Chapter two – As time passed

Author's note: Before you read this chapter, I think I should warn you. There's a time skip. Before you roll your eyes and throw your hands in the air in complaint, let me just say, stop. I did this only because it's detrimental to my story and I'm sorry to you people who hate time skips especially so early in the story. I hope that doesn't deter you from reading because I have to say, I enjoyed writing this and I think that maybe, you'll enjoy reading it. Oh, In addition, I'm not really good with fight scenes so if it's not up to par, I'm sorry. I'm welcome to open criticism and suggestions. Enjoy.

Frostycookies

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything related to the series.


A YEAR LATER

Naruto rushed into the dango store, huffing and puffing before he stopped in front of Riku who folded his arms across his chest. Unlike a year ago, Naruto wore a bandana over his wild, blonde locks that were a little longer than before, and he wasn't wearing his infamous jumpsuit. Instead, he wore black shinobi pants with red lines running down the side and a red hoodie with the red Uzumaki swirl on the back. "So care to tell me why you're so late for work, gaki?" Riku asked and Naruto nervously laughed.

"Ah, well, you see, old man Teuchi saw me on my way over here and he wanted to know why I wasn't spending time at the ramen stand, so I had to talk to him, and well, here I am" Naruto explained. Some of the regulars chuckled at the boy as he pleaded with Riku who wasn't perturbed. "Come on, old man. I love ramen and dango now! I don't see why you two are feuding!" he added.

"I'm cutting your pay for this morning" Riku announced and Naruto gaped like a fish out of water.

"Come on!" he shouted and followed after Riku who walked to the back. Ami, the other worker there, smiled at the duo. The twenty five year old pulled Naruto away and handed him an apron. Ami was Riku's niece who moved to Konoha after a few months after Riku did so she could help her Uncle. She had grown to like Naruto just like Riku, because she was reminded of her cousin in the boy. Her reddish brown hair was pulled in a bun, with a few strands falling to her face. She had a few freckles on her nose that she was particular about.

"You're here to work and not grovel, Naruto-kun" Ami said and he just nodded. "And Uncle Riku, cut the boy some slack" she added and Riku grumbled.

"Yes madam!" Naruto said with a salute before walking back outside. Ami shook her head and looked at her Uncle. She kissed his cheek and walked out after Naruto. She watched as he interacted with everyone, and it brought a smile to her face. The boy was charming for one, and he was the strongest kid she had ever seen. She was proud of Naruto after what she heard he had been through.

"He's a great kid, right?" Riku asked, standing beside her as they watched him. "Hitomi-chan would've loved him" he added and she nodded. Her aunt would have really loved him, if she was alive. He looked at them and stuck out his tongue childishly. Riku raised his hand threateningly and Naruto just laughed. Somehow throughout the year at Konoha, he had unofficially adopted the boy as his own. Naruto ate all his meals at the store, most of the times he slept over and hell, Naruto saw Ami as well as Riku as his family. Throughout the year, Naruto had changed and for the better. He no longer skipped any of his classes despite whatever the teachers threw at him, he paid more attention, and he had even managed to change some of the villagers including the scarred teacher, Umino Iruka. His life was relatively better and he thanked the heavens for Riku as well as Ami. He gave the orders to Riku who bopped him on the head.

"What was that for?!" he asked and Riku just smirked before heading to the kitchen. He turned to Ami who shrugged her shoulders. "Do you people love to hit me or something?" he asked and she patted his cheek affectionately.

"You have another customer, in fact, she's your favorite one by far" she said and he paled at the purple haired kunoichi that stomped in the store like she owned it. He gulped and latched onto Ami.

"Please, please, please, please, don't let me go to her" he begged and Ami had to admit, the boy could beg. She shook her head and he frowned before pulling away. They watched as the purple haired woman slumped down on an empty chair, and her trench coat opened up a little, to reveal the mesh shirt underneath. Nearly everyone blushed when they realized that she wasn't wearing anything under the mesh shirt. She propped up her legs so that the mini skirt she wore revealed more of her long, creamy legs. She flicked some of her hair out of her face, and smirked at the lecherous stares she received. "Do you see that? " he whispered in her ear, but Ami just pushed him away.

"Work" she commanded and Naruto frowned before heading towards Anko. Ami snickered to herself while Naruto gulped. Anko turned to him, and her smirk turned malicious. He swore in his mind and took out his note pad.

"Hello and welcome" he said and when she flicked her wrist, a kunai appeared in her hand. She licked the blade and he rolled his eyes.

"Good to see ya again, gaki. It's been awhile, ne?" she asked and Naruto noticed some of the cuts on her hands.

"You were out on a mission, huh?" he asked, and she blinked at him. Usually, the kid would either avoid her or just be all business and that's why she liked to scare him so much.

