Disclaimer: I SWEAR UPON MY FLAMES OF YOUTH THAT I DON'T OWN NARUTO!
Refraction
Chapter 2: Icicle Melting in the Leaves
By Irritus185
As the sun filtered through the leaves, a multitude of feet, crunching dirt and gravel underneath them, could be heard floating on the air. The forest was growing thicker and becoming quieter the further the group walked, and it wasn't long before almost no noise could be sensed at all. It signified a sign that they were only a short way from reaching the walls of Konoha.
Naruto was in the front of the pack, talking animatedly between Sakura and Haku while throwing dirty looks back at Sasuke every once in a while. Their relationship had grown worse ever since they left Wave country and especially since they had entered Fire country. With every mile they drew closer to the hidden village, it simply solidified the fact that Sasuke would be praised for his achievements with the Sharingan and Naruto would learn about his own doujutsu, creating a new rivalry that would probably not end for a while.
Haku smiled and nodded in turn with Naruto's comments, making small, offhand remarks every now and then to keep the conversation going, but not making any significant contribution.
Even Sakura was talking more with Naruto than she usually did. Then again, Sasuke was being even more aloof than usual and she was burning to converse with anyone. Considering Kakashi-sensei was clearly out of the picture ever since he managed to pick up a copy of the latest Icha Icha series at the last village they had rested at, Naruto and Haku were her only options. And to be fair, it really wasn't all that bad. Naruto had yet to make an inappropriate comment, simply blabbing on about everything and nothing. Surprising.
"As soon as we get back I'm going straight to Ichiraku's for some ramen! I haven't had any for days now!"
"We have to report to the Hokage first, Naruto!" Sakura puffed. The boy had become even more energetic since the discovery of his kekkai genkai, something she hadn't thought was physically possible.
"Aww…is that true? Eh, Kakashi-sensei?"
"Huh? Yeah, sure, whatever." The man giggled as he flipped through another page of his book. Ahh…he missed his Icha-chan so much…
Naruto blew out his cheeks and stomped up to the jounin. "Stop – reading – that – smut – and – pay – attention!" With every word, Naruto made a grab for the orange book, but each time Kakashi lazily moved it out of the way and avoided him.
Eventually, he just placed a hand on Naruto's forehead, preventing the boy was advancing any further due to his short stature. "It's not smut, it's literature." Kakashi chided condescendingly. Even though he continued to speak, the man refused to take his eyes off the pages. "Sakura's right, though. We have to report to Sarutobi-sama first and relay our mission results, and also introduce Haku. Plus I would think you of all people, Naruto, would want to speak with him about your new eyes."
Naruto calmed down, his eyes beginning to sparkle at the concept. "You really think he'd know what to do?"
"Probably. His nickname, 'The Professor' isn't just hot air. The man has done more research on jutsus, bloodlines, limits – and knows more – than any other ninja in Konoha and even some of the other hidden villages." He flicked the boy on the nose and walked past him. "So calm down and everything will go by quickly."
Idly rubbing at his nose, Naruto grinned wider as thought what the old man would say. Maybe his doujutsu had some kick-ass effect that could let him beat any enemy easily. He could already see himself standing over Sasuke as the Uchiha drowned in his own inferiority.
Yeah! Awesome!
Sasuke frowned as Naruto let out a yelp and ran ahead of the group. Haku followed swiftly after him as the blonde disappeared over a small hill. Idiot.
Naruto landed on a branch, the bough swaying underneath his weight as he put a hand to his brow, staring off into the distance. He felt the branch swing again as more weight settled on it. Turning, he saw that Haku was crouching next to him. He grinned at her slightly awed expression. It was more emotion than she usually showed.
"Awesome, huh?"
"Yes, Naruto-sama."
Farther down the path, the two could see the giant walls of Konoha. They towered over all the tress that surrounded village, a reminder as to why very few had managed to breach Konoha since it had first been founded. Barely, just barely, tufts of green overflowed from the top of the walls, signifying just why Konoha was designated as the village hidden amongst the leaves.
"This your first time seeing it?"
"Yes. It is indeed impressive. I visited Fire country a few times when I was traveling with Zabuza-san." At this her awed expression quickly drooped but then picked itself up again. Naruto never noticed. "But we never traveled close enough to see Konoha."
"Cause of the whole 'missing nin' thing?"
"Indeed."
"Well you don't have to worry about that anymore!" Naruto placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, squeezing it in comfort. "Konoha can be your new home! You'll never have to wander the world ever again. I promise ya that!"
Haku bowed deeply, a feat to her dexterity as she was already balancing herself on a thin tree branch. "Thank you, Naruto-sama."
"No problem!"
"Naruto! Get down from there! We've got to get going!"
"Coming, Sakura-cha – ack!"
The branch splintered from underneath him as he prepared to spring off, unaccustomed to the weight of two people. Naruto plummeted to the ground below, absently thinking that, while he would not be that badly injured, it would still hurt a hell of a lot. He could vaguely hear shouts of surprise and fear. Huh, well at least they cared enough about him to worry. Still, this reminded him of when he had just finished learning tree walking. Only then he had been caught by Sasuke. This time even the Uchiha probably couldn't catch him in time.
He was surprised to find that, instead of impacting with a hard surface, he was instead caught by something indubitably softer that compacted dirt. Looking up, Naruto saw Haku frowning in concern as she held him in her arms.
"You really must be more aware of your surrounding, Naruto-sama."
"Heh heh…oops? Thanks, Haku."
"As long as you are safe and understand."
