Yo! Next chapter here.

But tell me something, is there a no-review trend going on? Only one review was a bit of mood killer.

Yeah, you guys followed and favorited the story, and I am really grateful for that.

But the foremost desire of an author is to know what his readers think of his work. So, please do review, even just a single word will be fine.

Zabzab- First of all thank you for pointing out the mistake in my title. Secondly, I understand the whole hooking point 'coz I used that in my other stories.

Here also, I could have begun the story from graduation, introduced Mito among other things, but then I would have to use flashbacks, a lot of them, to clear things.

Instead, I thought why not add a couple of chapters before to describe all the necessary elements.

So, I can only ask please stay attached with the story. You will not be disappointed.

Now, to the chapter.

"Hair color… check."

"Eye contacts… check."

"Whisker marks… uncheck," Naruto giggled a bit.

Standing before the mirror in his washroom, gazing, happily and with contentment, at his nearly totally brown hair with slight wisps of blonde, a shade browner eye contacts and cheeks devoid of even a single blemish, the now brunette couldn't help but look back at the events of the past week.

Getting the hair color and eye contacts had been easy but applying them, a tad bit difficult. Still, as told by the lady at the shop and after several tries, the things had been managed.

Then the time had come for the whisker marks.

Naruto cringed, feeling a phantom pain on both sides.

That day, he had learned that the inner sides of the depressions in his cheeks were slightly sensitive. They had hurt like nothing before.

His self-promise had been broken that day, but he had swallowed the feeling. It was, after all, for a better cause.

One hour, with forty minutes of break in between, later, the business had been finished, leaving him totally exhausted. After that, sweet sleep had claimed him and he had quickly embraced it, not even caring for the blood on the covers.

The next day had been awesome.

Still grinning, the blonde paused his thoughts, walking out of the washroom and placed the water in the pot for boiling. Switching on the stove, he willingly delved into the memory lane, just like every day.

It was, after all, the first time he had such a happy time, away from all that negative attention.

Nothing could stop him from relishing in the memories, again and again.

Who knew for how long they were?

Shaking his head rapidly, he focused back, a smile again paving its way on the face as he recalled his second day in the red light district.

He had run through several streets, before several shops, around most corners for hours, even tried to search for that kind man who had introduced him to the awesome idea of disguise. Ugh… I should've asked his name.

Still the man hadn't been found, not till today, and he was forced to give up. Come to think of it, that is what I have been doing for the last six days.

But he wouldn't trade it for anything. The red light district might be dull and dirty, full of almost nothing but it was several times better than being full of negativity.

All in all, the last week had been the best time of his life... till today.

The smile on his face, full of happiness till now, quickly morphed into that of determination. It was time to test his disguise on the people near his apartment.

The hissing sound, of water boiling, made him cut his thoughts, and he quickly prepared the food. Few minutes and five instant ramen packs later, the former blonde dashed out of his door, going down the stairs before halting in the corridor.

At least some good comes out of my situation. Having no neighbor means no worries. But I need to go out of the window, won't want to spoil it if somebody saw me coming out of the door where it lived. He snorted, sparing a glance at the door on his left, before dashing towards the window on the right.

A moment later, he was in the adjacent alley. Alright, let's do it.

With a skip in his steps, he walked out of the alley before turning and nearly bumping into someone. Looking up, he almost froze. Th-this man…

"Whoa there, kid! No need to be afraid," The man replied with a chuckle. "It's a mistake, happens from all," Then, to his shock, the man ruffled his hair before walking past him.

For the next few moments, Naruto stayed there like that. Finally, his hand, breaking the trance, lifted up on its own, hovering just above his hair but not touching them.

An awful feeling had already settled in his stomach, a particular memory choosing to resurface.

The blonde barely covered his face with his arms when a mask impacted before falling down, leaving a red mark on the limbs.

"NEVER LEMME' SEE YOU NEAR MY SHOP! OR KAMI HELP ME… " The mask seller snarled, nostrils flaring in and out.

Just when he thought the day couldn't get any worse, the rain began falling, drenching him completely. At least, it managed to cover the tears.

Naruto could only ask himself. "What… did I do… to h-him?"

That was the last time he had cried, not including the whisker marks incident.

His fists clenched at the two-faced nature of the man and the people of this village while his mind began to find a distraction, any, to shift his thoughts.