"Yeah, I was" she said, putting the kunai away. "Five servings of dango if you will, brat" she added and took out her money. He nodded, took the money and walked away. She was a little surprised at first when she recognized him as the vessel of the Kyuubi. She was expecting to see either a brooding prissy like the last Uchiha or either some attention seeking kid, but instead, she met a slightly energetic kid that was mature for his age. For some time, his smile sickened her, along with the happiness he radiated. Wasn't this kid hated by everyone, she would think as he interacted with the store owner and his niece. However after while, and with some snooping, she realized that the kid had established strong bonds with the old man and girl. Then she came to a startling epiphany, she didn't hate Uzumaki Naruto, she envied him. At first, she laughed at the thought but when she saw the old man dropping off the kid in front of the Academy, the realization slapped her across the face. She couldn't understand how someone in her position had overcome all the self loathing that came with being hated. She had left afterwards, and after that, she had come to like the kid because he was everything she wasn't. He overcame all obstacles in his life so far, and he seemed like the kind of kid that would pick himself up every time he fell. She liked the kid's spirit. She gazed out the window, ignoring everything else for the moment.


"She seems different" Naruto told Ami as they watched the woman who was looking out the window.

"Who looks different?" Riku asked, handing Naruto some of the orders. "Oh, my favorite customer, she's great, isn't she?" he added with a smile.

"Pervert" Ami and Naruto said in unison before they walked away, leaving the man with a smirk on his face.


After putting her servings on her table, he was going to walk away, when some men approached Anko. The purple haired woman just ate her dango, as Naruto paused. "Hey there" the leader said, and leaned on the table. Anko blankly stared at him, and it seemed to irk him. "My friends and I wanted someone to give us a tour of the village. Do you think you can?" he asked.

"Do I look like a tour guide?" Anko asked as she chewed her dango. Naruto chuckled and the man slammed his fists on the table. Clearly he was from out of town because he didn't hear of Anko and what she was capable of.

"Look, you whor-….." the man was saying when in one move, she had slapped his throat. He stopped talking, and grabbed his throat. He gasped for breath, and when she pulled out her headband, they paled. They ran out, leaving the man to flay on the ground. Naruto ran to the man and looked at Anko. She sighed and undid whatever it is she did. He got up without a word and ran out. She laughed at him as he fell before he was out of sight. Suddenly, she stopped laughing when the whispers started. Most about how it was her fault in the first place because of her attire. She clutched her fists and was about to shout at them, when she saw a napkin stretched out in front of her. She looked up only to see Naruto holding said napkin.

"You spilled tea on your shirt" he said, and the shock slipped off her face. The whispers retracted and she frowned at him. "You were pretty cool, ya know?" he said and a pink tinge appeared on her cheeks. "Unlike those girls in my class, you're a real kunoichi and I'm glad that Konoha has someone like you around to show them that" He added as she took the napkin.

"Thanks, gaki" she said and then smirked. "You're not a bad kid yourself" she added and he smiled at her.


At the end of the day found Naruto stretched like cat as he sat on the mat. Riku was doing a crossword, Ami was tending to some flowers in a vase and he was reading up something on Konoha's history for class. He was lying on his belly with the book in front of him. "How was class yesterday?" Riku asked placing the crossword on the table. Naruto folded his arms in front of him and placed his chin on it.

"It was good. We learnt about the Yondaime" he said and Riku could see how happy Naruto was. "He's my hero, old man" he added.

"Why?" Ami asked. Somehow Naruto was obsessed with everything that was Yondaime related.

"He's the sort of Hokage I want to be" Naruto confessed with a tinge on his cheeks. He was embarrassed and Ami chuckled. "That's not funny. He's one of the strongest Hokage and the dedication he had for Konoha, makes me want to be like him" he added and Riku patted his head.

"That's a great hero, you've got there, Naruto" Riku said and Naruto smiled. "So, I heard that your teacher wants to have another parent teacher conference" he added and Naruto pouted.

"I hate those things" Naruto whispered and Ami pinched his cheeks. He yelped and she laughed.

"We'll be there" Ami declared and Naruto arched an eyebrow. "What? Uncle Riku's not your only family, is he? I think we've already established that you're my kid brother" she added and he could see the blush on her face. He hugged her and Riku laughed as Ami failed about like a fish out of water, telling him to let go.

"Thank you" he softly said and they smiled at him.


Naruto woke up at the first signs of dawn and slowly changed. He walked out his apartment and slowly made his way to his secret training ground. Throughout the year, he had come upon a bitter realization: his taijutsu was well, crappy. Despite the fact that his classes were a little more bearable that before, some of the instructors with the exception of Iruka still refused to teach him. During taijutsu lessons in the Academy, he realized that some would even go out of their way to sabotage him but this new Naruto was not so naïve.

Therefore he took it upon himself to go to Iruka for the scrolls with the Academy's basic taijutsu stance. The scarred chunnin was happy to help him and for that, he thanked the man. After that, he trained himself with the help of the scrolls and slowly he started to fix the holes in his taijutsu form. He had even gotten the Sandaime to purchase some weights for him with his own allowance money and because of that; he was a little faster than before. He was determined to become Hokage and he knew that each step he took would get him closer to his goal.

