Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, its characters, or its OSTs in any way. Those rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I do own the techniques I add and any OC I may choose to create for the betterment of the story.
A/N: So I got off early today and I decided to put my fingers work for you guys. Initially, this chapter wasn't supposed to exist, but well... I decided to write it last minute because I wanted to give a bit of shine to Reiko, my oc. As much as the others of the Konoha 12 got flashbacks and little arcs of their own, Tenten was never really touched upon, so I'm doing that for now, though it will soon come to an end. As promised, we also get a new threat this chapter. Naruto and Tenten also get to click here and there, of course there will be a bit of arguing.
Chapter 4: Childhoods Come To An End - Part 1
She sat on top of the roof admiring the full moon. It may have been just her, but the moon appeared to be bigger and brighter that night. The stars also shone brightly. It was as if the sky was smiling down at her and Reiko couldn't help but smile back as a light winter breeze caressed her cheeks.
Although it was deep into winter, the weather was surprisingly cool and Reiko did not hesitate to take advantage of it while the kids slept.
The kids.
"First Tenten, Second was Kakashi, then Tenzo, and now, hopefully, Naruto." A smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
Two of her children were in the anbu black ops, with one of them being a captain no less. The other two, she shook her head, they did the unthinkable, killing a bear only a few hours ago.
The smile thinned out before it turned to a slight frown. What Naruto and Tenten did may have sounded like an achievement but Reiko knew that the opposite could've easily happened, and she would have been to blame for the deaths of the two children. She couldn't scold them of course, since they passed out just after Reiko, Kakashi and Tenzo got there, but she was planning on doing so, if she remembered to. As reckless as it was, she was glad that the outcome was a positive one.
Tenzo looked over Naruto's injuries and the boy was totally fine, and if anything, he was even better than before. Which would've been strange, if they did not know about Naruto's secret.
'The nine tails, huh?' She sighed. Even if the fox was evil, she knew that the only reason Naruto was still alive was because of it. The small tapping sound below trust her out of her musings. 'Oh? It's that late already?' She looked up at the moon and smiled once again. 'Kushina, Minato, I will raise him like he was my own son.' "I''m glad to see that you're up."
Naruto opened his eyes just a bit, scanning the room. The room was quiet and the only thing he could hear was his steady breathing. Good.
He crawled out of the bed slowly and he placed his right foot gently on the wooden floor, then his left foot followed. He didn't have to turn on the lights thanks to the full moon that illuminated his room through the window.
He grabbed his sandals and put them on slowly while listening to even the smallest sound that could come from the house, which would mean that someone was awake. There were no sounds so far. Good.
He climbed onto the bed after he put on his sandals and pried the curtain to the side before he pulled the window to the side slowly, careful not to make even a tiny creak. It was a house full of ninja after all. He climbed out of the window slowly, and he closed it once he was outside.
'I did it.' He turned and stated walking towards the gate, being careful of where he was stepping.
"I'm glad to see you're up."
He froze. The soft voice called out from behind him. Behind him like on the roof kind of behind. He turned, slowly, towards the voice, his neck creaking as he went. When he turned fully, he was surpised by how the woman was suddenly in front of him.
'When did she?' He was amazed, scared, but amazed.
"That sure was quite the stunt you pulled there with my daughter today. Are you aware what could've happened if it did not work?" Reiko looked down at the boy, she a rather imposing tower over the blonde.
'Daughter?' Now that Naruto was getting a proper look at the woman, he could see that she looked like an older version of Tenten. Which means that she was probably angry at him for putting Tenten in danger. Fear welled up in him like he was a deer that had just spotted a lion a moment too late.
Reiko knelt down to meet his eyes. A panicked icy blue met a motherly grey. Then it happened, something Naruto did not expect. Something Naruto was convinced would never happen to him. Something he had always wanted. Something he was desperate for.
(OST Plays: Nightfall)
Reiko pulled him close and she engulfed him in a warm hug. "Okaeri, Naruto (Welcome back, Naruto)."
Tears welled up his eyes.
"Get out of here, demon!"
"No one wants you!"
The arms that he held at his sides shook uncontrollably. He didn't know what to do. Luckily for him, his arms had the general idea.
"Why don't you just die!"
"Kill that vermin!"
