~A fanfare of trumpets sounds as a rustling is heard before a figure dressed in black with a pair of white gloves appears in a massive shower of confetti. The figure pauses to inspect the mess before shrugging~ I am sure somebody will clean that up.
"Hello, hello, everyone, and welcome to another chapter of my first ever Naruto story. First, let me start by thanking all of you who have taken the time to private message me about the story, both for your interest and valid concerns. I'm sorry for the long wait. I could have sworn that I had posted this chapter a few weeks ago, but I guess I never did. I've been busy with life and working on the stories I write under other aliases. Let me assure you all that I have not given up on this story and will, I repeat, WILL be continuing it.
Third, let me stress that Naruto will not automatically become some godlike shinobi because he has the Sharingan. That is one of the reasons I chose the Sharingan rather than some of the other bloodline limits available in the Naruto universe. While I love the creativity of the bloodlines, I feel that many of them are hyped-up or overpowered, making the wielders either invincible or close to it. I know some were hoping to see chakra chains, Mokuton, and others, and I may consider that for other stories or members of Naruto's harem, but for now, I intend to stick with the Sharingan because while it is powerful, I feel it is not overly powerful, so much as it is coveted and efficient in combat. It also has several obvious drawbacks and weaknesses that will prevent wielders from becoming godlike, which is a plus for me. We are about to begin Naruto's development as a shinobi in this chapter, and keep in mind that he has not even started the academy yet. So right now, he does not even qualify as a rookie at the academy.
Finally, let me conclude by saying that I welcome all opinions, tips, ideas, and criticisms of my story as they help me improve my fledgling writing technique. With all that said, we move on to our featured presentation."
Chapter 3:
Hokage Tower
Standing in front of a full-length mirror, he scrutinized his outfit, checking to see that there were no flaws or wrinkles. He was dressed in his favorite orange and blue jumpsuit with a pair of super awesome shinobi sandals on his feet. Over his jumpsuit, he wore the traditional Hokage robe with a customized orange fringe instead of the standard red. His blonde hair looked as it usually did, yet somehow seemed more impressive than usual, in his opinion. Perhaps it was fate finally rooting for him. His whisker marks made him look even more distinguished now. Yes. Today was the big day. The most important day of his life and the day that he had worked so hard for, for so many years now. His dream had finally come true, and he did not want anything to go wrong. Turning towards the doors at the edge of the room that led out to a balcony overlooking a vast square below that surrounded the Hokage Tower, he took a deep breath and stepped out.
Crowds were filling the square as far as the eye could see. They were cheering, cheering for him. They finally accepted and acknowledged him. The village finally accepted him. This was his village, his home. The crowds finally quieted down, seeing him emerge as the third appeared beside him, beaming from ear to ear with grandfatherly pride. "Well done, Naruto. You've finally proved yourself worthy of wearing this hat," he said, removing the iconic hat he had worn for so long from his own head and placing it squarely onto Naruto's own head to the thunderous applause of the crowd. Then, from somewhere he did not know where, Teuchi-jiji and Ayame-neechan appeared, dragging a massive bowl of his favorite ramen behind them. The bowl was the size of a small lake, and ordinarily, he might have wondered how they had gotten it here, but their following words ultimately pushed the thought from his mind as he felt an overwhelming sense of joy.
"Congratulations on becoming Hokage, my boy," Teuchi-san said. "Just for that, we're going to give you a lifetime supply of your favorite ramen, all for free."
"Oh, Naruto! I knew you could do it. I'm so proud of you." Ayame-neechan squealed, hugging him tightly. "I don't believe it. This is happening. It's really, really happening to me." So, Naruto thought, grinning wider than ever as he approached the ramen, they had prepared for him, about to dive headfirst into the bowl while the crowd below resumed cheering his name.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
He paused mid-step, just feet away from the delicious rameny goodness, as he looked around, confused. "Where is that beeping coming from?" He wondered before taking another step toward the bowl. Then, suddenly, the world became blurry all around him, and he started to panic as his dream twisted and faded before his eyes.
