AN: I'm on a roll. So many updates in a row, lol. Thanks for the reviews. I may or may not have Naruto know about Toshio's secret. You'll just have to wait and see. I've changed a lot of things in here. In the previous version of this, Toshio is more friendly and not as smart. He's annoyingly naive as well. He can't communicate with his entity until later on and its just filled with too much happiness. Not this time though. Enjoy this chapter!
(Not Human)
Iruka came back a few minutes after Toshio had successfully manipulated the genius, Shikamaru. He had to look down to hide the dark look in his eyes as well as the smirk playing on his lips. He wanted to chuckle, but that would just make everyone wonder what the hell was wrong with him. "Alright, everyone. Now that that was settled.. Remember that if you break those rules, you're gonna have a talk with the Hokage as well!" He threatened. It seemed to work as everyone murmured to themselves about it. Another pair was called and since he didn't recognize them, he figured he didn't need to watch them in any way. Shikamaru was too busy thinking about what happened, undoubtedly more confused now. He had led him astray since he was this close to finding out the truth.
Toshio suddenly became aware of the familiar fidgeting girl beside him and he glanced at her, Hinata Hyuuga. He didn't want to talk to her but figured that if he wanted to have the Rookie 9 trust him, he needed to be their friends. He smiled at her, "You don't have to be so nervous. I'm sure you'll do fine." The smaller girl jolted and looked at him, cheeks immediately flushing red before she looked away shyly. "T…. Thank.. you… I'm… Hinata.. N-Nice to m-m-meet you, Toshio-s-san…" She twiddled her thumbs together.
It would be easy to gain her trust, I suppose.
Yeah. I think so too. "Nice to meet you, Hinata-chan. You can call me Toshio-kun, I don't mind." He laughed softly, but he was internally seething that he had to act this way. The Hyuuga blushed even brightly and she nodded at him, smiling so shyly. "H-Hai… Toshio-k-kun.." Toshio wasn't given a chance to reply when he heard his and Shikamaru's name being called out. "Shikamaru and Toshio! You're up." He gave another smile to the Hyuuga before walking to the courtyard with Shikamaru beside him. Kai.
I will take control now then.
For a moment, he felt something shift before his body was walking on its own. He was walking more straight and confident. He was aware that the Nara noticed the sudden change of atmosphere but he must've figured that he was just getting serious. They both stood on their places, staring at each other. Shikamaru was staring at him in boredom, but there was a hint of cautiousness in his eyes, while Toshio merely smiled at him. It did not ease the Nara. Iruka cleared his throat, "Remember the rules, you two. Ready?... And Begin!"
It was so sudden. One moment the Nara was standing a few feet away from him, and then the next thing he knew, he was in front of him, a leg a few inches away from his face since Kai dodged at the last moment.
He's fast. Still slower than Kakashi, but fast.
Toshio felt his body move on its own. He crouched down, elbows tucked before one hand went to the Nara's neck. Shikamaru tilted his head to the side to dodge it, before a fist was thrown to his stomach. Kai immediately made his other hand catch the fist before pulling the Nara closer to him. He stood up properly, lunging the top of his head on the Nara's chin. It landed the target and he heard Shikamaru wince in pain before he jumped away from him. The top of his head ached terribly. Fuck you, Kai. That hurt.
I'm sure the punch to the stomach would hurt more. That would make you throw up your breakfast. Certainly wouldn't want that now, would you?
Kai had a point. Still, he didn't like the pain. And he could've just punched him instead. Why use the fucking head? Toshio watched as Shikamaru nursed his chin. Everybody had gone silent, just watching them with bated breath. Then suddenly, Shikamaru lunged again. Both him and Kai, since he was technically controlling Toshio, exchanged punches and kicks. But they never did connect to its targets. Shikamaru would dodge and so would Kai. Shikamaru cocked his fist back as well as Kai. As soon as it felt like Shikamaru's fist would land on Kai's face first, since his limbs were longer, Kai immediately turned his body around and delivered his elbow onto the Nara's face. He was sure he heard a crack. That was when Toshio felt as if something change. "Ack!" Shikamaru yelled out before Kai grabbed his left arm, while still not facing him, and his hair. He pivoted his hips before Shikamaru was suddenly thrown forward, his back and head landing harshly on the ground.
