Child of the Curse
Chapter 4: You're Not Alone
By: Zashire

"What is it?"

"A cursed seal."

Sayuri put her head down.

"It's something a bad ninja gave me—something that I will have to live with for the rest of my life, sort of like you," he explained. "It used to cause problems, but father—the Hokage—and one of his students found a way to stop the… effects of it." He then pointed to the smaller characters around the tomoe. "These keep it from acting up. While I was at the orphanage, I was made fun of because I was different. It was also because the seal would act up on occasion, and I would scare the other kids." He took a breath.

"This seal was placed on me when I was four years old. I was able to stay at the orphanage for three years before they finally complained to the Hokage about me enough. It had caused them too many problems, and looking back on it, I honestly can't blame them. They were civilians, so the sudden changes must have been hard to deal with. Anyway, soon after that, the Hokage took me in, and I became 'Sarutobi Atsui.'"

Naru watched him when he paused. She could see a faint smile on his face. He looked like he was reliving the moment. She was surprised by how her father had a childhood that was actually similar to hers on a basic level. For the early part of his life, he had been an outcast like her because of something he couldn't control. It was a nice thought that they both managed to find a caring family in the Sarutobi clan.

She briefly wondered why a ninja would give her father such a seal. He didn't look like he wanted to talk about it anymore, so she wouldn't ask questions. She hoped she would learn about it someday. Then maybe she could slap the mean ninja for doing a bad thing to her father.

"It was actually kind of funny," Sayuri spoke up for the first time in a while. Naru and Atsui jerked their heads in her direction; they had almost forgotten she was there because of her silence. The Jounin looked up at the sky. "For the longest time I hated Atsui," she said with a giggle.

Atsui grinned. "I remember your first words when I walked into the house. Something along the lines of 'I don't want a third brother! Two's enough!'" Atsui quoted, earning himself a whack over the head. "Ow."

"I didn't sound like that," she complained. "But honestly, could you blame me? I mean, I was the only girl aside from Kari! I grew up around guys, and I was the youngest of you all."

"You may have a point there." Atsui chuckled. "It's too bad she…"

"Died?" Sayuri finished. "Yeah, I know. It would have been nice to get to know her. All I have are a few pictures."

"Who?" Naru asked in confusion.

"My mother," the brunette explained. "She would have been your grandmother. She died of an illness shortly after I was born."

"Oh." Naru was at a loss for what to say.

"It's fine." Sayuri shook her head. "She may have been my mother, but I didn't know her. Kari-obasan sort of took her place."

Atsui smiled. "Kari played the role of a mother to us all, even Kazu. Masumi died when he was ten years old; he knew her the best out of any of us."

Sayuri nodded. "Though I wish Asuma-nii would come back…"

"Yeah," Atsui said quietly. "I'm not sure if I'd be able to put up with him and tou-san in the same room, though. They argue about such pointless stuff. I'm having a hard time even remembering when it all began."

"Yeah… Didn't it have to do with the fact that Asuma didn't agree with tou-san's ideas? He never wanted to put anything before his family," Sayuri pondered. "Funny how he became a ninja, despite all those complaints about a ninja's ideals."

"Yeah," Atsui agreed. "When he was younger, he'd always talk about trying to change the ninja code. I think he lost sight of that goal later on, but his fighting with tou-san never did end."

The Jounin smiled sadly. "Kazu and Kari always took tou-san's side, too. I never wanted any part in it, so I would stay always stay out of it all."

"Finally got to the point where he left. I still haven't heard anything from him since," Atsui said, looking at the ground.

"It's been three years. He didn't come when Emiko had Kono. He didn't come when we got married." Sayuri bit her lip, trying to hold back a sob. "He hasn't replied to any of the letters we sent him. I hope he has a good reason…" she trailed off. "I-I just can't find it in me to stay mad at him. I hope he's okay."

Atsui rubbed her back while Naru grabbed onto her mother's hand, trying to offer some support. Sayuri smiled at the two and wiped her eyes with her free hand.

"This is Asuma were talking about," Atsui said. "If anything ever takes that stubborn man down, the world's coming to an end."

Sayuri chuckled a bit at that. "You're probably right."

"Of course I am!" he beamed. "That why they call me 'Atsui the—"

"Don't get so full of yourself," she cut him off.

"Fine, rain on my parade," he pouted.

"Um… who's Emiko?" Naru asked, breaking the couple's antics.

The two adults immediately sobered.

"She was Kono's mother," Sayuri explained a hint of sadness in her voice. "She died while giving birth to him." There was a thoughtful silence. "I don't think I had ever seen Kazu so angry before," she said with a shiver.

Atsui nodded. "He was like that for a while. I do think having Kono there helped him a lot, though."

