Ooo Chapter 3: Happy Birthday, Demon Brat ooO
"Sensei," Jiraiya was saying several days later as he and the Sandiame approached the top of the Hokage monument. They had both agreed that it had been entirely too long since either had done something so masochistic, and decided to make an afternoon of it.
"Hn?" the Hokage grunted, eyes glued to the steep and rocky path. The old man had ditched the robes of his office for a more practical set of pants and tunic. Jiraiya guessed the bald dome of the Hokage's head hadn't seen the sun for quite some time.
"I met a pretty remarkable kid the other day."
"Did you now?" Sarutobi wheezed. "Hah, I should stop smoking."
Jiraiya privately echoed the sentiment, but he was having an easier time of it than his old sensei was. "Yeah, the little brat learned some pretty advanced chakra manipulation in just a day of practice."
They had reached the top of the cliffs before either spoke again, and they both stood huffing and puffing like the old men that they were. The wind was strong at the top, and it was never more obvious how sheltered Konoha was than when you stood up here. If you turned to the north, away from the village, the bald rock sloped away gently at first, and stretched for quite a ways supporting only lichen and bits of moss. The angle of descent gradually sharpened, until the rock dropped off completely, plunging to the floor of a broad and hazy valley. The trees in the valley were old growth and formidably tall. To the northwest, and curving back around the cliffs toward Konoha, one could just catch a glimpse of the arboreal monstrosities that made up Training Area #44, better known as the Forest of Death.
"Sure makes a difference when you just use plain old muscle power," Jiraiya panted. "Why didn't we bring any water?"
Sarutobi laughed. "Your wrinkles are showing, grasshopper." He sobered, and looked down at the village. "I'm not surprised that you found an impressive kid. Konoha has a very promising batch of gennin and chuunin this year, thank the gods."
Jiraiya shook his head, stirring his mane of white spikes. "This was no gennin, Sensei. He looked like he was about five."
The Hokage went still, gazing out into the hazy distance. Then he sighed. "That kid will be the death of me. Was it Naruto?"
Jiraiya chuckled. "That's the one."
"Remind you of anyone, does he?"
The Sannin looked skyward for a moment. "Reminds me a bit of myself, actually."
It was the Hokage's turn to laugh. "You flatter yourself, Jiraiya."
"You gonna fast-track him through ANBU like you did that Uchiha kid?"
"No," Sarutobi said resolutely. "I think I may have a better idea, and I'd really rather see what he does with himself for the next few years. He has a… different way of looking at things, and I'd rather not quash that. But you had something else to discuss with me."
Definitely not a request, Jiraiya thought dryly. He's got a soft spot for the brat. "Yes, I did. Several things, actually, but two that are fairly pressing."
"Okay then, if you're going to be yammering for a while, I'm going to sit down." And the Hokage found a nice rock with a bit of moss on it, and did just that. When he saw Jiraiya's smirk, he scowled. "Don't give me that, I'm old."
Jiraiya shrugged and picked his own rock, and when they both pulled out their pipes, he took on a worried expression. "Sometimes I think I'm turning into you, sensei."
Sarutobi scoffed. "Nonsense, you're much too perverted for that. Not nearly bright enough, either."
With a formidable glower, Jiraiya decided to get on with it. "The first bit of news has to do with that business with the Beast Realm that we thought had resolved itself years ago. I'm not positive that it's part of whatever was going on then, but my contacts in Stone and Mist have told me that the clans holding the summoning contracts—for the tigers and geckos, respectively—are being locked out."
Sarutobi gaped. "What?"
"That was my reaction," Jiraiya said wryly. "It's not to say that those already on the contract can't summon, but it seems either that the contracts are full, or else whoever held them died. They can't renew them."
The Hokage frowned. "What have the toads told you about this?"
"They're being pretty hush-hush about the whole thing. I haven't been able to get a straight answer out of them, but it sounds like they think that…well… we're not holding up our end of the bargain."
"I… I will try to speak to Enma about this. I haven't summoned an ape in… oh gods, it's been years." The Sandaime looked up at his student worriedly. "This is very troubling. I hope you have some good news as well."