Kai was about to do something again when Iruka came in between them, hands both in front of him with a nervous look on his face. "Wait wait wait! You win, Toshio-kun. Shikamaru's already passed out. Good job." Toshio wanted to smile at Iruka reassuringly but found himself not able to do that. He couldn't even do that? "Thank you, Iruka-sensei." Wait. Toshio didn't talk.
It's better if you don't. We have to go. If I stop controlling you, you're really gonna pass out.
We can't go. Just take control of me until the end of the training. Toshio watched as the same probably-teacher carried Shikamaru off and Kai walked his body towards the rest of the class. He was immediately congratulated by his peers but saw Chouji pouting slightly at them, and Kai just smiled yet again, "Thank you. Good luck on your fight, guys." He stood quietly to the side and Kai crossed his arms.
I enjoyed it. The fight.
Toshio internally smirked at that. I'm sure you did. You really did a number on him. And I'm sure you broke his nose as well.
It seems I've took things too far. I'll leave it up to you to apologize to him then..
Yeah yeah. When he wakes up.
The rest of the training went on smoothly.
(Not Human)
Unfortunately, even if Shikamaru did wake up, Toshio didn't see him for the rest of the day. He went home first and passed out for three hours on his bed. It seemed that the Nara went home quickly to talk things over with his dad. The teen was left exploring the village when he woke up so he could memorize it, or have Kai memorize it, for his teleportation ability. To any other normal person, it would look like Toshio really was just exploring the Konoha village. They wouldn't know whatever was going on inside his head, however.
I've marked some good places to hide in case of an emergency.
That's good. Now all I need to do is find a way so that the Hokage won't sense me once I go back to my original body.
That's actually easy. Once again, I forgot to mention it before. There's a particular distance for him to sense you. Assuming he's in the Hokage Building right now and we're 2 miles away from them and in the forest, he would be out of the 1.5 mile radius-circular area if a certain mark in the forest is acting as our center.
Wait, so you're saying that I have to be exactly 1.5 mile away from the Hokage so that he wouldn't be able to sense you as soon as I go back to my original body and release you from your door?
Yes, that's correct. It actually depends on their aura reserves. I simply made calculations based on the amount of his aura. If he was as good as controlling his aura as his chakra, then we would probably need to be miles away more.
You're… annoyingly smart, Kai. What's your area?
Hmn. I suppose I'm a bit different. I can extend it, but right now, this whole village acts out as my radius-circular area. And the center is where we are right now. I won't need to consider the outside for now.
Hmm… Are you sure though that the Hokage is the only one who can sense me here?
There's a possibility that Sasuke can do it consistently. However, right now, he just thinks of that aura as a gut feeling. He thinks you're dangerous, but there are plenty of dangerous people here.
What about Naruto? Can he sense me?
There's also a possibility. He has a good amount of aura as well, but three different powers existing in his body are fighting for dominance. And the aura is currently losing, so for now, it's highly unlikely that he would be able to sense us.
Alright then. Let's explore the forest then and mark our 2 miles mark. Just in case..
You can't do that. There is an ANBU following you.
What? Toshio was about to start walking towards the direction of the forest when suddenly-Oh for the love of-An arm was thrown over his shoulder. "Toshio! There you are!" The said teen stumbled at the added weight on his shoulder and internally scowled. Of course Naruto would find him. Of course. "Hey Toshio! Let's go eat Ramen! Jiji's with me though, I hope you don't mind." The blond smiled apologetically. Great. He already promised the teen that he would be eating with him next time. Next time was now. But this was also a great opportunity for the Hokage to see him getting along with Naruto. He had to agree then.
"Sure, Naruto. I don't have any money though." The blond grinned at him brightly and it was almost painful to look at. "Don't worry. Jiji's paying for us!" And he started pulling him towards the direction of the Ichiraku ramen, which was nearer than expected.
