A/N: I would like to thank everyone that added this story to their favorites and follows as well as everyone that reviewed the last chapter.
"Naruto, is everything fine in Namimori Middle School?"
Putting down the newspaper, Naruto focused her attention on her godfather. Black eyes flashed with concern as he glanced from the windows back to her. She had no idea of why he was suddenly interested in her Middle School. He never asked her about it before. All the man ever talked to her about was if she was willing to skip school to train some more.
She always agreed since everything that was currently being taught to them were things that she learnt in the Academy. When that happened, she would just send a clone to go to class. Of course I will switch during lunch time because of Hibari. A sigh escaped from her lips and she darted her eyes to Haku.
"I wouldn't know," she admitted with a shrug. "I try my best not to get too mixed up with the other students and the only other person I hang out with…is the definition of antisocial."
Haku coughed and Naruto took a sip of her tea. Of course he finds it amusing. Her lips curled into a frown as Jiraiya and Haku snuck glances at each other. Hibari might be a person who was surrounded by people but it did not mean he actually interacted with them. She probably knew all the names of his board members while he probably only remembered one or two of them.
Just because she chose not to be social, did not mean she was incapable of making friends. As Shikamaru would say, making friends is too troublesome. She could make allies but there was simply no time for her to make plans of induction. With her training, patrol and that deal with Hibari, it made it hard for her to interact with potential spies.
"There has been another assault in your school, Naruto-sama," Haku informed her. "I believe if you want to gather information then it should be time that you start mixing with the other students."
She sighed and looked down at her reflection. Start mixing with the other students just to get information? That was easy for her. All she had to do was just change the mask. Instead of reflecting all of her negative emotions, she would just let the joyous emotions come out. But it would be strange for her to do it all at once and the idea of being the idol of the school really did not sit well with her.
I would be dealing with idiots. She grimaced and shook her head. There would have to be another way for her to do things but for now, she would have to focus on something else entirely.
"How do you know, Haku?" Naruto asked.
The long brown-haired teen took a sip of his own tea and pulled out his cellphone from his pocket. He tossed the phone at her and Naruto caught it with her right hand. She flipped open his cellphone and looked at the message sent to him. So one of the girls is concerned for her little brother because of the new attack against the prefects. For a brief moment, Naruto considered asking him why those girls would recklessly spill their concerns and then she paused.
They probably told him because he might be playing the Prince to them.
With another sigh, Naruto handed the phone back to Haku and looked out to the window. She willed herself not to tap against the table as her eyes watched the hunched shoulders of her fellow students. Hibari must be pissed off. She put down the tea and rubbed her chin. He was not going to be pissed off. He must have the intense desire to murder someone for attacking his possessions.
Because that was what he saw the Disciplinary Committee as…a possession. In Hibari's eyes, the Disciplinary Committee was a symbolism of himself. If someone attacked the committee then they were directly challenging his authority. She dug her fingers against the palm of her hand and almost reached her hand into her pocket.
She should talk to him and asked him if he was going to be fine but then she stopped. If I call him to just say that then he is going to be even more pissed. He did not like it when someone showed concern for him. He was a predator and in his eyes he was strong. She took in a deep breath as Jiraiya looked at her.
"Are you worried about him?" Jiraiya asked quietly. His voice was so quiet that she almost missed the question. But she heard him and like any sane person, she jerked her head at him. Naruto didn't need to ask him about who he was talking about. Hibari. Her godfather wanted to know if she was concern for the strongest ally that she had in this town.
His black eyes locked onto her as if he was trying to figure out her feelings about the matter. Naruto just schooled her expression and looked out to the window. Worried? She did have the strange desire to ask him if he was fine. She wanted to know if Hibari was so furious that he was going to charge in there without a plan. He never thinks straight when he is furious. It was both a blessing and a curse when she considered it.
His attacks got stronger when he was pissed but at the same time his movements were less precise and more wild. For someone like her, it made it even easier for her to attack him. But for someone that was weak, well it was going to be a nightmare for them to fight him.
"It is odd," Naruto answered. To vocalize that she wanted to check up on Hibari made her hesitate. It was like she would be admitting a weakness to him. If I admit it then I'm also admitting that I'm doing a terrible job with controlling my emotions. Indifference had always been something she strived for when she came to this town.
If she had pretended to be a happy little girl in Konoha then she was doing the opposite here.
"How so?" Haku questioned. Naruto tilted her head and looked down at her own tea. Why are these people willing to attack the Disciplinary Committee? That was something that they needed to consider. She knew most of the people in this town considered them to be delinquents but they protected this town with an iron fist.
