Disclaimer: This story is a fanfic. Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, and Boruto are all owned by Masashi Kishimoto
*Cover Photo by PotakuCat on DeviantArt
*Not much I have to say about this chapter; it's a bit sad, it's a bit dark and it is a bit comical. Tell me what you think so far and I will make sure to update this story in a timely fashion.
(Also! My Grammar and spelling are horrid, please enjoy my story otherwise.)
Passion Was Their Creation:
Chapter Two
A flash of thunder ignited the dark sky in electric white for a short instant. The pouring rain trampled the roof above, giving Naruto an accurate idea of how bad it was outside. The small boy looked out the window beside his bed, his sapphire eyes watching as the heavens tore and allowed water to consume the Earth. There was no sunlight, only the darkness of the clouds which seemed to encase the village in a suffocating shadow.
Maybe others didn't think so, but he did.
It was not often that it rained in Konoha, but when it did it was usually extremely heavy. A loud crack of thunder sounded off like a rocket, Naruto did not bat an eye at the grumbling of the sky. He kept his head glued to the side of his pillow and a neat blanket wrapped around his head, his blue eyes stared blankly out the window of his room. The scenery from outside seeming to affect the boy rather negatively. It was days like this that reminded the boy exactly how lonely he actually was. It reminded him of how abnormal his life was, how abnormal he was. He was an orphan and in the simplest terms, Naruto had no one. He was alone for the majority of the time, but during rain storms when the visible Earth was covered in gray Naruto was reminded of this all too well. He had no family, and he barely had friends; he might go as far as to say that he had no friends. He was a loner, a nobody not wanted and not loved and days like this reminded him of this.
The clock at the side of his bed ticked, this being the only source of sound with the exception of the rain and the random intervals of thunder. So there he was, alone in his dark room almost in a suspended state of animation.
He breathed, he stared and he thought.
There was no school.
There were no plans for the boy.
There was nothing outside but rain and darkness. And he was alone, no company and this was how it always was. The difference, however, was that the rain made it ever more difficult to cope.
Another flash of lightning lit up the sky.
Times like this, when he was by himself and left to endure a rainy day alone, made him long for them the day that he becomes Hokage and with that the acknowledgment that he so longed for. That will be the day, and he would get there without a doubt. It just took time and with the help of Kasumi-san, he was sure that he could reach such a goal in no time. She was powerful, he could tell. She was nice, her actions proved so. She was beautiful in both spirit and body and he found himself being embarrassed at the thought.
The sky roared again and broke him from his thoughts. Most people in this situation would just simply turn on the television. However, he didn't touch the remote or anything, the boy simply allowed himself to endure the gray day in his room beneath his blankets, without the comfort of a soul.
Rain.
Thunder.
Lightning.
Grey.
It all reminded her of the day that she lost her beloved father. 'Til this day she still has yet to forgive him for leaving her. Suicide, that's right! Her Father had chosen to take his own life due to crippling depression. Her Father had chosen the lives of his team over the mission and due to this he was shunned and forced into a corner.
It was a day like this when the heavens wept uncontrollably that she discovered his body laid out on the floor motionless and cold. What's a child to do at the sight of her own father's body? She was young, much too young, yet a shinobi. She had seen death, she had even killed by the time most people were entering the academy. But, there was just an extreme shock factor that came with seeing the dead body of her own Father. The image was clear in her sat at the kitchen table, book in hand and her small television set on in the background.
Throughout her life, she had lost all of her most precious people. Every last single one had lost their lives to the ruthless lifestyle of a shinobi. At one time Kasumi seemed to have been consumed by a perpetual state of twilight. Her depression over the loss of all of her teammates engulfing her like dark flames. Her depression has subsided significantly, but at times her anguish seemed to come back on rainy days such like this.
Obito, Rin, Minato-sensei, her Father. She missed them dearly and their absence left a huge crater in her heart.
Naruto was the spitting image of Minato, his facial features and blond hair making the two look freakishly familiar. It was odd and absolutely stupid how only a few people knew of Naruto's heritage, it baffled Kasumi at how stupid people were. Maybe if the village was aware that Naruto was the son of their hero, they would treat him better.
With that said, Naruto was something she considered precious. He was the legacy of the Fourth Hokage and a living remembrance of her late sensei and Kushina, it was Kasumi's obligation to take care of the boy in any way she could. A sigh fell from her mask covered lips, her eyes turning towards her window. The clouds outside were filled to the brim, their dark shadows looming over the entire village. She found her hands reaching for the small portrait of her former team.
Rin's elegant smile, her innocence always seemed to add light to even the darkest of days. Minato's kind grin, he always had advice and great lessons about teamwork. When Minato was around, she felt as if his team could do anything. Obito, an awkward looking expression as he glared at her with envy in his eyes. That's right, this was before they started to get along, but even then they were still friends. She stared at herself, the small mask wrapped around her young angled mouth, nose and jaw, her eyes blank as she stared at the camera. There was a smile on her face that day, she had been the youngest of the group, maybe four years younger than her two teammates. She looked heavily at the portrait as thunder clapped in the background, the sky above becoming blue for a single instant before returning to it gloomy gray.
Her small masked face took in her surroundings. It was a warm and cozy home, it's interior modeled with care, the entire house clean and a sense of comfort emanating in the atmosphere. Kasumi the youngest of her Genin team stepped forward, as she removed the sandals from her feet. Her two eyes staring as, the red-haired woman gestured for her to keep moving, a welcoming smile plastered on her face. Her eyes went towards the small table, that had been empty at the moment, with the exception of her Sensei Minato who sat in a basic looking chair. The Jounin seemed to be completely enchanted in that book of his, eyeing it heavily and smiling every so often. Minato-sensei read many books from his own Sensei, some of which Kasumi knew he wasn't entirely proud of. The young Genin, on the other hand, wasn't too sure what all the hype was about with Jiraiya's writing. After all, how could a ninja even be a decent writer with all the training they had to do.