Sayuri nodded. "Good thing Kari-obasan was there to help him. He would have been lost without her."

"So true," the ANBU laughed. He sighed. "Wow. Sorry, Naru. Didn't mean to give you our life's story there."

Naru shook her head. "I liked hearing about my family. I was wondering if Kono had a kaa-san."

"Well, that's good," Sayuri said. "Maybe we'll tell you more some other time. There are plenty of things that have happened to us."

Atsui held back a yawn and then smiled. "My point with all that is to show you that I didn't have to go through everything alone, and neither do you, Naru. Sayu and I can't stop the glares and cold looks people give you, but we can and will help you through it all."

Sayuri nodded. "We're your parents now. We're here to protect you."

Atsui then lifted Naru into his lap and wrapped one arm around her and the other around his wife.

"You're not alone, Naru."

A few tears rolled down her face. She wasn't sad, though. She was far beyond happy. She had parents who loved her. For the first time she wasn't completely alone.

A sudden cracking noise broke the moment. The trio looked up to see a beautiful display of colors in the night sky.

"Looks like we stayed out late enough for the fireworks," Atsui commented. "Might as well watch them."

Sayuri smiled when she looked over to Naru. The little girl's mouth was hanging wide open.

"This is amazing!" she exclaimed with stars in her eyes.

As more and more banging noises filled the night sky, Atsui, Sayuri, and Naru watched on with smiles and grins on their faces. The colors were very pretty.

But nothing was more beautiful than the sight of the small family huddled together atop the head of the Yondaime.

xxx

In Naru's opinion, the year following that night at the festival passed all too quickly.

Konohamaru was going on three years old, while she would be turning six soon. She was amazed by how quickly the time with her new family flew by. Her parents had been right, though: it was easier to ignore the glares from the people of Konoha when she was with her family. They did indeed help protect her whenever they could.

She and Kazuhito had gotten closer as well in that year. There were times when both her parents were gone on missions, and she was left with her uncle, cousin, and Kari. While she spent a lot of time with Kari learning how to do various things, from cleaning to cooking, she also began to talk with her uncle more, especially when Konohamaru was down for a nap.

After her first conversation with him, she concluded that he was the second most brilliant person she had ever met, the first being her grandfather. He often used big words that she didn't know, and was kind enough to explain their meanings to her. He was a very patient man, she learned. It was probably how he dealt with his son so well. It took a will of steel to put up with the youngest Sarutobi.

Along with expanding her vocabulary, Kazuhito also helped her with her reading. Sayuri couldn't be there for her all the time, so he, along with Kari, would take turns reading with her every night her parents weren't there. It gave Naru a chance to get to know them even better.

One of the best things that she experienced that year happened in March. She had been wandering around the house with nothing to do, and hadn't realized that her grandfather had taken the day off, apparently for no important reason. She wound up finding him on an upstairs balcony in the back of the main household.

He stood there in a smock of sorts, with a canvas in front of him and a brush in his hand.

Naru had walked up to him and asked what he was doing. For some reason, the older man had practically jumped out of his skin when she tapped his back. He said he hadn't heard her approaching, and commented on how silently she moved. He had never really considered it before, but when he thought back on it, he realized how often Naru managed to sneak up on people, completely by accident. It was a thought he would file away for later.

When she asked him what he had been doing before she interrupted, he replied that he was painting. She had looked at the canvas and had asked if she could try it. Her grandfather had smiled and set up one for her.

And thus, Naru found a new hobby.

She found herself painting sunrises more often than not because of her fondness of them. Hiruzen had sighed when he found his orange paint gone after only two sessions of painting, but he did enjoy her company.

Whenever he went up to the balcony to paint, he would let Naru know, and she would drop whatever she was doing to join him in an instant. He was happy that they had something in common. Without their dual interest in art, they probably wouldn't have spent nearly as much time together.

Like Atsui had said, she truly wasn't alone anymore.

xxx

While Naru continued to get to know her family members, she never forgot about her old "invisible" friend. Red would make appearances every now and then, often without warning. She would sometimes make an entrance when Naru was playing, and then join her. Other times, Naru would be seated on a couch, and suddenly her friend would come in and sit down next to her. Her comings and goings were sporadic, to say the least.

In Naru's opinion, Red was a very beautiful woman. At first, Naru couldn't even tell her gender —she was just a red blur. But as time went on, her image became clearer and clearer until Naru could see the finest details about her.

She was a little bit shorter than Sayuri, but was just as slender. Her hair was a bright red, hence the name Naru had given her. Her eyes were a blend of silver and purple, while her skin was pale in color—a sharp contrast to the tanned skin color that seemed to run in the Sarutobi clan.