"Ah, that all depends," Jiraiya said, rubbing the back of his head. "I've been very tentatively approaching Iwa, and it sounds like they might actually be open to Konoha participating in the Chuunin Exams being held there next year. You might even be able to start sending ambassadors over the table for a change, without worrying about getting their heads sent back to you in a box." Sarutobi let out a speculative grunt, and Jiraiya continued, his voice taking on an almost giddy tone. "Even more tentatively, I think I may have managed to coerce a certain someone into jumping the Iwa ship in favor of Konoha. Do you remember?"
Sarutobi frowned, wishing Jiraiya didn't enjoy keeping and doling out secrets so much. Then his eyes widened. "Do you mean the go—"
"Gah!" Jiraiya jumped, slapping a hand over the Hokage's mouth. The older man glared stonily at his student, and Jiraiya carefully withdrew his hand and wiped it on his pants. "Sorry, old man. Just…don't talk about it out loud. People kill for this kind of information in a surprisingly wide range of places."
"We're on top of a god-damned mountain, Jiraiya."
"Well, let's just keep this quiet until she gets here. I think she intends to visit."
"And how much do you personally have to do with that?" asked the Hokage with a lecherous grin.
"Well, you know me," Jiraiya began, waggling his eyebrows. Then his face drooped as he gave it up. "Actually, not as much as I'd like."
Sarutobi patted his student's shoulder consolingly. "So what's her name and when can we expect her?"
"Yamanoue Rumbakore," Jiraiya answered wistfully. "And we can expect her within the month."
"That is good news," Sarutobi declared. "What else have you got?"
"Well you know, with all the research I've been doing, I decided to write a book…"
ooo
"Why the—argh—hell are we doing this, again?"
"Because oji-san said there's a waterfall up there, and I've never—oof—seen one before!"
Naruto, Kiba, and Kiba's mom's dog, Kuromaru, were clambering up the middle of a rocky creek. The sun was pounding down on their necks, which made the splashing water something of a relief. The problem was, the creek ran a steep course, and it was choked with creeping maple and fallen logs and boulders that were too big to cross and pines that sagged drunkenly over the whole scene as if they were going to give up the ghost any minute. All of which made for rough going, even if it hadn't been nearly impossible to see the slippery rocks over which they clambered.
This was fine with Naruto of course, who enjoyed finding the most difficult things to do that he possibly could, and Kiba was right along with him. No, it was the big wolf-dog with the eye-patch who wouldn't shut up.
"Damn brats," the wolf growled in a deep voice, trying to keep up with the two kids as they clambered further up the creek. "You are not getting any of my pups, Kiba."
"Hey, it was Naruto's idea!"
"And you went along with it, and I have to follow you. If I have to give one of my own flesh and blood over to you, I might as well give him one too."
"He's not an Inuzuka!" Kiba whined traitorously.
"Might as well be; you two act practically the same," the big dog countered with a canine grin, obviously enjoying tormenting the little boy.
"Do not!" Naruto finally chimed in, hopping over a log with a tremendous splash. "I'm way smarter." He grinned in Kiba's direction, wondering if the other boy would take the bait.
Of course Kiba did, letting out a bellow of mock fury, and the two raced onward with renewed vigor, leaving the wolf-dog's complaints behind.
They didn't make it to the fabled waterfall that day—Kiba got tired out, and Naruto had long grown bored with the journey. It was pure stubbornness that had continued to fuel him, and he promised to himself that he would achieve that goal another day.
Kuromaru carried the two boys back—straight through the woods this time, and vowing never to step foot in another creek as long as he lived—and they were met at the Inuzuka compound with a warm familiarity that made Naruto's chest ache.
The buildings were all built of timber, with stonework that looked to be done by giants, nestled among the towering pines as if they had always been there. The vaulted ceilings, with massive log rafters, and great stone fireplaces and thick woven rugs were all saturated with the scent of smoke and cooking food and… well, happiness, if there was a scent for that. The day was warm, and all of the clan members were gathering for dinner in the open staging area in the center of the compound, a great stone slab beneath a high roof that was supported by log columns. Children ran all around, chased by puppies, while older shinobi and their mature canine partners lounged in the shade.
When Kuromaru arrived with Naruto and Kiba riding double on his back, Kiba hopped off excitedly and raced ahead, to be swept up in his father's big arms, before being passed off to his mother for a swing-around.
Naruto didn't move—almost couldn't—and unconsciously took a firmer grip on Kuromaru's steel-gray fur.
The big wolf-dog looked back at him, and the yellow eye that wasn't covered in a patch seemed almost kind in its regard. "You all right, kid?" he asked softly.