How unbecoming of me. The Hokage is right inside there and I didn't even notice him because I was too busy memorizing things that you can do.
Hey. Shut up. Naruto pulled him inside and Toshio gasped in surprise. "Hokage-sama!" He bowed low and looked at Naruto 'accusingly', "You didn't tell me that your 'jiji' is actually the Hokage, Naruto." Of course, he couldn't just know that Naruto's jiji would be the Hokage after all. Naruto pouted at him as he sat down on the stool on the left of the Hokage. "Well, sorry. I was too excited!"
Toshio sat on the stool on the left of Naruto and smiled at Sarutobi, who also smiled back at him. "Good to see you, Toshio-kun. How's your second day of the academy?" He asked with a gentle tone as Naruto started ordering ten miso ramen. The girl, Ayame, laughed and did just as that. The eight would probably be his to eat. He wondered where the other guy was. "Oh, it was okay, Hokage-sama. We had a taijutsu training and I won." He 'beamed'. Sarutobi chuckled before raising an eyebrow at Naruto, "That's good. So you didn't do anything like what Naruto here did." The mentioned teen pouted again, "I don't need another scolding, jiji!"
Naruto then looked at Toshio, grinning, "Congrats. You fought Shikamaru, right? To be honest, I already expected that you would win! Shikamaru probably forfeited." I deadpanned at Naruto and slapped him on the head instinctively, feeling annoyed. "No. We fought and I won." I then lately realized what I just did and was about to apologize since I was supposed to not act like that when Naruto seemed to ignore what just happened. "Really?! Shikamaru always forfeit! That's so surprising that he actually fought, believe it. I should've been there."
Hm. So he was figuring you out then.
Yeah. That's the only explanation. "Well, you would've been if that didn't happen you know." Naruto laughed nervously as he scratched his head and I caught the Hokage smiling slightly at the both of us like how a grandfather would smile to his grandchildren. If he is acting, then he's really good. What happened to the opened book ninja I met a few days ago?
Or it could be that he's really happy that Naruto has a friend now. But that's highly unlikely.
Really, now?
Shinobi have extremely sharp skills and the Hokage is no different. Right now, he's the most powerful and dangerous shinobi in this village. Underneath that gentle smile and grandfather face, he's a deadly one. I think he's using that to his advantage to make you feel like nothing is wrong so you'll make mistakes that would eventually lead you to getting busted.
I get that. But even if he's acting right now, I'm pretty sure he still feels happy. He's not as cautious as before. His shoulders are not tensed. His feet aren't poised so that he would be able to do something when I do anything suspicious. His hands are casually resting on the wooden counter. He's more at ease than he was a few days ago.
I suppose..
"Here you go!" Ayame cheerfully said as she gave them their miso ramen. The three of them broke the chopsticks and sent their thanks before digging in. Toshio was surprised that the ramen actually tasted good. He should bug Kakashi for money and come back here then.
Or you could just summon it.
Waste of ability. "So jiji. I tried going to the forest the other day and guess what? This masked ninja just stopped in front of me and told me 'no'. Why are there so many in the forest anyway?" Naruto whined as soon as he paused on eating his second ramen. Toshio blinked and quietly looked at the Hokage, waiting on how he was gonna explain this to Naruto.
"Well, Naruto. It's because there is an unfamiliar non-chakra wielder man hiding in the forest. Actually, I'm pretty sure he's in the village right now." Sarutobi explained. Toshio almost raised an eyebrow. Was it alright telling that to Naruto? He just directly told him that he had let an unfamiliar man, or him, in the village and still haven't found him. Naruto gained a wide eyed look. "Wait, really? How do you know that, jiji? How do you know if he haven't left yet?" He asked curiously. Sarutobi smiled and for a second, he had eye contact with Toshio. "Gut feeling." Internally, Toshio was in slight turmoil. You're hidden, right? There's no way he sensed you. Why did he made eye contact? It's as if he knew something that I don't, Kai.