Naruto's Apartment, Early Morning.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Naruto groaned as his alarm clock went off, waking him up in the middle of his best dream to date. Damn! He had been so close to that ramen that he could almost taste it this time. This dream was a common dream for him of late. Being declared Hokage and given his life's greatest wish. A never-ending supply of his favorite food and Kami's ultimate gift to mortals. However, the dream had never progressed this far before, and for a moment, he wanted to curl up into a ball and weep at the unfairness of it all. He had been about to dive into the most enormous bowl of his favorite pork ramen that he had ever seen when reality had the nerve to intrude upon his dreams and rouse him from sleep. Sighing, he reached over to the clock, giving the off button a rather forceful poke out of spite. There was a creak of protest from the aged plastic device, and he sighed. Like most of Naruto's appliances, the clock was old and battered. Naruto had found it while scavenging in the dump. Someone had tossed it out, and Naruto had brought it home and fixed it up.
Sitting up in bed, Naruto grumbled a bit as he threw back the bedcovers and climbed out of bed. Dressed in a pair of pinstriped pajamas with a nightcap on his head, he walked blearily towards the bathroom down the hall to perform his morning routine. Looking at himself in the mirror, he sighed and turned on the faucet, splashing some cool water on his face before undressing and making his way over to the shower. He turned on the water and climbed inside. By now, he no longer needed to brace himself for the sudden burst of cold. Shortly after he moved into the building, everyone else moved out, including the landlord. One of the miserable old woman's last spiteful acts had been to permanently sabotage all the hot water heaters before departing. A bit of pettiness on the old woman's part to put the "demon child" in his place. The lack of proper maintenance of the building had seen the end of most of the remaining luxuries that people took for granted, including heating and air conditioning. In the summer, he sweltered, and in the winter, he froze.
After finishing his morning ablutions, Naruto wandered into the kitchen to make himself something to eat. Walking to a cabinet, Naruto was tempted to take out a cup of his favorite instant noodles when he was reminded of his promise both to the Hokage and his tenant that he would eat better. Deciding that he would fix himself something more fulfilling to eat, he took a carton of eggs and a few slices of cheese from the fridge and a skillet from the cabinet. He set it on the stove and began to cook breakfast. He planned on eating a cheese omelet for breakfast, one of the few things he had always wanted to learn to cook. As the eggs cooked in the skillet, Naruto popped a couple of slices of bread into the toaster before turning to the fridge to take out a carton of orange juice. He had just taken a glass from the cabinet next to the stove when the battered old smoke alarm went off, and he panicked, turning back to the stove. A plume of black smoke was coming from the now burnt omelet in the skillet as he quickly removed it from the burner. Confused about what had happened, it took him a moment to realize his mistake. "Oh, right. I was supposed to add oil to the skillet before cooking the eggs, wasn't I?"
Naruto sighed and scraped the ruined eggs into the trash can before turning to his now cold toast. "Looks like my first attempt at cooking a real breakfast didn't work out so well. This cooking thing is going to take some time getting used to," Naruto thought to himself as he ate his toast before downing the glass of juice. He placed his dishes in the sink and set about washing them quickly before deciding to get a move on. "This was a fine start to the day. Something tells me that this is going to be one of those days…, again. Oh well. Suppose I might as well start my training today. If I'm going to become a strong ninja, I have to start somewhere."
"That's the spirit, brat. A good positive attitude is always good for training." A voice spoke in his head, and Naruto froze up, shocked and confused, before hearing a sinister chuckle in his head. "Relax, brat. It's only me." The now slightly more familiar voice spoke up, reassuring Naruto the voice had been real and not just in his head, or actually, it was in his head but still real. "Kurama? Is that you? Oh, thank Kami-sama. For a moment, I thought I was going crazy or something. Anyway, how is it I can hear you like this? What's going on? Why didn't I ever hear you before now?"
A deeply put-upon sigh sounded somewhere in his head before Kurama spoke again. "You're not crazy, brat. Well, no more than usual, at any rate, when one considers your willing choice of attire. As for how you're able to hear me like this, I believe it has something to do with the seal keeping me inside you. In addition to granting you my chakra, somehow, it allows us to communicate." The Kyuubi responded to his query.
"Oh, I see. Still, that doesn't explain why I can hear you now when I couldn't ever hear you before." Naruto responded, still somewhat confused by the situation.