As soon as she placed the boy down, Sakura marched up to them and grabbed Naruto by the ear. "You idiot! You could have been really hurt there! You don't have reflexes like Sasuke-kun or the others!"
Truth be told she had been a bit scared for the boy's safety. Even though he was annoying and an idiot, he was still her valued teammate. A fond smile almost escaped from her lips as she watched Naruto fluster and whine before she forced it back down. He had changed during the mission. She had seen a better side of him, a…cooler side of him. But he still would never be as cool as Sasuke, nope.
"I'm gonna drag you all the way back to Konoha so you don't any more stupid things!"
"Wait, Sakura-chan! Can't ya just – itatatataaa!"
Haku watched as Sakura held true to her promise and dragged the protesting blonde behind her by the ear. While it was rude, Haku did not see any harm in it. Sakura was caring about the boy in her own violent way. As long as it had no lasting repercussions, Haku would not interfere.
The group eventually arrived at the gates to Konoha. The wooden doors were huge, more of a monument than an actual entrance or gateway. They reached hundreds of feet in the air and were a couple of meters thick, weighing at nearly several tons of finely crafted, dense wood. The number of people who could actually open the gate under their own power could be counted on one hand. Luckily there was a more practical entrance located at the bottom of the right-hand door.
Kakashi hailed the two chunin guards that were standing watch. "Yo, we're here to report that our mission's been completed and that we need to report to the Hokage."
One of the chunins scanned the group, distastefully scowling at Naruto, who just scowled right back, before landing on Haku. "The girl doesn't seem to be registered as a Leaf ninja," he noted of her lack of a Leaf hitai-ete. "What's her business with your group?"
Kakashi flapped his hand as though it was nothing to be considered heavily. "She's a rogue nin we picked up in Wave country. She stated that she wanted asylum here."
The other guard blinked. "You just want to bring a missing nin into our village and show her right to the Hokage? She could be an assassin for all you know!"
Kakashi disappeared and reappeared right in front of the chunin, his eye crinkled into an amused U-shape as it stared into the chunin's from barely an inch away. "And you think that I, a jounin, would not have considered that?"
"N-no, sir!" The man stuttered. Kakashi Hatake was not a man to screw with. He didn't become a jounin at such a young age and then immediately head into ANBU for nothing. If you screwed with him, you'd be screwed ten times worse. Many people could attest to it. Many others could attest to doing it anyway just for the sake of principle.
RRRRR
Somewhere in the village a man with huge brows inside of a stretchy green suit sneezed as he watched his genin practice. No! His fires of youth were beginning to dwindle! He had to stoke them! Off to climb the Hokage monument with only his feet!
RRRRR
"Then would you mind letting us through?"
The chunin shakily nodded and ordered for the entrance to be opened. When it was, the group swiftly made their way through the village and then entered the Hokage's tower.
They found Sarutobi sifting through a mountain of paperwork. Bloody paperwork…Most powerful man in Konoha and his most dreaded enemies were ink stains and papercuts. His eyebrows twitched as he sensed the team plus one come into the room. A smile flitted across his face. "So you finally finished the mission. Congratulations to all of you." An eyebrow rose as he caught sight of Haku. Eyes swerved to Kakashi, asking what this meant.
The copy nin shrugged. "Turned out the C-mission wasn't a C-mission." He continued to go on and explain everything that had happened except for Naruto's manifested bloodline limit. He felt it would be more interesting if he let the blonde blurt it out.
"I see…" Sarutobi folded his hands together. "That indeed does make a difference. I assume you made plans over the pay change with the client?" Kakashi nodded, internally grumbling at the haggling Tazuna had tried with him. Damn cheap, old man… "Very well, I'll upgrade it to an S-class mission as well as the pay for it." Sakura and Naruto cheered at the idea of the huge increase in reward money. Sarutobi turned to Haku. "So you mean to say you wish to reside in Konoha, Haku-kun?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama," the girl said respectfully.
Inwardly the Hokage chuckled. Such a polite girl. It was strange that she had decided to follow Naruto, a lad who couldn't follow basic etiquette or social procedures even to save his life. "And is there any reason as to why I should let this happen?"
Haku's face did not change. "I have pledged my life to Naruto-sama, thus I must be with him always. Even if you are his superior, I answer to him, not you. I do not need your permission to do so, though I would prefer to have it instead of not."
Sarutobi said nothing. He picked up his pipe, scrabbling for some tobacco. When he realized he wouldn't find it any time soon with all the paperwork crowded everywhere, he sighed and placed the pipe down. He placed a hand on his cheek. "Very well, I'll allow you to reside here."
"Yeah! You're great, Sarutobi-jii-san!" Naruto grabbed Haku by the hands, shaking them up and down in glee. "Isn't that great, Haku? You get to stay here with us!"
"Yes, Naruto-sama," she smiled gently.
Sarutobi nodded. He was glad that things had ended like this. From what he could tell from Kakashi's report, both the verbal one just now and the written one the man had sent ahead of time, the girl obviously had a few mental problems, probably some form of co-dependency and severe identity issues. He really didn't want to force the girl away from her one pillar of support when she was a highly trained ninja who apparently kept senbon on every inch of her body.
Sarutobi had noticed the way the girl had tensed earlier, an obvious sign she was prepared to attack. The ANBU guards hidden around him would disable her before she could do anything, but Sarutobi didn't feel like having Naruto go on a tirade about how he hurt his new friend. Besides, with the girl's rare kekkai genkai, the shinobi council would be clambering for her to join their ranks. Of course, he would be the one to decide over the procedure of doing so.
