(6 Months after the end of Chapter 1)
As the hot noodles touched his lips, the heavenly aroma of miso ramen wafted into his nose, and he took in the familiar ambiance of Ichiraku's Ramen, Naruto thought he couldn't be happier. The past six months had been the best months of his young life, although that wasn't saying much. He finally had companionship and someone to talk to every day. When he was younger, he would sit alone in the orphanage, just waiting for his Jiji to see him. Now, he had his awesome dog Haruki, his moody but peaceful cat Tabi, and his awesome toad friends.
Every day, Naruto would summon either Gamarisu or Gamaken. He only summoned one at a time so he could save the summoning seals Jiraiya made. His Jiji said he didn't need to worry about conserving them because his Jiji could always ask Jiraiya to make more. Naruto didn't really understand how, since Jiraiya wasn't in the Village. How could he send some more to the Hokage without being here? Naruto asked the Hokage, and he tried to explain it to Naruto. He went on about summoning bonds, familiars, and whatnot. Unfortunately, it mostly went over Naruto's head, but he was happy to know he could get more seals whenever.
Naruto typically also only summoned one toad at a time because they were very different personalities. Gamarisu was energetic, always hopping around and wanting to explore. She and Naruto could talk for hours on end about their lives, although it was mostly Gamarisu. Naruto didn't like to talk too much about his life. There wasn't much to brag about, and it made him sad. So, Naruto let Gamarisu talk a lot about her home in the toad summon world. She told him how there were many different types of toads. There were ones that grew big and strong, and ones that didn't get much bigger than a couple feet tall. She said that her family usually only grew to be about five feet tall, while Gamaken would grow to be huge.
When they weren't talking, Gamarisu liked to go to the forest with Naruto and Haruki. She had started showing Naruto how to jump through the trees like a toad. Once he got the hang of it, Naruto and Gamarisu would play tag throughout the forest. Naruto realized one day that it was getting easier to catch Gamarisu. He was slowly getting faster, and his legs were getting stronger because of the jumping! Naruto was ecstatic about this and started doing some squats in the morning to build up his strength. He was getting a little better every day, but there was only so much his six-year-old body could handle.
On the other hand, Gamaken was almost the exact opposite. Gamaken was a much more reserved toad. He was quieter than Gamarisu and extremely polite. Even though he was almost the antithesis to Naruto's energetic personality, Naruto found himself really bonding with Gamaken. Gamaken's quieter side helped balance Naruto out and calm him down. While Gamarisu liked to play, Gamaken was content to just walk around Konoha with Naruto.
'Well, not so much walk,' Naruto thought. 'He sits on my head, and I walk. It's still nice, though.' This was the one time Naruto was glad people ignored him. No one bothered him or asked why he had a toad on the top of his head. Well, that's what he tried to convince himself, anyway. It was still hard to walk around Konoha, but Naruto was trying to look on the bright side.
It also helped Gamaken seem much more emotionally intelligent than Gamarisu. He could pick up on Naruto's emotional changes. Whenever Naruto started to get down, or Gamaken would see people glaring at Naruto, Gamaken would make a kind comment to cheer him up. Or he would do something clumsy or "ungraceful" to make Naruto laugh. Even though Naruto suspected Gamaken did this on purpose, he still appreciated it. He knew it was Gamaken's unique way of being kind. It was why he was his best friend. 'Other than Haruki,' Naruto amended in his head. 'She will always be my first real friend who was there for me when I was alone,' he thought fondly.
When they were not walking around the city, Gamaken accompanied Naruto and Haruki to the forest. Unlike Gamarisu, Gamaken preferred to sit in the sun and look at the forest. This forced Naruto to slow himself down and take in the environment. It was during these times that Naruto started to gain an even greater appreciation for nature. Before, he was usually moving too fast to fully take in the little details that made the forest beautiful. He started to notice the caterpillars crawling on the tree, the squirrels foraging for nuts, the mama bird caring for her young, and the way the leaves fluttered in the wind. Naruto often found himself sitting in the forest clearing, taking in the beauty of nature with Gamaken on his right and Haruki napping on his left.