He lifted them up slowly, allowing them to circle Reiko. Then he slowly started to close the circle. Almost there.
"Get away from us!"
"Who would want to play with a demon!"
He finally touched her. He was careful with his grip at first, as if he was scared that if he squeezed too tight she would shatter into pieces.
His tears fell when he felt the warmth. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before. It was more than he ever dreamt it would be like. And for the first time in history, the voices in his head were quiet, allowing him to enjoy the sensation of being loved.
Reiko could feel the shoulder of her blouse dampen, but she did not care. All she cared about was giving the boy as much warmth as she could. A warmth he desperately needed.
The hug lasted for quite some time before Naruto pulled back, although a tad bit reluctant to let go.
(OST Ends)
No longer under the influence of intense emotions, he looked down, a red hue marring his cheeks as he trailed circles with his right foot, clearly embarrassed by what just happened.
Reiko just smiled. "Want to see something cool?"
Naruto nodded, still staring at the ground. Reiko wrapped her arm around him before she lept and the both landed on the roof.
"Look up."
Naruto looked up into the sky and he couldn't help but smile at the beauty of the night. Funny how he was trying to escape a moment ago. The stars twinkled, igniting the wonder in his eyes.
"Woah!"
Growl.
"AH." His tan cheeks turned a crimson red.
Reiko chuckled at his expense. "Look." She brought a hand in front of him. There was a poof of smoke and when the smoke disappeared, it left behind a steaming cup of instant ramen. "A little bird told me that it's your favourite."
Naruto took the cup rather shyly and nodded. "I-It is, t-thank you tebayo."
A smiling Kushina flashed in Reiko's mind when she heard the verbal tick, making the brunette's smile widen. "You're welcome."
Another poof of smoke and it left Reiko with a cup of her own.
"Of course, it's my favourite too!"
"Really?!" Naruto beamed.
Reiko literaly inhaled her cup before she replied. "Yep!" Another poof and another cup was on her hand. "Let's see who can eat more."
Naruto grinned. "You're so on dattebayo!"
Reiko and Naruto inhaled their ramen with animalistic vigor that fueled a vicious food eating contest between the two. After each of them finished a cup, Reiko would bring out two more cups.
They disregarded manners and gave into their primal instincts. They ate, ate and ate even more. Sloppy slurping and the soft thuds of the ramen cups landing on top of the roof of the Hatake house went on and on, those sleeping below unware of the legendary battle fought that night.
A battle that Reiko won when Naruto finally succumbed to his exhausting after such a huge meal and fell asleep.
Reiko set him back to his bed gently, careful not to agitate his injuries. She ran a hand through his spiky tufts of blonde hair before she planted a soft kiss on Naruto's forehead. "Sleep well, Naruto."
She was walking away when she heard him murmur softly. "Goodnight, Kaa-chan."
Reiko couldn't help the smile that overtook her facial features. She went out of the room with a spring in her step, literally, though she had to be discreet about it. She didn't want to wake up everyone after all.
She pulled the door, leaving it just slightly ajar, which gave her a good view of Naruto sleeping soundly. The corridor was dark but Reiko found no problem with the darkness that lingered around her. The shadows were the life of a shinobi after all. She was giddy as she walked down the corridor, all doors were left ajar which gave her the calming views of her children sleeping. Tenten, Kakashi, then Tenzo, they all slept soundly knowing that whatever had the bad luck of walking through the door, their mother would kill it.
"Hum hum humm hmmm..." She hummed a soft tune to herself.
It was a beautiful winter morning in Konoha, surprisingly. The sun was out and the sky was a luscious azure with no cloud in sight. Not even a cold breeze was there. It was a vibrant morning and it promised a lot of potential for everyone who were experiencing the brightness of the morning.
After she got some groceries from the supermarket, she also got some clothes for Naruto. She couldn't have him wear the same thing over and over.
Although she took more time with her shopping that day than she usually did, even if she did take a detour to buy Naruto's clothes, it was still longer than it needed to be.
Why? You might be wondering.
It was because the moment Reiko got to the shopping district that day she felt a presence that was following her, observing her every move. As to why that would be, she figured that it had everything to do with Naruto.
