Chapter 8: Broken Bonds
One of the things that people intending to set up shop in Konoha had learned over the past couple of years was that it was bad news to let the resident demon container into their shops. It was something which if not learned under normal circumstances would have caused quite a hit to that shop's business, unless that shop happened to be selling something that was too good to pass up. Such as for example a certain restaurant which managed to avoid this notion thanks to being known for the excellent quality of food at dirt cheap prices it sold. The fact it had been in business long enough prior to said child's birth to generate great amounts of good will for both the proprietor and his daughter certainly didn't hurt either.
Not that the owner would have cared one lick if people's opinions suddenly changed like they seemed prone to. No, Teuchi was a simple man who only needed a few things to get by. Loyalty to those he loved and considered friends being one of the most important. It was for this reason in fact that he was not about to turn away the local demon container. After all beyond the fact he wasn't stupid enough to fall into the ridiculous notion that the boy was anything but that, a boy, and not some hell-spawn like others seem to think he was, there was also the simple fact that he knew the boy's mother! And while she certainly had a temper that could border on the demonic, when pressed he knew for the fact that she certainly wasn't a demon, and therefor neither could her son be. He just wished he could have assured the boy of those facts himself, sadly that was not going to happen any time soon given the state of things and the Hokage's orders about keeping the boy's heritage a secret.
Getting back on topic though, what was wrong with these folks nowadays? How could they think such nonsense about poor Naruto? It was something that continued to bother Teuchi and others. Most notably those of a certain older strata of the people in the town. For some reason Teuchi had noticed that folks born before the last war seemed to be perfectly fine with the boy, barring when he pulled pranks on them (something which Teuchi worridly noticed had not been happening lately if the lack of reports of property damage were anything to go on). The majority of the younger generations though seemed to vary but on the whole the younger adults seemed to dislike if not outright hate the boy and their children in turn just seemed to avoid him altogether.
For a long time he had just assumed that it had to do with what the boy represented, namely that the beloved fourth Hokage had died but as he watched the customers come in and out of his shop and listened to the general whispering around town he got the impression more and more that the folks were either through stupidity or stubbornness refusing to acknowledge what the Hokage had told them in that public announcement all those years ago. Something he was sure the man regretted having to do given what had happened since then. The Hokage was no fool, despite what many folks bitter about the events of the last war and more recently the escape of his deranged former student Orochimaru might say. He knew talking about Naruto's burden would cause problems and he would never have even brought it up were it not for factors outside his control.
None were 100% sure about who had started the evil rumors that had forced the speech to happen, however the older shinobi seemed pretty adamant that it had been the Hokage's former teammate Danzo that had started this mess as some sort of political move to weaken the Third in the hectic hours following the fox attack. Unfortunately such notions were unprovable, otherwise Danzo's head would already be mounted on a post somewhere for all to see as the example. It wasn't something often done in the peace loving village but Teuchi knew how much the boy meant to the Third.
Yes more and more as time passed Teuchi wondered what might have been if only that info about the boy hadn't leaked out and forced the Hokage to try and quell the rumors.
Speaking of the Third…
"Welcome to Ichiraku Ramen how can I…?" began the voice of his daughter Ayame at the counter only to be interrupted.
"Hokage-sama would like to speak to you and your father at your earliest possible convenience." spoke a chunin at the counter. His name escaped both the shocked girl and her father at the moment and seeing as they both prided themselves as learning their customer's names to help personalize the dining expierience that could only mean that this man wasn't a regular.
"Oh?" began the teenaged girl's father. "If I may be so bold, about what exactly?"
"I am not 100% certain to be honest but I believe it might have something to do with...Uzumaki-san"
There it was again, that tinge, that intonation on the last word. For a moment Teuchi thought how easy it would be to accidentally launch some hot broth into the man's face before he steadied his emotions.
"We can go now if you wish. Business has been kind of slow today anyway, plus it's almost closing time."
