Yo!
I am here with another story. So, this is my first pure Naruto fanfiction; all-time first being A Saiyan in Shinobi Lands (Vegeta in Naruto world story). So, what brought this on?
First, a fanfiction, namely Failing Twilight by Shadow Rebirth. So, thank you author-san for your endeavor.
Now, the above-cited story is a great one but there are some things that I tend to change. I should mention that my story only takes a bit of inspiration from the above one.
Though a couple of ideas, in the beginning, will be borrowed from the story, as they were totally awesome but it will be totally different. I have already planned it out before Shippuden.
Secondly, the rather impractical and non-feasible development of Uzumaki Naruto in the manga.
Now, I am a really huge fan of Naruto and totally thought the character was perfect until I realized that Naruto was basically based on Son Goku, ergo, throwing the feasibility out of the window.
I mean, Goku was raised in a world that was comparatively human in relation to the world where children were taught to be assassins. Secondly, Goku hit his head and suffered from brain damage leading to his cheerful persona but Naruto didn't, nor did he have the privilege, like Goku, of living in a world where the others did not hate him.
As such, having been exposed to such conditions, no way could Naruto have retained his cheerful and idiot persona.
Again, I tend to change that.
Lastly, it will not be an OP Naruto but rather a more practical one, while progression will be done at the actual and suitable rate. He will learn Fuinjutsu but won't pull miracles from his ass but only those as required.
So, here goes….
"What is it doing here?"
"The nerve of that thing… "
"Why Hokage-sama lets it roam the village, is out of my understanding… "
A frown marring his face, crinkling the whisker marks on the left side leading to the slight squeeze of the same eye, Naruto trudged the dusty path, vehemently trying to ignore the whispers, these mean people made on a daily basis.
What was worse, they did that without any care, as if he was non-existent.
But Why?! What did I do?
The question had been in his mind, from the very first moment of its cognizance in his five years of life. He could totally recollect his first walk into the village, all cheerful and full of curiosity at finally being able to discover the beautiful village.
They had stepped out of the orphanage, taken a route around the park before entering the market, all happy and taking in the various sights offered by the village hidden in leaves.
And then, that had happened.
One of the shopkeepers had begun waving at and passing greeting to all the orphans walking in a line but had halted at his turn; the wrinkly old face had morphed into a weird expression, mouth staying parted, unable to form words.
The old man's sudden silence had drawn the attention of the others in the vicinity, marking the commencement of these whispers and stares while adding to his already miserable life
The orphanage was equally bad, if not worse.
Naruto shook his head, clearing his mind of that painful memory.
After that, with no one to guide him, he had tried his best to forget the past times, to look after and beyond the sneers and derisive remarks of the villagers, while wearing a stupid smile on his face.
Had even tried, only a couple of months ago, that ridiculously baggy and orange jumpsuit, even played pranks on the passers-by… the memory of the couple dripping in pink paint, thanks to the balloon he had thrown, brought a smile on his face.
Even that graffiti on that vendor's shop was awesome! Ha! The look on his… his… face… The smile disappeared, his thoughts plummeting, once again, to the depressions in his mind as he recalled what the man had called him before immediately turning ghostly white.
"You… You… Demon!"
That was when someone had called him that for the first time…
… And also the last.
Still, all those efforts to gain attention had done nothing. If only, the negative attention had increased manyfold.
Again, Naruto shook his head. I need to stop doing this- "... Ow!" He yelped as his slightly hunched head hit something hard. Rubbing the sore area while slowly easing the closed eyes, he took in the sight of what… or rather who the obstacle was.
A Burly man, wearing a bit small open buttoned dirty shirt over a smaller dirty white vest unable to hide the rotund stomach, while one hand lazily stuffed into the pocket and the other holding a bottle.
The man was HUGE and apparently strong. Not wanting to anger him, Naruto gave a slight bow. "S-sorry… " Please don't be mad… Please don't be mad…
Silence ensued for a moment, the blonde still dipping his head, all the while repeating the same words in his mind.