"I can only assume that it has something to do with the exposure to so much of my Youkai after your recent near-death experience. It must have activated something in the seal that wasn't there before." The Kyuubi said in a ponderous tone, as though he weren't entirely certain himself. "I wonder if this is going to be a good thing," The Kyuubi continued to muse. "Are you saying I'm not good enough to converse with you, Fox?" Naruto thought back with a scowl. "Eh, I could take it or leave it, preferably leave it. I much prefer solitude to listening to a human brat whine." The Fox said snidely. "Hey! Listen here, you overgrown fleabag, I do not whine." Naruto thought with a glare on his face. "Tch, whatever you say, brat. Anyway, time to get started on your new workout routine then." The Kyuubi said in a tone of voice that Naruto was beginning to suspect the Kyuubi used when he was plotting some particularly unpleasant prank.
"Just what exactly will I be doing on this workout of yours?" Naruto asked with growing unease. The Fox snickered before speaking. "To start with, you will be doing a five-mile run, followed by 150 sit-ups, 150 crunches, and 150 pushups. You'll also spend two hours a day meditating." The Fox said with a smug grin at Naruto's shocked face. Are you crazy? You want me to do all that work every day?" Naruto asked with a pout. "Just to start off with, brat. We'll increase the numbers each week." The Fox replied, taking pleasure at the blonde's growing despair. "But that's not fair. I'm just a kid, you miserable old Fox." Naruto growled at the Kyuubi. "Hey, do you wanna be Hokage one day and prove yourself to these miserable humans or not, you little brat?" At Naruto's nodding, the Fox continued. "Then to do that, you're going to have to train hard, every day. No slacking off, no excuses. It takes hours of hard work day after day. There are no shortcuts to success. Don't forget, boy, so long as I'm sealed into you, you represent me, and I'll not be considered weak." The Kyuubi stated. "I guess so. At least it's only in the mornings then." Naruto said with some relief. "Only the mornings? Brat, I have other aspects of your training plan for the rest of the day."
Naruto gulped as he listened to the Kyuubi before asking a question he dreaded the answer to. "Exactly what aspects of my training will you have me working on then?" "There's more to being a shinobi than brawn. You also need brains. And right now, you're pretty clueless about everything." The Kyuubi stated. "Hey, that's not fair. I do to know things. Lots of things in fact." Naruto snapped back angrily. "Oh really? So, I suppose you know about things like strategy, tactics, ninjutsu, taijutsu, fuinjutsu, and genjutsu, then? There are many different types of each and learning about many different techniques is vital to becoming a powerful shinobi. And that's not all. You'll also need to work on things like chakra control, practicing wielding and defending against various weapons, and to learn to face off against many types of opponents. Not everyone you face will be cut from the same cloth." The Kyuubi replied.
"How in Kami's name am I supposed to learn all of that?" Naruto asked, shocked. "Don't worry. I can help teach you many things; others you will have to practice on your own. It wouldn't hurt to visit the ninja section of the library. Who knows? Maybe you'll find something there that can help you." The Fox replied, making Naruto feel somewhat better about things. "That all sounds great, but how exactly am I supposed to get in there? The batty old librarian won't let me into the library." Naruto complained. "If you can't get in through the proper channels, then you'll have to sneak inside, brat. It'll be a good test of stealth skills." The Fox said without a care. "Fine, fine. I guess I could try that. But how are you going to help me learn all the rest of this stuff you say I need to know?" Naruto asked the Fox, feeling a little overwhelmed by everything so far. "At night, while you are sleeping, I will reach out to you and bring you into your mindscape. There we can train your mind, and during the day, we will train your body. A strong body and keen mind are the ultimate keys to power and success. Of course, you'll have to practice most of it while you're awake." The Kyuubi stated. "You can really do that? That's awesome. With that, I can become stronger twice as fast. You know, for a giant homicidal fleabag fox, you're alright. Thanks." Naruto said, feeling the need to get back at the Kyuubi just a bit for the training regimen he would soon be undertaking.
