Hi. This is my first attempt at writing a full-fledged fic. I usually write whenever I'm free or when I'm in the right frame of mind. Fellow writers can attest to that. So expect an update after a while. It depends if the story picks up. I mentioned my first attempt because some things will probably not be perfect. My grammar might be a bit sketchy cause English is not my first language. I had a lot of help from a good friend Valkipher here on FF. This chapter is also beta-read by him. The first chapter is inspired a little bit at the start by A Testament of Things That Will Never Happen by Unbiased Abyss. Hopefully, he doesn't mind. I appreciate constructive criticism. So please leave a review. Fingers crossed. Thanks for reading.
EDIT: Hey. I come from the future. That's a poor joke. Anyways, I wanted to mention that the first chapter... looking back at it... it's honestly not that great. It's really poor if compared with the rest of the chapters. Comparing it with the way and how I'm writing now, it's not good. But that's the sort of thing you learn as you grow. I'm progressing as a writer and I'm getting better with each update. At least I think I am. I might do a rewrite one day. Make it better. Hope you stick around.
EDIT; 25/03/2021: Hey. I mentioned in the latest chapter that I'll work on the rewrite next and that's what I have been doing. I tweaked this chapter. Fixed all the grammar mistakes and made it a lot more cleaner. I could've made the length a bit longer but meh. It is what it is. It should read a lot better now. Chapter 2 is next on the rewrite.
Iruka was coughing up blood now... He had been pierced with a couple of kunai and had a Fuma shuriken lodged in his back. Only one thought present in his foggy but conscious mind.
'I need to get Naruto someplace safe. Blood loss is detrimental. At this extent, I won't be able to stay awake for much longer.'
Naruto was shocked. He had just found out about his burden. The tenant that resided within him, a demon fox, a beast. Supposedly a monster inside him.
Inside a mere human such as him… Him.
He now knew why people always hurt him, whether it was physical torment or mental, and why they whispered bad things about him and spat at him everywhere he went. The blonde knew the concept of self-pity and did feel like loathing, but from time to time. It seemed like that infrequent depression was beginning to change. His boisterous attitude and joviality were taking a dark turn all of a sudden and that was when he wasn't even thinking about it. That did not happen to him ever.
Sadly, and regretfully, he had bigger things to worry about at the moment.
"Iruka-sensei!"
Just as Iruka was about to collapse, Naruto caught him and leaned him against the tree. Iruka had pulled the Fuma-shuriken out from his back and was bleeding profusely from there. He was bleeding from various parts as he took a lot of shuriken and Kunai but the pressure gauzes he applied were working to some extent. Thankfully, they didn't hit any major organ but the blood loss was getting to him now. The Fuma-shuriken had hit one of the arteries in the lower back which if left untreated could force him to bleed out. He needed treatment fast. He was beginning to lose consciousness but he was able to speak to the blonde before he did for the worst.
"N-Naruto, there's no way you can beat Mizuki…" He coughed up some blood before he continued, "G-Go and take the scroll to Sandaime-sama and get help. I'll try my best to hold him off. Please... Go…" He pleaded desperately to his blonde student.
Confusion and some amount of panic were visible on the blonde's face but he couldn't let his Sensei down now, could he? He still had to prove it to him.
"Iruka-sensei, there's no way you can fight Mizuki-teme this way. I won't back down. I'll kick his silver-haired ass. Believe it!"
Iruka smiled at the routine courageous attitude of the blonde and he knew he was doing it out of not worrying him. He smiled but with a rather despondent sentiment this time. That was the last thing he did before unconsciousness took over.
The blonde could only oversee as he did so.
"Wha‒...? I-Iruka-sensei!"
"He's not going to be able to save you, you fucking demon!" Mizuki appeared on the tree across from them.
"You-… BASTARD!"
Maniacal laughter was his response, "Lord Orochimaru will reward me. Oh yes… he will. For taking down the demon and getting the scroll both."
He thrust his feet with chakra from the branch he was standing on, with his Kunai in hand, held upwards, pertaining his attempt to thrust and slice the blonde with the blade upon reaching him.
