AN: Thanks to all those who reviewed. I should have responded to all of them, but if I didn't, then I apologise. Special thanks to inarealpickle, and simonmountney for picking up the slack for betaing. All reviews/criticism are welcomed as usual.

Now that that's out of the way, I present to you chapter 12 of Naruto: Shadows of the Mind.


'THOUGHTS'

LINEBREAKS=CHANGE OF SCENE/POV


Chapter 12

"That's a nice Genjutsu you have there. But if you don't mind me asking, why do you have a Henge on under it, Naruto?"

Kurenai had been prepared for him to lash out at her, or to try to escape, or even play dumb.

So she was rather surprised when he froze and stared at her in wide-eyed horror, his eyes filling with tears. Kurenai was so shocked that she almost missed the boy turning and running as if the demons of hell were at his heels.

"Stop!" she called out loudly as she started after him, gaining the attention of the ninja around them. The Hyuuga and Uchiha were the first to respond, activating their dojutsu instinctively and seeing through the boy's illusion in the process.

"Genjutsu!" one of the Uchiha called as they began their own pursuit.

As a result of the Uchiha's call, the Jounin, Chuunin, and even the Genin put their hands together in the Tora seal, though only a few called out, "Kai!"

All of this happened in an instant, and just as Kurenai was catching up to the boy, a shuriken grazed his leg, likely thrown by one of the Uchiha.

The boy let out a pained cry before stumbling and falling head first to the ground, hitting with a sickening thud.

Kurenai winced at the sound, coming to a stop as the boy's Henge collapsed in a puff of smoke and the other ninja gathered near her.

Kurenai gasped as she saw Naruto's true form. She had been expecting to find a young, foreign shinobi or perhaps a missing-nin. So she was more than a little surprised when the brunette, too plain ten-year-old turned into an even younger blond boy with a small pool of blood spreading under his head.

"Oh, shit…" one of the Genin said uneasily, breaking Kurenai out of her shock.

Kurenai quickly knelt and scooped the little boy into her arms and turned him over. She was greeted by a very familiar whiskered face with a pair of blue, slit-pupil eyes that were slowly closing.

For an instant, the small child in her arms became a tiny, newborn infant that she had met only once. "Naruto Uzumaki…" she muttered in horror, finally recognizing what had seemed so familiar about him.

"Fuck, it is him!" one of the Uchiha growled before dropping to a knee and going through a series of hand seals before moving a hand over Naruto's head.

Once the gash on his head was healed, the Uchiha healed the cut on his leg before sitting back. "Well, he should be okay, but he'll probably be out for a while. So which one of you was supposed to be watching him?"

When no one answered, the Uchiha looked at Kurenai, who just shrugged.

"You mean he was running around on his own!?" the man asked, a mixture of shock, disgust, and outrage in his voice.

"What kind of six year old can even use Genjutsu?" the other Uchiha asked incredulously.

"I believe young Itachi was capable of that, was he not?" the Hyuuga Jounin asked stoically before herding his Genin back to their work.

The Uchiha just glared at his back in response.

"So what do we do with him now? Just put him on street bench somewhere?" one of the Chuunin asked.

"Don't be a fool." the first Uchiha said. "If the Hokage found out we just left him out here alone, then we'd be lucky to die quickly. The man is completely irrational when it comes to this boy."

"I'll take him." Kurenai offered, shifting the boy in her arms so she could carry him more easily. "I am the one who caused this mess after all."

The Uchiha stared at her for a moment before nodding. "Very well. But know this. I know who you are, Kurenai Yuuhi. If that boy dies or disappears anytime soon, I will direct the Hokage to you."

Kurenai just nodded and stood, taking Naruto with her as she left.

'What a mess…' she thought to herself as she headed back to her apartment. She was certainly gaining quite a few odd looks as she carried the young Uzumaki through the streets.

Still, they were far better than some of the looks Naruto was getting. 'It's no wonder he was running around under a Henge and Genjutsu. The poor boy…' she thought angrily.

When they eventually arrived at her apartment, Kurenai quickly put the boy in her bed and tucked him in. Once she was sure he was comfortable, she grabbed a washcloth, a small bowl of warm water, and dragged a chair into her bedroom so she could sit next to him.

Once she was settled in, she studied the boy's face as she carefully cleaned the drying blood off his face. The whisker marks still adorned his face like she remembered, though she scowled as she studied the old scars on his left cheek. They covered the top two birthmarks, and appeared to have been dug deeply into his flesh.

'Who could do something like that to a child?' Kurenai thought angrily. 'I thought the Hokage said he was going to have him protected?'

Kurenai sighed sadly as she reached over to gently brush his hair back from his eyes. 'He needs a haircut.' she thought absentmindedly.

