Chapter 36: Trust
"Say, Naruto-kun...what is this place?" Lee looked around the school campus from the heights of the tree he was hiding in. He stared at the large bell tower in the center of the land and the massive, elegant school building surrounding it. The bricks were a mix of dark red and brown, and despite the school's age, it looked brand new.
"Does Natarii-san go here every day?" Lee asked, adjusting the zipper of his green jacket that was given to him to help him blend in.
"Yeah, this is her school apparently." Naruto replied, staring out in the same direction as Lee.
"So it's like the Academy for normal people..." Lee jumped down from the tree.
"Uh...yeah," Naruto remarked, his eyes following Lee. "What're you doing?!"
"I wanna check it out!" Lee exclaimed with energy. "I think know a way to get in!"
Naruto thought about it for a moment. He knew it was a bad idea, but that wasn't going to stop him. "I was actually wondering what it was like on the inside," he mumbled to himself. He jumped down from the tree. "I'm in."
Lee slipped on a pair of fake glasses with large frames. "Let's go!"
"Where'd you get those?"
"Oh right!" Lee pulled out another pair. "I have some for you too. They make you look smart."
"That's not the point!" Naruto paused for a second. "Eh, what the heck." He took the glasses from Lee and put them on. "Now what?"
Lee took a backpack off his back and set it on the ground. He crouched and dug through its contents. He pulled out some form of clothing and threw it at Naruto.
Naruto looked at the clothes and his eyes widened. It was the boy's uniform of Natarii's school. "How'd you get your hands on this?"
Lee was already starting to change. "I have my ways!"
"Don't just strip in front of me!" Naruto exclaimed, quickly turning around.
"It's on a matter of business!"
"I don't care!"
Lee ignored Naruto's remark and slid his arms into the white collared shirt, buttoned it up, and tucked it into the brown uniform pants. Then, he put the red tie around his neck, staring at it cluelessly. "Say, Naruto-kun. Do you know how to tie a tie?"
"What makes you think I'd know?!" Naruto shouted as he started to change.
Lee stared at the tie. "What would Gai-sensei do in a situation like this?"
Naruto buttoned the shirt and left it untucked. "Bushier Brow-sensei probably already knows how to tie one."
Lee closed his eyes and envisioned Gai-sensei. After a few moments of saying nothing, he sharply opened his eyes with an enthusiastic shout. "I got it!" He quickly tied the tie around his neck. It was perfect.
Naruto stared at Lee with wide, confused eyes. He took hold of his own tie and put it around his neck, looking at the ends, wondering how Lee did it.
"Need help?" Lee asked with a victorious smile.
"No. I remember how you did it." Naruto took the ends of the tie and attempted to tie them together, only resulting in a tangled mess.
"Are you sure?" Lee taunted.
Naruto continued with his attempts. "Yup." After several moments without further progression, Naruto turned to Lee. "Fine. Help me."
Lee's smile of victory returned. He walked over to Naruto and took hold of the tie and tied it. When he finished, Lee stepped back and started putting his original clothes into the backpack. He looked up at Naruto. "Put your clothes in here."
Naruto nodded and started gathering his clothes. He handed them to Lee, and Lee put them away.
"No one will know we were here," Lee said as he stood up. He made his way to a tree with a large trunk. He hid the backpack behind it. "Infiltration of Natarii's school, we are go!"
Natarii placed a piece of chalk back into the tray. "And those are the properties of the transition metals on the Periodic Table. Any questions?"
The students stared at Natarii with wide eyes of amazement. One by one, they began to applaud her.
Natarii managed a small smile. "I'm under the impression everyone understands. Is that so?"
The students nodded with relieved looks on their faces.
Natarii opened her mouth to speak, but was stopped by the opening of the classroom door. A woman stood in the doorway. She wore formal business attire and her wavy auburn hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She adjusted her glasses before she spoke. "I need to see Suroun Natarii."
Natarii turned her head to the woman. "Yes?"
"Please come with me to the main lobby." She stepped out of the room, waiting for Natarii to follow.
Natarii left the room, bowing before she exited to be respectful. She closed the door behind her after she left. "What is it you need me for?" She asked the woman. "Did I do something wrong?"
The woman shook her head. "Don't even think that for a second. We just got a pair of two unexpected transfer students is all."
"Transfer students?" Natarii repeated. She thought for a moment. She didn't remember hearing about incoming transfer students.
The woman nodded in reply. She continued to walk silently through the wide hallway. Natarii followed, feeling a bit nervous. She didn't have time to prepare for new students. She didn't know what she was supposed to say to them.