Naruto was caught by surprise and froze all of a sudden. Not being able to move. He very obviously could see that the silvered-haired teme was about to slash him with his Kunai but he just couldn't move. Whether it was fear of death or was it… that he welcomed it?
'Would that be so bad…?'
That self-pity in the back of his mind edging over his rationality at the time. And he was familiar with these dark thoughts before, wasn't he?
The blonde closed his eyes having accepted his fate. Just as he was about to attack them...
"Rasengan!"
Mizuki screamed and was instantly blown away by the spiralling blue ball of chakra. The purest form he ever saw of the substance. He went through two trees before slamming into a third one, snapping it in two before his body came to a halt. His whole stomach was vaporized and even the wounds felt like they were cauterized by the intensity and varying heat capacity of the chakra ball.
'Wind natured, was it?'
Mizuki could only gawk at his executioner before he fell face-first with a see-through hole in his stomach, on the ground… dead.
The executioner stood at about 6'1. Blood red, shoulder-length hair, with a tempestuous feel to it. He was wearing Anbu styled black pants which were ripped at several spots with small cuts visible, with black blood-stained boots. He was wearing a black jacket with orange stripes running shoulder to forearm, with a grey undershirt in which bloody gashes were visible. The Uzumaki spiral stood proudly on his back. The only thing seemingly untainted out of his constrained appearance. He was wearing a carmine red cape with black blazing flames at the bottom. Some specific Kanji at the back of it but obscure due to the cape being in tatters.
Only the Kanji for 7th was decipherable.
His arms were also a bloody mess. A dislocated shoulder but somehow kept together, whether figuratively or literally. He was wearing a black and red fox Anbu mask which was shredded but enough to hide his distinct facial marks. Only his experienced but tired azure eyes shone in the darkness. He came close to Naruto and his eyes softened at the frightened child.
"Are you okay?" He asked in a soft yet subdued tone.
"H-Hai..." the boy replied warily but not as warily as he would like himself to be.
"Good..." The strange man replied.
'Guess it worked, huh…?'
Then fell to his knees and collapsed.
The Hokage was watching the scene and decided to intervene. He arrived as soon as the masked man arrived but froze when he saw the Rasengan being formed.
'Only Jiraya and Kakashi know how to use it...
And the latter being somewhat of an amateur at it.
He decided to wait and let the events play out. He was ready to intervene at a second's notice if something did happen. Something told the Sandaime that this person did not have any bad intentions. He just had a feeling but it did not mean that he trusted him, mind you. He was still on high alert with his Anbu in tow. He was glad when he saw that his intuition was correct in assuming the man had no ill intent towards the blonde. But on the other hand, he did not miss the blonde's sign of resignation when the traitor attacked him, which made his heartache worse than it had in many years.
"Hokage-jiji!"
"Naruto-kun, are you alright?"
He asked the blonde concernedly and signalled his Anbu to get the foreigner medical attention.
"Hai, Jiji! The Oji-san saved me! H-he used this really flashy kind of ball which sent Mizuki-teme flying like whoosh!"
The blonde was exaggerating and making gestures that would make him look like a clown in front of everyone but the Hokage who was used to the blonde just chuckled amusedly. One of the Anbu, specifically a cat-masked one, giggled quietly at the side.
'Still the same cute gaki...' She mused.
The Anbu left to get the foreigner medical attention.
The Hokage turned to the blonde with a serious look on his face, "Naruto-kun, now that I know that you're okay… Why did you take the Scroll of Sealings?"
The Hokage asked with a grim expression. The merry expression the blonde held was changed into a harrowing one now that he was starting to remember things he was desperately trying to forget or wasn't thinking on.
"Mizuki-sensei tricked me and said to get the scroll from your office. He told me that if I got the scroll, that means I'll pass. I-I'm so stupid! I didn't understand the bastard was tricking me…"
Tears were falling from the boy's eyes. The Hokage was worried when he saw through his crystal ball what Mizuki said to him about his secret. That was when he left to take care of the threat himself. The boy was tough, the Hokage always acknowledged that. But when he saw the expression the boy held right now, the pain was quite visible and all of a sudden, the old man felt years of guilt creeping up on his spine. He started contemplating in a very regretful state. Contemplating every decision he made regarding the boy and his past.