Despite how she often acted oblivious to it, Reiko was aware how her existence put a lot of authoritative figures in the hidden leaf under pressure, especially with the kinds of kids she surrounded herself with. Namely, Kakashi and Tenzo, though now it seemed they feared Naruto would also be seduced by her kindness.
Not only did she have two of the most powerful bloodlines by her side, one of them being a captain of the anbu and the other not being that far behind, but now the possibility of a jinchuriki as well. It was too great to overlook.
'I was aware of this, so I will not play victim and say that I am being wrongfully accused. Though I had hoped they would be a little subtle.' She continued to walk. 'Or maybe they are being subtle, and I'm just that good.' The path led her outside the shopping district and into a park that was nearby.
She walked a bit more before she took a random corner that led her through a few shrubs before she got to a clearing. "There's no one around, you can come out now." Reiko stopped walking.
It was quiet for a few moments. Then an anbu agent landed a few meters away from Reiko.
"You are as impressive as master said you would be." The gruff voice was unmistakingly that of a man. He had on the standard anbu armor with a sword strapped at his hip and he had on mask with a spider marking at the side of its face.
"So, what do you want? Or have you come to your death?" The bag in Reiko's arms disappared with a puff of smoke. "You do realise that you are at a heavy disadvantage, right? We are in a public area so you can't be flashy with big jutsu lest you want to notify the police force. You really think you can match me with just kenjutsu and taijutsu alone?"
Kumo (Spider) pulled out his sword from its sheathe. "I guess this battle will tell us whether I can or cannot."
(OST Plays: Spiralling Hot Wind)
There was a brief pause, as if the two were sizing each other up before the figures of Kumo and Reiko glitched, before they scratched like CDs, then they were out of sight.
They met at the middle where Kumo sent a diagonal downward slash that Reiko sidestepped. Another slash came and she weaved her body to avoid it. Kumo swung left and Reiko sidestepped yet again.
No matter how fast Kumo made his strikes, Reiko dodged each one with apparent ease. Kumo was about to go for another slash but Reiko's hand wrapped around his wrist prevented him from doing so. He tried punching the woman with his other hand but Reiko nestled the punch into her right hand, absorbing the impact rather easily.
Reiko pulled the anbu agent forward the same time she jumped. Kumo's eyes widened behind his mask when he saw the blue chakra beneath Reiko's sandals, the accumulation was chaotic and laible to explode. Reiko's feet were planted on the anbu's chest before the chakra at her feet exploded and blasted the two apart.
Kumo bounched on the ground three times, like a rock skipping on a lake, before he skidded to a stop.
"Ah-Khah!" The anbu spit blood on the inside of his mask. Gross.
Reiko let her body follow the momentum into a backflip, where she was skidding back the moment she landed on the ground. She bent back all of a sudden and that allowed her to dodge under the slash from another anbu, her body bent like a bridge.
She pulled herself up using her arms which allowed her to kick away the sword as she backflipped. The sword was embed on a tree behind Reiko.
The anbu was not dettered by losing his sword and he pulled out a kunai and charged at Reiko, who was now smirking, clearly enjoying the thrill of combat. The anbu went for a stab but Reiko dodged under it and landed a solid punch on the anbu's armor...
'What the?' The Anbu winced. 'She punched through the armor?'
... before she punched the man in the face.
The anbu would've staggered back but Reiko's left foot, that was planted on the anbu's left foot, prevented the masked man from doing so. Instead, the anbu took a step back with his right, and only free, foot which exposed his left leg.
Reiko was quick to capitalise, utilising her left foot as a pivot to perform an anticlockwise turn that brought her right foot to stomp over the anbu's exposed knee. The knee of the anbu caved inwards rather easily, creating a crater when the broken knee was sandwiched between the floor and Reiko's foot.
Reiko was not done though, this time she utilised her right leg as a pivot to perform the anticlockwise turn which brought her left foot, that was glowing with an alarming amount of chakra, on the anbu's face in the form of a vicious low spin kick that produced a small explosion when it landed.
The attack happened in the time span of only a second. The moment the anbu realised the pain of having his knee caved inwards, the kick had already landed at the right side of of his cheek, shattering his mask.
He tried to scream, God knows he did. He would've succeeded too, if his head was still on his shoulders, but instead, it was rolling on the ground with the anbu's mouth wide open because he had tried to scream, and his eyes bloodshot and wide at the agony Reiko subjected him to.
