A/N:

Yo. It's soulfistx this time around. Before you ask—no this isn't an alternating thing—it's a Cren-Cinnabon is working at the Quickie Shack right now and can't be here to herald you all-thing, so hah, you're stuck with me.

Anyway, I don't have too much to say... except THANKS for the amazing reception. After... whatever—I'm not talking about that; but wow, you guys really followed through. 25 follows on our first chapter? Great. I know I'm a stickler for feedback quantity, moreso than some others, but still, 4 reviews is pretty good considering we didn't really give you all too much to work with.

Enough with that, though. We're bringing you this, Chapter 2, promptly on the 5th day after Chapter 1, just as we promised. And we hope that you reciprocate in kind, we'd love to know what you think. It's the circle of communication that keeps the world going, not the one line, huh?

Before I go here, I am going to say that we'll be doing our best to interact with you all, so let me give you a little list here. What do you think about this:

-Interactive Feedback Based Omakes & Our ones of our own conception (More details to come!)

-Chapter Title Releases

-Cover Page Interactivity

-Polls

-Full Author PM Availability

And more...!

So let's see what we can make of this journey together, hmm? It's great to see some familiar and new faces, but I want an army—smother us! Seriously.

Okay, bye.

Inherent Demons - Book One - Arc One

Chapter 2

Sandbox Mentality

The day was drawing to a close as the sun slowly sank into the horizon, giving way to the night. Lights all across the village began to turn on, almost in-sync, in response to the encroaching darkness. After Hinata had passed out once again, Naruto had remained, patiently awaiting her reawakening. The mugginess of the night gathered around them under the drifted light of the away buildings, leaving the two in their own zone, though not yet able to stick too thoroughly to the unwavering young man. Thankfully his wait soon came to an end as the young girl rose. Deeply apologizing for fainting and thanking him for watching over her, Hinata stood, and the two began to make their way (purposefully) towards Naruto's favorite food-stop.

"You really do faint a lot, Hinata," Naruto remarked, still oblivious to the true reason behind her fainting spells. Try as he might, it was harder than he'd imagined to restrain his pace; in the space between his words he found himself considering the word "addiction."

"I'm s-sorry, Naruto-kun," she replied with a light sigh, bringing a glance her way. As much as she appreciated the fact that he didn't know why she fainted, she also hated that it meant he didn't know how she felt about him. 'Maybe one day that will change,' she hoped while glancing over at the blond. She did smile a bit, though, seeing the boy whose eyes had already resumed their prance around the off-street they strode down, finally falling into an pace they could both agree with.

The streets were unusually empty, but neither one payed it much attention as they continued on their way; Naruto's thoughts were consumed with the delicious ramen that he planned to devour, while Hinata's were filled with all the things she hoped would one day come true regarding the blond youth…

"Hey, is that Naruto?!" called out a voice that Naruto instantly recognized, bringing him from his wonderful ramen day-dream. Looking around, Naruto located the source of the noise and grinned.

"Onī-chan!" he yelled happily, before running over to the man, who casually leaned against a wall. Hinata was taken aback by Naruto's choice of words and stared at the man he greeted. Judging from his attire, she assumed that he was a foreigner, possibly from Kirigakure or The Land of Waves. The man appeared to be in his early thirties with short, buzzed white hair, a large blue line going down the middle and a pair of dark sunglasses resting atop of his head. He had bright, intelligent blue eyes, thin white eyebrows, a full, trimmed beard across his narrow jawline with a toothpick occasionally moving in his mouth. In the light available, she could see that his skin was lightly tanned and he wore a traditional dark-blue unbuttoned jacket over a tight, simple white shirt which hugged his body, showing that he kept himself in very good shape. He also had on a pair of simple tan pants and oddly enough, shinobi sandals. All in all, he was a rather handsome man.

"Where are you off to at this time of night?" 'Onī-chan' questioned with an lifted eyebrow.

"Me and Hinata are on our way to get some Ichiraku, I'm starving!" Naruto explained, his growling stomach driving the point home.

"Hinata?" the man tilted his head a little to look behind Naruto and spotted the timid Hyūga. "You got a girlfriend?" he inquired with a grin.

Both the teens turned crimson at the question with Naruto quickly waving his hands before him. "We're not dating! She's just a friend of mine-ttebayo!" he shouted. Several drifting passersby stopped to see what all the commotion was, but upon seeing the cause, turned back to their tasks, almost as if disappointed.

Hinata, while disheartened by Naruto's comment about them being together, smiled slightly at the mention of being his friend. Of course they weren't… together… but still. 'There is still a chance...,' she thought, quickly refilled with hope of making it a reality. After recovering from the embarrassment, Hinata walked over by Naruto to introduce herself.

"G-Good evening, I'm H-Hyūga Hinata. It's a pleasure to meet you," she stated, eyes fixed on her feet, feeling both 'Onī-chan's' and Naruto's eyes fixed on her.

"The pleasure is all mine, little lady. My name is Kyōfu Aeron, and let me be the first to welcome you to my establishment," he said, bowing casually. Hinata lifted her head and gazed at the man and then shifted to the nearby sign hanging above the door that read '強風バー＆グリル.'

"The High-wind Bar & Grill?" she said aloud with a hint of curiosity.

"The one and only," Aeron responded with a grin, which slowly fell into a frown. "You've never been here before, have you?"

"I'm sorry, but... I never knew that this place existed until now…," Hinata nervously admitted.

"Well then, this is perfect!"Aeron exclaimed. "How about I treat the two of you to a delicious dinner to celebrate Otōto's upcoming victory, while at the same time enlightening your taste buds to some of the best cooking you will ever have?!"