Hibari has always kept the peace in this town even though he uses violence to do it. She tightened her grip on the teacup and closed her eyes. Who could be willing to attack the Disciplinary Committee? It was definitely not the Yakuza. The local Yakuza were now terrified of Hibari since he made sure to annihilate them. The other students from the other schools in this town were too much of a wuss to directly challenge him.
"Attacking the Disciplinary Committee is like attacking Hibari," she finally answered. "Hibari might be seen as a delinquent but he is the one keeping order of this town through the shadows. From the moment he created the Disciplinary Committee, the crime rate in this town had decreased."
"You make it seem like the Disciplinary Committee is like a secret organization," Jiraiya commented. It is an organization and there are many layers to it. She felt tempted to say this but the blonde kept her mouth shut. This was not the time for her to explain how the whole organization worked. It would be too much of a pain for her to explain it.
But she always considered the Disciplinary Committee to be a lot like the secret service of this town. I guess it is a lot like the ANBU when I think about it. The thought made her snort. There was a difference between them. The ANBU carried out assassination and other dirty work. The Disciplinary Committee had never reached that far but Naruto guessed that it would go that way when Hibari graduated from high school.
"Naruto-sama, are you going to see Hibari-san?" Naruto twisted her head to look at Haku. His brown eyes looked at her with a knowing look and the blonde paused. Am I going to check up on him? She knew she should do that. She wanted to do it. But Naruto knew Hibari like the back of her hand. He would be furious with her if she showed concern for him.
If she showed concern then he might believe that she had no faith in him. Why must he be so damn set in his ways? Her fingers dug against the palm of her hand as she schooled the expression on her face into a blank one. If she actually showed that she gave a damn about him then it would be a huge mistake for her.
Even though Hibari would never use it against her, she knew he would be forever irritated with her for showing that concern.
"He is going to go after them by now," Naruto answered. She put down the tea and leaned her back against the chair as Haku and Jiraiya watched her with troubled eyes. "Hibari is the strongest civilian that I ever had the pleasure of fighting against. He might not be as strong as a shinobi but he is capable of handling this mess."
The whiskered girl kept her voice steady and calm as her blue eyes locked onto them. She dared not to smile or frown at them. If she showed either of these expressions then they would realize that she was not completely without concern for him. But it seemed like she was doing a terrible job because Haku looked at her with knowing eyes.
"You know Naruto-sama, it is okay if you show concerned for him."
Naruto paused. Okay? It would never be completely okay. Hibari would believe she was weak for showing this much emotion about him. It would mean she did have time to feel these intense emotions. But she also wanted to let him know that she did give a damn about him. The whole process was exhausting when she thought about it.
"I'm not concern for him," she declared. "He…can take care of himself."
Because he was Hibari and he would always believe that he didn't need someone to worry about him.
"Naruto-sama, why are we here?"
Haku stole a glance at her as he fixated his eyes on the Namimori Middle School students, who were crowding together like a herd. It was quite an annoying sight if you asked Naruto. But then again I would be scared out of my mind if I didn't know how to defend myself. The thought irritated her and the blonde pinched her nose to control her tongue.
With the events that were currently occurring, it would be bothersome for her to be accused of being heartless. Just because they were scared, they would probably want her to share some empathy with them. Well she could understand them but they had to realize that Hibari was not going to sit still with these attacks.
He was going to beat the culprits up but Naruto could feel a tickle of dread running through her. These attacks don't feel normal. She knew that the other students could sense it too. They would not be scared out of their mind and hurdling together, if they did not sense that something was up with these attacks.
"We need to find out if there is a pattern in their attacks," Naruto answered quietly. Brown eyes widened at her words and Naruto surveyed the people around her. It was just a tiny suspicion but she would rather be safe than sorry. Mindlessly attacking the Disciplinary Committee made no sense and calling out to Hibari through this method felt out of place.
His enemies would know how to find him so it did not feel like an attack to Hibari. But who are they sniffing out? That was the big question for her to ask. If Hibari defeated his prey then she could torture them for answers. That would be the way things worked…but it felt too easy. She stroke her chin and stole glances at the members of the Disciplinary Committee.
Some of them nodded their heads at her while a few frowned at the sight of her. Curiosity shone through their eyes and Naruto knew their question. Why hasn't Hibari taken her along? It was clear as day for her and that made her sigh. Hibari and her worked together but this was personal for Hibari. Anyone who knows him would know this.
The skylark did not want to share the prey that threatened the order of this town.
