DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO, AND THAT MAKES ME A SAD PANDA…

HOLLOWED SOUL

CHAPTER 2

It was a beautiful day in the village of Konohagakure. The sun was shinning brightly in the cloudless, endless blue sky. A gentle breeze blew through air, allowing the village to have that perfect temperature of not too hot, but not too cold either. On the streets, the usual hustle and bustle was just beginning. Shops were slowly turning their closed signs to open, and street vendors were beginning to open their stands for the day. Women began to shop and chat with one another as they walked about. In the park, two men were beginning to play an intense game of Shogi. Children laughed and cheered as they ran about playing tag and other various games. Yes, all in all it was another blissful, content day within the village. Though by looking at one girl, you wouldn't know that... Mainly because she was still sleeping.

For at this moment, the sun had just begun to peek inside the window of a tiny apartment building. The beams of sunlight seemed to bounce against the wall, slowly making their way down in an almost teasing manner. Eventually, they had reached their target, causing a small, almost completely missable groan to come from a futon. A figure could be seen rustling around in the sheets, before slowly sitting up and letting the blanket fall down around her legs. Sleepy, dull blue eyes blinked slowly, trying to adjust to the brightness of the room. She scratched her head a bit, rustling around her pale blonde, rather messy hair a bit. Then she slowly slid off the single mattress with a blanket and pillow she called a bed, stretching in the process. Yes, it was starting out as just another morning for Uzumaki Naru.

She quietly bent down, and straightened the sheet and pillow on her "bed" for a moment and then turned to the only other piece of furniture in the room, a single dresser which was located near the door to the room. Silently, she walked across the cold, wooden floor of the room. The only sound echoing out into it being the sound of her bare feet padding across the floor. A small sigh escaped her lips as she opened the dresser, and removed her usual attire. Naru walked them back to her bed, and then returned to the dresser once more, pulling out a single, pale, worn pink towel, which she then carried to the bathroom. It was small, having no more than a sink, toilet, shower, and mirror. Setting her towel on the toilet, Naru quickly stripped herself, and climbed into the shower. It was a bit older than probably preferred, as one could see rust stains circling the drain on the floor, and it took Naru quite a bit of a yank to get the door to it to shut. However, the girl didn't complain. She simply took a deep breath, as if bracing herself for something as she turned the knob.

A slight yelp could almost be heard escaping her lips as the ice cold water began to pour out on her. It didn't really matter how high she turned the temperature up, as this was the only water that ever came out. Naru quickly wasted no time in cleaning herself, in an attempt to hurriedly escape the ice water. She did take note that she was lucky it was spring. This water was most unsettling in winter and fall. As she cut the water out and stepped out of the tub, a slight growl could be heard coming from her stomach. Naru looked down at her stomach, and nodded. She quickly dried herself with her towel, and then wrapped it around her head as she walked to her bedroom. She quickly put her clothes on, and then removed the towel from her head. Carrying it under her arms, Naru made her way from the bedroom, towards the kitchen, which also served as the living room for the girl.

It was rather plain looking. Like the other rooms there was not much inside. A single, small, round, wooden table sat up against the wall with a single chair under it. Across from it was a small stove and refrigerator. Just past the refrigerator, were two small steps and the front door. A single window was just over the table. Before making herself a meal, Naru carefully climbed up on the table, and opened the window. A small clothesline of sorts was hanging outside of it, to which Naru placed her towel to dry for the day. She then climbed back inside, shutting the window behind her and sliding off the table. The girl turned to her refrigerator from there, and peered inside to see if there was something inside that interested her. In the end, Naru settled on a single apple and a glass of milk. A rather quick and light meal, but she was running a bit behind today.

After finishing the meal, Naru wiped her mouth off, and returned to the bathroom. She quickly brushed her teeth and fixed her hair in its usual way, before returning to the front room. She walked to the front door, slipping her sandals onto her feet in the process. However, instead of going out right away, she knelt down and began to examine a small, wooden shelf sitting by the door. Stacked neatly on the shelf, was a row of books. They were all ones Naru had read several times before, but to her they were all classics and she would read them forever if she could. After picking out the one that looked the most interesting for today, Naru exited the apartment.

