A young blonde was gently shaken awake the next morning to find a worried face looking into his.
"Shaking again, wasn't I?" The tired boy mumbled as he pulled himself up. He started to blink as the man nodded.
"Yeah, I figured you probably didn't want the regulars to see that again, Little man." Keshai said with a grin. "Besides, it's almost time for you to start getting ready to go help Hirashi-san."
Getsuubi blinked rapidly as he reached into his pack and pulled out another set of clothes before heading to the back of the bar and up the stairs. Keshai laughed quietly as he picked up the small bundle of bedding the boy used nightly and rolled it up.
The old man had once caught the boy sneaking into his bar and stealing food. At the sight of the owner glaring at him, he had quickly bolted for the door and left. Ever since then, the old man had watched and listened as the same story was told multiple times by several other owners in the area. The boy would sneak in and eat bits and pieces of the meals that people would push away, until he was seen by the owner. The instant he noticed he was being watched, he would bolt for the door and wouldn't be seen again for a few months. About a month after the first incident, and having heard many stories, the old man had formed a simple plan. He'd accidentally let the dirty dishes with food on them stack up on the far end of the bar, and when the child came again, he would try to corner him to find out why he seemed to keen on not being found out, other than the fact that he was far more than blatantly underage. His plan worked. Within two nights the blonde haired boy had wondered in. And from that moment on, Keshai began to see the other side of life.
The boy once again managed to get in and past everyone without being noticed, and immediately made a bee line for the food on the plates. Having just had an influx of customers, Keshai didn't notice the gray eyed boy hiding there for quite a while. However, the boy made a mistake, and turned his back for just a moment as he knelt down to hide under the edge of the counter, out of the corner of his eye, the old man saw this and slowly approached the child so as not to alert him. When the boy came back up, Keshai gently grabbed his hand to restrain him, and immediately demanded an answer to his questions. Why was the boy stealing, where were his parents, why did he run away, and most importantly, why only take the leftovers instead of the fresh food if he were such a talented sneak-thief? The boy just stood there and fidgeted as more and more of the bar became silent upon realizing who it was. As soon as the last adult voice became hushed the boy spoke. Keshai would never forget any of those words.
"I steal because I have no money, no place to call home, and no parents. I was left here at the gates of Konoha not long after I was born. I run away when I am seen because I don't want to be hurt for taking things that do not belong to me, even though I need them to survive." At this the boy paused and looked at his feet. Everyone waited with baited breath. "And I only take the leftover food because I can't pay for anything. This way I am only stealing what someone else has already payed for, and no longer wants. If I took your fresh food without payment, I would be no better than a common criminal and should be punished as such." As the boy quietly but confidently finished, he pulled his hand away from the older man and looked around at the rest of the men in the bar. "If it's ok with you, I can take care of the dishes." Getsuubi spoke up again as he realized that no one was going to answer his speech.
"Uh.. S-sure, come on then. I'll show you where everything goes." He gestured further towards the back where the sink and shelves were. "I'll be right back guys. No funny business." He called back at the adults sitting around the bar. Each of them knew better than to try to swipe anything from Keshai, as he had never cheated any of them.
As Keshai watched the boy begin doing the dishes an idea formed in his mind.
"You said you have no place to call home, didn't you?" As the boy nodded solemnly, the bar owner asked another question. "I'll tell you what, how would you like to help me out after hours cleaning this place up, and you can stay up front near the door. I've got an old sleeping bag and mat you can borrow."
The look on the boys face wasn't what the kindly old man expected. At first his features showed outrage and he glared at the bartender, but the longer he looked, the more his features softened until only a scowl remained.
"You actually mean it?" The boy queried quietly.
"Yes, so long as you help out around here." The older man replied before he started explaining where all the separate dishes went on the shelves.
A little while later, the boy came up behind the older man and tapped him on the arm. As Keshai turned, he heard the child speak again. "I've got to go get something from where I hid it. I'll be back later, if that's still ok?"
Keshai nodded and turned back to his business when he saw the boy sprint out of the door. He left the door unlocked until late that night when the boy returned with a small pack wrapped up in his arms. The boy saw the sleeping bag laying there, and went over to it before he sat down at the head.
"Thank you." He said quietly.
Looking up from wiping the last saucer, Keshai realized the boy had returned. "I never got your name, Little man, what is it?"
"It's Getsuubi. What would you prefer I call you?" The boy asked as he looked up from digging around in his pack.