"You can take a seat Kasumi-chan, you're early so none of the food is quite ready yet." Kushina offered with a smile. The young girl nodded and sat without a word. Minato rose from his book, a gleeful grin consuming his face. The red haired woman then disappeared further into the house.
"Early, as usual, I see." He closed the book in one movement before placing the item in his lap.
"Punctuality is an important asset for a shinobi." She replied dutifully.
The blond haired Jounin nodded. "I agree one hundred and ten percent." He sat back in his chair letting out a neat breath, he then smiled again. "If only Obito shared the same sentiments."
Kasumi rose a finger. "He's a fool."
A small heart filled chuckle escaped Minato. "Completely."
At least her Sensei agreed.
"We'll work on it though, as a team."
She rose an eyebrow. "Not much to work on, he's a dope."
"Oh! That's simply because you have yet to see his potential."
"I suppose." She surrendered, albeit not something she agreed with, she chose to appease her Sensei. Obito didn't seem to have much working for him, he actually seemed to be below average if you asked Kasumi and she was four years his junior.
"See you still doubt him."
"He isn't really fit to be a shinobi." She stated bluntly.
Minato frowned, but then placed on his typical bright smile. "I beg to differ Kasumi, Obito will be a great shinobi, when I look at him I see a lot of from Kushina's traits"
"Except the skill to match that."
"That is simply a work in progress, not everyone can be a prodigy like you Kasumi, but if given the chance the underdogs can make quite the upset."
She tilted her head. "I can't see a Sharinganless Uchiha, with no talent ever surpassing or being equal with me."
Minato looked away his eyes seeming to drift somewhere Kasumi could quite reach. She soon found it impossible to decipher his thoughts.
"He'll just have to prove you wrong won't he?"
She shrugged, as a knock on the front door brought them from their conversation. Footsteps sounded through the kitchen and towards the front door as Kushina put it upon herself to answer the door.
CLICK. The door was unlocked.
"Good evening Kushina-san." Came a sweet voice.
"Rin-chan, my, my, both you and Kasumi-chan are definitely punctual!"
Kasumi could hear her teammate's giggles. "Kasumi's here already?"
"Of course, why do you sound surprised, hun?"
Two figures stepped into the dining room, both with equally happy smiles, but one with red hair and deep blue eyes and the other with sweet brown hair and equally brown eyes. She inclined her head with her sensei and Kasumi keeping her smile as she did so.
"Rin-chan!" Minato greeted.
"Minato-Sensei, Kasumi." She responded. Kasumi nodded to Rin and watched as the girl stood innocently with her hands cross at her waist.
"Please have a seat," Kushina instructed before walking away back to the kitchen.
"Glad you can make it, it's always nice to just take a break and relax. No training, no missions just teammates relaxing together." Minato informed the both of them. He was extremely happy, she could see the excitement in his eyes, but also the weariness that came with the life of a ninja. By no means did that mean the light in his eyes had been gone, no far from that. However, it did seem as if he needed some sort of break.
"Yes, but it's imperative that we get back to work immediately, right Sensei."
Minato nodded. "Aren't you eager? But, most definitely!" He slammed a fist into his palm. "We actually have a mission in a week, so don't rush too much."
"A mission sensei?" Rin inquired.
"Yes, unfortunately, we're being deployed, although we're here resting, war stops for no one."
Kasumi nodded in agreement the dining table becoming silent as each and every one of them agreed with their sensei's sentiments. War was true hell, but a shinobi thrived in such an environment.
The sky was cloudy but the rain had ceased the day previously. The sun made an appearance every so often, passing it's light upon the occupants of Konoha. The day was still dark and gloomy, but at least the rain and thunder had stopped. He had gone to the academy like he had been instructed, not that he liked it or was fond of it. At the very least, he was just content that they had been practicing with their Kunai.
A gentle breeze chilled Naruto.
The water splashed slightly and the blond haired child found himself staring in complete gray-haired Anbu operative stood with complete the stillness and concentration of a statue. But it wasn't her concentration, stillness or even her beauty that had the boy nothing but awestruck. It was where she was standing or rather what she was standing on that had the boy taken aback.
"You're standing on water." He stated obviously, standing to the side of the lack as Kasumi showed off her skills as an elite ninja.
"I'm standing on water." She repeated and then held up a finger. "And you will too. What did you think it stopped at trees and solid objects?"
His eyes widened. "Whoa, whoa! That's so damn–"
"Language."
"Darn… cool. And I get to try it?"
"That's correct! Darn cool! This goes along with that chakra control training that'll do you well in the future." She stepped towards the shore of the lake, the wind blowing strings of her hair backward as she moved effortlessly across the water. "It's the same concept. You want to focus your chakra into the bottom of your feet. This is considerably more challenging, but once you get it it'll be like a walk in the park. This will probably be a bit difficult due to your large chakra reserves." She stopped, poking her mask faced chin before continuing. "Or easier, I forget."
"YOU don't even know!" He pointed in accusation.
"Not really." She admitted.
"Oh, c'mon!"
"Good luck."
"Huh?" He watched her with a raised forehead.
"Go on, you know the steps try it." She looked at him with that oh so lazy gaze in her eyes, her hands falling into her pouch and withdrawing that same book. She stood there at the edge of the shore, still on top of the water her eyes glued to an open page.
"Right now?"
"Of course! There's no time to be wasted."
He swallowed softly, his eyes staring at the small lake and sky blue coloring. He looked at Kasumi for reassurance and she merely shook her head at his gaze, never removing her eyes from that book. What was that thing about anyway? Anyways Naruto cautiously moved to the lake, his small feet digging into the wet dirt beneath them. He took in a deep breath and allowed his chakra to flow through him. He felt his chakra flow like river streams, the feeling exciting the boy and making him feel powerful. He then pushed the flow of chakra to his feet, allowing them to become balanced or rather as balanced as the eight-year-old could manage. He breathed softly again and took one small step into the small lake. The chakra in his feet allowed his feet to sit on top of the water as if it were solid concrete.