Naru looked about for a moment to make sure everything was in place. You see, the girl lived in a... less than friendly neighborhood. In fact, one could say that they were the slums of Konoha. Still, the girl didn't complain. It was still somewhere to come every night to rest and such. That, and this was the only place where many didn't seem to give a crap about her at all. Most wouldn't even raise an eye at her. The girl began to walk down the stairs, and opened her book in the process. Flawlessly, she walked about the roads that led from the apartment building and towards the academy. She knew every twist and turn, all without having to look up from her book. The only time she would look up was when she took a moment to turn the page.

"Must be routine..." a figure said, watching Naru walk about from a distance. "I wonder if she's that involved in the book… Or does she just use it to not notice the looks and such around her."

"I wouldn't doubt that, Anko." a man answered. "But it's really hard to say if something is ever bothering her. The only time I ever get an answer from her is when I happen to call on her in class."

"I see…" Anko replied, rubbing her chin a bit in the process. "And you said she's distant to everyone, right?"

"For the most part…" Iruka sighed. "Although, she seems to be a bit open to one person, if you really call that open…"

"Hyuuga Hinata." the woman answered.

"Hai… Although, I guess you should know that since you met with the Hokage about this the other day." Iruka responded. He paused for a moment, and looked at a watch around his wrist. "Well, I have to get going. The graduation exam is tomorrow… It'll be her third time…"

"Right… See ya later, Iruka." Anko waved as the Chuunin began to make his way to the academy.

Anko sighed a bit, making sure that the man was out of distance, before she too began to walk down the street. It was a rare thing for her, but she too was making her way to the academy. Even though she learned a few things about Naru the previous day, Anko couldn't help, but feel the desire to learn more. She felt the best way through this was through careful observation. She had actually been keeping an eye on Naru for a bit now. Iruka had met up with her earlier in the morning to show her where the girl lived, and the two had been following her at a distance ever since she left. And while Naru may have been to involved in her book to notice them, Anko was able to notice all the looks.

She noticed every narrowed eye. Anko saw people point and whisper. She noticed it all. And she had to admit, seeing them being done at someone else was quite unsettling. Seeing it all done to a girl as young as Naru made Anko feel a bit sick to her stomach even.

Suddenly, Anko was snapped out her thoughts when she heard the pitter-patter of feet running across the ground. She didn't look up, but rather out of the corner of her eyes to see Hyuuga Hinata moving at a quickened pace. Anko noticed that the girl seemed to slow down a bit as she neared Naru, almost as if she was suddenly too shy to say anything. Anko raised an eyebrow to this, watching as the Hyuuga seemed to fall back a bit. Then, she suddenly took a deep breath, and moved forward to be side by side to Naru.

"O-Ohayou, N-Naru!" Hinata greeted in a friendly, yet shy manner. "H-How are you today?"

Naru seemed to pause in her walking. For one brief moment, she lowered her book. It wasn't a whole lot, but just enough for Anko to see that Naru was looking at her from the corner of her eye. The blonde girl said nothing. Rather, she gave a silent nod, before returning to her book. Anko sighed at the sight.

"Looks like Iruka wasn't kidding about how little of a reaction it was…" she mused. "I better keep a close eye on things while she's in class. Maybe there's something else I can pick up on…"

Anko followed the two at a distance to the school. There wasn't much of a reaction between the two, and when there was it was only Hinata trying to make small talk while Naru would either nod or shake her head. This of course, left a slightly disheartened Hinata, but it didn't seemed to manage to stop the girl. Anko made a mental note of this.

Upon arriving at the academy, Hinata and Naru made their way inside. Anko didn't follow however. Rather, the woman made her way around the school yard, towards the back of the building. She paused and looked up a bit, her eyes narrowing in the process.

"Damn… It really has been too long… I don't even remember which classroom is Iruka's anymore." Anko sighed.

She looked back down and to the left to notice a tree standing beside her. A small grin came to her lips as she quickly began to leap her way up the tree, quickly moving from branch to branch. Anko would quickly scan each class as she made her way up, trying to find which one Naru was in. About the fourth branch up, she finally managed to find the girl.