"Naori-chan! C'mon! Don't you wanna go to the park?!"

"Coming, mommy! Yayyyy! Park! Park!"

Park.

Naruto blinked, the event already fading away, as he realized he could go to the park and have all sorts of fun with other children. Since that shopkeeper didn't recognize me, others won't either.

Nodding to himself, the Uzumaki dashed away towards the direction of the park where he had spent countless mornings and evenings, staring at other children of his age while not being allowed to even enter.

Only an hour later, Naruto exited from the park, a confused expression on his face.

That wasn't what he had expected.

The kids, even of his own age, were sloppy, acted silly and for the most minor of things, ran away to their parents. Why? He couldn't understand.

They were not supposed to cry on merely falling on the ground, yet most of them had. Then, some, though a bit smaller than him, had even immediately stopped crying when their parents had slapped the ground. The ground was not at fault, right?

What was worse, they were littering on the ground without any care for their clothes. Didn't they know how tough it was to clean them?

It… wasn't as fun as it seemed from the sidelines. Though saddened a bit, he was still in good mood as no one had glared or whispered at him, for the very first time.

One young lady had even shared a rice ball. Still, overall, it wasn't a good idea. Never gonna do it again. Sighing, the blonde began walking aimlessly, ears and eyes open for anything else.

And luck was on his side today. A mere turn of the street later, he found himself watching a not-so-smaller crowd.

Excitement began bubbling in his chest, brightening his face and the almost brunette quickly sprinted forward, making his way through the crowd, putting his small stature to good use.

Halting in the front, his brown eyes took in the sights.

A man wearing a funny coat, short at front but way long at the back, was passing some orders to a couple of boys. Then he let his eyes roam upwards on the banner. "The art of de-de-duct… "

"Deduction," Someone supplied.

Naruto quickly whirled around, taking in the dull black hair, brown eyes and slightly sunken cheeks of the stranger before his face gained an expression of surprise. "You-, " A finger corroborated his word.

"Me? Am I supposed to know you?"

"Yeah!" The Uzumaki nearly shouted, too eagerly. "We met that day in the red light district; you gave me this awesome idea of coloring my hair, and eye contacts-, " He stopped just before blurting 'whisker marks.'

Haru blinked in confusion, looking at the kid, taking in the almost brown hair in which the slight wisps of blonde could definitely be passed as reflection from sunlight, equally brown eye contacts, and cheeks without even a single speckle.

No way! This is the jinchuuriki?! Though extremely astonished, Haku was sure that nobody, apart from him and the former blonde, could know about their conversation. Damn! The gaki outdid himself. He slightly whistled. "I totally missed you."

Naruto's face lightened up, a series of nods expressing his excitement. "Yeah, I know. Nobody recognizes me. By the way, what's your name? I totally forgot to ask you that day."

"Haru," Voicing, Haru pondered at the earlier words of the kid and was slightly disheartened. How fucked up the things are if he's totally okay with hiding his identity? Though, outside, he simply smiled. Does that will of fire shit mean nothing? Just mere words?

"So… "

"Huh?" The black haired man looked at the child, barely hearing the spoken word. "What is it?"

"What's this de-duct-ion?" The kid's face was tilted, curiosity alight on his visage.

Taking a moment to organise his thoughts, Haru replied. "It's basically reading other people, like what they are thinking or about to do, or even telling the truth." That's what they told at the academy, right?

"Whoa! That's possible?!" Naruto immediately blurted, totally awed at the idea. Oh the things I can do with this… Then his feelings slightly dimmed a bit. Maybe… I can even know why they hate me.

"Well," Haru slightly drawled, scratching his left cheek. "Any shinobi, having a good head and knowing his way around the things, can definitely do this. In fact, deduction is one of the fundamentals of the job."

"After all, a shinobi getting tricked will be totally stupid," A chuckle left his throat at the idea. "Though, very few are really good at this. Nowadays, being a shinobi means being flashy."

The words leaving him open mouthed, Naruto slowly glanced towards the performance about to happen, eyes filling with reverence and possibilities. Wait! Mouth closing, he quickly faced the older man once again. "Are you a shinobi?!"

"No,'' the older man replied, voice laced with amusement, though clearly understanding where the kid was coming from. "But I joined the shinobi academy, spent five or so years but could not pass the final exam."

