiko said with a deadly calm. "But now…I don't think I will be…and for the record…I DON'T CARE WHO YOUR GRANDFATHER IS!" Reiko screamed as she took a step forward, arm cocked back before throwing a white knuckled fist into the side of kids face.
The kid spun around as he was hit squarely in the side of the face, before collapsing onto the ground. He lay there in a pain filled daze and moaning in pain.
"By your leave, Hokage-sama" She growled out as she flexed the hand she used to hit the kid with. 'If only every sigh I've had to sigh today could finish a bit of my paper work…I'd be done for the day' The Hokage thought with another sigh and waved his hand dismissively at Reiko, who immediately turned and left the building.
Late Afternoon
For the last hour, Reiko had been wondering about Konoha aimlessly, not wanting to return to the now completely empty apartment. Maybe she should've asked the Hokage to see if there was a place she could move into, perhaps on the other side of Konoha, since her shared apartment held too many fond memories of her time with Naruto.
For half of that last hour, she had been followed by the same pest who dared insult her in the Hokage's office. She kept at least two kunai on her persons at all times and she was sorely tempted to simply chuck one at the troublesome brat. But she couldn't since it was the Hokage's Grandson and she doubted she would be let off the hook for that. Killing a Traitor, a Murderer and a Potential Rapist was one thing. Killing an annoying civilian child who happened to be her superiors' immediate family was another. But God was it tempting.
Reiko stopped short but didn't turn around instead she simply growled, "Brat…Stop following me or I'm seriously going to do something I'm going to regret." When she failed to get a response or hear footsteps scampering away from her, she turned around and balked at the sight before her. The stupid kid was trying to hide with sheet of all things.
'Kid wants to pretend to be a ninja, huh? Well…Let's just see how the brat likes it when he's found out' Reiko thought as she grinned darkly and pulled out one of her hidden kunai. With a small flick of her wrist, she sent the Kunai flying, aiming just above the kids head, just enough to cut off a few hairs from atop his head.
The kid dropped the sheet and slid down the fence he was 'hiding' against, pale and staring at Reiko in horror and fear. Something in which she couldn't help but take some sick pleasure in. "Opps…I seem to have missed. Looks like I'm getting a bit rusty…" She said for added effect and even mixed in a disappointed sigh. It was a priceless moment as the kids' mouth dropped and he paled even further, even trying to crawl backwards away from her.
Reiko couldn't hold it in any longer as she burst in a fit of giggles. "Oh, get up. I knew where I was aiming and I didn't miss. If I did well…it's not like you would know." The kid gulped in response and thought that this girl was absolutely crazy. But perfect to teach him how to defeat his Grandfather.
"Y-you…Your perfect!" The kid exclaimed loudly before jumping to his feet, completely shocking Reiko in the process. "The…fuck..?" Reiko blinked in shock, normally she didn't curse this was definitely a situation that warranted it. "You're gonna be my Boss from now on! So teach me how to defeat my Grandpa!"
"You're kidding me right? First you call me a Stupid bitch, and then you say the deaths of my family is a 'lame excuse' and then you stalk me throughout half of Konoha and you want me to teach you?" Reiko said in disbelief. "Absolutely not"
The kid deflated at that before bring out his ultimate weapon. "You have to! I'm the Hokage's Grandson!" Ha! That always worked. "I thought we established that I don't care who your family is when I decked you in front of your Grandfather" Obviously he'd already forgotten that fact.
"Apologize" "Huh?" Came his intelligent response. "I said apologize and I'll consider it" "Erm…I'm-I'm sorry for…calling you're a stupid bitch and stuff…?" The kid said uneasily and fearfully, after all, who knew what else this crazy woman was going to do. "All right. That's good enough for me. To defeat your Grandfather, you're gonna need some unusual tactics. Not whatever you've been doing lately, cause it's obviously not working" Reiko said with a devious grin. Oh, yes. She would get her payback for the Old Man scaring the hell out of her and it would be oh so sweet. The kid nodded eagerly.
Back with the Hokage
The tutor was raising a fuss as he couldn't find his charge. For five full minutes he had been running around the tiny office looking for him before the Hokage finally spoke up. "I believe he followed Reiko. Find Reiko and you'll likely find him" The Hokage stated calmly. The Tutor simply nodded and rushed out of the room.