"Oh, trust me, brat. The pleasure is all mine. I'm going to enjoy this a lot." The Kyuubi said with a growing malevolence. "And for your information, I do not have fleas." The Fox added as an afterthought. Naruto snorted before quipping back. "Oh, please. You live in a sewer. Kami only knows what you've been exposed to by now." The pair bickered back and forth for a few minutes while Naruto went about getting dressed for the day. The Hokage had persuaded him to consider a new wardrobe, and while he was still keen on his orange jumpsuits, he had to admit that the new clothes that he had bought did look pretty badass on him. Naruto thought back to the day before, recalling one of the first positive experiences that he had ever had in a store. He couldn't help but smile. He had made what he hoped was his first real friend yesterday.
Flashback to yesterday's shopping trip.
Naruto walked beside the Hokage down one of the streets in the shopping district, still feeling a bit put out. Despite numerous threats and a lot of leaked killing intent, a few of the more stubborn civilian storeowners that specialized in the sale of clothing refused to sell to him, fearing that it would only make the demon bolder while at the same time driving away business from more preferred clientele. Still, Naruto and the Hokage refused to be deterred and simply tried a different store. They finally found a non-descript shop in one of the less frequented sections of the shopping district. The only sign indicating it served shinobi clientele primarily was a weatherworn sign hanging over the door displaying a kunai. Deciding that it couldn't hurt to try, the duo ventured inside, hoping for the best.
Entering the shop, Naruto looked around, amazed as the walls were lined with nearly every kind of weapon anyone could imagine, from swords, spears, and bows to weird axes, scythes, gauntlets with sharp claws, and vicious-looking scythes. One item he saw appeared to be a farming scythe attached to a long chain. At the other end was a heavyweight. Naruto had never seen anything like this place before. Some of the weapons bore names and descriptions that Naruto was certain weren't native to the Elemental Nations, but they looked cool nonetheless. The shelves lining the aisles were filled with standard ninja tools from explosive notes, spools of ninja wire, boxes of kunai and shuriken, bottles of chakra pills, medicinal supplies kits, and so more. One wall had shelves lined with various books and scrolls with titles Naruto was too far away to read. Naruto was in awe as he had only dreamed of things like this before. For a young boy with dreams of becoming a strong ninja, this place was a paradise. Just then, a loud voice called out from the back of the store. "Hokage-sama, is that you? And if it isn't little Naruto as well? Do you remember me? My name is Inoichi Yamanaka." A tall man with blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail called out with a jovial smile as he approached them, holding the hand of a young girl with platinum blonde hair who resembled the man somewhat. Naruto supposed the girl must be his daughter.
Naruto looked nervously up at the Hokage, who smiled warmly at the pair, and taking his cue from that, the young Naruto nodded and grinned back. "Hello, sir. I think I remember you. We met a while back. You covered for me when one of the villagers was chasing me after a prank I pulled." Naruto said, thinking back before turning to look at the young girl who giggled and looked up at her father. "Otou-san. I thought you said it was bad to play pranks on people." She said innocently. Inoichi paused, a hint of color on his cheeks as he fumbled awkwardly under his daughter's inquiring glance. "In most cases, that is true, but sometimes you come across exceptions to that rule," Inoichi supplied, hoping his words wouldn't come back to bite him later as he saw his daughter consider his words carefully. Naruto chuckled, remembering that particular prank while observing the pair in front of him. "Naruto, this is my daughter, Ino. Ino, this is Naruto Uzumaki." Inoichi said, patting the girl on the top of her head to her displeasure as she tried to dislodge his hand, much to his amusement.
"It's nice to meet you, Ino-chan. I'm Naruto. I'm training to be a strong ninja-like Hokage-jiji here, and one day I'm going to be Hokage myself." Naruto said with a grin. Ino giggled and smiled, looking at the boy in front of her. "He seems nice enough, I guess. And Otou-san likes him. Still, I wonder what possessed him to put on that horrible orange jumpsuit. Maybe he lost a bet or something," Ino decided innocently. "So, Naruto, what brings you here? Are you buying some new ninja tools?" Ino asked, taking the lead from there. "Not yet. Oji-san already gave me a spare training set. Right now, I'm looking for new clothes. Oji-san says that ninjas can't wear clothes like this because they'll be spotted and get in trouble." Naruto said, blushing.
