Chapter 2

Hon to kōkogaku-sha

Naruto was walking around the forest, he had spent the night hunting, collecting food or resting. Slowly the night had turned to day and he wanted to see Robin and the island. She had said she would come to the forest but never said when, thus Naruto had decided to go look for her. Being half fox did have its quirks, he had an incredible smell. Aside from maybe the Inuzuka, who specialized in scenting, there probably weren't many humans that could compete with him on the matter. He sniffed around for a bit trying to find the right scent and it didn't take long before he found the now familiar scent of parchment and flowers.

He didn't want to go to the village quite yet. After Robin told him that they didn't accept her he didn't think he could trust them. He followed her scent and quickly realized that it was also moving away from the village. Naruto continued to move after it and soon found himself standing in front of one huge tree. The tree was, in no way definition of the word, small. It was nine to ten times the height of what would normally be a very tall tree and had the width of at least a couple of houses. He stared up and found he couldn't even see the top, even with his enhanced sense of sight. Moving closer he could smell Robin's scent coming from inside the tree. 'How am I going to enter a tree?' he absently thought as he continued to circle the base.

Ten minutes later he was almost halfway circling the tree as he didn't know what to do otherwise. it turned out to be the right decision though because on the other side there was a door. What a door would be doing on a tree though he probably wouldn't understand. He sighed and knocked on it and waited for a couple of seconds but as soon as he didn't get an answer he knocked again. This time though he did heard movement inside. He waited for a couple of seconds before the door opened.

"Hmm, I thought I heard someone knock on the door but..." the guy who answered the door mused to himself. Naruto had expected someone to open the door and that person might be surprised that a kid like himself would knock on the door. But this guy actually managed to literally look over him, he knew he was small but this just pissed him off. "Down here, never had a kid knock on ya door before?" He knew it wasn't polite to say such a thing as a greeting, but he didn't like someone messing with his height, directly or indirectly. The man turned to look down and to his pleasure managed to paint the picture of remorse with his expression. "Ooh sorry boy, I didn't see you there. Let me start again, might I help you?" Naruto straightened and looked up, the guy seemed nice enough so he started again. "No problem, I just don't like people messing with my height but I understand you didn't mean to." He gave the man his brightest smile. "Anyway I came here because I wanted to see Robin, is she here?"

If the man was surprised, he managed to keep it well hidden. "Well yes she is here, but why do you want to see her?" The man looked at him with a stern expression and Naruto realized that since Robin wasn't treated well by this village he wouldn't easily trust someone with robin, so he spoke honestly. "Well, I made friends with Robin yesterday and she said she'd come by to visit me later, but I realized she didn't tell me when so decided to come look for her." The man looked like he was thinking for a second before he moved away from the doorway and motioned Naruto inside.

Naruto studied the man as they walked through the hallway, the man was well... really weird. He literally had hair in the form of a clover, one with three leaves. One leaf was his beard which was long and had the form of a leaf, it was tied to his chin with a piece of lint, the other two leaves were two ponytails which were tied up on the side of his head. It looked really weird but he wouldn't mention it to the older man.

"So how did you meet Robin?" He looked the man in the eyes and saw the same he had seen in Robin's eyes. "Why do you have the same eyes as Robin?" The man looked surprised for a second and Naruto inwardly cursed for saying something that he wasn't going to say out loud. "What do you mean?" The older man asked him curiously. Naruto swore his eyes were twinkling when he asked. "Well yesterday I kinda did an 'unexpected' action and as soon as I turned around and looked at her she just looked at me as if I was some kind of book that would teach her something new." As soon as he said that the man burst out laughing. Thinking he had said something ridiculous Naruto turned a bright red tint and looked down in embarrassment.

The man looked at Naruto and saw his red ears as he could not see the face. "Oh sorry, it's just your analogy was spot on." He noticed Naruto looking at him as he was crazy and realized a problem he didn't usually have with Robin. "Ahh, analogy is using an example to portray something. Like saying that someone's hair looks like a duck's ass." At this Naruto started laughing and nodded showing the man he understood. At the okay signal the man continued. "Well what you said is exactly right, that is why it's funny. You see here at the tree of knowledge we archeologists gather to study and gain knowledge and just today Robin was officially recognized as an archeologist. She loves knowledge and as such she probably thought you were going to tell her something she didn't know yet." He explained to Naruto.

While they were talking they walked through the hallway until reaching a door, but just before opening it he stopped. "Young man, I'm sorry but I seem to have forgotten to ask you what your name is?" Naruto did a short polite bow and gave him another smile, "well, I'm Uzumaki D. Naruto but call me Naruto and who are you old man?" The man's eyes widened for a bit, glinting with something similar to shock and maybe recognition? But he quickly hid it and did a sweat drop at being called old, "well I am professor clover, head archeologist on this island Ohara".

After having been introduced to each other, the newly named Clover opened the door. If Naruto didn't know that it was impossible for one's eyes to pop out he would have said they did, because the inside of the tree was huge. Rows after rows after rows of books were put in cupboards that went all the way up to the top of the tree. A height he couldn't see properly even with his eyes! He had never seen so many books before, he nearly wondered briefly there even was so much to know about the world.

Seeing as Naruto was frozen professor Clover took the lead. "Follow me Naruto, I think I know where you'll find Robin." Listening to professor Clover Naruto followed him through the mountains of books and up the stairs. After climbing several stairs, they finally reached a levelled area where several tables where put out, 'probably for reading.' Naruto mused. But as soon as they fully reached the floor he saw Robin sitting there reading and ran up to her.