Naruto blinked and nodded before carefully sliding from the dog's back. He couldn't say really what was bothering him. Just that… it wasn't fair that this existed, and yet he would go home to his empty apartment again, just like he always had, and probably always would. He rubbed his chest, wondering why the thought made it hard to breathe. It wasn't as if he'd ever known anything different. "I gotta go," he said. Then, impulsively, he hugged the big wolf around the neck, little arms barely reaching halfway around the thick scruff. "Thanks for coming with us, Kuromaru."
"It was my pleasure, otouto," the wolf replied, and Naruto quietly slipped away. Grumbling to himself, the wolf sat on his haunches and watched his retreating form with perked ears until long after he'd disappeared.
Ooo
He was nearly home, and the sun was dropping below the smoky rooftops of Konoha, when he heard several voices laughing boisterously. Normally not one to feel sorry for himself, this only made Naruto bitterly aware that they were them, and he was just him, and he was getting tired of having his face shoved in his own solitude.
But his ears perked up when he heard a different voice, and this one was crying. It didn't take long for him to realize that the laughing voices and the crying voice were coming from the same place. All thoughts of self-pity were forgotten as Naruto took to the rooftops in two quick jumps.
They were three buildings over, in a little fenced in play area (the sort which Naruto often got thrown out of, incidentally)—three boys and a girl. One of the boys was gesticulating wildly, while the other two laughed, and the girl was sobbing hard. Naruto couldn't tell what the boy was saying, but he could hear the girl pleading for him to stop, and that was enough. His temper rose, and he sped up, dropping to the ground and crossing the space of the enclosure in a blink.
"Hey!" he shouted, jumping in front of the girl to face the three boys. "What are you doing to her?"
"N-nothing! It's none of your business!" the first boy insisted, recovering from his surprise.
"We were just joking around, anyway," spoke up another.
Naruto eyed them all ferociously, before looking back at the girl. She had strange pink hair done up in pigtails and big green-blue eyes. They were red and full of tears, and her cheeks were wet too. Her lip was trembling terribly, and she looked as if she thought Naruto was going to join in with the other boys.
"What did they say?" he asked her, and she blinked.
"Um, they—they said… they were making fun of my, um, my forehead. They said it was huge, and they wouldn't stop laughing at me!" The admission made her break down again, as if she couldn't understand why they were so mean when all she wanted them to do was leave her alone.
Naruto rounded on the boys, shouting, "I'm gonna beat all of you up!"
"What the heck," said the oldest boy. "Why do you even care, you weird little kid? Get out of here before you really make me mad!"
Naruto took a menacing step forward. "I'm the one who's mad!"
"Three against one, dummy, what do you think you're gonna do?" snorted another boy.
"Beat you up!" Naruto shouted with all the power in his six-year-old lungs, and sprang forward. People had always been mean to him for no apparent reason, ever since he could remember. He didn't know why—he could only assume he'd done something to deserve it. But he knew the pink haired girl didn't deserve it; he knew they were being mean just because they wanted to. And that made him very, very angry.
He'd never thrown a punch in his life, but if anybody deserved his first test-run, it was these three.
He hit the oldest kid in the chest, grabbing his shirt with two fists and tackling him to the ground. He swung back—he knew that he couldn't do very much damage, but that didn't stop him from trying—and hit the boy as hard as he could in the jaw. The other two tried to grab him, and he kicked one and elbowed the other, throwing them off before scoring two more hits on the first boy.
And then a familiar sound hit his ears—a girl's voice crying 'stop!' over and over. He looked back, and saw the pink haired girl, and she was yelling at him this time. Dazedly, he lowered his fist, and stared down at the boy he'd been pummeling. The other two had fallen back, unwilling to get in his range again, even to help their friend.
"Get off me," the older boy hissed, pride wounded, and pushed Naruto to the ground. Sullenly, he picked himself up and walked off, glancing over his shoulder, and the other two boys followed him.
Naruto stood from where he'd landed, feeling ashamed but vindicated at the same time, and looked at the girl. "Sorry," he said, scuffing one foot.
She sniffled, and smiled through her tears. "S'okay. Thanks… for sticking up for me. I didn't even know them…"
"They were really mean!" Naruto said emphatically, glaring in the direction they'd gone.
"Yeah," the girl agreed, watching him with an odd mixture of hope and apprehension.
