Hope you like this chapter! DC: I don't own Naruto...yay.

Chapter 3

Naruto stared at the opposite wall, straining to hear anything happening in the hallway. He could hear the floor creaking under footsteps and the soft pad of ninken on the wooden floor. A cough or a sneeze would ring out every so often, and he would hear the clunk of a cane often because of the floor he stayed on.

He was staying in the Inuzuka apartment complex as the council wanted. The building itself was three stories tall and had a flat roof with stairs leading up to it inside. Each story had a different makeup of people: the first story housed the elderly and disabled, the second housed families, and the third young couples with no children or young singles.

Naruto was on the first floor, and he was trying to better his hearing, hence his strained listening. His bedroom was bare with only a few clothes hanging in the closet and an alarm clock sitting on a nightstand. He was sitting on his bed, one of the furnishings the apartment came with. It was a one-bedroom apartment, much like his old one. In the combination of a kitchen and living room, a stove sat in the middle of a Formica-topped counter set against the right wall with cabinets above it. A sink was installed to the side of the stove. At the end of the counter sat a refrigerator, bought with donated money from the clan.

The door, which opened into the living-kitchen room, had a flap built into the bottom like every door in Inuzuka compound, and Shiro, tail wagging, walked through it. Naruto heard his panting and patted the bed beside him. The puppy leaped onto the bed and nuzzled the blonde's hand affectionately. Tsume, knowing Shiro and Naruto shared a special connection somehow, chose the black puppy as his ninken. Shiro licked his hand, and the blonde laughed and scratched behind his ears.

"Hey, Shiro. What've you been up to?" he asked. Shiro barked, and Naruto nodded in understanding. "Chasing cats? That sounds fun." He turned quiet, continuing to scratch Shiro, a satisfied look spreading across on his face. Naruto stopped abruptly, and Shiro looked at him questioningly. "C'mon, I wanna go somewhere." Naruto stood cautiously and took small, shuffling steps to the counter. He had already memorized the layout of the apartment, but it didn't hurt to be careful.

He searched the countertop with pats of the hand and eventually landed on a small leash. He smiled and bent down, finding the loop and holding it open for Shiro. The small puppy ducked his head into the leash and licked Naruto's hand, and the blonde pulled the loop closed. He straightened. "How about we go for a walk?" Shiro barked in agreement and led Naruto to the door. The blonde reached out for the doorknob but missed on his first try. He ran his hand along the door until he finally found the knob and opened the door.

He raised his foot up high, knowing a bump in the floor was eminent. However, he misjudged and tripped, falling flat on his face. He heard a gasp and hurried footsteps. Naruto waved a hand airily, pushing himself back to his feet. "I'm fine, just fine. I just tripped." The footsteps stopped, and Shiro butted him in the shin, a habit of his, and Naruto chuckled. "I'm fine, Shiro. Really." He peered at where he guessed the owner of the footsteps would be. He waved his arms, bumping one on the wall. "See? Nothing wrong."

The person gave a worried sigh. "Sorry," she said, the voice a woman's, "It just looked like a bad fall. Are you sure you're alright?" He grinned widely, and that was evidence enough for the woman. "Oh, alright. I'll see you then, Naruto." Her footsteps faded away, and Shiro tugged Naruto toward what he knew was the door leading outside. He again searched for the doorknob and opened the door, feeling the wind brush against his face. He put up his hand instinctively, but his eyes no longer needed to adjust.

Someone greeted him warmly, and he returned it. By the slower, more deliberate footsteps, it was an older person, and the heavy trudge of boots told him it was likely a man. The footsteps went by him, and Naruto was tugged toward the courtyard. He stumbled and fell, and Shiro patiently waited as Naruto stood and brushed himself off. Then the pup tugged him forward again.

