There was nothing to be done whence it began, in fact for all of knowledge which he possessed, in seeing he knew, in comprehension he did not. It took precious moments of floundering inside his head, pinched brows and choice words unto his own subconscious which echoed only confusion as he glanced about himself. A speckle of awareness, merely whispering that a shift had occurred; because though he trusted his instincts, he could see nor sense anything obscured from normalcy. He was walking casual towards the bridge, there was a range of scents from open restaurants, a casual bustle about the shops, chattering around- common. Yet still, his irises flickered back and forth with the twinge of instinct aroused in his brain, for there was something different, though none that was obvious to his gaze. He shook his head in an attempt to dissuade the tickle that so quietly spoke to him. It did not a thing to clear his mind, but he still reached the familiar red bridge and in sighting soft pink hair and a hidden face behind a green book he grinned; for the sensation eased ever-so-slightly. He jogged the short distance over and almost shouted his greeting for the small weight -though some remained- that had left his thoughts.
Slowly Kakashi clipped his book into his back pouch, hands going into his pockets as he began walking outwards towards the nearby border gate. Naruto knew that meant they had a mission ahead and cast another smile towards Sakura as she began to gain her quandary based expression, as she always did when she knew nothing of their next mission. Naruto opened his mouth to ask himself, but as he did so the gate in front of them abruptly blurred, just for a moment- not even a second under shinobi standard, it still did however. The best way the blond could describe it outside of mental understanding was that it simply vanished a blank space, where it had been and the vision of the trees surrounding was normal. All the reaction the brief breakdown got from the Uzumaki was a blink and a vague shrug unto himself; thoughts not considering it of importance. They were greeted by the guards that day, rather lax at their posts surveying those usual marketers or visitors that wandered into Konoha, they had no true worry for defense. Still, Naruto felt his stomach churn at the calmed atmosphere they possessed around them, shinobi training flickering forwards and speaking that they should not be so lacluster in the face of possibility; he said nothing though and smiled at the men as they walked on. One of them cast a minor glare his way, and in experience, he ignored it.
On route their teacher finally revealed that they were simply heading towards a small town to the north, considerably- but not extensively, far off from the village. It was considered a B-rank mission because they were to escort several veteran shinobi out of the area. According to reports by higher-standing ANBU there was an increase in violence near Iwa's borders, and being as there was a high likelihood that many of those veterans had fought in the Second Shinobi War, retaliation was completely plausible. Regardless of their standing truce with the Land of Stone, an act of precaution in such instance was only proper procedure. There weren't many out that way, for the simple fact that the town itself was considerably close to the borders; the town had been the station of a weapon's depot during the Second Great Shinobi War and most had been guards there even after the war had been won. Thus they had simply stayed instead of retreating further into the Land of Fire, during that time however the border had been far more monitored due to the strain of war so retailiation had been unlikely. Now however, those men and women were no longer young and within the face of a violent conflict they would not be able to properly defend themselves or others, especially if someone from Iwa recognized them as a killer of a family member- or something to that effect.
When they arrived, it was to the sight of a spiked wooden border surrounding a small town -hamlet, very obviously showcasing its previous status as there were two lookout towers one to the north and another to the west, facing east and west respectively. Of course they weren't met with guards or any shinobi, entering just as one would any commonplace town outside of Konoha, they were given glances in curiosity, but their forehead protectors gave quick reassurance and some people even smiled in their direction before going on their way. It was a simple place, there was a small store in the centermost area selling food and another amenities for everyday living just beside. Most buildings they passed were in fact houses, small for the most part and well cared for. They turned towards one where a grouping of seniors sat about or stood talking in rather quiet tones. Naturally, their clients. Though there was no outwards sign, Naruto knew they had been spotted even before they were truly shown to be heading their way, experience he presumed. A woman with many lines but a twinge of colour in her hair showing a darkened tone walked up to them first. The fog of a smile on her face as she approached Kakashi with a heavy limp to her right leg, it nearly dragging behind her.
"Kakashi-san I assume?" Her tone was brisk, not necessarily sharpened, but enough that Naruto found himself straightening for the effect it gave. Their jonin gave a reply which the blond paid little attention to, diverting himself to glance around at the other's, four in total including the woman afore them. A man standing who she had previously been talking to, he appeared worn, exasperated already with everything even though they hadn't left yet; his arms were crossed but his stature seemed far better then the elder woman, his hair had turned entirely white though, no peak of colour, he was twitching on occasion. His eyelids were shadowed down, and if his irises did not stare so blankly onto everything they fixed on, Naruto would simply assume the man was tired.
The third person was a woman and upon first sight, the Uzumaki knew to avoid her. Her gaze was sharp in complete contrast to the man, she sat poised and upright on the porch, hands folded over her lap, legs beneath her and appearing every bit that same type of traditional woman from one of the branch families of the honored clans, those which spurned him more then most civilians. He flinched when he met her gaze, and flicked his eyes away as fast as possible. She had a rather round face, though her chin was pointed in comparison, pale skin, and in the center of her forehead a bold purple diamond rested. Her hair was done up in two neat buns at the top of her head, her hair a grey so dark it looked near black- but there were streaks of dark red hair peeking through in places.
The last person caught his interest, for though plainly elderly he was different then the other three. In a simple way, his hair was a dull grey with long parted bangs surrounding his face, while the rest fell down to the base of his spine in a friz that vaguely resembled curls; it looked unbrushed, and Naruto could assume that his was much like his own hair when not catered to -which it usually wasn't- clustered in knots and all the waves would disappear. Naruto brushed his hair on occasion and it was -is?- in fact made up of very tight curls when cared for, for more attractive -not that it mattered as a shinobi.- The man, unlike the others, was not scrawn; his muscles were obvious under the dark grey robe he wore, though only his biceps and neck were truly distinguishable under the sweeping fabric, muscle strained under the sleeves, and his neck was thick enough to portray unto Naruto well enough that he was actually quite fit for an old man. He was slouched over, back leaning against one of the support beams, arm hanging over one knee and head fallen forward, hair hiding his face. It was a familiar sight, somber and lonesome, empathy came forward at the sight, more then normal in fact.