Sarutobi found the idea of turning humans into literal breeding stock distasteful and sickening, and he oftentimes wondered just what the high-ranking shinobi were thinking. No, with Haku's adamant view of Naruto as her "master," she could easily join Konoha without worry of the clans trying to claim her.
"I suppose you would like a job working in our ranks," the Hokage said.
"If it would help me support Naruto-sama, then yes."
Sarutobi looked over at Kakashi, who was subtly watching everything with his one eye. Wait…The man looked closer. Eye narrowed a little more than usual? Mask turned up in the slightest of fashions? Hand crooked up just so? Oh for the love of…The ninja was reading Icha Icha in his presence again?!
"Kakashi!" he barked.
The jounin made no move as to look like he was caught doing something he shouldn't. He lazily looked back, his eye caught in that infernal crinkle. "Yes, sir?"
"What would you say Haku-kun's level of skill be?"
Kakashi frowned. "At least a high-level chunin with her overall speed, strength, and skills. But she could probably make a special jounin with her finely-tuned grasp on anatomy and her kekkai genkai."
"Very well." He turned back to Haku. "Haku-kun, sometime in the next few days I would like you to return here so that we can determine your rank and status and install you in Konoha's shinobi directory. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama."
"Is there anything else needed to be said before I dismiss you all?"
Naruto exploded at the opportunity. "Ne, ne, Sarutobi-jii-san! Guess what?"
The man sighed. "What, Naruto?" He wouldn't be surprised if the boy said he was going to be Hokage with all the success happening lately. That or he was going to bug the man about some sort of jutsu in the village vault.
"I've got my own kekkai genkai now!"
Sarutobi eyes immediately locked on to Kakashi. This was not in the written mission report. The copy nin stared right back, acting as if he was completely innocent in the matter. Sarutobi swallowed the groan that tried to kick its way out. Of all the… "What do you mean by that, Naruto?"
"I've got a bloodline limit as well! And it's a doujutsu to boot! Now Sasuke-teme isn't the only special one on the team!"
Sarutobi swallowed. "Would you mind letting me look at it?"
Naruto nodded energetically. "Sure!" He activated his eyes, the silver ring cutting through his irises.
Sarutobi watched as it happened. He was completely baffled. Neither the Namikaze nor the Uzumaki clans had any kekkai genkais in them. Sure, the Namikazes were renowned for their seal making and the Uzumakis were experts at water jutsus, but none of their skills could qualify for a bloodline limit. And a doujutsu at that?! Only two doujutsus had existed in Konoha before – the Uchiha's Sharingan and the Hyuuga's Byakugan. And now a brand new one had manifested? And in the human container of the Kyuubi?
Oh…the council was not going to like this…
He motioned for Naruto to come forward, and when the boy did, Sarutobi grabbed him by the face, pulling him closer for a better look. "Naruto, what effects does this have on your eyes?"
Naruto explained about the "flow" he had seen – the colors and shapes. Sarutobi nodded as the boy went into the best detail he could, letting go when Naruto finished and putting a fist to his chin as he thought.
"As far as I can tell, your doujutsu seems to focus on humans, and registers something internal about them. It could be anything from their chakra levels to their life force to even their elemental affinity. I'll most likely have to do research when I find the time, but for now you should know that you have a brand new kekkai genkai. This kind has never existed before, and until we know more, I suggest you work on trying to control it and figuring out its mechanics."
"Right!"
"Dismissed then."
The group made their way out of the tower, Kakashi instantly disappearing on "important business" and Sasuke leaving right afterward muttering about needing to train. Soon all that was left were Sakura, Naruto, and Haku.
Naruto turned to Sakura, a hopeful tone in his voice. "Ne, Sakura-chan? Now that we're back, ya wanna go on a date?"
Sakura stuck her tongue out at him. "Blech. All I wanna do right now is go home and take a nice, long bath. I haven't had a good one since we left Wave country." With that, she spared a rushed goodbye and ran home, leaving the other two behind.
Naruto sighed heavily, his shoulders dropping. Mustering up the energy, he jumped back up and turned to Haku. "Okay then. Haku! Wanna go get some ramen with me? I've been dying to have some ever since we got here!"
"If you wish, Naruto-sama."
"All right then! Let's go!"
He grabbed her hand, leading her through the streets of Konoha. When they reached Ichiraku's ramen stand, he plopped down onto a seat, Haku gracefully taking the one next to him. He banged his hand on the table, calling out to the kitchen.
"Oi! Teuchi-ji-san! You've got customers!"
There was a rustling as a young woman pushed the hanging drape out of her face, her long brown hair flowing behind her. When she saw Naruto, a happy smile drew itself across her face. "Naruto-kun!" she squealed. "You're back! It's been so long!"
"Ayame-nee-chan!" he grinned. "Yup! Just returned from my big mission!"
"How was it?" she asked. It was such a joy to serve Naruto. He was always such a bundle of energy whenever he stopped by, always crowing about being a ninja and how great their ramen was. She really couldn't see why the villagers hated him so much. There was nothing she could connect between him and the monster that almost destroyed their village. Her view shifted over to Haku, her smile widening. "And who's this?"
"This is Haku! I met her on the mission and we're friends now!"
"How do you do, miss?" Haku bowed as best she could from her sitting position.
"Oh you don't have to be polite with me, honey. Just call me Ayame, like everyone else."
"As you wish, Ayame-san."