"Go on." Kasumi reassured.
He nodded in compliance and finally allowing his other foot to land on the water. He stood there, his body still, his feet together and yet again defying the laws of physics. He had done it! He smiled, his eyes going to Kasumi, own lazy charcoal one's looked at him approvingly.
"See I can do it–" Then the balance of chakra released and Naruto fell into the water.
He reemerged in seconds.
"Not quite." Her voice said condescendingly, though jester could be heard in his voice.
He treaded water for a short moment of time, before swimming back to shore, pulling himself from the water, the boy's clothing drenched.
"You won't get this by rushing. You need to take this slow and you need to be a bit more precise with that chakra."
She closed her book.
"I got it, I got!" He stated standing to his feet and taking a deep breath.
"Do you really?"
"Don't doubt me Kasumi...erh.."
"Sensei, you can call me Sensei."
"Kasumi-sensei!" He stated, liking the way it all came off his tongue.
"Just keep trying."
With no other words needed to be exchanged, he performed all the necessary requirements needed to perform the ability. He then stepped upon the bare tips of the water, again attempting to do what his new sensei had instructed of him. Naruto held the chakra at the bottom of his feet, allowing it to circulate at a decent equilibrium, enough to allow him to stand. The blond held it for a moment, his mind and body in complete and utter concentration. He held himself still, his feet filling with excitement as his chakra continued to flow in balance. He was doing well so far, but he felt as if he'd lose control at any moment.
"You seem to be struggling, Naruto."
"I'm fine!" He lied through his teeth, as he slowly felt himself losing the balance that he was holding, it was as if his own chakra was just too much.
"You want to be calm when doing this, or else you'll find yourself…"
Naruto didn't hear the rest of her statement as he lost complete chakra control and sunk into the water like a brick.
He dragged himself onto the shore for what seemed to be the thousandth time. His wet pants dragged dirt with him as he plopped onto the dirty shore, face first. He gasped a bit allowing his lungs to consume precious air. He spat up an ocean of water and turned over on his back, his eyes staring into the azure sky above. He was determined to get this! He gripped the dirt below him with his hands, uprooting grass at the same time.
"I think that's enough."
Naruto sighed, as his eyes glared up at his beautiful teacher.
Such a nice view, such a pretty woman.
Wait, how did she get there?
A towel fell upon his face, and he instantly grabbed it and began wiping his face and hair.
"I almost got it, though!"
"After your twelfth time almost drowning." She giggled sweetly. "We'll try again tomorrow, alright?"
He crossed his arms and closed his eyes in disobedience.
"As much as I think you can keep going, I believe a rest will do you well. You have all the time in the world, after all, I already agreed to be your sensei. And if you want you can practice some more of that tree climbing tomorrow to help with this particular issue."
He kept his arms crossed and hesitantly agreed. "How about I treat you to something?"
He hugged the towel closer before smiling and jumping upwards. "That'd be great! I know the perfect place! Like, you GOTTA try it, ya have to it's absolutely delicious and cheap."
She tilted her headband as a soft wind blew. Her ponytailed hair danced in the wind following the path the air seemed to take. Naruto blushed slightly as he took in her beautiful features. His eyes fell to the black mask covering her nose and mouth. How did her face look without her mask? Did she always have that thing on?
"Sure, anywhere you like."
"Right! To Ichiraku Ramen we go!", he yelled pointing in the direction of the village, his body almost in a superhero pose.
"Alright, it's so delicious!"
Kasumi was awestruck by the boy's appetite or what she suspected was simply his love for Ramen.
Teuchi smiled at the young boy's compliment. "If you want me to stop serving the boy."
She rose a hand. "It's fine, let him have as much as he wants."
Naruto slurped down a mouthful of noodles, and his eyes gleamed with joy. "Thanks, Kasumi-sensei! You know ramen is my favorite food in the whole entire world." He stated this as he gulped down the remaining water from his Ramen, placed the empty bowl to the side and proceeded to consume his next bowl.
"I can see." She said, her one and only bowl of Ramen still warm as it's heat touched the bridge of her nose.
"Hss da spat." He barely spoke through a full mouth of noodles, he swallowed hard.
"Are you not going to eat sensei?"
She gazed down at her bowl and back to Naruto. "No, not yet. Unfortunately, I can't eat as fast as you, my mouth is sort of sensitive to heat." Like a normal person's mouth is.
He shrugged and continued his feast.
He was going to cost her a fortune, but Kasumi never made an attempt to stop the boy. She instead allowed him to buy as many orders of ramen as his heart could take. He Deserved it, after all, he had worked hard enough and he looked like he barely got by on food for the most part. And the soft spot in Kasumi's heart couldn't bare herself to stop the boy.
Seeing him preoccupied she began to eat her meal herself. Before she knew it, her one bowl had been finished.
"Still going I see." She stated softly with amusement.
He placed his current bowl down and grinned. Before his eyes went to her bowl in surprise.
"You've finished your food Kasumi-sensei?"
"Hmm, it was delicious."
He frowned and then turned back to his bowl, before lifting his hand. "Ah, that hit the spot!"
"Done?" Teuchi came over and grabbed the pile upon piles of empty bowls. She found herself wondering, herself just where in the hell all of that food ends up?
"Yeah! I can't eat another bite! That's some good stuff right there!" He smiled heavily and Kasumi silently agreed.
"Always a pleasure to serve you Naruto-san." Teuchi laughed.
"Kasumi-san. I'll leave you with the bill."
"Why, of course." She replied as he laid the small paper down and she quickly paid the total due.
In the time it had taken Naruto to finish, the sun had made another appearance and had significantly change the temperature. Surprisingly, Naruto's clothing was no longer drenched to the sandals and he was actually quite dry at that.
"So… Kasumi-sensei."