"You'd do that Onī-chan?!" Naruto interjected excitedly, an eager gleam dashing across his eyes at the thought of food.

"For you and your gir-friend, of course I will. Let's head inside and find you a table." As Aeron turned and proceeded towards the door, Naruto grumbled under his breath at the man's slip-of-the-tongue before following behind with Hinata close on his heels.

The midday summer sun was shining brightly over Konoha, warming all that its brilliant rays touched; in contrast, a whispering, cool breeze blew through the village in an attempt to ward off the heat. In all, it was a pleasant day for the people who called Konoha home as they enjoyed the temperate weather.

To Naruto, peaceful days like these were boring; he walked aimlessly down the streets that ran through the village, humming a tune as he went—

"What could I do today…," Naruto mused in his usual pose of concentration, with both arms tightly crossed and his chin leaning in, squinting both eyes narrowly shut; he pondered a way to relieve the boredom that threatened to overwhelm him. His feet continued their measured strides, leading him through the crowds of people that filled the shopping district that he found himself in. Some of the villagers were courteous enough to give the golden-haired youth space to pass by undeterred, others stared at the blond with disgust, even going so far as to carelessly bump into him. He trudged on nevertheless, blocking out the disgusted looks and angry comments, meandering his way to what he hoped would be the end his lethargic state.

Naruto was hardly aware of the change in scenery as he turned down several different streets, coming upon an area of the village he had never ventured into before. Hushed whispers soon brought Naruto from his thoughts, causing him to take in his surroundings: Most of the street was unusually vacant of people except a few couples scattered here and there. On both sides of the street, buildings could be seen that were decrepit and run-down, a shadow of their former selves; wooden beams lay scattered and broken in both the doorways and on the ground, holes littered the roofs, letting in the light to give the inside a gray hue as it reflected off the dust that blanketed the interior. In contrast to the surrounding area, the few people that Naruto saw were fairly well dressed, from fine robes and kimonos to ornamental accessories and even jewelry. The one thing that Naruto noticed more than anything else were the stares that were aimed his way; they weren't the usual hateful glares he was accustomed to, these were more curious than anything else—

"I've never seen your face around here, boy, are you lost?" came a gruff, elderly voice to Naruto's right, startling him and drawing his gaze in its direction. His eyes, against the slitted glare of the sunlight, were met by the stare of an old man sitting on a broken bench, though it was apparent that he didn't seem to mind he was sitting at an angle. His skin had an almost leathery appearance and color with a prominent crease on his forehead and a pair of deep set eyes. A small, neatly trimmed mustache rested under his sharp pointed nose and his hair was short with a small, spiky ponytail in the back. His clothing, like that of those around him was far more held together than his surroundings were. He wore a dark brown robe, with a black sash around his waist and a black haori over his robes. Around his neck was a necklace along with a silver bracelet on each wrist, even the cane he had laid across his lap was made of silver.

The old man lifted an thick eyebrow when Naruto made no indication of answering. "Well? Are you lost?" the man repeated, curiously watching the boy who now had a curled fist raised backwardly above his brow to shield from the persistent light that peaked over building behind himself.

"Who? Me?" Naruto questioned, not used to being talked to in such a way. The man slightly chuckled as he slowly turned his head left and then right, surveying the street before setting his sight once more onto the blond.

"Any other 'boys' around here I could be talking to?"

"You're... not going to yell at me or chase me away?"he inquired, still confused and slightly suspicious of the man's intentions. The question didn't have the effect Naruto was expecting as a loud, hearty laugh erupted from the elderly man's gut.

"Haha! Now why would I do a thing like that to a young boy? You haven't done anything wrong that I'm aware of and I certainly have no reason for chasing you away unless you have some sort of disease..." The man stopped and looked very hard at Naruto. "Certainly doesn't seem anything is wrong with you. You're not sick are you, boy?"

Naruto dropped his arms, which had been acting as a makeshift vanguard, and looked down at his hands as he took a gentle step forward into the shade; he moved and turned his arms in inspection then lastly grabbed at the collar of his shirt, pulling it far enough out to look inside. "No, I don't think so," Naruto answered after his quick examination was through, the whole act causing the man to laugh once more.

"Oh, you youngsters these days are so amusing! Tell me, what's your name, child?" he asked, leaning in slightly as he awaited his answer.

"Uzumaki Naruto," he replied.

"Naruto, huh? Very interesting… and where might your parents be?"

"I don't know and I don't care!" Naruto venomously spat in haste, his brow furrowing in anger.

"I'm sorry to hear that…," the man replied, sorrow evident in his tone. "I can only imagine how hard it has been for you. My grandchildren lost their parents years ago and if it wasn't for me, would have no one to look after them." Naruto looked at the man and felt his anger quickly fade away. This man was actually sad for him and he could tell that it was no act.

"Thanks... Ojī-chan," Naruto softly muttered, still loud enough for the elder to hear.

"Thanks? Whatever for? I haven't done anything to earn your thanks yet, but, if you want to stick around, I'm sure my grandchildren would love to have a new playmate," he stated, watching as Naruto practically lit up with joy.

"You mean it!?" Naruto asked, thrilled at the prospect of having someone he could actually play with.

"Of course!" the old man replied with a large smile crossing his lips. The answer had Naruto running down the street, unable to contain his excitement as he ran past the others walking down the same road. The commotion had all present attentively watching the boy run off, leaving them both curious and confused as to what had taken place.