"Well, you're not wrong there, and that outfit certainly doesn't do you any favors," Ino stated, causing Naruto to pout while Inoichi and the Third chuckled softly. "Say, Ino, why don't you help Naruto find some new clothes in the clothing section while I discuss some important business with Hokage-sama?" Inoichi said, smiling down at his daughter. Excited at the prospect of shopping for clothes and getting to practice dressing up a living person instead of a doll, Ino quickly nodded, seizing Naruto's hand and dragging him across the store. Once they were safely out of earshot, the Hokage turned to Inoichi with a grin. "Thank you for that. Naruto has been alone most of his life and having a friend his age will do him wonders," The Third stated.
Inoichi glanced over at his daughter, who was rummaging through the racks of clothes, and shook his head. "Don't thank me yet. Ino is like her mother when it comes to shopping. The poor boy is in for quite the ordeal." Inoichi said. The third glanced over at the enthusiastic girl and seemed to agree. "Poor soul. Do you think we should take a moment to pray for him?" The Hokage mused quietly. At this, the two men gazed down at the floor, sharing a moment of silence for their fallen comrade. Despite the ordeal lasting what seemed like an eternity, Naruto came away from the harrowing experience with several new outfits and his first friend his age.
End of flashback.
Naruto went to his closet and selected his outfit for the day. He settled on a form-fitting dark gray shirt with sleeves that reached down to his elbows, a black ANBU style vest, a pair of urban camouflage pants, ANBU grade shinobi sandals, and a pair of black fingerless gloves with steel plates over the knuckles for added effect during hand-to-hand combat. Replacing his goggles, he pulled on his face a storm gray mask with hypnotic black spiral patterns. There were holes in the mask where his eyes were and a small slit where his nose would be allowing him to smell. A second small slit over his lips allowed him to be heard properly when speaking. The final touch had been a pouch at his waist that held his new kunai and shuriken purchased the day before. The Hokage had given him a practice set, but he had been eager to have a standard set of his own, and his Oji-san had relented on the condition that he was careful with them.
Having dressed for the day, Naruto decided to head out and try and find a place to do his workout. As part of his workout, the Kyuubi wanted him to start jogging to increase his endurance, and do pushups, jumping jacks, crunches to strengthen his body, as well as two hours of meditation, which the Fox insisted would help keep him calm and focused during stressful situations as well as help with his chakra control. The Fox stated that due to his massive chakra reserves, he would have to put extra effort into learning chakra control so he could properly perform jutsu. Even still, he would likely never master the use of genjutsu or medical ninjutsu. It was still early in the morning. Much earlier than many in the village usually got up and about to start their days. Naruto had set his alarm to wake up earlier than normal, so he could go out into the village and look for a place to start his training without all the hateful glares the villagers usually sent his way. With those thoughts finished, Naruto checked himself over, making sure he had everything that he would need before setting out. He didn't bother to lock the door behind him.
Usually, nobody bothered to head to the place where the "demon" lived, and those that did usually lost their nerve when they saw just how decrepit the building he lived in had become; fearing to venture inside the building lest it turn out to be a deathtrap and collapse on them.
After scouting the village out for a good hour, Naruto came upon an old, and nearly forgotten training ground labeled 43. He wondered why a perfectly good training area would be allowed to be forgotten until he noticed an ominous presence emanating from the nearby fenced-in forest. There were roars, loud screeches, cawing, and hissing coming from the darkened forest, and Naruto could only shudder at what he imagined was causing the noises. Deciding to simply ignore the sounds emanating from the forest, he set about his new exercise regimen the Kyuubi had outlined for him. He had been shocked at first that the Kyuubi would be saddling a kid of his age with such an exhaustive workout, with plans to increase it with each week that passes, but eventually decided to just go along with the Fox's demands for now since complaining didn't seem to do any good. Meanwhile, Naruto wasn't the only one training to become stronger at this early hour.
Uchiha District, Outside the head family house.
Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.
Setsuna groaned in frustration as she fumbled once more for another kunai in the pouch at her waist, only to find it empty. She sighed and set out collecting all the thrown kunai scattered about the training area that she had been practicing in since before sunrise. She was determined to become better by practicing nonstop. She couldn't stop. She had to become stronger if she was going to get justice for a slain family and clan. She was gathering up the scattered kunai yet again. She had lost track of how many times it had been as she stowed them back in her pouch. This last time a little over half had managed to hit the target, though they were nowhere near the ten-range she had been aiming for. Itachi had been a prodigy at her age. She would have to do better. Deciding to move onto a new area of her training, she set about attacking a practice dummy, aiming punches and kicks against the padded wooden limbs as the darkness gradually receded, and the sun began to appear. Finally pausing to catch her breath, she headed inside to wash up and prepare something to eat before setting out on a morning run to build up stamina and endurance.