Ayame gained a perplexed look and leaned over to Naruto, using her tray as a barrier to keep them from being seen. "She always like this?" she asked conspiratorially.
"At least she calls you san," he grumbled. "She calls me sama."
"Really?" Naruto just nodded as though it wasn't really a problem. Ayame would have to ask about that later. She never thought Naruto would be the type to be so domineering, but then again, you couldn't judge people at first glance though he made it clear he found it annoying. "So, how was the mission, then?"
"Oh, it was awesome! You see, we…"
He launched into his story, giving his order to Teuchi when he greeted the boy heartily when he came out front. As his meal was brought to him, he wound down and then tore into it without abandon. Looking to the side, he noticed Haku taking a tentative bite of hers. Her eyes widened in surprise as the taste rushed into her. Naruto smiled.
"Good, ain't it?"
"It's very delicious," she agreed.
"Yup, ramen is definitely the king of all meals. I can't go long without having some in my stomach."
Haku glanced at the two already empty bowls by the boy's side and the several that were waiting to be served over the counter. Yes, she could certainly see Naruto's love of ramen. "It's my first time having it."
A clump of noodle's slipped out of Naruto's gaping mouth. "What…?" he asked sluggishly.
"It's my first time having ramen. My village was small and did not have such a place, and Zabuza-san and I tended to avoid heavily populated places when we went rogue, so we rarely ate in any kind of restaurant."
Naruto continued to stare at her. Never ate ramen before? Never knew the bliss that was the mixture of noodle and broth? How could this be? It was blasphemous! Well, he would certainly cure her of her ramen malnourishment. He slammed a hand down on the counter.
"Teuchi-ji-san! Two more bowls of ramen! One spicy vegetable and one chicken!" Naruto turned back to Haku who was looking at it him strangely. "I'm gonna show you just how great ramen is." He would teach her all that she needed to know and then some. It was his duty to bring her into the light!
"Naruto-sama, that isn't necessary-"
"Haku, you're supposed to be my tool, right?" Oddly a squeal of delight was heard off to his left, but all he could see was Ayame staring at them with some sort of dreamy look in her eye. Huh, that was weird…
"Yes, Naruto-sama."
"And that means you have to listen to whatever I say, right?"
Another squeal. Really, Ayame-nee-chan was getting weirder by the minute.
"Yes, Naruto-sama."
"Then I order you to eat some more ramen!"
Haku looked as though she was going to say something, but instead opted to only sigh. She looked at her master and smiled in fond annoyance. "As you wish."
"Alright!" He waited as two more bowls of steaming noodles was put in front of Haku, Teuchi winking at him for managing to corrupt another innocent. With all the business from the boy, and probably the girl as well if things were going this way, he and Ayame would be set for life! As he headed back into the kitchen, Teuchi kept an ear out as Naruto began his lecture.
"Now the proper eating of ramen is actually a quite difficult thing to master. You have to…"
RRRRR
The sky turned red as the two finished eating and made their way back to Naruto's apartment. Haku had to admit that Naruto did seem like an expert when it came to the subject of noodles, though she doubted she would ever love them or be as much a connoisseur as Naruto was.
Then again she doubted anyone could beat the boy in that respect. Fifteen bowls and the boy was still going strong. She had barely managed four!
Naruto opened the door to his room, nervous about what was going to happen. He hadn't really thought about it before, but with nowhere else to go, Haku was going to be living with him, at least for a little while.
Actually it would be for much longer than that but Naruto had failed to realize the severity of Haku's devotion. Her ideas about her servitude to the lad would cause a great number of problems. Only time would bring them to light, though.
Now, although he thought Haku was cool and definitely a good friend, she was still a girl. Except for Sakura he'd never really had any interest in the opposite sex, but with the crashing realization that a rather pretty (and older) girl was going to be sleeping in the same room as him brought his nerves into a frayed state. He was just hitting puberty after all. No one could expect him not to react in at least some fashion.
He laughed anxiously as the mess that was his room came into view. Normally it was a mess. Now it was bio-hazard site. With no one to clean it for nearly a month, dust had piled up on everything, causing his nose to itch significantly and his eyes to water. At least his garden was okay, positioned outside so that it could collect rain and sunlight. "Err…it's not much, but it's home."
Haku looked around. She was used to the squalor. After killing her father and running from home, she had lived on the streets for years before Zabuza found her. And even after that they hadn't lived in the most luxurious of places. In fact, the nicest place they had hung their kunai had been Gatou's. Needless to say, the man's taste had nothing to do with his personality.
She rolled up her sleeves. Right. Her new master obviously had a sedentary lifestyle unlike her former migratory one, so she had to adapt to it as well. If she wanted to make sure Naruto grew up healthily, she had to make sure that his environment was healthy. It was common sense.
Naruto stopped her as Haku went to pick up some empty instant ramen cups. "What are you doing?"
She blinked. "Cleaning up."
"You don't have to do that!" he flustered.
"As your tool, I must have a balanced repertoire of uses. Cleaning, while not a required one, would help with your growth."
"But-!" He had to think quickly. Haku constantly stated she was his tool, but he didn't think of her as one. He didn't want her to wait on him hand and foot; he wanted an equal, someone he could talk to. Already she was falling into the role of a subordinate, someone inferior. Naruto had been put through too many years of that to let anyone else feel that way. Inspiration flashed through him. "Haku, I order that you take a shower."
Haku blinked. "Naruto-sama?"
"You have to follow my orders. I'll do the cleaning. You go take a shower. You're probably tired after everything, so go take one."
