Reviews:
Thanks to all the reviews and persistent nagging for me to continue. As I said before, those things that you guys write are the only motivation I need to get my butt er…hands? Fingers? Whatever moving.
Warnings: OOCs ahead!
Disclaimer:
Never owned it and never will. Ain't that depressing? (Owned? Hey that's my title. Kukukuku…shutting up now.).
Chapter 3:
"Tadaima Iruka-sensei."
'He smells like coffee…' He thought by idly as he hangs suspended from the ground by a crushing hug. He noted some things even though he seems deaf to his former teacher's continue rambling.
He feels warm but it was the good kind, the kind of warmth that he really likes but the kind that he hadn't expected to receive at this place, he also feels as if millions of small bubbles of happiness started popping inside of him making him almost giddy, he also noted that his shirt is really getting soaked and that he is running out of air.
He lets out a small squeak and looked at the old hokage who seems to be enjoying himself by watching.
"Help…"
He felt himself disposed immediately to the floor. His whole world seems to be spinning and he feels lightheaded. He closed his eyes and he felt sick.
"Naruto? Naruto!"
He snapped open his eyes to see Iruka bending over him with his eyebrows knit together in concern and panic.
Sandaime chuckled at the sight of Iruka mother henning the blond. He adjusted his hat and interrupted the chunnin from his apologies and ramblings.
"Now, now Iruka. I hope you hadn't forgotten that there would be a genin exam today."
Iruka looked up from his fanning the whiskered child with his documents and blinked. "Oh" there was brief pause. Suddenly the reminder sinks to him. 'The class. The children. The exams!'
He shrieked. "THE EXAMS!" He bolts out of the room. Naruto blinked. Then blinked again. The old man hokage just shrugged and made his way to the coffee maker where he pours himself a cup of coffee.
A few seconds later the door opens again to reveal a puffing and a bit red Iruka. Whether from the run or embarrassment, Naruto couldn't guess.
"Ahehehe…Sorry I forgot. See you later Hokage-sama. Let's go Naru-chan!"
"Eh?" The blonde just looks confused before he lets out another squeak of surprise as Iruka hauls him up over the shoulder and in milliseconds dashing off.
Sandaime laughed to himself as he disappears in a swirl of leaves leaving the school's faculty for something to clean.
Break:
Sandaime took a gulp of the hot coffee and smiles to himself as he completed the word 'fire' at the scrabble board. Tenpou responded back by adding a few letters under the letter F to form 'fighter.' The hokage cursed under his breath as he drank the rest of the coffee and made the cup vanish in a poof. Tenpou just landed another double score bonus.
"So…How is Itachi?" He asked as he placed the small squares at the board. Currently they are at the roof, sitting cross-legged and playing scrabble. Why? It's just… the view of haunting and piling documents at his office makes him reaaaaallllyyy uncomfortable.
Tenpou's eyes curved to a crescent and smiled as he placed a rather long and complex word. "Hmm…Itachi-dono is doing rather fine. I imagine though right now he is 'slightly' concerned for Naruto-sama's well being."
75 km south Itachi sneezed. He inwardly grumbled to himself as he moodily poked the fire with a stick. Kisame rolled his eyes.
Sandaime nodded his head up and down. "hai, hai. I imagine him to be so. Although slightly seems to be an understatement."
Tenpou chuckled.
"Hmm….Anyway, I have an inkling that you'll be looking for a job and a house to stay with?"
"Hai. I don't want to burden Naruto-sama the duty of supporting us both even though with his uncanny ability at the gambling house. I guess I could try working at the library or the hospital."
Tenpou lets out an embarrassed half smile. Suddenly the Third made a sound of triumph. He finally landed a triple score bonus. 'Hah. Take that.' The moment was brief though and he grimaced as the much younger man outdid him once more at the board.
"You seem to be a scholar of some sort. Have you tried working at an office?"
"I am well educated if that is what you mean and I do have the experience."
The third slightly bowed his head, hiding his manic expression behind his hat. "I see…How about if I offer you a position. I am scouting for a suitable secretary."