For that reason he started to take his shinobi training seriously. He adjusted his diet with the help of Riku and Ami, since they were the ones who came up with the idea and he created a training regime. Every day, before work and school, he would train in taijutsu as well as his chakra control. That was another problem for him. After failing his second genin exam, he went to the old man for advice. He wanted to know why for the life of him, he couldn't make a decent bushin and he got the answer. He had too much chakra and piss poor control. So, as a compromise, the old man Hokage introduced him to a basic chakra control exercise so he could control his chakra to the point that he could create at least three clones for his next genin exam. It was his daily routine. He would train in one of Konoha's abandoned training grounds before heading off to school and then in the evening, he would work at the old man's dango store. He was going through his katas when he felt a shiver down his spine. He spun around but was too slow as Anko pressed herself against his back with a kunai poised at his throat. "What are you doing out here, gaki?" she asked before cackling. He frowned and she pulled away from him.

"Training" he said and she arched an eyebrow at him. "I'm trying to improve my taijutsu and chakra control" he added.

"Oho, so you're serious now, huh?" she asked, placing her hands on her hips. "What about a little spar then?" she added and he tensed. "If you win, I'll help you with your training" she said with a smirk.

"And if I lose?" he asked and her smirk turned malicious. "I-I d-d-don't think so" he added and she chuckled.

"If you lose, you'll just become my slave" she said and he gulped. "I'm joking, gaki. Loosen up. If you lose, you'll just have to give me free dango for a year" she added and licked her lips at the aspect.

"Free dango? That's a year's salary!" he shouted with outrage. "That's worst than the slave thing" he mumbled.

"Are you sure?" she asked and torture images appeared in his mind. He shook his head and she said "I thought so".

"Before we do this, you have to promise that even if I lose, you'll help with my training" he said and she studied his face before throwing her head back with laughter. "T-t-that's n-n-not funny!" he shouted with a red face and she laughed harder.

"Y-y-you're hysterical, gaki" she said, wiping her eyes. Suddenly, all the humor on her face drained away and his hands grew clammy. She cracked her knuckles and grinned. "Let's have a go at it then" she announced before disappearing in a blur.

"Shit" he whispered to himself, barely dodging the roundhouse kick aimed at his head. He rolled on the ground and had to force the bile down on his throat as her hand created a crater as a result of his dodging her punch. She looked up, and he got to his feet. He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white and his body trembled as she leaked killing intent. He knew she was toying with him. Her speed, stamina and skills far surpassed his own. She got up and he gaped as she blurred once more. "Shit, shit, shit!" he shouted as his eyes roved over the training grounds, trying to locate her. He was so busy with trying to locate her that he failed to notice Anko behind him. When he felt her presence, his eyes grew wide. Time seemed to have stopped as he turned to her.

"You lose" she whispered and with that, he couldn't avoid the punch to his gut. He was propelled across the training grounds before crashing into a tree. Blood spewed from his mouth as three of his ribs broke under the pressure. She watched as he slumped against the tree with impassive eyes. "What was that? I thought you said you wanted to become Hokage?" she asked, clearly goading him. "You didn't even put up a decent fight!" she shouted, and he slowly struggled to his feet. "Were they all lies?!" she asked and he spat blood on the ground.

"Shut up!" he shouted and dashed towards her. However, using her right foot, she kicked the back of his knees, causing him to buckle from the force. In an instant, he was on his knees, and with that, she brought her right hand and slammed it against his face. Blood spurted from his nose, and tears stung at the corner of his eyes. She stepped away as he fell the ground face first. Pain traveled from his broken nose, to the tips of his hair then trailed down to his entire body.

"Looks like your little talk about Hokage was a load of bullshit" she spat and anger swelled in his chest. "Pathetic" she added and turned to walk away. Naruto slowly stood up, wobbling as his vision blurred. He channeled the last of his rage, and shot towards her. She had already turned when he stood up so she saw his oncoming attack. As he got close to her with his fist cocked back, she took a step backwards and used her right elbow to parry his punch. Using the momentum, she pivoted, grabbed his wrist before she striked his elbow, causing him to lurch forward. Before she knocked him out, he barely heard her whisper "You're years too early to defeat me "and with that, he welcomed the blackness.


"Glad to see that you're finally awake" Anko said as Naruto groaned. He opened his eyes only to see Anko causally sitting under the shade of a tree, eating dango. He flexed his muscles that protested in pain.

"You knocked me out!" he said in a raspy voice. She smiled and slowly chewed. "You knocked me out!" he shouted when he didn't get any sort of reaction from her.

"It was a spar, suck it up" Anko said and Naruto grumbled as he stretched his limbs. "I did some thinking while you were knocked out" she said, and he barely caught the water she threw him. "I've decided to make you my little bitch" she exclaimed and his mouth dropped open.

"What?!" he shouted, scrambling to his feet. "Y-Y-Your what?" he asked and then covered his body. "I didn't know you were a pedophile?!" he shouted and she just frowned at him, clearly not amused.

"Did I mean bitch, I meant to say student" she said, cleaning her teeth with the dango stick. "From today on, you Uzumaki Naruto will become my student" she announced and he knew that he was doomed.