His expression turning nostalgic, Haru thought about his genin team. Three kids, not even on speaking terms, had been put together and the result was a disaster. Despite war on the horizon, they were still good times.

"But I don't know what they teach nowadays," A shrug accompanied his words.

"Cool!" Naruto muttered. "So… "

Dum-Dum-Dum-Dum…

The sound drawing their attention, both of them turned towards the makeshift stage. The former blonde witnessed, with excitement and anticipation, as the man, in a funny coat, slightly bowed before clearing his throat.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I, Shinji, welcome you all to this display of magnificent art that is... deduction. In simple terms, it means reading what others are thinking," Shinji paused for a bit. "Now, the popular belief is that only shinobis are experts in this art but it's wrong."

"Everyone, with a good head, is capable. In fact, it can be used in daily life too. Say, a dishonest shopkeeper highly claims about the quality of a product and demands excess money for that; with practice, you can totally, and I mean that, see through his words."

"Allow me to show you… "

Haru slightly snorted, drawing Naruto's attention. "What?" The kid asked, confusion apparent. "Is he lying? But you said-"

"Neither he nor I am lying," Haru replied, interrupting the kid and again raised a hand to stop the child whose mouth had begun to part. "Geez, learn some patience, kid," Slightly huffing, he continued. "I meant that despite his claims, he's a shinobi actually, a retired one though."

Oh! Naruto thought in surprise but stayed quiet.

"I have seen him around. And like a good shinobi, he's partially honest. What he doesn't tell that even… hmmm… let's take shopkeepers… Yeah, even they can practice a poker face, I mean-," Haru added, seeing the confusion."-keep an expressionless or totally calm face so that it's hard to read."

"Really?"

"Yup. To be good, one needs to be able to read others as well hide his own thoughts."

That actually makes sense. Naruto nodded in understanding. What good the ability to read would be if the opposite person could also do it? Giving his companion a thumbs up, as he had seen others do, he looked back at the Shinji.

Before the retired shinobi, a bench was now placed and atop it, were two inverted plastic cups. Nodding, seemingly at the set up, Shinji took in his audience. "Now, we will play a shuffling game with these cups and one of them contains one thousand ryo."

Pausing for a dramatic effect, letting the excitement build up, Shinji continued. "I am going to invite one of you to shuffle these cups, and then I will read your face to guess the correct one. How you prevent me, is up to you, and if you're successful, the money's yours."

Excited mutters rose up; people, mostly teenagers, pointing at themselves. Not able to help himself, Naruto also raised his hand. "Hey, select me! Me!" Beside him, Haru chuckled at the kid's antics.

For some moments, the shouts and yells continued before the performer suddenly pointed with his finger and it took a nudge, from Haru, for Naruto to realise that the man was pointing at him. Face exploding with giddiness, the blonde let out a whoop of joy before dashing to the stage.

"Your name?"

"Na-, " Naruto halted, realizing where he was. Idiot. You just gave away your disguise. But now he had to say something. The man's nod, obviously at having heard him, not helping either. What to do? I can't just say no… name… Yes! "Nanashi."

Shinji looked oddly for a moment before shrugging. "Alright, Nanashi-kun, let's do it. You shuffle the glasses and for the sake of it, I won't even look," Voicing, the man turned around.

Quickly, with a grin on his face, the Uzumaki began shuffling the cups, slightly hunching over them so no one else could see his work. After some twists and turns, he finally stopped. "Done!"

Shinji turned back, his obsidian eyes immediately swaying between the two cups. All the while, Naruto tried to throw off the man while simultaneously attempting to read the man's face.

Some moments passed.

"This one," Shinji simply pointed at the cup to his right.

Naruto immediately sucked a breath before totally deflating. The audience started chuckling. The former blonde pouted a bit. "How did you find it?"

"Simple kid," Shinji also chuckled. "You tried too hard. From the beginning, you were slightly hunched over the empty cup as if it held the money, and I purposely shook my head looking at it; you immediately tensed a bit and your eyes flickered, for a bit, at the other one."

"When I looked at the correct cup, you also grabbed it a bit harder," The man again chuckled. "A nice strategy for someone of your age but I am way too experienced, kid. Now, off you go."

