Hannah spent the next few days solidifying her friendship with the orphaned boy. Hanging with him seemed to make all of the other children dislike her, but Hannah didn't really care what a bunch of toddlers thought of her. Hell, she'd babysat older kids!
Naruto blossomed under the attention, soaking up every ounce of affection like a flower would water. He calmed down significantly, no longer needing to attention-seek, as Hannah provided all of the care he needed to thrive. She spent most of her time with the boy, seeing caring for him as something practical she could do, something to keep her from going insane, trapped as she was in the body of a child.
Hannah also hit the small bookshelf, thanking whatever deities she could think of that she had learnt hiragana, and could read the children's books. Naruto was very helpful at acting out words she didn't understand, but as the books were written for small infants, Hannah found that the language was very simple, with almost no unnecessary flourishes.
By the end of the week, the status quo was well set - Hannah and Naruto stayed together, and the other children avoided them. They could usually be found in the corner, Hannah reading away, trying to improve her Japanese, and Naruto playing happily, occasionally seeking reassurance from her, which she never denied him.
Hana and Naruto were playing outside, an elementary version of Tip The Can that Hana didn't quite seem to understand. In fact, Aya got the impression that she was just playing along for Naruto's sake, which was odd behavior for a three year old. However, she didn't think much of it. Hana was probably just a very tolerant youngster - in all of the time she had been here, Aya had never heard her cry, and had never been approached for affection, as some of the younger children tended to do.
Naruto had stopped, of course. He knew that none would be forthcoming.
The boy was really coming into his own, becoming more confident now that he had Hana as a safe base to return to. Aya was a little worried about this, but then she reassured herself that having a friend in the village meant that Naruto was less likely to destroy it, not to mention all of the mental issues that deprivation of affection and care could cause. A sane Jinchuuriki was a hell of a lot safer than an insane one with a grudge.
Hannah and Naruto became fast friends, hardly ever seen outside of each other's company. He gave her a sense of purpose, and became something she could rely on in the crazy world she found herself in. In Hannah, Naruto found his first friend, someone who actually cared about him, and that meant the world to the no-longer-lonely child.
Hannah's Japanese came on in leaps and bounds, strengthened by her ability to mimic noises, including intonation and stress patterns. Her change in age appeared to have affected the way she learnt languages, as well, because she was picking it up much faster then she had her language lessons in school, but this could also be attributed to the fact that she was currently immersed in Japanese, instead of only having three or four hours a week of dull tuition.
By the end of the month, she understood about half of what the people around her were saying, and she could communicate at a pretty average level for a toddler. Her mind still worked in English, but thankfully, the one time she tripped and cussed, they mistook it for nonsense.
She was pretty proud of herself, she wasn't going to lie. So far, her mission to save the dream was proceeding swimmingly, she could now communicate to some degree, and most importantly, she could see that Naruto adored her, a sentiment she returned whole-heartedly. He was just so cute, with his chubby cheeks and bright smile, that were Hannah her normal size, she would probably have picked him up and hugged him. Heck, she wanted to do that even though she was chibified!
She contented herself with a quick cuddle, which Naruto returned immediately. For somebody who had been deprived of physical affection his entire life, he was taking to it like a duck to water. He still only looked for it from her, a fact which pleased her and made her feel sad simultaneously.
She began to feel angry toward the villagers, not actively, but passively, the kind of smoldering dislike that would not be quenched without a reason. Oh, there were some people who were nice to Naruto, the Sandaime Hokage amongst them, but the number was ludicrously small compared to the amount of people in the village.
Even Aya, who Hannah now felt a mild sort of disdain towards, did nothing for Naruto, completely ignoring him to the point where he would no longer seek affection from her. Hannah felt glad that there was somebody who could give him the care he obviously needed - hopefully, this would mean he was less self-sacrificing and reckless as an adult, because Hannah's chest hurt when she thought of this child placing himself in danger to win the approval of people who didn't give a damn about him.
But now, Naruto had somebody who would give him the attention he needed without him having to resort to pranks or trouble-making, and Hannah felt the weight of that responsibility on her shoulders keenly. Thanks to her meddling, she was now effectively Naruto's most important person, and she had a ridiculous amount of influence over him. Could she shape the boy to be the best he could be without taking advantage of him, she wondered. Even at such a young age, he was almost desperate for her approval and affection, and he'd do anything she asked with a smile on his face. She tried her hardest not to take advantage, but she knew that there was still an enourmous risk that he'd change his dream of becoming a shinobi because she said something small, some throwaway comment on how being a shinobi was risky.
Naruto noticed her fretting, of course, and clumsily tried to reassure her, drawing a smile from her. She decided, with fresh resolve, that she would do her best to help Naruto develop emotionally, and she'd learn as much shinobi theory as she could, so that she could help Naruto, and eventually Sasuke and Sakura, as much as possible.