AN: So anyway. I started writing.

Ah right. The timeline. Well. At this point I can't tell if anything else is the same.

We got to Narumi's place after dark. Turns out we needed practice lugging dead bodies around, plus Narumi was actually a pretty beefy huge-muscled girl, emphasis on the pretty. We heaved her onto her bed.

Naruto laughed. "So did you guys pass?"

I turned my gaze towards him slowly. He let us in to help her to bed, I'm surprised he talked to us so easily considering how much he was ignored in class. Well, he wasn't totally ignored. He was in a group of friends.

"Yeah. Our sensei is named Anzu. She's a jounin." I said, not wanting to bring up any unnecessary information.

"She's an Anbu Captain." Ryuko said smugly.

"Wh- no way! You're lying! That would be really cool though."

"It's no lie, and it's not really that cool."

"You're just saying that because of the test."

"Who wouldn't?"

Ryuko turned to Naruto and started telling him all about the test, they left the room.

In the meantime I just pulled Narumi's ninja shoes off then set them by the door at the front of the Uzumaki residence. Japanese thing or something.

"Did you lick her foot?"

"Excuse me, but what is it with you and feet, Ryuko?"

She shrugged.

Naruto laughed, "Haha. Why would you even suggest that. Narumi's feet are gross!"

I WILL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT NARUMI HAS CUTE. PERFECTLY SHAPED AND -

I sighed, deeply. There was nothing to gain from this argument. My stomach rumbled just in time to save me from the direction this conversation was in. "I'm hungry."

"If you're both hungry I can take you guys to Ichirakus!"

"The ramen place?" Ryuko asked, with a look of disgust and a raised eyebrow. "I'll pass." She said and said her goodbyes before making her way home.

When she was gone Naruto turned his gaze to me with an innocent smile and expectant eyes. I'd have to be evil to not say yes.

"Sure. I'll go." I shrugged.

"Great. You're gonna love this! Believe it!"

Hm? Narumi's chakra signal amplified a bit.

It was soon followed by a loud bang and the muffled vulgarities of somebody who got hurt, Narumi's door slammed open and her brow was furrowed. Well she looked… energetic. Ah, youth.

"You were gonna go to Ichirakus without me!? Unbelievable." She met my gaze. No tch? She averted her eyes and looked all shy for a moment.

What the hell?

Naruto mostly ignored her, getting his ninja sandals on then turning to face her. "N-no. Well. You were sleeping, right?"

She sat next to him and did the same. Ninja sandals are a prison.

Their back and forth banter continued for most of the trip to Ichiraku's. It was dark out and the village was lit with occasional street lamps. We sat down at three free seats and Naruto ordered us three ramen. His treat.

"So how did your test go?" He asked Narumi.

"Meh… it was alright… right?" She looked at me.

Her teary eyed desperation to beat me, much less land a hit on me was adorable and flashed through my mind. Not something I'd soon forget. "Yeah. You both passed. Even if you did kinda pass out and cry."

"That was…"

"Well… you know my sister is the best at Taijutsu in the entire class right? And Ryuko said she didn't even land a single hit on you." He crossed his arms and squinted his eyes. "How does that even make sense? You had the worst grades of the people who passed."

"Well. Narumi might've been the best at Taijutsu but her ninjutsu and genjutsu are ass-tier." I said blatantly.

"Hey! Well…" She started, then sullenly slurped some noodles.

"And well. Don't tell anyone this but I aimed for fifty percent in all fields to see if I could do exactly that."

Pfffp! Cough! Cough! Cough!

"You bastard." Narumi muttered.

"Hey. I didn't think anyone would notice." I said offhandedly.

"You don't get it… we… all I want is to not be looked down upon… like we're… nothing… and yet you… YOU!" She clenched her fists and didn't know what to say.

"I don't look down on either of you. Never have. So be my friends." I stated before she could say anything else. Naruto's eyes widened slightly. I only said it on a whim. Not like I planned for this eventuality from the start. I never really had a reason to be friends with anyone in the academy. I had my own plans during those years, but that's a story for another time.

Her hands unclenched and the two of them met my gaze. "Sure!" Naruto said and held his fist out in my direction.

I bumped it, then held mine out towards Narumi on my left. "Tch. Unbelievable." She furrowed her brow and pouted, but bumped my fist despite that.

"Oh yeah. How'd your test go by the way Naruto?" I changed the subject.

Narumi's frown disappeared in an instant. So we were both interested.

"Hmm…" He said. "It was easy. Me and Sasuke both kind of just did what Shikako told us to…"

He went on to explain the bell test and how they all volunteered to go back to the academy. The gist was there were only two bells, they managed to win the bells but one of them was supposed to go back to the academy. They traded them back and forth. Until their boss Kakashi told them they all passed. Naruto said he didn't really understand himself, but agreed that those who abandoned the mission were scum but those who abandoned their teammates were worse than scum.

"So your sensei was late then? Ours was a few minutes early, and aggressive." I looked at Naruto with interest. I had a feeling I knew who Anzu was… to some extent.

"Man… we had to wait around for hours." Naruto rolled his eyes.

I mean. So did I, but I got there a few hours early to do some chakra moulding exercises.

I pulled my mask down and started eating my ramen. It was good. Could do without the stares from Naruto and Narumi.

"What the hell! Why do you wear a mask, you're so ho- so… normal!" Narumi said, her cheeks flushed a slight red.

This. This was exactly why.

I finished my ramen in silence while Naruto and Narumi struggled to avoid looking at me. I pulled my mask back up.

"Tch."

"Well. It's getting late." I started, then I bid them farewell and made my way back to my place. They went the other way.

It was a quiet walk. There was little to no industrial light pollution, not like what existed in my previous world. So I admired the stars for a moment before I continued on my walk.

The chakra beneath my feet was another control exercise I never released and it kind of just became a normal thing. It was such a thin layer that prevented my feet from stepping too hard on rocks and the various sharp objects and stuff on the ground. The layer didn't prevent me from feeling non hard and pain inducing sensations, meaning I could still feel the dirt and grass beneath my feet and sand between my toes. Enjoyable sensation.

I opened the door to my-

"Yo!"

-Ohmygodjesuschrist!

I jumped, what the hell!? There was a white-haired woman, and although she was beautiful as hell and probably one of the most perfect human specimens, she was still a home invader!

Her mouth twisted into a twitching smile, then a grin, and then she turned away and her shoulders rocked with silent laughter. "You should've seen your face! I guess you're not a prodigy after all!"

"Guess not." I said, dryly. Maybe I just didn't think to scan my own damned house for chakra signatures and maybe if she wasn't immature enough to conceal her own presence to avoid normal detection, I wouldn't have gotten scared.

"Anyway. I'm going to be your legal guardian from now on, so I'm living here." Her mask was pulled to the side of her head, but her face was probably the most expressive I've ever seen. "And I guess since I retired from the Anbu to become a full time Jounin-sensei team leader I might as well tell you my name… I'm Anzu Hatake." She patted my head. Like I was just some kid.

Well that wasn't much of a mystery. Why am I getting all this attention anyway?

I brushed her hand aside. "So you're living here now? Why?"

"Because… I can?" She looked at me incredulously. Like I was the one who was in the wrong for even thinking she had a nonviable reason. She slumped into the couch as I wiped my feet off on the doormat. She was walking around barefoot. So at least she didn't damage the floors with her shoes I guess.

I said nothing as I fell face first into my bed. What a day… what a bloody d-

-darkness.