"Really Hokage-sama! That would be wonderful."
"Of course you would have to go through a bit of test to determine if you are really qualified for the job you see…" He trailed off.
"Of course. Of course. Yes I would take that test Hokage-sama. It is only fitting."
'Boom! Hook line and sinker. Hehe, you might outdo me at the board but this is my territory now.'
His eyes gleamed as he mentally rubs his hands in excitement. Little does he know that the other man lets out a slip of a sly smile before it was quickly replace by his normally kind one.
At the Academy:
Naruto clutched the brown haired chunnin's clothes as he shyly hid himself at the older man's back. He peeks out every now and then.
Iruka finished his introductions as he absent mindedly ruffled the boy's silky golden trails. "saa…Come now Naru-chan. Tell them your name." He pried off the boy's hold at his clothes and pushed him forward to the view of a bit red cooing girls and some similarly bit red boys.
Naruto stumbled forward and he lets out a pout at Iruka and a small shy laugh at the other children. He unconsciously scratches the back of his head as the color of pink dusted his whiskered cheeks. "A…ano…"
The girls let out a squeal and some of the boys controlled their urges to do so. The new comer is just too adorable for his own good.
The blush faded out of his cheeks, Naruto sweatdropped at the sight of the children who seem ready to pounce on him in any moment. Their eyes looking predatory, he mentally squirmed. 'Nooooo, they haven't even known me and already they want to attack me.' He inwardly cried at the image of teens his age ripping him to shreds like wild animals.'
If he only knew how far his thoughts are to the mark…or how close.
He studied the room and blinked. At least some people here aside from Iruka are normal. One boy caught his attention though. The person merely looks at him with curiosity but the owner's face remains blank. 'This I could deal with. It-chan wears that expression almost all the time. Wait a minute…now that I think about it, It-chan did say that he has a brother and that guy does look almost the same like It-chan. Eh, he even looks like his mini version of It-chan. Weird…'
He was roused out of his musings though at Iruka's reminding cough. 'Oh, yeah. I forgot Introductions.' His lips parted to a wide confident and cheeky grin. His eyes closed to crescents, "Hi, my name is Uzumaki Naruto. Pleased to meet you all."
…………………
Sasuke flicked a curious glance at the new comers. His gaze shifted from the chunin to the brightly clad boy hiding behind the man.
He heard his Sensei's introductory speech but paid it no heed as he made his observation from top to bottom. The boy has slightly long golden blond hair, short at front just brushing his ears yet the back is slightly longer and has a tail tied in a black band. His eyes are the most brilliant blue that you could see its colors from miles away, his skin is tan and smooth and there are whisker lines at each cheek, whether they are scars or something else he couldn't tell. He is wearing a long sleeved hoodie, the sleeves are the color of red, the body is orange and the hood is also red. Beneath the hoodie is a tight high neck black undershirt. He sports a pair of white gloves at his hands that seems to be dirtied and worn from use. He is also wearing blue denim short that stops just below his knees and the customary blue sandals. He even noted with slight amusement that the boy has small key chains of stuffed foxes hooked at the side of his shorts.
Sasuke's eyes trailed back up to the blond boy's eyes; clearly it was one of the boy's best features. There seem to be the depth in them that few posses and hidden knowledge. The other thing is the boy's aura. It reeks of innocence.
He heard the silent whispers around him, he saw their faces and reactions and his brows slightly furrowed in thought before it was gone. He admits the boy is quite endearing May it be from his aura or the features but he was just another face. Also it was those things that make the boy's chosen profession more dangerous than the rest.
He didn't miss the passing of an emotion in those eyes before it was gone. All in all that strengthens his judgment.
'His emotions is easily read, he practically wears his heart at his sleeves. And his aura…It would be his most probable downfall…Innocence is bliss but it also makes you stupid, naivety and obliviousness are just as the same when the three could kill you someday but his eyes…there is something akin to alien intelligence in them that I just could not understand'
Their gazes met for a moment and it's like he was drowning, helplessly falling at the oceans of blue. It seems like hours but in reality just mere seconds before the blond boy turned away.