The head rolled few times before it came to a stop at the middle of the clearing, a trail of blood left as testament to its displacement.
(OST Ends)
'Dammit.' Kumo pulled himself up slowly. He was alive thanks to his body armor absorbing most of the blast. Though he had to unstap that armor vest because it was squeezing him too tight, making it hard for him to breath. "Y-You take your t-time fighting u-us knowing t-that some of us m-might be at t-the Hatake house?" Kumo whizzed out a dry chuckled. "E-Especially since Inu (Kakashi) and Inumaki (Tenzo) are out on a m-mission?"
(OST Plays: Impregnable)
"Huh?! The hell did you just say to me, teme?! You dare threaten no only me, but my children as well?!!" Reiko's smirk was of the arrongant variety, her grey eyes darkening with the pain she promised her attackers. "Why don't you bring only one out of the two that is hidden?! Come on, try and kill me!! I'll leave only one of you alive to clean up the mess!" Her smirk turned villainous when an idea popped into her head. "Or you could run! I would enjoy hunting you bastards down!"
It was quiet for a few moments before another anbu agent jumped into the battlefiled, right next to Kumo. This agent had a snake mark at the side of his mask, he had already unsheathed his Katana, clearly ready for battle.
"What took you so long you snake-masked bastard, huh?!" Reiko snarled as she started bouncing in place the while she swung her arms around. The snarl started to morphing slowly until it was a smirk. "Did you guys have to play rock paper scissors to decide who dies?! Weak, the lot of you! And to think you dare threaten my children!"
The two anbu charged simultaneously and Reiko merely waited for them. The men may have charged at the same time but the speed difference was apparent as Hebi (Snake) reached Reiko first. The anbu slashed horizontally, Reiko weaving herself under the attack in time to see Kumo and the lightning that now cackled on his sword.
"Die!" Kumo stabbed at the exposed Reiko.
"Hn." Reiko's smirk turned devious as she yanked Hebi into the path of the blade.
Kumo's eyes widened in horror behind his mask when the blade went though the body armor and sunk into the stomach of his comrade.
"Ark." Hebi coughed out blood.
Reiko grabbed a kunai from Hebi's thigh with her right hand, spinning as she went. The spin ended with Reiko within the guard of the startled Kumo. She stabbed Kumo at the side before she pulled out the kunai and stuck it under his exposed armpit. The attacks happened so fast that the moment Kumo tried to scream out the pain Reiko was dishing out, he recieved a kunai to the side of the throat courtesy of Reiko who yanked the blade forward, cutting open Kumo's throat as the blade sliced through Hebi's throat the moment it flew out of Kumo. Both Anbu sunk on their knees at the same time, gurgling on their own blood.
"How boring!" Reiko tossed the kunai on the floor. She put her hand in her pockets and stomped away. "I can't believe leaf ninja are so weak nowadays!" She left the two anbu to bleed to death. "And you who is hiding, clean up the mess!!" She left the clearing with those words, and a deep understanding that Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
(OST Ends)
She had to take the long way round before she got the road that led to the outskirts of the village.
'So that was your declaration of war? Come, I am ready for you Shimura Danzo.' She ran down the path. 'Though I'll be honest in that I did not expect him to strike so soon. Regardless, I will have to start training Tenten more seriously, and Naruto has to join in too.' She stopped running when she reached the gates of the house. She opened the gate and walked up the path. 'I have to prepare them as much as I can.' She opened the door and got inside. 'Naruto, Tenten, I'm sorry but your childhoods end today...' There was a poof of smoke and the bags fell on the kitchen counter. '... not that you had any to begin with.'
The light permeated the curtains and washed over his closed eyes causing said eyes to flutter open. His vision was blurry. He brought a hand over his eyes to protect his eyes from the offending morning sunlight while he allowed his eyes to adjust.
His body felt light, and comfortable. He turned and lay on his side, the comfort following him all the way. It was like his body was on a cloud. Although he did not know what it was like to sleep on a cloud, if this wasn't it, then it was close to it.
He finally removed the arm over his eyes, his vision clearer this time. He sat up and looked around the room.