The conversation halted beside them, and the woman whom had been talking told the rest to get moving, no one complained but there was no greeting from them either, just a barely visible acknowledgement in the silence as they walked past the team. Naruto did not pay it any mind, he was adapt to people ignoring him as it was, though the last man didn't sweep quickly past. It was odd. The blond could not quite place one reason as to why in candor; the man was heavily slouching over his posture was horrible -not that of a veteran, even one injured typically stood with some type of readyment for a fight.- He had a walking stick which he did not seem to need, he had no limp at all and from the muscles he had seen Naruto would assume not physically weak. He strode long, paced, strides instead of short and quick steps. His face was entirely concealed by his hair, and Naruto knew that was part of the reason why the man was slouching so much, for if he wasn't it was obvious he would be a giant next to his own small form. Being tall was not usually a good thing for a shinobi, even so he had obviously over come that as he remained alive. aruto felt towered over. He squirmed in discomfort because of his own body; a flutter of intrigue beginning to shift in his abdomen. Curiosity was hiding just behind his footsteps, because he was walking ahead of the man and he still felt overshadowed.
"Call me Kini," the woman beside Kakashi spoke, walking fast with a hop to bring her leg up to speed -though it didn't seem to bother her. Of all, she seemed the most approachable, perhaps not quite friendly, but sociable enough to be polite. The other three were silent and avoided walking too close to any of the Konoha team.
She with the high disposition was on the opposite side of him, yet Naruto felt certain that her eyes were blazing violently into his flesh whenever he stared to the road and she had opportunity. Really, had he not been told, he would not be able to see her as a war experienced woman, her posture was too stiff and traditionally misogynistic. He would have to glance to make certain, but her hair was a dark grey, not pure in colour save the few steaks of red- there was no way for her to know who he was -what he was- yet, the charring senbon of her stare on his side made him feel as if he were in one of the noble clan districts and being mentally dismembered.
"The other woman is Mito, and the man on the right is Higai." Naruto waited for her to continue, but she said nothing further, regardless of the fact there was one she hadn't introduced. Cerulean irises were staring on her in wait, confusion setting fast, and he quickly looked to Sakura on his right to see if she was expressing the same incomprehension, mint green eyes were staring sharp with furrowed pink eyebrows at Kini-san's back. "Oh, and that man at the back- well-" she chuckled to herself, though it did not sound amused so far as mocking. "-we don't know his name, he has never shared it with us, though we've known him since the war." That flared his mental inquary further, he opened his mouth to ask more out of mild indignance with the absence of knowledge then the presute of learning- but he let out a random sting of soft coughs instead, a sudden tickle at the back of his throat. He earned a glance from both of his teammates with that, just a flicker of question in their faces before it was disregarded.
They reached the village quick enough, the trees surrounding familiar enough to offer comfort as they crossed into the populus. Near them, their 'clients,' were gazing about in a impressed wonder at the -assumed- changes that had occurred since they had last returned. It had been awhile, and everything was bound to be new, Higai pointed up at something, and when Naruto glanced in that same direction he saw nothing between the buildings, there was a pole here -for construction Naruto assumed, but that was pretty normal wasn't it. "Whats that then?" His voice was pinched, and it was clear it was painful for him to talk, his finger was still pointing at the construction pillar, "-the black string?" Naruto did not pay attention to Sakura's soft spoken answer, distracted fast by the sudden jolt against his shoulder as someone walked past. Flinching for the act, and by accient -breaking his own mental promise never to look to the side when walking, he saw those gazes glowering him down, serious frowns with the occasional scowl showcased. With yet another flinch, the blond turned back only to staring forward as they began walking once again.
For once they were going directly to speak to the Hokage, even though most missions did not require such a thing, B-class though this was, it was just important enough to mandate some type of official greeting from the man in charge. Upon entering, Naruto almost walked down the wrong corridor for some reason alongside two of their senior companions; the former Hokage's office having been in a completely different direction before the Sandiame's death. An act which the blond could only imagine was because he was with people that were likely around his age. He shook himself and laughed with Kakashi's brief cough of amusement and Sakura's gentle teasing laughter. It was boring once they reached the office, Tsunade had nothing incredible to say, merely thanking them and informing that there would be units available in the nearby veteran's apartment complex where they would be more then welcome- lest they have family in the village. Only mildly sparking interest when Mito-san said she likely still had relatives with the Aburame clan which would be glad to see her once more, he snorted with the affirmation of his hypothesis. Higai-san accepted her offer, as did Kini-san, but the man with no name said nothing either way. And instead of staying with his counterparts he left just ahead of team 7. Naruto gaped slightly at fact that should the man be standing full he would be too tall for the doorway.
He followed suit and though curious, only let his eyes follow the back of the navy robe as the man walked down the opposite corridor. The urge to follow and ask questions rumbling in his gut, even as he wandered out of the building as towards his apartment.
The next day he once again had that same disposition of not being certain, the sensation, the itch within his head that something was misplaced from normality, but he could pinpoint nothing, it irked him more then it ought. He was in the midst of watering his plants when he heard a sound, muffled, but distinctively a voice, loud enough to be nearby; it was not unusal he lived within an old apartment complex that was in disrepair, voices carried loud through the walls and on occasion the very sound of cabinets closing could be heard. So in logic it was not strange, yet, it had not come from his home, rather further out from his balcony- the alleyway it must have been as no one was on the roofs adjacent. Still, it twinged his instincts as a shinobi into gear, if only minorly. Putting down his watering can he leant over the rail, just to peer down, though there was nothing below save dirt of the alley, the metal pressed into the area of his lungs and he relched, dropping down back almost into one of his kindly plants and coughing with a heave. He stood mildly dizzy and attempting to shake the sensation away when there was a knock at his door, he twitched for it, then when inside glaring at the wood.
He did not like opening doors, that was not merely because of shinobi integrated paranoia. Moreof, he did not trust doing so because of the many experiences he had when opening his front door, wether there was a bucket of rotted fruit tossed into his face or a sharp pain in his leg from a sudden kunai plunged into his thigh from a blank-eyed man he had never met. Opening his door was a harmed remembrance unto him, still he moved to do so, his hand shifting to slide it open, before his head cleared a slight more and he recalled he had a doorknob to use, not a panel- though why he'd thought otherwise made him snort, he had rarely ever used a traditional sliding door nevermind have had one to open in his own apartment. The place may be sorely decrepit, but it was not an ancient building- indeed if it were it would have been better maintained.