"Huh…never thought you'd be interested in little boys, Kurenai-chan. Though I guess it does explain some things…" a familiar voice spoke in her ear, startling her.

"Anko-chan, how many times do I have to tell you? Stop sneaking up on me! And I'm not interested in little boys!" Kurenai growled angrily.

"It's alright, Kurenai-chan. I won't hold it against you. Whatever gets you off." Anko said, leaning in to get a better look at Naruto. "Wow…he looks like he'll be quite the looker when he grows up, even with those scars…" Anko started with a grin before frowning. "Wait a minute…Kurenai-chan, is this who I think it is?"

Nodding silently, Kurenai turned back to Naruto's still form.

"Kurenai-chan…this is really serious. If the Hokage finds out you kidnapped Naruto-fucking-Uzumaki of all people…" Anko said in a rare moment of seriousness. "I think they hang you for that."

"I didn't kidnap him, Anko-chan." Kurenai said absentmindedly.

"Then what are you doing with him?" Anko asked as she checked Kurenai's bedroom window.

So Kurenai found herself explaining what had occurred that morning, from the ramen stand to her confronting Naruto, to the brief chase, and then her bringing Naruto back with her.

"You mean to tell me that this little kid managed to use a Genjutsu capable of fooling an entire street full of ninja?" Anko asked incredulously. "Isn't that a pretty high level technique? Like a B rank one?"

Kurenai nodded. "At least a B rank, maybe even A rank. I wonder where he learned it?"

"I'm more interested in why you brought him here." Anko said teasingly. "After all, you could have just left him with the Uchiha. They would have taken care of him."

"I couldn't possibly leave him with them. You should have seen how those people acted around him. They treated him like he was some kind of wild animal!"

"What did you expect?" Anko asked with a shrug. "That they'd bow and praise his every breath? Thank him for his service to the village? Maybe offer to marry him to every clan heiress just to convey their gratitude?" She shook her head. "Face it Kurenai-chan, that kid is lucky to have made it this far, and I wouldn't be surprised if he wound up dead before he hit puberty."

Kurenai scowled at Anko for that, but she couldn't really disagree, not after what she had seen. Glancing back at Naruto's face, she asked quietly, "How much do you know about Naruto Uzumaki?"

Anko followed her gaze before staring at her silently. When she finally answered, Anko said, "I've heard some things, seen a few reports. Why?"

Ignoring her question, Kurenai asked, "Do you know anything about these scars? How he got them?"

Anko looked thoughtful for a moment before answering. "I think I heard something about it. All I can remember is that an Anbu got in trouble for attacking some doctors who wouldn't treat the kid…other than that I don't know…" Anko trailed off before asking a little more forcefully. "Kurenai-chan, why are you so interested in this kid? Why haven't you taken him back to the Hokage yet?"

"I will." Kurenai said defensively. "I just want to make sure he's alright before I take him back."

She paused for a moment and then turned back to Anko. "Say…Anko-chan…can you do a favor for me?"

"I'm way ahead of you, Kurenai-chan. I've got a couple of shovels, and I've picked out a place where we can bury the body." Anko said proudly.

Kurenai just stared at her eccentric friend. "What are you talking about Anko-chan?"

"Err…nothing, nothing at all…" Anko said nervously. "So…what kind of favor did you need?"

Kurenai frowned before deciding that she didn't really want to know. "I need you to go tell the Hokage that Naruto is here, in case he's looking for him."

"What!" Anko exclaimed. "Why do I have to do it?"

Raising an eyebrow, Kurenai explained. "Well, obviously someone needs to be here when he wakes up. Since I can't go, that means you need to."

"Why can't I stay here and you go tell the Hokage?" Anko complained.

Kurenai tried not to laugh, she really did. But in the end, she couldn't hold it in.

"What? What's so funny! Kurenai-chan, stop laughing at me!" Anko whined.

"I-I'm so-sorry, Anko-chan." she managed to choke out between laughs. "But the thought of you of all people watching a child…" unable to finish her sentence, Kurenai burst into laughter once more.

"What's that supposed to mean!" an offended Anko asked. "Name one time when I screwed up watching a kid!"

Kurenai stared at her younger friend in disbelief. "How about when you were assigned to teach at the academy last year? You didn't even make it through one day."

"Look, I told both you and those pissed off parents, it was just a simple miscalculation!" Anko declared defensively. "Besides, if those little wannabe ninja had any skills at all, then they should have been able to dodge the glass!"

"And I've already told you, how in the world could you expect six-year-olds to dodge a hailstorm of glass on their first day?" Kurenai retorted. "And you still haven't explained how you managed to crash through the wrong closed window?"

Rather than answer, Anko chose to cross her arms and pout.

"Now, why don't you head over to the Hokage tower and let the Sandaime know that I have Naruto here." When she received only more pouting, Kurenai sighed and offered resignedly "I'll buy dango for supper."