The old man chuckled as Naruto turned a corner, vanishing from sight before his features became very grim. Moving his right hand up along the sleek metal side of his cane, he slowly wrapped his gnarled fingers around its smooth wooden top, pulled it off of his lap and pressed the butt of the cane against the ground. In a quick motion, he lifted the cane up and slammed it down against the ground three times.

Upon the last strike, the air shimmered around the old man as a younger man materialized seemingly out of thin air. He was suited in a engulfing black that fell about his form, shrouding definition almost like a slick coating. "Yes, Sensei?" asked the man, surveying the area around him. His focus seemed to remain fixed.

"You saw the boy?"

"Yes."

"I want you to follow him, do not harm him, yet, but I want to know of his location in our district at all times."

He cocked his head slightly, a confused look on his face. "Is there any reason we're following him?"

"It may be nothing, but it could be something; I want you to gather whomever you think is your best and report to me, there is a task I will need them for."

"Yes, Sensei." Upon finishing the conversation, the man simply vanished, leaving the old man once again sitting on the bench, leaning over to one side.

"Uzumaki, huh?" he pondered, closing his eyes in thought.

…

The rest of the day flew by for Naruto as he played and explored with the old man's grandchildren, venturing into the old broken houses in search of 'treasure.' For the first time he could nearly remember, Naruto knew what it felt like to be a kid.

Alas, disappointment found him before long as day would turn to night and the kids were forced to retire for the night, but Naruto was thrilled at the prospect of returning whenever he chose.

Over the next several days, Naruto did just so, always being greeted by the old man when he would visit the district. He learned that many who lived in the area were part of what was once a large clan known as the Sutezuni. They fell into decline over the years, reduced to living in the squalor they found themselves in, but their pride refused to let them just fade into history. They wore fine clothes to hold onto what they once were, despite their current living conditions; and they grew to overlook their decrepit circumstances.

Naruto, in turn, grew to like the district and the people that inhabited it; never once did they yell or chase him and most were courteous when speaking to him...

"Back again are you, Naruto?" the old man asked with a smile on his face.

"Of course!" Naruto replied with his eyes closed and whilst presenting the grandest grin he could muster.

"Glad to see you're enjoying yourself! The kids should be around here somewhere, but I'm sure you will find them." Naruto nodded in agreement and ran off down the street, oblivious to how empty the streets were. The old man watched as Naruto left from his usual spot on the broken bench, aware of the presence of his invisible guests. "What news?" he asked aloud, seemingly to no one.

"It appears most of the village hates the boy, only adding onto the credibility of the documents I found confirming your suspicions," a feminine voice replied. "What course of action did you want to take, Sensei?"

The old man closed his eyes, digesting the information and mulling it over. "Eliminate him," the old man ordered without the slightest bit of remorse or hesitation.

"Very well," the voice responded one last time before going silent, leaving the old man alone once more. He lifted his cane from his lap, setting the butt against the ground and lifted himself up from his accustomed seat and began slowly walking down the empty street.

"So ends the legacy of the Hokage," he said to himself, the faintest hint of a smile forming at the edge of his lips.

Naruto felt an odd sensation as he ran down the road in search of the other kids, but he dismissed it, too intent on his search. However, the feeling persisted, bringing him to a halt as he looked around to find the cause. While looking around, he became painfully aware that the streets were deserted except for himself, giving him a sinking feeling in his gut that something was wrong. The feeling became more defined as he concentrated on it, almost like something was watching him… evaluating him. Not wanting to find out what was watching him, Naruto bolted in the opposite direction that sensation was originating. His little legs pumped with all the strength they could muster as he turned down road after road, slipping down alleys and narrow passages, but as he did, the 'eyes' would come at him from different directions, forcing him down another path.

Coming to a four way intersection, Naruto felt the presence of the 'eyes' from three sides. Without a second thought, Naruto cut down the street to his right, looking over his shoulder, attempting to get a look at what was following him, only to run into... a wall?

Dazed, Naruto focused ahead of himself; he clearly saw that the road continued on, lined with buildings on either side, but there was nothing in front of him. Hurriedly picking himself off the ground, he held his hands out and felt smooth stone where his eyes perceived nothing. "What the!?" Naruto questioned aloud, moving his hands along the 'wall' to find yet another one to his right and then his left. He now felt the 'eyes' behind him, drilling into his vulnerable back, causing him to turn around, throwing his back around, against the invisible wall; as he turned his eyes came to rest upon three ominous, shadowed figures, subconsciously causing him to press his back harder against the barrier in unease.

All three were dressed in similar outfits, with a black body suit that covered everything from head to toe that their clothing didn't. Over the suit, they each wore a sleeveless black jacket with a large cowl pulled over their heads, hiding their faces in darkness. The bottom of the jacket was tucked under their loose-fitting trousers with an obi holding it in place. The bottoms of the trousers were wrapped around tightly with a black cloth all the way down to their ankles with a pair of black socks and split-toed sandals on their feet along and sealed by a pair of black, fingerless gloves that covered from hand to elbow.

"I still don't see what the point of this is, he's just a kid," commented one of the three. Which one, Naruto could not tell.

The smallest of the three turned to the speaker, "Kid or not, he's the assignment," a female voice replied. "The order is to kill him, so that is what we will do."

"But a kid? This assignment is just degrading! What could a kid have possibly done to have us sent to kill him?" the first argued, turning towards the woman.

"It doesn't matter. This is an order from the higher-ups, so put your ego aside and finish the job!" she growled in response, obviously growing agitated. While the two argued amongst themselves, the third kept a vigil on Naruto, making sure he didn't go anywhere.