The way the light illuminated every detail of his room made it a delight for his azure oculus to enjoy the morning scenery.
He got out of bed. The moment his feet landed on the floor he looked down. The wooden floor seemed to welcome his feet, almost hugging against them.
His feet felt light, and almost completely non-existent friction made him feel even lighter. He walked for a brief moment then he noticed a chair that had clothes on them. The garments were folded neatly onto the chair with a note written "Wear me."
Now properly clothed, with an orange shirt with a red swirl on it and blue shorts, he crept out of the room only to come across Tenten who was also coming out of her room.
"Huh?" Both children stared at each other.
Tenten yawned before she spoke. "Ohayo, Naruto (Good morning, Naruto)."
"Ohayo (Good morning)." Naruto nodded, unsure how to react.
When the two children made it out of their rooms, their noses were assaulted by an aroma that made their mouths salivate. It would would be pretty easy for anyone too find the kitchen thanks to the rich smell.
When Tenten slid the door open, the flavour of the food seemed to roar in their faces of the two women causing their stomachs to roar in retaliation.
"Wow, you two must be really hungry." Chuckled Reiko. "Sit down, it's almost ready."
Tenten literally jumped on her chair. "Good morning Mom."
"G-good morning." Naruto fiddled with the hem of his t-shirt. "T-Thank y-you for t-the c-clothes."
Tenten was too tired to question why Naruto was so shy all of a sudden, since he was the most loudest person she knew. Granted she did not have any friends. Never did she think that he would use his inside voice.
"Good morning Tenten, Naruto. And you're welcome Naruto." Reiko set the plate of sausages on the table. "But it's not morning, you guys slept until early afternoon."
She went on to make coffee for herself.
Tenten yawned again. "Really? I didn't notice." She started dishing up for herself. "Where are Inu and Inumaki?"
Tenten did not see it, but Reiko caught the subtle flinch that Naruto easily covered up with a slight shiver.
"They are on a mission, they'll be back some time tomorrow."
Tenten kept dishing up the food. "Okay then."
Naruto climbed on the chair next to Tenten. He just glared at his empty plate, unsure of what to do. He considered following Tenten's example, but he did not know what that would mean for him.
"Naruto..." Reiko set her cup of coffee on the table. "... you can have as much as you want."
Naruto nodded and he started dishing up for himself. When he was done he reached out for his chopsticks.
"Heeeeeeeeh? You're going to eat this much?" Tenten's brow had risen.
"Y-Yeah." Naruto nodded shyly. 'Did I put in too much?'
Tenten's chopsticks were as fast as lightning when she dished more food on Naruto's plate.
"You have to eat more if you want to be a strong ninja." She rolled her eyes. "I don't want to be led by a shot Hokage."
"Huh?!" Naruto was outraged. "What did you say to me dettebayo?!" His shyness seemingly gone.
"You heard me, shrimp!" Shouted Tenten.
"Dumplings!"' Naruto shouted back.
"Pikachu!"
"B-" Wait. "Pikachu?" Naruto wondered out loud.
Tenten just shrugged. "I don't know man, it just came to my mind when I saw your yellow head."
"Ooooookay then." Naruto just nodded.
A comfortable silence washed over the table as the two kids turned towards their food and started eating. At first they started eating slowly, then they turned towards eaach other at the same tiime. They turned towards their food again and started eating again. Reiko noticed that their pace was a bit faster this time. They did not look at each other this time but they quickened anyway.
'I would tell them to stop, but I think it would be good for them to learn this lesson on their own.' Reiko took the last sip from her coffee before she set the cup down.
"Seconds please!" They held up their plates at Reiko.
'3.'
Reiko saw a dark look slowly creep up their faces.
'2'
The color of their faces turned a sickly purple the same time their cheeks buldged.
'1.'
Tenten shot out of her seat first, her hands clasped over her mouth, and Naruto was not that far behind.
"Bleeeeeeeeeeh!"
Reiko heard the sound coming from the hallway. 'Ah, the beauty of youth.' She started cleaning up while the kids learned not to rush their food especially when their bodies were under strain not so long ago.
(OST Plays: Wandering)
The anbu knelt before his master. He was the lone survivor of the the assassination attempt on Reiko.
"Nezu (Rat), Report." The voice came from the darkness of the room.
