Here's chapter three. Also, regarding the harem that's planned I can't say I have a solid list yet. At this stage it's more of a vague understanding of who I want and who I don't want in it.
(Marshalanime does not own Naruto)
"See ya later." Naruto called out as he left the house. With renewed vigor in his step the blond was soon racing through the streets. As he went around the village there were plenty of people who recognized him and greeted him with warm smiles. Unlike in his world his father never became Hokage, but his actions in the last war were the same so he's seen as a hero regardless making him the son of a hero. The praise could get too be a little too much sometimes if he was honest, but it was better than the alternative.
With his first stop of the day fast approaching Naruto put on the breaks as he called out to the girl in front of the store. "Morning Ino!"
This girl, wearing a purple jacket and dark pants, looked up at the sudden mention of her name and gave the blond a sweat smile. "Good morning Naruto." She responded as she watered the flowers outside her parent's shop. Some people were more different than others in this world. Ino here was an example of the more drastic of the changes. The Ino in his world was loud, confident, and confrontational while this Ino was soft spoken, timid, and shied away from fights. "Are you feeling well today? I don't mind taking a break if you want to sit down for a while." Ino offered as she set the watering can down next to the potted plants.
Right, his "Sickness". There had to be an excuse for why no one had ever seen him before the age of five or why he'd disappear for days at a time. Claiming he had an illness was the easiest option. It was easier to pass off since Kushina really was pregnant with "him" at one point, but there were complications with the pregnancy. It's not an easy topic for them to talk about.
"No need to worry about me Ino. I feel fine today!" Naruto told her as he patted his right shoulder while rotating his right arm.
"That's good!" Ino gentle cheered as she clasped her hands together. For as long as Naruto could remember Ino had been this sweat girl who'd look out for him when she could. In fact, her and Sakura were two of his first friends. Boy was Kizashi proud when he called that.
"So, what do you have in stock?" Naruto asked the girl as he looked over the flowers, still glistening with fresh water.
"Looking for the usual?" Ino asked with a nod from the boy answering. "That will be just a moment." She happily said as she led Naruto into the store. A quick exchange and goodbyes later and Naruto was on his was with a small bouquet of flowers.
'I just need to drop these off then pay sensei a visit.' Were Naruto's thoughts when a familiar bark stopped him. Looking down at his feet he saw a white dog with brown patches on his floppy ears. "Hey Akamaru, how have you been?" Naruto asked the little guy as he knelt down to pet him.
"We could ask you the same. How long has it been since you've seen the sun?" the pups partner butted in as he caught up to Akamaru. Glancing up the first thing that caught the blond's eyes were the bag of pet food and big metal pan resting under the boy's arm. Seeing this Kiba decided to answer the unasked question. "There's been an increase in the number of strays gathering at the park. Since I've got the day off, I figured I'd head over there and give them a nice meal to chow down on."
"Need help with that?" Naruto asked as he stood up.
"You sure? It looks like you already have plans." Kiba responded as he tilted his head toward the bouquet.
"It's fine. I'm not on a schedule or anything." Naruto told him eliciting a sigh from the other boy.
"Aw man, if I knew you'd be helping out I would've brought another bag with me." Kiba lamented as he pressed the bottom of his palm against his forehead.
"That's fine. We'll just stop by a shop on the way there." Naruto said with a pat on Kiba's shoulder.
"I'm not made of money ya know!" Kiba immediately shot back as Naruto started to take off down the street.
"You can pay me back later!" was the blond's reply.
"Aauugg, fine! But don't expect it any time soon, ya got it!" Kiba shouted back as he and Akamaru raced after the blond.
Once all the bowls had been filled and spread out in a small clearing next to the stone laid path Naruto, Kiba, and Akamaru found a spot on a near by hill to lay down on and watch their work play out.
"A job well done!" Kiba happily congratulated himself with Akamaru adding in a bark of his own.
"Yeah, it feels nice." Naruto said as he watched all some of the local cats and dogs gather around the offered food.
…
"Hey Naruto?" Kiba interrupted the calm that had washed over the area.
"Yeah?"
"I've been meaning to ask for a while now, but just what do you plan to do?" the tattooed faced boy asked.
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You've never attended classes at the academy cause you're always sick, yeah?" Kiba summarized and Naruto responded with a nod. "But you're still super strong so I'm sure they'd make you a genin like the rest of us if you asked."
"Oh, well…" He'd always intended to become a shinobi back in his world. He'd never seriously considered it here, but maybe.
"Looks like you guys found a pretty good spot. Mind if we join?"
Naruto already knew who that voice belonged too. Sure enough Shikamaru and Choji were standing at the top of the hill when he craned his neck back to see.
"Find a spot and sit down. The more the merrier." Kiba told the pair, his previous question going unanswered as the pair came down to them. With that the group of friends sat around enjoying one another's company. Memories like this, they're what pushed Naruto to his recent decision.