"Ok!" Anko chirped happily. Heading for the front door she called over her shoulder, "Don't forget to use protection while you're making love to your boy toy, Kurenai-chan!"

"Anko!" Kurenai barked angrily, only to be answered by her friend's cackle.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she turned her attention back to the sleeping blond.

Once her eyes landed on him, she couldn't help the images that appeared in her mind one after another. First, was the memory of the first time they met, with Kurenai cradling the infant Naruto in her arms. She smiled slightly, remembering how she marveled at the child's tiny form, and had been dazzled by his sky blue eyes.

That smile faded however, when she saw the wide, terrified eyes she had seen when she confronted him. The look in his eyes made her stomach twist painfully when she thought about how she was the one that caused it.

Then came the memory of the looks that had been sent the poor boy's way as she carried him.

'I don't understand…what could the Hokage be thinking? How could he let a child just walk around on his own? Especially when it's obvious that people still bla-'

Kurenai was broken from her thoughts when Naruto began to stir. 'Here we go.' she thought as she smiled gently at the young boy.

He slowly sat up in the bed, yawning sleepily and rubbing his eyes in a rather cute fashion. Kurenai couldn't help but giggle at the sight.

She was surprised once more, when Naruto froze, then practically flew out of the bed and away from her. He glanced around the apartment quickly, before throwing his Genjutsu over himself.

Suppressing a sigh, Kurenai once again dispelled Naruto's Genjutsu. Once done, she gently said, "You don't need to be afraid Naruto-chan, I'm not going to hurt you."

"Bullshit!" Naruto shouted as he once more glanced around the apartment.

Kurenai twitched angrily as she tried to remain calm. "Watch your language, Naruto-chan." she said in what she hoped wasn't a too threatening tone. She didn't want to scare him too much after all.


As he started to awaken, Naruto could tell that something was off. For one thing, his body felt weird. Whereas he usually felt stiff and uncomfortable when waking, right now Naruto felt…good. Another thing was that his floor kept…shifting…and it was soft.

'That's not right…' Naruto thought drowsily. Sitting up, he let out a yawn while rubbing at his eyes, trying to fully wake up. He froze a moment later when he heard a terrifying sound. 'Someone just giggled…' In that moment, he remembered everything. The woman who confronted him, the terror as he tried to run, followed by pain and a fall, followed by deep red eyes.

All of this passed through Naruto's head in a flash, before he leapt from the bed and away from that giggle. Glancing around the bedroom, as he now realized he was in one he caught sight of his captor and tried to throw up his Genjutsu, hoping against hope that it would work. It didn't.

She seemingly dispelled it with ease, before speaking in a gentle tone, "You don't need to be afraid Naruto-chan, I'm not going to hurt you."

Under normal circumstances, Naruto would have tried to remain calm, but the moment she called him "Naruto-chan", the moment she called him the way they had, he snapped.

"Bullshit!" he shouted angrily even as he took in her appearance.

The woman twitched for a moment, before frowning and saying in a mildly threatening tone, "Watch your language, Naruto-chan."

Managing to keep his temper this time, Naruto studied the woman in front of him. She was the woman who saw through his Genjutsu. He hadn't really noticed her appearance before, seeing as how he had been too busy running for his life, so he was a bit surprised to find a young woman with red eyes of all things.

Red eyes that he found more than a little familiar.

She had shoulder length, unruly black hair, and looked like she might be somewhere between five and five and a half feet tall, though it was difficult to tell with her sitting down. She was wearing some kind of red, sleeveless turtleneck under a Chuunin vest and, from what he could see, didn't appear to have any weapons.

Taking all this in, Naruto decided to see if he could extract some information from her.

"Where am I?" he demanded, trying to scan his surroundings while keeping an eye on her.

"You're in my apartment." was the rather unhelpful response.

Before he could ask another question, the red-eyed woman said, "My name is Kurenai, by the way. Kurenai Yuuhi."

"Well than, Kurenai," Naruto sneered. "Why did you bring me here? What the hell do you want from me?"

"What did I tell you about watching your mouth?" Kurenai said warningly.

Naruto just glared back at her.

After a brief staring match, Kurenai answered his question. "I brought you here because you were hurt. You hit your head pretty hard after all."

Naruto frowned at her and asked in disbelief. "That's it?"

"Well, I couldn't just leave you there." Kurenai said with a smile.

Blinking in confusion, Naruto asked, "Why not?"

This time it was Kurenai who blinked in confusion. "What do you mean Naruto-chan? I could never leave a child out in the streets like that."

Growling angrily, Naruto said "Don't fuck with me! What are you up to? Why were you following me? And how did you see through my Genjutsu and Henge?" Too late, Naruto tried to bite back on his anger. He hadn't meant to say anything about that. Or at least, not so obviously.