Haku tilted her head to one side as if contemplating something. She put the ramen cups down and nodded. "As you wish, Naruto-sama."
Naruto grinned. "Bathroom's through there." He pointed at a door. "Towels should be there as well, and I'll get a pair of clothes you can sleep in." He shooed her into the bathroom, smiling as she locked door behind her. Awesome! She listened to me! It was a great plan, and he had done something nice as well. After all, both Haku and Sakura were girls, and Sakura wanted a bath, so surely Haku would like a shower. It felt good doing something for someone else. He could get used to it! Then it struck him.
Crap! I still ordered her to do it!
Naruto groaned as he saw that he was only encouraging Haku's behavior. To get her to do things he didn't think she would do without an order, he'd had to do so. Damnit, this was going to be hard. He had to find a gentle balance between the two – order and freedom. He never thought having someone like Haku around would be so difficult.
He glanced around, shrugged, and began to gather up the trash. It distracted him from the water running in the background and Haku's soft humming with it. He didn't think she'd be someone who'd sing in the shower! But the idea of Haku's naked-
Naruto burst into a wrack of coughing fits. Had to keep his mind from wandering like that! He wasn't a pervert, not like those adults who always passed out from a nosebleed because of his Oiroke no Jutsu. He was broken from his thoughts by Haku's voice.
"Naruto-sama, I am finished."
"Oh, how was the show-wa-wa-wa-wa…" A thin trail of red bled down to his lip. "Haku! Wh-what are you doing?!"
Haku cocked her head, confused. "What do you mean?"
Slapping a hand to cover his eyes, Naruto quickly spun around. "Why are you naked?!"
Haku looked down at herself. She was nude except for the towel she had flung across her shoulders. Water fell in tiny rivulets down her soft curves, glistening off her alabaster skin. A light blush on her cheeks was her only reaction.
"Is there something wrong?"
She didn't see what the problem was. Zabuza never seemed to care or even notice whenever she bathed or undressed. The man was more of a father-figure than any sort of romantic partner. This was mostly due to the fact that the man had absolutely no sex-drive from severe psychological scarring.
"Just…just put some clothes!" Naruto wildly waved behind him, gesturing at the extra pair of pajamas he had put aside for her. Haku nodded and went over to wear them, inadvertently giving a luscious show of her pert backside, accented by her recently released raven hair. Naruto forced himself to think other thoughts as Haku continued her shameless acts.
Being Hokage, ninjutsu, Sakura-chan.
The image of the pink-haired genin popped into his mind. Then she started to flirtingly remove her top.
Naruto immediately began to bang his head on the floor, a rather impressive action as his spine had to bend more than a normal person's could thanks to his sitting position. When he finally stopped, the image of a stripping Sakura had been erased from his mind, as well a good portion of his brain cells. Turning around, he saw that Haku was kneeling a few feet away from him.
Luckily she was dressed this time. Her frame was a bit too big for his clothes, and so her stomach and the ends of her legs and arms were showing. Haku pulled down on the sleeves. She hadn't worn civilian nightwear for a long time, opting instead for her shinobi wear so she could ready to leave or react to danger at a moment's notice.
Haku was a bit miffed at the way the shirt barely pushed against her chest. Due to years of malnutrition before Zabuza had rescued her and the harsh training after, her body had very little of the baby fat girls her age would normally have. Much of it was replaced by toned muscle, giving her body a very tight appearance. Mixed in with her loose clothing, it was one of the key factors for why she could disguise herself as a boy so easily. It had only been in the last year or so that her body had started to grow womanly charms, and that had been more or less slowed down by her training regiment and Spartan lifestyle.
Even though she had relegated most of her time and effort to ninjutsu, she was still a girl at heart. Her small breast size was a constant reminder of her child-like body. One of the main aspects of a kunoichi was the ability to seduce enemies. Haku doubted anyone would succumb to her charms when her body looked like it had barely passed puberty. Initially, this wouldn't have been a problem since she always pretended to be a boy, but now…
With Zabuza, it had been made clear that she'd never reveal her true gender. After all, being a female nuke-nin was extremely dangerous given the wild and downright sadistic tendencies of many of Kirigakure's hunter-nins. The warnings and tales Zabuza had told her made Haku shiver down to her very bone as she realized the all too scary truth of his words.
But Naruto-sama obviously expected different of her. He expected her to act more like a normal girl than a tool. While Haku simply could not understand being anything other then a tool to be used, being more than a weapon would be easy enough. Obviously, being more like a normal girl meant having a more girlish appearance. She would have to strive to achieve that.
Regardless of Haku's concerns, Naruto thought she was very cute. The girl's hair had again been pulled into a bun at the top of her head, covered by a white holder, a few strands falling down her face. There was a very innocent beauty to her. He neglected to think about the way she had almost killed him.
Naruto gulped. This was a part he was dreading. The problem?
Only one bed.
Now even though he was sure most of the boys in his ninja class would have killed for a chance like this, Naruto wouldn't. He knew Haku. He liked Haku. She was his friend. And so he was going to do the smart thing. He wasn't going to let Naruto Jr. make the decision for him. Especially about someone who could easily remove Naruto Jr. from the equation completely.
"The bed's ready for ya, Haku."
She instantly saw the problem. "But there is only one."
"Yeah, and you're the one who's gonna sleep there."
"But Naruto-sama, as your tool, I-"
"No! You sleep! You sleep there!" He pointed at the bed with an impassioned finger. There was no way in hell he was gonna let her sleep on the floor when there was a way she didn't have to.