The woman led Natarii down the main stairs. Sure enough, standing in the middle of the lobby, there were two students. Immediately, she recognized them - Naruto and Lee. Frustration built up inside her. She could feel her face flushing and muscles tensing. I should've known it was those two. How the heck did they even get in here? Natarii tried her best to hide her inner frustration. She smiled at the two boys and bowed. "Good morning," she began. "Welcome to the Kanto Academy for the Academically Elite."
Lee and Naruto bowed, trying to act as natural as possible.
"Thank you very much," Lee said once he was standing up straight again. He elbowed Naruto.
Naruto glanced at Lee with narrowed eyes. "Thanks."
The woman clasped her hands together. "Well, since you seem to have this under control, I'll let them spend the day with you. They came so suddenly we don't have any spots for them in class."
"Right," Natarii said. "I understand. I will watch over them." Her glance moved to the boys. "Come with me. I'll show you around." She turned around and made her way up the main stairs, not even turning around to check if Naruto and Lee were following her.
Lee glanced at Naruto, who seemed to follow without hesitation. Why was he hesitant? Was it the atmosphere? The noticeable extreme change in Natarii's behavior? Lee didn't know. But he followed anyway.
The three walked through the hallways in silence. The building was enormous. The hallways wound in and out of each other like a maze. After about ten to fifteen minutes of wandering, Natarii finally opened a door to a large room - the library. "Come inside," she said, still acting as if she had no clue who Lee and Naruto were.
Naruto and Lee followed Natarii into the library. It was completely silent inside. The rows of bookshelves seemed endless.
Natarii sat down at a table, motioning for the two boys to sit down as well. They sat across from her. Natarii slammed her fist on the table. "What're you two doing in here?! Are you out of your minds?!" She exclaimed, raising her voice.
"Shh." Naruto put a finger by his mouth. "This is a library," he whispered. "You're not supposed to yell."
"No one else comes in here," Natarii whispered with a mocking tone. "I can do whatever I want." The volume of her voice was back to normal. "You didn't answer my question."
"I'm sorry, Natarii-san," Lee said, looking at his hands, which were folded in his lap. "I just wanted to know what this place looked like on the inside."
Natarii sat back in her chair and folded her arms across her chest, puffing a breath of frustration. "Is that so?" She thought about the boys' actions. "I am disappointed in you for going against my directions, but you two are older than me, so I can see why you may have disregarded them."
Naruto and Lee shot glances at each other. Neither of them thought of that. That could be their escape! Their excuse!
"Or," Natarii continued before either of them could say anything. "You two just have no common sense and disregard every order you hear. I'm right on that one."
Lee and Naruto slammed their foreheads on the library table. In sync. It was a magnificent sight.
Natarii tried to hide her inner amusement, for she knew when it came to Naruto and Lee, she had to stay firm to keep them in line. "Regardless of your actions, there is a positive side to it."
Swiftly, Naruto and Lee raised their heads from the table, again, in sync. They were itching to know this so-called "positive side."
"We can strategize," Natarii said plainly. "Figure out what to do next? Discuss my training?"
"I thought you didn't want to mention ninja stuff while we were here," Naruto responded, confused.
"This situation is a bit different. This library could be our hub. You see, if we sit around like this, talking, teachers won't suspect anything. Plus, the security system doesn't pick up sound. Only visuals. If someone's watching us from the office, they would never know what we're talking about."
"How do you know about the security system?" Lee asked.
Natarii hesitated, wondering how she should put her words. "Let's just say I have...experience with it. I didn't do anything bad, but things have happened to the point where looking at the footage off the cameras was necessary."
"That kind of stuff happens at a strict and prestigious school like this?" Lee asked, surprised.
"It happens everywhere. I personally think the school needs to select better candidates for students but-" Natarii cut herself off. "We're getting off topic! I just know!"
"I see." Lee looked around the room, wanting to take in every detail. Naruto did the same.
Natarii stood up from the table, pushing her chair in toward the table. "Well, we can't just sit here all day. Since you two got yourselves into this mess, you have to follow me around and act like you're transfer students."
Lee raised his hand as if he was waiting for a teacher to call on him. "What do transfer students act like?"
Natarii planted her face into her palm. "Clueless? Amazed at the school? Stuff like that. Except..."
Naruto urged Natarii to continue. "Except?"
"Don't make eye contact with anyone, Naruto. Make them think that you're an introvert or something."
"What's wrong with eye contact?"
"Just...just don't. I don't know any way to explain." She made her way toward the door. Looking back over her shoulder, she noticed the boys didn't move. They just stared at her. "Are you coming?"