After a shower, she dressed in a pair of simple hakama and an old haori before heading downstairs to the kitchen to make a simple breakfast. Her cooking repertoire wasn't expansive yet, as her mother had only just deemed her old enough to start learning the basics, and a breakfast of rice and tea was one of the few things that she had mastered so far. Setsuna finished cooking and set the dishes on the table before taking a seat and beginning to eat her simple breakfast. She paused to reflect yet again on all the horrible events that had happened to her in the last week. She swallowed the last bite before letting out a grimace at the blandness of the rice and washed the bite down with a sip of tea. At least she had managed a decent cup of tea. "Apparently, there are other areas that I need to make improvements in besides ninja skills," she decided as she finished her meal and pulled a chair over to the sink to wash her dishes and utensils before stowing them neatly in the cupboard for later. When everything was neatly cleaned up, she walked to the front door and slipped into her shoes before heading out the front door and leaving the Uchiha district behind. She had a few errands to run and figured she could get her morning run and errands done at the same time, maybe cut through the park since it was normally empty at this time of day.
XxxxxX
Walking down the streets of his neighborhood Naruto did his best to ignore the hateful glares sent his way by the villagers. Living in one of the seedier districts of the village, Naruto was used to harsh glares, hateful slurs, and the occasional drunkard stumbling home from a bar early in the morning taking a clumsy swing at him. They were easily evaded, however, and thankfully it didn't happen often. As he continued on his way towards the Hokage Tower to visit with Hokage-ojisan, he decided to cut through the park to save time thinking the park was usually deserted at this time of morning. Naruto jogged along the neatly paved pathway in the park when he heard a commotion coming through the trees to his right.
"Ha-ha, how pathetic." One voice said snickering.
A second voice followed after. "I know right? Those stuck-up clans think they're so great but look at this girl. She's so weak. Too scared to even try and defend herself." A second voice guffawed.
Growing angry at the sound of someone bullying another person who couldn't defend herself, Naruto growled in fury, and raced through the trees intent on teaching the punks a lesson. Emerging through the tree line, Naruto came to land between a young girl with pale lavender eyes and short indigo colored hair who was sprawled on the ground as though she had been pushed, and a trio of slightly older boys who looked shocked at the sudden appearance of the boy in front of them. "Well, what do we have here, boys?" The boy in the middle of the group, seemingly the leader, spoke up with a jeer. "Leave her alone, you bullies," Naruto said menacingly, posing himself in front of the young girl who looked up at him, surprised that a total stranger, and a kid at that who was not much older than herself and clearly outnumbered had chosen to come to her rescue. "Heh. Likely some little punk who thinks he's tough," the boy on the right said looking at Naruto with a sneer.
"I dunno. Maybe he is another of those ninja kids. See the way he's dressed?" The third pointed out, feeling slightly uncertain. "Oh, please. He's just a punk. We can take him no problem." The leader said cracking his knuckles as the trio advanced on Naruto in a menacing fashion. Naruto put up a brave front but was quickly overwhelmed by the three of them. He was briefly considering taking out a kunai to try and frighten the trio off when another figure emerged, coming to his aid and quickly helped to frighten the three older boys off before turning to face the heavy-breathing Naruto and the indigo-haired girl who was slowly picking herself up.
"You should be careful picking fights, kid, a raven-haired girl dressed in hand-me-down boy's clothes said looking at the pair of them inquisitively, as Naruto helped the indigo-haired girl to his feet. "Nah, I'm okay. I've faced worse than those three before. Many times." Naruto supplied trying to reassure the ravenette despite the bruises he was sporting. She assumed he was just trying to boast and save face, but he had still been nice enough to come to the rescue of another, so he couldn't be all bad.
"I'm Setsuna, Uchiha Setsuna," she said with a reserved smile.
"Naruto Uzumaki," The boy grinned as he glanced between the two girls.
"H-Hinata…, Hinata Hyuuga," the indigo girl stated in a timid voice, toying with her fingertips.
