Chapter 2
Arashi was up and out of bed at the hotel within a minute of waking up rather than lounging as he usually did. He had no troubles recalling exactly what had happened yesterday, nor the conclusions he – or, rather, his clones – had come up with regarding the current situation. The night before he had had a pleasant dinner with Kasumi – he still couldn't get over that that had raised the crazy snake-bitch who had been in charge of the second phase of his first chuunin exam – which involved him stuffing himself with Ichiraku ramen. It was nice to meet the old man's wife, though he did miss seeing Ayame, who had not yet been born.
The amount of ramen he had ingested was the reason he was up so quickly.
Lucky that, considering as soon as he had bathed in the hotel shower (he needed it) and was sufficiently awake to do anything more than shuffle about and grumble, Kasumi had let herself into the room. It was just three minutes to seven, the time she was set to meet him.
"'Rashi, come on out!" He poked his still wet head from the bedroom (it was a nice hotel and had a living room, kitchenette, bathroom, and bedroom; it was also only a bit smaller than his own apartment). Kasumi was standing in the middle of the living area, grinning broadly at him. At her side, clutching the bottom of Kasumi's chuunin vest unconsciously, was a girl of seven or so year old with darker purple hair – nearly black really – and light brown eyes.
Unmistakably Anko Mitarashi, who looked rather shy now that Naruto was only just barely younger than her. Though that might have been more to do with Arashi's strange eyes than actual shyness.
"Hey, I brought you a spare set of clothes from Lord Hokage," Kasumi said, holding up a bundle. "It was going to be just me picking you up, but Kiyoshi had a mission to get to, so my daughter is joining us.'Rashi, this is Anko. Anko, this is Arashi Kazama; he's going to the Academy today and ate at least a third of his own weight in ramen last night." She paused, noticing that she was still holding the new clothes. "Well, go on; go get changed! We still have to go get breakfast and get to the Academy in an hour. You don't want to be late on your first day, do you?"
Arashi shook his head swiftly and apologized before taking the bundle and disappearing back to the bedroom. He really did need something else after all; his pants were pretty much ragged balloon pants and the neck of his t-shirt almost fell off of his thin shoulders. Still, there went the last of his orange, as he found that his new outfit was black and blue. He would have rather had orange, but at least the shinobi-style sandals had an orange stripe.
Yes, definitely a good thing Kasumi had brought him clothes; going to school barefoot, much as he didn't want to go to school at all, would have been rather stupid. It hadn't mattered when he was walking in the woods and roof jumping, or even in the Hokage's office, but...
Well, even at fifteen-going-on-six years old, Naruto didn't like getting picked on. He'd had more than his fair share of that.
While changing, he did notice something off with his stomach though; despite the fact that he wasn't channeling any chakra at the moment, he could still see the seal spread across his abdomen. That shouldn't have been possible, yet it was shining bright as day; no training with his shirt of then, unless he wanted to answer any unsavory questions. Still, his new shirt covered in easily.
Taking an extra moment to finger the royal-blue leaf-symbol on the black t-shirt he sighed and left the room. It wasn't that he disliked blue, but it was the same shade as Sasuke's old shirts from when he had still been 'the Uchiha' rather than 'the traitor'. Kasumi found it adorable and brought attention to his eyes. Not exactly his goal, considering his eyes were freaky.
Breakfast, much like dinner the night before, was full of inane chatter about just about everything. As soon as Anko realized that his eyes didn't seem to do anything creepy (like looking through her clothes as the Byakugan would), she turned out to be a very chipper child with a liking for poking Arashi with chopsticks. It was annoying, but he remembered she had been eating dango at the exam. Maybe she just liked poking things with sticks.
When they were done with breakfast, she took great joy in throwing those same chopsticks at the ceiling, where they bounced off. Kasumi's stuck, though there were so many chopsticks in the ceiling from various shinobi patrons that is would be impossible to pinpoint it once Arashi had looked away. It was a theme of the restaurant that the shinobi patrons would try to create a picture on the ceiling by the new year's festival when they would replace the ceiling; so far it was looking like a battle between stick figure people using... something.