Without further delay, Lee and Naruto stood from their seats and followed Natarii, not even bothering to push in their chairs.
Natarii walked out the door and into the hallway. "You two better not get yourselves into any trouble."
"We won't, Natarii-san," Lee said, now walking next to Natarii. "We promise." He flashed a smile at Natarii and gave her a thumbs-up sign.
Natarii rolled her eyes and fastened her pace. "Just follow me."
Naruto and Lee didn't object. They followed her in silence, looking around the school as Natarii had instructed them. Along the top of the walls, there was dark, oak trim with hand-carved, elaborate designs etched into it. The light fixtures looked like dining chandeliers. The floors were tiled, polished white and clean. The walls were pretty bare for the most part, with the exception of motivational posters and test scores, Natarii's name always at the top. That didn't surprise them.
Natarii stopped at a corner, glancing into the next hallway where the main classrooms were. "Wait here a moment," she said, looking up at a clock. Within the next minute, the school bell rang. It was exactly noon. "That's the lunch bell. We'll wait here another minute for the hallways to clear out."
"Why can't we just go with everyone else? Wouldn't you blend in?" Lee asked.
"There is no such thing as blending in for me," Natarii answered. She stealthily looked around the corner once more at the large crowd of chattering teenagers. Girls met with their cliques and guys met with their friends and went straight to lunch. Natarii continued, "Everyone in this school would notice me from a mile away."
"Really?" Lee remarked, surprised, yet fascinated. "Are you that popular?"
"I wouldn't call it 'popular,'" Natarii replied. She continued to watch the hallway. "More like...everyone knows who I am and they're greatly obsessed with me."
"Isn't that the same thing as being popular?" Naruto retorted.
"No!" Natarii shot back. "It's different." She checked the hallway again, and for the most part, it was clear. "All right. We can go now." Natarii stepped forward, then stepped back. "Oh, shoot! I left my lunch back in the library. Wait here for me. Don't move and stay out of trouble!" She turned around and ran in the opposite direction toward the library.
Naruto and Lee remained in the hallway. "Why would she forget her lunch if she knew it was lunch time?" Lee asked.
Naruto shrugged. "I learned to stop questioning her a long time ago." He looked around the corner into the next hallway. There were still a few people left in the hall, mainly guys. There was a group that caught his eye. There was a boy who was tall and looked strong. His hair was short and spiked up in the front. As he spoke, the familiarity in his voice was unmistakable. Naruto remembered this person from somewhere. But where was it?
"Your stupid brother won't stop us again! He's DEAD!"
The words rang through Naruto's head. Then, it came to him. That boy was one of the boys who used to torment Natarii. Seeing him again, thinking he was gone and dealt with, catalyzed the rage building up inside him. Naruto stepped into the hallway.
"Naruto-kun? What're you doing?" Lee whispered sharply.
"There's something I have to do." Naruto walked through the hallway a little, then stopped about halfway through. He pointed to the boy and raised his voice. "Hey, you! Spiky hair guy!"
Sure enough, the boy with brown spiky hair turned around, his friends snickering behind him. "Huh?" He looked at Naruto strangely. "You talkin' to me?"
"Well, duh. Who else would I be talking to?"
"Who the hell are you? I have things to do." He slid his hands into his pant pockets.
"You don't remember me?" Naruto asked, sounding a bit cocky. "Wouldn't surprise me. Makes it easier to say I won't forgive you for what you did."
The boy looked at his friends, who were absolutely clueless. He looked back at Naruto. "What're you trying to pull here? This some sort of joke? It'd be a hell of a lot easier if I knew what you were talking about."
"Natarii. I'm talking about Natarii." Naruto was firm with his words. Determination burned within his gaze.
The boy's friends gasped. "Did he just call her by her first name?" One muttered to another.
"I think he did," one of the friends replied.
"What about Nata - er - Suroun-san? Everyone here knows I'm madly in love with her. Do you have a problem with that?" The boy spoke with a mocking tone.
"Yeah!" One of the friends exclaimed. "Takishima here is so in love with Suroun-san! He wouldn't hurt her ever!"
Naruto couldn't believe what he was hearing. This guy was a complete joke! "You're what?! Since when?! Last time I checked, you were shoving her down staircases and threatening her!"
The boy, who Naruto now assumed was named Takishima, froze. His eyes became wide. "H-how...how do you know about that?" His voice was quiet and shaky.
His friends' eyes widened. "You used to bully Suroun-san?" one asked.
Takishima's fists and teeth clenched.
Naruto smirked. "I wonder. Maybe if you remembered who I was, you'd know."