As he entered the courtyard, Naruto heard several people call his name, and he looked in the direction of their voices. They called again, and Naruto grinned and walked to them in his shuffling gait. Shiro yapped, and Naruto felt his feet bump into something hard. He reached and felt a rough, wooden surface. He traced its edges, finding both the length and width to be around five feet. The voices again said his name, but now they were close. They were inside this square thing, he thought.

"Hi," he greeted, hands going to the inside of the square, "Whatcha doin'?" His hands meet something gritty but soft, and he realized it was the sandbox set off to the side of the courtyard nearest the kitchens. Cooks would leave their kids here to play while they made dinner. He heard giggling, and he turned his head toward it. "What's so funny?"

"Nuthin'!" It was a little boy, or at least Naruto thought it was. Children's voices were hard to tell gender from, and he hadn't had much practice.

"Then why're you laughin'?"

"Well, you look funny when you touched the outside," explained another voice, a girl's.

"I do?"

"Yep," agreed the boy. Naruto stuck out his tongue in his direction and carefully lowered himself into the sandbox, feeling the sand beneath his fingers. There was another round of giggling, and Naruto cocked his head before Shiro yipped at them.

"Huh? What was that, Shiro?" The pup yipped again. "Well, let 'em think it's funny," he said, smirking at where he guessed the boy was, "but I'm gonna build a better sand castle than any of 'em." There was a collective gasp of about five, and the boy smiled.

"Alright, you're on." And so they began to construct their own castles. Shiro settled on the wood of the sandbox and watched them play contently. The boy had the advantage, having eyes to see different shapes and how parts would come together. Naruto had only his hands, and they carefully watered the sand and melded it into shapes. Several times his castle would fall over, but he was undeterred, reshaping the flaws and recreating the perfect designs. The boy finished well before him and presented his castle proudly, but Naruto didn't notice, too absorbed in his own building.

An hour passed, and Naruto was left alone, Shiro now taking a nap. His hands moved to their own rhythm, outlining the edges and exploring nooks and crannies he made. Carefully, he would place sand into place, and his hands stilled as he waited for it to topple, but when it didn't, he would start a new sand shape. The castle slowly came into shape, an elaborate sculpture with two stories, a moat, roughly hewn windows, and four turrets. A grin spread across his face as he felt the completed object.

"Ha! Take that, smartypants!" he gloated, turning to where the boy had been, but when he heard no response, he frowned. "What? Not gonna say nothin'?" Shiro, by this time awake, grunted and stretched. Naruto looked at him. "Huh? They're gone? Weird, I didn't hear 'em leave." He shrugged. "Must've been scared of my sand-castle-making skills. C'mon, let's go." Shiro nodded and carried the leash handle to Naruto's outstretched hand. "Good boy."

They made their way to the outside gate, and Naruto patted the side of the post to find the latch. He lifted it, and Shiro led the way onto the street. It was just past noon when Naruto found his way into the market district, and he was confused by the cacophony of sounds and voices. It would swell and wane suddenly, and Naruto halted several times to orient himself. He was pushed aside when he did, but he paid it no mind. He tried to recount the steps he usually took to the one place he was trying to reach, but the shoves kept coming.

One hard shove knocked him against the wall, and he shook it off before an idea popped into his head. He crouched down to talk to Shiro. "Hey, you know ramen, little guy? The smell of it, y'know." The black dog cocked his head but then licked Naruto's hand to say yes. "You do? Great! OK, can you try to lead me through here? I'm kinda confused." Shiro licked his hand again, and he took point.

Naruto bumped into people's sides as he more or less ricocheted out of the crowd, Shiro steadily pulling him forward. By the time the crowds had thinned, the blonde had regained his bearings, and he pulled gently back on the leash. Shiro stopped, and Naruto concentrated, discerning different noises: the endless, faint footfalls of the crowd behind, yelling voices of the merchants at their stalls, the clang and clatter of dishes, and the hiss of boiling water.

