Chapter Ten

After submitting their mission report and the scroll of contraband to the Hokage and receiving their payment, Lord Hiruzen was gracious enough to grant the group a few days off to recuperate after such an escalation in their mission. To Aoba's delight, they were told that their work during this mission would elevate them to entirely C-rank missions until Ken could get a promotion, and most of them would be local due to Ken's custody of Naruto.

Naruto, rather predictably, had been overjoyed at Ken's return and begged to hear the mission details. Ken had barely been able to avoid telling under the admittedly flimsy and not entirely truthful justification that it was classified mission information. He'd compensated Iruka for any expenses and gave his thanks again, which the instructor accepted gracefully.

Team TAK decided to take their first day off completely off, doing whatever they did to relax and joining up for training the next day. Ken had taken this day, naturally, to get back into Naruto's training. He'd smiled with genuine pride during their hand-to-hand spar at how well the kid was coming along. Granted, he wasn't yet much better than any second-year Academy student, but he was learning quickly.

The next day, when Naruto was back in the Academy, Ken met up with the rest of the team for training — this time with a twist. Aoba had Ken make a number of shadow clones for him to spar with, wanting to acclimate himself to fighting multiple opponents alone after his experience on the escort mission. That left Ken to spar with Tomoko, a fact that she was happy to use to her advantage.

"Random question," she said while blocking one of his katas, "but do you actually know anyone in the village?"

Ken's stance faltered at the suddenness of the inquiry and he took a bruising shot to the chest. He looked up as he rubbed the point of contact and tried to get himself back into a fighting mindset. "What brought that up?"

"I'm guessing that's a 'no', then," Tomoko teased.

"It's not a 'no'," Ken shot back. "I know you and Aoba, I know Iruka from the Academy, I know … um ..." he struggled for a bit to come up with another name, "... the Lord Hokage …?"

Tomoko laughed at that. "Uncle doesn't count, he's your commanding officer. Heck, he's my family and I barely know the man personally. Oh sure, I love him as part of the family and he's always supporting the clan and its members — he makes it a point to help each and every one of us find a skill we excel at and train us in it — but he's not exactly a close relative."

Ken sighed as he lightly jumped over a sweep kick and blocked Tomoko's follow-up lunge. "Fine, so I don't know anyone else yet. But come on, cut me some slack. I haven't even been in this village for a full month and I've got my hands full with missions and Naruto. Raising and training the next generation of my clan isn't easy, you know." Ken took advantage of Tomoko very slightly overextending and swept her into an armlock until she tapped out.

"Well, maybe you'd have more luck if you took some time to, I don't know, try and meet people," she pointed out.

Ken scoffed and stretched a bit. "Like I said, I'm too busy," he deflected. "Besides, it's not like I've got a group of people lining up to meet a foreigner."

Tomoko pursed her lips as she thought about that … then she had an idea. "Well, maybe you've got a point there. But you have me."

Ken blinked at her words. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that we've been a team for as long as you've been here and we hardly know each other. Maybe it's time you took the chance to make an actual friend in the village."

Ken's expression turned a bit bemused. "Is this your way of asking to be friends?" he asked.

"Yes," she grinned. "Yes it is."

Ken chuckled as he seriously thought it over. He'd never really had a friend before, what with moving every few months and having to keep his heritage a secret. In retrospect, maybe that was what made it so easy to slip into the role of single-minded caretaker that allowed him to avoid it. But Tomoko had a point — he was a part of a shinobi village now, which meant he couldn't just sequester himself away.

It was time for a change.

"I suppose I could do worse for a first friend," he admitted.

"Oh, well thank you," Tomoko said with an eye roll. "Your confidence is overwhelming." She glanced at the sky to gauge the time. "And one of the best ways to nurture new friendships is a shared meal, so let's go."

Ken stared at her. "What?"

"Aoba! We're taking a lunch break, we'll be back in an hour!"

"Fine, but I need a new batch of clones before you go!" he shouted back as he dispelled the last of Ken's dopplegangers. Ken shook his head and created a small army of staggered clones that should keep him busy for a while. What he didn't notice among the chain of smoke clouds was an extra made by Tomoko. She and her clone traded a nod and it ran off for parts only they could know.

"So, what're you in the mood for?" she asked brightly.

Ken bit back an instinctive reply of "ramen". While he loved the stuff — a clan-wide trait if his grandfather was to be believed — he knew it wasn't the best for you. And he was doubly aware that he'd probably exhaust his teammates over it eventually, so best to start off with something else.