A gulp of liquid broke the moment before a scoff was heard. "Whatever."
Did he just… Naruto blinked. He didn't hear even an ounce of contempt in the tone of the man. Hope reared its ugly head, and he, totally ignoring the part of his mind that screamed at him to stop and leave, raised his head.
Blue eyes met the brown for a moment before horror manifested onto the blonde's face as the other man's visage immediately morphed into a shocked one and then to full of scorn.
"You!... why don't you… just… DIE!? The drunkard all but snarled before raising his hand that held the bottle…
Naruto gasped before lowering his head and bringing his arms to cover the face.
The sound of the glass impacting and shattering, filled the vicinity, the shards rebounding off the road before one struck his bare leg, submerging into the upper layer of the skin.
The blonde hissed in pain, lowering his arms and looking at the piece of glass, and then following the trail of small fragments to the obsidian remnants of the bottle. He missed?...
"H-hey! Lemme' go!... "
The words drawing his attention, he immediately looked up only to have his eyes widened.
One of those black-clad shinobis was holding the man's arm and before Naruto could even open his mouth, the ninja had disappeared, obviously taking the man with him.
For some moments, the blue eyes looked in pure awe at the floating but slowly cascading leaves, following the trail of one as it drifted closer to him before falling onto the… broken pieces of bottle.
Just like that, the awe and wonder disappeared, replaced by despair and agony, the spark of pain, from the leg, only adding to that.
His fists closed, slight tremors rocked his body, wetness touched the insides of his eyes but he clenched his teeth; his self-promise, from all those months ago, flashing in his mind.
F-from now… Uzum-maki Naruto will not c-cry… 'ttebayo!
Akihiro Daichi was a retired shinobi. In his forty-two years of service to Konohagakure, he had seen a lot of things, committed various actions, all culminating in regret at one point or another.
Still, he didn't care for that. After all, life was, for the lack of a better word, interesting. It often found ways to screw you anew. So, when you could get new regrets, why care for the previous ones?
Still, he often found himself recollecting his life so far. Many would call him a hypocrite for not heeding to his own words but he just couldn't help.
Like now.
Being an orphan from birth, there were very few routes to take in a shinobi village, and like others, he had also joined his fellow orphans and walked on the treacherous path.
Graduating academy on the second attempt and clearing the chunin exams on the third while failing to become a jounin even after five, he was a run-of-the-mill shinobi. And, he had accepted that.
A carrier chunin was still a good option.
Then, the third shinobi war happened.
He could recall vividly, the trepidation, the fear of life when they were deployed on the frontlines. The fears had only turned to be right when those blasted explosion corps of Iwa had struck followed by the infantry.
He could still feel the pain from his left eye or where it used to be.
That day, they had brushed the boundaries of death and would have even become a part of it if not for that blonde-haired, blue-eyed messiah - well, at least for them- who had literally appeared out of thin air.
That smile of encouragement and hope had filled him with safety and confidence before his surroundings had shifted, just like that, to a camp in which others like him –injured- were being treated.
Later, he had learned that Namikaze Minato was the name of his savior and countless others.
But the name was only a formality, then.
By that time, he had totally inculcated his savior's picture into his mind, with an ambition to lay his own life, if needed, for the latter.
That was the turning point and for good.
They had won, and on returning to the village, even cannon fodder, like him, were crowned as war veterans.
He chuckled. How petty the title was.
Still, he was promoted to the rank of Tokubetsu Jounin. A year later, he had begun dating a beautiful chunin, and two years after that, they had solemnized their marriage.
Everything was good.
Then, the Kyuubi appeared.
His wife had died, fighting on the frontlines, and with her, their two-month child with whom she was pregnant.
He had cried himself hoarse, giving up even the desire to live. Yeah, they were shinobi, meant to endure, and endured he had, to the point that it had led him on the verge of committing seppuku.
And he would have, if not for the whisper in the winds, about a child named Uzumaki Naruto, in whom the Kyuubi was sealed, making him a jinchuuriki.