'Minato and Kushina would be ashamed of me. The boy is in so much pain right now and it's all my fault. I should have tried harder. I should've fought harder...'
He knew why the boy was in visible pain. It wasn't a thing such as trivial as being tricked by someone. That was a daily occurrence for the poor boy. He just found out the source of his pain, his suffering. The boy had many emotions bottled up inside of him. Most along the line of hatred and scorn for the bastard villagers. Why did they have to hate him for something which he could not control? There were elements of insecurity too. Was he really a demon then? Left for the villagers to direct their hatred on?
The Hokage knelt and put his hand on the boy's head, "Naruto-kun, I'm very sorry I kept this a secret from you... You know what I'm talking about, don't you?"
His response was a slow nod.
"But please…" He paused as he looked into the boy's eyes and saw nothing but gloominess and sadness. It threw him off a little as his guilt and failure as a caretaker came back full force.
He paused before he continued, "Know…that it was for your very own protection. Don't ever think for a second that you are the demon. You are the jailer and he is the prisoner. Your parents wanted you to be treated as a hero but... things did not turn out the way they were supposed to."
'The way I had intended to...'
"There are many things that I cannot say until you're old enough but I'm truly sorry, Naruto-kun. Can you find it in your heart to forgive an old fool like me?"
The Hokage was desperate for forgiveness but even he knew that some things are not easy to forget especially with the amount of abuse the boy has suffered. He may not be conscious of his feelings right now, whether it be because of his age or naivety. But even a blind man could tell that the boy is bound to change someway after learning such truth about himself.
The boy was quiet for a moment until he spoke, "I don't know, Jiji. I need some time to get over it and think about it and become awesome again, y'know?"
The boy smiled but it was clearly forced. The Hokage saw through it and his heart shattered.
"Of course, Naruto-kun. Take as much time as you need. You can visit me when you're ready and then we can talk."
The blonde gave a small nod at that but his face was undecipherable at the moment which worried the Hokage. They remained silent for a moment until Naruto broke it, "What will happen to the Oji-san who saved me? He'll be okay, right?"
"I cannot say anything about that, Naruto-kun..."
Naruto frowned but did not say anything. Both made their way to the hospital. Naruto went to Iruka who was awake now and was awarded a forehead-protector. But did not celebrate. Iruka was concerned for him but Naruto waved him off saying it was nothing.
The Hokage made his way over to the medical facility where the supposed stranger was being treated after the occurrence. A couple of Kunoichi and Iryo-nin were giggling outside the room. Upon seeing the Hokage, they immediately straightened.
The Hokage sighed and went inside. The man was lying on the bed with half his body covered by the bedspread and the other half visible with some noticeable scars and bandages. But there was a person who was tracing her hand on the man's arm... That person was none other than Neko, the cat-masked Anbu.
The Hokage cleared his throat. Upon seeing the Hokage, she jumped and straightened.
"Ho-Hokage s-sama!"
She was blushing madly and sweating profusely, under her mask of course. The Hokage sweatdropped, 'Why is it always the young ones who get lucky?'
"Get the medic, Neko-san."
The Anbu bowed and left, embarrassed at being caught at such an obscene act. A few moments later, the medic arrived.
"Hokage-sama." He bowed.
"What's the condition of our friend here?"
The medic sighed, "Not great, Hokage-sama. To be honest, it's kind of amazing he's alive…" The medic pushed the rims of his glasses, "He has a punctured lung, nerve damage in one arm. Multiple concussions, a cracked shoulder and two cracked ribs."
He took a rather large breath before he sighed with some amount of disbelief, "A ruptured spine disk at that. His whole body has multiple gashes... But his healing prowess is amazing. His chakra reserves are out of this world. He's drained right now; his condition speaks for itself. But he's probably higher than you in terms of chakra, Hokage-sama."
That seemed to gain the attention of the Sandaime.