Having not had much experience with senbon, Arashi tried throwing the first one like a kunai and it bounced off the ceiling harmlessly. He glared a moment before adjusting his grip and adding just a touch of wind chakra to the thin piece of wood to make the end sharp before throwing that one as well. It stuck out at an angle, but it stuck either way.
"Mom, did you see his eyes? They started turning yellow like yours!" She seemed highly excited by this, then she stopped, looked up, and her eyes widened. "Are you really just starting at the Academy? I don't know anyone at school who can do that, not even the Uchiha boy in my class."
Arashi shifted uncomfortably in his seat. His eyes turned yellow? He noticed that when he was on the water, even though they had been all blue that morning in the bathroom. Now when he had done the cheater way of getting his chopstick to stick they had gotten a bit yellow... it was disconcerting.
"'Rashi is very advanced for his age," Kasumi whispered as she poked about in her pouch for her "on the Hokage" slip that was to be giving for Arashi's meals with her. "When I dropped by the Tower this morning, I heard he can do a jutsu that isn't taught in the Academy. That's why the Hokage is sending him today, when he's only five." Anko, of course, was in awe, but then moved on to disbelief.
Arashi was highly tempted to remind Kasumi that, just because he seemed five, it didn't mean he wouldn't notice her talking about him right in front of him. And to remind Anko that he may seem five, but he shouldn't be underestimated... except that he knew his taijutsu was worse even now than it had been when he was an academy student, if only because he was unused to the proportions. Walking had been easy enough to figure out, but his taijutsu was going to suffer for a while.
So it was probably a good thing that he was following Kasumi and Anko to Academy, even if it was through the crowded streets (Anko, as a first year student, was not yet good enough at jumping to safely traverse the roofs).
Waving good-bye to Kasumi at the gate, Arashi had to run to room 207, lest he be late. Of course, regular running would not do; instead he ran up the wall and vaulted through the window there a mere instant after the bell had rung. Of course, he was familiar with room 207's location, it having been his class room his second year, and so he had no trouble with arriving in the wrong room.
Though the room full of older kids – all ten, or thereabouts – who looked at him strangely. But Arashi just straightened himself out, glad again for the new clothes and shoes, before walking up to the front of the room and handing the chuunin instructor the scroll he had been assigned to. They all looked at him strangely, but did little more than whisper. Well, let them, though why the Hokage had immediately stuck him with an older class was beyond Arashi's reasoning.
"Well," the chuunin said as he looked up from the scroll, "it seems we have another younger student joining us today. Arashi, go find yourself a seat while we get started. Perhaps next to Kakashi."
Now that was a bit of a surprise, but Arashi made his way to where he silver-haired sensei was sitting in the front of the room... and he looked the same age as Arashi did. It was... strange, but he tried not to stare at the little boy with nearly-white skin, pale silver hair that stuck up, and the distinctive face mask covering his lower face.
Not for the first time, Arashi wondered where Kakashi Hatake had come across his Sharingan since he didn't seem to have it yet. Maybe in the field?
Still, he sat down next to his fellow midget and swung his legs in the seat was the designed for someone a good six inches to a foot taller than he.
"You're late," Kakashi glared at him. "Shinobi can't be late; it's against the rules." Arashi stared for half a beat, disbelieving, before he stuck out his tongue. Like he was one to talk! And he wouldn't have been late if Anko hadn't insisted they stop for dango on the way (Kasumi was such a push-over...).
"Yeah, well, you're chakra's white!" Arashi snapped in retort. It was the first thing that came to mind, yet Kakashi looked at him with surprise. Hell, Arashi was surprised. He had never thought of chakra color beyond that his felt blue – now more green-blue – Kyuubi's was red, and Shukaku had gold chakra. But there was no denying now that he said it that this was the truth.