Though slightly miffed at being played like that, Naruto couldn't help but be amazed as he walked back and took his place. A comforting hand on his shoulder was immediately placed by Haru.

"Moving on," Shinji began, taking in his audience. "Nanashi-kun, being a kid, was a bit easy. Now, I will ask one of you to select someone older to join me, and I will read them," No later, he randomly pointed at an elderly lady. "Please do the honors."

The lady looked around a bit before pointing at a teenage girl who slightly recoiled in surprise ahead of walking on the stage and bowed to Shinji who returned the gesture.

"Your name, please."

"Otsuki Himawari."

Shinji nodded. "Let's begin," The girl nodded. "Hmm… you're going somewhere-," The man walked around her for some moments, hunching for a bit, all the while nodding to himself before standing before her. "Onsen. You're going to the onsen."

The girl gasped a bit. "H-how?"

"You just confirmed it," The girl looked in shock prompting him to chuckle and raise his hands. "Sorry, kidding," Some chuckles were heard.

"Anyway, it's all in your appearance, age and the slightly bigger carry bag," The brown-haired girl slightly glanced at her carry bag.

"To elaborate, this is the actual time you teenagers start your day," Again some elderlies laughed. "Secondly, your hair is dry, messy and quickly tied obviously to wash before the onsen. Your clothes are a bit plain and easy to remove. Third, your perfume."

"Perfume?"

"Yes. I can smell the remnants of a strong one, as the wind slightly picks up, clearly from yesterday. Of course, today, you will apply it after onsen. The same fragrance comes from your carry bag but it's strong there implying you carry it in your bag along with towels and clothes. The bag seems big enough for them."

"Lastly, if you weren't going to onsen, you would have properly dressed because most girls of your age are looking for someone special, am I right?" A smirk finished the words.

The girl blushed a bit but nodded happily.

Immediately, the audience burst into wild applause, excited cheers filling the small clearing.

"Cool!" Naruto whispered in total reverence, also clapping loudly.

For the next half an hour, the disguised blonde watched wonder struck as the man continued to read the randomly selected people, while simultaneously stimulating his interest in the art of deduction. Oh, I'm gonna totally try this thing.

As the last bout of applause died down, Shinji directed one last gaze at the captivated audience. "As I said, anyone can do this. You just need to observe others around you, be patient and work hard. That's all," He finished with a bow.

As the people dispersed, Naruto turned to look at the older man beside him. "That was totally awesome."

"Yeah, it was," Haru replied, stretching a bit. "Well, time to go, kid. See ya," Giving a two-fingered salute, he turned around only for the kid to run in front of him.

"Wait. Where are you going?"

"Uh… to buy some things for my place."

"Then let me help you," The disguised blonde asked with wide eyes. "After all, you gave me this-" He waved at his face. "-idea and even helped me in this deduction thingy."

Hmmm… The older man mused to himself. Well, why not? It isn't like there's a law against interacting with him, and it will spare me another round to this sector. "Alright," Haru nodded. "Follow me."

As they walked along the market of sector eight, hands full with paper bags stuffed with all sorts of things from vegetables to frozen meat, instant food packages among others, Haru gazed at the kid walking beside him.

Apart from the slightly depressing aura, seemingly perpetual around him, the kid was mostly happy, a cheerful expression on his face. Judging from his expression that day, I guess it's the first time he has had this much fun.

Who knows if and when we are gonna meet again, the least I can do is talk to him. "So, you gonna try that deduction thing?"

Though a bit surprised at the man, having stayed silent so far, initiating a conversation, Naruto quickly composed himself. "Dattebayo. That Shinji guy said to practice, and I have all the time."

"Then best of luck from me."

Having heard the words for the very first time, the disguised blonde couldn't help the shock and surprise on his face. Neither could he find his voice.

Some moments passed in silence.

"You're different… from others, Haru-san," Naruto muttered as they entered the street of the red light district. Then he looked at the older man whose head was tilted in confusion.

"Someone told me nothing is free in this world, yet you have clearly helped me twice; you are a good person," Voicing, he again looked forwards at the street.

If it were any other five year old, Haru would have laughed hearing such words from someone so young, but he knew this kid was more mature than others.

He couldn't prevent his heart from clenching at the words, the utter sincerity in the tone of the kid worsening the feeling. Finally, unable to take it anymore, he released a heavy sigh, drawing the attention of the child.