"That fact shouldn't be known to us but due to the extent of his exhaustion, the chakra-obstructing seals he had in place are not functioning right now as his depleted reserves are visible. Credit should be given to the sealmaker though. Fail-safes were in place but they were formidably doable for us. Concluding, his wounds are almost covered along with the scars he already has. By the rate he's going at, he should be okay by morning which is not normal, as you know."
The Hokage was very curious now.
'He looks like he fought a whole battalion by himself. Plus, that red hair. Only one person in the whole village had that hair. And she was an Uzumaki. Those chakra reserves and that healing prowess although at a much substantial rate. Chakra-obstructing seals? Haven't seen those for a while now. The vitality. He's an Uzumaki, that much is confirmed. But his face... it reminds me so much of Minato. But also, of… K-Kushina?'
He had a gut feeling what could be the case even if it seemed like something someone completely demented would say.
The Hokage turned to his medic, "perform a DNA test and compare it with the village database. It's for my eyes only. No one else. Not even you are allowed to see the results. Go do it. Now."
The medic bowed and left. He pulsed his chakra and an Anbu arrived in front of him from his concealed designation in the room, "Your orders, Hokage-sama?"
"Get Yamanaka Inoichi right now. I won't take no for answer. Tell him it's an emergency."
The Anbu shunshined out of the room to carry his orders. As soon as the Anbu left, the foreigner started stirring up and opened his azure eyes to lock eyes with the Hokage. He smiled and said,
"It's been a while, Old Man..."
The Hokage was both shocked and amused. Shocked because the colour of those eyes was profoundly familiar. And amused at being called with such a brusque appellation. Only two people in the whole village called him that.
"Do you know who I am?" He asked neutrally.
"Hai. The Sandaime Hokage. Sarutobi Hiruzen also known as the Kami no Shinobi. Student of the Nidaime Hokage. Led Konoha through the Second and Third Shinobi Wars."
He stated rather calmly for someone who was a foreigner in a Shinobi village.
"Hmm… While I'm flattered that you've heard of me… mind telling me who you are? And what business do you have with Konoha?"
"No need to get hostile against me...Old Man."
He waved his hands above his head feigning innocence.
"You do know that I'm the Hokage, right?"
He smiled rather mischievously.
"I do, yes."
The Hokage raised an eyebrow as he thought yet he still called him Old Man. Either he was completely stupid or he was just insanely bold.
"I'll tell you everything about myself and why I'm here. But before I do that, I want you to place a silencing seal over the room and take a seat because you're going to need it after I'm done with what I have to say."
'There goes that feeling of trust again...'
The Hokage complied and sat on the chair next to the bed. He applied the seal to the wall next to him which allowed a series of Fuin characters to send from his hand to various parts of the room and glow briefly deeming the room to be secure.
"Okay, you have my utmost attention."
The foreigner took a deep breath and said, "When you see my face. Who does it remind you of?"
The Hokage remained silent. The foreigner allowed a small smile to show on his face.
"I'm sure you're familiar with Space-Time Ninjutsu. Your sensei, the Second Hokage Senju Tobirama invented a technique called the Hiraishin which the Fourth Hokage perfected and made as his signature jutsu. Let's just say there's a variant of said Space-Time Ninjutsu which I made in collaboration with a certain someone..."
The Hokage was now processing everything that the foreigner told him. His sensei was always talking about the capabilities of his Hiraishin and how it could be taken to the next level. Such that time-travel could be made possible if made with a certain Fuin signature of the user in which the arrays were made cross-dimensional. That the user could travel to the tag irrespective of the past or future. The tags made in a way that they could be rendered into the surface so they don't decay over time. That much Tobirama knew. But he could never go beyond that. His student Koharu always called him gaga for that. And besides, there were other variables to consider. Both spiritual and mundane ones. One does not travel to one world from another without paying a price after all. As for the jutsu itself…
'He never lived long enough to finish it. Minato never worked on this aspect of the jutsu. He certainly had the potential for it.'
The Hokage had a passive look on his face. He sighed and took a drag of his pipe, "This is… quite difficult to comprehend. Say I was to believe you, what business do you have in Konoha? And I mean our Konoha..."