Haku said nothing. She simply bowed respectfully and slipped into the bed. "Good night, Naruto-sama."
"Night, Haku."
Naruto bit his lip as he watched her close her eyes.
Crap! I ordered her again!
Yeah, this was going to be a problem.
RRRRR
A few days passed and Haku became gradually accustomed to life in Konoha. She still followed Naruto wherever the boy went and lacked the appropriate modesty for a girl her age, but for the most part Naruto couldn't find anything wrong with the relationship he was in with the girl. She was his friend and kept him company, and after the isolation he had gone through for many years, it was exactly what he needed.
The nights were terrible though. Haku had two problems.
One, she was grabby when she slept. So many times Naruto had woken up in the middle of the night to find himself engulfed by the girl, which was surprising since Naruto made damn sure he slept on the other side of the room so he wouldn't be the one to accidentally attempt such. He had initially freaked out, but with repeated occurrences had become used to it and learned to escape. This led to the second problem.
Probably due to running away from hunter nins for so long, Haku instinctively threw senbons at any noise that was made around her. Naruto had almost been, and sometimes was, turned into a target dummy for her. She never hit his vitals but damn those needles hurt!
Other than that, everything was fine.
However, the chaos that was slowly boiling from the nature of their bond would erupt sooner or later. And heaven have mercy on anyone who was caught in the result's proximity.
When Naruto looked back on it all, he figured that it could have been a whole lot worse. And to be honest, the day's incidents were actually quite funny.
The day had started a bit eventfully. A member of ANBU had arrived at Naruto's apartment, requesting their presence in front of the Hokage. When they arrived, Sarutobi immediately sprung several tests of practice and theory on Haku to analyze her aptitude and style.
The girl had done very well in most of the tests. Sarutobi had found the way she had lodged half a dozen senbon in the crotch of her male combat examiner harsh and unorthodox, but ultimately effective. Haku scored perfectly on her anatomy scores as expected, and everyone was both quite pleased and a bit disturbed by her intimacy with the insides of the human body. And her kekkai genkai was a treat to behold as the ninja created a miniature statue of the Hokage out of ice.
In the end, she was bestowed the rank of special jounin and delegated two jobs – bodyguard to Naruto (which Haku had planned on doing anyway) and a relief medic nin for the hospital. Sarutobi had handed off a couple of basic medical jutsu scrolls to the girl, saying that their use would be two-fold. He didn't have to explain further.
On Naruto's new kekkai genkai, he didn't have anything new to say. It was still too early to determine exactly what the doujutsu's power were, and required a few more days of research before he could. Naruto had let him off the hook with that, being surprisingly patient.
Sarutobi had given Haku a slight advance on her salary, so Naruto decided to get some new equipment and supplies for Haku. Seeing as the girl only owned a few pair of clothing and had been increasingly leeching off his, Naruto thought that it would be good for her to get some new clothes. It would be a pleasant outing, and Haku could further integrate herself into Konoha's society as a normal person instead of a runaway shonobi.
It was supposed to be nice. It was supposed to be fun.
It wasn't supposed to end up creating an urban legend.
Never underestimate the cunningness and tenacity of a devoted girl.
The two had made their way to one of the many clothing stores in Konoha, one that specialized in ninja outfits and the like. With a ring from the door chime, the two entered.
The saleswoman smiled as she saw a young woman wearing rather tomboyish clothes enter the shop. Then her smile decidedly lost its warmth and plummeted into a cold snarl. The demon was with her.
Naruto forced a calm expression on his face as he made his way to the counter. He already recognized the warning signs of a biased villager and could immediately envision the verbal abuse the lady would heap on him. But he had to keep a steady hand and not retaliate in any way. He wasn't dealing with just himself now; he had to think of Haku as well. If it weren't for this train of thought he probably would've just turned around and left at first glance. However, things were bound to go downhill anyway.
Before he could say anything, the woman interrupted with a biting putdown. "We don't serve your kind here."
Naruto pushed down the image of him trashing the damn place and plastered a fake smile on his face. "We'd like to buy some clothes, please." The polite tone made him want to puke.
"Didn't you hear me? I won't serve you."
"But I'm not the one who needs clothes. It's her." He gestured at Haku who watching the interaction with a subtle purse to her lips.
The saleswoman looked Haku over with a critical eye. "And is she acquainted with you?"
"Erm, sort of."
"Then I won't sell to her."
"Why?!"
She let out a nasty smirk, glad to see that she was creating some sort of turmoil in the jinchuuriki. He deserved whatever abuse anyone could and should deal out. "Because I don't want people to think I peddle my wares to ones who deal with demons."
Naruto bit back his scathing reply. No, keep it down. Keep it together. He ground his teeth together, his eyes narrowing. "What do I have to do so that you'll sell her what she needs?"
"Leave my store. Just you."
"Fine!" If that what was all she wanted, then he would gladly do it. He was sure Haku could peruse the store and find what she needed all by herself. At least he wouldn't have to deal with that ignorant bitch anymore. He turned around to go but was called back by the woman.
"Ah, ah!"
"What it is?" Naruto growled. His quick temper was already cracking through his self-imposed calmness. If he didn't keep a stern hold on it he would go ahead and trash the place and damn the consequences!
"Say, 'I'm a demon.'"
Naruto's blood went from boiling hot to freezing cold. "What?" he asked in a small, quiet voice.
The woman let out a cruel smile, accentuated by her cutting tone. "Before you leave, I want you to tell me you're a demon. It's part of the deal. Take it or leave it."