'I shouldn't be too worried if he is in fact with Reiko. She's always been in good control over her actions…then again with the deaths of Naruto and Iruka…she might do something…stupid. I doubt it would be anything drastic but…Damn. This is not my day' Sarutobi thought, sighing for the umpteenth time.
About an hour later he suddenly shivered as a feeling of dread suddenly washed over him. "T-this feeling…is someone channeling Naruto..? This doesn't bode well for me…" He groaned.
Back with Reiko
"First off kid, what's your name? I'm Inoue, Reiko" She said as she walked into a nearby park with the kid trailing behind like some little puppy. "Eh? Oh! Right! My names Konohamaru…Grandpa named me after the village…but nobody calls me that...It's always 'Honored Grandson this' or 'Honored Grandson that' it gets-" "Whoa ki-Konohamaru, hold up. I asked you your name, not your life's story" Reiko interrupted. "Personally I don't care about your life's story. You wanted to learn something to defeat the Old Man with, right? Well…My…" She winced slightly before shaking her head continuing, "Naruto and I made the Perfect Jutsu for the job."
Konohamru's eyes went large, almost saucer like and he practically began bouncing in joy. "R-really? And you're gonna teach me that Jutsu?" "Mmm…Yep." She said with a nod and a grin before murmuring "Revenge is sweet" "Huh? You say something?" "Nope! Didn't say a word!" She replied innocently.
Once arriving in a fairly secluded area of the park, she told Konohamaru to sit down as she went into 'teacher mode'. "Ok, Konohamaru, this technique is called 'Sexy no Jutsu' and it's something that we made a year or so ago. We've managed to knock out the Old Man a few times while using it. Now, Naruto used to use it more than I did simply because I didn't like using it that much. But I'll teach it to you"
It was just then that Konohamaru's teacher arrived. "Aha! Found you at last, Honored Grandson! Now get away from that little trouble maker at once!" He said with a glare directed at Reiko, which caused her to roll her eyes. Some of the people, though not many, in Konoha had treated her the same as Naruto due to her association with him.
"No way!" Konohamaru shouted as he jumped to his feet. "She said she was gonna teach me how to beat Grandpa! I'm not gonna leave till she teaches me how to do it!" This caused the Tutor to snort in amusement. "Honored Grandson, she is only a Genin. A recently graduated Genin at that! She couldn't possibly teach you anything! I, on the other hand, am a Tokubetsu Jonin!"
"Hey, Konohamaru, I'm going to show you a variant of that Jutsu I was gonna teach you. So you can see the effects of its power first hand. Watch closely, got that?" Reiko said as she cracked her knuckles. Konohamaru looked to her expectantly and full of excitement since he was going to see the technique in use to defeat someone.
"Do you know how I am, little girl? I am Ebisu, The Honored Grandsons Tokubetsu Jonin tutor! You can't possibly lay a hand on me!" He said as he dropped into a Taijutsu stance. "Arrogance will be your downfall" Reiko simply said. "Mine? Ha. You're wrong. It will be yours, Genin" Came his snide reply.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu" She murmured and suddenly fifty clones erupted into existence. "Wow! That's Amazing Onee-san! Is that the Jutsu?" 'Onee-san? Since when am I that? Wasn't I suppose to be boss?' Reiko thought for a moment, slightly confused, before shrugging it off. "Nah this isn't it. But its needed for that variant I was telling you about"
"I will admit the number of Kage Bunshin you can create is impressive, but that alone shall not defeat me" Ebisu said over Reiko's and Konohamaru's little dialogue. "Oh, I know that. I know I could never defeat a Tokubetsu Jonin by simply using traditional stuff…but Naruto…he was anything but traditional" Every time she said Naruto's name, it was laced with sadness.
"Anyways, Ebisu-san…it's time to end this…Henge!" All fifty Reiko clones muttered the same exact word. "You think a simple Henge can beat me? How Naïve, eh?" Ebisu blinked as the smoke cleared. Fifty Reiko's had transformed into fifty mid-teenaged range red-haired young women with a very voluptuous figure and very much naked. Ebisu's mind froze as he looked upon the face of the clones. He had been alive during the last Great War and had seen some pretty big figures in it, mostly at a passing glance, but he recognized the faces of the young women in front of him, but that was only for a moment as he glanced down at the rest of their bodies.