The entire time that the two talked, Naruto attempted several times to get out of the situation he found himself in. He knew enough to know that he was under some sort of jutsu and couldn't see the walls or how high they were, but that did nothing to stop him from trying to scale it. With the walls to his left and right being too far apart to allow him to shimmy up, he set his sights on simply jumping the wall in a single bound. He had made several attempts, ending in failure each time, when the third assailant laughed, drawing attention to himself.

"Whoever this kid is, he's definitely an amusing one to watch. Look at how he's struggling, clinging onto whatever small glimmer of hope that he can escape!" he chuckled. "I think it's about time we get done with the deed, don't you?" he then said, turning his head to the right to look at his companions.

"Fine, I'll do it." The man in the middle began walking forward, reaching behind his back and unsheathing a tantō somewhere on his back that Naruto didn't see before. As he moved forward, the other two flanked him, also drawing hidden tantō, merely as a precaution, but not foreseeing any possible problems being created by the boy.

Naruto panicked at the sight of the blades, setting him in a last ditch effort to escape his assailants. The frantic boy turned towards the wall to his right while backing all the way up to the wall on his left, with his back to the wall, he charged towards the wall in front of him. Several feet away from the wall, Naruto jumped, pressing his hands and feet against the wall as he came into contact with it. Without a seconds hesitation, he pushed off with all his might with both his legs and hands, turning in mid-air to collide with the opposite wall, repeating the process over and over again. His assailants stopped, watching as he bounced off wall after wall, steadily moving up the buildings.

"Seems he's finally figured it out," commented the man on the left in a chuckle. Naruto continued going up the walls until he felt the wind blowing over the tops of the 'invisible' buildings, managing to catch the top of the wall with his small hands. As he began to pull himself up, he came face to foot with one of the ninja. Slowly looking up, he looked into the darkness where the man's face should be, but still saw nothing.

"Sorry, kid, but can't let you leave," the man said while lifting his foot and sharply stomping it down on Naruto's face, causing the blond to lose his grip and descend in his long plummet to the ground. "No hard feelings."

Fiery red jolts of pain shot through his face as the wind whipped around him, desperately he tried reaching out for something to stop his fall, but there was nothing. The wind was bluntly blown out of his lungs as he hit the ground—a searing ache wracked his whole body as his eyes aimed skyward. He saw the blade come into his field of vision, moving so slow... as it arced down towards his chest. Pushing against the pain, he managed to roll away at the last second, the sword roughly stabbing into the ground where he once laid.

"Little shit," the man uttered, pulling the blade from the earth and making another stab at the blond. Naruto moved completely on instinct, pushing off with his right leg and hand, landing himself safely away from the second stab as it whipped by his cheek in a downward thrust.

Naruto kicked at the man, scoring a glancing blow across his hand, causing him lose grip of his blade. With the opening available, he scrambled away from the man, scraping the tips of his fingers along the floor of the dirty alley, never getting very far as he was suddenly grabbed and forcefully slammed back against an unknown wall; aghast in heavy breathing, all he could place was the coolness of the stone holding his staining scalp.

"Are you going to continue playing with the boy or are you actually going to kill him?" the man above asked, tilting his head to the side as he gazed down at the spectacle.

"Shut up already!" the mediocre assassin yelled up to his companion, moving his arm to press the blade against Naruto's throat.

Seconds seemed to pass by like hours for Naruto, feeling the colder steel biting into his neck, slowly inching its way across. No matter how hard he tried, his untrained body was simply too exhausted to fight anymore.

'Why... why does everyone hate me...? What did I ever do to deserve this...?' he questioned, feeling tears run down his dirtied, reddened cheeks at what seemed to be his inevitable death. 'I don't want to die... I don't want to die...' He saw his dreams go up in smoke as the blade moved along his neck, memories, both good and bad, vanished from his mind's eye. 'I don't want to die!'

Naruto's hand shot up suddenly, grabbing the man's wrist, stopping him from moving the blade any further. The wound along his neck began to smoke and sizzle as it quickly closed, stemming and evaporating the trickling blood flow. There was an audible crack as Naruto's nose snapped back into alignment, hissing as the chakra sped up the mending process. "I don't want to die!" Naruto shouted, cocking back his free arm and punching it forward, with all the might he could muster, into the darkness of his assailant's cowl. He felt something compress and break under his fist just as the man he hit was thrown several meters down the alley to lie in a heap on the ground. One of the assailants looked at their comrade while the other watched Naruto.

"I knew it! You look just like that demon!" the female voice shouted as she beheld Naruto's changes. His eyes glowed red instead of their normal blue and he looked more feral than he did seconds ago; but, as quickly as he changed, he just as quickly returned to normal. His eyes rested transfixed on the felled ninja, before he regained awareness, his eyes slowly trailing down to his tiny balled fist… In Naruto's dazed state, he never heard the woman's blade hitting the ground, and he never saw her fist come barreling into the side of his face, spinning by the neck and throwing him roughly into the nearby wall.

He couldn't react as the woman continued her assault, dashing in punching at his head until he fell to the floor, stopping only long enough to start kicking and stomping on him. Naruto hardly felt any of it as the transient energy that filled him quickly drained away, leaving his body numb to the pain. Making a last futile attempt, he tried to crawl back towards the street, only for the woman to viciously stomp on his extended hand.

"You're not going anywhere, you damn monster!" she screamed, pulling her foot back and launching it forward, connecting with his face. The man, who had long ago jumped down from his perch to check on his fallen comrade, turned to regard his other companion.

"Just kill the boy already, this has already taken longer than it needs to…,"—he kneeled, running a hand against the ninja's neck to check his condition—"we need to get him some medical attention," he finished, gesturing. Happy to oblige, the woman scanned the ground and upon finding what she was looking for she reached out and grabbed the hilt of her dropped tantō. Gripping onto the hilt with both hands, she lifted the blade above her head.