His muscles tensed and he stepped far back as he pulled the door in, ready for anything that may come, but was met only by the still raised fist of a rather lean woman- as she blinked at him in surprise for a moment. Then gave a polite simper as he loosened, though he did not know her; as she had not attempted to attack or humiliate him as of yet, his mind did ease slightly. "Uzumaki-san?" Her voice was so imboldingly smooth, a small tilt of some type of accent just barely peaking out as she finished speaking. Naruto found himself twitching at the sound- it reminded him disturbingly of Uchiha Itachi, whom was the only man -ninja, he had ever encountered to hold such a smooth undertone, it was a piddling reaction no doubt. The woman in front of him was around his age, perhaps a slight younger, obviously a civilian by her posturing; even those shinobi, be it genin, chunnin, or jounin held a particular stance even whence relaxing inside the village. Her clothing was old-fashioned, a tight violet kimono with simple designs of cranes and mandarin ducks at the bottom. It was accompanied by a navy obi, with an unusal scarlet obijime and white uchiwa fan-shaped obidome in the center, his brows furrowed at it, the colouring was strange. Overall the shading made her ivory skin-tone prominent in the contrast. She had considerably long bark toned hair falling in waves down her back, parted simply down her front and shifting which somewhat softened the sharp lines of her angular face, wherein a pair of almond-shaped grey eyes stood prominent in her features.
"I apologize for calling upon you Uzumaki-san, but I am an assistant of sorts -perhaps even a friend, to one of the veterans you escorted. I would have asked one of your companions, but they are quite busy it seems, and the Hokage -naturally, is indisposed. I was hopeful that you may know where he may have gone? As he is not within the complex Suzanne-san mentioned." He stood straighter, for he did not know in anyway, he could not fathom how she thought he would as he had only met the man yesterday, not one word spoken between them therein. Her grey gaze upon him was searching however, intent, and far too intense for comfort; though, it was obvious with her twining fingers that she was growing desperate for some type of knowledge. The lodge in his throat was hafty with his swallow.
"I'm sorry, I don't know, he didn't even speak to me- I don't know anything." Her lips drew thin as her retinas moved to stare somewhere to the side, her lower lips just poking out enough to understand she might actually be pouting with the knowledge. He licked his lips, a small guilt settling in him at her expression.
She looked back to him, her eyes a bit more colourful then grey, though he didn't understand why, or how. "I apologize, I shouldn't have expected him to talk to you, this circumstance is difficult for him as his stands, expecting him to manage speech was a bit incredulous on my part. The man may be a genius, yet, I suppose even he has limitations." She put a hand before her mouth as she chuckled to herself in a type of coy mockery that held no bite, it certainly reminded him of some his own more platonic friendships; insults that meant nothing and a tease in humor. The blond let his lips twitch upwards, he could believe she was a friend at least, and a worried friend at that; so he considered to himself and cast a true smile her way.
"Well, I don't know where he is, I know the village really well, so I could help you try to find him!" He earned a bright grin in response.
They searched through many areas of the village, all of which Naruto thought possible for an old-man to retreat to. There were several seniors inns, there was a type of relaxation area, a few respectable inns on their own- of course, he hadn't been allowed into any of them, in fact he had been treated with great offence for attempting to go in the first time. So he allowed his companion to make all the conversation, yet still, they had found nothing, not one person fitting the man's description, and Naruto knew that an Alpha such as that would be rather distinctive to the common eye.
"Are you sure he didn't just fly off?" He was being a bit impatient, grumbling with irritation that was not truly cast to the woman beside him; he had said he would help, and he intended to, but finding nothing was aggravating. Beside him, she lightly chuckled and something akin to a knowing smirk filtered onto her features as she stared up at him with ice-blue eyes.
"In this world, one can do anything." He may have pouted under those vague words, though some childish portion of his brain simply took that as affirmation that, yes, the man could fly. He turned his eyes to the sky, searching as thoroughly as he could in his mind where an older man might want to go, perhaps not stay as in rest, but go in general. As a whole, Naruto avoided seniors, he always had, and presumably always would- at least those from his own village, because suffice-to-say he was not well liked. For although those whom had seen more did not take the same type of violent action against him as the next or next-next generations did, they were far more maliceful, and they typically did not mince their words when he was around them. One of those main reasons being the council. The older generation took the council's words and opinions, essentially, as divine testament. Naruto had in fact met all three members more then once and he knew through all that he was that those who remained despised him. The latter, deceased, member being the Sandiame.
In all candor he in some ways understood their despise, and on another did not understand it at all. He knew for a fact that all three had been trained by the late Nidame, a very intellectual man who had a very strict military based mindset, a genius whom had invented several respected and frequently used jutsu -along with several forbidden ones, his own Shadow Clone Jutsu standing prominent in his mind when considered.- From what textbooks told he was someone who believed in self-sacrifice, obviously because he had died by one such decision. Yet they condemned him for the Yodaime's death. If the council had been selective in whom held that information, and limited it to prominent jonin and higher-ups to which it would have been required, that would have been fine. But Naruto knew that they had chosen to let his situation be known to the public. Their own disgust being made clear with the many strict laws still in effect against him, and the one or two that minorly -not really- protected him. Because they were leaders, and amongst the seniors perhaps even more respected then the current Hokage.
Thus, it was minimalistic to say he had not wanted to escort the veterans back home at all.
He wasn't paying attention to where they were walking, his companion had remained silent and seemingly allowing him to his thoughts. But in blinking back to himself he noticed that they were in fact heading up the cliffside of the Hokage monument. There was a small valley of flowers at the top that he had always enjoyed visiting whenever he felt boxed in by his surroundings, he'd found it very young and often snuck out of his apartment at night just to lay under the stars -away from the loud bangs on his door, shouts from the walls, and stones against his window. It made sense to go up there though, it was a calming place with a large view of the village below, the whisper of the wind in the trees, along with many different types of birdsong. A perfect place for an older Alpha to visit in his waning years, and as the man had likely not been home for a long time, a way to see what the village had become in his absence.
