Chapter 2: Endure
That smell. Iruka knew it well. A combination of medicine, blood and antiseptic. He was in the hospital, and while his mind was still groggy, he had a good idea of why he was there. Mizuki had attacked him while he was incapacitated. Before losing consciousness, he was certain he was going to die. Was Mizuki's aim really that poor? He wasn't a moving target, and he was at such close range, too. Even an academy student could've killed him with ease.
'Did he take pity on me? After all that he said, did he actually spare me?'
He slowly cracked his eyes open and took in his surroundings. He noticed the worn face of the third Hokage staring down at him. "L-lord Hokage! What happened to Naruto and Mizuki? And what of the *cough* scroll?"
Hiruzen sighed and placed hand on the young man's chest. "I didn't witness everything as there was a disturbance with my crystal ball. From what I had observed, Mizuki struck you with that shuriken, rendering you unconscious. Naruto had been hiding and attempted to protect you, but was too late."
The wizened man brought his free hand to his pipe and inhaled. "After that it gets hazy. I left immediately to make sure you two were safe, but by the time I had arrived I was too late. It seems that in his rage over your supposed death, Naruto killed Mizuki."
Iruka's eyes widened. Naruto killed Mizuki? He had a hard time believing the boy would be capable of killing anyone. It just wasn't in his nature. Unless…
Noticing the look of horror on Iruka's face, Hiruzen confirmed his fears. "It would seem he channeled some of the fox's power after witnessing your death. However, he must have come to his senses. When I arrived, I couldn't sense any of the fox's chakra."
The chūnin sighed in relief. "I'm a little confused, Lord Hokage. The way you're talking, it's almost like you're not sure what happened to Naruto." Hiruzen flinched, then spoke up. "After he killed Mizuki, he ran off."
"WHAT?!"
Iruka struggled to get up, then felt a sharp pain in his stomach. He fell on his back, coughing furiously. "You've sent people to search for him, right? He's young and inexperienced, he can't have gone far!"
"It's not that simple, Iruka. Naruto's cleverer than we give him credit for. Using Shadow Clones, he effectively covered his tracks. His scent and footprints are all over the forest. Even a team of expert trackers will struggle to find him."
"Shadow Clones? So that was the technique he learned from the scroll…" An array of emotions flashed across Iruka's visage. Fear, anger and… pride? Despite everything that happened, he was proud of his student learning such an impressive technique. The dead last who had trouble making one intangible clone somehow learned to use Shadow Clones? With this knowledge, he knew Naruto deserved to be a genin. But that probably wasn't possible anymore.
"Please, Lord Hokage, I beseech you! You *cough* must try to find him! He's all alone, who knows what dangers he'll face! He's strong, *cough* but I just don't think he can handle himself out there."
Hiruzen shut his eyes and frowned. "I have not given up, Iruka. I've sent a four-man team, all of whom are scanning the forests of the Land of Fire as we speak. I just don't want you to get your hopes up." The elderly Hokage sighed. "I had to wait until this afternoon before I could assemble a team and debrief them on their mission, and with Naruto's Shadow Clones… finding him won't be an easy task."
"I just hope he's okay…"
The Hokage smiled somberly. "Your concern is admirable, Iruka, but Naruto is nothing if not a survivor. With his determination and craftiness, I'm sure he'll manage."
"I sincerely hope so."
"So, this is Taeru, huh?"
Naruto shut the door behind him, and took a few moments to observe the village. It was fairly quiet, unlike the Leaf. Most of the villagers had retreated to their homes. The faint glow of street lanterns illuminated the dirt streets. With a shrug of his shoulders, Naruto set forth on his excursion.
Most of the buildings in Taeru were quite old, and somewhat worse for wear. While not a shinobi village, the town had been ravaged by the last few wars. The last war having ended 13 years ago gave the village time aplenty to rebuild, but it was clear Taeru had not fully recovered.
Besides making little observations of the village, Naruto was deep in thought. His mind replaying the events of the previous night. 'What happens from here? My whole life's been uprooted, and I just don't know what I'm gonna do.' The young boy huffed and kicked up some dirt.