"Hm?"
He played with the string of his sleeveless orange hoodie. Was that nervousness she detected? That was weird. One moment he was bold and sporadic and the next, not so much.
"It's just, uh well you're my new Sensei and I barely know anything about you." He instantly flushed.
She rose an eyebrow.
"Like...hobbies! Yeah, and other things that you like!"
She watched him continue to play with string and smile a bit awkwardly.
How cute.
"Ah, where do I begin." She touched her chin.
"Interests… hobbies… well…" she watched the boy waiting anxiously and with a content eight-year-old smile.
"You know, I don't actually have any interests."
She watched as the boy's face instantly ran purple. She felt a tab bit guilty for doing that to him, but she wasn't exactly content on sharing her hobbies with her young student just yet.
"THAT'S NOT ENTIRELY TRUE!"
Kasumi's eyes widened a bit at the arrival of the familiar voice.
Oh, Kami!
The springtime of youth man himself walked forward, his pearly white smile ever so present and he stood before the two with his thumb up and striking a ridiculous pose. Her hand slapped her forehead protector.
"Guy."
"Kasumi, my eternal rival! You never told me you were taking up a student." She inclined her head with the man and he gave Naruto a toothy grin. The boy seemed uncomfortable and confused.
"Must've forgotten."
"How youthful! You've definitely one-upped me this time!" Guy stated with a closed fist.
"Why are you here?" Her question seemed to catch him off guard.
"I was looking for you, actually. I wished to challenge to a rock climbing contest. The first to the top of the Hokage monument wins. With one hand."
"Pass." She said simply, and he seemed to either ignore her or not hear her over his own words.
"But, then I heard you say you have no hobbies. Well, isn't one of your hobbies competing against me and reading those books?"
"I suppose." Again, she simply didn't feel like sharing that information at the current moment.
"Not to mention cleaning on your free time, intense workouts, gardening whenever she can and spying."
It was rather creepy how he knew all those things. Naruto looked at the two Jounin, his eyes wide before he inquired.
"Are you two dating?"
Kasumi's one eye widened. Dating? Guy?
"No, my blond springtime of youth!" He stated dramatically. "But that's simply because I have yet to enchant her with my awesome charm. No lady can resist this handsome devil of the leaf." He finished with a clean sparkly smile.
"I don't date weirdos." Guy's face and body dropped immediately at her announcement.
"Weirdo?" He murmured. Naruto approached him slowly and patted the man on his back. Kasumi watched with not a single ounce of regret.
"I believe that's it for the day." she stood, stretching slowly.
"Wait, you have yet to accept my challenge!" Guy pointed with determination.
"I already declined."
"C'mon Kasumi! Allow me to prove myself as the superior ninja!"
She gave Naruto a quick glance and then Guy. "Perhaps another time."
She stopped in her tracks. "Naruto."
"Yes sensei." The child responded.
"Same time tomorrow. Don't skip school, alright?"
He gave her a thumbs up. "You got it!" And with that, Kasumi disappeared in a puff of smoke. It was time to give the dead yet another visit.
Three Kunai hit the target with heavy thuds. Naruto gave himself a grin of self-satisfaction. Kunai was one thing he was good at. They had been training all day, it was only about time that he got it. His other peers on the other hand probably weren't having nearly as much luck as him. He
"That's pretty good, Naruto. Very close to the target." Iruka explained to him, the three Kunai rested extremely close to the center, but not exactly there.
"You want to feel the weapon, be it's guide. Don't just throw."
The blond nodded, getting a decent understanding of where to go from there. The whole entire class had been practicing with Kunai for the past few days. As Iruka had promised earlier they would go over the basics. Feel it, control it… don't just throw. He grabbed another set of Kunai and held it between the folds of his hands neatly.
Concentrate.
Concentrate!
"Concentrate…" he mumbled inaudibly to himself, his body and mind both read to complete his task. Then suddenly his concentration was broken by multiple girly awe-filled screeches. He watched as the three kunai completely missed their marks. Naruto stomped his feet against the grass in anger, before he and Iruka turned to the source of the distraction.
Naruto found himself gripping his fist in irritation. The little dark-eyed, duck haired show off himself. Sasuke Uchiha, surrounded by a flock of girls, all of which completely falling head over heels for him in all his Uchiha glory marched over to that part of the training field, even the boys had taken an interest in Sasuke's work and when Naruto had reached the boy he too understood why.
Bullseye! Directly in the middle.
Naruto held his hands in his pockets and then gazed at the impassive boy, his black hair blowing in the wind and his eyes closed all nonchalantly. Just the way he presented himself made Naruto want to vomit.
"Psst," Naruto said walking towards Sasuke. Sasuke acknowledged him with a glance.
"Pretty lucky there, huh Teme?" Naruto instigated and Sasuke just stared at him
Bored.
"Something you want?"
Naruto shook his head. "Just wanna see it again. That's al–" before Naruto could finish his statement, Sasuke had already thrown his Kunai, repeating the same results.
Again, Bullseye!
"There," Sasuke stated. "Happy?"
"Very impressive Sasuke!" Iruka praised, before writing something down in his clipboard. The whole entire class, with the exception of Naruto, seemed to agree.
"Shoot I can do that with ease!" Naruto declared before withdrawing his Kunai and in one swift motion and all the concentration in the world throwing the two weapons in his hand and hitting the direct center class was stunned, and Naruto stood his hands in his pockets and his blue eyes staring at Sasuke.
"See, with ease!" The boy stated, it was easy.
"Excellent, excellent!"
The Uchiha glared back, his hands digging into his pouch and withdrawing another Kunai. This time, the boy stepped back a few feet, and with his own feet, he created a line with the dirt, making sure to be behind the line and threw the metal weapons at the target. It hit the target with a heavy thud. The class grew silent, everyone awestruck by His accuracy even from such a distance away. It by no means was an amazing feat for the average ninja, but for an academy student, yes it was.