Lo, there the man sat, one foot propped up, the other dangling over the cliff-face, slouching -but significantly less then he had when they met. Naruto was a little pleased to confirm his own suspicions that the man was far too tall to be rational. And in his mind could not help but wonder what he would have been like to face on the battlefield. He had the common mindset to simply gesture to the man with a smile and simply leave the woman to with her friend, having fuflled his intention; he hesitated however, when she gave him a gentle smile, then outstretched her hand directing him to the solemn Alpha.
"Come meet him, I do promise he's not as terrifying as he seems." She paused then giggled a slight to herself. "Well, not to those who do not deserve his ire." He tensed at those words, for though he had considered introducing himself for a moment, 'not deserving of his ire,' held the hidden meaning to him; for of course, as the Kyuubi jinnjuriki he was very much worthy of the man's scorn. She frowned at his discomfort, her arm coming down as her confusion showed prominent. "Is something wrong?" He cast a glance back towards the man; long matted grey hair falling around and obscuring his face, unruly and covering near all of his back, the bright navy robe he wore that though colourful, was worn, cut and torn in many places. Intimidating he did seem with his tall figure, yet, Naruto could not say he had yet felt truly threatened by the man; had not felt any indignation from him as he had with Mito's cruel gaze. The Omega licked at his lips, already squirming in discomfort for the thought, but without answering the woman he walked towards the man regardless.
There was a twitch, though not too noticeable from the grey bangs, and Naruto had to assume he had been noticed, he stood hovering over the man for a moment with nothing said. Before tentatively sitting down on the cliff beside him, both his legs over the edge- and with himself being on edge they were swinging back and forth slightly. He did not know how to speak to seniors. That is, the woman had said her friend could not -would not?- speak, so perhaps that was the problem, he had to be the one to start, and he had no idea on how to do that, what words would not be -somehow- offensive, would make sense, and be casual to the man of war.
"Its probably changed a lot to what you knew huh?" He attempted to chuckle at his own humor- which was bad at best, and his discomfort was so very obvious he half wondered if Sasuke would pop out of the bushes to mock him for it. There was a crackle in his own voice and it came out rather soft compared to his usual energetic bolster. Yet, though he expected no true response, he heard a deep -very deep- humming sound for the man, which he knew to be acknowledgement, and Naruto found himself grinning; gladdened in the fact that he had not as of yet angered or offended the man. It was a milestone for him. A smidge of confidence returning as he swung his legs just a little higher. Perhaps the man could not speak, or refused to, but that did not mean he couldn't have a conversation with him -that is as long as the Alpha was interested in what he had to say.- "Its nice now, peaceful, well-" He stopped himself from saying that his experience was a bit different in that regard. Though he scowled at himself for the fact that he almost had, because he'd made that same mistake before, and it'd cost him his food for two weeks, being outspoken of his own situation always ended badly. "Yeah, its peaceful." He didn't bother to correct his smile, because he knew his eyes were betraying his attempt to fake it anyway. Centering himself once more, outside of knowledge and embitterment, he looked out to the village once more, the same Konoha he had grown up with in all its freedom and flaws. He loved it still, though that affection was somewhat twisted from his experiences.
He made no attempt to see if the man was truly listening to him, but from the calm aura he broadcast, Naruto felt almost certain that he was. By some manner, for some reason, he found the silence the man held, the towering presence he was, calming, and began simply talking. He lost track of himself several times going off of random topics, less of the village and more the missions he had gone on. For although he was speaking somewhat on automatic, he still managed to filter himself so that he said nothing to damage the man's perception of Konoha. It was nice for his mind to simply tell the stories of what had happened in his life; what wasn't however was when he forgot several details, as it were there was more of a sensation of feeling incorrect- as if he had said the wrong thing or implied it, but then that feeling left quickly enough and he only knew he had forgotten an element because the tale didn't make complete sense as he finished. Nonetheless, he continued telling, almost whispering the further he went.
Interrupted, by the Omega woman he had yet to know the name of. He quieted as she approached, no attempt to hide her presence, the clay teapot and cups clanking together on her tray as she brought them forward, setting the tray down gently between them and then turning to walk away. Naruto stared after her for a moment, uncomfortable with the hospitality and kindness shown, not merely because she was a person he hardly knew, but indeed, because he was not adapt to it in general. He would've asked her to join out of courtesy, yet, his mind squirmed against the idea with a venamance he was also unused to. Instead for some measure of respectablity unto her and for his own sake; "hey you never told me your name." She looked back towards him over her shoulder with a small smile and glimmering mint-green eyes. It was clear she was rigid set, almost as if defensive, and still her expression was gentle as she turned just a slight back to face them both.
"Again, I must apologise for forgetting, my maternal name is Yamanaka Mari. It is truly lovely to meet you Uzumaki-san." He tilted his head at her answer, pondering; she was from the same clan as Ino. Even so, he doubted they knew each other, the noble clans were far stretched after all- even he knew that. Wondering, only minutely if she could use the Mind-Transfer Jutsu despite clearly not being a shinobi. The blond glanced quick to his conversational companion, and back at her, curiosity still impeding.
"You said you're friends?" That was a large age gap, though he did not think it to be impossible of course, more that he was intrigue onto how such a friendship formed. The mild sound of a amusement she let out was accompanied by an expression that was more of self-amusment then anything.
"Family, by technicality. I married a distant relation of his, we're clansmen therein." Her gaze considerably softened, though her eyes did not shift to the man of their conversation, instead they stared at him directly. "He's an amazing man-" her eyes shifted to indicate she spoke of the Alpha beside him briefly. "-and I want to help him as best I might; not merely for the fact that he is of the clan I married into. But because my homu- husband, and family-in-law love and respect him dearly, as I have come to; at the moment he's struggling deeply both with himself and life, so I will aid him." There a warmth blossomed in his chest, her reasonings were blessingly compassionate and pure in heart, a tranquil smile came to him then, he liked to think he would do much the same in her position. Though he wondered what struggles the man faced.
