Hey, this is yer boy Night-whatever. How ya feeling today? It's been a while and that's because my computer is broken, yet I now have my phone to write. Also this is something pretty old, so so not expect too much of my gramma and else.
I'm feeling pretty sleepy, so let's do a chill FAQ time:
Plot? Naruto has some serious psychological problems related to trust.
Rhythm? Enough for a quick lecture. I don't want to bite more than I can take, so I'm gonna chill and that.
Length? Again, for a quick lecture.
Harem? Nope.
Ship? Dunno my man, for now, just chilling here.
Rate? For now, just a cute T, because there's no lovey-dovey stuff or guts everywhere... again, for now.
Do you love me? Only partly; I only love my bed and my momma. I'm sorry.
As always, I'm not a natural English talker.
DISCLAIMER: I only own my bedsheets; I lost the bed on a stupid bet.
Prologue: First answer.
"Why cryin' out yer technique all loud?" The question filled the silence of the forest as all Mizuki could do was trying to not look as pity as he did. How was it even possible? All the time spent making every single interaction with any other classmate the worst it could be; using all his might to maintain him close enough to the thought of trying to left the village but pressing the right buttons to made him reconsider it until he needed it; fuck, he even took special attention to make the foxy brat be a lot belated from his classmates' skill, so why?
Why was that useless piece of shit standing up to him looking on his eyes with that disgusting blue? He took care of Iruka and, yes, failed, but even with that, how did this monster had got enough strength to stand against his words? All those things he said mean that little to the boy standing in front of him?
"Why?" The yellow of the scene repeated while crouching besides him.
Annoyed but still trying to save some of his pride in his chest, Mizuki raised the look meet his eyes. "Because I wanted you..." He said with the attempt of not choking with his own blood succeeding. "... to hear what I used to kill you."
His gaze didn't even flinch. "I see." He whispered before getting up.
The grey man was expecting the monster to do a lot of things while walking away, to throw a kunai straight to his throat or shuriken, to laugh with superiority, to just look at him with those two eyes that reminded so much about home; everything but saying... "Thank' ya." There was no emotion on his words. "You are the firs' person willin' to tell me a true..." He said without stopping his steps. "Even twice this nigh'." Then, he stopped. "But don' get me wron', still hate ya."
Silence but for the steps on the grass. Silence but for the crazy laugh his old throat let out. Silence but the sound of a kid becoming a man...
Different. There was no other word that could define how the sight of the yellow prankster was in comparison to what Hiruzen saw just few days ago. Expecting the kid looking sorry for what he did would be the normal; even more considering that his grandson was himself, however, the... ninja looking at him was lacking of everything that made a person look like it. There was sorrow, but something was odd... "Are you okay, Naruto?" He said letting the hokage aside and squeezing the part of a father he still had
"Yes." A lie.
His heart ached. Seeing his kid being all so cold but also so warm to him was something so contradictory that it hurt even more than the old slices of damn edges at his body on those damped nights. "You sure?" The question made its way through his chapped lips with no kind of permission or deny.
Silent.
Sarutobi Hiruzen, The Hokage, felt pressure. Talking to someone strong was one thing, but facing someone you care so much about was... Was just too much.
"Why do people look me different?"
Oh god... This question again. He lost count of how many times he let himself avoid it like nothing since he was almost a baby, how he changed the topic with the skill only an experienced ninja could, told him silly things to keep him away of that sea of pain, used ramen to just get some time; everything to made him just not confront that conversation now. Right now... "People..." Even now. "... suffered when the attack of the kyubi occurred; when wars occurred; when people left..." Being so strong. "... and seeing the leftovers of that horrible..." Being this old. "... horrible, events, made them..." Being this wise (?). "... feel afraid of how that detritus could reach them." He evaded it. "People is naïve..." The Professor said trying to be as delicate as possible. "Don't blame them."
What a coward.
His whole body hurt. He was never as strong as his... Could he still call that man even his village mate? Iruka felt a tear run down his cheek. Did all the time they spent together mean so little to him? All those problems they ran into... That one time when the bread he had, got shared between two stomachs just because his father wasn't in the mood. When he cried with the freezing of his place but at least with his friend at his side... Was anything of that real? Then why had he joined him to work on the academy? Iruka knew he could have taken the chance to be a simple sentinel and earn more money, but he chose to be at his side... Was that a lie?
At the very least, the environment didn't made fun of him. The lights of the hospital were always something of a shiny white, yet, they brought him to rest in a room with a soft yellow that let him just enough vision to see but not to feel that his eyes were going enough dry to start to tear... Not that he needed that.