Backing up as Kurenai finally stood and walked towards him, Naruto saw something he had hoped to never see again. Something she used to do, and something that he had seen Yoshino do to Shikamaru from time to time.

Where Kurenai once stood was now a dark, looming form that threatened pain and radiated anger. "I'm not going to tell you again, Naruto Uzumaki. Watch. Your. Language. Or you're going to get a spanking. Understand?"

Naruto had no idea what a "spanking" was, but he really couldn't care less as he bobbed his head up and down so fast that he got dizzy.

Not that he was afraid mind you. He just wanted to find out how she saw through his Genjutsu. Yeah, that was all.

"Good." Kurenai said as she returned to normal and sat down on the bed and patting next to her. "Now, come have a seat, and I'll answer all your questions. Okay?"

Nodding slowly, Naruto sat down on the bed next to her. Well, there was a small space between them. Just a few feet really. But at least he was on the bed.

"Now, I brought you here because you were hurt, and I wanted to make sure you were ok." Kurenai explained. " And I wasn't following you, we both just happened to be going the same way when I noticed your Genjutsu." she paused here for a second, then continued. "I must say, I was very impressed by your ability to use such a complex Genjutsu at your age. If we hadn't been in such close proximity for as long as we were, then I might not have even noticed. It must be at least a B rank technique. Who taught it to you?"

Surprised to find himself beaming in pride at the woman's praise, Naruto didn't really think to hold back information. "No one." he said with just a hint of smugness. "I made it myself." When he saw her eyes widen, however, he cursed himself for just giving that information away. 'Shit! What was I thinking? I can't believe I just told her that! Now wha-'

"That's impossible!" Kurenai exclaimed. "You're much too young to be creating such a complex Genjutsu. Why, I'm a Genjutsu Specialist, and even I was barely able to overcome it!"

Frantically trying to change the topic, Naruto asked the first thing that came to mind. "How did you see through it anyway? And how did you know I was wearing a Henge?"

"Well, to be honest, your Henge was flawless." Kurenai said distractedly. "I couldn't find any discrepancies in the image you created. I almost thought you really were an older brunette boy. But your mistake was making your Henge too plain."

"As for the Genjutsu itself, I'm a shinobi, paying attention to my surroundings is part of the job." She explained. "While I couldn't see you, my instincts kept telling me that something wasn't right. Your Genjutsu works amazingly well in passing, but the longer you stay in someone of my skills presence, the more likely they'll see through it."

Unfortunately for Naruto, he took that to mean someone with great skill in Genjutsu, not high Chuunin level skills.

It would be many years later when Naruto faced the consequences of this mistake.

Noticing Kurenai's thoughtful look, something that Naruto did not want her to be, he quickly asked. "So how did you know it was me?"

"What do you mean? The ramen chef said your name, remember?" Kurenai said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Naruto could only stare at that. 'Of course…why didn't I think of that?' Resisting the urge to smack his own head, Naruto warily asked, "So what now?" tensing to flee even as he did so.

"Well, for now we're waiting for my friend to get back from the Hokage." Kurenai said.

Naruto's eyes widened at that. "What? Why? What does the Old Man have to do with this?" This was bad. Naruto had taken precautions over the last few years to keep everyone in the dark about his self-taught skills. Now, this woman might have ruined it all in one day!

'I have to do something…something to keep her quiet…but how? I'm not skilled enough with Genjutsu yet so I can't try to erase her memory or anything. So what should I do?' For a brief moment, Naruto considered a more…permanent solution, before mentally shaking his head. Even if he could stomach killing her -not something he was comfortable with just yet- he didn't have any of his weapons, and she was sure to be the better fighter. So what could he do?

Deciding to wing it, Naruto turned his attention back to Kurenai in time to hear her ask, "Old Man…?" in confusion. Then it seemed to dawn on her. "Naruto! You can't call the Hokage an old man! That's very rude." she scolded him.

Uncaring, Naruto pressed on. "What did you tell him? And why did you tell him?"

Narrowing her eyes when he ignored her, Kurenai said. "Well, someone needed to know where you were. And since I don't know your parents or where you live, the Hokage was the only choice."

"But now that I'm awake, you don't need to worry anymore. I'll just head on home and you don't need to talk to the Old Man." Naruto quickly interrupted, standing as he did so.

'Who knows, maybe if the Old Man doesn't see me here, he won't believe anything she tells him…' Naruto thought bleakly. After all, there's nothing wrong with hoping for something, no matter how unlikely.

"Don't be silly, Naruto-chan." Kurenai chided softly. "You're far too young to be walking around the village by yourself."

Frowning in confusion, Naruto asked, "What does being by myself have to do with anything? I've always been alone." Naruto didn't mind exaggerating slightly, if it got him away from this woman and back to his apartment. Still, he couldn't help but wonder. 'Why is she trying to keep me here? What could she possibly want from me? And why does she look so sad?'