Naru thought it funny that she always seemed to wear the same outfit. It was a white gown that looked similar to the ones Naru had seen at the Konoha Hospital the one time she had been there.

The young blonde never really understood why her friend couldn't talk back to her whenever she told the woman something. However, she knew Red understood her because she would smile whenever Naru did. It had been a great comfort back at the orphanage. She was the only one that would ever offer the little girl a sign of comfort or happiness.

Naru had talked about Red on occasion with her parents, but they were convinced that the woman was just a figment of the blonde's imagination. She wished they could understand that Red was real, but it seemed to be a lost cause, so she dropped the matter altogether.

She was just glad that at least Konohamaru believed her, though he really didn't count for anything. In his mind, whatever Naru said was one hundred percent true. She was his "older sister," and became a sort of idol in his eyes. He wanted to be as great as she was, he said. Naru was surprised by the statement; honestly, was she really that special?

When she told Red about Konohamaru's idolization of her, the woman had smiled and placed a hand on the young blonde's shoulder. Naru hadn't understood the gesture, but smiled back nonetheless.

Maybe it was something that came with being an "older sister"?

xxx

Painting with her grandfather and talking with Red was all fine and dandy, but they barely held a candle to the best day of Naru's first year as a Sarutobi.

It happened in the middle of July. It was the day Naru made her first friend.

xxx

"Hey, Sayu," Atsui said as he entered the living room. "I'm off to Yutaka's."

"Okay," she replied. She had been reading with Naru before her husband came in. She looked back up at him. "Why don't you take Naru-chan with you?"

He looked surprised, but took a moment to think about it.

"Sure," he said. "I think he's got a daughter around Naru's age there, too." He looked over to the young blonde, who stared back at him with a curious look on her face. "Wanna come?"

She shrugged, and looked up at her mother.

"Go on," Sayuri encouraged with a smile. She closed the book they had been reading. "We'll finish this later."

Naru smiled and jumped off the sofa.

"Let's get going then!" Atsui grinned. The little girl reached for his hand, but instead, he picked her up and sat her on his shoulders. Naru squeaked in surprise and wrapped her legs tightly around Atsui's neck. When he realized she was cutting off his circulation, he gently pulled at her ankles, releasing himself from her hold. This only resulted in her grabbing onto his mop of hair tightly. He sighed. Oh well. It's better than asphyxiating.

Sayuri laughed as she watched her husband's expressions. "I'd have warned you about that if you'd asked. I threw her over my shoulder once… I think I still have a few scratch marks on my back from it. She likes it when her feet are touching the ground."

"Thanks for the help," he said, his eyebrow twitching.

Before long, they were outside the house and on their way to the place Atsui had to stop by.

"So, how do you like it up there?" he asked the little girl on his shoulders. She still held onto his hair, but her grip was not nearly as tight as it had been before.

"I love it!" she said with enthusiasm. Her head was spinning around in all directions. She had never been that high off the ground before. From up there, she was able to see what felt like hundreds of things she had missed before. It was amazing!

Atsui grinned up at her. Sure, his neck would probably be stiff as hell the next day, but it was worth it to see his daughter smile.

"Do you think I'll be as tall as you some day?" he heard her ask.

His grin faltered a bit and his muscles tensed, ever so slightly. What those bastards at the orphanage had done was unforgivable. They had starved Naru to the point where her bones could be seen without any effort. He had talked with Sayuri and Hiruzen about it several times, and they all had to agree on the fact that Naru's growth and development would always be stunted.

She had been denied proper nutrition at some of the most crucial points of childhood development, and because of it, she would never be able to fully catch up. Kari had done her best to help by cooking healthy meals for the girl, but Naru had been "scarred," so to speak. She would be the shrimp in her classes, height-wise, and her frame would probably be smaller than the other girls.

Atsui wished there was something he could do to help her, but there wasn't. It was just another thing that would make her stand out.

As if she needs any more of that, he thought with a scowl.

"Tou-san?" The voice jerked him back to reality. He looked up to meet the concerned look of Naru.

"Ah, sorry," he apologized. "I kind of spaced out there. And to answer your question: eat your vegetables, and you might get taller." He could help but smile at her childish pout.

"But… but ramen!" she complained.

He sighed. "Stunts your growth," he finished. Her jaw dropped, and he snorted. She can pass off having something sealed inside of her, but when it comes to being denied ramen… he paused. In all honesty, he probably would have done the same thing. "It doesn't mean you can't have it." She brightened. "Just try to listen to what your mom says once in a while," he tacked on. He had to play the part of the 'responsible adult.' After all, he was her father, and therefore had to set a good example for her.

"I do listen to kaa-san!" she countered.

Not nearly as much as she'd like you to, he left the thought unsaid and sighed again.

"Hey, look, we're here," he noted as he saw the familiar shop.