"Uzumaki-san, you are also here," Kyoko said. Naruto flinched and twisted her head around as the brown-haired girl dashed towards her. Tears streamed down her eyes and the blonde wondered if there was a reason for the girl to be here. She glanced at Kurokawa, who grimaced at the sight of her. The gray-haired girl blinked at the sight of Haku and flushed a deep shade of red.
So Kurokawa isn't immune to Haku's charm? That was oddly weird. Kurokawa always mentioned how she saw the boys in their year as monkeys but it seemed like she had no problem with Haku. Then again, Haku was older than them by nearly three years. Naruto sighed. She would probably take advantage of this fact later.
"I got curious when I heard the attack on the Disciplinary Committee," Naruto admitted. Kyoko nodded and glanced at Haku before flickering her eyes at her. The girl shook her head. "What brought you here?"
Kyoko teared up and sniffed. "Apparently Ryohei-niisan climbed up the chimney in the bathhouse and sprained his whole body."
I know her brother is an overprotective idiot but that is one hell of a bullshit lie. Naruto felt her eyebrows twitched and glanced at Kurokawa. The girl grimaced, not looking one bit happy with going through with the lie. She should keep quiet but this was just too much. If she ever wanted to use this girl in the future then it was time for her to set things straight. There is no way he would sprain his whole body through climbing a chimney.
The guy had gotten attacked and was too much of a wuss to admit this to his sister. Naruto glanced at Haku and the boy nodded, understanding the silent message from her. With a sigh, he walked towards one of the rooms that contained the injured students. Now it was only Kurokawa, her and Kyoko in the corridor.
She should be considerate but Naruto was going to cut through the chase.
"Sasagawa, do you really believe your brother can sprain his whole body through such a simple act?" Naruto asked. She kept her tone as calm and even as golden eyes widened at her question. Doubt shone through her eyes and the blonde knew that she had a chance of making the girl see reason. Kurokawa shook her head, warning her not to do it and the blonde rolled her eyes. "Because from what I just understood, your brother got attacked."
Kyoko inhaled and exhaled but said nothing. There was no accusation that she was lying to her or telling her that she was making things up. Instead the girl clenched her hands into a fist and did not allow a single tear to come down. She wants to cry. There was no denying that fact when Naruto could see her shoulder was trembling like a leaf.
"He told me that he wouldn't fight," Kyoko said quietly. Her brown eyes flared with anger and Kurokawa sighed. Naruto only pressed her lips into a thin line. She was probably going to get a yelling from either her brother or Tsuna if he learnt of what she did. But she did not really give a damn about what they believed. The girl had every right to know of what happened to her brother.
They probably thought they were protecting her but in Naruto's opinion, they were hindering her.
"Sasagawa, your brother lied to you because he knows you won't like it," Naruto informed her. "He will tell you outrageous lies because he thinks he is protecting you and making sure that you don't worry about him."
Kyoko clenched her hands into a fist. "I'm his sister! I have to worry about him! I don't like seeing him getting hurt!"
"If you want him to stop lying to you then you need to show him that you have a backbone," Naruto said. Golden eyes widened at her words while Kurokawa stared wide-eyed at her. Yeah she could be nice when she felt like it. This was a time for her to be nice because it was inexcusable for him to lie to his sister like this. "And you can't tell him not to fight. If it is something that he loves…you should respect that."
Kyoko kept quiet and looked to the hospital room behind her before looking back at her. Naruto waited for the girl to deny her and make a scene like a spoiled brat. But the girl only looked thoughtful as she stared at her sleeping brother before glancing back at her. There was a determination in her eyes and the blonde wondered what the girl would have to say to her.
"They beat him up really badly," Kyoko said quietly. "They broke several of his bones and took away six of his teeth…and he decides that I don't have the right to know because I don't like seeing him hurt?"
I have a feeling that her brother is going to resent me for telling the truth. She bobbed her head and glanced at Kurokawa. The girl did not look too pissed at her for admitting the truth to the girl. That was good. It meant that she was not going to get a lecture for interfering with family business. God, it would be a headache for her to listen to Kurokawa lecturing her about the importance of keeping Kyoko in the dark.
She shrugged her shoulders and began weaving her way through the crowded corridors, not bothering to steal a glance at the girls that she left behind. All around her, she could see students watching her with wide eyes as she glanced through the rooms with the Disciplinary Committee Members. They attacked the strongest ones. That was very oddly specific if you asked her.
"Uzumaki-san!"
The chatter in the corridors died down and Naruto stopped in her steps at the familiar voice. She clicked her legs together and twisted her whole body around. A small frown played on her lips at the sight of Kusakabe approaching her. Several of the students kept glancing at her, curiosity shining through their heads as the vice-president of the Disciplinary Committee walked up to her.