"You're right, kid. Nothing is free in this world; everything's gotta price."

"Huh?"

Though, before Haru could elaborate, they stopped in front of a small hut-like structure. "This is my place," He muttered, going for the knob of the door.

Meanwhile, Naruto let his eyes roam over the place. It read 'Haru's' in red color, the paint slightly chipped at several places. The rest of the small building was a bricky structure, painted obviously in white but now turned yellow. A window was just adjacent to the door.

"Come in," Haru's voice drawing his attention, the disguised blonde followed him inside.

Inside, it was almost as big as his apartment, empty old furniture covered the floor before the counter, behind and above which several shelves, lined with bottles, were present. Alcohol. The Uzumaki mused, slightly scrunching his nose.

Two boys, slightly older than him, suddenly appeared from the door behind the counter, approaching them and helping with the carry bags.

"Sit here, kid," Haru motioned and the disguised blonde complied. Taking the seat, he waved his hand around. "In case you are wondering, this place is mostly empty till evening, well, apart from some addicts."

Naruto only shrugged.

The older man again sighed. "Alright, look here kid, your presence, that day, was really bad for the entire red light district," The five year old did not miss the 'that day' part.

"I mean, if it had reached the hokage tower or even the police that a child from the other side is laying here, all roughed up, it could have turned messy. There are some people, rich people from the other side, who want to take this land for themselves."

"But why?"

Haru slightly snorted. "Per their words 'this place is a stain on our beautiful village. It must be remade."

Oh. Naruto nodded in understanding. He could see where the man was coming from. This area, despite everything, was their home. Nobody would want to give on that one. I definitely won't, even if my apartment is a bit shabby.

"So, that's why I wasn't totally honest with you. I hope you understand, Naruto."

Barely… just barely, the disguised blonde prevented his face from displaying any shock, even turning his face down to his lap. He… he knows my name… I never told him.

This could only mean one thing… this man was aware of him even before their meeting in that alley. And, people aware of him meant they hated him for some unknown reason.

Reason… this man must also be aware of, yet Naruto hadn't seen any negative emotion on the former's face. In fact, the man had willingly talked to him, helped him and even accepted his help.

And now, the man had shared his honest thoughts with him. Cogs began turning in his mind as he pondered over the possibilities. He is old enough to know why people hate me. If I'm correct, he's my best option to find the truth.

As he looked up, he was pleased to see that Haru hadn't realized the slip up. Thank Kami. "So, I can come here from now?"

"Huh?"

"As I am in a disguise, nobody has recognized me so far. Even Kenta and his group didn't."

"Kenta?!" Haru shouted, startled. "How the heck did you even meet again?"

"He found me the very next day. Seems like he knows everyone and their grannies here."

That's definitely what Kenta says. There wasn't even a sliver of irritation let alone anger in the kid's voice. If anything, his tone seemed like they were almost… friends. Haru mentally gulped at the absurd thought. Surely, it cannot be …

"They asked for money, I refused. They began hitting me, and I laid there believing someone would come and save me," Naruto chuckled, recalling the day. "Nobody came and nobody was gonna; realizing that I tried to help myself."

Haru groaned, already assuming the worst. "Please tell me you didn't?"

"Well," The Uzumaki drawled, grinning a bit. "I might have bitten their hands and arms a couple of times," Seeing the older man's expression, he shrugged. "It ain't like I could have done anything more."

"And why aren't you angry? Usually that's the feeling after getting your ass handed to you."

Naruto scratched his hair a bit. "I was, but I had also realized that I needed to get strong. So, the next day, I found them."

The older man again groaned, rubbing his temples.

"They again beat me. Two days later, I again found them and even yesterday," The five year old's grin widened.

"You're an idiot, kid."

"That's what Kenta said, yesterday, after beating me."

Now, Haru looked in surprise. Kenta wasn't the one to stay for chat after finishing his business. The punk just left with money. For him to say something like this, it was like he had begun to respect the gaki.

"So, can I come here?"

The words halting his thoughts, Haru looked with slight confusion. "Here? At my place?!"

"Sometimes," Naruto paused for a bit. "It's good to talk to someone," The words were not more than a whisper.

Oh. Haru's face turned a bit solemn. That bad, huh? Well, he had nothing to lose. As long as the kid was in disguise, he could always play the surprise card if things went south. Moreover, it wasn't like the kid was asking him about the fox.