"Hey! Wake up, Naruto!" Naruto heard before he felt a stinging sensation on his forehead. He looked up and saw Ayame with her arm extended after she threw the chopstick that whacked Naruto. Naruto petulantly rubbed his head with a frown. "What the hell was that for Ayame-neechan!"
"You've been staring off into space for the past five minutes, and your ramen is getting cold! Don't waste my hard work!" She chastised.
Naruto gasped and look down at his food. "How could I disrespect the ramen like this. I am so sorry, ramen-san!" He bowed before going back to devouring his ramen.
Ayame looked on with a small smirk on her face, happy that her little brother was improving. Ever since he had introduced her to those two toads he called his friends, he'd been happier than ever. She was delighted that she could provide him a safe haven, but Ayame was always frustrated she couldn't do more. It felt good to know her little brother had friends.
"*Slurp* Thanks Ayame-neechan and Teuchi-san! That was great, as always. How much do I owe you today?" Naruto questioned.
Teuchi appeared from the back of the kitchen, drying his hands on his apron, and smiled at the young blonde. "It's on the house today Naruto-kun. Happy birthday, my favorite customer."
Naruto brightly smiled and rubbed the back of his head. Honestly, he didn't think anyone knew or cared that it was his birthday. It felt nice to know that two people cared enough to remember.
"Thanks, Teuchi-san and Ayame-neechan! You guys are the best! I'll see you guys later!" Naruto called before walking out of the ramen stand. He turned towards his apartment and started jogging to return home. After a couple of minutes, he arrived and opened the door. Naruto was greeted by the sight of his Jiji sitting on his couch with Tabi sleeping on his lap.
Hiruzen smiled warmly at Naruto, "Happy birthday, Naruto-kun," he said as he gently placed the cat down on the couch.
Tabi woke up when her nap was disturbed and got up and stretched. Tabi was a white cat with a black diamond on her forehead and black ringlets going down her tail. After stretching, she saw Naruto standing in the doorway and sauntered over to him. She walked in between Naruto's legs and rubbed her head against the side of his leg. Naruto reached down and scratched her behind the ears, eliciting a purr from the feline. This also alerted Haruki to Naruto's presence. The dog came bounding into the room to receive affection from her owner.
After petting his dog, Naruto greeted his Jiji with a smile. Hiruzen returned to the couch, and Naruto settled him next to him as Tabi nestled herself into Naruto's lap.
"Happy sixth birthday, Naruto. I want you to know I am very proud of you. You have grown a lot these last several months. Initially, I was unsure about letting a young child live alone, but you have proven to be self-sufficient. Well, self-sufficient enough. I still need to make sure I go shopping with you to make sure you buy proper food," he stated while looking at Naruto pointedly. Naruto blushed and sheepishly chuckled, remembering the last time he went shopping by himself. He spent his entire weekly allowance on cookies, ramen, and soda. The Hokage had not been too pleased with him.
"Nevertheless, you are growing up to be a fine young man," Hiruzen grinned before reaching over and ruffling Naruto's hair, earning a beaming smile from the blonde.
"Now, time for presents. Jiraiya is sad he could not be here, but he sent gifts with me. He is out of the Village and won't return for several months. However, he still wishes you a happy birthday," Hiruzen stated before handing over a small gift box and a note.
Naruto opened the note first and read it:
Hey, Naruto! Happy sixth birthday. I'm sorry I can't be there with you and Sensei, but I promise I will see you soon. In the meantime, I sent you some more summoning seals and a small gift. I'll give you the rest of your presents the next time I see you.