He erupted in a geyser of blood before tumbling over, unconscious, onto the ground before Reiko dispelled the clones. "Well…that takes care of that!" She said as she rubbed her hands together, as if wiping off dirt from them.
Konohamaru walked up to his tutor and poked him with a stick before turning to face Reiko. "You...you beat him…with that? And…that can beat Grandpa!" "Yep" Reiko simply replied. "And I'm gonna teach it to you. Now…here's what you do…" Reiko began explaining and teaching him how to perform the Sexy Jutsu. Using a clothed version of it so Konohamaru could practice. She couldn't wait until Konohamaru attacked the Old Man next. He was in for one hell of a surprise and that thought made her cackle with glee.
Three Days Later. The Funeral.
It had been decided that a partial truth would be told to the Village on how Iruka, Naruto and Mizuki had died. The 'truth' that was told said that Mizuki, who had used Henge to make himself appear as Naruto, had stolen the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing. The Real Naruto saw the fake and proceeded to chase after him, followed closely behind by Iruka. Reiko, worried about Naruto, who had stayed out later then he said he was going to, went out to find him, eventually tracking him and Iruka into the forest where she witnessed the aftermath of a brutal attack. Mizuki had killed Iruka and mortally wounded Naruto before starting to gloat over the fact. Reiko, enraged by the loss of Naruto and Iruka, used a Katon Jutsu to kill the traitorous Mizuki. Naruto later died from his wounds. Moments after that, the Hokage and the ANBU arrived.
That was the story told to the uninformed to explain the reasons behind the death. However, most people within the village felt the need to celebrate the death of the Kyuubi brat and the Kyuubi itself. Rather large parties had broken out all over Konoha almost immediately after the story was brought to the public's attention.
The burials for Iruka and Naruto took place the same day at different times so that the friends of both could attend both burials without missing one. Iruka's took place in the Morning while Naruto's took place in the mid-afternoon.
Reiko half expected it to be cloudy with lots of thunder, lightning and massive amounts of rain, but it turned out to be a very clear day with hardly a cloud in the sky. She couldn't help but smile weakly at the weather, very bright and sunny, just like Naruto was.
There was a vast difference in the two funerals. Iruka's had friends and teammates there to honor his memory, along all the students he had taught for, past and present. Words of remembrance were spoken as Iruka's casket was lowered into the ground before buried the old fashion way, with shovels. Reiko didn't have the heart to say anything, preferring to keep her thoughts on Iruka to herself. No one needed to know that both Naruto and Reiko looked to Iruka almost as a 'Father figure.' They didn't deserve to know.
Naruto's burial was worse, having hardly anyone showing up to pay proper respects. The ANBU and select Jonin had been ordered to keep the general populace away from Naruto's grave as the people generally wanted to desecrate and trample on Naruto's final resting place. It was only the Hokage who had kept Reiko from launching lethal Jutsu into the crowd of unwell-wishers, due to all their shouts of glee over Naruto's death.
Reiko could count the number of people actually paying their respects to Naruto on her two hands. The Hokage being one, Five ANBU, still in Uniform and doubling as the Hokage's Inner Guard, Teuchi and Ayame. It broke Reiko's heart due to the lack of people that had shown up to pay their respects. The fact that no students appeared at Naruto's funeral almost made her enraged at her classmates before she realized that the parents were likely preventing them from coming for some reason or another.
She spoke a few, softly spoken, but rage and sadness filled words. She didn't go into many details since everyone attending knew intimate details about Naruto and all his antics. Having heard many from him himself. She told them of her views on everyone, letting them all hear the more private thoughts that she and Naruto had kept to themselves. Teuchi had been almost like an Uncle to them and Ayame like an Older Sister at times, given how many times she had scolded Naruto and Reiko over the years for their pranks. Reiko even thanked the five ANBU who had decided to pay their respects, thanking them for helping and protecting them the best they could over the years.
It was there Reiko made an Announcement.
"Naruto's dream, for as long as I've known him, has been to be acknowledged by the people of Konoha in a positive light. To have people respect him, to like him, and to be nice to him, for who he was and not for what they mistook him to be. You all heard him shouting that he would become the greatest Hokage that Konoha has ever known…I mean, who couldn't? Naruto had the biggest pair of lungs that I've ever heard…made me deaf on more the one occasion…" Reiko laughed softly, recalling all the good and sometimes annoying times they had shared before shaking her head and continuing. "But he can't become Hokage now…and all I ever wanted was to be able to support Naruto and now I can't do that.