"Kusakabe," Naruto greeted. She could hear the quiet gasps from the students and the wild curiosity in their eyes. How could she be so rude with him? She knew that there was their question and for the first time since she entered this school, she did not care of what they would think of her. The fact he was greeting her told her that he needed to confirm something with her.
"You haven't seen Hibari-san, have you?" Kusakabe asked. The words hung in the air and Naruto stared at the vice-president. His dark eyes was filled with concern while the other member of the Disciplinary Committee tried his hardest not to look her in the eye. She darted her eyes at the students and they flinched when her eyes met their own.
"You should know Hibari as well as I do by now," Naruto answered. "He should be tracking down the culprits by now."
The words hung in the air and Naruto could see the excitement in some of the students' eyes. We are saved. That was what their eyes were saying and it made her want to whack them. Did they really think Hibari was all that powerful? There was always going to be someone stronger than him. They should be more concerned over the fact that he might get injured.
She clicked her tongue and shook her head.
"I thought he would have taken you along with him," Kusakabe muttered. Naruto closed her eyes. Was it because they have been fighting on the roof for the last couple of weeks that he believed this? Or the fact Hibari and her did do their patrols at the same time? It was probably both. The boy probably believed that Hibari would have changed his ways and that thought made her snort.
The boy would never change his beliefs because he did not mind working with her.
"Just because we work together, doesn't mean Hibari will suddenly bring me along with him," Naruto reminded him. She took in a deep breath and pushed down the emotions that was ready to boil over. "He knows I will take away his fun and…this is also personal for him."
Kusakabe grimaced and looked to the rooms before glancing back at her. He sighed. "I really thought he would change his habit."
Why? Because I can beat him? The words were on the tip of her tongue and Naruto chose to swallow the words down her throat. She did not want to voice out her bitterness to him. Kusakabe might overthink things between her and Hibari. Do you have feelings for him? Maybe she did care about him but she was not going to vocalize her concern to him.
"Do you know who the culprits are?" Naruto asked. Kusakabe frowned and looked almost disappointed with her question but the blonde only looked straight at the students, who were still bowing down to them. If he wanted her to vocalize concern then she was never going to do it. If they had been in private then maybe she would admit this to him.
But they were in public and people always talked.
"From what the members informed me, they wore uniforms from Kokuyo Middle School."
Naruto nodded her head and stared at the students before her. Kokuyo Middle School. That should be a piece of information that should reassure her. They were just a bunch of students but her stomach turned. A bunch of middle school students should not be able to do the injuries inflicted on the students.
"Are you going to go after him?" Kusakabe asked.
"Hibari is strong but he isn't invincible," Naruto answered quietly. "No matter how much Hibari would like to think he is invincible, the fact is that he needs back up."
That was the closest she would ever admit that she was worried for him.
"Naruto, what are you doing here?"
Naruto looked through the window of the hospital room, where Haku was doing one last check up, and then glanced at Tsuna. Brown eyes stared at her with wide eyes while Reborn stared at her with curiosity. She schooled her expression into a blank one as her hands dug into her school skirt. The cold feel of her kunai and explosives calmed her down and she sighed.
It would not hurt her to answer the question. I won't charge for that question. She removed her hand from her pocket and leaned against the wall. She had no time for questions when something nagged at her to hurry up. But Naruto needed Haku to confirm her suspicion before she leave to check up on Hibari.
"I came here to confirm if there is a pattern," Naruto answered. Tsuna blinked and jerked his head, lips parting at her words. He looks like an idiot. She pinched her nose and flickered her eyes at Reborn. The toddler grimaced but did not seem all too surprised by her words. It seemed like the toddler had the same suspicion as her. "Once I confirmed the suspicion, I'm heading off."
These attacks might be bigger than what Hibari thinks and I'm afraid he is in over his head. She looked at the sleeping victims and closed her eyes. Hibari was strong. There were not many people that could compete with him. But the moment Hibari was angered, he became so reckless that it would be so easy for a smart person to attack him.
She grinded her teeth together.
"Are you going to go after Hibari-san?" Tsuna asked. Naruto thinned her lips and forced herself to relax her shoulders. Yes. That would be the proper answer but there was no need for her to admit this outloud. Something is telling me that he is in over his head. Her hands trembled and she steadied herself. There was no need for her to answer it.
It was a stupid question.
"Pay me ¥90,000 and I will tell you," Naruto answered with blank eyes. Brown eyes blown up at her words and Tsuna spluttered at her request. Reborn did not smile at her words but his black eyes seemed to understand what she was trying to do. I won't admit it. She could feel the dread intensifying inside of her and she closed her eyes.