How did I know that? He wondered, though he didn't say it aloud and instead turned his attention to the front of the room instead of letting himself ponder the boy at his side. Now was not the time to think about the future, because the teacher was talking to the class, and he really wanted to hear this, so he would know why it was this particular class he had been entered to. Ten year olds were the mid-level students, neither beginners nor ready to graduate.
Or so he thought.
"This will be your last day of formal shinobi education – for those of you who pass, that is," the chuunin cast a look in Arashi and Kakashi's direction before he continued. "This test will determine your future; whether you become genin or if you are in need of future training, or even if you are better suited for a civilian life." Then he looked at another corner of the room where a boy with black hair slumped in his seat.
"Line up in alphabetical order by your clan name descending down the center stairs," everyone rushed to line up. Arashi was near the front, third in line since his made-up surname began with "ka", while he noticed Kakashi was significantly further back. "Aozawa Hikari" was called up first.
The test was significantly more than what his graduating class had been tested on. They had to perform all three of the academy jutsu, which required next to no chakra control for anyone without jinchuriki-sized reserves, and then they had to walk up the walls, then back down, and hit a target with a kunai. It was a lot more than just a clone.
"Arashi Kazama," he stepped forward and performed a simple replacement with the log provided, then a Shadow Clone – not that it was visibly different from normal, so the chuunin didn't notice he did anything different in the first place – before one of his special henge to look like a teenaged girl (clothed, for once, considering he seemed to be a kid). The other two tests were just as easy and the chuunin reluctantly told him to pick up a headband on the way out.
He quite noticeably avoided Arashi's eyes. Not that the teen-turned-chibi was going to blame him; they were some damn creepy eyes to see on anyone, let alone a little kid.
Arashi was annoyed by his headband though. They weren't made for children because they had to fit the adult shinobi. The headbands were not reissued later in life, so Arashi now had a headband that was far too wide for his head. He didn't even try bending it and just tied it around his neck until he could think of something else to do with it.
About two-thirds of the class entered the room with a forehead protector, including Kakashi. He didn't seem too pleased that "late-boy" had passed as well, but ended up ignoring Arashi all together. That suited the blond just fine as he wasn't sure how any actual conversation with his sensei might go.
Well, at least he wouldn't have to sit through history lessons, though Arashi could still do with the taijutsu so that he could get used to his body. Already he had almost screwed up on walking up the wall because he had forgotten he had to get closer than he usually did due to the shorter legs.
After a week of milling around town, trying to get more used to his new size (he had gotten beyond the point of trying to strike too high when sparring against a clone, at least), and spending time with Kasumi and Anko, the graduates were called back to the Academy – on a Saturday no less! – for team assignments. Arashi took the same seat as he had for exams, much as he hated it (front and center sucked, but all the older kids were there before him), and was unsurprised that Kakashi was there before him.
He was no longer surprised at the boy's glare either; he was so used to being glared at that it failed to faze him.
The chuunin instructor from before explained much the same things as Iruka had, so Arashi only half paid attention and waited for the team assignments. However, when all the teams were decided, Arashi couldn't help but be confused. He had graduated – the headband slung about his neck was proof of that – but neither he nor Kakashi had been assigned to a team.
Then, he quickly realized, they were going to be a team and he couldn't decide whether he should be excited – it was Kakashi after all! – or annoyed – because Kakashi seemed to be a rule maniac as a kid. The older kids seemed to have noticed as well.
"Arashi, Kakashi, you have both been selected as apprentices," the teacher addressed them both. "Your sensei will arrive when the rest of the teams have vacated. For now, everyone, you have an hour and a half for lunch before your sensei will being arriving. Make sure you're back in time."
Arashi left the room out the window, just as he had arrived, and met Kasumi and Anko outside. Kasumi was standing on the chain-link fence and helping Anko to balance up there as well. She was doing quite well for only being seven; Naruto wasn't quite used to his body enough to stand on it without using chakra.
"So, did they say who you're going to apprentice under, 'Rashi?" Kasumi asked. Arashi was highly tempted to blow a gasket – she knew he wasn't going to be on a regular genin team – but instead shook his head.