Naruto's eyes fluttered, on the brink of losing consciousness. He faintly heard what was said between his two assailants, he heard the sound of metal scraping across the ground as it was retrieved; in the back of his mind, he knew what was coming, he knew he had to move, but he was too far enveloped by the dark realm of unconsciousness for any motor function.

The woman sent the blade in a downward arc, plunging it down towards Naruto's back…

As the blade reached the midpoint of its movement, a large lance came flying through the air, encouraging the man at the mouth of the alley to duck below the projectile, catching the blade and ripping from it from the woman's hands before embedding itself into the far wall.

"You people should pick on someone who can fight back, instead of harmless little kids," said a stern voice from the beginning of the alley. The two assassins followed the spear's path back to its owner, who stood in a rather relaxed manner, chewing on a toothpick. There were several seconds as the three stared off before anything else was said. The woman suddenly reached for a kunai, only to be stopped by her partner, who intuitively raised a hand.

"It won't be of any use, this is Kyōfu Aeron. Your weapons wouldn't do much good against an opponent like him."

"How the hell—," Aeron started.

"We know everything about you: where you're from, about your family…," the man stopped, turning to look at Naruto, "what you are."

"If that's the case, then you should piss off and leave the kid," Aeron said, hostility evident in his voice as he cracked his knuckles.

The man turned his head once more, looking down at his fallen comrade and slightly nodded in agreement. Moving over, he grabbed onto the unconscious man's arms and pulled him onto his back.

"What are yo—," the woman started, cut off as her companion shouted.

"Enough! There is nothing we can do. We're going to have to regroup." Reluctantly, the woman agreed, forming a hand sign and seemingly vanishing into the air. With her gone, the man focused his attention once more onto Aeron. "We will be watching," he said while forming the same hand sign, disappearing from sight with his cargo.

Aeron stood, eyes glancing left and right until he felt their presence leave before sighing deeply. "This place is really starting to remind me of home." Aeron slowly walked over to Naruto, staring down at his unconscious form, a sad smile on his face. "You've really got it pretty bad, kid, worse than I did."

Kneeling down, he carefully picked up the boy's small body. "He's probably going to be out for awhile after a beating like that," Aeron said aloud. "Probably going to be hungry, too."

…

When the couple entered the restaurant, they were greeted by the overwhelming aroma of various delicious foods being cooked on the many grills that were built into each booth; booths lined the walls on either side with a wall running down the center of the restaurant, also lined with booths on either side. On the back wall, opposite the entrance, were five doors that Hinata could only assume led to private rooms for special guests, parties… or bathrooms. To the immediate right of the front door was the register with two additional doors next to it and a lance mounted above the doors.

The weapon's long shaft appeared to be polished onyx that reflected the ambient light, illuminating elaborate golden designs that ran up to the tip of the weapon. The head branched off into three parts, the main in the middle was thick and sharply pointed. Two side blades curved in towards the main head, leaving a large enough gap to catch most weapons. She admired the beauty of the deadly weapon, noting the plaque that read, 'Gunshin no Mori,'affixed directly beneath the blade.

"This way, you two," Aeron called while walking towards the back doors. Several of the patrons glanced up from their meals, easily spotting the orange-clad boy, and stared at him with hatred in their eyes. Hinata's eyes roamed from face to face and each was the same, filled with anger upon seeing Naruto walk through the door.

"Why would they let that 'thing' in here?" a woman venomously whispered as the three walked by.

"Filth should stay where it belongs," spat a man a little distance away.

'Why does everyone hate Naruto? What has he ever done to make them feel this way?' Hinata thought to herself as she continued to look around the room at all the eyes staring back.

"That's just great, I get my food and in walks 'that.' This whole evening is ruined," loudly groaned a younger man closer to the trio. Once the words had left the man's lips, an ominous tension permeated the air as Aeron slammed down his fist with ungodly strength onto the table, sending a large crack racing up its middle. All eyes were fixed on him as he now stood, hulking over, glaring at the young man.

"If you have a problem with it, then get the hell out before I throw you out," Aeron growled angrily, causing the man to slide back towards the wall behind him, putting as much room as possible between himself and the angry owner. "That also goes for the rest of you," he continued while turning, looking around the room after removing his fist from the table. "If you have a problem with who I let in my establishment, then get the fuck out! I'll even refund your damn money, but I don't want to ever see your faces back in here again!" he shouted, glaring at every face looking his way. After several tense seconds, one by one, the few present customers began getting up and filing towards the front doors. With the customers gone, the only ones left were Aeron, Naruto, Hinata and the restaurant's staff.

With a heavy sigh, Aeron looked at his employees' surprised faces. "Lock it up," he informed them with an even tone before turning around, placing his hand on one of the doors. He slid the door open and moved out of the way, making a waving gesture for the kids to proceed inside. Both Naruto and Hinata's mouths hung open in disbelief and shock; neither could fully grasp just what had happened within such a short time span. "You two coming?" he calmly asked when neither showed any acknowledgment of what was going on around them.

Not wishing to fuel the man's anger, the two entered the room to find a large table that was already set up and ready for use. Naruto immediately plopped himself down at the table, squishing the taut faux-leather, followed by Hinata who gracefully sat down next to him; as she did, she glanced about, taking in a cursory impression of the room. With the two seated, Aeron walked in behind them and sat down in a relaxed manner opposite of Naruto.

"I'm sorry you two had to see that," Aeron apologized, sighing.