"Is this really the time to charge me?" Tsuna demanded. Naruto shrugged and the door behind her slid opened. She twisted her whole body around and her blue eyes fixated on Haku. The long-haired teen grimaced. His brown eyes did not tell her that there was good news. These attacks do have a pattern. She dug her hands against the palm of her hand.
Haku nodded his head at Tsuna and Reborn before fixating his eyes back at her. He inspected her form as if he knew that she was deeply worried for the words that was going to come out of his mouth. He read through my lie at home. That made her want to hunch her shoulders but she held herself back.
This was not the time for her to break down.
"I found a pattern," Haku admitted. His brown eyes flickered to Tsuna before her as if asking her if it was okay for him to continue. It doesn't matter anyway. She exhaled and gestured for the boy to continue talking. He nodded. "The new victims had less of their teeth being pulled down. If that Sasagawa boy lost six then the one before him lost seven and so forth."
She narrowed her eyes. "Are you suggesting that this is a count down?"
"It seems like it," Haku replied. "But I don't know if there is any other correlation between them. Other than this pattern, I don't know how they are targeting the students."
Naruto rubbed the sides of her head while Tsuna paled at those words. If it was a countdown then how were they picking their targets? No. The better question was for her to ask…who was their main target? If they knew that person then they wouldn't have to go through such a strange methods. She rubbed her chin and looked to the crowded students.
"Would this help?" Reborn asked. Naruto blinked and looked down at the black-haired toddler. He held up the piece of paper to her and the blonde snatched the paper from his hands. It matches the people who were attacked. She grimaced as she realized who might be the next few targets. While she cared for Kusakabe, she would not want him under her debt.
She froze at number two and felt her heart stopped at the name. He walked right into a trap. Naruto slammed the piece of paper against Tsuna's chest and looked at Haku. "They match the victims in the hospital."
"They are looking for someone," Haku commented. Reborn grimaced and fixated his eyes on Tsuna. The blonde narrowed her eyes and swirled her head at the boy. Brown eyes widened as if he figured out the silent accusation from the two of them. Actually Reborn seems certain. She would have to trust Reborn about this since there was nothing else for her to check out.
She locked eyes on the list in Tsuna's hand before looking back at Haku. Until I deal with this mess, Tsuna will need some help. She would be fine. Compared to most people, Naruto always had a fast recovery rate. If she went in there then nothing would happen to her. Instead the next couple of victims would need help.
Once this whole thing was over, she would charge them for having Haku heal them.
"I'm going to go now," Naruto declared. Haku and Tsuna jerked their heads while Reborn nodded. He did not try to convince her to let Tsuna deal with it. He probably knew that this was not the time to make her agree to do it. Her ally needed her right now. He was number two and that meant he walked right into a damn trap.
"Do you need me to come with you?" Haku asked.
"Tsuna and his friends needs you more than me," Naruto answered. Tsuna blinked while Reborn looked at her with thoughtful eyes. She kept her voice calm and cold as her eyes fixated on the list in Tsuna's hands. "I have a fast recovery rate but his friends are going to need someone that can heal them."
Beside, Hibari was going to be pissed off if he saw Haku with her. He would refuse healing from him. The thought made her irritated but the blonde exhaled. Once they were in the hospital again, she was going to drill it in him. She would be able to pin him down while Haku used his medic ninjutsu on him.
There was no way that he was fine.
Tsuna jerked his head at her. "What do you mean?"
"Read the list," Naruto answered. Tsuna knitted his eyebrows and looked down at the list. Brown eyes widened and he swirled his head at her. Concern shone through his eyes and she understood his reason. His two friends were on the top of the list and were in trouble. But as long as Haku was with him then things were going to be fine for them.
He could heal them and he was an incredible fighter.
"You are number 1 on this list!" Tsuna yelled. "You are not safe either!"
Concern leaked out of his voice and the blonde decided to turn away from him. It is odd for someone to be concern for my safety. The thought made her snort and the girl looked up at the ceiling. It would not harm her to say this to him. She guessed if he was concern for her even though she kept milking money out of him then…she should give him this much.
"I'm not like you, Sawada," Naruto said as she began walking away from him. "Hibari is my ally and the fact they are doing a countdown means that they are overconfident about their abilities. If they think the jump between Hibari and me is small then I'm going to show them that they messed with the wrong bitch."
As long as there were no illusions then she was going to be fine.
A/N: Do drop a comment and tell me what you think about this chapter.