After a while of cloud watching and chatting the strays had finished off most of the food and headed off for who knows where. Things were nice and calm when "NARUTO!" a shout came from over the hill.
"Looks like your girlfriend's here." Choji remarked with a smirk.
"She's not my-" Naruto was attempting to refute as he sat up when the Hyuga princess came jumping over the top of the hill, byakugan active.
Landing on her knees the girl slid down the hill toward her target, wrapping her arms around the boy's shoulders as she slammed into his back. "Found you!" the girl happily said before her momentum sent them both tumbling down the hill. Fortunately, Naruto had the right of mind to toss his flowers to one of the boys so no need to worry about that.
"Troublesome." Shikamaru muttered with his focus staying on the sky above. Meanwhile the other two were getting a chuckle out of their buddy's dilemma.
"Gah! Hinata!" Naruto squirmed in the girls hold as she rubbed her cheek into his shoulder blade. This was yet another example of the more noticeable differences. The Hinata in this world was, rough to say the least. Overconfident, rash, and hot headed could all be used to describe her. She refused to be ignored and always took charge, even if she really shouldn't sometimes. Whereas the other Hinata was, well, to put it bluntly he often wondered if he only noticed her because he knew this Hinata.
"Does the couple need some alone time?" Kiba heckled from the sideline.
"Can it Kiba! I don't need tou making Naruto uncomfortable." Hinata shot back, letting the blond go in the process.
"Yeah, cause I'm the one making him uncomfortable." Kiba muttered under his breath while Naruto stood up and brushed himself off.
"You say something?" Hinata questioned from her spot at the bottom of the hill.
"Nope!" was the boy's quick reply as he adverted his gaze.
Looking up into the sky as he made his way up the hill again Naruto noticed how high the sun had risen. 'Has it been late long already?' Reaching down Naruto picked up the bouquet Choji had been guarding. "See ya guys later." Naruto said to the guys as he turned to head back down the hill.
"Thanks for the help."
"See ya Naruto."
"Later."
Three of the four friends gathered said their goodbyes as the blond walked off. The fourth friend however, "Where are we going?" This wasn't a surprise. Hinata had always had a habit of sticking to his side like this ever since they'd become friends.
"The Memorial Stone." Naruto answered her question.
"Oh, I see…" Hinata replied with a little less enthusiasm.
Naruto had been making occasional visits throughout the years. He didn't personally know any of the names written on the stone. Not really. Though there were a few names he recognized from his world. They weren't all that different from how they were in his world from what he's heard of them. If they were still around, he'd imagine that they'd be important people to him here just like they were over there, and so he makes these trips to pay his respects. Luckily no one would seriously question him for leaving flowers at a memorial stone, so he's never had to explain it like that.
Not wanting the mood to turn somber Naruto slipped a flower from the bouquet and offered it to the girl walking with him. She probably wanted to ask for one from the start, but it'd be inappropriate considering what they'd been bought for.
Taking it with a gentle smile Hinata pinched a portion of the stem off before fixing the flower into her hair. "Thank you." The girl said with a faint tinge of pink on her cheeks.
After reentering the village streets, the two of them came upon a familiar sight.
"Please, don't cry for my sake. Tears don't suit your pretty face." One Sasuke Uchiha said as he caressed a girl's cheek.
In his world Sasuke Uchiha was the second son of the Uchiha clan's head, always ranked top of the class, and gathered plenty of fans. These were all true for this world's version as well. The one noticeable difference was in how they treated the girls crushing on them.
"Oh, for the love of." Hinata muttered with a furrowed brow. Intent on ending this circus act she proceeded to stomp her way over the raven-haired Casanova. "You REALLY shouldn't waste your tear on this piece of human garbage." Hinata asserted as she slapped Sasuke's hand away from the girl's face.
"Hinata, lovely as ever I see." Sasuke remarked with dead eyes as the Hyuga placed herself between him and his soon-to-be EX.
"How many girls does that make for this month, huh? Two, three, more?" Hinata questioned.
"Hinata, Hinata, love isn't something that can be quantified." Sasuke responded.
"Wha!" the girl behind Hinata gasped as the Hyuga's glare intensive.
"You human piece of filth!" Hinata barked out as the girl took off, saying something along the line of "How could you?"
"A wai-aaand she's gone…" Sasuke tried to call out but was to late. Rounding back on Hinata, "What's your problem?"
"MY problem is standing right here!" Hinata shout back. "You're a complete disgrace! Just through your headband away and find a nice heavy rock to live under already!" Hinata shouted as sparks began to fly between the two.
"Annoying harpy! I broke up with her because I'm a shinobi now! I need to take the job seriously!" Sasuke glared right back with gritted teeth.
"Too little to late don't you think?"
"Better a flirt then a stalker!"
"Who's stalking who?"
"You know who I'm talking about! Stop taking advantage of Naruto's generosity and leave him be!"
"Say that again! I dare YOU!"