The foreigner chuckled, "Figured it out, huh? Let's just say... a lifetime worth of wrongs needed to be rectified..."
He paused and then said, "I have a lot to tell you, Jiji... But before I do, let's wait for the tests you had done on me. I need at least one ratification so I don't sound like a complete lunatic, don't y'think?"
The Hokage merely rolled his eyes at that. "Of course you'd know... Fair enough."
He got up from the chair he was sitting in and went towards the window with his arms crossed behind his back. He took another drag of his trusty old weary pipe.
'That vocal tic. The Rasengan. Uzumaki vitality. Azure eyes. The only differences are the slightly altered whisker marks and the hair. Either he's a proficient masquerader or I'm bound to be in for a long fucking night...'
Kurenai was standing on the rooftop taking some much-needed fresh air. She had been stuck in that room for so long that hyperventilation and claustrophobia were impending upon her like a dark cloud. It had been a couple of days since she had been admitted to Konoha General due to some much-needed respite ever since that mission occurred. It did a number on her. She needed to remain in the hospital for a few days even though it was against her will but it was standard protocol for a Shinobi.
'At least they let me change into something comfortable… I felt like someone was watching my ass all the time with that stupid hospital gown.'
Which was all speculation of course.
Many did indeed hit on her but she turned them all down rather rudely which earned her her repute. She didn't mean it that way and she wasn't a prude by any means. It was just that she hadn't one anyone she was interested in. Well, she did once but he was gone now and wasn't planning to come back any time soon.
Her outfit at the moment comprised of a loose-fitting black shirt which did little to no effort in hiding her impressive assets. Dark-blue shorts showing her slender and slim legs which hugged her tightly at her rear. A bit more than she would like but she had Anko deliver her clothes in the hospital and was deeply regretting doing that. But at the moment, she did indeed was looking every bit of the bombshell she was. She wasn't trying to show off. Well, not intentionally.
She was staring demurely from the ceiling of Konoha Hospital. Looking at nothing in particular and just… thinking. She heard a voice called out to her.
"Bad day, huh?"
Kurenai sighed, 'Great, just what I needed… another cheap flirt. As if today wasn't fucked enough already...'
"Yes, it is."
She said without turning back or looking at the person. Hopefully, that was a good enough signal to get lost.
"I…"
She was already pent up enough as it was.
"Listen…I'm really not in the mood to handle any bullshit today. Just fuck off please…" She practically waved the man off without even looking at him.
The man chuckled, "Ouch. That bad, huh? Well, I guess I'll leave you to it. I just wanted some fresh air. Sorry for bothering you."
The man sounded generally sincere. Now Kurenai felt really bad that she snapped at him like a Karen but she couldn't help it. The circumstances that led to her despondent and melancholic mood made her want to kill herself, as hypothetical as it gets. And besides, she was used to so many men hitting on her aside from those who knew her and her colleagues, that she wasn't really accustomed to someone actually wanting to talk to her and get to know her without actually throwing themselves at her.
"Wait!"
She exclaimed at the person who was trying to be cordial towards her.
"Look, I'm really sorry for snapping at you like that... I just had a really bad day... and..."
She trailed off once the man turned around and she finally turned around to look at the man she was addressing. She hadn't seen him since she had her back turned away from him.
She blushed rather unexpectedly which was a rare sight for those who knew her.
Naruto was wearing a white undershirt which did little to hide his well-built physique along with bandages wrapped on various parts of his arms. His healing prowess had been a little slow since Kurama hadn't woken up yet.
He was wearing grey trousers with slippers at the bottom. As casual as it gets. He held a crutch in his right hand for support. His red hair was tied in a ponytail with a few strands escaping from the front. His azure eyes shone bright and warm from the angle he was standing in but with a tenor of mischievousness in them. His whisker marks although not as distinctive as Chibi-Naruto's; they were more rugged and masculine making him all the more appealing for poor old Kurenai.
His lips tilted upwards slightly upon seeing the effect he had on her.
"Like what you see?"
Kurenai blinked and then jumped slightly blushing full red which would have made a certain Hyuuga proud.
"What?!"
She stated as if he were incredulous.