"We tailed Reiko like we were ordered. We managed to corner her but we were in a public area so we could not use ninjutsu. She easily decimated three of our operatives in an impressive show of acrobatic flexibility and superior taijutsu." The anbu reported. Or was it praise?
"And how did you survive?"
The agent was quiet for a few moments before he replied. "I'm ashamed to admit that she let me live."
"I see. Begone." 'Shame? You shouldn't be feeling that. It seems I have to put more effort in the project of removing emotions. Nevertheless, I was not hoping that the assassination would work, I just wanted her to start training the children.' A white mass peeked from the darkness, if one we to look closely, they would see that they were bandages. 'Reiko, I cannot hope to defeat you in the battlefield but I will use your other strengths against you. This is only the beginning.'
(OST Ends)
Man I'm empty again." Naruto whined.
"Me too." Tenten moaned out next to him.
The children sighed at the same time. "Well it was your fault for not taking it easy. I hope you both learnt your lesson."
"Haaaaai!" Both children nodded at the same time.
Reiko placed the last remaining dish on the rack before she wiped her hands. "Good. Well today we go back to the village, so if you're both hungry we'll get something to eat there."
"Fine by me, can we get dango?"
Reiko rolled her eyes at her daughter. "Yes Tenten we can, but for dessert."
"Yes!"
"Okay now, both of you let's go." Reiko ushered the children outside.
When they got out they noticed how late it had already gotten. The sky was no longer a bright yellow that illuminated the blue sky in a harmonic display of energy, instead, it was now a burnt orange that lulled the heart to a calm rhythm and calmed the eyes.
As they walked together, Reiko was in the middle, with Tenten and Naruto at the flanks. Nothing was said, they just walked.
Naruto was comfortable around Reiko and Tenten. Well he was comfortable around Tenten and the feelings of calm he received because of Reiko were a byproduct of her being Tenten's mother. If she wasn't, Naruto wouldn't have considered trusting the older woman.
Voices.
Naruto's ear twitched. They were almost there. To the village. His teeth clenched. Soon enough they were also mixed into the even crowd of the village.
Children were laughing and parents were smiling. They were smiling, like nothing happened. His fists shook at his side. He could've died and these people would have just carried on with their lives like nothing ever happened.
'I hate you all.'
He felt a soft hand wrap around his smaller one. Naruto looked up to see a smiling Reiko.
"We don't want you to get left behind, now do we?"
Naruto smiled when she saw the smile on the woman's face. It wouldv'e lasted too, if a rock did not hit Naruto at the side of the face.
"Naruto!" Reiko pulled him on his feet when he was about to fall. She grabbed him at the side for extra balance as knelt in front of him and Tenten rushed to his side.
Tenten did not moving. She was frozen in place. 'It's happening again.' She could not hide her fear.
Reiko's hand glowed green as she placed it over Naruto's cheek. Naruto hissed at the pain.
"Sorry, I'm not good as Tenzo but please bear with me." Reiko placated with the child.
A crowd was slowly starting to gather, various whispers going around.
"She's healing him?"
"Who is she?"
"Does she really care about the demon?"
Naruto smiled. "Don't worry, I've faced worse."
That reply made Tenten shake in place, remembering what the villagers did to Naruto. While Reiko felt like someone ripped open her chest and punched her heart.
"That should do it." She removed the hand from the side of Naruto's face.
"Thank-" Naruto lifted his face up to look at the older woman for a dose of reassurance, but what he saw on Reiko's face shut him up.
Reiko was smiling. Of couse most people would think that a smile was a good thing, but not always. Reiko's smile was angelic, but the shadow that washed over her face made it look more demonic.
"A moment." Reiko disappeared before everyone.
CRASH!
They were all startled by the sound. When they turned to the direction where the sound came from, they all saw Reiko's hand over the face of a man who was shoved into the wall. Reiko let go of the face and the man remained inside the crater.
Reiko disappeared again and appeared next to naruto and Tenten. "And let it be a lesson to all of you..." She grabbed both children by their hands, glaring daggers at the gathered crowd. "... touch any of my children and I will make you wish you were dead." She walked away, pulling the children along.