Naru and Hinata were just walking into the room at that moment. The classmates were currently talking amongst themselves. Iruka was no where to be seen. He probably was on his way to the classroom though, so it wouldn't be long. She watched closely as Naru made her way to her usual seat. Hinata still following close behind. The Hyuuga was about to sit along side Naru, when another girl appeared stopped her.

The girl had long, pink hair that went down to her lower back. She was wearing a red dress with small, white designs in it. Underneath the dress, was a pair of navy blue shorts. A pair of blue shinobi sandals rested on her feet, and a red ribbon was in her hair. The girl had a fair skin complexion, and emerald green eyes.

"Hinata, are you trying to completely trash your reputation?" the girl asked, placing her hands on her hips in the process. "I mean, sitting next to that… that thing is just asking for people to start talking about you."

"Th-there's n-nothing wrong with N-Naru, Sakura-chan." Hinata said quietly, her eyes falling to the ground in the process. "J-Just because she's quiet… and reads all the time, doesn't mean there's something wrong…"

"Come on, Hinata… That mean's there's plenty wrong! She always acts like she's in her own little world. She ignores everyone… I mean, she doesn't even pay attention to Sasuke-kun!" Sakura protested. "Come on, I won't let you ruin your reputation!"

Anko watched in anger as Sakura grabbed Hinata by the hand and began to drag her away from Naru. The woman began to feel the urge to jump through the window and beat the pink-haired girl down within an inch of her life. Luckily for Sakura, Iruka happened to walk into the classroom at this point. She watched as he made his way to the front of the room, being closely followed by another shinobi.

Like, Iruka he was of Chuunin level, and even wore an outfit similar to him. His skin was a lot paler than Iruka's though. The man had long, silver hair that went down to just past his shoulders. However, he currently was not wearing a hitai-ate at all. He paused for a moment, and even went as far as to turn his head to glance out the window. Anko felt herself take a deep breath, but sighed in relief when it appeared that she went unnoticed. There was something about the man that seemed very untrustworthy… Then again, it was also possible that Anko was just being paranoid. She waited a moment until both men had passed the window, then she climbed out on the branch some. This way, she could get a better look at Naru and how things went down in the class.

"Ohayou, everyone." Iruka greeted as he arrived at his desk in the front of the room. "Everyone please settle down, as we have quite a lot to do today." To the man's surprise, everyone in the classroom did as told. He chuckled to himself at the sight, as the only time when the class seemed to listen was during the last few days of the year. "I'm sure as you all know, tomorrow is the graduation exam. It's the test that will determine whether or not you need more time at the academy, or if you are in fact ready to take the first step into the ranks of a Konohagakure shinobi, and become a Genin."

"So, to get you all ready for it, we shall begin reviewing information and techniques you have all learned over your time here." the silver haired Chuunin added.

"That's right, Mizuki." Iruka replied. "And to begin, we shall review the history of Konohagakure…"

Anko sighed, and felt a yawn escape her lips. Even as an adult, these classes were still so boring. She quickly shook her head in an attempt to wake herself up and keep her attention on Naru. Anko was not surprised at what she saw. While the class was actively participating in Iruka's lecture, Naru was currently engrossed in the novel she had brought along with her to class. Anko sighed at the sight, and watched on.

Mizuki cleared his throat, gaining the attention of Iruka. The teacher looked over his shoulder at Mizuki, who in turn motioned his head in the direction of Naru. Iruka looked over at the girl, and sighed. He slowly began to walk up the stairs towards the girl's desk, slowly put his hand on the girl's shoulder. If one would have looked closely for a moment, they would've seen Naru jump a bit. She slowly lowered her book and turned her head to face the man.

"Naru… Reading another interesting book, I see…" Iruka began. "Since you're reading it, you must know all about what we've been reviewing. Care to tell us what it was?"

The blonde girl gave the man a blank look. She bit her lip a moment, her eyes quickly falling to the desk as she felt every eye in the class on her.

"I… I don't know…" Naru replied quietly.