"No; none of the sensei are going to arrive until lunch is over," he jumped on the fence beside Anko and attached using chakra. In the past week, he had learned why his eyes turned yellow sometimes. Well, not why, but he did know what caused it; molding chakra. He was a bit worried about it being Kyuubi manifesting in him, but he couldn't really say anything about it. Whatever it was, it was caused by the humming air that he felt when he molded chakra.
Yet another thing about his midget form that Arashi hated.
"Oh, well you'll love him," Kasumi chuckled before leaping off the fence's other side and taking Anko down with her. "He's an absolute doll! Actually, not that I think of it, he looks like you 'Rashi, except for your scars and your eyes of course. Maybe he's your cousin or something." She giggled, though when asked she refused to divulge the name of this mystery sensei.
Arashi enjoyed a pleasant home-cooked meal courtesy of Kasumi before being sent back to the Academy. Once again, he was almost late. As with the past few times, he could blame that on Anko and her incessant need for dango; he also blamed the girl's father who made Arashi go with them to get dango instead of letting him get to school.
Not that Arashi much cared about being on time; he wasn't due to be born for a while yet, though he wasn't sure how long. Still, he had just sat back in his seat when the teacher entered the room with a group of jounin, including a man who Arashi vaguely recognized as being an Aburame; perhaps Shino's father?
As each sensei took charge of their trio of students, the room slowly emptied until finally the only non-student remaining was only a yellow-haired teenager talking to the chuunin sensei in the corner. Arashi noticed that the teen had perhaps spikier hair than he did, which was certainly saying something. Still, that conversation came to an end and the teenager, who was maybe a year older than Naruto had been, walked over to Arashi and Kakashi.
"You're Kakashi Hatake and Arashi Kazama, right?" He looked at them each in turn with startlingly blue eyes that quite obviously avoided Arashi's. Not an uncommon reaction for the past week. He looked familiar, almost like... but no. There was no way that this kid was the Fourth. True, Arashi had only seen him in Kakashi's team photo (Kakashi had been at least ten in that), and on the monument, but somehow he couldn't imagine the man with a pink t-shirt declaring him "King of Kittens".
It had to be another spiky-haired blond. It just had to be.
Of course, the Fourth had always been his idol, ever since he was learning about the great deeds of all the Hokage he had wanted to be like the Fourth. Finding out that his jounin sensei was the Fourth's student had been exciting, and Jiraiya had actually taught the man, which was even better. It had Naruto feel close to the being who sealed the Kyuubi in him.
Now though...
"Did our sensei send you?" Kakashi asked attentively, coal-black eyes taking in the pink shirt with more disdain than any child ought to hold. Even Arashi, who just had his dreams shattered and was fully old enough to be disdainful of anything thought it was a bit overboard.
"You're both to meet on the roof," he didn't respond to Kakashi's question, however, and merely shunshined out. Arashi really needed to learn how to do that at some point; even Sasuke could do it back in their first chuunin exam.
Still, that reply was all Arashi needed and he walked to the window, planted his feet on the wall, and walked up to the roof. It really didn't matter; he wasn't doing it to show off or anything. This way was just a lot faster than going to the stairs and climbing them for two floors (also, he kept trying to take steps two at a time and forgetting how short his legs were).
"A bit of a waste of your energy, isn't it Arashi-kun?" The Fourth grinned at Arashi as he calmly walked on the bars and vaulted properly over the fence. It took a moment to reevaluate his relationship with gravity. "There are stairs coming up, you know."
"I have a lot of chakra, and this way was faster," he shrugged. The Fourth– teenager that he was – didn't seem surprised at the comment about having a lot of chakra and merely nodded. Well, why should he be surprised? First off, he was the Fourth Hokage. Or he would be. And second, the Hokage would have told the man chosen as his instructor about everything he knew.