He focused in on the last two sounds and slowly picked up his feet and trudged toward the source. As he neared, a smile spread across his face as he picked out the smell of ramen, and not just any ramen. Shiro kept in front, but he too smelled it and knew this was where his guardian wanted to go. Soft cotton flaps brushed against Naruto's face, and he distractedly waved them away. Inside, he was greeted by two familiar, warm voices.

"Naruto!" shouted a young girl's voice, "Where've you been?" There was a genial greeting in where Naruto thought the back would be, and he shouted back.

"Hospital," he explained, remembering roughly where the stools were and reaching to touch one. "Had a bit of an accident." He sat, a grin on his face. Shiro barked, not wanting to be forgotten, and the girl Ayame squealed.

"Aw! That's a cute puppy! Can I pet him?"

"Sure, if that's alright with Shiro." She laughed at the name, and Naruto heard a soft, content grunt from Shiro as she scratched him behind the ears. Ayame laughed again and then looked directly at Naruto. Though he couldn't see it, a frown slowly formed on her face.

"Hey, Naruto, what's wrong with your eyes?" she asked.

"Hm?" he asked, feigning deafness and turning toward her, "What was that?"

"Your eyes. They're a different color, and you're looking kinda off from me." The frown deepened. "What kind of accident did you have?"

He squirmed uncomfortably. He really just wanted to eat ramen and go. "Lightnin' hit me."

"That's more than a little accident, Naruto, for cryin' out loud!" admonished Ayame. Naruto heard heavy steps come from the back when she did so, and Teuchi's, the father of Ayame, voice asked,

"What? What's goin' on?"

"Naruto here said getting struck by lightning was no big deal!" Naruto blushed and looked away, and Shiro butted him in the ankle teasingly.

"I didn't say that," he defended weakly, "It was a little accident."

Teuchi laughed. "So what's a big accident?"

Naruto looked to where Teuchi's eyes would be. "Me becoming blind. That's a big accident." Ayame gasped as she finally understood, but then the blonde grinned brightly. "But don't worry! Tsume-kaa-san and the Inuzuka clan took me in! I live in my own apartment and eat dinner with a family and even got this little guy right here!" He batted at where Shiro was, and the puppy butted him again. "So no worries!"

Teuchi smiled. "That's good. If anyone can take of you, the Inuzuka can. Good clan. Good customers too." Ayame nodded, and then, remembering that Naruto could not see it, hugged him.

"I hope you do well, Naruto," she said. There was a growl, and Naruto blushed and looked down as everyone mistakenly looked at Shiro. "Was that the dog?"

"No," corrected the blonde, "that was my stomach." She and Teuchi blinked but then laughed.

"Well then we better get you some food!" shouted Teuchi, "Chop-chop!" They busied themselves and quickly produced a steaming, delicious-smelling bowl of miso ramen for Naruto and a bowl of pork for Shiro. Naruto hesitantly handled the chopsticks, but he held them comfortably and slowly picked up a heap of noodles. He lifted them to his mouth and missed. He missed on the second try again, but the third was the trick. Soon the two were chowing down, and Naruto didn't even notice when Kiba and Hinata walked in and sat down beside him. Hinata poked him on the shoulder to try to get his attention, but he didn't respond. Kiba, on the other hand, knew to wait from past experience.

Shiro finished first and allowed Hinata to pick him up and set him in her lap. He barked, and Akamaru barked a greeting from Kiba's pocket. Naruto put down his chopsticks at Shiro's bark and frowned over at him. "How'd you get on the chair, Shiro? You're too short," he asked bluntly. Shiro snorted, and then Naruto noticed the breathing of two people and the strong, wild scent of an Inuzuka. "Eh? Who's there? Hana-nee-chan? Kaa-san?"

"It's me, dobe!" shouted Kiba, "Don't you know your own brother's scent?"

"I don't have a dog nose!" protested Naruto, "I just know what Inuzuka smell like!"

"Oh? And what do we smell like?"

"Wet dog!" Shiro growled nonappreciatively at the joke, and Hinata giggled which Naruto heard. He turned eagerly toward her. "Hinata! When you'd get here?"