"You are a benevolent person Yamanaka-san." There was an affibility in his tone shining proud and it was breathed quietly out, as he let himself feel an innocent affection for a woman he did not know. It made him blink lightly to see her cheeks flush pink at his words her mist toned eyes shifting away from him as a pout came to her lips, hands pulling at her kimono. Then as she opened her mouth to speak, her mind seemingly changed and she turned away mumbling to herself:
"From what I have heard, you are moreso in all extent." That made him blink once more, he could not imagine what she might've heard, there was none whom he considered she may have come across to paint him positively. Yet, he did not call out to ask, for he had no want to know, merely glad that someone did not think him evil. Indeed, from how she had phrased her words, that someone -unknown, may think him angelic in nature, a prickle itched under his retinas for that thought. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask just how she might've gotten the water pot for the tea to them both without it turning cold, as there was no building near enough, but he daren't disperse the benign feeling conjealing within.
Unthinkingly, he poured the tea delicately into each plain cup, and presented it on the simple wooden coasters, before carefully gripping his own and taking a sip- careful not to make a sound when drinking. The scent having already telling him that it was matcha tea, he was accompanied by his companion; before realizing he had never had matcha or sencha tea- indeed any tea, his eyebrows furrowed for confusion, there was no plausible way he could know the difference between the two teas from scent alone- yet, he had. Thinking further on it with proper concentration, he could indeed remember sitting peaceful with a few friends and pouring the tea to them all with a laugh in his voice and idle baritone voices speaking in kind nature around him. It was a faded memory with shades of wood, navy, and gentle pastels in the predominance of his evocation, and no faces involved, no doubt from considerably long ago as it was so vague in his mind; but it did sooth his confusion, and he shook himself, closing his lid in contentment and shaking his head minorly for his own poor remembrance.
Opening his eyes to glancing at the man across from him, he was surprised to be met with an actual face, not obscured by unruly hair. The man was extensively ages in all appearance, of course, though he did not have many wrinkles considering his supposed age. The most lines were underneath his eyes, and those around his lips were prominent but there certainly weren't many, they simply just gave the mien that he was continuously frowning -even though Naruto had the impression he was not in fact. His lips were chapped, and his cheeks were slightly hallowed, but other then that he did not seem as aged in comparison to his fellow veterans. In fact he appeared more of an intense Alpha due to those lines.
There inspite of his own minor horror at himself, the blond Omega could find himself attracted to the man for the impression cast. Heat flushing fast onto his cheeks and he could not imagine how scarlet how his face was, as his thoughts focused on the possibility that he may be a gerontophile, he sure hoped not- but there was the fact that he was hardly ever around the elderly, let alone elder Alpha whom tended to be absolutely horrid to him, so he couldn't truly rule the possibly out. The man was alluring, and apparently erotic onto the deeper part of his mind. He was staring at the ground, and all of a sudden feeling extensively too shy to look directly at the man, nevertheless he did force himself to peer upwards, finding himself encaputred by onyx toned eyes with such a severe ferocity, Naruto felt as if his entire body was being weighed down by the strength within, a type that -as horrible as it sounds- no seinor, let alone veteran, should possess.
Naruto shifted himself back, fully facing the man, the very principal of pride keeping him upright, and not crunching in on himself an allowing the fervent blush he felt take control of his face. Of all things, he did not want to show what the man was doing to his racing mind, because he could only fathom that would be profoundly disturbing unto the man. A dark grey eyebrow sharply inclined upwards in that familiar manner of question the genin knew well enough to recognize on anyone. He took a tentative sip of tea, it might be easy to tell that it was from nerves though. Blazing against that feeling he offered his best grin, forcing himself to ignore the heat in his cheeks and attraction tingling at the corner of his mind; he was good at ignoring unwanted emotions after all.
"Um-" He had no topic in mind, but he wanted to talk about something, it would be a good diversion, yet, he couldn't ask the man about anything really; he couldn't reply. He'd already told many stories, certainly not all, but many- even if they were incomplete somehow. Perhaps it would be best if he told the man a thing or two about the Omega who had been chattering his ear off. "I haven't really introduced myself properly, which is kind of unfair considering I've just been talking nonstop and- um I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" It started as rambling and turned into a bold declaration of his name, though by some manner even he did not understand, he managed to twist his last name slightly so it sounded like 'Uchuzaki,' instead of what it was, managing to embarrass himself further.
About to correct himself -probably with a nervous stutter, he noticed that in looking for the man's reaction to his blunder however, there was a small yet obvious smirk curving at his mouth- it lessened his wrinkles for some reason, and bubbles came into the blond's stomach at the expression; he found it downright sexy. Which was almost complete confirmation of his suspicion that he was actually attracted to old-people, which had his head reeling to dizziness, which had bile clog his throat despite the lacking need to vomit, which made him want to test out that theory; just for complete certainty, and that reminded him that testing was nye impossible considering how hated he was amongst seniors.
He pushed on, not bothering with correction as he did not think he had the mind to as it was. "Um- I'm sixte-" He paused, a small feeling in his gut much like the one he'd been having recently about something being off around him, formed. Though he couldn't comprehend why, he was sixteen, but saying made his tongue twist; in fact his mentality clashed against the very statement, despite the fact that it was a fact. He cleared his throat, and though confused and little frustrated, he choose not to clear up his words. "I'm a genin," that earned him a sharp look, though Naruto could not understand why. "My biggest goal right now is to try and get my friend back, he left the village- I know he had good reasons but- but I know I can save him!" He grinned, he knew that he could, yet; as he spoke of his friend, while there had always been a crush against his lungs, now there was a cutting feeling inside his abdomen. He forged on through the invisible clutch around his neck. "His name is Uchiha Sasuke- but!-" There was a violent sigh from the man, a great heave so much that his eyes closed as his entire head seemed to slump down toward the ground. Naruto had the sudden want to shout at the man, but that faded as soon as the Alpha's head lifted back up and the pure devastation he encountered in the expression he wore was too heavy to say anything unto. A scarred hand shook slightly as it was brought up to chapped lips.
It kept his own firmly shut. Especially as something somber settled within him as he had made the declaration, the pull of a thread pulling him down, urging, him to give up- whispering that it was a futile effort to try.