"I will even help you… for free."

And, that sealed it. "Alright, but not a word to anyone."

Naruto nodded, eagerly. At the same time, his stomach chose to rumble, the brunette slightly rubbing the back of his head.

Haru chuckled, standing up. "Wait here," Before walking into the room behind the counter. Some moments later, he walked back to their table, a piece of bread in his hand. "Here."

The hungry kid accepted the offering albeit with a bit of confusion. "Uh… I haven't even helped you yet."

"For the next time, then," Haru replied with a smile.

That was good. Not as good as ramen though. As he began thinking about the possibilities that had opened, Naruto paused, turning around a corner.

Standing at some distance, were Kenta and his boys, gazing directly at him.

Naruto's eyes narrowed.

Kenta began folding his sleeves.

The former blonde took a step forward.

Kenta cracked his knuckles.

Naruto again took a step forward.

Shinki grinned, yellow teeth visible despite the distance…

… and waved.

Kenta groaned.

Just like that the moment was broken.

"Vell, c'moh gaki! Vat yer waitin' fo'?"

As if that was the cue, the five year old dashed forward, a confident grin on his face.

After all, if he wanted to get strong, he needed to learn to fight, right?

Upon reaching close, he simply dived towards Kenta who simply smirked and grabbed one of the thin guys, beside him, before pushing him to the front.

Naruto collided with him, taking the older boy to the ground. As he tried to stand, a kick hit him on his back, flattening him to the ground.

Quickly, and ignoring the pain, he again began to stand up. This was what the fights, in the last week, had taught him.

Never pause and certainly, never back down.

Upon standing, Naruto yelled and again dashed forward.

"Report."

"Apart from some recent developments, everything is in order, Hokage-sama."

"Define recent developments."

"Hai," The boar masked anbu began. "From eight hundred hours last Wednesday, Uzumaki-san has begun disguising himself."

Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, the God of Shinobi, was seldom surprised nowadays. Hearing what his grandson-figure had decided to do, definitely counted in the seldom part.

Leaning forward, eyes glistening with interest, the Hokage crossed his hands under his chin. "Do elaborate."

"Uzumaki-san has started dyeing his hair brown, begun wearing equally brown eye contacts and clearly some make up on his cheeks, effectively hiding the whisker marks."

"... Interesting," The Hokage murmured. The attitude of the villagers towards the kid was not hidden to anyone. Ever since they acquired the knowledge about the blonde's status, the villagers had been quite expressive of their distaste forcing his hand.

But classifying the kid's secret as S-rank, giving him his own apartment and even tasking an anbu to deliver the necessary items at his doorstep hadn't been enough.

The hokage, despite everything, couldn't just forcefully shift the paradigm of the inhabitants of Konohagakure. They were a military village but not a dictatorship.

But it seemed the child had found a solution on his own. Smiling a bit, the old leader again directed his gaze at the still anbu. "Any issues?"

"Negative, Hokage-sama."

"Then let it be. Anything else?"

"Uzumaki-san has, of recently, also took an avid interest in the art of deduction."

Hiruzen blinked. Art of deduction? "I believe that is the event run by Tanaka Shinji?

"Hai."

"Please explain."

And the anbu did.

Some moments and a thorough explanation later, the Professor couldn't prevent the previous smile from morphing into a chuckle. I can feel things will never be boring around you, Naruto-kun.

Hearing the chuckle, laced with amusement, interest and a bit of pride, the boar masked anbu frowned behind his mask. Why does Hokage-sama care for that boy?

True, the brat, being a jinchuuriki, was a village asset, a deterrent to other villages, the ultimate weapon, but their aged leader clearly went above and beyond that, almost on a personal level.

That accursed bijuu, sealed in that boy, had caused so much pain and suffering, killed his many friends yet gotten a chance at life, admittedly, a caged one.

Nevertheless, a caged life was still better than death, right?

He just simply couldn't bring himself to care for that boy even knowing that the latter was totally separate from the entity sealed in him. If only that idiot Diachi had plunged the kunai that night…

But, what was done couldn't be changed.

The only thing he could do now was to prevent the Hokage from knowing the boy's recent ventures into the red light district.