Indeed, Kurenai's face did take on a sad look the moment Naruto mentioned being alone. Before he could say anything else, Kurenai spoke quietly. "Naruto-chan…who do you live with?"

Surprised at her apparent ignorance concerning him, Naruto spoke without thinking. "No one." What she did next caught him completely off guard.


Kurenai couldn't help but feel a wave of pity and sadness at Naruto's words. Especially the way he said it, as if he genuinely didn't understand why his being alone mattered. 'Always alone…surely he can't mean that…' Kurenai thought worriedly. 'He's so young, surely there must be someone who takes care of him…right?'

Then again, she'd never heard of any other Uzumakis, and surely no good parent would let a six-year-old -particularly one with Naruto's status- walk around by himself.

"Naruto-chan…" Kurenai began quietly. "Who do you live with?"

The boy just tilted his head in confusion, before answering. "No one." That was it, not a hint of emotion behind it other than surprise, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Looking back, she couldn't honestly say why she did what she did next. Whether it was some sort of maternal instinct, or she felt Naruto needed someone to express sadness for him, or even that she herself needed it, she would never really know.

Moving quickly, she grabbed the surprised boy and pulled him in close, wrapping him in a tight hug. Kurenai felt even worse when Naruto noticeably flinched at her actions, before struggling to get away. To which she just held him tighter.

Of course it would be at this exact moment that Anko would return with the Hokage, making their presence known when Anko oh so tactfully exclaimed. "Well shit…she really is into little boys!"

"Anko!" Kurenai half barked, half squeaked before addressing her leader. "Ho-Hokage-sama, what are you doing here?"

Kurenai couldn't help but turn red in embarrassment and anger as she stared at the Hokage nervously.

Not because she held any feelings of attraction to the aged Hokage, but because Anko had basically just called her a pedophile in front of one of the most powerful shinobi the world had ever known. And Kurenai happened to be hugging Naruto Uzumaki of all people at that exact moment. Someone who the Sandaime was rather unmerciful when it came to ensuring his well being.

The Hokage didn't answer her, as he glared slightly at her with…jealousy? Frowning in confusion, she just barely caught a single word in the Hokage's muttering, "Lucky…"

Blinking, Kurenai realized that the Sandaime wasn't looking at her so much as Naruto, and combined with that "lucky" comment, realized just where Naruto's head -as well at his hands- were currently at as the boy still struggled to get out of her hug.

Turning red purely out of anger this time, Kurenai said, "Hokage-sama! Watch your language around Naruto-chan! I swear, how did you ever raise two children of your own if you can't remember how to act around a child?" She angrily scolded him, shifting the still fidgeting child so his hands weren't in quite such an inappropriate place. Not that it was really that bad seeing as he was just a child, but with Anko's comment, it became a little more awkward.

'Speaking of Anko.' she thought angrily as she pointed a finger at her eccentric friend. "And you! Stop making up such inappropriate stories about people! Think before you speak once in a while!"

The subjects of her scolding both looked sheepish and apologetic, and as Kurenai opened her mouth to continue she was interrupted by a loud growling. Blinking, she looked down at the source of the growl only to find him glaring at his own stomach while muttering, "Traitor…" accusingly.

Giggling at the adorable pout, Kurenai continued in a softer tone. "Well, sounds like someone is hungry. Naruto-chan, what do you say we go out and get something to eat? Then I'll take you home okay?"

Naruto eyed her in a manner far too suspicious for a child his age, before nodding slowly.

"Alright then," she said as she rose and shifted Naruto so he was resting on her hip. "Let's go get some dango, and if she promises to behave, Anko-chan can come too."

Instantly Anko's sheepish look disappeared as her eyes lit up. "Alright, Kurenai-chan's buying!" the younger girl chirped before dashing off to get her sandals.

Following behind her, Kurenai tried to ignore the way Naruto tried to put as much distance as possible between himself and the Hokage as they neared him. Because of this, she was the only one who heard the Sandaime's soft-spoken words. "We need to talk."

For her part, Kurenai simply smiled pleasantly at the aged Kage and said sweetly, "But of course Hokage-sama. We have much to discuss after all, like the proper raising of a child, or being jealous of someone's closeness with a woman young enough to be your daughter, among other things."

The Sandaime actually blushed slightly at that last part, even as he took a cautious step back and sent her a confused look.

Ironically enough, Sarutobi had in fact not been jealous of Naruto, but rather jealous of her. His jealousy came from one simple fact. Kurenai was able to hug his grandson without any form of protest from said child. If he on the other hand, so much as tried to ruffle Naruto's hair, it would trigger a full blown anxiety attack.