"Robin!" She looked up and saw Naruto. After seeing who it was she smiled and waved. He walked to her and sat down. "You don't mind that I came looking for ya do you?" She shook her head and smiled again before returning to her book. He looked at the title and saw she was reading some kind of book on round rainbows. Looking around all the books he suddenly had an idea, if they have any book on shinobi they had to have it here so he walked to professor Clover. "Ne professor Clover, do have any books here on shinobi or jutsu?"

Professor Clover looked surprised at the young boy but that expression soon turned to a slightly sterner one. "And why would you know about that? Not many people are aware of the elemental nations and even less of the terms they use there." Naruto looked at him confused before he slapped his head for no realizing he had forgotten that he wasn't in the elemental nations anymore and since they were shinobi other parts of the world would not know. "Sorry professor Clover I forgot, I am from the elemental nations and had to leave because of certain reasons. But I want to continue training and I thought that if there are so many books here you must have information about almost anything here." He smiled sheepishly while explaining. Professor Clover just looked at him with surprise, before managing to answer Naruto's question. "Well the amount of information we have is minimal though as you said we do have some. Would you be willing to verify it if you could?" Naruto thought about it before answering, "yes, if it's verifying I don't mind but as you know shinobi are based on secrecy and as such I cannot tell you anything new." Naruto told him seriously, he may have been chased out of his home but even now he still had his honor of being a shinobi. Besides he'd been raised as one. You wouldn't think it seeing his character but Naruto was one who'd taken well to stealth.

Professor Clover stared at the young boy before answering. "Yes, that is understandable and very admirable. Though I wonder how they manage to keep so much secret and even manage to keep a young boy such as yourself keep it willingly. I will see if I can go get some of the books now, have fun, you too Robin." He looked at her and she absently waved to him before returning to her book. He joined her at the table and went through some of the books looking for something interesting.

After about an hour Naruto was beginning to lose patience, he was never one for reading if it didn't have anything to do with training or stories. "Ne Robin, how can you keep reading for so long!" Robin looked up from her book, half surprised and mused for a bit before answering. "Well, I suppose I just like learning new things, don't you?" He looked at her and answered, "well yeah, but for me that doesn't mean everything. I like learning things that help me protect my precious people meaning I like learning new things that will help me in my training." She looked at him questioningly and so he elaborated a bit more. "I mean like, learning how to fight better, or what the right way to handle a sword is, about which poisons are dangerous and so on. Things that can make a difference in life and death." She looked him with an awed expression before standing up and walking away. "Robin ..., hey Robin where are you going?" He was about to stand up when she came back. "Here." She handed him three books, "though I don't know much about shinobi so I can't help you with that. These books are about martial arts of some country, other ways of being stealthy and the last is one on survival methods. I don't know if that helps?" He thanked her excitedly and gave her a big hug before sitting down and starting to read.

All without noticing her slightly red tinted face.

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While all of this happened they didn't notice that at least half of the staff of the tree of knowledge was watching what had happened with growing smiles on their faces. They were all thinking about how Naruto was a good influence on Robin. The girl had no friends her age on the island.

Professor Clover was the first to speak among them, "I hope they can help one another, if that boy is really from the elemental nations then I doubt his life has been an easy one." All of them nodded and returned to their work while hoping the kids would become good friends who could help each other.

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Naruto continued to read the books that Robin had given him but he was having a lot of trouble. Back at the village he grew up in he hadn't been taught much about these kind of things, especially literature. He could read and understand a bit but a lot of it was difficult. He kept stopping at every sentence as soon as there was a word he didn't understand. Robin noticed this after a while and put down her book.

"Is something wrong Naruto?" But he just kept staring at his book and sighed before slamming his head onto the table, "I don't get it!" He yelled. Robin giggled a bit at the sight before the words registered. "is it that hard?"

Naruto kept his head down on the table but tried to shake his head, Robin realized he was saying no and frowned a bit. "It's not hard? But then what is the problem?" She watched as Naruto slowly lifted his head and looked away slightly red in the face. "The stuff isn't that hard but I don't get most of the words." He mumbled ashamed.

Naruto thought she was going to burst out laughing at him for being so stupid but when he didn't hear anything he turned to her. Robin though had just grabbed the book and read a bit of it. After a few minutes she put the book back down. "Naruto there's nothing to be ashamed about, this book is quite difficult and we're only eight."

He just stared at her before asking back for the book, "then why do you get it?" He asked, Robin had just read it and didn't seem to not understand it. "I grew up here and I love reading. After reading so much my vocabulary got much better, I am an archeologist you know." She puffed out her chest slightly with pride.

Naruto grinned when she said the last sentence and bowed over the table towards her until he was very close. Robin had no idea what he was doing until he whispered something to her. "Even though you only became one today?" He said smartly.

Robin blushed being caught at bragging a bit before Naruto started laughing and held his stomach. It took a few minutes for him to calm down. "Don't worry Ro, I just heard that from professor Clover, besides I think it's amazing you're already an archeologist. It means you have to study a lot right? I don't think I could do that!" Grinning sheepishly, he didn't even notice Robin turn an even brighter red as he said all of that.

Robin calmed her heartbeat and her breathing when she noticed something. "Ro?" Naruto looked up, put his arms over each other and thought about it for a bit before his face lit up. "Ooh, hehehe sorry." He said chuckling a bit, "it's Ro from Robin. It's like a nickname sorry if you don't like it." But Robin who'd figured out the reason as he talked started to shake he had. "No, I like it. I just wondered what it was, Naru." Adding the last bit with a slight smirk.

Naruto smiled brightly at her for the little nickname before he took the books he was reading back from her. "So Ro? Do you think you could help me with this?" Pointing to the book he'd been reading before. Robin just smiled and nodded, "of course, what do you want to know?"

Naruto blushed slightly as he pointed to the many words he didn't understand, but it slowly disappeared as Robin just started to explain each word patiently until he understood and could continue reading the book. Occasionally having to get another book to understand things better.