'Naoko is nice, but I can't stay with her forever. I'll help her out as well as I can, but I'm sure she'll get sick of me eventually.' Having noticed a bench, Naruto sat down with his chin in his hands. 'Do I continue training? It's not like I'm a ninja. Is there even a point?'
'That's it, huh? You're just gonna give up?' A nagging part of his conscious jeered. 'What would Iruka and the old man say? Especially Iruka. He died protecting you and this is how you repay him? By running away and quitting like a coward?'
'What can I even do? Where will training get me? I can't be a ninja, I can't be Hokage… I don't even have any friends to protect.'
'What about Naoko?'
'What? I just met her! She's survived long enough on her own, she doesn't need me protecting her!'
'How do you know that? And who's to say you won't meet someone else in the future worth protecting? Do you want to let them down like you did Iruka?'
Naruto slammed his fists against his knees. "NO!" A few birds scattered away at the sudden noise. Naruto looked around in embarrassment, hoping he hadn't caused too much of a disturbance.
'You're right. I can't let something like that happen again. I don't know what the future holds, but I must be strong! I can't give up!' With a look of determination on his face, Naruto sprung up. His vigor renewed, he ran towards the outskirts of the village, determined to improve himself.
Naruto let out a loud yawn as he stretched his arms. He was slumped against a tree, his orange jacket covering him like a blanket. He had trained himself harder than ever before. Starting off, Naruto spent the first two hours performing several basic strength exercises. Not being satisfied, he ran several laps around Taeru, then finally finished things off with a long spar with several clones.
Any normal person would've overexerted their self to dangerous levels, but with Naruto's stamina, he was able to push his body to inhuman limits. After only a few hours rest, his body was completely replenished. Naruto rubbed his eyes as he brought himself to his feet. He wasn't sure what time it was, but he figured it was still a little while before 8:30.
After tying his jacket sleeves around his waist, he rushed off in the direction of Naoko's shop. While running through the village, Naruto experienced something completely alien. People noticed him, they were polite to him. They waved, they smiled, they exchanged pleasantries. It took all of Naruto's willpower not to break out crying.
'I think I'm gonna like this place!'
A few minutes later, he came to a crossroads. Turning right, he returned to the house where Naoko had so kindly let him stay. The shop was still closed, but the lights were on. Naruto went around to the back of the house and knocked on the back door.
"Coming! Just give me a second."
Naruto smiled when he heard her voice. Naoko approached the door a few seconds later, unlocking it then opening it half-way. After she realized who it was, she grew concerned. "You weren't out all night, were you? I thought you'd just take half an hour or so to look around!"
Naruto chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "Well, that was the plan at first, but I had a revolution, err… resolution. No that's not the right word…"
"Revelation?"
"Yeah, that's it! I had a revelation! I have to train harder, I need to get stronger. I can't keep relying on others. What kind of man would I be if I couldn't protect those precious to me?"
Naoko sighed and shook her head playfully. "Okay, okay. I get it. Now come on in already." Naruto removed his sandals and entered the house. "I was just preparing breakfast. You'll have to sit tight for a bit before I'm finished." With that, Naruto's stomach growled ferociously. Laughing slightly, he plopped down on a pillow in front of a moderately sized chabudai.
"Whatcha makin'?" Naruto asked from across the room.
"Nothing special. Just chicken, rice and some veggies."
Naruto would have preferred ramen, but what Naoko was preparing seemed perfectly fine. He certainly couldn't complain. If it weren't for her he'd be starving. Naoko walked by and placed a glass of water on the table in front of Naruto. "Here, drink up." The boy smiled and accepted the drink graciously.
"You sure are nice, Naoko! Where's your husband, anyway? You are married, right? Why else would you be wearing that ring?"
The woman froze. While initially confused over her reaction, after a few moments Naruto realized his blunder. "I-I'm sorry! Sometimes I say really stupid things! That was inappropriate, wasn't it?" Naoko relaxed slightly and wiped a tear from her eye.
"It was a bit untactful, but I can't blame you for being curious." She poured the food into two bowls and joined Naruto. After placing both bowls on the table, she sat down and gently caressed her ring. "My husband disappeared without a trace 4 years ago. He's presumed dead, but I just won't believe that. I can't believe that!" Naruto's stomach growled again, and he gulped nervously. He was hungry, but he wasn't going to ruin the moment.