"It's alright, Onī-chan, I'm used to it," Naruto stated with a somber smile. Both Aeron and Hinata could see the pain etched on Naruto's characteristically cheerful countenance.

"Aeron-san," said Hinata, drawing the man's attention, "if you don't mind my asking... why did everyone leave?"

Aeron smiled slightly as he regarded the girl. "Well, there are a couple of reasons why those people left here tonight, but only a few worth mentioning. The first one of those, which is pretty obvious…," he said, stopping to look over in Naruto's direction. "Peer pressure would be the other one," he finished.

"Peer pressure?" Naruto asked, cocking his head to side, not fully understanding what he was talking about.

"Let me explain with an example that even you can understand, Otōto," Aeron said to the young ninja's defiant chagrin. Naruto glared at the man in response, but kept silent. "Let's say there is a man; that man happened to know several other people out in the lobby here tonight. If that same man decided to stay when the others all had left, that man would be ostracized because he didn't share the popular opinion," Aeron finished, staring at the blond as Naruto assumed his normal thinking posture. Aeron stifled a chuckle after several seconds until Naruto burst into motion.

"Gah! I don't get it!" Naruto shouted, raking his fingers through his hair in a exaggerated manner. Noting Naruto's frustration, Hinata contemplated a different approach.

"M-Maybe, that man goes with the others to get r-ramen...," she mused. Aeron looked over at her with a quizzical expression nascent in his gaze. "While the others order t-tonkatsu ramen, the man orders miso ramen. The others would leave the man with the m-miso ramen because he didn't share their favorite."

Aeron opened in his mouth in an attempt to question Hinata's unusual analogy, when off to the side, Naruto contemplated the scenario in unwavering silence.

After several seconds, he suddenly slapped his hands together and nodded his head. "I got it," Naruto blared vociferously, tearing through the silence with a vengeance.

"You've got to be kidding me...," Aeron groaned, covering his eyes with his hand. With her hands placed on the edge of the table, she closed her eyes and with a slight smile, resignedly shrugged her shoulders.

"But what about you, Onī-chan? You just banned all those people from this place all because of me," Naruto asked with a concerned look.

Aeron chewed lightly on his toothpick before finally giving a light shrug as he regarded the blond. "As much as I would like to, it wouldn't really do me any good keeping everyone locked out. Most likely, all of them will come back eventually, weaseling their ways back in; but mark my words, I'll remember the ones who made a comment tonight and those 'lucky' few won't be getting in. I don't take kindly to people messing with those I care about."

Naruto seemed to relax once Aeron was finished, but Hinata was still left wondering: why did everyone seem to hate Naruto? Before Hinata could ponder the thought anymore, Aeron suddenly slammed his hand on the table, causing both his companions to jump at the noise. It wasn't that he put so much force into the action… but the spontaneity of the evening still had the two young ninja disoriented, raising their heads in unison.

"How rude of me, with everything going on, I nearly forgot I was treating you guys to some food!" he bellowed. "Pick anything you guys want and I'll have my boys whip it up. They've got nothing better to do since I kicked everyone else out," he said with a happy laugh.

"Alright!" Naruto cheered happily as he picked up the menu in front of him with Hinata quietly following suit. While the two scanned through their respective menus, Aeron pulled the toothpick from his mouth, then placed his middle finger and thumb in his mouth—with a short intake of air, he expelled his breath forth into a sharp, loud whistle. After several seconds, the door opened to reveal one of Aeron's female employees.

"Yes, Bosu?" she inquired.

"Inform the boys that I have two very important guests here and I want nothing short of their best. Also, I would like a bottle of sake, if you would be so kind, and whatever the kids want." The brunette waitress nodded and turned, waiting patiently, arms folded over the serving tray she held near her midsection.

"I'll take some water," Naruto answered, followed by Hinata;

"I would like a cup of Ocha, please."

"I'll be right back with your drinks," the waitress informed them with a smile before exiting the room, closing the door behind her.

With the three left once again alone, Naruto and Hinata resumed looking over their respective menus while Aeron tapped his fingers on the table. After several more seconds of consideration, Naruto snapped his menu shut. "I'm ready!"

Aeron smiled at the boy's enthusiasm as he reached down into his right pocket and pulled out a little notepad and a pen. "Alright, lay it on me."

Naruto began naming off a list of all the things he wanted, with Aeron jotting them down one after the other. As the list continued to grow, Aeron shook his head in amusement at the sheer quantity that was being ordered by one person. When Naruto had finished, Aeron glanced over to Hinata, finding that she was ready to recite her items. Once finished writing down everything, Aeron ripped the list from his pad and placed it on the table.

"Aeron-san," Hinata called once he was finished. "If you don't mind me asking... how is it that you and Naruto-kun know each other?" she asked curiously when the waitress returned carrying their drinks. A broad grin spread across his face at her question as beverages were handed to their respective orderers.

"I would be more than happy to tell you that story, but, in order for me to do that, I would have to tell you a little bit about myself." He chewed on his toothpick and glanced at the waitress. Spotting the list, the waitress grabbed it, excused herself and left, closing the door behind her. "Now, I'm not going to bore you with my life story," he continued, pouring himself a glass of sake, "because we could be here forever if I did." He stopped suddenly, staring absently into the glass as he recalled the distant memories of his past.

"I was born and raised in Kirigakure and when I was able, I built myself a little restaurant similar to this one here… However, extenuating circumstances saw to it that I lost that and everyone I had ever cared about…," he said, stopping on the pressure in his lower throat, sorrow etched on his features as he relived the memories. Hinata, too, stared long and hard at him, knowing that look so well as she glanced at Naruto.