"N-no… No! W-well I mean... I-I was just l-looking at your bandages... t-they're...quite f-fascinating..."
She cursed herself for acting like a schoolgirl all of a sudden.
"My bandages, huh? I didn't know they were considered such an oddity here in Konoha..." He mused. And to her continual embarrassment, the man laughed.
"Quite full of yourself, aren't you?"
He wiped stray tears from his eyes and immediately stopped upon seeing her glare but still let out an occasional snicker.
"I'm so sorry! It's just that I haven't felt this unperturbed in so long that I forgot how to laugh. I needed some type of consolation, mind you. And I apologise begrudgingly that an alluring woman such as yourself were the test subject..."
She blushed again, although on a lighter note.
"Flattering me won't get you anywhere, Shinobi-san."
He smiled not at all surprised that she knew he was a shinobi. Although the wounds should have been a dead giveaway.
"You're right… Well, let's start over."
His smile was making her feel warmth she hadn't felt before. Not in an intimate sentiment but rather in an earnest tone. His chakra was also calm and soothing but at the same time quite peculiar, she noticed. It was like she could sense the weird nature of it but at the same time nothing at all. Ambiguous was the word she would use. She was a sensor after all. But the Uzumaki in front of wasn't one with ordinary abilities. After all, being a master of the Sage arts has its perks.
"My name is Uzumaki Ashina. Pleased to meet you."
'An Uzumaki? That would explain the red hair... Probably the first to step into Konoha next to Uzumaki-kun after Kushina-san...' She inferred.
"My name is Yuuhi Kurenai. Pleased to meet you too, Ashina-san."
He nodded with a kind smile. He walked or rather limped his way towards her which made her lean forward to help him but he raised a hand signalling that it was fine.
He cursed, 'Wake up, you big ball of pubes…'
He leaned on the balcony next to her, "Are you a Sensei?"
She raised an eyebrow, "Hmm, soon to be one… What gave me away?"
"I don't know… You just have that sense of professionalism around you… Even though how particularly rude you were to me just now…"
He said the last bit whilst rolling his eyes at her deliberately which made her squint her eyes and smile with embarrassment.
"Sorry about that…" She said whilst clenching her teeth nervously keeping her smile before she continued apologetically, "I just… I have a lot on my mind right now."
The redhead nodded understandingly.
She continued, "I'm going to be taking on a team this year for the first time…"
"Any particular reason for that?"
"I don't know… There is one reason but I don't know you well enough to tell you about that." She shrugged with a teasing smile before she continued after a moment of thought, "I think it's because I wanted more experience… You've probably heard of Kakashi and Gai, right?"
He nodded, "I have, yes…"
"Well, they're the most experienced out of our batch fresh out of the academy… And they have a reputation that exists throughout the whole Five Nations. People fear them, some oppositions I even dare say respect them. I guess…" She paused before she continued, "I guess I want that for myself. Not in a selfish or personal way but I want a Kunoichi to mean something along the lines of that as well…"
The Uzumaki nodded along before he said, "You know… It's not like Kunoichi are in any way considered any less powerful. One of our own Kunoichi is an exemplification of that..."
She smiled already knowing who he was going to say, "Tsunade-sama?"
"Yes."
"Technically true. But she was one of the Legendary Sannin. There isn't even one of us who's come close to her so… There's a huge margin… Between Tsunade-sama and us. But there has to be some sort of consolation between there, shouldn't it?"
"I agree." He said before he added, "So train."
She raised an eyebrow at that and made eye contact with his cerulean eyes.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean is train… Train until your feet bleed. Train until blisters become a natural thing for your knuckles. Train until you don't feel pain anymore."
She smiled, "Sounds like something Gai would say."
He chuckled, "The Handsome Green Beast of Konoha? I'm a huge fan…"
She had a deadpan expression after hearing that.
"No…"
She couldn't believe it.
"Kami… Fuck… my… life… The one time I find a guy who is cute, interesting and isn't a complete pervert… And he turns out to be a fan of Gai… Fucking Gai!"
"So you do think I'm cute..."