That, of course, led to Arashi realizing why the Fourth had been selected as his teacher; after all, he was lauded as the greatest genius ever within the Leaf! And the first thing Arashi had done upon entering the Leaf was to show off by producing an A-ranked jutsu that no one tossed about as casually as he always did. And Kakashi was a genius too, wasn't he?
Or maybe the old man just doesn't trust some little kid wandering into town with shinobi training to be looked after by anyone but the best, he thought. That made more sense.
"Okay you two," Arashi almost jumped when he realized that the Fourth had directed him to sit on the steps and that Kakashi had arrived. The pink-clad teen himself was leaning nonchalantly against the railing just where Arashi had climbed up. "We're going to do some introductions; get to know each other, right? So things like your likes and dislikes, dreams for the future, whatever strikes your fancy."
Arashi waited, and realized that he was expected to go first. "Um... sensei, why don't you go first? Show us how it's done?" Not that he had anything against going first, but... well, he just didn't want to.
"Hn? Oh! Right," the embarrassed gesture of squinting his eyes and ruffling the back of his hair was highly familiar to Arashi. Scarily so, really. "My name is Minato Namikaze, and I'm seventeen. I was promoted to jounin about a year ago, so you guys are my first genin team... except we're not quite the same as a team, but I'll explain that later. I like animals a lot, particularly foxes and toads, and making up new jutsu. I dislike that my old genin team leader is always trying to involve me on his perverted escapades," Arashi was glad to hear he wasn't the only one, "and I really dislike this one kunoichi... eh, but you don't need to hear about that. My hobbies are making up new jutsu, helping out around the Academy, and playing cards in the red-light district. And my dream for the future is to wear the Hokage hat! Doesn't matter if it's legitimately or not; I just think it looks cool. You next, Blondie."
The grin was oddly familiar as well, yet Arashi did not allow himself to dwell on what that might mean. It was also really stupid to call Arashi "Blondie" when not only did the Fourth – Minato – know Arashi's name, but he was just as blond if not more so.
"I'm Arashi Kazama, five years old," he almost said fifteen. He'd not actually had to tell anyone his age so far, unlike his name. "I've had a lot of training up until I came to the Leaf, and I know some cool jutsu, but I'm not so great with taijutsu yet, or genjutsu. I also have really high stamina. I like ramen, and Kasumi, and training. I like making up new jutsu too, but I've only made up a few... I dislike stuck-up bastards," he half expected to be chided for his language, but forged on, "and the three minutes you have to wait for instant ramen to cook. I hate my eyes. My hobbies are training, pranks, making up jutsu, and I've been learning how to cook something more complex than field rations lately. And my dream..."
Did he have a dream anymore? He couldn't be Hokage if he barely even existed, could he? Especially considering the man before him was going to be the next Hokage (even if, for now, he only wanted that stupid hat). It just wasn't to be.
"My dream is to make a better future," he finally said after half a moment's pause. There, that was ambiguous, and if he could pull it off, maybe accurate too.
"Considering you're a genin at five, 'Rashi, that's pretty impressive of you to have made any orignal techniques," Minato grinned, unconsciously using the nickname that Arashi had been getting used to from Kasumi and Anko for the past week. "I'll train you in taijutsu, no problem. As for your eyes..." it was especially noticeable that he wasn't looking Arashi in the eyes just then. "Well, they're certainly unique. They're a better way to distinguish yourself than if you wore all orange or something."
Now that rubbed Arashi wrong. He liked orange!
"Says the man wearing a hot pink t-shirt," Arashi deadpanned in retort. The blush on Minato's face made the teen-child grin. Score one for team chibi!
"It's not my fault; I lost a bet," Minato grumbled. "Just for that, when this is over you're going to run three laps around the village." Arashi wasn't fazed; he could run for a long time, just like any shinobi. "On the walls." Again, Arashi was unfazed. He had a lot of chakra to burn; if anything that would be faster that normal. "While wearing an orange jumpsuit."
Arashi just grinned at his sensei, exposing slightly longer than average canines. He would have orange in his wardrobe again!