Naruto scratched the back of his head self-consciously, and then pointed at her strangely colored hair. "Are you new here? I mean, I think I would remember you."
She nodded, pig-tails swinging. "We just moved here a couple days ago. My—my mom is gonna teach at the school."
Naruto felt a welling of sympathy for her. "I had to move here last year, and I didn't know anybody at first either," he admitted. "I was really scared to be… alone, but the people near me are way nicer than where I used to live. So… don't worry. You'll prolly make lots of friends," he finished lamely.
"Like you?" she asked, and immediately blushed. But she didn't look away.
Naruto felt his heart skip a beat. No one had ever asked to be his friend. Not even Kiba—Naruto had been the one to ask first. "Uh, yeah, if you want me to be…"
She stuck a braid in her mouth, twisting away shyly. "I'm Sakura," she told him, before running excitedly back toward the buildings.
"I'm—! I'm Naruto," he finished quietly, watching the doors swing closed. With a warm feeling in his heart, he turned and continued on his way.
ooo
Yamanoue Rumbakore—a tall woman by anyone's estimation, with brown skin and a head of copious white dreadlocks—was glad to finally be out of the high mountains and crossing into the mighty forests of the Fire country. Not that she had anything particularly to worry about—yet—since officially she was only paying a visit to the capitol. Unofficially, however, where she was going and what she was planning to do would earn her, at best, a swift separation from her own head. Or body, she revised with a squint, depending on where her point of view resided when she died.
Frowning, she banished that ridiculous train of thought, before grinning in a decidedly smug way—an expression only exacerbated by the patch over her right eye. Well, they will try.
No, Rumbakore was glad to be in the deep forests because she could now, finally, summon quicker transportation. She still had a ridiculous span of country to cross. And I'll be damned if I have to run the whole way.
Tree hopping was out of the question. She remembered vividly the last time she'd tried that little exercise, and grimaced in embarrassment.
Maybe more importantly, it was already the first of October, and she knew that Konoha had a big festival coming up on the tenth, to celebrate the seventh anniversary of the vanquishing of the Kyuubi, and she didn't want to miss it.
Her powerful voice rang out through the trees. "Kuchiyose no jutsu!" There was a mighty rumble, and then a short, trumpeting blast that startled every bird in the vicinity to flight.
Ooo
The day was calm—stifling almost, as if the world was too hot to even breathe. It was the eighth of October, and anyone might have guessed that it was still the dead of summer. But even ridiculous weather could not keep the villagers down—the Festival was fast approaching, and signs of it were appearing all over Konoha.
There were lanterns in the streets, and great silken flags of gold and red flying from every roof. Ribbons and streamers were tied to everything, from the richest clan architecture to the meanest rice cart. Bakeries were hard at work creating fox-shaped confections for children to eat, fox-shaped balloons were being purchased to pop, fox-headed torches were set up around booths and games, and a massive fox statue made of whicker and kindling-wood, papered over in red, was being erected in the large square just inside the village gates. At the end of the night, the statue would be burned in a roaring inferno that could be seen from hundreds of miles away. All of this was done in the spirit of making light of the demon fox who had devastated the village almost seven years ago—it was defiance, and a reminder that, in the end, they had won.
To Naruto, it meant being locked away, hidden, for a night, while drunken revelers shouted outside, and ANBU circled like wary panthers, and he would barely be let out to pee. He always wondered what he had done wrong to deserve such punishment—no one would ever explain it to him, not even oji-san, and Naruto always cried his eyes out. Why did he have to be punished while everyone else was out having fun and celebrating?
But that was then—he'd been stuck in the orphanage, and there had been rules that could be broken. Now he was living by himself, he made the rules, and as far as he knew, he hadn't broken any. This year, he was going to have fun just like everybody else; just let them try and lock him up!
But first things first—he had important business at the Hokage tower, and he was steaming mad. He showed up there so often that no one made more than half-hearted attempts to stop him, and he made it all the way to the old man's outer offices without being harangued.
"Oji-san!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, ignoring the secretary who tried to make shushing motions. He pushed open one of the big double doors and stormed in, too worked up to notice who was in the room. "Oji-san, why won't—!" His mouth clicked shut
The Hokage was frowning powerfully at him, and his two guests turned in their seats. One was an ANBU agent with a spring of wild silver hair that put Naruto's to shame. The other was… "Yo, brat!" Jiraiya said with a wave.
"Eh?" Naruto uttered, pointing at him. "What… what are you doing here?"