"I can feel it in my heart. I know he's out there, and I can't just give up on him because everyone else has! Can you understand, Naruto?" She looked at him pleadingly. He took a few moments to contemplate her question before he replied. "I-I don't really know. But I know that sometimes you gotta go with your gut, and if your gut says he's alive, then don't give up!" Naruto gave her a wide smile and a thumbs-up.
She wiped away some more tears and matched the boy's smile. She couldn't help it, that damn smile was contagious. After inwardly chiding herself for being so emotional, she clapped her hands together. "Now eat up! You can't get stronger on an empty stomach!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"And you're going to bathe when you're done eating. You stink!"
"Alright, Naruto. We'll be opening up shop in half an hour. First things first, I need you to sweep up. When you're finished with that, I have these," Naoko motioned to some boxes, "boxes that need to be unloaded. They're filled with merchandise, just check the price tags on the shelves and you'll know where everything belongs. Any questions?"
Naruto shook his head. "Great! Now hop to it!" Naruto toyed with the idea of using shadow clones to help out, but quickly reconsidered. Not wanting Naoko to know about his past just yet, he felt it best to keep his techniques to himself.
The shop wasn't particularly large. There were various shelves lined with all sorts of knick-knacks. Magazines covering all sorts of subjects from shinobi life, teen gossip, and hobbies such as hunting and fishing. One section was filled with little souvenirs and mementos, some of which Naruto presumed Naoko had made herself. What caught Naruto's attention above all else was the food section. The store didn't offer much, but it had what counted. Instant ramen.
"It may not be Ichiraku's, but I'll take what I can get."
"I hope you're not thinking of snatching those ramen packets. You've got to pay for them just like everyone else," Naoko said from across the check-out counter. The front of the counter was lined with shelves filled with all kinds of sweets.
"No ma'am! I guess I was just craving ramen is all. It is my favorite."
"Is that so? Maybe if you do a good job here, I'll take you to a local ramen stand I know."
Naruto pumped his fist in excitement. He opened his mouth to shout "YES!", but found himself unable to verbalize his excitement. 'That's what Iruka said when I was cleaning the Hokage monument…' Naruto's emotional 180 did not go unnoticed.
"I'm so sorry! Did I say something offensive?" She asked cautiously. The boy shook his head. "No, I'd love to eat ramen with you. It's just… what you said reminded me of someone back home." Naruto had made it clear the prior night that he wasn't comfortable talking about his past, so Naoko quickly muttered an apology and dropped the subject.
Hours later, in the late afternoon, business had winded down. Naoko approached Naruto and ruffled his hair. "You did good, Naruto. I know you said you were doing this to pay me back, but I'm still going to pay you. You've earned it." 'That and you don't even have any possessions or money. You need this more than I do, kid.'
"What? I don't need any money!"
"Take it, Naruto. You being in good health is payback enough for me. You need money to buy more clothes, food, and equipment." She walked away and went upstairs only to return a few minutes later holding some cash. "Please don't be stubborn."
Naruto groaned. "Oh, alright. I'll take the stupid money." He reached his hand out and took the cash. The boy took some time to count it. "It's a little more than minimum wage. You're only a kid, and you're staying here with me. Seems pretty fair, don't you think?"
"More than fair. I still don't know why you've been so nice to me."
"That's just the way I and most other people in this village are, Naruto. We look out for one another, we care about each other. We're a very tight-knit community." Naoko shot him a smile and continued. "There's no way I or anyone else here could find a child passed out and just leave him to his own devices. I may not know you very well, but I don't want you to get hurt."
"I really lucked out passing out here, huh? Taeru isn't as big or exciting as my old village, but it's a lot nicer. I've only been here for two days, and it's already starting to feel like home." Naruto sighed wistfully. "So, are we still on for ramen?"
"You bet. I'm not ready to close shop just yet, so you can go and wander around for a bit. Just be back before 7." The blonde gave a salute and ran out of the shop.
'I'm done being weak. I may have failed Iruka, but I won't let anything happen to you, Naoko.'