Hopefully, it will ruin the brat just like many others. The boy had already started picking up fights with older kids from there. And he, as per his orders, could only interfere in case of a clear life and death situation, not some punks slugging each other.

All-in-all, it was a beneficial situation.

"Good work, boar," Hiruzen appraised the masked shinobi, drawing his attention. "You have done your duty well. I will make sure you get the rightfully deserved credit."

At least some good comes out of dealing with that brat. Boar bowed deeply. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

The Hokage looked at the calendar for a bit. "In four months, the next session of the academy will start; once Naruto receives his enrollment, you will be discharged of your duties. Dismissed."

The anbu again bowed before disappearing.

Left to his own devices, Hiruzen picked his smoking pipe before taking a puff. A moment later, his eyes flickered to the portrait of his successor. Your son is developing into quite an interesting child. In just four months, he will meet her.

The aged hokage again took a drag. Was I wrong in heeding to the last wish of a dying woman? Then again, Kushina was rather impulsive… What would have you done Minato?

It was evening now.

Looking down from the skies, Naruto jumped off his perch on the wall surrounding the academy grounds. Dusting his shorts, the brunette began walking towards his apartment, a contemplating expression on his face.

A month… no, almost a month had passed since he saw that Shinji guy performing the deduction tricks and telling the audience, in the end, to practice, which he had.

Spending several hours a day and nearly every day in the last month, surely counted as practice, he was sure of that.

And practice had somewhat worked. He had begun to note different expressions that appeared on the people's faces as they talked with others or even sometimes thought to themselves.

The way their eyes would sway or face would tilt a bit meant they were, most of the times lying or unwilling to talk; a bit more, than necessary, squeeze of the cheeks while at the same time, no shift in the shape of eyes meant a forced smile.

When stopped by someone for a conversation, the direction their feet would come to halt, most number of times, implied hurry, unwillingness to talk and the possible destination. These were small things but really helpful.

Though, these signs usually belonged to those who were a bit more expressive like teenagers. The disguised blonde slightly groaned recalling his tries to read the elderlies. It was surprising how the old geezers could usually keep a calm face despite anything.

The wrinkles on their skin didn't help either.

And, the shopkeepers… they were a totally different bunch. Their expressions were totally in match with their words. Only a couple of them, mostly newbies, he had seen, were lacking in the area.

Naruto sighed heavily. But the man had made it look so easy as if the thoughts and feelings of people were literally written on their faces. "Ugh! It's so confusing… it's like there's something that I am missing… something-," The five-almost-six year halted on reaching the apartment building.

Walking in the alley beside it, he jumped inside through the window, landing in the corridor ahead of walking a bit before taking the stairs. I will think about it later.

Reaching the top, he was about to shuffle his feet on the carpet but paused, left shoe coming to halt just a bit above.

Slowly, he brought back his feet before crouching, eyes narrowing at the rectangular piece of green textile. The color was faintly darker than he was used to seeing.

Slightly upturning a corner, he wasn't surprised to see the usual lighter shade, result of the daily usage and subsequent washing, seen by him just this morning. Just like clothes… the outer side fades a bit. It could only mean one thing, someone had clearly inverted the carpet.

Standing up, he began looking for other signs, gaze taking in the door before pausing at the door knob. The former blonde slightly hunched over it and didn't startle, even a bit, to see the smudges, due to hand prints, covering the entire frame of the door knob.

As if someone had used two smaller hands like his own to open the door or, it could also be a bigger one, but he was sure, he had been using a single hand, left or right, ever since his moving into the apartment. When I use it, only half of it gets smudged.

Clearly, someone is inside. Slowly, and trying to be quiet, Naruto turned only to gasp. Standing before him, clearly amused, was the kind old man who had given him this apartment.

"Impressive."

Wh-what? The brunette tried to understand why the old man was praising him, but then his mind caught up. "There is someone inside, jiji!" Now, he knew this old man was strong and could possibly help him.

Hiruzen chuckled. "No need to worry, Naruto-kun. I just wanted to test how far you have come in the art of deduction, and I must say, I am impressed."

The former blonde looked in confusion for a bit before his eyes widened. "It was you," he voiced, even pointing a finger.

"Yes. I inverted the mat and left my handprints on the door knob, which you clearly noticed; a remarkable feat for someone of your age," The professor gave an approving nod. In fact, many shinobi won't either… Then, there are others like Anko and Guy. He mentally cringed. Those two will willingly walk inside.