The crowd was silent as they watched Reiko walk away. The man in the wall did not get help until they were all sure that Reiko was not going to come back and possibly kill anyone who helped the burly man.
"I think a home-cooked meal would be better right now, what do you guys think?"
"Y-Yeah s-sure." Tenten replied, queitly. She hadn't quiet escaped the grip of her fear.
Naruto did not know what to say. For all he knew, he could've been causing trouble for Reiko and Tenten, and they were just kind enough not to say it. What if they got hated because of him? He didn't want that. He stopped, his hand slipping out of Reiko's gentle grip.
"Naruto?" Reiko turned towards the boy.
Naruto had his face down when he spoke. "I think I should get home now. Thank you, for everything. Goodbye." He turned and ran down a random alley. Tears were running down his face. 'I had to do it.' He just kept running. 'I'm sorry.'
Reiko just turned and started walking, Tenten following along.
"Mom!" Tenten shook her mother.
"I'm sorry Tenten, he made his decision." Reiko continued to pull the girl along.
A memory of Naruto flashed in her mind. It was the first day they met. Despite meeting her in his spot, he nogotiated a fair contest instead of just throwing her out. Even when he won the contest, he never said that Tenten could never use the spot. It looked more like he was just pleased about being able to spend time with a peer than winning a contenst.
"No." Tenten yanked her hand out of her mother's grip. The eight year old turned back. "I haven't made my decision yet." She ran down the street following after Naruto.
Reiko watched, with a smile on her face. 'I better follow just to make sure.'
When Tenten got to the alley she was not suurprised that he was already gone. She did not give up though. The moment she emerged from the alley she scanned the area. There weren't that many people in the district but it was hard for her to see past them.
'Inu said I must only use it on an emergency.' She pulled out a seal from her pocket. 'This is an emergency.' She placed the the seal on the ground. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Summoning Jutsu)!" There was a small plume of smoke and when it dissipated, Pakkun stood in front of Tenten.
"Tenten? Is something wrong?" The pug knew about the seal Kakashi gave to Tenten so it only assumed the worst since it was the first time the seal was used. He noticed that Tenten was alone "Where's Reiko? And Naruto?"
"Mom is fine, I just need you to find Naruto for me. He ran away."
"I know where he might be, follow me." Pakkun started running down the street, Tenten following closely behind.
Reiko watched it all from a rooftop of a building. "Even if you can find him Tenten, can you convince him to come back?"
He sat on a couch. At least, what was left of it. The piece of furniture had clearly seen better days. Those better days being around fifty years ago.
"Are you sure that was wise, kid?" The fox spoke for the very first time that day.
'It's the best I could have done. I don't want them to be hated because of me.'
"Well it looked to me like they were already prepared to share in your fate, but what would I know?" The old kitsune cut off the mental link.
Naruto just hugged his knees tighter to his chest. It was the right thing to do, right? There was no other way, right? He didn't even know them.
Tenten's smiling face flshed in his mind. "I don't want a shot Hokage!" She actually remembered his dream.
So why?
A smiling Reiko flashed in his mind. "You can have as much you want."
Tears ran down his face, soaking the shorts that Reiko bought for him. Why did it hurt so much? Denial much?
Knock, knock, knock.
'Huh?' The sounds startled him out of his depression episode.
Knock, knock, knock.
The sounds came again. Who could it be? As far as Naruto knew, no one wanted to associate with him, his neighbour moving out the moment Naruto got the apartment being proof, so why would there be a knock on his door?
Maybe it was... No, it couldn't be. He sauntered towards the door. Maybe it was. A part of him hoped. He gripped the handle and pulled the door open.
Tenten stood at the door, smiling with her eyes closed. "Yo, Naruto. I came to get you back." She waved nonchalantly.
A/N: It came and it went! And How was it?! And what did you think of my darling Reiko?! Wasn't she amazing?! I know the story is developing slowly but I promise things will pick up soon enough as Naruto and Tenten go to the Academy, which means... Drum Roll... The Uchiha massacre! I won't touch up on the whole thing but I plan to have something special happen. Next Chapter Tenten tries to get Naruto back, but will it work? We all know Naruto is the master of the Talk no Jutsu so good luck Tenten. On that note, Thank you for reading and please review so that I can make the story even better for you. See you lovely people on Monday!