"You know the village far better than I do," he pointed out. "What would you recommend?"

Tomoko hid a triumphant smile and gestured for him to follow. Several minutes of walking led them to an open-air restaurant she claimed to enjoy. Before they could approach the hostess for a table, someone tapped her shoulder. Tomoko smiled at the sight of a familiar face: her cousin Kazan who had recently been promoted to jonin.

"Hey, Cuz!" Tomoko greeted, hugging his neck. "Thanks for doing this," she whispered into his ear. He patted the back of her head in reply and pulled away.

"So what's my secretly favorite cousin doing around these parts?" Kazan asked.

"Having lunch with my new friend," she replied, gesturing at Ken. Kazan smiled and held out his hand.

"Kazan Sarutobi," he introduced himself. "You must be the redheaded seal master Koko talks about." Ken's smile and introduction were a bit strained as he shook the hand, his genuine pleasure at meeting one of Tomoko's family warring with the suddenness of his appearance. "You know, my group has a few open seats if you guys want to join us. The food here is great, but the wait can be a pain."

"I know, right?" Tomoko said, a bit over-the-top. "We'd love to join you guys, right Ken?" Ken opened his mouth to answer, but she didn't wait for it. "We'd love to! Lead the way."

Kazan led them to a large table and gestured for them to take seats among about twelve other people that she apparently knew. "Well what a surprise to find so many friends here~" Tomoko said with a grin far too wide to be genuine. "Everyone, this is my new teammate, Ken Uzumaki. Ken, this is-"

Ken could barely hear any of the names of people he was shaking hands with over the pounding in his ears. He felt his hands getting clammy and his underarms getting wet as his breathing grew quicker.

"Uh, Koko, is your new friend alright?" Kazan whispered to her.

"Sure, why?" she asked.

"Because he's running away," he answered, pointing to Ken's shrinking silhouette that could only be seen because of his vibrant hair. Tomoko was stunned for a few moments before she could reply.

"I think I made a mistake," she admitted.

Ken was in a full-blown panic by the time he reached the closest thing he had to a haven in this village: his and Naruto's assigned house near the Sarutobi compound. He fumbled with the lock and only disengaged the protective seals through sheer habit before rushing through the door and slamming it shut. He bolted for the restroom, his clothes hitting the floor as he ran, and forced the water in the shower as hot as it would go before hopping in.

Only when the searing water was cascading down his head and back did he feel himself slowly calming down, the panic attack passing. His breathing began to settle and the cold sweat was sleuced away by hot water, leaving his mind much clearer. His reddened skin became due to the heat rather than adrenaline and, finally, the trembling slowed down.

Ken sighed as the last vestiges of the episode were washed like the sweat down the drain. And with a clearer head, he began to consider exactly how he had gotten into this mess.

He didn't blame Tomoko for this — there was no way she could have known about his … condition. His first instinct was to berate himself for such weakness, but his grandfather's deep and steady voice echoed in his ear, soothing him and reminding him that such things were not a sign of weakness … especially when they affected the vast majority of shinobi in one way or another, at one time or another.

He'd just have to be more prepared next time.

After what had to have been nearly an hour, Ken turned off the water and stepped out to dry himself off, wrapping a towel around his waist and tying his hair in a damp tail. He wiped the condensation off of the mirror and groaned at his bloodshot eyes that made him look like he'd been crying. And he probably had been at one point or another. He shook the thought off and prepared himself to redress, leaving the bathroom with thoughts of apology to his teammate in his head.

Thoughts that were brought to a screeching halt by a very feminine voice in his home.

"Long shower type?" Tomoko asked from the living room's armchair. Ken yelped and secured his towel with both hands, his face rapidly returning to the color of his hair. "Oh, relax," she chuckled, "my clan compound has its own onsen — I've seen guys in towels since I was, like, four."

Ken relaxed a bit, mentally scolding himself for not at least locking the door, but the blush remained to stain his cheeks. "I'm going to get dressed," he deadpanned and made for his room. As he walked by, Tomoko made note of the huge sealing array tattooed in the center of his upper back and shoulder blades, patterned in swirls of formulae surrounded by loops of chains.

When Ken returned a few minutes later, he was dressed in his standard grey hooded shirt and russet cargo pants, the Uzumaki swirl proudly displayed on his left breast and back. He sat and started to lace up his boots.

"Sorry I skipped out on lunch, but I'll deal with it. Maybe send a shadow clone to fetch a quick bite." He finished up and began to stand, but Tomoko appeared in front of him and gently pressed him into the vacated armchair.