Naruto accepted his challenge and brushed past the surrounding students and towards the line Sasuke had drawn with his feet. He looked down to make sure his feet remained behind the dirt line and that he was in the correct position. He had never thrown kunai from this far with the expectation of hitting a target. Nonetheless, the blond took in a deep breath and concentrated. He reached into his pouch and collected three Kunai into the folds of his fingers. He relaxed his muscles and held them neatly to his chest.
He was ready!
With a swift movement, he threw the knives forward. They missed, hitting the outermost layer. Naruto stared in disbelief at his shortcoming. He couldn't believe that he missed so badly, that he had not even come close.
Sasuke turned to him, his face bland and almost unreadable. But his eyes held a certain darkness in them and although it wasn't directed at him, Naruto shivered at his gaze. "You need to do more training Dobe. But, even then you'll never amount to much…"
Kasumi appeared on the training ground to a rather depressed looking Naruto.
"Yo." She greeted.
He turned and instantly made his demands. "Teach me how to handle Kunai correctly!"
"I had intended on doing chakra exercises again."
He shook his head, she could see a fire burning in his eyes. "No I need this now, that can wait!"
Why did he want to switch up the schedule?
"Please, Sensei!" He stated with child like begging.
She sighed. Children were definitely her weak spot sometimes, especially her sensei's son.
"Fine."
He jumped for joy and she caught him by the arm mid-jump. But, we'll have to go back to this eventually, it is very important." She dropped him and he landed on his feet.
"Yeah, no problem!"
"What's got you interested in Kunai all of a sudden, anyways?"
"Sasuke…" Kasumi tensed at his name. Yeah, she knew that name.
"...Sasuke Uchiha."
Yes, the kid brother of the infamous Itachi Uchiha; sole survivor of the Uchiha massacre. The thought brought a small tint of pain to her heart, Itachi had been a good friend and to say that she expected his betrayal was an impossibility. No one expected it and it hit home hard. Itachi's actions did not fit his personality, and all that didn't make sense. He had always been an intelligent and sweet individual, almost passive in his nature unless the job called for otherwise.
"Sasuke Uchiha, hmmm?" She questioned.
"You know him?"
She tapped her cheek. "Black hair, black eyes...always blank-faced?"
"Yeah!"
"Top of the class?"
"Yeah…"
"Bunch of fangirls and the most skilled student in the academy?"
"..."
She shrugged. "I don't know him." She continued.
"But I've heard of him."
"He's such a showoff, that Teme!"
She scrunched her nose. "Sounds like you've had some issues with the boy."
"He's the worst! Always showing off and just being good at everything and belittling at the same time. He's so stupid! So stupid!"
"I sense some jealousy." a rivalry maybe?
"No way! Jealous of him? Not a chance!" He shook his hands erratically.
"I want to be better than him! He beat me out today in Kunai throwing, he hit every target direct center. Kasumi-sensei, I missed when we moved further back, please sensei!" He held his hands together before bowing slightly.
"Teach me how to handle Kunai better, how to be accurate and how to perform close quarters combat with it." She really wished the kid wouldn't bow to her like that. She was his private Sensei, but she wasn't so keen on having the boy bow to her and spill his dignity.
"Alright, alright! I'll do it! Just get off the filthy ground!" He stood with a small amount of help from the gray-haired girl. "Sure, I'll help you beat Sasuke."
Naruto smiled from ear to ear.
Taking out a Kunai she tossed I gently at the eight-year-old He caught it with ease holding it in between his palm. She pointed in the direction of the three stomps in the distance.
"From here" she gestured to her position and he moved to adjust. "I want you to hit that stomp. Anywhere!"
He rose his forehead. "That's nothin'!" And before Kasumi could reply, she found the Kunai being lodged into the piece of wood.
"Easy, like I said." He crossed his arms and stared at her expectantly. "Something more difficult, please sensei!"
Kasumi admired his handy work. It was truly easy, even an academy student could do it.
"I'm getting to it." She hummed before she walked to the log and retrieved the kunai.
"It seems you'll need a bit more of an advance training exercise." Naruto nodded in excitement, she smiled at his cute determination.
"Great, now watch carefully." She walked back to his position and stood beside him.
Her eyes then went to a few targets in the distant, neatly stuck to a tree. With her right hand, she threw the weapon with ease, angling it and using her years of shinobi experience to curve the weapon. The kunai hit it's target, impaling it with bullet speed.
"Huh?" Naruto blinked.
"I want you to be able to do that." She stated.
The boy blinked.
"HOW did you make it curve that far!?"
She winked at him. "That's where training comes in. We'll go even further than that after you've completed this, trust me your accuracy will skyrocket."
His mouth was still agape.
"You're amazing Kasumi! Bullseye and everything! I knew there was a reason I picked you as my sensei! Such a strong ninja, I bet you can beat anyone!"
She laughed at his praise. Beat everyone? "I'm pretty good, yeah. But, I doubt I could beat anyone." She smiled. "Most high-tier Genin and low tier Chunin can perform what I did, are you ready for the task?"
If his words didn't say then his actions definitely did. "Yeah, of course! No challenge is big enough for Naruto Uzumaki!" He said, jumping upwards with his fists towards the sky.
"Your turn and... go!"
His blue eyes stared with hardened steel. No, the boy wasn't angry, he was just concentrating. He felt irritated and tired, yet he was still motivated to complete his task. Maybe more than ever now that defeating Sasuke and out showing him would be the ending results. He held out his hands, feeling the handle of the metal weapon, it's entire structure not completely familiar to him. He threw the knife, it's edged point thrusting through the atmosphere and piercing it with the familiar sound of a projectile traveling at a high velocity. It injected itself into the target. He knew it wasn't a bullseye and that disappointed him to an extent, but he could see the small progress that came with his training.
"You catch on pretty fast." Her praise caused him to smile, his face becoming a bit red in embarrassment. There was just something about an absolutely stunning girl complimenting you that could change your whole entire demeanor
"I didn't hit dead center though."