"So I've decided. Naruto's dream will NOT die with him. I'll…I'll take up his dream and I'll become the Greatest Hokage this Village has ever seen!" Reiko promised vehemently to her small audience, her hands balled into tight little white knuckled fists. "And I promise to you all…I will raze the Old Konoha to the ground and make a New Konoha…One that will never again put someone through the same fate that had befallen Naruto!" Passion blazed like a thousand suns within her. Sarutobi saw and sensed that and smiled, the Will of Fire burned brightly, brighter than he had seen in it burning a long, long time. Or so he thought as he mistook the source of her passion.
Reiko saw the Thirds smile and smiled back at him, her grief temporarily forgotten. She noticed the others smiling too, well, she noticed Teuchi and Ayame smiling but couldn't tell what the ANBU were thinking. She hoped they approved too.
The rest of Naruto's funeral went by rather quickly, no doubt in part to the lack of people. But it left Reiko emotionally drained as she slowly walked back to her empty apartment. Yes, she definitely needed a new place, this old place smelled like him, and it made her heart clench painfully.
Days Later at the Academy for Team Assignments.
For the immediate days following the Funerals until it was time to return to the Academy for Team Assignments, Reiko had holed herself up in the little apparent she and Naruto once shared, sending Kage Bunshin to fetch groceries and other necessities for her. The time alone allowed her to wallow, privately, in her grief as she didn't want to appear weak from her loss when she would finally return to the Academy. During that time alone, Reiko came to realize just how much she depended on Naruto as a pillar of support. He was her only true physical constant in her life, someone always there for her. Oh, she could just remake him with the same technique that was used to make him the first time, but she assumed he wouldn't be the same as all she thought she had were her memories of him. She never realized just what the Kyuubi had done with Naruto's memories. To her, at the present, remaking Naruto would simply be an insult to his memory…not that she could get away with bringing him 'back to life' at the moment anyways.
When the day finally came to return to the Academy for team placement, Reiko froze outside the main entrance as she realized something she had forgotten earlier. Hinata. She had forgotten about Hinata and her feelings for Naruto. Poor girl had strong feelings for him…his death must've been devastating on her, Reiko thought.
To be perfectly honest, Reiko didn't want to be in the same room as Hinata, let alone face her. She failed to keep Naruto alive and now she had to come face to face with a girl who apparently was either crushing very hard on Naruto or actually loved him. 'I only hope she doesn't blame me for his death…then again…I do deserve it. It was my fault for letting him die, for freezing up like that!' She thought as she squeezed her eyes firmly together as her eyes started to burn from tears wanting to form.
And then she heard what sounded like a stampede and intense almost glass shatteringly high pitched squeals of insults coming from the same direction as the 'stampede'. It was Sakura and Ino. Reiko pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation. "What a lovely way to start off the day…They seem to have recovered quickly from Naruto's death" She murmured darkly to herself before heading into the class room.
All conversation stopped as the other students realized who just walked in. They glanced around at each other, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable, before they very slowly and very quietly resumed their conversations.
Their actions caused Reiko to shake her head slightly and sigh. Quickly scanning the room, Reiko spotted Hinata sitting up in the back by herself, looking a little more worse for wear than usual. 'Must be because of Naruto's death…Lord knows I don't look very good myself…' She thought as she walked up to the last row and took a seat next to Hinata.
"Hina—Hyuuga-san…I wanted to…apologize for-" "Don't" Hinata interrupted. "Y-you did…e-everything you could…a-and you a-avenged N-Naruto-k-kun.." Hinata stuttered softly, likely more due to grief then anything else. Some slight movement caught Reiko's eyes so she glanced down toward that general direction and noticed that Hinata's hands gripping the hem of her jacket tightly.