It seemed, however, that Kakashi had had enough. "I am Kakashi Hatake of the Hatake clan; I am five years old," his tone was highly militaristic for his age, especially compared to the bickering blonds. "My likes are not important; I dislike those who disobey the rules. My hobby is training. My dream for the future is to rid the Hatake clan of its shame and to die in the service of my village."
It was a highly morbid and minimalist life for a five-year-old child, that much was for certain.
It seemed that Minato shared that view, though he said nothing about it.
"Right, 'Rashi, 'Kashi," oh no, they were a pair now! "Here's how this is going to work; our 'team' is, obviously, going to be a bit unconventional. For the most part, we will be training rather than taking missions. In fact, we won't take any missions but one D-rank per day until I think you're both ready, and you aren't allowed to complain. I'll focus on making your weak-points stronger while honing your stronger bits into impenetrable defenses and insane offenses. You were both allowed to advance because it was obvious you are above Academy level. 'Kashi, your basic skills are highly refined, and your knowledge of the rules rivals those of your tutors. 'Rashi, the jutsu you demonstrated a week ago is an A-rank kinjutsu, obviously above the regular skill level," now that got Kakashi's attention. "But neither of you are ready for the field.
"If I gave you the test my sensei gave me when I graduated, at this moment you would both fail, simply because you have trained for when you will have bigger bodies," it was true, but how should he know that? "There are no methods for child soldiers because child soldiers grow up; it's considered pointless to train them in something they'll grow out of before they hit the field. However, at the rate you two have progressed, you'll be taking on C-rank missions before the year is out." Considering it was the middle of March, that seemed a fair estimate for any rookie. "Meaning you will both be in combat situations for years before you will be large enough to use the methods taught to you. Lord Hokage assigned me to fix that."
Seeing the serious face on the Hokage-to-be, Arashi could believe Minato was just that, pink t-shirt or no pink t-shirt. The look was similar to the one that would grace the Hokage Monument one day. How far away, he couldn't be certain, but it couldn't be too long.
"Meet me tomorrow at sun-up in training area number 27," Minato stated finally. "Have a good breakfast and pack a bento; you're going to need the energy." He paused and grinned. "Oh, and 'Rashi? Stay behind a moment, would you?" Kakashi caught the hint and left like a good little child soldier. "The old man says you're to come live with me starting tonight, okay kid? No one your age should be living alone, nice as Mrs. Mitasrashi must be considering she's been taking care of you. Also, I'm to take you shopping today so you have more than just that one set of clothes. And it seems an orange jumpsuit is on the shopping list so you can undergo your punishment for back-sassing me."
Arashi went from being stunned to overjoyed to a bit smug all in the space of twenty seconds.
"Mom, why is there an orange blob on that wall?" Anko tugged on her mother's sleeve and pointed at the large wall surrounding the Leaf proper. And, indeed, there was an orange something on the wall, moving quickly enough that it was almost a blur.
Kasumi followed her daughter's gaze and blinked. "I think that's 'Rashi," she stated after a moment of observation. "Poor kid; he must have made fun of Minato's shirt. Why else would he be wearing bright orange in public?" It completely skipped her mind that the impromptu pants that boy had been wearing when they met were orange.
Up on the wall, Arashi was running without too much of a care, evening whistling as he finished his third and final lap over where Minato's apartment – the one that he, too, would be living in for the next few years (or until he finally made chuunin) – and landed softly on the roof of the nice complex where his equally brightly-clad sensei awaited him with surprise.
"You weren't kidding about having high stamina, were you?" Minato whistled, obviously impressed. "You aren't even winded! Right, let's get down to the apartment. I picked up some salt ramen since you said you liked it, but after tonight you're eating healthy food, got it? You'll never be tall like me if all you eat are noodles after all." Even though Minato was barely above average height, he still towered over the bite-sized jinchuriki. Just to prove that this made him superior, he picked up the protesting time-traveler, slung the child over his shoulder, and hopped onto the small outside porch.
Arashi wondered, in the back of his mind, if this was what it was like to have a big brother.