… I don't know how it happened, but it seems like they're not suspecting that this body is related or somehow connected to yourself.
Instead, they're already suspecting that I am that person, which is technically true. I am me. Fuck. It's only been two days.. I applaud the Hokage.
So let's say that Shikamaru told his father, who in turn told the Hokage… and since you were there the moment that happened, he's just assuming that you were the one that caused that. Shikamaru told him everything. Possibly your reactions.
So my plan kind of worked. They're more aware of my original body now and more cautious of him, but instead of losing interest on me, they're going to be keeping another eye out for me as well..
Let's add the fact that Iruka might've told him about your 'modified jutsu' when he took Naruto and Sasuke to him.
Why couldn't he have told it to him yesterday? Why earlier?
To Iruka, there's nothing suspicious about a teen who quickly befriended Naruto even if he just did an unusual 'modified jutsu'.
So he only told him about it today because… I'm the only one in his class who he knew nothing about. Things such as strengths, weaknesses, tells.. And I happened to be there when the fire seemed to move on its own.
A ninja has the right to be suspicious of a child, even those that befriended the demon.
I guess there's only one way to completely remove their eyes on me, Kai.
Yes. Let us commence our plan.
"Toshio? Toshio! You've been spacing out for a while." Naruto, who was now on his sixth bowl, looked at him worriedly. Toshio snapped out of his confers action with Kai and smiled at him sheepishly, "Sorry. I've been thinking of that unfamiliar guy. Oh. Hokage-sama left?" Again, both him and Kai were always so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't even noticed that the Hokage had already left. Naruto nodded, slurping on his noodles, "Yeah. He said something urgent came up then poof! He just disappeared." He shrugged before grinning at him. "So how's the ramen?"
Actually good. He smiled back at the blond, "It's really good, Naruto." It was somehow different compared to the instant ramen he ate the other night. This one was more delicious. He liked it. Like lightning, Naruto finished his bowls and after a few minutes, Toshio found himself walking around with Naruto beside him. Naruto had his hands behind his head, whistling some sort of tune while Toshio quietly walked behind him. They soon ended up in some kind of park and both sat down on the swings.
"Hey, Toshio?" Naruto's quiet voice called out to him and the mentioned teen looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "What is it, Naruto?" The blond was silent for a minute which somehow unnerved Toshio. Naruto wasn't one to be quiet.
He's thinking of how to phrase his words.. Or question.
Of course you would know that. Toshio blinked as Naruto looked at him and smiled nervously, "Why did you approached me yesterday?" Toshio was almost surprised, furrowing his eyebrows at the knucklehead ninja. "Well. You looked like you needed to be." He started to swing himself, until he was moderately high and he smiled as he looked ahead. "Somehow, I just knew. I just knew that I had to approach you." Yes. He knew, of course. And he needed to approach him. Befriend him. And then in the end.. He would manipulate him. That was what he always do after all. Manipulate..
He could see Naruto looking at him in his peripheral vision before almost shyly asking, "Then.. Can you be my friend?" Toshio stilled.. And slowly, he looked at the blond. The amount of hopefulness in that question made his heart waver which was unusual. He had never felt this before. The swing slowed into a stop and his feet were now planted firmly onto the ground as he continued looking at him. For a while, they just sat there, staring at each other. Then Toshio smiled, "What are you saying? You don't have to ask. I'm already your friend, Naruto." He ignored the way Naruto's sincerely happy smile looked. The way those blue eyes watered before the blond looked away, furiously wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his iconic orange jumper, "I'm not crying! I just got sand in my eyes." What an obvious lie. He let out a laugh, but it sounded way too genuine for him as well. It was weird and unusual. He didn't like it. But he couldn't stop laughing. What was this feeling?
Your heart is beating fast, cheeks flushed, and stomach is fluttering.. Toshio…
What Kai said almost made him gasp in surprise. After all, he couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that he was capable of feeling it.
You're happy.
And most of all, he couldn't believe he wanted to feel it again.
(Not Human)