"I c-came w-with Kiba," she replied, "I tr-tried to g-get y-your attention, b-but you s-seem t-to l-like ramen a lot."

"Heck yeah! This is Ichiraku, the stuff of legend!" He grinned and gestured broadly, nearly hitting her head. "Nothin' beats it!" He waved his hands, and both Kiba and Hinata had to duck. "Nothin'!"

"Oh, I'm sure!" shouted Kiba, "Now would you quit wavin' your hands around like a maniac?" Naruto stopped, crestfallen but then cheered at the smell of his remaining ramen. He finished it quickly and turned back to his friends.

"So why'd you come?" he asked.

"Why not?" replied Kiba rudely.

Hinata had a softer answer. "W-we're y-your f-friends, Naruto-k-kun. That's wh-why." Kiba grunted in agreement. "We w-wanted t-to make s-sure th-that you're o-okay."

"I'm fine. A little stumbling, that's it." He looked over at Hinata, eyes quite not on hers. "I won't let this get to me, y'know."

"That's what everyone says," muttered Kiba.

"Heard that."

"I-I know y-you won't," said Hinata, "b-but I-I can s-still worry."

He smiled. "Thanks. Not many people would worry about me." He glanced over at Kiba. "I know Kiba here wouldn't," he teased.

"Oh, shut up. Kaa-san does enough worryin' for me and her both." Naruto laughed, and then his expression turned serious. Kiba noticed it. "What's wrong?" He shook his head, but Kiba insisted. "C'mon, you can tell us. We're your friends." This gave him pause, and Naruto let out a sigh.

"Am I ever gonna be a ninja? Is the Academy gonna let me back in?" he asked them and to himself, "I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't be let back in." He looked up at the ceiling. "I can't be Hokage if I'm not a ninja." He sounded hopeless and dejected, and Hinata couldn't help but put her hand on his.

"Don't talk like that," she ordered firmly, "I'm going to h-help you in e-every way I c-can." She paused for a second, but then nodded resolutely. "Believe it."

Kiba patted him on the back. "C'mon, cheer up, dobe. The clan's gonna teach you how to get some dog ears and a dog nose. You'll be back in the Academy in no time! And I bet Hinata's clan has got some cool stuff too!" Naruto looked back at them, and a ghost of a smile floated across his face. It turned corporeal after Kiba said, "And besides, you're Naruto Uzumaki! Ninja or not, you're gonna be Hokage! And I'll be your rival all the way there!"

Naruto felt his eyes water, and he shook his head. "Th-thanks, guys," he said quietly, "This means a lot to me. It really does. No one else has ever...said things like that to me. Thanks." Shiro yipped, and they laughed. "Sorry, we nearly forgot you, little guy. Thank you, too." The black pup made something like a grunt of 'you're welcome', and then Teuchi came back around.

He had heard the heartfelt exchange. "You're welcome, too, Naruto, even if my job is thankless," he joked, and when the blonde whipped around to splutter a response, nearly falling off the stool in the process, Teuchi waved it away. "Just jokin' with you, Naruto. The ramen's on the house by the way. Figured you've had enough goin' on in the past two days." The old man strode away before the blonde could properly react, and Naruto scratched his head in confusion.

"People can be really funny sometimes," he mused. A grin then lit up his features. "But the ramen's free!" He slid off the stool and crouched down, hand out for Shiro to put his leash in. The pup didn't, however, instead looking meaningfully at Kiba and Hinata. Kiba returned the look with a questioning one of his own, but Hinata understood and took one of Naruto's hands, motioning for Kiba to take the other. Naruto frowned. "That's not the leash," he commented plainly.

"'Course it's not, dobe," said Kiba, grabbing his hand, "It's me and Hinata, taking you home. Shiro won't do it for some reason, the mangy mutt." The pup growled, and Akamaru seconded it and jumped out of Kiba's pocket. "And Akamaru agrees with him. Just great." Hinata laughed, and Kiba glared at her. "It's not funny."