Jiraiya pointed a thumb at the Hokage. "I work for him. What are you doing here?"
But Naruto was too excited to pay much attention to the question. "Jiraiya-sensei, you have to see all the new tricks I learned! You've been gone, so I started asked other ninja who stopped at Ichiraku's to show me stuff, and—"
"Wait a minute," interrupted the silver haired ANBU. "Jiraiya-sensei?"
The big Sannin looked affronted. "And a very good one, at that. Isn't that right, kid?"
Naruto nodded, grinning, and the ANBU smacked his palm to his forehead.
"Naruto," the Hokage finally broke in sternly. "As you can see, I am in the middle of a meeting. Is there something I can do for you that can't wait until we're done?"
"Yeah," Naruto said, finally remembering why he had come all this way in such a foul mood. "You have to tell that stupid guy who runs the weapon place that he has to sell stuff to me! He said no, that I have to get… that I have to get… parental permission." It was hard to get that last part out. It was weird saying anything that had to do with 'parents'. And Naruto wasn't stupid; he knew it wasn't about whether that was a real rule or not. It was about the fact that he didn't have parents, and the shopkeeper knew it. The sneer on the man's face couldn't have made it any more obvious.
Apparently this was also going through the Hokage's mind, because his expression softened into quiet sadness. "Naruto, why do you want to buy ninja weapons?"
"Because," Naruto began, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "I need them if I'm gonna be a ninja."
The room went still. The two guests both looked at him with surprise, but the Hokage, if anything, looked even sadder than before. Then an odd look of resignation seeped in, and a tiny smile appeared. "Do you know what a ninja is, Naruto?"
Naruto nodded. "It's someone who protects people."
The Hokage exchanged a look with each of his guests. After a long moment, the old man nodded, and Naruto felt his heart leap in his chest. "Very well," the Hokage said. "When you're old enough, I will allow you to enroll in the Ninja Academy. But—" Naruto paused in his celebratory dance. "I cannot condone your purchase of weapons."
Naruto's jaw dropped, and he felt betrayed.
"Naruto," the Hokage said tiredly, feeling the barb from the boy's hurt expression. "You are six years—"
"Almost seven!"
"Okay, seven years old. Most parents would not let their children cut vegetables at your age. I'm not about to let you go running around with kunai and shuriken and gods know what else—not until you've had proper instruction. And that will not happen until you enter school."
"But—" Naruto began, tears welling. They both knew that any kids with ninjas for parents would have already begun practicing with the tools of the ninja trade. Kiba went on about it all the time. It just…wasn't fair. He swallowed his disappointment, and turned to walk out the door.
He'd made it out to the main hallway when he heard quiet footsteps, signifying that someone had followed him.
"Naruto," said a calm and quiet voice. It was the silver-haired ANBU, and he put a hand on the little boy's shoulder, crouching next to him.
"What?" Naruto mumbled, trying to dash away evidence of the traitorous tears that had managed to leak out.
"I have a secret for you." The man pulled up his dog-mask, only to reveal another mask that covered his face up to his eyes. One eye was squinted closed, as if the man was winking, but the other was smiling.
Despite himself, Naruto perked up.
"This is something that most ninja won't learn until they're much older, and some never learn it at all. The truth is, the weapon doesn't make the ninja. The ninja makes the weapon."
Naruto frowned at him. Does he want me to make some kunai…?
"Everything is a weapon, Naruto."
"…Everything?" The silver-haired ANBU nodded, and Naruto looked around. "So those pencils?"
"Yep."
"That folder?"
"Yep."
"The phone?"
"Oh yeah, anything with a cord is gold."
"Wow…" Naruto said, seeing everything in a new light.
"And I'll tell you something else," the ANBU went on. "Your powers of observation are, arguably, the most important skills to cultivate. If you start practicing now, you will probably become one of the most skilled and useful ninjas of your generation."
Naruto's eyes widened. "Then why doesn't everybody do that?"
The ANBU snorted. "Shinobi clans put too much emphasis on combat, and combat alone. And I'm not exactly the best person to nay-say combat, since it's kind of what I'm known for."
"Well…"
As if sensing the yellow-haired boy's doubts, the ANBU held up a finger. "A person who doesn't pay attention and take in the details of a room might be able to handle five enemies at once just fine. But he will get killed every time by the one he didn't account for. A person who didn't look for all the exits will get cornered and overwhelmed. A person who doesn't look for pertinent information will miss his mark. A person who isn't aware of what's going on might slip up when he's being observed. He might miss an important clue, or not notice he's surrounded, or reach for a weapon and find nothing useful in reach."