"Oh," Suddenly Naruto squinted his eyes. "How do you even know I am trying this deduction thingy?"

Hiruzen hummed a bit before motioning the kid towards the door. "Let's talk inside, shall we?"

The Uzumaki nodded before opening the door and walking inside. The Hokage smirked in amusement, only this child had the galls; any other would have definitely held the door open and asked him to walk in first.

Entering the apartment, Hiruzen looked at the child giving him a questioning look. "I know because I was there at the event organised by Tanaka Shinji."

"No way," Naruto immediately denied, crossing his arms, trying to be imposing as he had seen others do. "I could have definitely seen your funny clothes. You're lying." Let's read you, jiji.

Hiruzen maintained his facade of amusement, giving the child some moments to implement his art of deduction. Finally, he spoke. "You were not the only one with a disguise there, Naruto-kun."

Slightly frustrated at being unable to get anything from the man and confused at hearing the words, the former blonde decided to drop the issue. Old people are really difficult. He tilted his head to a side. "Buy why? Why do you need it?

"Sometimes, I roam around the village in disguise so as to know the state of things like the well-being of people among others. It is easy that way. Simply walking, as I am now, invites a lot of attention from the villagers; the reason, I am the Hokage of this village."

"Whoa!" Naruto whispered, totally floored. He had learnt a lot of things in the last month. One of them was that the leader of their village was called Hokage… the same Hokage who was standing before him, had been the first person to talk to him with kindness.

This guy deserved some respect, The former blonde bowed a bit, imitating as he had seen the others. "I.. didn't know."

"It is alright, Naruto-kun," The Hokage was a bit surprised. It seems 'the art of deduction' has improved his manners. "Moving on, let us talk about you or rather your disguise and reading skills."

"The disguise helps with the people," Naruto replied, not feeling even a bit of discomfort talking to the elder man, the latter having always shown ignorance about the issue. The old man might be lying but there was no way to find the truth either.

"And, the reading skills," He simply shrugged. "They are not that good. I can't even read you."

Ignoring the emergence of despair in his heart, Hiruzen smiled. "Because I am old."

"And wrinkly," Naruto grinned a bit. Hokage or not, the old man was still his jiji. "But yeah, old people are difficult to read."

Hiruzen also chuckled at the 'wrinkly' part. "The old have learnt how to be patient and calm in all situations. They have good control over their emotions, and always think before they act."

The child showing interest, the professor continued. "Still, you must not underestimate yourself. Figuring out the possible break in your home, from the carpet and door knob is nothing short of impressive for your age. You'll only get better as you grow."

"Oh. Alright," Naruto replied, understanding every word. That Shinji guy had said the same thing. Thinking before acting, huh… I think I can do that.

"There is another matter I want to discuss with you," The child nodded. "I have decided to enroll you into the academy in the next session starting in two months," It was time. The son of his successor had asked for this many times in the past.

"Really?!" The disguised blonde nearly shouted, almost jumping but controlling at the last moment. Control your emotions. This was awesome. He was finally going to become a shinobi. All those cool tricks… will be mine… hehehe!

The Hokage let his grandson-figure relish, in joy at the prospect, for some moments, before slightly clearing his throat. Again, he watched in amusement as the kid tried to compose himself but a slight grin continued to remain. "Here," He passed an envelope.

"This is your monthly stipend; it contains some extra money, don't use that. The same amount of money will be added in your next stipend. Then, one of my shinobi will help you purchase the articles required in the academy."

Again, a huge smile appeared on Naruto's face and he quickly hugged the old man. "Thank you, Jiji. I will be the best shinobi, 'ttebayo!"

Naruto waved at the old man before closing the door. Quickly dashing to his bedroom, he put the envelope under the bed sheet. Then, he walked to the washroom, coming to halt just before the mirror, left hand finding purchase on his hair.

Looking at the dull brown color of his hair, the disguised blonde mused to himself. They need to be colored again. Eye contacts are good though. Then he suddenly sighed a bit. Before that, I will have to walk in the village as Naruto.

Appearances needed to be kept, after all.

Please Review.

Next chapter, genin academy.

Nanashi is Naruto's alter name from Failing twilight. I decided to keep it as credit to the author.