"Nice to meet you," they all said politely although whether the sentiments were entirely genuine or an effort to simply be polite, none of them were certain. "Um, thank you, for c-coming to m-my rescue." Hinata stated. "No problem. I know what it's like to be bullied and I could never just stand around and let it happen to someone else, if I could stop it." Naruto stated before turning to Setsuna with a smile and thanking her. "Thanks, for helping us both. I doubt I could have taken all three of them. You're actually pretty tough. Are you a ninja?" He asked grinning.
"I'm actually training to be one, yes." Setsuna supplied, feeling slightly overwhelmed by the highly positive attitude of the boy in front of her.
"That's awesome. I've just started my training myself, just this morning infact. Oji-san says I have to practice hard every day to become stronger." Naruto said.
"Ano. M-my father says the same thing." Hinata said, feeling slightly uplifted by the positive attitude of the blonde boy in front of her.
"Yeah, that's true. My nii-sa-, err my older brother used to say the same thing a lot. He trained non-stop," Setsuna sighed before looking down at her hands. "I suppose that I should be going. I'm supposed to head to the Hokage tower to discuss some stuff regarding my clan." She said quietly.
"Oh, that reminds me. Hokage-jiji wanted me to come to his office to see him about something so I have to go soon. Maybe I'll see you two around? Maybe we can hang out and become friends." Naruto supplied starting to feel excited at making more friends.
"M-maybe. I'll have to ask my Otou-san first, but I'm sure it will be okay. Maybe we can meet up in the park, here, tomorrow." Hinata said before the three bid each other good-bye before parting ways. Hinata returning to the Hyuuga Compound, and Setsuna and Naruto racing off towards the Hokage Tower.
"So, Hokage-jiji, eh? Does Hokage-sama know you call him that?" Setsuna asked with a smirk as they raced through the village streets.
Naruto flashed a shy grin and nodded awkwardly. "Well, um, yeah. You see I've always called him that. Ever since we first met."
Surprised by this information, Setsuna couldn't help her curiosity and asked Naruto, "How exactly did you and Hokage-sama first meet?"
A dark look flashed across Naruto's face at that, and Setsuna wondered whether she had somehow done something to upset him, when Naruto spoke again. What he revealed shocked her to her core and she almost didn't believe him but something about his demeanor told her he wasn't lying. "We met when I was five. He found me digging through the garbage looking for scraps to eat outside a restaurant. He bought me some ramen and we just got to talking. We've been close ever since." Naruto said before going silent again, and Setsuna took that as a silent cue to leave him be. Meanwhile her own thoughts were racing.
"Why was he digging through the trash? Didn't he have parents to look after him, and if so, where were they during all this?" Setsuna was tempted to ask him these questions but didn't want to push him to far so soon, instead deciding to wait and get to know more about him over time. There was something about him that peaked her curiosity. Perhaps the idea that he was like her, an orphan with no family or friends to look after him, all alone in the world and forced to depend on only himself, was something that made her feel less alone in the world, less isolated and that there was someone who could understand her pain. Suddenly she felt the desire to reach out to him and maybe make a new friend in the process. With all these thoughts racing through her mind she was surprised when Naruto stopped and she almost ran into him before realizing with a start that they were outside the Hokage tower.
TBC
Author's Note: Thanks for reading so far, everyone. I am grateful for all the support so far. I'm sorry for the delay in updating this story. I wanted to have it done faster, but during the week I have school and work, so I can only write in the evenings before bed and on the weekends. I hope to get started on writing chapter four over the course of the weekend. I wanted to introduce Naruto to Hinata and Setsuna to lay the ground work for a potential friendship between the trio. I already intend for Naruto to become friends with Ino as well though nothing is decided for the harem so far. If you have any tips or suggestions for who you would like to see in the harem, feel free to comment. I will be taking suggestions. I have a few people in mind but nothing is completely concrete yet. In chapter four, there will be a bit of a time skip.
With all that said, thank you for those who have followed, favorited, and reviewed. I appreciate the time you all take to do so. Once again, let me thank all those who have read so far.
Wishing you all the best in the trying times ahead and hoping you all have a pleasant weekend,
WHITE GLOVE LITERATURE.