"Very well" nodded the chunin "I will escort you."
"Good. Ayame-chan help me lock up."
"Hai Tou-san"
In short order they had done just that and reached the Hokage's administrative building. The whole time over there the young girl seemed to be anxiously looking around and that made him wonder whether the cause was in her not having interacted with the village leader much before, or more likely the fact of whether or not the boy she considered her sibling was okay. When Naruto had first come by the shop some 2 years ago the man had been slightly worried about how his daughter might react to him being there given how the other kids in town seemed to respond to him. However he hadn't needed to worry, for all it took was for her to take one look at the chubby little whisker marked toddler's face and the then 11 year old girl had all but squealed in joy and began to cuddle him. Since then she had done her best to make the boy feel welcomed, and unlike himself she was still young and impetus enough to take her frustration out on the customer's who tried to make things difficult for the boy when he was at their shop...which hadn't been for some time now that he thought about it. Huh, no wonder why the poor girl was acting so twitchy.
It was as that concerning thought passed through his head that two did at last arrive before the Hokage's secretary. The chunin escorting them gave a quick reason to the old bag behind the desk as to why they were there and after a ring on the intercom the threesome were allowed into the room.
"Hokage-sama I have brought them as you requested." said the man with a bow to the seated figure.
"Thank you. You are dismissed."
And so he left, leaving the father and daughter pair standing before the village's leader's desk. Idly the seated man took a drag on his already lit pipe before motioning his guests to sit.
"Your probably wondering why I summoned you here. I'll be right to the point of the matter, it's involving Naruto-kun..." the Hokage began before being interrupted by Ayame.
"Did something happen to him?!" for a moment Teuchi thought he would have to reprimand her for her outburst but the Hokage waved her concerns off.
"That actually is why I summoned you here. Frankly speaking I don't know, but judging by your response I'm guessing you don't know about what if anything has been going on with Naruto lately either?" At the Hokage's frank admission of ignorance the two ramen seller's could only look at each other before shrugging.
"Honestly speaking Hokage-sama" began Teuchi "I can't say I've seen hide nor hair of him for...oh I don't know at least a week if not more. In fact I was just thinking to myself how odd it had been for him not to have shown up recently. Your saying you don't know anything about Naruto-kun either?"
"Well not anything per-se." Said the Hokage after releasing a puff of smoke from between his lips. "I know he's still been regularly going to school, which is good to hear, and that he has suddenly ceased pranking, but beyond that I am just about as ignorant as you are on the matter, which is why I summoned you here. I had hoped perhaps you might know something to help piece together this sudden change in behavior, however it seems such hopes were in vain. Normally I would just send someone to check on this matter or summon him myself but we've been stretched rather thin lately. If Toro-san hadn't needed to pass by your shop to begin with I doubt I could have spared him to get you. So on that note, would one of you be so kind as to stop by the boy's house and check up on him? I know how close you two are with him and all."
"Tou-san I can do it! I get out early tomorrow from school anyway" At the girl's eagerness the father could only nod in response.
"Hai, that sounds fine."
"Very good you two. Then if nothing else you are dismissed oh and apologies for any inconvenience this might have caused you."
Both of them quickly assured their leader that it was fine and then headed out the door leaving the Hokage to ponder his thoughts. Perhaps it was simply that he had gotten too use to a routine and was panicking over nothing... but whole matter made the man uneasy. The fact he had needed to summon these two to investigate the matter was proof of how abnormal things had gotten.
'Especially in that regard.' he whispered to himself as he gazed over to where his crystal scrying globe was housed. At first he had not been too concerned about not hearing about Naruto-kun recently but as the days passed with not a slightest hint to what might be going on he had grown worried enough to try and use his globe…
Only to be met with static, something which by all means should NOT be possible. His telescope jutsu normally could see through any possible barriers in a given radius as long as the user knew the target's chakra signature, and with how much chakra the boy put out even when performing the simplest jutsu you didn't need to be a sensor ninja to know what his chakra's pattern was.