"What are you doing?" Ken asked, even though he had a sneaking suspicion of what was coming next.

"No training until we talk about this," Tomoko said, confirming his suspicion.

"What's there to talk about?" he asked with gritted teeth, hoping beyond hope that she would take the hint and just let it go.

"Well, we could start with why you ran off in the middle of lunch for an hour-long shower," she said sternly. "Or we could discuss the fact that you left an important piece of medical information from your team when it could have come up to screw with a mission."

Ken clenched his fist as he tried to keep his temper, a trait famed among his family and hair color, under control. "Who said anything about medical information?" he asked.

"I did," Tomoko said sharply. "Because what happened looked very much to me like a panic attack." She folded her arms. "And panic attacks are a medical condition, one that can interfere with missions."

"It wouldn't have come to that," Ken said. "If it could have, I would have informed Lord Hokage and not taken missions until it was under control. But missions would not cause an episode, at least not standard missions."

"And you're certain of that?" Tomoko shot back. "And besides that point, it still would have been a good idea to tell us. When my cousin pointed out that you'd run away, I was scared to death. I only calmed down when I got here and realized you were okay." She padded to the couch and sat with her legs crossed. "So, what's the problem?"

Deep down, Ken knew he was being an idiot. So, with much effort, he decided to just get this over with.

"I have a mild form of social anxiety disorder," he admitted. He let out a pent up breath and dragged his hand down his face before continuing. "I was raised entirely by my grandfather, who I might add was as paranoid as they come without being institutional. In Uzushio ANBU, he was known as 'Kenan the Prepper' because of his penchant for bringing everything he could think of on every mission.

"After the Fall, Grandfather was incredibly careful with who he interacted with, always wondering who might either turn us over to the countries that invaded or try and take us themselves to experiment with our unique abilities. Not to mention he was an Uzushio seal master with a plethora of invaluable knowledge. As I grew up, he was clear on the fact that I had to be just as careful since I couldn't defend myself yet.

"He relaxed a bit as I grew up, but by then the damage had been done. I only realized it in hindsight, but all of the fear had made me terrified of meeting new people. Grandfather realized what he had done when I was thirteen and did his best to help me get over most of it, but …" 'Then he got sick,' Ken finished silently.

"You said 'most of it'," Tomoko pointed out. "What does that mean?"

"I'm fine with meeting people in small groups and moving through small crowds, like in the village," Ken clarified. "My entrance examination and meeting you guys was fine because there weren't too many people all at once. Plus I had to get through it to join the Shinobi Corp." Ken swallowed thickly, his pulse starting to kick up. "But in really large, packed crowds, like at Tunzaka Town, or when I'm meeting lots of new people at once, I …"

Ken trailed off as the faintest vestiges of panic began to swell at the thought of earlier. A few deep breaths brought his calm back, but it still made him feel like … less of a complete person.

"I'm sorry," Tomoko said faintly. Ken's eyes shot open and he looked up at her in surprise.

"You're sorry? Why?"

Tomoko groaned and held her face in her hands. "My cousins and all those people weren't there by chance. I set that up hoping I could introduce you to people, just have you jump right into sociality." She dropped her hands and rubbed her upper arm with the Sarutobi crest on it. "I guess it never occurred to me that it could go so wrong."

Ken winced, guilt rising up. "Well, you're not wrong there. But you're also right that I should have been more honest. I- I'll work on that from now on. But, well, almost twenty years of habit and mental blocks doesn't break overnight."

Tomoko smiled. "As long as you're open from now on, we'll handle the rest one step at a time." She stood up and tapped her finger against her chin. "Though I'm not giving up on expanding your social circle. How'd you like to bring Naruto to the festival for his birthday?" She started for the door. "I'm sure he'd enjoy that."

Ken shot up from his seat, his face pale as a sheet. "Birthday? Wait, what festival?"

Tomoko glanced at him blankly before a bemused smile curled her lips. "The festival that celebrates the defeat of the Nine-Tails by the Fourth Hokage. I have a feeling the kid's never gone, since people would just chase him off if he did." Her expression darkened a bit. "Oh man, I wonder if he's ever had a decent birthday?"

Ken palmed his forehead at the last part. "I completely forgot about that. What day is it now?"

"The eighth," Tomoko cringed, trying in vain to salvage it into a smile.

"Sweet Son of the Sage! I only have one day to prepare!" Ken lunged for a packet of ruined sealing tags and began writing things down. "Um, okay. I need a cake, uh, presents, candles, streamers maybe, um, uh, oh presents, wait I said that already-"

"Ken!" Tomoko slapped him in the back of the head, drawing a flash of reflexive anger. "Sorry, but you need to calm down."