Aeron shook himself from his thoughts and downed the glass before continuing. "Anyway, after all that, I decided it was time for a change in scenery and left all of it behind and traveled. Eventually, I found myself here in Konoha, grew to like it and decided to settle down and open a new restaurant." He poured himself another glass, but unlike with the first, he only took a small sip. "Unfortunately, me being a foreigner, my place wasn't really looked upon highly, especially with plenty of local places to go to. For the first couple of weeks, this place was pretty dead and we closed pretty early because of that."

Aeron looked up from his glass, fixing his gaze alternatively first on Naruto, and then Hinata, finding out if either were really paying attention. Naruto's focus was constantly drawn all over the room as he made an attempt to busy himself, already knowing the man's story, as he waited for food; Hinata, however, had her eyes glued on the man, absorbing every word. He inwardly smiled at the contrast between the two youths as he took another sip of his bitter drink.

"On one such a day that I closed the place up early, I took a walk around Konoha to learn more of the place that I was now calling home. Coming around on a pretty popular district, I see this ugly, little blond kid get tossed out of a restaurant, landing face first in the dirt."Aeron couldn't resist a laugh when he noticed the look Naruto was giving him upon realizing he was being made fun of.

"Anyway," Aeron continued once he regained his composure, "the kid gets up, brushes himself off, and runs in my direction. I tried to catch him, but he just wiggled out of my grip and kept running. I followed him after that and eventually found him sitting on a roof, staring at the moon." Aeron smiled, recalling the fond memory with his eyes fixed on the blond in front of him. "We sat on that roof together for hours. At first he was very hesitant to open up to me, so I opened up to him instead. It was comforting to just... let it all go and open up to someone, even if it was just some random stranger who knew nothing about me, it just felt... right. He eventually talked about himself, which turned out to be not a whole lot…."

Aeron stopped and both males looked at one another, a strange understanding passing between the two, something that Hinata didn't miss.

"It was like I had met a kindred spirit who had felt the same pain that I did; the pain of losing my friends, my family, my dreams, but he never had any of that to begin with. He never knew what it was like to have a family, or anyone care for him and everyone hated him for no apparent reason. I, being a foreigner, couldn't understand why a child was so ostracized, but I would have none of it. I then told him that he should come by my restaurant the next day to try my food out and boy, was I in for a surprise," Aeron grinned.

"True to his word, he came by the very next day as I opened and we gave him a feast fit for a lord. You wouldn't believe it, but he could put away some food. I don't know if even one of the Akimichi clan could keep up with him," he laughed—"After he finished, he gave me the brightest smile I had ever seen in my life and said he was going to repay me, and so he did. He ran out of my restaurant, hollering at the top of his lungs all throughout the village about my food. Sure, many may have ignored him, but something would stick in the back of their minds regardless, and they would eventually come around to try our cooking."

"After that day, business skyrocketed and since we've usually been fully booked. Most of my success is thanks to this little mo—most a…amazing guy right here," he stated with a slight wave of his hand toward Naruto. "So when someone says something that I don't like about him, it just pisses me off," Aeron finished, pouring his last remaining cup of sake and gulping it down with one determined gulp, shutting his eyes as he did so.

Naruto bashfully rubbed the back of his head. "It was nothing really…," he admitted sheepishly. Hinata found herself staring, deep in thought, at her tea, watching the steam drift up and disappear. 'Naruto has had such a horrible life... I'm glad that he had someone who was able to accept him for the person he is,' she thought with a sad smile.

"So, Hinata, how lo—," Aeron started when the door slid open again, followed by a woman's voice. This voice; the slightly shrill, effeminate, baritone voice, found its way decisively around the ajar door's leeway, across the polished floor, and up the leg of a chair, crawling right into the curvature of the poor man's ear.

"Aeron-kun, why didn't you tell me that Otōto was here?!" the woman shouted angrily as she walked into the room. A twitch was visible on Aeron's brow at the added honorific. Hinata, Naruto and Aeron all turned towards the door at different speeds, setting their eyes on the newcomer. The woman appeared to be young and full of life, despite her current, angry demeanor. She had long, silky deep brown hair that framed her enchanting face with a pair of dark green, piercing eyes. In contrast to Aeron she had milky, white skin and wore a light red, alluring dress that showed off her womanly features to their fullest.

"I leave for one second and come back to find the place locked up and deserted!" The woman turned and looked down at Naruto, still with anger etched on her features. "And you, you little runt, should know better than to leave me in the dark," she growled, clearly still aggravated by the situation.

Naruto shrunk away from the woman in fear. "S-sorry, N-Nē-chan," he managed under the frightening glare of the woman. To Naruto, this felt like his earlier meeting with Sakura all over again. Preparing for the worst, Naruto stiffened and clenched his eyes shut, waiting for the imminent beating. However, he was suddenly wrapped in the woman's warm embrace.

"You really need to stop by more often, you know we worry about you," she stated while hugging the boy generously.

Naruto relaxed into the hug upon realizing her intent and lightly smiled. "I'll try, Nē-chan," he acquiesced.

"Yukano, he's a shinobi of Konoha; he's got things to do other than stopping by here so you can coddle him," Aeron stated with a tone of slight annoyance, grating his teeth as he spoke.

Yukano glared at the man after letting go of the blond. "Not all of us can be emotionless like you," she snapped matter-of-factly.

"Oh come on, I'm not emotionless," he sighed while hanging his head. "…Why do I even bother, a man can never win an argument with a woman," he mumbled, almost as an afterthought.

"Yep!" Yukano happily agreed with a grin, when out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something she didn't before. "Oh, who are you?" she questioned setting her sights on the unwary Hinata.