"Where are we going?" Naru asked.

"No matter what anyone tells you, Naru," he began, "this is the best weapon shop in all of Konoha—Yutaka's Weaponry!"

"Advertising to five-year-olds, are we?" an older voice inquired. A man who looked to be twice the age of Atsui walked out of the establishment. "Not that I'm complaining; just don't give the kid anything too sharp."

"Hey, Taka!" Atsui smiled.

"It's Yutaka." He scowled. Anyone that knew the old man called him 'Taka' because he had the eye of a hawk. His aim was deadly, and he seemed to see anything and everything. "And it's good to see you again, Atsui-kun. So, who's your friend?" he asked, indicating the blonde girl.

"Er, this is Naru," he said, lifting her off his shoulders and placing her on the ground. "Sayuri and I adopted her."

Yutaka looked surprised for a moment, but quickly hid it as understanding hit. He had been close to the Sarutobi family for some time, and through them, he learned of many things. He had also been the blacksmith the girl's biological father had commissioned to make a special type of kunai.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Naru-chan," he said, smiling down at the young girl. "My name is Moriyama Yutaka."

Naru briefly bowed to the man as her parents had shown her. It was a small sign of respect to her elders. "It's nice to meet you, too, Moriyama-sama."

"Please, just call me Yutaka," he said. "The whole 'sama' thing makes me feel a lot older than I already am. Besides, any friend of Atsui's is a friend of mine."

Naru smiled back up at him.

"So, what'd you stop by for, Atsui-kun?" Yutaka turned to the ANBU.

"Just the usual," he replied casually. "Oh, and think you could throw in a few blunted shuriken?" He ruffled Naru's hair. "Sayu and I were thinking about showing Naru some of the basics to see if she was interested."

At that, Naru's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Was that why her mother had encouraged her to go with Atsui? Over the year, they had explained to her the general idea of what a ninja was. She took a liking to it because, if she became one, it would mean that she could protect her family from bad guys, like the one that gave her father the mark on his neck.

"Let's go inside," Yutaka suggested. Atsui nodded and led his daughter in behind the older man. "My little girl started using weapons a long time ago. If Naru-chan takes a liking to them, maybe we could get them together sometime? She's actually quite skilled for her age," he said as he led them to the back of the shop.

When they entered the back room, Naru saw a young girl, who looked to be a year or so older than her, throwing pointy objects at targets on the wall of the room. The girl was a brunette and had chocolate-brown eyes, but unlike the Sarutobi clan, her skin was much lighter in color, similar to Red's. Her outfit consisted of a white Chinese shirt, and long black pants. Her hair was pulled up into an odango style, similar to the one Naru wore to the Day of Heroes festival.

The center of every target was covered in sharp, silvery weapons.

Atsui's eyebrows shot to his hairline.

"Does deadly aim run in your family, Taka?"

"It's Yu—never mind," he gave up. "She's been practicing for a long time." He looked down to Naru, whose mouth was hanging open. He laughed lightly. "Hey, Tenten-chan, why don't you come over here?"

The girl's head jerked in their direction, surprise clearly written on her face. She had been so transfixed by the targets that she hadn't noticed them enter the room. She immediately smiled when she saw her father, and quickly walked over to them.

"Hi there!" she said with a grin. "My name's Tenten!"

Naru looked at the girl in bewilderment. The young brunette had been so focused one second, and had suddenly become happy and carefree. The change in behavior threw Naru off a bit, but she managed a smile.

"You've met Atsui-kun before," Yutaka said. "This is his daughter, Naru-chan."

Tenten looked at Naru curiously. She saw the differences between Atsui and Naru in their appearances, but decided not to say anything about it. Her father had taught her manners, and she was always on her best behavior, especially when it came to guests.

"Have you ever thrown a kunai before?" she asked suddenly, surprising Naru a bit.

Naru shook her head 'no,' to which Tenten gasped. She turned to her father.

"Tou-san, can I show Naru how to use kunai?" she asked.

Yutaka sighed and looked at Atsui, who shrugged. "As long as someone's supervising."

The older man nodded. "Get the blunted ones while I go get Atsui-kun his things." He turned to the ANBU. "You stay to watch them." He nodded.

Tenten groaned. The balance of the dulled weapons was off, which made them even harder to throw. "Fine," she muttered.

Naru just stood there in confusion, wondering how she had ended up in the current situation.

Who would've thought she would go from learning how to read to learning how to use weapons in a single day?

Not that she minded it.

She smiled and followed Tenten over to the targets.

xxx

A/N: Why do I always get inspiration around midnight? -is sleep deprived- Oh, how I miss you, Sleep.

Ah, well, that's the price I pay for writing fanfiction.

Hope you liked it!

Zashire