He finished his tea, and managed to cast a rather doleful smile the mans way as he stood. "I should probably head home," the sun had already begun to set, and he had hardly realized the time that had passed. Only really understanding by the cast orange and pink glow to the west, it was truly a beautiful sight; the treetops alit, cresting some of the wooden buildings with that peaceful resonance, of course Konoha had no really tall buildings so there wasn't much to shine over, still. "I'll to talk to you again!" He waved briefly, before in his own unspoken tradition, jumped off the cliffside.
Surprising himself, well, marginally. He found himself walking back up to the top of Konoha the next day, it was noon and he had no idea if he would actually find the older man there. Nonetheless, he felt drawn regardless, his was a simple company- comforting in its own way, not because of his silence, rather for the aura he held, one he was certain he could not describe. In approaching however, he heard a voice, specifically, that of Yamanaka-san, its smooth melody unmistakable. He slowed his steps almost unintentionally, though he knew he wanted to listen in.
"Pacing is esencial, for should we not proceed under caution's shadow we will lose all opportunity." Silence, and disquiet unto Naruto's own mind, he fathomed she was conversing with the elder man, though he did not know what about and it sounded important. "There is luck however, all factors considered, we are moving at a much faster pace then I thought possible." A loud sigh followed, a deep one that by some manner managed to sound pained. Her already silken voice became softened, rerassuring. "I know it must be painful to see, to understand; but I vow the nightmare, this obscure torture, will end, for both of you." A frown came upon him, it sounded like a moroce topic, whatever it was they were discussing. It seemed to be finished though, so he cautiously continued up into the small valley. Once more his conversation companion sat on the edge, his fellow Omega turned to him with a smile, welcoming. He shook himself from the concern, pushing it aside to another corner and not quite the forefront of his thoughts, perhaps he could ask later.
He grinned towards them both in his approach, a warmth peaking in his cheeks and small bubbles popping in his stomach; whence he noticed that the Alpha's lips were upturned just enough to count as a smile. Then, in a ruining of that sweet moment unto himself, a cough lifted from his diaphragm, and unlike his previous experiences it violently shook him so that he was heaving over himself; a clog in his throat choking off his air. Vision blurring as he began feeling all too light, he lost control and dropped to his knees, hard rocks digging in, but it was rather numbed as he remained distracted by attempting to bring in oxygen. He felt hands grasping at his shoulders, and then he was being hauled up slightly by his waist. Grunting for the pressure pushing up at his torso, but finally, something spat out of his esophagus, red and flying fast to the dirt.
He gasped his next breath, collapsing back and falling into a tough chest. Focusing on his breathing took a moment as his brain returned to normal, relaxing further as it came more rationed. Only then coming to notice that he was resting on someone, his head was thrown back on a broad shoulder, his nose -along with air- bringing in the delicate scent of flowers. It was soft and calming after the trial of nearly suffocating, but in focusing past the remaining obscuring sight he could see Yamanaka-san bringing him a cup of tea from a try by the cliffside, a sympathetic nye troubled expression on her face; it was then that he realized that he was in fact leaning on the chest of the old-man he had literally just been blushing over. That man had his arms around him too, of course that was because he had just been saved from choking, yet that fact did not really register to the happy part of Naruto's brain. As sensation became more prominent, he felt a wetness down from his mouth to his chin- he cringed at the very probable possibility he may be drooling. He pushed himself up with an accompanied gentle push from the man behind him, his fellow Omega handing him a cup of tea to sip on. He smiled softly at her in response, gaining much the same.
Then she looked down that smile turned from relived to shock, then something approximating horror as she stared at the ground. Apprehension came fast to his mind as he leant forward just enough to see what she was staring at. Finding a couple splatters of blood there, well, that is until his eyes narrowed and cleared in focus; and indeed found they weren't splatters at all, nor was it blood resting on the ground, but small red petals. That did have him reeling back, clashing once more with the firm back behind, but this time not truly considering it. For blood he could handle, he would not really understand it as Kyuubi healed most, if not all, of his wounds; but petals? Flower petals? That, he could not comprehend, who the hell coughed up petals? They belonged on plants, not in someone's lungs. Anger wasn't close to his emotions, but fright was, a darker aspect of his mentality whispering that it made him all the more abnormal. He was shivering just slightly from the sight, but… there were arms wrapped around him that hadn't left after they'd saved him. That sensation was obscenely comforting, Naruto had hugged before, he had been held before, by Alpha, by Omega, and he'd always felt warm with each experience. As it were now, however, he felt protected, they hadn't retracted, and he felt cherished- even if he knew that wasn't the case, but it was the feeling that mattered to his mind. He had never before felt such a way, because though he loved each of his friends- this was different.
Reluctant, he pulled himself forwards, and careful, he put one of his hands over one of the scarred, resting under his breast, perhaps it was gratitude without saying anything. Perhaps, he just wanted to feel the jagged edges against his own soft skin, perhaps it was a comfort unto himself, perhaps it was because he didn't want to leave the unintentional embrace, and perhaps it just felt natural. He did stop his own slow movements as that hand turned, palm up, and grasped his own in a gentle grip. Unnaturally, Naruto did not freeze for the gesture, he did not tense nor pull away, but he did not turn to look at the man. Instead, conflicting with his sense of independent nature, he let the Alpha rise first, and guide him to his feet, with the strength a man of his age should really not possess.
"Uzumaki-san, do you feel better?" His throat still burned, and there remained an ache in his chest, but it had mostly faded and he nodded.
"Please just call me Naruto." 'Uzumaki-san,' simply did not sound right to his ears, and it grated at him slightly when hearing it. She nodded at him, all trace of her previous horror gone, her eyes flickering ever so briefly towards his and her relation's held hands, he resisted the urge to let go.
"Then please, do feel free to refer to me as Mari." He grinned, the lack of formality was reassuring unto him, he would enjoy being friends with her, he was certain. He looked towards the slouching man beside however, and licked his lips with the tingle of nerves.
"Mari-kun, would I be able to barrow your relative for the day? I'd like to show him around the village." She blinked, and he squirmed.