"But, you're not hitting the tree trunk anymore, and that is progress in the right direction." She retorted her face yet again in the small book of her's. He then heard her book close and her small footsteps approach from behind.
"Here." She began from behind him, grabbing his wrist and adjusting his movement. Naruto found his face immediately becoming hot red but allowed her to continue nonetheless.
"Angle it like this, and try to follow through with the weapon even after being thrown. This may increase your accuracy."
He nodded with a slow gulp, he could smell the girl, a heavy aroma of strawberries hitting his nostrils. It was a pleasant scent that he now associated with her. Her long gray hair touched him slightly as her ponytail shifted from behind her neck. He was as still as a rock, his heart stopping for a moment and the eight-year-old breathed heavily.
"Go ahead throw it now." She instructed. Coming back to reality the boy threw the weapon with the same practice he had become accustomed to with this training. This time he listened to her previous instructions and curved the weapon a tad bit more. The metal weapon hit the target again, however this time it hit just outside the target space. He looked at it in awe, and then down at his hand. Had he come that close already? His crystal blue eyes then fell to Kasumi who stared down at him with an eye grin.
"See that's how you do it!"
This girl, his sensei was absolutely amazing!
"Now one more time, however this time I want you to envision that Kunai hitting the target head on. I'm talking direct hit confirmed kill!"
The blue eyed child shook his head and nodded. She handed him a kunai and he instinctively began preparations for the curve.
"Imagine it, hold your hand still...relax… you need to see the Kunai hitting the target." She said beside him. He inhaled, holding the kunai lightly in his hand, releasing all tension that was held in his arm and hand muscles.
Envision it.
He had to.
He would!
The Academy student took one breath and threw the Kunai with great strength, moving his arm in such a way that the weapon would curve in its velocity. Naruto watched as the weapon rocketed through the air in a blur of black. Swoosh! Was the sound that it made before it splintered into the target hitting dead center.
He was still for a moment.
"Wow, nice job Naruto-kun."
He turned to her, his eyes wide before he smiled.
"Could Sasuke do that?" She inquired.
"No way!"
She again gave that eye grin. "And you were able to accomplish this within the matter of a day. Very, very excellent!"
His eyes grew at her words.
"Now, let's increase the distance." He watched her begin to step back multiple feet, he couldn't help but expel his excitement for the next exercise.
"Hell yeah!"
"Language…"
Being summoned to the Hokage mansion in the middle of the night was one of those things that were just a shitty inconvenience. Kasumi entered through the window, her Anbu uniform holding onto her body tightly as she stepped into the window's side.
"Yo."
She greeted calmly, though she definitely felt weary. She didn't sleep much, she never remembered getting much sleep as a child either. Too much depression, she shrugged internally. The Sandaime looked at her those eyes, those same eyes swelled with wisdom. He looked tired himself, his wrinkles seeming to be ever more so present than before.
"Kasumi." He stated, his mouth encased in a pipe as he smoked. A very unhealthy habit, especially for a man his age, might she add.
"I apologize for summoning you at such a late hour."
Kasumi's free eye looked back and forth between the hidden Anbu in the room.
"Not an issue, Hokage-sama." She answered.
"I've worried so much about you since Minato's absence. And I continuously wonder if his choice to put and keep you in Anbu is correct."
Her one eye widened. "Hokage-sama my–"
"Yes, your skills are needed. That is true enough, which is why you're staying here, I was just voicing my concern." He took another puff of his pipe.
"What I've truly called you here for is something that has recently perked my curiosity."
"Oh, Hokage-sama?" She inquired as if she wasn't already aware of the answer.
"Naruto, you've seemed to have taken the boy under your wings."
"Mhh." She answered.
"What's made the sudden interest in the boy?"
She shrugged. "He has potential and well...is actually pretty talented."
"I see… are the academy instructors not sufficient enough for the boy?" He seemed a bit disappointed.
"That may be the case, however, I don't believe that's the faults of the instructors. But, I do believe that Naruto needs to have extra training due to his...situation."
The Hokage seemed to take this into note, and Kasumi decided to take his silence as a signal to continue.
"I had distanced myself from the boy, not even as much as introducing myself to him after his birth. I allowed him to live believing that he was alone."
"Kasumi that's not true—"
"It is Hokage-sama."
"So you're doing this out of guilt?"
"No, Hokage-sama." She began, closing her one eye.
"I'm doing this because I saw Minato, Rin, Obito, and Kushina as my family. It's only fitting that Minato and Kushina's son be seen in that light as well. I wish… to make up for lost time and help Naruto become the ninja he needs to be."
The third Hokage allowed more smoke to be released from his mouth. He let out a low grunt, but it was a grunt of agreement nonetheless.
"I see… very profound words."
"I have only positive thoughts.."
"I'm glad you believe so, and I do agree. I am in favor of your actions and hopefully, this will be favorable for both you and Naruto."
"Of course Hokage-sama." She bent down to her one knee and bowed respectfully.
"Your missions are still priority."
"Copy."
"Now, there's one more thing I wish to ask of you while we're still on the subject."
He stood slowly, the kage robes shifting in it's baggy material. The elder man looked at her with question and consideration. What was it that he wanted.
"I need you to protect him. I'm sure you're aware of those that wish to harm Jinchuuriki."
"Of course, Hokage-sama." She knew it all too well, flashbacks playing in her head. All her years of training and Anbu helped her hold back the tears.
"Kasumi, this is not only a favor for me, Naruto, Minato, and Kushina. But, a favor for the whole entire village. Some do not realize it, but it is my faith that we'll need Naruto in the future, and your intervention is just the stepping stone."
She held her pose keeping her head towards the ground and eye simply closed, that is until she deemed it appropriate to speak and with the smoothness of evening butter on a toasted bun, she spoke.
"Hokage-sama, I will be the foundation that makes Naruto a legend."