"Y-yes, i-it is."

"What happened?" asked Naruto.

"Akamaru wants to walk with Shiro now," explained Kiba, "He doesn't like me no more."

"Serves you right, calling his friend mangy."

Kiba huffed. "Whatever. Let's just get you home." He and Hinata led the way for Naruto through those crowded streets into the slowly sinking golden disk of sun. Hinata didn't stop at the clan gates, and they both led him to his new apartment. Shiro scampered through the flap at the bottom of the door, Akamaru having headed toward the kennels. Naruto reached out and grasped the knob on the first try and opened the door. Inside, he turned toward Kiba and Hinata who stood on the other side of the doorway.

He smiled, and his eyes moved to Kiba. "See you at dinner." They went to Hinata. "See you whenever you decide to drop by, I guess."

"I-I'll be b-by often." The smile grew, and, with a final wave, he closed the door.

After dinner, Hana went to go check on Naruto. She knocked on the door and waited, ears tuned to hear him shuffling around in the room. When she heard nothing, she knocked again. Again, she heard nothing, and Hana opened the door, knowing it would be unlocked. The Inuzuka never locked their doors, and the practice had rubbed off onto Naruto. She entered and scanned for him, worry nagging on the back of her mind. A familiar bark caught her attention, and she turned to see Shiro, leash around his neck and trailing on the ground, standing in the open door. He motioned for her to follow him and flew up the stairs, Hana in pursuit.

He ascended all the way to the roof and shot through the flap as Hana opened the door to the rooftop, brows creased. The rooftop was brightly lit for the time being, the light coming from lights set into a raised wall that ran around the perimeter of the roof. Shiro barked and bounded toward a figure sitting in the center of the floor, head turned toward the half-moon. Hana sighed in relief as she recognized the blonde shock of hair.

"Naruto, you had me worried," she said, walking up behind him. Shiro settled in Naruto's lap comfortably, and the blonde absently stroked his fur. "How'd you get up here anyway?"

"Very carefully."

She chuckled and sat beside him. "Why'd you come up here?" she asked.

He shrugged, not turning away from the moon. "I don't know. I just wanted to."

She nodded and looked up with him. "Just admiring the moon?" As she said it, she winced, but Naruto didn't notice the statement. He didn't even seem to hear it. He simply sat motionlessly, clouded eyes reflecting the moonlight but not registering it. Hana kept her silence, but then she jumped guiltily as Naruto answered her question.

"I wish, Hana-nee. I wish I could see it like I could when I could see." There was a pause. "Can you tell me what it looks like tonight? Maybe I can see it in my head."

"I don't know, otouto. I'm not good with words-," Naruto tore his eyes from the moon and turned to her, and his expression rendered her protests useless. He looked lost, like a child in the dark woods, but it was more than that. He knew that he would forever be that child, and the woods would forever be dark. An abjectness that had few cures. Hana felt a surge of sisterly affection for the blonde, and she wrapped an arm around him. "Sure, I'll say what they look like. Anything for you, otouto." She searched for the right words before haltingly saying, "It's a half-moon, so you can only see half of it. The Man on the Moon is missing an eye because of that..."

She continued on and on, describing it to the fullest. Naruto nodded again and again, absorbing every detail. Hana went on to describe the stars that she could now see past the bright lights, and Naruto smiled, hand still stroking an asleep Shiro's fur. As she talked about the stars, the rooftop lights suddenly shut off, leaving them in darkness. Hana yelped in surprise, and Naruto furrowed his brow.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing. The lights went out." She stood and offered a hand to him. "You want me to walk you back to your room? It's awfully dark, and there's stairs."

He shrugged. "It's been awfully dark for the last two days for me." Her heart sank, but then Naruto said, "But you've made it just a bit brighter." He reached out and took her hand.