"Of course." Naruto grinned at her agreement. "Naruto-kun, please do refer to him as 'Madara.'" The blond near cheered for the name, he actually had a way to address the man, and he was delighted for it- being as referring to his own -growing- crush as 'him,' or 'the Alpha,' did not particularly appeal. Though he did consider the name and find it a bit odd, it was familiar; of course he knew the name, everyone within the Land of Fire did, indeed, all nations did in truth. Yet, Naruto could not fathom the man beside him being the same man as the tales. So he shook it off, entirely ready to ignore the correlation. Then, the brunette smirked, a definite sly expression, Naruto would not have imagined she could have made.
"And no, Madara never attacked the village, the very concept is ludicious…. Do you not agree?" There was a severity, an intensity slicing and piercing sharp from her irises as she stared at him, nye cutting him down. That is, until he straightened himself under the scrutiny of her blatant intemidation, back straight, chin ever so slightly raised, and he felt- rather then consciously returned her perferved gaze. A loud voice having suddenly sprung into his head, speaking clear that she was right; the idea was a ridiculous one, yet within those words speaking so loud in his mind, it weren't simply the fact that the man beside him would attack the village which he denied, no, it was the sound of the prospect entirely. Which came off more then strange upon him, as Uchiha Madara had attacked, it was history, a fact, an entirely well known fact.
"Yes." Was his response, and even unto his own ears the affirmation sounded so poignant, so acrimonous, he almost went to apologize, yet did not. He shook himself once again, away from the venom frothing in his thoughts, smiled at the woman once more; then still holding the Alpha's hand, turned to go down the stairs -obviously jumping off would be pure idiocy. He was joined without complaint from the man, he did not stumble nor appear to have any issue walking at all, the hand that Naruto held had no tremor and in fact possessed a strong grip. Naruto smiled over to him; it felt as if he were the one being escorted, though that wasn't actually the case. It was more because he had rarely had such human interaction, not many people wished to touch him kindly, his friends did not often, less it were a brief hold of gratitude or simply to get his attention; not that he would ever make protest to those touches. But Madara was essentially a stranger, a man whom knew not of what he was unto his village -or at least, Naruto was near sure he didn't,- and that in itself was relieving.
They entered into the mainstreets, and Naruto was uncertain of where to go, because certainly there were many places the man hadn't seen that were constructed after the Second War. He felt that he knew several, yet his focus when it came to navigating the village was scrambled at best as of late, he would attempt to go one place then either forget where it was entirely, or somehow end up going the wrong way and lose all sense of where he was. So perhaps he wasn't the best guide at the moment. He felt his skin rising before he even took proper notice, he looked out the corner of his eyes instead of turning to stare fully, and of course, several villagers were watching him while walking by. Yet, where these days they usually glared at him briefly while conversing with a friend or someone of the like, presently those who passed by were silent as they walked, their stare lingering. It was painfully familiar, they had done so when he was young as well, practically radiances of hatred projecting outwards while their eyes attempted to mutilate him. Now however, it was worse, because it had ebbed, they had stopped doing so- well at least not as viciously, and he couldn't think of a reason as to why they were doing so now.
He glanced to Madara as discreetly as he could, Naruto did not want the man to see their eyes as they looked him down. He did not want the man to become inquisitive and ask 'why,' he did not want him to find out their reasoning and suddenly hate him. The blond found himself shivering for the idea, yet he also grit his teeth, a margin of fury he hadn't felt since before he had entered the academy returning, questioning; why couldn't they like him? He'd done nothing, he'd said nothing, he'd played pranks sure, but that wasn't evil, most children did and they did not get ostrasized from society. It were as if they simply hated him because they had to. And it burned to know.
His hand was squeezed then, and his eyes snapped to the Alpha still holding it, confronting black hues and a stern expression immediately.
"Naruto!" He had opened his mouth, but then Sakura's voice gained his attention, and with the hand he did not have gripped he waved at her with a large grin, as her very identifiable vision of pink came into his view. She glanced towards his companion and gave a polite nod, then turned to him with a warm smile, "Naruto, me and Sai are going to do some training, care to join us?" Naruto felt as if there was a rusted blade stabbing into his blade at that moment, not necessarily because of pain, but moreso for the fact that there was a sharp pressure going through his mind, and he knew there was something wrong. His face screwed up as he thought, his thoughts coming blank despite himself.
"Sai?" He earned a nod, but that only served to confuse him evermore. "Sakura-chan, who's Sai?" The pinkette visibly flinched, violently flinched, her entire body jolting backwards as if his question had hit her physically. Mint eyes shaking as something hesitant came to her expression, a simper wobbling on her lips as sweat formed on her brow, hands pulled up to her chest and shaking slightly.
"Our teammate? Sai? He was originally from ROOT, and joined us on our mission to find Sasuke-kun remember?" He couldn't understand her, yet he knew that his mind was churning in an attempt to fill in the missing information of what she was telling him, it did not feel as if he were forgetting something, or anyone. However, by the nervous express she wore, he indeed was, although he was nye certain that the name was used wrong. As if it didn't fit into place, but he did not know where it did fit. She seemed rather certain though, and that was making him uncomfortable.
He shook his head. Then squirmed himself into a more comfortable position, not understanding really what- or who she was talking about, maybe she had something wrong? The blond did his best to offer her a kind smile, hoping to ignore the situation, because it was biting at the back of his head and he really didn't enjoy the feeling. "Ah Sakura-chan, I'm sure it'll come to me, but I'm showing-" he paused, "my friend here around, so we'll talk later yeah?" She sputtered, yet he made himself move forward and she didn't follow. Despite himself, he choose to glance back at her. And found she was staring at him with very wide eyes and a frown that strained at her cheeks. For a moment, Naruto glanced up behind her towards the blank cliff-face and wandered, if going down into the village was too much of a hassle.