There was too much despair and agony in the village after the bijuu's attack and being a committed soldier, he had taken it upon himself to give the villagers at least a semblance of satisfaction.
That night, he had infiltrated the orphanage, finding no resistance at all. With murder in his mind, and faces of his lost ones in his heart, he had ventured inside and after some minutes, arrived before the crib bearing the name of his target.
Still, wanting to see the pain and horror on the demon's face, despite his instincts urging him not to, he had flashed a torch onto the face…
… only to halt. The child was not sleeping instead looking at him with those same blue eyes that had saved him all those years ago, given him a chance to have a family.
The eyes of his savior.
A glance with the torch had also revealed the hair color. It was the same. No qualms were left about whose child it was. After all, there was only one person with that particular shade of hair and eyes.
And from what he had known, Minato Namikaze was a selfless man; no way could he have used any other child to bear the burden, not when one of his own was there.
And before he knew, kunai had fallen from his hand and the child, on hearing the noise, had giggled at him.
He had also laughed for the first time in days, at the newest way of life screwing him.
Then, unsurprisingly, and on being sure of the lack of action, this same anbu had dropped from the shadows before whisking him away to the IT cell.
He had spoken truth, word to word. The Hokage, being the kind old fool he was, had released him with a simple demotion to chunin and a promise not to meet the child ever again.
That was five years ago.
Over the years, once in a while, he had seen the blond ball of energy trying his best to get the attention of the villagers but all in vain. Slowly, the energy had depleted. One could only do it so much.
Now, as he witnessed the same child, standing in the middle of the road, body trembling now and then, yet not giving way to even a lone tear, he could not help but sigh.
You know, fuck the Hokage, fuck the promises and definitely fuck the village. Today, he would give the child a piece of his mind.
His purpose defined, Daichi ambled towards the still child.
Naruto continued trying to quell the heaviness that filled his chest, reaching so far up to his neck, reminding himself of the self-promise, while desperately trying to search for a distraction.
And, it came.
Footsteps approaching him brought him out of misery and musings, just in time to see a pair of feet halting before him. What n-now? Looks like everyone got a problem with me today.
Feeling a bit of dread, but not at all wanting to give any sort of satisfaction, of his pitiful state, to the man, he steeled himself before looking up directly at the face before him.
Blue eyes met brown, waiting for the all-too-familiar expression.
But nothing came.
The stranger continued to look with pure boredom, not even an ounce of hate or contempt was present on the man's face. Then… why? The blonde thought. Still, scowling, he asked. "Here to take a shot at me?"
The man snorted. "Fiesty little gaki, ain't you?"
Naruto glared in response. The man continued to smirk. The blonde waited for some moments, during which the man continued to look at him, before slightly gritting his teeth. "What do you want?"
"... You did not cry, that's good," The man voiced after a moment.
Mouth parting, confusion dawned on his face and the blond could only mutter. "What?"
"Any other would have cried before scrambling to their mommy."
Oh. He must have seen everything. Eyes averting to the side for a moment, Naruto shrugged. "I don't have one." So, now he's gonna make fun of me? There were some children who didn't hate him but just ridiculed him for being an orphan. A grown man doing it will be a first.
The man again snorted. "Neither do I. Orphan from birth."
Oh. Though Naruto felt confused why the man had shared with him, he couldn't help but feel, though only a little, a sort of kinship. The man's face, devoid of the emotions he was used to seeing, only added to the feeling.
But, Why's he here though? He was about to ask only for the man to beat him to it.
"I have seen you Gaki, tryin' hard to get the attention of these villagers,'' Naruto's eyes widened. "They don't even care about you."
The little blonde again averted his vision to the ground, a frown appearing on his face. "You don't understand," Murmuring, he stayed like that for a moment. "Why do you even care?"
"I don't," The man shrugged. "Though, I do understand," The blonde looked up, head tilting in confusion. "Orphan from birth, forgot?" Though, not waiting for an answer, the man continued. "It's a tough world we live in gaki."
