A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favourites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.
"Why must Naruto always be friends with good-looking guys!"
Tsuna could only sweat-dropped as Jiraiya scowled at the sight of Hibari. For the past seven hours, the five of them had been following the teen through his patrols around this town and not once had their senior indicated that he was going to go back home. It is like he is a robot! He frowned as an image of a robotic Hibari played in his mind.
That was just too scary of an image.
"Well I guess it is because Naruto is really fun," Yamamoto answered quietly. Everyone swirled their heads at him as brown eyes twinkled with mirth and a smile played on his lips. "And she is different from all the other girls in this town."
Jiraiya groaned and hunched his shoulders. Even without the frown playing on the man's lips, Tsuna could tell the man was not one bit pleased by the answer. He seems to be really overprotective over her. His frown deepened and the brown-haired teen tilted his head to the side, eyebrows scrunched together into one line.
It was quite strange for him to see someone be overprotective over Uzumaki.
"Different suits her very well," the white-haired man mused. "If Naruto is anything like Kushina...god help me!"
Yamamoto blinked and snuck a glance at him but Tsuna could only shrug. I'm guessing Kushina is Uzumaki's Mom? Kushina is a girl's name. He bobbed his head before glancing at the street around them. There were probably around four other people in the street besides them and Hibari. Four other people who kept a good distance away from Hibari but who didn't seem to pay much attention to them.
It was strange because wouldn't people be looking at them like they were weirdos for following Hibari? But whenever someone glanced at them, their eyes seemed not to focus at all at them. It is like they couldn't see us. The observation made the frown on his face deepened and Tsuna darted his eyes at Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya-san, why hasn't anyone noticed us? I mean don't we look weird for following Hibari like this?" Tsuna asked. He scratched his head as the five of them continued to trail behind Hibari. It is even weirder than any of the costumes that Reborn wears. His brown eyes darted back to his friends and tutor. Out of the three of them, only Reborn didn't seem all too surprised by his question.
If anything, his black eyes held a glint of curiosity and interest.
"A man should never divulge his secrets," Jiraiya answered, fixating his eyes on him. "But I will tell you that no one has noticed us because I made certain that Hibari wouldn't notice us."
But how? The question was on the tip of his tongue, just ready for him to spill it out but the words were jammed up in his throat. The more I get to know about this man, the more weird he seems to be. Another sigh escaped from his lips and Tsuna looked up at the twinkling stars above them. From the moment Reborn entered this town, more and more weird people just decided to turn up.
He wished that his life would just go back to being normal.
"Can Naruto do the same thing as you?" Reborn asked. A large smile played on his lips and those black eyes gleamed with an interest and hunger that made Tsuna take a step back. He really won't let go of the idea of bringing Uzumaki in. The knowledge made him want to pull his hair out but one glance at the curious eyes of Yamamoto and Gokudera held him back from doing it.
"She definitely doesn't know about this technique," Jiraiya replied with a sly smile playing on his lips. There was a twinkle in his eyes but not the same amused twinkle that Reborn would carry at times. No. It reminded Tsuna of one of those perverts that his classmates accused him of being. "I am the only one who knows how to do this, after all I've been mastering it since I was six. It is a good technique for research."
"He is a pervert," Gokudera muttered under his breath. There was a gleam of annoyance in his friend's eyes and Tsuna could see his friend fishing out for his dynamite. Not now! We can't have Hibari know we are watching him! He grabbed hold of his friend's sleeve. Gokudera glanced down at him and he frantically shook his head at him. The silver-haired teen grunted, pulling his hand away from his pockets.
Tsuna relaxed his shoulders.
"I'm not just any pervert," Jiraiya informed them. "I'm a super pervert."
The three boys jerked their heads at him, mouth hanging opened at his open admission. I-Is it a good idea for him to meet Uzumaki? And what kind of Father would make a pervert a Godfather? His head throbbed and a part of him wondered if it was a good idea for them to help someone that might try something on Uzumaki.
"Y-You aren't going to take—"
"Naruto is my goddaughter and she is underage," Jiraiya replied with a scowl on his lips. The white-haired man bristled and wiggled his finger at them as his black eyes focused on Hibari. "Minato wouldn't have chosen me as her Godfather if he wasn't certain I would never take advantage of his precious daughter!"
Well that would make sense. Tsuna relaxed his shoulders and avoided looking at the white-haired man, who bristled at their suggestion. He focused his attention on Reborn. The black-haired toddler gripped his hat tightly, lips curled into a small thoughtful frown. From where he stood, it was hard for Tsuna to see what was going through his mind.
"Well it was a good question to ask," Yamamoto pointed out. A nervous laugh escaped from the baseball player's lips when Jiraiya swirled his head at him. He is really scary. Tsuna gulped and inched closer to Gokudera as those black eyes sharpened at that accusation. The white-haired man really did not look like someone you wanted to anger.
"I have only two requirements when I hit on a woman: she has some curves and she is over the age of eighteen," Jiraiya stated with a seriousness that made Tsuna want to jump up. He really is not going to defend himself from the pervert comment. It made him want to take a step back and just stared at him with wide eyes. Shouldn't someone want to defend themselves even more from the accusation? Why was he so free about it? It just did not make sense.