[Door creaking]
The sound of the door opening was all it took for him to brush off the salty drops of his face. He wasn't in the mood to let anyone of his village mates see him in this sorry state... Well, not that he had an option, but, at least, he didn't want them to see him tearing. "Y-Yes?" Iruka dropped trying to swallow the lump in his throat.
He was expecting a ninja mate, nurse or a doctor, but... it was shiny head himself! He looked at the boy in awe before concern hit him. "Naruto!" Iruka yelled attempting and failing to get up. "A-Are yo-you okay!?" He said trying to not let the pain of his pierced back be shown.
"I'm 'kay." He let out while shutting the door close. "How're ya?" Then he noted the grocery bag in his hand that he wordlessly let on the bedside table. He then took the white chair and sat beside him.
He was not 'kay; he was silent. "You sure?" Iruka asked in a worried tone.
The blonde, who took out a shiny kunai to peal the apple he brought in the bag, just shrugged. "Feelin' good."
He was not feeling good; he knew those eyes. Being honest, he was the least person everyone could think of to feel empathy for the boy, yet, the more accurate to. If was not for Lord Hokage, he would not had ever feel this way, nevertheless, he was happy he is feeling this actual way. "Have one for me or just for you?" He said trying to tease the boy.
"It's yers." The blue-eyed boy said while handing him the peeled apple. "Don't hav' any other anyway'."
Feeling the hunger taking over him, the scar-face ninja grabbed the apple and took a huge bite. Seconds were what it took him to finish the delicious fruit. Letting a satisfied sigh, Iruka looked again to the boy. "Thanks." He smiled. "But why the grocery bag?"
"For the fake feelin' of havin' mor' than one apple."
Iruka laughed and so did the yellow boy. "Yeah, nice touch and all..." He said when an idea popped inside his mind. "But there's a problem."
Most people wouldn't recognize the slight show of pain in that blue sea, but he was a ninja, but mostly, he had been where the boy was now. "Problem?" The whiskered boy tilted his head trying to fake his true feelings.
"Yep..." The pineapple-hair ninja said with a little jiggle. "You gave me this, so I owe you."
An innocent blink was all the answer he got before some words got out from his mouth. "But ya saved me!"
"As you did!" Another laugh came out from his chest making some pain wake up. "Ouch..." He complained while taking his bandana from his forehead. "What you going to do now?" Seeing that because both his sudden change of topic and question the kid was struggling to think, Iruka decide to give more information. "You failed the formal exam." He said with a sardonic smile.
Instead of doing what the normal prankster boy would -yelling or objecting-, he looked totally overcame. "Don' know." Then he looked through the window. "Maybe runnin' away from Konoha..." He said with bizarre peace.
Time stopped and silence took place. His scar began to ache. "Running away?" He said more as a reflex of the memory his mind embraced. That was not a good idea. "Pretty sure you can't handle that..." Iruka said with a laugh yet with the seriousness it needed.
His gaze never left the window. "Yep, can't..." Those two words were left out with the first sign of pure sadness the boy ever showed to him... and, yet, he sounded so relaxed.
"At least right now." He added.
With no clue of what was his teacher saying, the boy of orange suit just looked at him for answers.
Bandana now in hand, he smiled. "It's old fashion and has a lot of scratches, but it really accompanied me since..." The smile turned sad. "Since the beginning." He used his calloused thumb to brush off some dust from the sign on it. "It's my most precious possession..." He turned to see the boy looking at him still having no idea what or why he was saying that. "And it's time for this to left me..." He extended the bandana to his student.
"When you feel it's time to leave, just scratch that sign and make a legend of yourself." The smile his... teacher gave him made his dried tear ducts get filled again. "Be sure to make a good one!" The scar-faced man said with a little laugh. "I wanna be known as the sensei who taught a legend to be a great man! Not a bratty asshole that-!" He didn't finish because of the strong hug hitting him.
"So... this is how it feels like." His mind embraced the feeling warming his whole heart. "To be... understood." Naruto, for the third time, got someone telling the true... yet, this time, it was someone precious to him who did so.
"Nyeh nyeh, you going too fast Night-dude!"
Yes, yes I am.
If this thing has more mistakes than usual, I blame anyone but me cuz avoiding responsibilities is what men do!
Questions ya may have:
What's up with the few times directly naming naruto? Feel like it.
Is Mizuki dead? Yas.
Do you hate Hiruzen? Yas, who doesn't?
Do you love Iruka? In a no-homo way, yas.
Is Naruto, at some point, going to leave The Leaf? Just the time will tell.
Is this Hiruzen as stupid as the original? As ya can see, yas, he is.
Seeya my people next week or something.
Have a nice night.