"LEAVE! NARUTO! ALO-"
"ENOUGH ALREADY!" Naruto finally interjected as he pushed the two apart. Every. Single. Time! It's like mixing oil and water with these two.
"You heard him, get lost!" Hinata barked as she wrapped herself around one of Naruto's arms, glare never leaving her foe.
"Yeah, I heard MY best friend. So why don't YOU move along so WE can catch up." Sasuke responded as he hooked and arm around Naruto's other arm.
'I'm so not dealing with this.' Naruto thought to himself as he could feel the tug-of-war starting. Without a moment to spare Naruto slipped away from the pair and took to the rooftops. As he took off, he could already hear the argument firing back up.
Now that he could go at his own pass Naruto soon arrived at the Memorial Stone. Though even here he found a familiar face.
"I see you picked this assignment again." Naruto remarked as he walked up to the man cleaning off the large cut stone. He didn't have to worry about startling him. He was sure the man noticed him long before he came into the clearing.
"Yeah" Obito made a short reply as he continued his work. Cleaning the Momorial Stone was a simple D-rank mission gennin straight out of the academy could do. So, some would find it odd that a shinobi of Obito's caliber would snatch it up whenever he could. "They appreciate it. I'm sure." Obito commented as Naruto placed the flowers at the foot of the memorial.
"… You think? I'm not so sure. After all, I'm just some stranger dropping off flowers when I have the time." Naruto muttered as he knelt in from of the stone.
"Is that your stubbornness talking again?" Obito asked with a small smile and a far-off look in his eye. Not much was said between them during their time there, and eventually they both left in peaceful silence.
With his task complete Naruto only had one other place he wanted to visit today. Unlike before there weren't any distractions or detours and soon Naruto found himself standing in front of Konoha's largest research facility. It was placed at the base of the cliff the Hokage stone faces were carved from and from the outside it looked like an ordinary storage shed. Most of the building was carved into the mountain and could be confusing for a first-time visitor to find their way around. Fortunately for Naruto he knew the place like the back of his hand and soon found the room he wanted.
Opening the door Naruto could see a sole occupant sitting at his desk and reviewing reports from his staff members. His youthful appearance belied his age, his attire was that of an ordinary shinobi except for his choice to swap out the standard green vest for a white lab coat, and his long black hair was pulled back to keep it from getting in the way.
"Orochimaru-sensei." Naruto gently called out to get the man's attention.
"Hm? Oh, Naruto, I was wondering when you'd stop by." Orochimaru said as he placed the document in hand to the side.
"Already knew I was back, huh? And here I thought I could surprise you." Naruto replied with a sheepish grin.
"Word travels fast my boy." The man told him as he got up from his chair. "Though I am glad you've come to pay me a visit. I wanted to talk to you about the project you've been working on." Orochimaru said as he walked over to the blond.
"You looked over it did you?" Naruto asked with a grin.
"I have. I also jotted down some notes on possible solutions to that irritating roadblock you seem to have reaches. Why don't we go take a look?"
"Ah, you noticed…?" Naruto asked as his grin dropped. Despite all the many, many, hours he's spent here helping Orochimaru he was still far away from being able to half the things he could do. There were many times he'd had to ask some of the staff or even Orochimaru himself for help when he'd reached some kind of problem that was comparatively simple for them to handle. It was a bit disheartening at time, but even his failures fascinated Orochimaru. Even if the idea was impossible from the start Orochimaru would encourage him to see just what kind of work around his mind would come up with to reach his goal. Every time he'd fail Orochimaru would be there to help him back onto his feet.
"It's easy to tell when you're frustrated." Was all Orochimaru said as he walked past the boy.
"Oh, come on! It isn't that obvious!" Naruto called out as he followed after the man.
Time seemed to fly by while they worked, but before long the sun had set, and it was time to head home. This was all fine and all however, something was off. Walking through the streets Naruto couldn't help but make repeated glances to the side.
"Is something wrong?" Orochimaru asked after the umpteenth time the blond's gaze shifted to him. He'd left his lab coat at the research facility, so he was just wearing the dark blue pants and long-sleeved shirt standard to the village shinobi.
"Why are you walking me home? You never walk me home." Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I simply have business in this direction. Don't think anything of it." The man responded.
"We're almost at my house! It's right over there!" Naruto blurted out as he pointed at said house less than fifty feet from them.
"Yes, we are." The man replied, leaving the boy to simmer as they kept walking.
As Naruto went to open the door he began to say "I don't know what you're up to bu-" and as soon as the door swung open the boy was rendered speechless.
""WELCOME HOME!""
Standing in the foyer waiting for him were most of the handful of people who knew his origin. All with smiles on their faces. His parents, Obito, Rin, Dan, all of them were holding up a banner reiterating what they'd all cheered. 'Welcome home Naruto!'
His statue act only came to an end when he felt a hand ruffle up his hair. Tilting his head back he saw his sensei smiling at him. "You're home, Naruto."