She could hear a slight snicker be released a short distance away. Well, more of a giggle and Kasumi wasn't sure whether it was from one of the female Anbu or one of the male.
"Black cat! Unprofessional..." The Sandaime scolded but didn't press anymore on the subject.
She chuckled also. Maybe it was a little corny? Whimsical even.
The further they moved from the target, the farther Naruto's Kunai would diverge from the target. He was no longer hitting the target at the center and was instead hitting the sides. He tried everything! He threw the weapon at a wider angle, he threw it faster, slower; nothing seemed to work in his favor. And what was his beautiful Sensei doing to help?
Reading that Goddamn book!
He let out a huff after another failed attempt. He had increased the number of yards he had thrown since he first started this exercise two days ago. The eight-year-old would argue that it was some sort of progress, albeit not much. He wasn't hitting directly on the mark like his sensei seemed to be able to do regardless of her position. And here she was refusing to help her lone helpless student.
"Gah! This isn't working, I'm doing something wrong or maybe that this is just too far! It's impossible for me to do alone! I need some help!" He whined and waited for the girl who had traded her Anbu uniform for Jounin, stood as stagnant as a rock. He waited patiently, his eyes closed and his arms crossed.
"I'm sorry did you say something?"
She didn't even look away from her book!
Naruto fell flat on his back.
"I need help, Kasumi-sensei. Aren't you supposed to be guiding me?"
She finally took her attention from the book.
"Oh, you're throwing incorrectly."
"I KNOW THAT!"
"What's the issue then?" She inquired innocently.
"What am I doing incorrectly? Explain."
"It's as simple as this, you need to feel your weapon and feel the Kunai hitting it's target. It's called a follow through, and accuracy will come with practice and muscle memory."
He frowned but nonetheless became quiet.
"Look how about we stop for today." He looked towards the sky.
"It's barely past 3, we have plenty of time!" That was blasphemy! He wanted to get stronger and get closer to his goal. Relaxing wasn't exactly helping in that aspect.
"Trust me. Drop the Kunai and just chill."
He looked at his hand and the knife and dropped the metallic item to the grassy floor. He watched as the girl took a quick stroll towards an isolated tree and rest her back upon it when the book propped in her lap. He watched curiously and hands still crossed.
"C'mon now, just take a seat beside me."
He obliged and sat at the base of the tree beside Kasumi.
"I really need to get this though."
She chuckled which aroused curiosity in him.
"You know, not all great shinobi got the hang of things in one day. Some get it immediately and others, well they have to train."
"I understand."
She sighed. "Even the fourth Hokage struggled in certain aspects of the shinobi arts."
His ears perked and Naruto found himself facing the grey-haired girl. The fourth Hokage, the hero of the village and Naruto's personal favorite Hokage.
"The Fourth...struggled?" It seemed rather crazy to say that the fourth Hokage, arguably the most talented ninja of his era had struggled. He was a Hokage after all!
"Yes, you don't think he got to where he was automatically. Naw, that took practice."
"What did you know about the fourth?"
"A lot I'd say." He hummed in response and she smiled at him knowingly.
"I mean, I was his student after all."
What followed was an explosion. "YOU! The student of the fourth! Holy cow! That means you were literally in the presence of one of the greatest ninja of all time! I can't believe it! No wonder you're so powerful, I knew there was a reason why I liked you so much!" He smiled as he jumped up and down completely ecstatic.
He blushed heavily wondering if she caught what he said, immediately changing the subject.
"What was he like? Was he as awesome as they made him sound in the history books?"
She gave him a smirk. "Yup. He was amazing, honestly."
He continued to grin with the strength of the sun itself.
"The type of person where when you were around them, no matter how dire the situation, you knew that everything would be alright."
"So like with the old man?"
"Exactly like him!" She confirmed. "I guess it's a trait that all Hokage seem to have. At least the one's I've been alive to witness. The third and the fourth." He watched her gaze upwards as small harmless droplets of water began to fall at random interval. It was like one drop one minute and then two or four the next.
"I wish I could've met him." The young student declared with imagination in his eyes.
"What would he even say to me an orphan, someone who had no one."
She eyed him with a gaze the boy couldn't quite pinpoint, though some of it held sorrow. Was she pitying him? That was something the young boy didn't particularly want her to do.
"He'd care for you, without a doubt."
"Like the third?"
There was a pause before she continued, and Naruto became anxious.
"More than the third, believe me. He was that type of man after all. His wife too, she was an amazing individual."
"His wife? Who was his wife?"
She was quiet again and the sky began to groan slightly as the clouds and wind seemed to pick up.
"Kushina Namikaze."
He stared captured by the information the girl was giving him.
"A beautiful pale-skinned woman with long red hair, extremely kind and powerful in her own respect. Hell, she could have been Hokage is she wanted."
"Language." He replied in jester and she gave him a look that said 'I'm an adult'.
"A strong woman, the kindest and most outgoing person you'd ever met. Absolutely terrifying when she wanted to be." Kasumi seemed to have had a flashback of said terrifying moment with Kushina.
"You'd...love her."
He'd love her? Them? They both sounded like great people, even with the brief and simplistic explanations given by her always bored looking sensei.
"I know how the Fourth died...but how did his wife– Kushina die?"
She placed a hand on her chin as she stood to her feet, prompting the boy to stand. Water came down upon the Earth pounding it heavily. Naruto's hair began to become drenched and both shinobi have water coming down their face.
"She died helping him protect the village and kill the Kyuubi." She stated promptly, her voice becoming darker and emotion-filled than he was accustomed to. He processed this for a moment, it was one of the finger-countable times that he has ever heard someone mention the Kyuubi. Apparently, it was some beast that destroyed the before he was born, and it was so powerful and destructive that the Fourth Hokage had to kill it, which resulted in his own demise. Now, he was also aware that it killed his wife.
"Oh." Was all he could breathe out. Was this possibly affecting his Sensei in a negative way?