"You're really starting to piss me off," Takishima muttered. "Who the hell are you and how do you know so much about me?"
Naruto shrugged. "Figure it out yourself."
Takishima quickly raised his fist. "You know what, punk? You're really asking for it!"
"Am I supposed to be scared?" Naruto asked mockingly. He closed his fists in case something were to happen.
Takishima couldn't contain himself any longer. He had been made a fool, and his lies were exposed by someone he didn't even know. His fist went racing toward Naruto.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion.
Naruto raised a fist to punch Takishima back, but he didn't have the chance to use it. He was shoved to the side of the hallway, his head slammed against the wall. What happened? Did Lee step in to keep him out of a fight? There was a scream of pain, one he would never forget. Slowly, Naruto turned his head. His eyes widened with horror. Natarii was on the floor, blood pouring out of her nose. She stared up at Takishima with infuriated eyes.
Takishima stared at his hand, then at Natarii. He was speechless.
Natarii felt tears form at the corners of her eyes. But she knew she had to hold them back. Slowly, she reached up and touched her nose, wiping some of the blood off her face. It throbbed with immense pain.
She was tired of being thrown around by people. Her anger was on the edge. But she couldn't get herself to say anything. She stood up, trembling, and turned around. "Don't..." Natarii paused to think of her words. "Don't ever lay a finger on him." Her words were soft and quiet. She took a step forward.
It was then Takishima realized it. He turned to Naruto, pointing a finger at him. "You're the one who-"
"Are you just gonna let him hit you?!" Takishima was cut off and Natarii stopped at the sound of Naruto's voice. "Are you just gonna stand there and let them treat you with disrespect?!"
Natarii couldn't say anything. She stood there, turned away from the group of boys.
Lee came running into the hall. "Natarii-san! Are you all right?"
Natarii didn't say a word. She wiped more blood from her nose and turned around, facing the group of boys led by Takishima. "You...all of you...disgust me."
Takishima and his friends backed away slowly. The apologized, fear and insincerity in their voice. Trying to get away as quickly as possible, they ran off.
As soon as they were out of sight, Natarii turned to Naruto, who stood against the wall. His looked tense and frightened. "Are you-"
"Are you out of your mind?" Natarii interrupted. "Does anything I say mean anything to you?"
Naruto stared at the ground, not saying a word.
Natarii continued. "I told you not to look anyone in the eye for a reason. I told you to wait for me for a reason. So you wouldn't get yourself caught up in a mess like this. Do you not trust me?"
Naruto looked back at Natarii. "I do. I got carried away. Sorry."
Natarii was surprised at how easy it was to talk to him. She sighed with relief. "Are you okay?" she asked.
"I should be asking you that, not the other way around! Of course I'm okay!"
Natarii nodded. "That's a re..." Her voice trailed off. "I'm going to go wash my face." She turned around and started walking down the hall.
Naruto watched her. "You sure you're okay?" He called out.
"It's just a little nosebleed. No big deal," Natarii replied, turning into the next hall. "Wait for me."
"Little?" Lee repeated as he walked over to Naruto. "That didn't seem like a little nosebleed."
"Of course it wasn't little. She was hit by a guy trying to take all their anger out on another guy."
"That's...painful for a girl...isn't it?"
"Obviously."
Naruto and Lee continued to wait, and to their surprise, no teachers or students showed up. It was as if the fight never happened. But how?
Natarii stood in the bathroom, washing her face. Blood still consistently flowed from the bowels of her nose. She grabbed a paper towel and squeezed her nose to stop the bleeding, bringing more pain to the already throbbing wound. She sighed. "At least I saw it coming," she muttered to herself.
Natarii's mind flashed through the previous events. She walked through the hallway that lead to the library. She was going to pick up her lunch. Then, it occurred to her. What if Naruto or Lee got into trouble? It would be best if no one were to notice. She took a slight detour to a small closet. The coast was clear. She walked into the closet and found the security control panel. Remembering the specific hallway they were in, she tinkered with the security cameras in that hallway. She didn't break them, but turned them off and wiped the memory of the day. No one would ever know the fight happened unless someone spread word of it. And no one would believe the story without proof. The events of the day would forever be unknown.
Natarii smirked with satisfaction. She outsmarted the boys, and it wasn't the first time she had done so.
That's it for this week's chapter!
Next is: "Chapter 37: Realization!" SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT! The main story continues with Natarii resuming her training! Naruto comes to the realization that she might be ready for the break-in!
Thanks for being so patient! These chapters weren't for nothing though! I had many reasons for writing them.
'Til next time!
- ChibiNinja45