"If you…want to blame me, that alright…It was my fault that Naruto died. I could've reacted faster! I should've reacted faster…I shouldn't have frozen up like that…I-I'm sorry, Hinata…"
"Don't Apologize!" Came Hinata's rather loud, and sharp, reply, shocking the hell out of Reiko and apparently the rest of the class as well. A soft 'troublesome' could be heard. "I don't blame you…I-I want to..b-but I can't…N-Naruto-kun…would h-hate me…if I-I did…" Her voice tapered off as tears started to spill from her eyes. "T-thank you, Hinata. I…I can't tell you how much it means to me to hear that…" Reiko whispered as she scooted closer to Hinata and gently hugged the crying girl.
The class had been staring ever since Hinata's outburst and quickly drew Reiko's attention and her ire. "Screw off!" Reiko snapped at her fellow Genin, causing them to flinch and turn away, just as a Chunin walked in with a scroll in her hands and a raised eyebrow due to the exclamation she heard as she had entered.
"Alright Everyone, I've got your team Assignments right here! So listen up! I'm only saying this once! Team One: Still in Circulation. Team Two…" Reiko turned the Chunin out as she kept her arm around the sniffling girl at her side.
"Team 7 will be comprised of Genin Inuzuka Kiba, Genin Haruno Sakura, and Genin of the Year: Uchiha Sasuke"
Hearing this, Sakura leapt out of her seat, yelling a loud "Yes!" and "In your face, Ino-pig! Sasuke-kun is Mine!" That outburst however ticked off the Chunin Kunoichi tremendously. "Sit Down Genin Haruno!" The Chunin barked loudly, causing Sakura to flinch with a surprised squeal. Ino and Kiba found this tremendously funny until they too drew the Chunin's ire as well.
"Team 8 will be comprised of Genin Aburame Shino, Genin Hyuuga Hinata, and Kunoichi of the Year: Inoue Reiko."
Reiko and Hinata looked at each other before looking over to their third team mate before shrugging. Who were they to question the Team placements.
"Ah..Excuse me..Permission to speak freely M-Ma'am?" Reiko hesitantly asked the Chunin as she was looking over the Scroll to read out the next team.
"Keep it short, Genin Inoue" The Chunin Prompted. "R-right. Why am I 'Kunoichi of the Year'? The title belonged to Ino—I mean Genin Yamanaka at Graduation" As Reiko spoke, both Ino and Sakura perked up to listen, they were curious too as Ino's academic grades put her well ahead of Reiko.
"That's simple, Genin Inoue. You distinguished yourself above the rest of your classmates when you killed the traitorous Mizuki. Due to him being a Chunin and you being a Genin, you were awarded with the title of 'Kunoichi of the Year'" The elder Kunoichi responded in a firm, commanding sounding tone.
"I-I see, Ma'am. Thank you for telling me"
"Is that all, Genin Inoue?"
"Yes, Ma'am, It is. Thank you"
"Now then, lets continue. Team 9: Still in Circulation. Team 10 will be comprised of Genin Akimichi Choji, Genin Nara Shikamaru, and Genin Yamanaka Ino. That is all for the Team Assignments. Your Jonin Instructors will be here soon to come collect you." The Chunin rolled up the scroll and turned to leave, but stopped just short of the door.
"Genin Inoue!" She barked, causing Reiko to jump out of her seat and into a formal posture. "M-Ma'am?" "Hokage-sama would like to see you later after Team 8 is finished for the day. Your Jonin Instructor is most likely informed of Hokage-sama's desire to see you and will probably remind you. That is all" The Chunin said firmly, before using Shunshin to head to her next location. Leaving the class to sweat drop and wonder why she had walked to the door in the first place.
"W-well Aburame-san, get over here…We might as well sit together as we wait for our Instructor." Reiko suggested hesitantly, more than just a little unnerved due to the Chunin's formerly commanding presence. "That would seem like a prudent idea, Inoue-san, Thank you" "No problem…a-and call me Reiko, we're teammates now"
"Understood, Reiko-san. Please call me Shino then." Reiko nodded in response before looking to the clock mounted on the wall. Hopefully their Instructor wouldn't wait too long to come pick them up.
AN: Well…this is the First Revision of Chapter 2. In the future, like I said in Chapter 1, I'll likely be revising this chapter again as well. Needless to say…I'm never happy with what I write…as if I don't stop myself, I end up doing something over and over and over again (When in regards to writing) that I get nowhere.
Thank you for reading Chapter 2 of 'The Power of Corruption'!
Edited: 8/11/2012
Signed,
Kit the (Doing my best with this story!) Fiendish Fire Cat~!