Reborn nodded and smirked. "But rules are meant to be broken!"
"Those rules are meant to be followed!" Tsuna growled. Reborn offered him an innocent smile and the intense desire to throttle Reborn was great. So great that he had to grab hold of his hand. You don't want him to give you a punch again! The words acted as a chant, helping him to regain some control of his temper.
I hope we are doing the right thing. Tsuna rubbed the sides of his head and tightened his grip on his bag as his brown eyes focused on Hibari. The five of them continued to stroll through the streets, making sure not to bump into anyone as they followed the prefect through the streets of Namimori.
The more they walked, the more the number of houses seemed to dwindle down. A couple pedestrians waved and said their goodbyes to their friends while others made a point not to look at Hibari. Tsuna couldn't blame them. There was an aura around Hibari that just told you not to go near him. He gulped and darted his eyes to the last house that was just near the edge of the woods.
Are w-we going to enter here! Tsuna sweated and gazed at the trees that loomed over them. The lush, dark greens would have looked nice in the sunshine but in the night…it felt like a beacon of doom for him. The whole forest had a rusty scent hanging around it, almost reminding Tsuna of the scent of blood.
The brown-haired boy gulped and flickered his eyes to Jiraiya. The white-haired man still had his eyes fixated on Hibari and the lack of emotions made Tsuna stop in his steps. Was the man not terrified of what they might encounter? Judging from how the man did not even jump up when the twigs snapped, Tsuna guessed that the man was not terrified of anything.
"You are certain that he can't hear or see us?" Gokudera asked as they kicked through some of the leaves. His green eyes glinted with annoyance. Owls hooted all around them and Tsuna increased his speed. This was terrifying. How could Uzumaki agreed to live here? Tsuna already wanted to run away even though the sweet scent of the forest flowers tickled his nostrils.
No matter how sweet the scent of flowers were, Tsuna could still feel the rusty scent burning through his nostrils.
"If that boy had heard us, he would have attacked us by now," Jiraiya said dryly. "He won't know we followed him unless Naruto is very good at detecting me."
What the hell did that mean?
"You made a lot of food, Little Fox."
Naruto looked away from her novel and stared at Hibari. The older teen stood right in front of his dining table, grey eyes focused on the piles of food lined up on the table. No emotions flashed through his eyes, but the fact he was not reaching for his tonfa told her that she was safe for the time being. A sigh escaped from her lips and Naruto shrugged.
"I have free time," she reminded him. Naruto looked down at the book and curled her lips into a sardonic smile. In her desire to escape from her apartment, she picked only the first book that her hands could reach. A book that focuses on a relationship between a father and daughter. Her eyes focused on the little blond-haired girl and the bored man on the cover of the book.
It felt like a mockery for her to read such childish books that spoke of dreams and wishes that could never be fulfilled in real life. If a person dies, they die…they don't get a second chance in life. Her hand wandered to her chest and Naruto took in a deep breath. No matter how many times she read these kind of comics and books, she needed to remind herself of this.
A silly thought of magic and going back in time was something that her childhood self would believe.
"What does your predator look like?" Hibari asked, folding his arms against his chest. Grey eyes inspected her, moving from her eyes to the novel in her hand. Amusement shone through his eyes and the slight widening of his eyes told her that he was surprised by the book. She grimaced. This was not the type of book that someone like her should enjoy.
A novel about a person being reborn into another body and learning that they were a princess? That was not something a person like her would read. But the novel drew her in. The original character of the novel had such a pitiful life and all she wanted was the love of her father. The thought made her snort and Hibari growled.
Right.
She needed to answer his question.
"He is a middle-aged man who looks like he is too old to dress up in cosplay," Naruto finally replied. Hibari stared at her. While his grey eyes might not show any emotions, she knew what he was asking her. Are you seriously hiding from a man like that? That was the question shining through his grey eyes and that only made her look away from him.
Hibari would never fully understand how powerful a man like that would be until he saw the man in action. He would even try to fight him, only to realize that the gap between him and his opponent is even greater than the gap between us. She grimaced and observed the older teen standing before her.
His thin, lean arms rustled beneath his coat and Naruto knew what was going to happen next.
"You need to eat first!" Naruto declared, looking down at her novel. She returned her attention back to the book. Fighting Hibari when his whole body trembled with hunger was the last thing she wanted to do. He will find a way to blame his hunger if he doesn't manage to hit me. The knowledge made her release another sigh and the whiskered girl looked back at Hibari.
"Fight first."
"And have you whined and bitched over the fact I beat you because you didn't win? No, thank you," she drawled, wrinkling her nose. Hibari clenched his jaws and his grey eyes sharpened to the point that she actually wondered if he could throw a dagger with his eyes. Probably not. She skimmed read through the part where the heroine complained about her bad life.
And you will get your happy ending by the end of this novel.
God, why did she choose to read this book of all things?