Sasuke felt his lids fall shut as he let's go of the breath he unconsciously held. The look of familiarity at the blond and twinkle of amusement passed those eyes burned deep in his head.
………………
"Ne shikamaru…" Chouji took a handful of chips and shoved it in his mouth. "Why are those women flocking around him and makes those noises?"
He and his pineapple head friend are watching an uncomfortable and occasionally blushing Naruto at the middle of a circle of ladies.
The class is having a brief break; the exams would begin a few minutes later.
"They're attracted to him." Shikamaru answered simply.
"But they don't normally act like that around Sasuke. Most of the time they are drooling when they fight over him."
Shikamaru yawned and leaned back, "They're different. It's all about the features and aura." He drawled out lazily.
"I don't really get it shika."
Shikamaru's forehead creased in thought, "How should I explain this?...you remember the things Ino said about Sasuke right? That bastard has mysterious, dark, silent and cool air around him; his presence is also the type that demands authority and he has his confidence as well as the pride. Women are drawn at those kinds of qualities. Also he being an Uchiha also helps."
He scratched his chin. He sighed and mentally prepares himself for a long explanation. 'How troublesome.'
He continued. "While Naruto's case is different. His aura is welcoming, open, warm and friendly. While the air around Sasuke demands obedience, Naruto brings people at ease and compliant with his wishes. He could rob you your soul and you would be just as happy to give it even after then you would still follow him like a loyal dog. He has this charisma and confidence as well the right amount of humbleness that draws people like a moth to a flame.
Like Ino said before, with Sasuke the first word that would pass unto their brain is hot. On Naruto is cute. Sasuke's features is the type that makes drool with awe. He is the type that sends people in heat and start humping like dogs. He is the type of person that people fights for attention.
Naruto on the other hand is the kind that you give homemade baked cookies to. The type that makes others pinch his cheeks until it hurts and hugs him till the oxygen in his lungs runs dry. The air of innocence and naivety makes them coo and make those stupid sounds at his sheer adorableness. He is the type that makes people want to always stay with."
Chouji slowly nods his head in understanding. "Ahh…I see." His attention was drawn back at the front when Iruka came back in the classroom.
Shikamaru meanwhile was watching the two boys he and Chouji had been talking about earlier. Though his face remains black since he is too lazy to make his face muscles move, a small twinkle of amusement showed at his eyes.
The two opposites are ironically sitting beside each other and neither made any sign of acknowledging each other's presence.
He wouldn't have minded if Chouji caught that look of amusement of his, Chouji had long accepted the way he is.
While he may be physically lazy and finds many things too troublesome, his is mentally hyper active. Always thinking, always observing. Like playing with go or shougi, he is always analyzing, always trying to predict the next movement.
Unraveling people and stripping them of from their guards is like a game, it so satisfying that even though he hadn't directly met the person, he already knows the person in question inside out. How the person will react, think, move, and feels; it was an enjoyment at poking at someone's psyche.
And when he thinks too much or has gotten the cases of a migraine, he would lie down at a grassy field and watch the clouds, simultaneously clearing and putting his thoughts in order.
"Norihiko Hibino…" Iruka's voice called in the background as he continued at his musings.
He wondered would he have become a psychiatrist if he hadn't taken the path of a shinobi?
"Yokuhiro Akatsui…"
Maybe he would have been a scholar or a philosopher. Certainly those professions aren't so physically taxing.
"Akamichi Chouji…"
He snaps out of his ponderings at the call of his best friend's name. He looked at his big boned friend and he wasn't surprised at the least that he finds the boy nervous.
He mustered up just enough energy to give the boy a lazy encouraging smile. "It would be a piece of cake for you chouji."
The boy somewhat calmed at his words and answered him a smile of his own before heading at front.
Shikamaru watched uninterested as the big boy went through each test. He has the utmost confidence of Chouji's skills. He has more confidence in the other boy's prowess and abilities than the said boy himself because he knew chouji like the back of his hand.