Eh?
"Fodder like you an' me are easily forgotten, Only the strong get the respect… like that old man who sometimes visits you."
"One with the funny hat?" Despite everything, the blue-eyed kid couldn't help but be drawn towards the man's words.
"Yeah. That one," The man even nodded. "He's one of the strongest shinobi, not only in the village but the entire world," Again the whiskered face reflected surprise. "And you have seen how the villagers totally throw themselves at his feet, right?"
The blonde found himself nodding, thoughts drifting towards the kind old man who didn't look at him with those eyes, even laughed with him occasionally, had gotten him his apartment, and often visited him.
And, that day when the old man had taken him to the ramen shop, he had been surprised and a little confused seeing the villagers greeting him and praising him.
"Why do they look at you… like that but not me?"
The old man had smiled at him, but it was a bit weird. "Because I am old."
He had been confused by the answer but had not continued as they had reached the ramen stand. I should've asked.
"People don't respect others on their own but they are made to do that. Grow strong, only then you'll see the change."
The words brought him out of memory lane. Wait! Grow strong! Does that mean… Hope flickering on his small face, he blurted out his thoughts. "You want to train me?"
"Hell no!"
The man had all but shouted, not even considering for a single moment. Naruto again scowled. Just a simple 'no' would have been enough. Still, the mystery remained. Why was this stranger here?
"I don't like brats, but you are different from others. Still, the point stands, you get the respect, your existence acknowledged only when you become strong… "
The blonde scoffed. As if he didn't want that. He had seen those shinobis perform all sorts of cool tricks; he wanted that but there was no one he could turn to.
"... which you won't, not if you spent your time here," He waved a hand, capturing the blonde's attention. "... in this part of the village where people live in fantasies and dreams. They don't know shit about what it means to survive."
"You want to taste the reality, go to the red light district, just past the market of sector eight. You'll see the difference," Then, suddenly, the man looked around as if remembering something. "It's already evening, time sure passes by, gotta go."
"Anyway kid," He again looked at the blonde. "One last thing, nothing is free in this world, everybody expects something in return," Then he paused for a bit. "Well excluding your family and true friends, I guess."
So, that's his plan. By just throwing some words, he expects me to give him something in return… as if. But not wanting to test the so far alright nature of the man who was willingly speaking to him, Naruto changed his words a bit. "I can't give you anything."
The man's lips twitched a bit. "You have a good head kid, and I don't want anything," The blonde opened his mouth but the man simply waved him off. "I… owe it to someone who is now dead."
The blonde closed his mouth.
"There's a… burden on my chest and I think by sharing these words, I will be free of that." There was silence for some moments as both were lost in their own thoughts before the man yawned. "Well then, time to go. See you never, gaki."
Jerk. The blonde again glared as the man walked past him, chuckling a bit. After standing there for some moments, he sighed at the empty feeling that again made itself known. Despite everything, someone had actually talked to him.
Again sighing heavily, Naruto began walking only to hiss in pain. Looking offendedly, at the piece of glass, for a bit, he bent down and pulled it out, threw it before trudging towards his apartment.
Entering the apartment before closing the door, Naruto slowly heaved himself to the chabudai table. Lowering himself, his hand already rummaging under the table for a bandage, he folded his leg.
He was about to peel the cover of the bandage when his eyes landed on the cut. Blue eyes widened. This cut was bigger… I am sure of it. Taking his index finger and thumb, he measured the size of the gash just for assurance. B-but how?
Other children, he had seen, retained the cut for many days. Even after healing, a scar or something like that was normally left. But here, as he witnessed, almost half of the cut was already healed and that too without any scar.
This was not normal, right? He gulped. Is this the reason people hate me? Maybe they know about this. For the next few minutes, the blonde continued to ponder over this development before ultimately sighing.
None of this was gonna lead to anything. There was no one he could turn to for answers. Even that old man wouldn't know anything. He didn't even know about his parents.