He eyed her, his blue eyes looking up sympathetically.
"Hey, I'm sorry if this is bringing up any hard to swallow memories."
She looked at him shook her head as to say no, pocketed her book and said, "C'mon I'll take you home."
Good thing they stopped training early.
*Flash-back*
"Well, hello Obito... don't waste another minute come in." The young girl heard from the front door, her eyes instantly looking up from her meal and towards the direction.
"Kushina-san." He greeted as their footsteps brought them to the dining room. Kasumi and her two other teammates looked up as their other male teammate entered.
"Afternoon Obito." Minato greeted.
"Minato-sensei."
Rin smiled before gesturing for him to come over to her.
"Hey come sit beside me."
He smiled and moved over to her side of the table.
"Late again," Kasumi stated blankly.
"On me again?" He responded sitting down as Kushina handed him a full plate.
"It's a hobby." The prodigy declared. "I just don't see how you're late to literally everything."
She watched as Obito ate his food with surprisingly some grace and manners. But, all that flew out the window when he began to speak with his mouth full.
"And I don't see how that is any of your concern."
"Here we go again." The blond Jounin stated as his chopsticks hit his plate.
Kasumi rose an eyebrow. "A late shinobi is a shinobi who will miss his opportunity."
"Buzz off, I was busy."
"Yes, Kasumi-chan, maybe Obito was just busy," Rin stated attempting to keep the peace.
"Busy every day? Before you have a mission? You were even late to dinner. Might I add that everyone here is finished? –the food was excellent by the way Kushina– I'm just saying."
"I swear she just likes to get under my skin." Obito shook his head.
"Obito-kun, it isn't nice to swear. Kasumi-chan, stop belittling Obito-kun. Let's just enjoy our dinner and the time we have together." Kushina stated with a neat and elegant smile.
"At their age, it's just flirting." Minato gave his two cents and both Kasumi and Obito almost threw up.
"Not in a million years Sensei."
"She's like nine years old Sensei!"
Minato and Kushina began to laugh at that, and the Genin members of Team Minato watch with unique expressions. Obito appalled, Kasumi stubborn and Rin smiling, though a bit awkwardly.
Many days were like this. And looking back, this was one of her personal favorites.
Naruto was a slob. Which she figured could root back to the fact that he lived alone with little to no supervision, especially with the Third being so incredibly busy all the time. He had left the television on, there was clothing everywhere, and potato chip bags covered the entire floor.
"Sorry for the mess, I really didn't want to leave you out in the rain though." Said the eight-year-old. The words, of course, sounding weird coming out of a child, but then she remembered that he lived alone and that this was his apartment. He ventured into his bathroom and returned with clean towels. His eyes held sorrow… What had brought that about? The boy hearing about two awesome people and never getting to know them? Would it make it better or worse if she informed him that they were his parents?
"I should be on my way… my books may need dusting at home." She made up an excuse in seconds and found it lacking in realism. Maybe people actually thought she did that?
Thunder sounded off outside, a flash of lightning came with it.
The rain reminded her that she would probably end up staying in her apartment reading or even watching soap operas on TV. She didn't look forward to watching Soap Operas, though the reading part could possibly prove to be entertaining. But, being alone in her house and the grayness of outside looming over her would remind her of her losses and the guilt that she felt for not preventing her losses. She was alone and she chose to be alone on most days. In her thoughts, she immediately saw the look in Naruto's eyes again, the crestfallen gaze that laid within those crystal blue orbs. The obvious loneliness that came with his isolation.
"Oh okay." Was his lonesome response.
"Then again it is raining quite heavily, I'll stay for a moment." Staying wouldn't hurt, and after all the Third had instructed her to get to know him better. She said taking the towels into her hands and using it to dry her face and hair. The young Anbu operative removed her long ponytail and allowed her hair to fall as to aid in drying her gray hair. She sighed pulled out a book and took it upon herself to take a seat on the living room couch. The television had been left on the shinobi new channel and she ignored it. They never had anything interesting on anyway.
He just stood his down and his eyes down towards the floor. His eyes seemed intense and filled with pain.
"Something wrong Naruto?" Concern filled her voice.
He didn't respond immediately at first, but then he turned his head in her direction. "It's just days like this that I hate."
He came towards the couch and sat beside her. "You mean gloomy days?"
"Yeah, when it's raining and everything looks dreary outside. It reminds me of the many days I've spent alone crying and wondering why no one likes me." Kasumi felt her heart jump, pressure building in her chest as the boy began to pour his emotions.
"No matter how hard I try, how good I act or how nice I am, no one seems to want to bother with me. I still have no idea why and it hurts a lot." He played with his fingers. "And when you told me about the Fourth Hokage and his wife it made me really happy, but it also made me really sad."
If only he knew, and her knowledge of his heritage made her feel extremely guilty.
He gave her a small glance and she watches a sparkly tear trail down his face. "Happy because they sounded like really awesome and cool people." He paused as another trail of tears poured out of his pure blue eyes.
"Sad because I'll never get to meet them. Sad because I'm alone."
The Guilt...
She felt it!
Kasumi could take it anymore, the last tear drop sealed the deal. The young girl took the boy into a heavy embrace collapsing her arms around him and holding him against her breast. She held him there with the care of a sister, patting his back as the boy seemed to expel tears like fireworks. The rain continued to fall, slamming into the window beside them. Lightning still struck and thunder was still heard in the background. But they both ignored that, they both were too invested in their emotions. She and Naruto were both similar, in their isolation and their depression. She wanted to change that, she wanted to protect him because he was precious to her.
"You won't have to be alone anymore, I promise." She declared with more emotion that she normally allowed. A small river of water escaped her eye and met the top of her mask.
It was a promise.
One she refused to break.
And he was someone precious.
Someone she refused to lose.
Not again.
*How was the story? What would you like to see next? Tell me in a review and I will more than likely get back to you!