"Just call me Keshai. I have one more question before I go to bed, Getsuubi." Seeing the boy nod to acknowledge he was still listening, he continued. "I have a friend who is getting a little older and needs help with her garden. She's looking for someone like you that can help her, and has offered to pay a little bit if you don't mind. It won't be much mind you, but it's better than nothing."
The young blonde practically jumped up as he accepted the older mans offer. "What time do I need to be ready?"
The older man gave a chuckle as he headed to the back of the bar and up the stairs. "Don't worry, I'll get you up in plenty of time. One more thing, you're going to take a shower as long as you're staying here. The bathroom is up these stair and the first door on your left. Good night, Little man."
Getsuubi hadn't replied, but as he layed down and stared at the ceiling, holding his pack close, he smiled. Naruto was right, there were a few people out there who didn't treat him like he was muck under their shoes.
Getsuubi came back down the stairs and walked over to his pack, stuffing his used clothes back into it.
"Thanks again, Keshai-san. I'll see you later." The boy called as he let himself out of the door.
"Take care, Little man. Tell Hirashi I say hi, ok?"
"Will do." The door closed, cutting any further conversation short as the short blonde haired boy was once again off to his daily routine. He headed down the streets of Konoha until he came across the house where the old lady dwelt. It was a simple, single story house with a small yard around it, most of which was taken up by a garden.
"Hirashi-san, I'm here to help!" Getsuubi called as he opened the gate and welcomed himself to the yard. Upon hearing a reply from around the side of the house, he quickly set his things down on the porch and ran around to help her. In the back of the house was where she cultivated her larger plants, and she would often ask the boy to water and weed them while she worked in the smaller garden up front. Today was no different.
Hirashi was a short woman, but her diminutive height hid a very hefty woman. One thing that Getsuubi had learned very early in his career with the older woman was to never disagree with her. She could hit quite hard when she tried.
As he walked into the back yard, Getsuubi noticed that Hirashi sat on the back doorstep, a place she hardly ever rested.
"Ah, I see my young Getsuubi has finally made his appearance for the day. How have you been?" she asked.
Getsuubi shrugged. "I'm getting by as best I can. I'll be starting at the academy in two days though, so I won't be able to help you out as much as I do now. It'll mostly be in the evenings. That is, if you would still like my help."
"I would very much appreciate it young man. I haven't forgotten about your plan to become a shinobi." The old lady winked as she got up. "If you work hard today, I have something special I want to show you later."
"Ok, Hira-san. The same as usual?" Seeing her nod, the gray eyed male gather his tools and began weeding out everything that didn't belong in the garden. He could fit between the rows, which made him ideally cut out for this work.
After nearly six hours, and a significant pile of weeds and grasses, later, the boy finished his task. He then returned to the front lawn, where he gathered two buckets of water that he would walk up and down the rows, slowly tipping the contents out of. Another hour of this work, and he was done.
As Getsuubi went to gather his things to find a place for lunch, Hirashi called to him, "Don't go yet, I'm almost done up here. If you wouldn't mind helping, I can feed you also before you go."
Not having any particular place to be, he once again set his belongings down and joined the old woman in her garden. They spoke of many things to pass the time, ranging from the weather to the boys enrollment in the Ninja academy. As they finished up, Hirashi invited the blonde inside. As far as the boy remembered, this was only the third time he had been inside of her home. Once before had been when he was introduced, the other time was when she had made cookies for him after a particularly long day of work. Both times he had confined himself to the kitchen and dining room. This time however, she led him somewhere else. A hall with a thin outer wall led out of the back of the kitchen to the rooms of her home. It was into one of these living quarters that she took the young boy and sat him on a bed.
"I'll be back in a moment, please say here." she said as she exited the room.
Getsuubi had no choice really, he didn't want to invade her space, but seeing as how she had brought him here, he hadn't really invaded. As he waited, his mind began to notice how sparse the old woman's entire house was. This room only had a bed, a dresser, and a single small light on a table in one corner. No other features adorned the room. The only light currently showing in the room came through the wall across the hall.
His wandering eyes returned to the door as he heard footsteps returning. As Hirashi walked into the room, keeping her hands well hidden behind her back, she cleared her throat and spoke.
"It wasn't by coincidence that you met me, Getsuubi. Ever since the first time I saw you, I knew where you had come from. Unfortunately, I cannot elaborate, for to do so would be the death of me. However, I can tell you this, I was once a part of the same group of people you came from. You will never see them again, because I fear that they have died out, but I have been granted their final request." She brought her hands around to the front of her, holding a single, small scroll. "I know that for a while now you've worn that netted shirt because you have special powers. I know the reason why you wear it. Within this scroll lies some of the answers you seek as to why you have them. The last I heard, I was to pass this on to a worthy person before I died. I may not be a fortune teller, but even I know I won't last much longer among my precious plants. I deem you worthy, because you have never once complained about your situation or anything else in your life. Use this scroll wisely."