"I'm not—"
His stomach rumbled like an elephant in the deep jungles and Naruto curled her lips into a smirk. Any other teen would probably flushed red in embarrassment but Hibari had always been different. He isn't like the other boys in our school. The fact that the teen walked with his hands and legs straight told her that he was embarrassed.
The lack of eye contract made it even better.
"Hungry?" She mocked. Grey eyes stilted and the teen flashed his tonfa at her, almost like he was warning her about opening her mouth again. Neji couldn't even keep my mouth shut when I mocked him about being jealous of Hinata-chan. She exhaled and steadied her trembling arms before schooling her expression into a blank one.
"Little fox, you will spar with me after I'm done eating," Hibari ordered.
Naruto waved her book, relaxed her whole body against the couch and twisted her head to focus her eyes on him. "As long as you don't blame your empty stomach, I will fight the great Hibari-sama."
The black-haired teen curled his lips into a scowl and stalked his way to the kitchen. If he wasn't so against crowding, I would tell him to hire a couple of helpers. She relaxed her shoulders as the quiet creaking footsteps bounced off her ears, telling her that the older boy was getting closer to the dining room.
Naruto lifted her chin and sprawled herself against the couch, allowing her blue eyes to skim through the text. Won't it be nice if you knew what will happen to you because you just read a book? She relaxed her shoulders and shook her head. Lying against the pillow of the couch, she closed her eyes and inhaled.
A warm fuzzy sensation tingled over her and the blonde jerked her head around. She swung her whole body around, resting her legs on the ground as her blue eyes darted to the window right in front of her. He is here, isn't he? Sweat began to form around her forehead as she shut her eyes.
Where was he?
Her chakra-sensing skills had been good as a child, allowing her to know where her ANBU guards had been. It was why it was so easy for me to run away from them and hide. Warm chakra tickled her senses and the blonde thinned her lips. This chakra was definitely not Dog or Weasel but it was overwhelming to her.
Judging from the amount of chakra alone, Naruto guessed the middle-aged man was definitely not someone that she could fight with her fists.
"Hibari, did you meet with anyone today?" She snapped her head at Hibari. Grey eyes narrowed, almost questioning her and the blonde tried to steady her trembling hands. Right now it felt like her heart was on a roller coaster. But not the fun kind where a person wanted just keeping going back for more. Nope. It was the kind where you just wanted to vomit.
200 meters.
That was the best distance that she could get with her current sensing abilities.
"Only the herbivores that I have bitten to death," Hibari replied, not looking away from his food. He paused and then jerked his head at her. Grey eyes widened slightly. He is starting to understand what I'm concerned about. She inhaled and exhaled as Hibari darted his eyes around the dining room.
100 meters.
"You haven't told anyone that I'm staying with you, right?"
Hibari snorted. "I honor my deals."
Translation: I'm not stupid. She tugged her ponytail and looked up at the ceiling. Don't panic. The words acted like a hymn in her mind, forcing her to calm down as her brain kicked into gear. Middle-aged man. There were not many middle-aged man that she knew in Konoha. The Hokage was ancient and he couldn't go out of the village to search for her.
She wasn't even that special.
"How did your predator know that you are here?" Hibari questioned her.
I thought I was doing a good job in masking my chakra. She allowed her fingers to wander into her socks. The cool metal of her kunai kissing her legs was a sensation that she was now numbed to. How did he find her? That was an excellent question. No one knew about the strange alliance between them except Kusakabe and the other members of the Disciplinary Committee.
But the Disciplinary Committee was loyal to Hibari and Hibari always honored the deals that they made.
Five meters.
"I don't know but you won't mind if I destroy your house, will you?" She asked. Grey eyes glinted with curiosity and bloodlust as Naruto held her hands together. There was another jutsu that she could use. I only tried it once. It was risky but it worked a lot like her shadow clones. There was also that jutsu too.
The jutsu that the Hokage always joked that he would make into an S-rank jutsu.
"You are going to make things fun, aren't you little fox?" Excitement leaked out of his voice and Naruto nodded. She could now hear four other footsteps approaching them alongside the footstep that radiated of chakra . What the hell are those four doing here? Realization dawned upon her and the blonde cursed herself.
One of those three idiots overheard Hibari talking to their homeroom teacher and pieced the puzzle together when that asshole questioned them. Three naïve idiots who believed whatever bullshit that the man had to say to them. She pulled out her kunai while Hibari unsheathed his tonfa from his clock.
"I'm not going to make it easy for my predator," Naruto finally answered as her eyes locked onto the opened door of the living room.
A quiet sigh echoed throughout the dining room as the footsteps drilled into her ears. He is here. Blank blue eyes met the dark eyes of the white-haired man who stared right back at her.
Mournful black eyes stared right back at her and she stared back at him with a blank look on her face.
"What did Mizuki do to you? What did that traitor do to you?"
She smiled.
"He only told me what the stupid Old Man should have told me: the truth about my existence."
A/N: Please review and tell me what you think about the chapter. What do you think about the pace of the story? And do tell me what you hope to see in the later chapters? What do you think of this portrayal of the characters? I hope that you enjoyed this chapter.