It was three days until Naruto was able to visit Mari-san and Madara-san again, he'd been strung up with bills and had been forced to get them paid without a mission to help his income. Eventually having decided to hunt some game, sell to a merchant, then pay his rent while keeping the remainder, it had done him surprisingly well. Even though it had been awhile since he'd last hunted, honestly he couldn't remember the last time at all. He practically sprang up the cliffside and jolted over the edge with a strange twirling motion, he fluffed his chest up a little in pride for the move. Though, he still believed they should build some stairs up to the valley ontop, there was such a nice view and it was a lovely area, he knew that many young children would enjoy it, climbing up the side would be tiring for those who didn't have much chakra. In brief glance he spotted the familiar figure of his fellow Omega not fair off, her back facing him, her wavy brown hair was swept into a lose bun at the back of her neck, and for the first time he saw what he could only imagine to be a kamon in the center of her kimono: It, much as the obidome at the front of her obi, appeared to be an uchiwa fan, but this one was faded, the top section was near impossible to see, only the outline made it clear it was there at all, but the bottom section was crisp white with no visual ware.
It was curious, because she, seemingly, was simply standing beside a tree and not doing anything. Well, at first glance at least, but as he drew closer he could see the large outline of Madara-san's shoulders jutting out from the otherside, so she was obviously talking to him. Yet, though he knew it to be wrong, he slowed his pace and strained his ears, he had only heard Mari-san speaking last time but perhaps now that he was marginally closer he would hear the mysterious Alpha's voice as well.
"A day? The progress is astonishing to be candid. He truly is as resilient as you and Fuji said, one push, just one, may be all that is needed." There was a mumble against his ears then, a deep baritone sound, one that had ones body feel as if it were vibrating momentarily, but the words were unintelligible. Naruto wanted to pout in indignance. Still, he forced his lips into a smile and strode ahead, no longer concealing his presence, greeted by a charming smile from Mari-san as he did. Then Madara-san emerged from the tree just beside her; grey-black hair sweeping all around with the brush of wind, and as always, he stood tall with black eyes that Naruto honestly felt were baring directly into his soul with intensity.
"Good morning Mari-san, Madara-san!" Then, he coughed. He had been doing so for the past three days, but not so violent as this. He was consious enough of his surroundings to see the red petals fluttering out of his mouth and catching the wind, he could feel the graze of them in his throat gentle and tickling. Cerulean eyes could catch the quick movements of the Alpha to his side, and he leaned slightly to the grasp of the arms around his waist, finding the touch grounding as he attempted to breath. He panted as the scarlet fluttering finished, gasping as common, but recovering fast in experience. He looked up towards the tall man still holding onto him, a grin so automatic on his lips as he stared into obsidian irises. The man stood back to his full height, the difference being a comfort unto the blond, the man was more then a foot taller then him, yet it was easing unto his mind for a reason Naruto could not quite name. The blond found himself guided to the cliff-edge and sitting down comfortably next to a tray of tea already waiting.
Madara sat adjacent as he had previously. Then: "You spoke of Sasuke." A burst happened in his chest, a fever in his cheeks, the man's voice was not gritted with age, no. It was deep, a baritone not quite smooth, but instead powerful- Naruto could easily imagine the man yelling out in power, commanding. Worse though, because he found it familiar, in fact Naruto knew he had heard it before; and there was a tickle at the back of his mind ready to confirm this, but not yet fully ready to reveal itself. All this sudden feeling frothing in his thoughts and body before it even came to him that Madara had said something. Still rather absentminded, he nodded, uncertain of why the Alpha had mentioned his friend. Afterall, clear in his memories was the man's devastated expression when he'd spoken of his friend. "My son's name was Sasuke." A drastic, and probably inappropriate shattering wrecked his insides at the statement, the word 'was,' standing prominent even though the man hadn't empasised it.
Naruto said nothing, because despite himself there were tears coming forth and he could not explain to anyone, nor even himself, why the statement felt as if it were crushing him down. There was an intense pressure on his lungs.
"Killed at four years, an assassin no doubt." Naruto felt his lip trembling, there was something burning down in his gut.
Yet, then, infelicitously, he coughed once more. Crimson from his lips and the petals danced through the air, over the cliff and down towards the growing village. This time it was only brief. He looked to Madara whom did not move, staring silent for a moment before looking over towards Konoha.
"His mother, my love, was distraught, as expected. Pained, he could hardly function for weeks, he was convinced by guilt that he could have saved our son. Yet, he began to recover himself, improving though still to weak to properly defend himself. That was taken advantage of." A heaving sigh followed. "He was not killed however, whomever attacked was vindictive. They insnared him. Trapped him inside his mind in which he was continuously tortured. None conventional, he was bewitched to linger in a place where he was given happiness, and then it was replaced by hatred. Hope, which was trampled on again and again in an endless cycle of his own foolish determination to succeed, yet cursed to always fail. Doubted and scorned. Memories twisted and mused just enough to fit within his head, but undenyably false, I have little doubt what he remembers of me is twisted as well." Onyx eyes stared into blue ones. "My bride is a man whom the village, my clan, adored, he is loved by all and supported by all. He is a talented and respected shinobi. Yet, trapped by a world of hopes that can never be and hatred that was never true."
Naruto found himself shaking, coughing so violently, and then simply choking because he could not do even that anymore. A lump blocking his entire esophogus, and he knew, knew, it was the full flower that had been so eagerly waiting to arise. His vision was blurring, but he looked down to Konoha and saw everything, all the buildings he knew wavering, no, disappearing.
And then he lurched, adrenaline unexpectedly taking hold. Throwing himself forward onto the man staring resolutely at him, crashing unto a hard chest, covered by navy and staring briefly at pure black bangs, before he jolted and pressed his fever hot lips against the man.
His body jounced upwards. Throwing him desperately in his futon, blankets flailing along with his arms in a tangled mess of white cotton. Ingracefully rolling onto the floor. Though he shoved them off and stood tall, frantically casting his gaze to everything around him. The walls were brown wood, as the floor, the window was glass, the door was paper. Hyperventilation easing, he looked down to himself, wearing a simple indigo toned robe, he touched down his body in assurance that it was real. At his nose, cheeks, mouth, and hair, pulling it forward and examining -with relief, the long golden strands.
The door slid open, and a figure bent to fit in the doorway as he entered. Tall and imposing.
"Finally." It was whispered, but that was all it took for rivers were flowing down tanned cheeks.
"A dream I- The dream you-" He could not state enough, there were no words as he embraced the man afore him.
"Madara…" His husband. And as he saw another tall Omega come into view from in the hall with long luxurious brown hair, keen brown eyes, and a huge grin, he smiled himself.
He was awake. And he was home.