Slowly, he rose, returning the healing strip to its original place. Then, he trudged towards the washroom. After peeing, he began washing his hands while his gaze drifted towards the mirror.
Just like other days, his eyes set on his whisker marks. How he hated them. Not only did these marks make him look different from others, but they were also what the villager's whispers were aimed at.
If only he could get rid of… a gasp found its way out of his mouth, at the sudden realization. Immediately, he looked towards his leg, raising it and using his still wet hands to hold it.
His eyes couldn't be any wider, the mark was all but gone.
For the next ten or so minutes, he stayed still in the washroom, thoughts running through his mind. After deciding what he was gonna do, he nodded to himself before dashing towards the broken glass of one of his own photographs.
At that time, more than ever, he missed having a knife. The old man hadn't even given him anything pointed.
Picking the photo, he carefully broke one of the bigger pieces before, taking a breath, slit his arm. A hiss escaped his mouth, the finger-sized cut leaving a burning and wet sensation at the same time.
Yet, he watched as the blood continued to drip. If this heals by tomorrow, the next thing's definitely gonna be whiskers. And if it didn't, I'll still have my usual face. Finishing his thoughts, the blonde dashed towards his bedroom before jumping onto it.
A happy and hopeful smile on his face.
The light, filtering from the thin curtains, awakened the blonde. Sitting up and yawning a bit, he left the bedroom, going per his daily habit.
As he was in the washroom, washing his hands, the events from last night surfaced in his mind. Quickly he looked towards the cut or at least where it used to be. With wonder on his face, he traced the hand on the unblemished skin.
A small but joyful laugh emerged from his throat.
This meant he could get rid of the whisker marks, permanently. He could already picture his face, and needless to say, he liked it. Still, as decided, I will do it before sleeping or the old man would be on my back… ass.
He giggled a bit, using the words used by the older people.
Happiness filling his being, he changed into his clothes while switching on the stove, placing the pot filled with water to boil. As he waited, he thought about that stranger's words. Come to think of it, I didn't even get his name.
Shrugging, he began thinking about the red light district, the man's words repeating themselves in his ears.
"Go to the red light district and you'll see the change."
Should he?
On one hand, the man could very well be lying but on the other hand, there wasn't any sort of hate or even annoyance on his face. And his words about the old man were also true.
Also, from what he had seen, people often used words like 'trust me' or 'believe me' to lure others but the man had clearly said the opposite.
The hissing sound, of water boiling, halted his musings as he switched off the stove before pouring the water into a bowl and dropping the contents of an instant ramen pack into it. As he began stirring the mixture, he decided to follow the man's words.
What more he could lose? If anything, if the man's words came to be true, he will be only gaining. Nodding to himself, the blonde began slurping the salty dish, mind made on his destination for today.
Naruto looked at the signboard that displayed 'Sector 8'. Just beyond the street was the market of this sector and beyond that… his destination. Alright, let's do it.
Releasing a breath, the blonde ball of energy dashed towards the market, going parallel to the various shops to the right, and no later, he was standing at the threshold of a small street. Just behind this…
For some moments, he stayed still, watching the passers-by as they strode into what was called a red-light district. With naked wonder, he watched the people looking at him, while passing, but without any sort of malice or hate.
In fact, there was nothing on their faces.
And having been the subject of hateful remarks, whispers, and all sorts of negative attention, this was definitely a step up for him.
"Go to the red light district, you'll see the change."
The man's words had begun to come true and he hadn't even entered the area. Again, releasing a breath, his mind already made, the young blonde stepped onto the path leading to the area where people did not live but survived.
And, he would soon know that.
After several hours of rummaging through the streets of the red-light district, Uzumaki Naruto decided to take a brief respite. A slightly satisfied expression was on his face.
He had already seen several things. Life was totally different here from the other part of the village. People didn't care for a small child like him 'coz they didn't simply have the time.