The only thing that stopped him from sending in the Anbu was that Naruto had been seen going to school.
Hopefully things would get cleared up in short order.
The Next Day
Once more the Hokage was wondering if the kami had forsaken him. Damn all this paperwork to the pit! Frankly if he had known what he was in for when he had accepted Tobirama's nomination as Hokage he would have insisted on going on that suicide mission instead of him!
...urgh on second thought no. Facing off with one of the legendary member's of Kumogakure's gold and silver brothers at that age would have been the most trouser browning excuse for a mission anybody could be sent on short of fighting an actual tailed beast. And that was ignoring the fact the leader of the Kinkaku squad was a psuedo-jinchuriki!
He prayed he never found out what exactly it was that his former sensei went through when he fought that sadist.
BUZZ BUZZ
"Yes Ako what is it?"
"Forgive me Hokage-dono but the owner of Ichiraku says he has a matter to discuss with you?"
"Ah yes, send him in."
For a moment the Hokage dared to get his hopes up regarding the situation with his surrogate grandson. Such hopes were quickly dashed when he saw the look on the Ramen seller's face.
"Teuchi-san? Is something the matter?"
"I fear it may be so Hokage-sama"
"Oh?" The Hokage said while repressing the sinking feeling in his stomach and motioning the man to sit. "What have you learned?"
"Not much I'm afraid. Something clearly is up with him but whatever it is he's not willing to talk about it."
"Even to little Ayame-chan?"
"Not even to her. And judging by what I was able to get out of her..."
The silence hung quite heavy for a moment before the curiosity finally became too much to bear.
"Able to get out of her?" he said motioning for him to continue.
"...Hokage-sama it's like this. I was working at the shop like always just dealing with the usual day-to-day grind when Ayame came in, tears streaming down her face and ran upstairs to her room. It took me half an hour before she finally calmed down enough to let me in the room but when she finally did she could only blubber out that he basically told her that yes he is alive and no he won't be coming back to the stand any time soon."
Needless to say the words were like a punch to the gut to the elderly village leader. To say that the boy wouldn't be coming back to the Ramen stand was as ridiculous as saying that the sky was green and made of lime sherbet. Yet here he was hearing those exact words.
"Did he give a reason? Any explanation at all?"
"Only that he was sick of dealing with all of us lying phonies. When she tried to press the matter he went ballistic and ended up throwing her out. Hokage-sama I'm worried you don't think maybe he's starting to suspect...you know?"
"Only one way to find out. Thank you for your help in this matter Teuchi-san I will be sending someone to go by Naruto's apartment to bring him in for a talk...oh and please tell Ayame-chan not to worry. I'm sure once Naruto-kun has had some time to cool off from whatever is bothering him he will be more than happy to visit your shop again."
"I hope so Hokage-sama"
With a gesture the Hokage dismissed the ramen seller and he sat alone once more. Needless to say this was quite a perplexing turn of events.
"Ako" he said pushing down on his intercom's button.
"Yes Hokage-sama?"
"Please send a message to one of the Anbu to go and fetch Uzumaki Naruto?"
"Yes Hokage-sama"
Thinking things were good and settled the Hokage began to once more attempt to clear through the seemingly ever multiplying pile of paperwork that seemed to bury his desk. He had just started to make a touch of progress when the intercom buzzed again.
BUZZ BUZZ
"Yes Ako? Is it the Anbu I sent for?"
"Um actually Hokage-dono no it isn't. It's actually Mikoto-sama of the Uchiha clan. She says it's urgent."
'Oh now what?!'
"Very well let her in. Oh and if the Anbu show up just tell them to wait outside till I'm done talking with Uchiha-san."
"Yes Hokage-dono"
Now then...what is this all about?
A/N: Hope you folks enjoyed your Thanksgiving! Btw sorry for the short chapter. Just trying to keep the writing momentum going. Hope you enjoyed it all the same