Hinata had watched the interaction between the three and couldn't help but smile; they were more or less a dysfunctional family, but a family nonetheless. However, conversely, she felt more and more like a stranger—even to Naruto, whom she had known for the better part of her life.

"I'm s-sorry, my name is Hyūga Hinata," she said after being quickly drawn from her musings.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Hinata," Yukano smiled. "So, are you Naruto's girlfriend?" she inquired, causing both Naruto and Hinata to blush.

"They're just friends," Aeron stated for them, seeing that neither was in a state to answer. Just then, a knock came, followed by the door sliding open. "Ah! The food's done!" Aeron called out, informing the others.

"Finally! I'm starving!" Naruto eagerly exclaimed as one by one, plate after plate was brought into the room and placed on the table. Yukano moved out of the way and sat down by Aeron, opposite of Hinata. Once the table was fully set, Naruto's eyes roamed across its contents, making a mental note of where everything was, causing him to practically drool with hunger. Quickly snatching up his chopsticks, he slapped them together between his hands as he shouted, "Itadakimasu!" Formalities out of the way, Naruto dove right into the food, oblivious to the looks he was receiving from the others. And pleasantly oblivious, at that.

Craning his neck, Aeron handed his empty sake glass to the waitress, trading it for a full one, poured himself another cup and sipped it, the slightest tinge of a blush growing his cheeks as the effects of the alcohol were finally beginning to reach him. With Naruto already digging into the food, the other three began to eat as well, for fear that Naruto would devour their meals, too.

"E-Excuse me… Yukano-san, was it…?"—receiving a nod in confirmation, she continued, "A-Are you and Aeron-san siblings?" Hinata asked curiously.

"Heh, there's a funny story behind that," Aeron said with a light chuckle. "As I mentioned earlier, I traveled the world. During said travels, I was ambushed by a group of bandits, one of them being in this very room." He tilted his head and looked to Yukano with a mischievous grin.

Yukano on the other hand, turned her head away and looked at the ceiling, a blush finding its way across her cheeks.

"You're a b-bandit?" Hinata gasped, the thought of a criminal sitting in the same room making her uncomfortable.

Aeron picked up on Hinata's distress and patted the air to calm her down. "She's a former bandit. Don't worry, she's been rehabilitated." The statement had the desired effect on Hinata, however, it also had repercussions…

"You make it sound like I was a terrible person!" Yukano snapped, a scowl on her face as she glared at the man.

"Oh calm down, you were a terrible person. You pillaged the weak of their belongings and left on your merry way to do whatever bandits do," he casually replied, rotating his hand at the wrist.

As Yukano became more enraged, a vein started to bulge on her forehead. "At least they lived to see another day! We did what we had to, to survive!" She slammed the table suddenly, causing Hinata to jump slightly while Naruto abruptly stopped eating mid-chew, darting his head up from the bowl beneath his sauce-dripping chin and deftly to the left and right, looking around to see what was the kerfuffle.

Aeron took another sip of his sake, unperturbed by her theatrics. "I'm sure you did, but that all ended when you picked the wrong target. Didn't it?" A smug smile formed on his lips around the rim of his glass as the comment hit a chord within the woman, who blushed furiously once more and looked away. Seeing that the situation wasn't going to escalate any further, Naruto promptly continued eating, however, Hinata regarded man intently.

"You mean... she," she softly spoke the words, finding it hard to believe. Aeron nodded as he looked at her.

"She and her group attacked me," he stated. "Now, I know I don't look like much, but I assure you that I'm not someone to mess with," he said with a confident grin. With a better understanding of the relationships of everyone in the room, Hinata resumed eating along with Aeron and Yukano.

As the night wore on and the hour grew late, the four finished their meal. Hinata and Naruto thanked Aeron and Yukano for their hospitality and departed for the Hyūga compound…

"They were really nice," Hinata commented as she and Naruto walked down one of the busier streets.

"Yeah, they're really great," Naruto happily agreed as he escorted her towards her home. On the way, Hinata couldn't help but notice all the hateful stares aimed at the bright-orange-dressed Naruto next to her. She shifted her gaze to the blond, his characteristic smile on as if nothing was wrong, but the look in his cerulean eyes betrayed the pain he always did his best to hide.

'They're the same looks as at the restaurant…,' she noted. 'Why…,' she asked herself the un-answered question with her eyes still focused on the blond. Before she even realized it, they had come to their destination.

"Here we are!" Naruto stopped before the compound, staring at the front gate.

"T-Thank you, Naruto-kun, I really enjoyed t-tonight," she smiled with a light blush on her cheeks.

"Mhm, we should do this again," Naruto added. "I guess I'll see you later."

Hinata nodded. "Goodnight, Naruto-kun."

"Goodnight, Hinata-chan," Naruto replied casually as he turned to leave. Hinata struggled to maintain her composure upon hearing the added suffix to her name, her blush increasing in hue as she watched the blond depart. Once out of sight, she immediately leaned against the gate for its tangible support as she steadied her breathing.

"He... called me... Hinata-chan…," she whispered, enjoying the feel of the words on her lips. Perhaps her dream may really come true she thought while making her way towards her room.

A little ways away, Naruto slowly made his way to his own meager apartment… until a sudden thought stopped him in his tracks. "Aww man! I was supposed to ask Hinata to help me train!" he shouted into the night. With his question un-asked, he grumbled at his own forgetfulness all the way to his bed.

A/N:

I hope you all enjoyed that, and you know there's more where that all came from this coming Wednesday; keep your eyes open, head up and tongue out-and REVIEW!

Next Time: Chapter 3 - Special Thwoes