"Hurry up, Kurenai-chan! We should have been at the restaurant like an hour ago!" came Anko's voice, breaking up the slight stare down between Kurenai and the Sandaime.

"We're coming Anko-chan, be patient." she said as she carried Naruto into the living room and towards the door where an impatient Anko waited. Slipping on her own sandals, Kurenai set Naruto down on a chair in order to help him put on his sandals. Which apparently, upset Naruto because he jumped out of the chair with a scowl and put his sandals on by himself.

Giggling again at his pout, Kurenai quickly scooped him up into her arms again before he could put too much distance between them.

Nodding to Anko, who opened the door and dashed out it, Kurenai bid the Hokage goodbye and followed the excitable Chuunin.

Once in the street, Kurenai felt her good mood nearly evaporate as several people began sending looks of hatred and disgust towards Naruto. Though the looks of fear were the worst and sent a chill down her spine. Kurenai knew full well that people were often at their most dangerous when they were afraid. Even Anko must have felt it as she became unusually quiet and somber.

Kurenai did her best to ignore the looks, as there was no way she was going to start something while Naruto was with her.

Despite that, she didn't miss it when Anko palmed a kunai and moved a little closer to her.

'So she sees it too. What is wrong with these people? How could they treat a child so cruelly?' Kurenai glanced over at Anko. 'I hope she doesn't do anything rash-'

She was broken from her thoughts when Anko let out a…squeal. "Kurenai-chan, look, look! I can see the restaurant! I'm gonna go ahead and order!" Anko called over her shoulder as she dashed forward, attracting stares from the other people in the street.

"Kaa-chan," one nearby little girl asked her mother. "Why are ninjas so weird?"

Kurenai couldn't help but feel embarrassed as the woman replied, "I don't know dear, I just don't know."

Trying not to attract anyone's attention, Kurenai hurried after Anko, not daring to look at anyone after Anko's outburst.

It was only after she entered the restaurant that Kurenai realized no one had looked her and Naruto's way after Anko's antics. 'Did she intentionally draw attention to herself for Naruto's sake?' Kurenai wondered as she scanned the room for Anko. She found her sitting at a table, loudly and childishly demanding dango. 'Then again, maybe she really was that excited.' Kurenai mentally sighed. 'Probably a bit of both.'she concluded with a rueful smile.

Pulling out a chair, she set Naruto down before sitting next to him and across from Anko.

"I already ordered for us, Kurenai-chan." Anko informed her, "I even got a kid's meal for the brat, and some sake for us."


"I'm not a brat." Naruto growled angrily at that Anko girl. Really, it was bad enough that they dragged him out here after everything else that Kurenai woman had done. But now that girl was trying to treat him like a little kid when she was the one who kept acting like a child!

"You sure?" Anko asked. "You look pretty small to me, brat."

Twitching, Naruto said, "You're one to talk. You look like you're about twelve."

Not the best of comebacks to be sure, but Anko sure seemed to take it hard, judging by her watery eyes. "Sniff-Kurenai-chan -sniff- the little brat said I have small breasts!" The teen sniffed as she held her hands to her chest, to which Naruto could only respond, "Huh? No I didn't."

Anko didn't seem to hear him as she grabbed a passing waiter. "You don't think my breasts are small do you?" she asked with wide eyes as she wrapped his arm in a tight hug to her chest.

The man turned red as he stuttered "Uh, well, I wouldn't say they're huge, b-but they're not really that small for your age b-but I could be wrong, so maybe I should take a lo-" was as far as he got before Kurenai's glare drove him off.

"See, so there you have it, I'm a very matured young woman." Anko said cheerfully as she settled back down in her chair.

For a moment, Naruto could only stare at her before asking incredulously. "How did that prove anything? You started crying and then hugged the first person to walk by."

When she didn't answer, he frowned before following her line of sight to another waiter approaching their table carrying a tray with a few bowls of some kind of soup and another with…some round ball things on a skewer. A lot of round things on a skewer.

The waiter made a point of placing their food down and then quickly walking away, as if afraid to stay near them.

He frowned at the man, thinking that he was distancing himself because of Naruto's presence, but was surprised when Kurenai smiled and said "Don't worry about him. He's just afraid Anko will bite him."

Tilting his head in confusion, Naruto couldn't help but ask the obvious question. "Why would he think that?"

Kurenai giggled and pointed at Anko who was devouring her portion of the round things, which Naruto couldn't help noticing that she had a much larger portion than him and Kurenai put together.

Staring down at his own food, Naruto frowned as he poked at the things half-heartedly. He really didn't want to eat these things, and he most definitely didn't want to eat with these kunoichi. But he was hungry, and it wouldn't take the women long to notice he wasn't eating. And if this was a trap, they might get impatient and just go for the old fashion way of killing him. Namely, with judicious use of sharp metal objects.