"Calm down?!" he cried. "My little cousin's first birthday with family is about to be ruined and you want me to-!"

"CALM DOWN!" Tomoko roared. Ken shut his mouth, mostly in surprise at hearing her raise her voice, and also a little bit of intimidation. "Look, I doubt you need most of that stuff. I'm sure Naruto will be fine with a small celebration, a cake, and presents. I know a good baker who caters for parties for ninja kids, he'll be able to whip up a good cake."

"But that still leaves the presents," Ken noted morosely, looking down at his paltry party list.

"I can help with that," she said brightly. "Like I said before, I have a younger brother. And I have an idea about what your cousin would like."

Aoba panted heavily as the last of Ken's shadow clones backed off. As per his request, they had been fighting very defensively to help keep them longer. Impressively, all of them had been preserved as they took turns and avoided any excessive damage that would have dispelled them.

"I think that's enough," Aoba said, bowing at the waist to them. "And for the original, I give my thanks."

"Are you always this formal?" one clone asked, drawing chuckles and snickers from the rest.

"Well forgive me for trying something out," Aoba smirked. With a wave of shrugs that made the group seem a little psychedelic, they all dispersed at once. Aoba rolled his eyes behind his shades and turned to address his teammates … only to find them all gone. He glanced at the sun to find it well over an hour since they'd gone to lunch, the thought of which made his stomach growl.

"Okay then, I guess training's over for today," he said dully.

"Thanks for doing this, Tomoko," Ken said, a few packages in his hands as the duo walked down one of Konoha's streets.

"Like I said, it's no problem. Besides, it's what friends are for, right?" she asked.

Ken couldn't help but smile at that. "What friends are-" Ken's eyes suddenly rolled up into his head and he collapsed in the middle of the street. Tomoko gasped and rolled him over onto his back.

"Ken?! Ken! Hello?" Thinking quickly, she slapped him across the face. She hadn't really expected a response, but the pain brought him up into a sitting position, his eyes wild.

"Where am I?" he shouted. Then his eyebrows furrowed and he brought a hand to his cheek. "And why does my face hurt?"

"You collapsed in the middle of the street," Tomoko explained, loudly, hauling him up to his feet. "Is this another little 'condition' you neglected to mention?"

Ken rubbed his head as he sorted through the barrage of memories from his clones. "Nope. Aoba just finished up and all of my clones dispelled at once. And all of those memories came at me at once. I just … needed a second." He scooped up the discarded gifts and they continued down the street.

As they continued their walk back to his house, and then back to the Sarutobi compound for Tomoko, Ken still couldn't shake the idea of a birthday party for Naruto. From what he knew of Naruto's life so far, he couldn't help but think that Tomoko's musings from before were right on the ryo. He had probably never had a birthday party before.

True, Ken wasn't much better — his birthdays had mostly been small celebrations with his grandfather, his favorite food, and a few modest gifts. Given his childhood, that kind of celebration had been all he really needed. But Naruto deserved more than that — partly to make up for all of his terrible birthdays up until now, and because this would set the standard for every birthday to come.

As he turned this problem over in his mind, Ken smiled as an idea emerged. He picked up the pace, eager to hide these gifts and get to that Academy. Classes would be letting out soon, and he had a teacher to ask a few questions.

Chapter ten; this story has hit double digits! As of now, the story has: 9,505 views, 166 followers, 108 favorites, and 27 reviews. Glad its gotten so much attention.

*I like the idea of Hiruzen taking a personal interest in each of his clansmen. I figure that, as the Hokage, he can't show outright favoritism - but he makes a point to support his clan when it is fair to do so. So he teaches.

*Ken's staggered army" of clones is probably in the fifties, and only because 1) He staggered them and retained 50% of his base chakra, 2) they're working on taijutsu, not ninjutsu - and so don't need much chakra to begin with.

*Kazan is based on one of the Sarutobi in the Alliance Technique who breathed fire to dry the quicklime that would immobilize the Ten-Tails. He's third from the right, with the sideburns and big nose. His name means "volcano" and is relevant to his fighting style (which, NO, is not Lava Release!)

Hope you all enjoyed! The party will come up either next time or the time after. Leave a review if you liked it; over 9,000 views and only 27 REviews? That's less than one review for each 350 views ...! Anyway, enough ranting - hehehehe. May your inspiration flow freely!