"Woah…"
"Like I said. If you learn this stuff now, Naruto, you'll be a shark in a tank full of guppies."
Naruto hesitated. "Will you teach me?"
The ANBU's eye smiled again. "I've been out of the village for quite a while, and I might have to leave again soon. But…when I can, I'll give you assignments, okay?"
Naruto's grin lit up his whole face. "Thank you!—uhm…"
The ANBU's smile seemed to falter, and his eye looked haunted for a moment. He pointed at the porcelain mask sitting atop his hair. "Just Dog, for now. And… you're welcome, Naruto."
Ooo
"Sakuraa!" Naruto called, pounding on the front door again. "Hurry up, Sakura-chan, we're gonna be la—" He broke off, nearly swallowing his tongue when it was Sakura's mother who answered the door. "Ha—Haruno-san… can Sakura come play?"
"Hello… um, Naruto." He could see the hesitation on her face, and wondered if people had been talking about him again. It was almost his birthday, and people always seemed to get meaner around his birthday. His heart rose in his throat as he wondered if she would actually say no. But she smiled at him, finally, and said, "Yes she can, but I want her home in time for lunch, do you hear? That's two hours, okay?"
Naruto gave an emphatic nod. "Okay! Thanks, Haruno-san!"
"Sakura!" the older woman called back into the house, before smiling back down at Naruto. "She's getting ready. So what are you kids doing today?"
"Oh, you know," Naruto began evasively, but was distracted as his pink-haired friend appeared at the door. "Got the stuff?" he asked excitedly.
"Yup, let's go!" she responded, barely slowing down to grab him by the arm.
"Two hours!" Sakura's mom called after them, and shook her head.
They pelted down the road toward the ninja academy. Normally classes didn't get out until later in the day, but since tomorrow was the big Festival, they were getting out early. Normally Naruto wouldn't care one way or the other when the older kids got out of class, but he'd found out that in this particular grade, three of the students were very familiar to both him and Sakura.
"Hurry hurry hurry," Naruto chanted, as the pink-haired girl tried to keep up. "We're meeting Kiba around the side."
"You're too fast," she huffed, paper bag in hand and pig-tails flying.
"You're too slow," he laughed, which had the desired effect. She gritted her teeth and sped up, grabbing him by the shoulder and darting ahead.
Over the past couple weeks, Sakura had joined Naruto and Kiba on their daily adventures, and she still wasn't quite used to keeping up the pace. Not that she didn't earn her share of scrapes and bruises from whatever scheme they all cooked up—which sent her mother into a frenzy that first day until her daughter explained—she just needed some time to build up her stamina.
Today…well, today was payback, and Sakura herself had conceived the plan. There wasn't quite enough mayhem or explosions for Naruto's taste, but it was respectable for a sophomoric effort.
The day was so hot that the pavement rippled in the sun, and they were both panting by the time they met Kiba, who was standing in the shade of the building along with Kuromaru and Haimaru (who belonged to Kiba's sister Hana). The two dogs had their tongues lolling, and Kiba himself didn't look much better.
"Have they come out yet?" Naruto asked by way of greeting, and the other boy shook his head. "Okay, let's go over the plan one more time. Kiba?"
"Distraction. Me and the dogs'll pin them down somehow—"
"Nothing crazy, we don't want them to suspect—"
"Aw, fine."
Naruto nodded, wiping his brow. "Okay, so I'll swoop in and chakra the crap out of their hair, and then Sakura?"
She nodded, grinning. "I'll be ready with the glue!" She pulled two jars of the stuff out of her bag with a flourish.
"Where are you dropping from?" Naruto asked.
She pointed upward. "The roof over the entrance. So Kiba, I'll need a signal for when they're in position."
Kiba gave a sharp nod. "Got it."
"Okay, then," Naruto rubbed his hands together in a diabolical way. "Then I'll be waiting in the wings to direct the glue toward my chakra signature in their hair. Bahaha, it's genius, Sakura-chan!"
They all chuckled malevolently in the shadow of the building until the school bell rang—the signal to break into action. Sakura was propelled onto the roof, courtesy of Kiba and Naruto, and Kiba moved with the two dogs to the front of the school, while Naruto waited around the side. It wouldn't do to have the boys spot him.