"That's it! Come one, we're going to another store, Haku." Naruto grabbed the girl by the hand and attempted to pull her out of the store.
"It's just going to be the same everywhere else you go," the woman crooned. Oh, she was so enjoying this. Naruto and Haku turned around. She continued to smirk. "You know it's the truth. And you know I'm the one with the best offer. Oh, and it won't matter if your little friend comes by herself next time. By this time tomorrow, the whole district should know allll about her."
Naruto came up short. His mind raced. It was always like this, like this as far back as he could remember. The insults, the ostracizing behavior, the beatings, even the few assassination attempts. He remembered that fear, that despair. And it wouldn't stop coming back, even now.
All he had to say was a few words. Just a few meaningless words. I am a-
"He's never been the demon you see him as. He's a proud member of Konoha. He's Naruto Uzumaki."
They were just words.
"I'm…I'm a de-"
"That's enough, Naruto-sama." Haku gently placed a hand against his chest, stopping him from finishing the sentence. She turned to the woman, her face revealing nothing. But her body language was screaming warnings to any who could perceive them. "You will sell us the clothes."
"Wha…?"
"You will sell us the clothes." Haku repeated.
The woman snorted. "And why should I?"
Naruto could barely see Haku's hand move, and the woman, without any kind of training didn't see anything at all. But she could feel the point of something lightly press up against the soft flesh between her throat and jaw. Looking down in shock, she saw Haku had a senbon pressed just against her skin. Haku's face matched her actions, cold aggression.
"We are customers. So you will sell us what we want."
"Wha-what are you doing?!" the woman exclaimed fearfully. She tried to back away but Haku had positioned herself so that the counter was at the woman's back. "I'll have the police on you for attempted assault!"
"No, you won't." Haku pressed the senbon a little more, drawing a bit of blood. This prevented the woman from trying to frantically retort. "I have been assigned by the Hokage himself to be Naruto-sama's bodyguard. But even if he didn't, I would have done so anyway. Naruto-sama is my master, and I will not allow any harm to befall of him, physical or mental." The air grew colder for a minute. "And certainly not from your pettiness. Now, you will sell to us."
The woman blubbered in agreement. Haku nodded and removed the throwing weapon. Then she went to check the rows of ninja clothing, keeping a careful eye on the saleswoman to make sure she didn't try anything funny.
Time passed and Haku finally found all she was looking for, including several outfits of both civilian and shinobi attire. Naruto noted that Haku preferred traditional clothing when it came to the normal ones, a few kimonos and yukatas. Her shinobi clothing was similar to her old ones – shortened gis on top of slightly baggy pants and shirts, colored a mixture of black, white, and blue. She also bought a few unmarked masks, a connection to her older life, as well as a few other miscellaneous apparel that would prove helpful.
They gathered it all up and went to pay for it, the woman ringing up the purchase. With a scowl, she tallied the final number. "100,000 ryou."
"100,000 ryou?!" Naruto shouted. "That's ludicrous!" The woman wasn't even trying to be subtle with her prejudice and sore attitude.
"It's what you'll pay. Don't expect me to just-"
She was cut off when Haku's hands disappeared again, senbon outlining the woman's neck as they just missed her and punctured the wall. She looked up with tearful eyes as Haku glared back.
"We will pay the normal price."
"B-but-"
"We will pay the normal price."
"Al-alright."
The woman rang up another number, one that was much fairer than before. The two paid and left the store with their merchandise, allowing the woman to collapse to her knees and break down into a shivering and sobbing mess. Naruto looked at Haku with awe and a little fear.
"You didn't have to do all that, Haku."
"I said I would be yours, Naruto-sama, to do as you wish. Keeping those that wish you ill from doing so is a given."
"I guess…" He looked off to the side with a troubled expression, causing Haku to become a bit worried. She had gone a bit overboard in there, but she felt it had been necessary. Still, what made the woman so adamant about Naruto? And what was this talk of demons? She did not understand…Her concerns were waylaid when Naruto looked back with a nasty grin on his face. "That was awesome what you did, though. I thought that hag'd pee her pants!"
Haku smiled. "Indeed."
The rest of the day continued like that, Haku threatening shop owners when they refused service simply because Naruto was with her. The worst incident, or perhaps best if you were watching from Naruto's point of view, was at one of the weapon stores. When Haku had begun her threats, the shopkeeper, a retired ninja, had retaliated with a kodachi to put the girl in her place. He was shocked and then horrified when Haku froze the sword's metal and then broke it into a thousand pieces with her kekkai genkai.
The girl had been labeled the "ice demon" of Konoha after that, thanks to both her association with Naruto and her Hyouton abilities. Sarutobi had to answer to a bunch of angry villagers because of it, but he felt it was worth the headache if someone could openly support Naruto now. He had tried to when Naruto was just a young child, but to side with the town pariah had brought the council and Danzo on his head. The fools could hardly do anything significant to him, but it wasn't worth the chance of even the smallest political civil war, especially shortly after the Kyuubi had razed Konoha. They had just come to an albeit shaky truce with Rock country, and any weakness could have been exploited to catastrophic consequences.
The last stop for them was the Yamanaka's flower shop. The shop owner, Inoichi, held the same sentiments as the rest of the village did for Naruto, but he also had a grudging respect for the blonde's green thumb. Even if he could hate the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki, he could never hate another plant lover. Thus, it was one of the few places Naruto could go without being instantly run out or exorbitantly overcharged, though there was still an underlying level of tension there.