Looking out of the corner of his eye, Naruto studied Anko for the first time without her running around or his own vision obstructed by the crimson-eyed Chuunin.

She was in her mid-teens, and looked like she was around five foot give or take. Like Kurenai, Anko had strange eyes, though where Kurenai had red with spirals, Anko had pupil-less hazel colored eyes.

Another similarity between the two was the Chuunin vests they both wore, though Anko looked like she was just wearing a t-shirt and khaki shorts under her vest.

She also kept her purple hair in an untidy pony tail.

'Oh, and lets not forget the part where she might be cra-.' Naruto was shaken from his thoughts when Anko stole his food from right in front of him. "Hey!" he protested instinctively. Sure he hadn't been planning to eat it, but that food was his. His to do with what he pleased, and she had taken it from him like he was unworthy of even something as simple as these "dango".

"Anko-chan! You already have your own food, leave Naruto-chan's alone." Kurenai scolded the younger Chuunin.

"What? It's not like the kid was eating them." Anko replied in a carefree tone.

When it became clear that Anko wasn't going to give him back his food, Kurenai moved both her chair and her own plate closer to him. "Here, you can share with me, Naruto-chan." she offered kindly.

That was another thing he didn't understand. 'Why is she acting so nice to me? What's she after?' Naruto stared at her suspiciously, trying to figure out just what was going through her head.

She just smiled at him with a tinge of sadness, before offering him a skewer from her plate. When he didn't take it, she just smiled again and pulled a dango off the skewer and popped it in her mouth. Then the second, and then the third. Once she finished off that skewer, she picked up a second and offered it to him.

Frowning, Naruto didn't take this one either. 'I am hungry though…and these dango things smell pretty good…not as good as ramen obviously, but good none the less.' he thought to himself. 'Besides, it's not like they could know exactly which skewer I'd pick, and Kurenai doesn't seem to be getting sick.'

Accepting that rationale, Naruto grabbed one of the skewers off the plate for himself. Cautiously picking a dango, Naruto slowly took a bite of it, unaware that both kunoichi were discretely observing him. 'This is…actually pretty good!'Naruto thought as he slowly rolled the food around on his tounge, waiting for any signs of poison. After a few moments, when nothing happened, he chewed the dango and swallowed.

As he picked up the pace of his eating, Kurenai smiled and asked, "So, I take it you like dango, Naruto-chan?"

Before he could answer, that Anko girl cut in around a mouthful of dango. "Of course he likes it, Kurenai-chan! There's nothing better than dango, right kid!" Despite the wording, Anko clearly wasn't asking a question.

Swallowing his own mouthful of food, Naruto nonchalantly replied, "Well, it's alright."

"Al-alright!" Anko spluttered in disbelief. "What do you mean, 'alright'? Name one thing that tastes better than dango!"

Quirking an eyebrow, Naruto looked at the dango loving kunoichi in confusion. "You're kidding, right?" When she just stared at him, Naruto turned to look at Kurenai, unable to believe this. When Kurenai just shrugged at him, Naruto turned back to Anko. "Ha-haven't you ever had ramen?" Oh how it hurt to even say those words, but if Anko hadn't ever tasted the heavenly goodness of Ramen, then it was his duty as a human being to introduce her to the delicious noodles of warmth and kindness.

"Ramen!" Anko spat in shock. "Surely you're not comparing a bunch of mushy noodles to the joys and goodness of dango!"

"You take that back!" Naruto growled in outrage. "Ramen is not a bunch of mushy noodles, and if you had even half a brain you'd know that Ramen is the greatest gift that God has ever given to man!"

"Blasphemy!" Anko screamed as she surged to her feet, and drawing the attention of the entire restaurant in the process. "Repent, you blasphemous heathen! Embrace the wonders of dango, or else!" she gripped her skewer as if it was some kind of holy sword.

Unable to believe the stupidity in front of him, Naruto turned to Kurenai again, only to see the woman with her face buried in her hands, muttering, "Not again…" in a depressed voice.

Turning back to confront the foolish teen, Naruto found himself leaning back in his chair, trying to put some distance between himself and the dango skewer that Anko was all but shoving up his nose.

"Say it!" Anko demanded. "Say that dango is the best! That nothing could ever be better! Say it!"

Frowning, Kurenai reached forward and slapped the skewer out of Anko's hand, which Naruto quickly scooped up and ate. After all, just because Anko was an idiot didn't make him any less hungry.

"Anko, that's enough. You promised to behave, remember?" Kurenai scolded.

"But-but-but you heard what he said!" Anko spluttered in outrage. "He has to be shown the error of his ways and-"

"Knock it off, Anko." Kurenai sighed. "He's only a child and you're supposed to be an adult, so just let it go."

Sitting back with a huff, Anko pouted and looked away, even as she devoured another dango.