She said that out loud. She covered her mouth with her hands looked up and found him staring at her with his arms crossed and with a diabolically sinful smile.
She blushed heavily which made the redhead chuckle. It just wasn't her day.
There was silence for a while before the redhead broke it by saying, "So it seemed like something was bothering you... Bad mission?"
She coughed awkwardly into her hand. Still recovering from the awkward dilemma she made, "I guess you could call it that..."
Ashina had an idea. After all, it wasn't uncommon.
"May I ask what happened?"
She sighed, almost as if she was perpetually tired.
"It's just been a little more than a few months since I've been promoted to Jōnin rank... The mission…"
'My first A-ranked which turned into an S-ranked…'
She fought back tears, not wanting to embarrass herself in front of someone she didn't even know.
"The mission was supposed to be a breeze... A simple client from Kisaragi Village needed transportation. We weren't equipped to be taking on a group of bandits who were specialized with Kekkei Genkai… It was just me and a couple of Chunin. They had just passed the exam this year…" She said with a cruel smile.
"How are you supposed to deal with people who you've spent days with...laughing…joking… How are you supposed to forget them just like that? Like they didn't even matter. I've been on missions before... I've lost comrades before... But I don't know... each time… it just feels wrong... every fucking time. But I guess that's what we're taught, isn't it? That such is the life of a Ninja. But I can't help but feel that that's complete and utter horseshit. They weren't even buried properly, for Fuck's sake… Their heads severed... bodies going cold… blood everywhere you look… one second she's talking to me, the next she's..."
She trailed off once she remembered she was talking to a complete stranger. "I-I'm sorry, I'm just rambling on here..." She said sheepishly.
Most people would have just been pissed off most likely going away seeing that they weren't going to get her attention but she noticed that he was listening to her every word and was nodding now and then. She inwardly smiled momentarily forgetting her despondent attitude, 'A nice change. And it doesn't hurt that he's cute as hell...'
Ashina smiled, "It's okay, Kurenai-san. It always happens the first few times. I can't say that you'll begin to feel any different as time goes on, I'm sorry. But..."
He paused and then said, "Let me give you a piece of advice, Kurenai. You'll learn to live with it and you'll learn to bear with it. This probably hasn't been the first time this has happened to you and it probably won't be the last… But you'll learn to cope with it as time goes on... If you can't, you're just not cut out to be Jonin material and not enough to be granted the honour of serving your village and your Hokage. It does get easy but you don't forget... You never do." He spoke in sad memory of a certain someone.
"As Shinobi, we always and must endure." He concluded with a citation of his lethargic sensei.
Kurenai nodded to each and every word. He spoke with charisma that showed that the man was experienced as a leader. He had a sombre expression on his face that made Kurenai wonder. It made her wonder just who the man was.
Ashina just grinned sheepishly with his hand behind his head, "I'm sorry for being so blunt. But it's just reality, Kurenai-san. But honestly, I wouldn't have expected a different reaction. I don't know what exactly happened, and what you and your team went through but I can tell that you cared about them. In the end, a shinobi is still human…"
He continued, "But from the discipline you have on your sentiments, considering what happened... It shows that you can make it. That you have what it takes to... survive. I hope we work together in the future. Hopefully, as comrades."
She agreed with his each and every word and nodded, pertaining she hadn't minded.
"Are you applying for citizenship, Ashina-san?" She asked neutrally but hopeful inwardly.
Wait, why was she hopeful?
He smiled. "I am. Hokage-sama just offered me this morning. And it doesn't hurt that I have family here as well."
She smiled upon hearing of the word family. She knew who that meant of course. After all, Uzuki Yuugao, her friend and practically sister made sure of that.
"Uzumaki-kun is a very cute boy. A friend of mine is quite fond of him... That boy really has a heart made of gold. Oh, and his adorable whisker marks..." She stated with a fond tone before frowning a little, "You know of his circumstances, Ashina-san?"
Anger flashed through his azure eyes for a second. Kurenai could have sworn she saw crimson but quickly shook it off as a concoction of her own imagination.
His childhood, whether or not he got his consolation in the end, it was still a touchy subject for him.