When Naruto walked in, the first person he saw was Ino working on a bouquet of flowers. The young girl worked there whenever she didn't have training or missions as she found the surrounding plant life calming. As the two had often come across each other when Naruto was either buying new plants or looking for botanical advice, the two had formed a somewhat friendly banter between each other. Naruto still thought Ino was a Sasuke-tard, and Ino thought Naruto was just an idiot, but the two got along better than most would have thought.
"Hey, Ino."
The ponytailed blonde turned to Naruto and flashed him a tight smile. "Hey, Naruto-kun." She placed the bouquet down and walked over to him. "What are you here for?"
"I was wondering if that fern I ordered from Rice country came in yet."
"Just wait a minute. I think daddy put it over here somewhere." As the girl rummaged through the pile of unopened boxes, she made small talk. "So how are things at Team 7? Has Sasuke-kun asked about me at all?"
"Nope."
His frank answer pissed her off a bit. He could have at least mentioned something about Sasuke. She decided to have some revenge. "You should probably give up on Sakura, ya know. Even Forehead isn't desperate enough to go out with the likes of you when such specimens of male perfection like Sasuke-kun are around." Ino placed a finger to her mouth. "Though…if you two got together she'd stop bothering my Sasuke-kun." She'd never admit, but Ino missed her friendship with the rosette.
Naruto scowled. "I'll turn Sakura-chan over to me. Just you wait and see." He smirked and waved his hand flippantly. "Besides, you have just about as much chance as getting Sasuke-teme. He ignores so many of the girls…Probably gay."
"Don't say bad things about Sasuke-kun!" Ino shrieked, bashing Naruto over the head with the box she had in her hands. Haku flinched, and Naruto had to stop her from retaliating. Ino noticed the looks traveling between the two and realized she had never seen the girl before. "Who's this?"
"This is Haku," he responded. "She met our team in Wave country and wanted to come with us. So she lives here now!"
Ino noticed how close the two were standing together and how Haku was watching almost protectively over the boy. Add to that the fact that she seemed older and…Ino looked suspiciously at Naruto. "I thought you said you were still chasing Sakura. What are you and her…?"
"Huh?" Naruto looked between the two. He laughed. "It's not like that! Haku is my-"
"Tool."
Ino blanched. "What was that?"
"I am Naruto-sama's tool."
Ino glared at Naruto. "What the hell kinda kinky stuff have you been doing?!"
"No! It's not like that!"
"Then what is it?!"
"It's…it's…ARGH!" Naruto pulled at his hair. Why did things always have to turn out like this? It was just as bad at not having enough attention paid to him. Hell, it was even worse! He couldn't just run away from this situation. "It's not like that, okay? It's…it's complicated."
Ino pouted. She couldn't just let him off the hook so easily and without a fight, but today was the day she was supposed to check on the special "ninja" plants her father had been experimenting with. She couldn't waste time. Though the point of creating plants that could do the stuff he described didn't particularly make a lot of sense or seem practical. Petals that could henge into differently colored petals? What use could that possibly have?
She glanced a quick casing of Haku. The girl was beautiful in an unearthly way. Definitely something that would attract Sasuke's own beauty. But still…Ino cheered silently at the comparison between their chests. Yup, she was still Konoha's (self proclaimed) sexiest kunoichi.
"Fine," she muttered. "I'll let you go for now, but I want full details when you come again."
"I don't have a choice in the matter, do I?" Naruto had learned from an early age not to argue with Ino. She would bitch and cry and complain until your ears bled. It was only after the first dozen times (and he only lasted that long because of his own ungodly stubbornness) that he just resigned to his fate and followed her demands.
Ino smiled brilliantly. "Here's your order." She slid the box she had just smacked Naruto with across the counter.
Naruto frowned. "You're kidding, right?"
"I'm sorry, what?"
He sighed. "Thank you very much."
"Very good," she cooed mockingly. "See ya, Naruto. Goodbye, Haku-san. I'll tell Chouji and Shikamaru that you said hi."
The two gave their partings and left, heading back to Naruto's apartment.
RRRRR
Several more days passed, and the two became more used to each other's company. Haku had been forced by Naruto to be more careful and reserved when it came to her body. The boy could hardly take it at times when the girl walked around his apartment with barely a stitch of clothing. Or when she asked him if he preferred bigger breasts and a shapelier figure in a completely clinical tone. How the hell was he supposed to answer that?! Besides that, things had fallen into a lull.
Until Naruto was summoned by the Hokage.
Naruto was busy watering his plants as Haku poured over the medical jutsus she had been given. Until she could efficiently perform at least half of them, Sarutobi wouldn't let her begin her work at the hospital. No work meant no money, and no money meant it was harder for Naruto-sama. The solution was simple.
The doorbell rang, and Haku answered it, allowing Naruto to continue tending to his garden. The person on the other side of the door was another ANBU member, this one with a cat mask. Haku greeted him politely. "How do you do, ANBU-san? What can I do for you?"
"Is Naruto Uzumaki here?"
"Hmm, who is it, Haku?" Naruto looked around the corner, his eyes widening. "Huh, ANBU? What do you want?"
"The Hokage wishes to speak with you. I have come to be your escort."
"What about Sarutobi-jii-san?"
"He may have found out about the nature of your kekkai genkai."
A/N: K, here's the next chapter revision. As before, I took out a few of the more silly things and replaced them with some more serious stuff. Also, I tried to add a bit more to Haku's personality and thought process, even though it was a bit odd in the working.
Next Chapter: Unseen Eyes