He like Chouji. He is so simple minded and easy to read that's it eases his mind. The boy's understanding and accepting nature is refreshing and a rarity at the present society where it's made out of many social barriers and discrimination.
Chouji doesn't criticize and what was more, he and Chouji's views are the same.
They are both realist and accepting.
They are both the type of people that believe what they see and take it as it is.
"Nara Shikamaru…"
Shikamaru groaned and stood up in a painstakingly slow manner. "How troublesome…"
He doesn't like moving much for it exerts effort. And god knows how he hates exerting effort.
He slapped his best friend's back and smiled his usual lazy smile of his when he passed Chouji. "Told you it was easy."
"Thanks Shikamaru. Do your best."
Shikamaru shrugged and continued walking without much of a backward glance.
……………
Tenpou finished signing the last of the papers and placed it neatly among the other documents. He leaned back at the seat of his chair and sighed pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Who knew that the seat of the hokage has this much paperwork."
He stretched his arms and yawned. He chuckled and shook his head.
"Naruto-sama doesn't know what he's getting into. Now….what to do...? The Hokage wont' be here until later, what to do?"
His pen tapping at the table, Tenpou's eyes roamed the room till it paused at the stack of scrolls at the corner.
He smiled to himself.
………………….
Sandaime skipped two steps each at the stairs as he hummed happily. He chuckled at his brilliance to leave his documents for the younger man to work to. His chuckle turned to laughter as he mentally pictured Tenpou frantic at the nearing time and drowned by all those paperwork.
The employees he met looked at him weirdly, some smiled knowingly he merely cast them a happy wave and continued towards his office.
He already made his speech composed of say, 'oh you weren't able to finish then, I'm sorry but I cannot accept you as my secretary but I do have a job opening at my finance division.'
He rubbed his hands excited and opened the door fully prepared to see a messy room with papers flying at the air and a frustrated looking Tenpou. What he saw made his jaw dropped though.
Tenpou is standing by window calmly taking a smoke.
'He smokes? He doesn't seem to be the character to do so. Oh well, to each his own.'
The scrolls are properly stacked at the side as well as the documents. Everything seems orderly and …finished.
'Impossible.'
Tenpou turned at the sound of the door and looked quite surprised. "Oh hokage-sama, you're back. I hope that you find my efforts satisfactory." He gestured at the now clean room.
Sandaime's mouth snapped shut. "You…you finished all of those paperwork?" He asked in a small and awed tone.
"It is what you have asked me is it not?"
The third coughed and brought back his posture. "Right. Then you pass. I will expect your arrival at the office at 0600 everyday. Congratulations."
Tenpou nodded and smiled. He crushed the finished cigar at the ashtray placed on the table.
"Arigato Hokage-sama. May I inquire of Naruto-sama's abode so that I could properly settle things there before I pick him up?"
"Yes, yes of course. It's in the third floor of the apartment near at the middle of the village."
The younger man nodded.
"Oh and Tenpou-san. I would advice you not to smoke in front of Naruto."
Tenpou suddenly laughed. "Of course, of course. I wouldn't even try. Itachi-dono would literally kill me if my bad habits rub off at the young master. Anyway, good day to you Hokage-sama."
"Good day."
Tenpou bowed and left the room by the door.
Sandaime chuckled to himself as he pulled his pipe off his robes and lighted it with a spark of chakra. He stood by the window and watches the small form of Tenpou weaving through the crowd.
'You always do have a good judge of character Itachi. Such a polite and kind young man.'
His eyes closed to crescents. 'AND so useful to my office.'
Ooooooooo00000000ooooooooooooo
A/n: So sorry for not updating for such a looooooooooooonnnnnggg time.(hmm…not really.)And I must admit myself that this chapter's ending is quite sucky and short but….(shrugs)
That's the way things are my readers. Let's just say that I'm constantly swayed by my lazy ass inner demon.
Well, See you at the next update minna. Try not to be too disappointed or whatever. It might make me feel bad. (snickers)