Grown-ups were busy doing all sorts of things, even fighting over customers, which was not a sight he had witnessed till today.
There were beggars on the streets and when someone, obviously unknown to these areas, decided to help, soon found himself on a chase of another, obviously an accomplice, who had picked his pocket.
Drunkards could be found, passed out, at every nook and crook, with no one even sparing them a glance.
In a row of dingy hut-like shelters, weird noises could be heard from men and women. Even he had gotten curious for a moment but turned back at the last moment. Who knew what he was gonna find there?
Children of his age, unlike the area near his apartment, did not play rather worked at different shops. Nor did they have colorful clothes but dirty rags, and that too for appearance only.
And what was more surprising that children did the work within the knowledge of their parents.
Yeah, it was difficult here but, for him, a sort of belongingness was present. Because everybody was struggling, for survival, not for what they wanted, not for what could come but for what they had.
Struggling enough so that the day could pass. After all, who had seen tomorrow? There were no dreams, just a sort of resignation.
In some ways, it was what his life had become recently.
Sitting, for some moments, like that, the blonde stood up while stretching a bit before turning towards the direction of his apartment, only to halt.
Standing before him were, he did a quick count, five boys, twice as tall as him. And from his day today in the red light district, and the way they were eying him, he knew they meant business.
And definitely not wanting to be a part of it, he decided to whisk away. Bowing his head, he slightly murmured. "'Sorry," Before taking a step to the right of the one in the front, definitely the boss, only to find a hand appearing in his vision.
He followed it to the face of the boss boy.
"Now, now, don' b' like dat. Ve can' le' ya go 'way 'ithout some… " The boss boy paused for a moment before looking over his shoulder. "Shinki, dey call 't vat?"
"Uh… " The fair-skinned boy thought for a bit, face scrunching up before brightening. "Hospi… hospitable… somethin' like dat."
The others 'oohed' at the one called Shinki who grinned a toothy smile, yellow protrusions, from the skin, naked for all.
"Yea' dat. Afta' all, yer gest frum da otha' side, rite?"
H-how do they know? This was his first time visiting this part of the village. Nobody should have known him. Still, not wanting to test his luck, he mentally gulped. "It's okay."
The boys chuckled before the boss replied. "No, 's nat. Still, ya seem to b' in hurry,'' The blonde nodded, too eagerly. "A shame. V coulda gon' 'eally gud. Ah, no 'rries."
Now from what he had seen today, there was no way it was gonna be this easy. There had to be some catch… something…
"Jus' pay's some fees, an' ya can go."
"Fees, Fees," others chanted.
"F-fees?" The blonde timidly asked, the boss nodding in reply. "But I… don't have money." Should've known, it's gonna be money.
The smiles disappearing from their faces, the boss looked with a frown. "C'moh, brat, vat ya think o' us? Anybady' an' der grannies can tell yer loaded. Hell, luk a' yer mug, ol polish'd an' shiny."
The last comment about his face brought a surge of anger in the blonde. They were comparing his face to other children, making him one of them, making him… normal. He clenched his fists before glaring at the boys. "Look, just let me go or… or… "
"Or vaat?" The boss snarled.
His eyes already darting in all directions before settling on the right of the big boy, finding an escape, Naruto yelled, pushing the latter with all his might…
… which, sadly, wasn't enough.
The boss growled. "Now, ya've don' it."
The next thing Naruto knew, he was laying face-first on the ground, a throbbing head reminding him of where the boy had struck. Further pain began shooting all over his body as the boys began hitting him all over.
All the while, he began reminding himself of his self-promise.
Though, a part of his mind also wished for someone to save him but he knew no one…
"Oi! The hell are you doing?!"
The hits stopped, but the pain didn't. Somebody had stopped the boys, and the way they were cursing, it had happened before.
"Van de, ol' man, Van de!"
He barely heard the sounds of feet moving further and further away from him.
Haru sighed. This was the second kid, in this month, these brats had roughed up. Sure, the entire red-light district was full of such punks, but Kenta and his group were the worst.