She handed him the scroll tentatively, and he took it with a careful and reverent attitude showing in his eyes.
"Thank you, Hirashi-san." She could tell the boy was close to tears. "Thank you so much."
She was startled as the usually unemotional boy flung his arms around her middle and hugged her. She gradually hugged him back before she let go and tousled his hair.
"Come, we still have to eat." She said as she disentangled herself from the boy and headed back out to the kitchen. "It's simple, but I made ramen for you."
Getsuubi smiled. He really liked ramen. Maybe not as much as Naruto, but it was definitely one of his favorite foods.
As they ate, he and Hirashi once again made small talk until they were done, and Getsuubi helped to do the dishes before he announced that he should be headed back to Keshai's before it got too late. He knew the older man would need help tonight, as it was a weekend and thus a popular time for customers to come in.
Hirashi thanked him for his help, and handed him his payment as he was putting his sandals back on.
After a moment, Getsuubi turned his face up to Hirashi's.
"Hirashi-san, this is twice what you normally pay me... Are you sure?" He asked. He didn't like that she was doing so much all at once.
"Don't ask question's baka. I did what I meant to do, now run along. Keshai needs you." She watched as the boy blushed, thanked her profoundly once again, grabbed his things, and ran out of the yard in the direction of Keshai's bar. If her gut was right, and she knew that it hadn't been wrong up until this point, it would be the last time that she saw the little blonde boy before she passed away.
If Getsuubi would have known that, he wouldn't have been quite as happy while he headed back to Keshai.
As he arrived at the bar, he noticed that there was quite a few people inside. This made it even easier for him to slide into his regular place behind the counter undetected.
Keshai, currently serving a couple and cleaning up other dishes, turned with them in his arms and smiled as he saw the child already hard at work cleaning the dishes and helping to prepare the food. He had to hand it to the gray eyed boy, he really was a big help when this place got busy.
The bartender set the dishes down among the other dishes before patter the blonde child on the back. "Thanks for the hand. How did work go today?"
"Pretty good," the boy called. "I got a scroll from Hirashi-san and she fed, me dinner, so I should be good for tonight."
Keshai raised his eyebrows at the boy, never having heard of such a thing happening before.
"I'll explain later, Keshai-san. You have my word." The child said as he returned his hands to the job of scrubbing plates clean.
Once the night had wound down and Keshai had a chance to close down the bar, he and Getsuubi talked over everything that had happened during the day. As the old man once again dug out the boys sleeping bag, Getsuubi dug out the scroll and opened it. What was there surprised him so much his eyes widened.
Keshai noticed the look on his face, but didn't try to get a look at what the boy held, knowing it was his possession to share if he so chose. Instead he opted to ask, "What is in it, Little man?"
"Remember how I said I had abilities no one else had?" He looked up and saw the older man nod. "This scroll teaches me how I can master those abilities. I think they left it with her hoping that she would find me some day and give it to me."
"It's possible. But I'm not so sure. I wouldn't get too far ahead of yourself. Just take it a day at a time. Learn it gradually. Ok?"
"You got it Keshai-san. I'm not going to go overboard." The young blonde replied. "You mind if I take my shower tonight instead of in the morning? It didn't sound like Hirashi-san needed me so I'm free to help you too."
"Go for it, and wash your clothes out tomorrow too, since you have the time." Keshai stated flatly. He followed the gray eyed child up the stairs and headed into his room, falling asleep to the sound of running water.
Getsuubi was thrilled. When he had learned of the techniques he was capable of, it had only been a raw guess and it took a ton of effort for anything to happen. He'd asked the Hokage a few questions, and had learned a great deal. Now he was able to do a little bit of it because of his practice, and the scroll was going to teach him how to do more of his techniques in the near future.
When the blonde got back downstairs, he opened the scroll one more time, reading the first few words before he rolled it up and put it inside his pack.
He was going to finish learning his Multiplication techniques. After that, he would just be happy to be able to carry out his missions proficiently, with or without a team did not matter to him.
Getsuubi closed his eyes and envisioned his future life. It didn't have any of the glitz and glam that other kids his age would dream of. He just wanted to be a great ninja, and he had one other thing he wanted to do. He wanted to make sure the only person that ever helped him made it through life okay. Naruto had been his first and only true friend, and Getsuubi would not soon forget the other blonde.
After all, he probably owed that boy his life.