Students flooded out of the double doors, and it wasn't long before the three boys appeared, talking amongst themselves and laughing. Naruto was smugly pleased to see the yellowing bruise on the oldest boy's jaw.
Kiba went into action, blocking the three just beneath the awning of the entryway, and beginning to talk while the two big dogs sat down like immovable statues. That was Naruto's cue, and he zipped around the corner of the building. They never saw him coming, and as he bounced past, he tapped each boy on the head. By the time they'd turned around to see who'd hit them, Naruto was already hidden behind a bush.
"Now!" Kiba shouted, and Naruto squinted up to see Sakura madly unscrewing a jar. Sensing something was up, the three boys tried to make a run for it, dodging around the dogs just as Sakura tipped the jar over the side.
Naruto leapt out into the open, teeth gritting as he focused his chakra on the long, goopy rope of glue. Stick! The glue twisted weirdly in mid air as its trajectory toward the ground was warped, and it split three ways. With a grunt, Naruto forced it toward the boys, and latched on to his own chakra signature in their hair.
Three yowls filled the air as the sticky paste hit home, and the three pranksters and two dogs took off—Kuromaru catching Sakura from the roof—laughing madly all the way.
They stopped back at Sakura's house to beg her mom for the rest of the day so that they could celebrate, and after securing her permission, scampered off to the town gates for a round of Ichiraku Ramen.
"Itadakimasu!" Naruto shouted.
"To Sakura's first prank!" Kiba added. "The next time we see those jerks, they'll be stinkin bald--"
"And then we'll see who has a huge forehead," Naruto finished, cackling.
Sakura just blushed and grinned, and they all dug in.
Ooo
On the way home that evening, after saying good-bye to Kiba and Sakura, Naruto decided that he was very very happy. Probably happier than he had ever been. The only thing that could have made the evening better would be if tomorrow, people remembered that it was his birthday, and not just a festival. Maybe they would, this year. Maybe if he was really good, and didn't do anything to get in trouble, he would be able to go to the festival, and maybe he would even get a present. Maybe oji-san would take the day off. Maybe Jiraiya-sensei would be there. He sighed contentedly, and kicked a can along the deserted street.
When he looked up again, there was a shadowed figure a little further up the street. Naruto couldn't tell what he was doing—he seemed to be just walking along, in Naruto's direction.
He didn't think much of it; this street was usually pretty empty, but that didn't mean that there weren't sometimes other people out and about at night.
He kicked his can along, wishing he didn't have to go that way, and looked up again. The figure was gone.
Trying to shrug it off, Naruto abandoned his can and walked a little faster. He told himself he was tired of kicking it, but the honest part of him said it would be a good idea to be able to hear better.
Just as he was relaxing, the figure reappeared from the deeper shadow of a building, and this time there were three of them.
Every nerve in Naruto's little body went on high alert, and he stopped. Swallowing his pride, he decided that, stupid or not, he was going to go home a different way. He turned around to do just that—only to find another figure walking up the street from where he'd come.
His heart began to pound. It was irrational fear, surely, but suddenly he was positive that he was in very real trouble.
Before he could decide what to do, the lone figure broke into a jog, and then a full-on sprint, and Naruto was so paralyzed with fear that he couldn't move.
And then he stiffened—there was a hot, pinching sensation in his ribs, following by spreading numbness. He tried to shout, to speak, but his strength was evaporating and his breath wouldn't come. He dropped to his knees, and to his surprise, he landed in something wet and warm.
Hot breath hit his cheek, and a voice from behind sneered, "Happy birthday, demon-brat." Four figures closed in around him, and he fell. He tried to move his arms, to shout for help, but his limbs only twitched, and his voice only gasped. Blackness closed in around his vision as he went cold, and then there was nothing.
ooo
ooo
A/N: Hey guys! Thanks to everybody who's commented, faved, or put me on alert, I really appreciate it! Truth be told, comments are like what I live for, so if you even just want to say 'Hey, I like chicken! You should add that!' I will love it, and I will love you. Hopefully you will be more inspired than that, but ya know. Anywhoo, as you maybe noticed, shit is about to hit the proverbial fan. Whooo! So yeah, what do you guys think so far? Characters in-character? Plot weaving like a persian rug? Hopefully so. Stay tuned for more exciting stuff!