"I see…" Iruka replied. A slight apologetic look was in his eyes, one that didn't go unnoticed by Anko. However, in a moment it was gone, and replaced with a stern, forceful look. "I see… I must be boring you then. How about we move on to practicing jutsu for the next portion of class then, shall we? Everyone to the front of the room!"

Various groans and grumbles could be heard as the class made its way to the front of the class. Naru followed along behind everyone else, her eyes not daring to rise and meet any of the others. The students all lined up along the front of Iruka's desk. The said Chuunin stood before them holding down a clip board. He seemed to be writing something down for a moment, before addressing the class again.

"Now… We're going to start by practicing the henge jutsu. When Mizuki calls your name, I want you to come forward and make a perfect henge of the Hokage." Iruka instructed.

"First up, Haruno Sakura." Mizuki called.

"Nice going, freak…" Sakura muttered as she shoved past Naru, just loud enough for the blonde girl to hear.

"Alright, just make a henge of the Hokage, Sakura." Iruka instructed.

"Hai, Iruka-sensei." Sakura replied.

She began to focus her chakra, and soon a cloud of smoke puffed into the room. Iruka waited patiently as the smoke cleared. Before him no longer stood Sakura, but rather the Sandaime with a proud grin on his face. A moment later, smoked puffed out again, and Sakura stood where the old man had once stood again.

"Very good, Sakura." Iruka said.

"Next up, Uchiha Sasuke." Mizuki announced.

"Hn." a boy replied, walking forward.

He had raven-black hair and eyes with a pale skin complexion. He was wearing a blue t-shirt with the Uchiha clan symbol on the back. He also had a pair of white shorts on, with blue shinobi sandals on his feet. Much like Sakura, he performed the desired jutsu with ease… In fact, he did it even better.

"Very good, Sasuke…" Iruka commented.

"That was amazing, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cheered.

"It was nothing for Sasuke-kun!" another girl cheered. "You blew Bill-Board Brow out of the water!"

"I doubt you could do better, Ino-pig!" Sakura shot back to the girl.

She had blonde hair that she kept pulled back into a pony tail. She was wearing a purple skit with a slit in the side, and a purple, sleeveless top. She had bandages wrapped around her thighs and waist.

"Settle down everyone. Yamanaka Ino, you're next." Mizuki sighed.

One by one this continued. A student would be called, they'd perform the jutsu, and then the next one would be called. Finally, Mizuki smiled a bit as he looked up and called the next name.

"Next up, Uzumaki Naru." he called.

Anko's eyes narrowed carefully as she tried to look in a bit closer. Slowly, Naru made her way to in front of Iruka. The man gave the girl a stern look, but a small smile as well.

"Alright, Naru." Iruka began. "Remember, all you have to do is make a henge of the Hokage. Are you ready?"

"Hai…" Naru replied.

Anko watched as Naru closed her eyes and began to focus her chakra. Iruka, Mizuki, and the entire class watched closely as a cloud of smoke exploded where she was standing. Slowly, the smoke cleared. Iruka's eyes widened at the sight he saw. Standing before him was in fact the Sandaime, but not the one he was used to seeing.

The henge Naru produced was short, probably not much taller than she was. His face was completely disfigured with wide lips, crossed eyes, and a big, bumpy nose. A cloud of smoke exploded, making the strange looking Hokage return to the form of that of Naru. Anko eyes narrowed again, as she listened to the classroom that was busting out in laughter.

"Everyone quiet." Iruka began. "Quiet down, now!"

Save for Hinata though, the class continued to laugh, only stopping when the bell rang. The Chuunin sighed as the students rushed back to their seats to begin to gather their things. He put the clipboard back down on his desk, and turned to face the class once more.

"Don't forget the exam is tomorrow…" Iruka sighed. "Make sure you study hard, and have a good afternoon."

The class began to rise from their seats and exit the room. Iruka watched as they filed out the door, Naru making sure to take her time to exit last. A thoughtful look appeared on his face as he began to walk forward.

"Naru!" he called out, causing the blonde girl to turn slowly. "Would you like to grab a bite to eat?"