Shaking his head, he strode towards the prone kid. A single glance at the boy's blonde hair and clothes –which, admittedly, were not the best but definitely better than this area – revealed that he was not of the red light district.
Where are parents, when you need them? Crouching near the boy, he began shifting him. "Hey, you all righ-," Only to freeze as the full features of the boy made themselves known.
Blonde hair and even blue eyes aside the whisker-like marks were a dead giveaway of who the child was. Shit! Damn me and my soft heart for kids. Why did it have to be this one?
Now, Haru was sure he didn't hate the kid. After all, all his family was dead even before Kyuubi had appeared. And unless the bijuu could somehow torment the dead souls, he was alright with the kid.
But the kid, definitely, was not; not for him, not for this area.
Kami knew how many shady deals were made day and night on every brick of the red light district, and the presence of the Kyuubi jinchuuriki was not gonna bode well for any of them.
Being an academy graduate, from the war times, he knew the jinchuuriki was a village asset. And if even a single word about the brat's roughed up condition reached the Hokage, the old monkey would have their ass.
And, those from the merchant council will definitely get their 'Red Light District Rehabilitation' proposal passed, leaving them in the dirt. No, I can't allow that.
His decision made, he halted his musings before looking at the kid. The blue eyes were looking at him in confusion. Well, at least he's a strong one. No tears after all that. Now that would have been a mess.
Quickly, he held his water bottle to the blonde. "Here."
But to his surprise, the kid only glanced at the bottle for a moment before looking at him, eyes narrowing, apparently in suspicion. Ho!… the kid definitely got a good head. Still, what kind of messed up life did he have, to lead to … this?
Outwards, Haru chuckled, before taking a sip from the bottle. Immediately, the kid took the bottle and gulped a lot of water for someone of his size, while he gave the blonde a once over. Phew. There's no blood at least.
"Th-thanks."
The words drew his attention. Manners, huh… that's not something you see daily. He nodded. "You shouldn't come here, kid. This place is bad compared to your side."
To his surprise, the kid scowled. "How do you even know that? That I'm not from here?"
He could only shrug. "Here, you don't get to see the hair as bright as yours, only black or brown. And even if you somehow manage to find a blonde, well, they'll be more gray or pale. And don't even talk about your eyes. Blue ones are rare in the entire village."
The kid seemed to be paying attention so Haru continued. "Anyway, you should stay on your side of the village. The people are really mean here."
But to his utter astonishment, a bittersweet smile made its way on the kid's face. The Fuck! Someone of his age shouldn't even know about that way of smiling… "What?"
The kid had mumbled something.
"They are not as bad as there."
This time he clearly heard the words. And, curse his heart, couldn't feel a bit for him. Some moments passed in silence before Haru let out a sigh. "Something tells me, you are gonna come here again."
A nod was his answer.
Raking a hand through his grayish-brown hair, he also nodded. "Then, do something about your face. Like dye your hair, put some eye contacts, and definitely, cover your whiskers, okay?"
The blonde's eyes had widened, face lit up in surprise, and from the lightness in his own chest, Haru knew he did a good thing today. Then he stood up, giving a two-fingered salute, before turning towards the other side.
"Where… can I buy them?"
"Huh?" He slightly turned, the words registering a bit later. "Oh. Just five shops ahead." Then, he ambled towards his shop.
Naruto couldn't help but slightly grin, ignoring the pain it shot through his head. The man had given him the most awesome idea. He just needed to buy some hair color, eye contacts and, for whiskers, his grin widened, he already had something better.
Though, before going, he looked, for the last time, at the retreating figure of the … Oh no!… I didn't ask his name either.
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And, I promise you, this will be one hell of a ride.
Lastly, Daichi was a one-time character and won't appear again. But Haru is a character from Failing Twilight. As a credit to the author, I will keep the name.
Also, this fic is a sum total of my thoughts after reading all the fics relating to battles, shinobi skills, fuinjutsu, family betrayal etc...