Looking back and forth between the two women, Naruto asked. "Are you two sisters or something?"

Blinking in surprise, Kurenai asked, "Why, do we act like sisters?" Even Anko perked up to hear Naruto's answer.

"Well, even though you two are so different from each other, you seem pretty close. But she," Naruto paused to point at the younger of the two kunoichi, "is way too old to be your daughter. So I figured you must be sisters or something."

Chuckling, Kurenai grinned at Anko before answering. "No, we aren't related at all, Naruto-chan. But now that I think about it, you and Anko-chan haven't been properly introduced yet."

Naruto looked back and forth between the sulking Anko, who was still grumbling about "Blasphemous little heathen…" and the grinning Kurenai who said "Naruto Uzumaki, meet my good friend Anko Mitarashi."

"That's Anko-sama to you, brat!" Anko added.

Kurenai's grin slipped a little when he just grunted and went back to eating.

And that was how the rest of the meal went, with Kurenai trying to get him to talk and Anko acting like a crazy child. For his part, Naruto spent most of the meal -well the parts when he wasn't trying to watch everywhere at once anyway- trying to wrap his mind around this Kurenai lady.

Sure, she acted all nice, but he knew better than to trust that to be the truth. The problem was, he had no idea what she was trying to accomplish by treating him the way she was. Because of that, he didn't know how to act around her. 'Is she trying to kill me? Is this all some elaborate scheme set up by the Old Man? Or is she like Yoshino? No, it can't be that. Yoshino only treats me the way she does because it's her job…right?' These were some of the thoughts running through his head as he struggled to come to grips with the current situation.

You see, what most people don't know about Naruto is…he's not very good at reading people. Oh, he's not completely hopeless, and he can read people. It's just a lot easier when they are experiencing a strong emotion. When they were calm, it was much more difficult. Surprising, considering his paranoid existence but it's the truth.

It's also one of the reasons why he doesn't go out much. After all, not being able to read people isn't that big of a deal when there's no one around.

Eventually the meal came to an end and after some complaints from Anko, the bill was paid and Naruto was again scooped up into Kurenai's arms.

That in itself was another dilemma. On the one hand, he disliked being treated like a child. It was to be expected after all, he had spent nearly three years trying to prove that he wasn't a child and as such didn't need any help.

He also didn't like it because he didn't know what the crimson-eyed Chuunin was up to. He couldn't really defend himself, aka run like hell, if he couldn't get out of her grip and she would undoubtedly notice him trying to form the seals for a Kawarimi.

There was also another problem, one that left Naruto more than a little confused. The truth of the matter was, he liked how it felt to be held. Though he would never admit it, Naruto could still remember what it felt like to be hugged by someone, and Kurenai's hugs happened to feel a lot like the Old Man's had. And while that put him on edge, he truly did miss the feeling of warmth and safety that had always seemed to flow from the Old Man's hugs.

Absentmindedly giving directions when Kurenai asked, Naruto continued to try to figure out this puzzle he had been presented. Before he knew it, they were standing outside his apartment door and Kurenai was putting him down, before kneeling in front of him.

He felt more reluctant then he would like to believe when she let him go. "Well, I guess this is goodnight, Naruto-chan. Make sure you brush your teeth before you go to bed and don't forget to floss." Kurenai said as she hugged him one last time before standing again.

"Yeah kid, and don't let the boogeyman get you." Anko added in her own farewells.

"Boogeyman? What's that?" Naruto asked in confusion.

Anko's grin grew feral as she said, "Oh, he's just a monster who hides in closets and then comes out to eat children at nig-" was as far as she got before Kurenai wrapped a hand around her mouth.

"Just ignore Anko, Naruto-chan. Now you better get to bed pretty soon. You're a growing boy after all." she said pleasantly before dragging Anko down the hall, scolding her the entire way.

Shaking his head at the scene Naruto went inside and went about getting ready for bed. Not that he was doing so because Kurenai said to. He just happened to be tired and she just happened to remind him about brushing his teeth. That's all.

For whatever reason, he eventually found himself thinking about what Anko had said about this "boogeyman" character. 'Ridiculous…I can't believe she actually thought I'd be gullible enough to believe such bullshit.'

Once he had everything ready, he began to crawl under his bed like usual, when he paused.

'It is bullshit…but…' chewing his lip Naruto quickly grabbed a chair and used it to block the closet door. 'No sense in not being careful after all.' were his thoughts as he turned off the lights and climbed under his bed and getting as comfortable as he could before drifting off to dreamland.


AN: And there we go. I hope you enjoyed it, and any reviews, flames, criticisms, or suggestions you may have are welcomed. Just so there's no confusion, Naruto and Kurenai will not be a pairing, nor will Anko and Kurenai, or Anko and Naruto.

Peace, Vaan.