"Yes... I know. Hokage-sama was very reluctant about it... but I know of Naruto-kun's circumstances. He will be under my protection of the Uzumaki clan from now on. Well, not officially a clan yet but it will be in a few hours..." He said with a sober and earnest tone.
"Good, I'm glad." She said with a smile before shifting nervously a bit.
"I would like to meet your friend though... To thank her for caring... After hearing about Naruto-kun's circumstances, I'm sure you can understand..." He said with a sad smile.
"Of course. I-I'll talk to her." She replied sounding a little nervous.
"Is everything alright, Kurenai-san?" He asked a little worried but the corner of his lips tilted upwards slightly upon seeing her blush a little.
"D-do you want to maybe have a cup of tea later? After you leave the hospital, obviously..." she asked nervously not making any eye contact at all. How were these things done anyway?
"You mean like a date?" He grinned.
Now Kurenai was getting pissed off... She smirked inwardly as she thought of a way to get back at him.
'That's how you wanna play, huh?'
She leaned forward pressing her breasts together a little bit. Showing off her assets and making prime use of them.
"And what if it was, Ashina-kun?" She purred.
Now it was Ashina's turn to be caught off guard. "Oh. U-um, I-I... uh..."
'Mate with her.'
'Wha- K-Kurama?!'
He cleared his throat, "I-I would be honoured to take you, Kurenai…chan..."
Kurenai smirked but not without a healthy blush of her own.
"Good."
Ashina 0. Kurenai 1.
"You can pick me up from my apartment two days from now. Sayōnara, Ashina-kun..."
She then left leaving him behind, slack-jawed.
Ashina was still standing at the same place he was since with a dumbfounded look on his face but shook it off soon after with a small chuckle.
She looked back towards him, "Just for the record though… You're not an actual fan of Gai, are you?"
He shrugged it off in front of her with a teasing smile which led her to smile too before she left.
'Damn. She's just as beautiful as I remember her. Asuma-sensei was one lucky asshole...'
"I'd say..."
"You've finally decided to grace me with your presence? Damn furball."
"Fuck you, Kit. You try to go through chakra exhaustion when your container is about to pull something as stupid as using the Level 3 Hiraishin without warning or consulting me first..."
But before Ashina could retort with a piece of his mind... Kurama held up his paw, "Yeah yeah... I know you did not have a choice. We will discuss this later. For now..."
Kurama smirked.
Ashina groaned. 'Oh, God...'
"Seems like you have been having fun..."
The despondent Uzumaki while not relatively happy before, his mood changed and suddenly took a dark turn, which the fox could read all too well.
'Yeah, well. Too bad.'
The fox sighed. He knew this was going to be difficult.
"Kit... Listen to me. You know as much as I do that the shy Hyuuga would have wanted you to move on. It has been far too long since...And…"
The fox trailed off knowing how many painful memories he was digging up by mentioning her.
He paused a little before he added,"It is unpleasant seeing you like this."
Ashina smiled at that, "Is that sympathy I detect?"
'Hush…'
The fox knew he was kidding but he expected a serious response so the redhead answered with a forlorn smile which was so unlike his former child self.
'I know, Kurama. But I just feel guilt. She was everything. My light, my hope. Do you think I could ever feel the same way about someone else again?'
The fox responded after a while, "I cannot say anything about that, Kit... You know better than that. But take comfort in the fact that your Chibi Ningen will do everything right for her what you could not. You now know what Kushina had in mind. And you know our plan with Hiashi. You have to move on..."
Ashina sighed. 'Maybe...'
"Just give it a chance."
'Fine.'
He then smirked after the fox closed off his eyes indicting sleep once more.
'Y'know, you give really good relationship advice. And this isn't the first time. Whether if it was war everywhere... Did the big scary fox have a vixen to twinkle his fur to?'
He laughed when the fox just flipped him off and went back to ignoring him. Just as he was about to exit the mindscape,
"For the record, it is good to see you're okay, Kit..."
Ashina gave an appreciative smile and exited the mindscape.
"Same, furball..."
Adult Naruto's name is also credited to Valkipher. Thanks again for reading.