The girl seemed hesitant for a moment. She gave him a careful look, as if she was trying to look him up one side and down the other. Slowly, she sighed and gave a silent nod. Anko sighed, and hopped down the tree to the ground below. She watched from the corner of the building to see the two begin to walk off the school grounds and back into the village, and then followed along stealthfully.

The woman later found herself at a ramen stand by the name of Ichiraku. She waited a few moments, making sure that Naru and Iruka had time to enter, before making her way inside as well. Both Naru and Iruka were sitting at the center of the counter. Anko quietly made her way in and took a seat at the corner behind Naru.

There was a brief silence between the student and teacher. It was as if Iruka was unsure of where to begin. Meanwhile, the silence seemed to no effect Naru at all. Rather, she was simply sitting there in silence, calmly eating the ramen. Her book was propped open in front of her, allowing her to read and eat at the same time. Iruka watched the girl out of a corner of his eye. He then glanced back a bit, noticing Anko watching the scene carefully as well. He took a small breath, and cleared his throat to gain the attention of the blonde girl.

"Naru… May I ask you something?" Iruka asked, placing his chopsticks on the counter in front of him in the process. The blonde girl turned a page in her book, and slowly looked over at the man. She gave him a silent nod. "Alright… This is coming up your third exam, Naru… I mean, I don't want to pry, but… Why do you keep failing?"

"Nani?" Naru asked.

Her voice may have had a bit of surprise in it. However, at the same time she somehow managed to retain her calm and cool look and nature. Iruka sighed, and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"I mean… This is the third time you'll be taking the exam, Naru…" Iruka went on. He was trying to find the right words without upsetting the girl, but it was hard to tell whether or not he was coming close to doing so. "Is there something you want to talk about? Is there a reason?"

"Safety." Naru replied simply. Iruka gave her a confused glance. Naru noticed this, and went on. "I do not have to worry about my safety there. I do not have to see the hated glares of an entire village… I fail for my own safety. Out here is nothing, but disappointment. I do not wish to waste my time to struggle for something I will never obtain."

"Acceptance…" Anko muttered to herself, looking down at the ground.

She knew the feeling all to well… After the incident with her former teacher… Well, it was something she longed to get back, and still had not managed to secure… She was snapped out of her thoughts by a chuckling Iruka.

"Naru, don't you understand?" Iruka asked. Naru gave him a slightly confused glance. "They all think the same of you, because you don't try . To them, all you have done is prove them right. They have nothing else to go on."

"I… I don't understand, Iruka-sensei…" Naru asked.

"Think about it this way, Naru." Iruka said. "If you were to pass the exam, and become a shinobi… The village would have to gain more respect for you. You'd prove them wrong… And from there it would only grow…"

"I… I don't know…" Naru sighed.

"Look, Naru…" Iruka replied. He placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled gently at the girl. "I'm not saying you have to try… But you never know what could happen if you did."

"I see…" Naru muttered.

Iruka and Anko watched as she silently rose from her seat, and began to walk towards the exit of the stand. Iruka raised an eyebrow at the girl as she opened her book, and began to leave.

"Naru?" he called out. "Where are you going?"

"Home…" she said simply, her voice still mono-toned. "I have a bit of thinking to do…"

There silence as the girl walked out, her body disappearing into the darkness. Anko rubbed the back of her head as she watched the girl leave, and moved to sit beside Iruka. Neither one spoke for a moment. Iruka calmly finished his ramen and paid for the meal, and then the two shinobi left the stand as well.

"Do you think she can pass?" Anko asked. She looked at Iruka carefully, a bit of concern in her eyes. "Do you think she'll try to?"

"It's hard to say, Anko." Iruka replied. "I'd like to think that a difference was made here, but… I'm afraid the only way we can be sure is to wait until tomorrow… However… Should she actually try, I think it's possible."

Anko gave a silent nod. The two didn't say anything more as they walked. Only a simple wave as they reached the point in the street in where they would go separate ways. Anko sighed as she began the walk home, the only thing to keep her company being the sounds of crickets. She had a sick feeling in her stomach for some reason… One that told her this was only the start of things to come.