Also, try and grow a little, you runt. You're tiny. How can you hope to be a fantastic ninja if you're not giant and magnificent like me! :)
Happy birthday,
Jiraiya
Naruto looked at the note, unsure of how to feel. He liked the first half and was excited to see what Jiraiya got him, but was also annoyed that Jiraiya called him short. 'I'm six, dattebayo! I've got plenty of time to grow!' He angrily thought before opening the box. Inside the box was a small, green toad shaped wallet. Naruto examined the wallet before contently thinking, 'Alright. I forgive him. This is awesome.' He needed a wallet, and this one looked like his new friend. "I'll call you Gama-chan!" he said out loud, making Hiruzen smile.
Hiruzen cleared his throat to get Naruto's attention and said, "Now, Naruto, time for my gifts. I also got you two things. The first is in this bag." He handed Naruto a large gift bag. Naruto looked inside and pulled out a jacket. It was primarily orange with blue shoulders and a white-collar. (1) He looked up at his Jiji with stars in his eyes, making Hiruzen chuckle. "It's going to be chilly soon, and I saw that you don't have anything to keep you warm. I know how much you like orange, so I thought you would like this jacket. I'm going to guess that you do, based on how you're holding it," Hiruzen chuckled. At the same time, Naruto nodded furiously, cradling the jacket like it was a gift from Kami.
"Well, this next gift is smaller than the jacket and a little more personal. Here, open this." Hiruzen handed over a small box. When Naruto opened it, he saw a worn woven leather bracelet with the Konoha leaf hanging from the bottom. He could tell the metal leaf used to be shiny, but it had lost a lot of its luster and looked scratched. He looked up at his Jiji with a questioning look on his face, but he didn't seem to notice. Hiruzen looked affectionately at the bracelet and explained, "This used to be my bracelet as a child. I got it when I was your age from my father, and I have worn it since then. However, I now believe is the right time to pass it on to the next generation, and who better than my precious grandson," he finished while looking affectionately at Naruto.
Naruto started to tear up as he looked at the bracelet. It was beautiful. The leather was dark brown, and, even though it was worn, it still looked magnificent. Naruto quickly put it on and tightened it to fit his smaller wrist. After a couple seconds of fighting the tears, he launched himself at his Jiji and hugged him while he cried. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"
Hiruzen smiled as he held him and soothingly rubbed Naruto's back until Naruto calmed down. He knew Naruto had never had a family, nor had he received many gifts before this. He knew that this gift would mean a significant amount to Naruto, so he expected this reaction. Even though his Hokage robes were being stained with tears, he was happy knowing that his adopted grandson was.
Naruto sniffed and backed away, beaming at Hiruzen. Naruto then started, realizing that he had forgotten something he wanted to do. He ran over to the drawer that he kept his seals in and retrieved one that summoned Gamaken. He then ran back into his room and grabbed a little box then returned to Hiruzen. Naruto put the box on the table and summoned Gamaken.
There was a puff of smoke, and Gamaken appeared. He looked around and took in his surroundings. He noticed the Hokage, Haruki, Tabi, and his smiling best friend. He didn't know why Naruto was so happy, but Gamaken couldn't help but lightly smile. Naruto's smile was infectious.
"Hello, Hiruzen-san, Haruki-san, and Tabi-san, and Naruto-san," Gamaken politely greeted nodding at everyone. Hiruzen nodded back, used to the toad's formality. Naruto had tried numerous times to break him of it, but he had failed each time."
"Happy early birthday, Gamaken!" Naruto yelled as he shoved a small box in the little toads face. Gamaken blinked, then took the gift. He opened the box, and inside was a handmade, meticulously carved sasumata. Gamaken wondrously examined the weapon as he gingerly picked it up. It was the perfect size for him. It had a long staff split into two prongs in the shape of a 'U' at the top. (2) He looked up with wide eyes at Naruto's grinning face.
"I remembered that you said that your dad used one of these and that you couldn't wait to grow big enough to have one of your own. So, I carved this one from a branch from our favorite tree in the forest! I hope you like it!"
If it were possible for a magenta toad to blush, Gamaken would be bright red. Instead, he slightly bowed his head and quietly thanked Naruto. "Thank you, Naruto-san. It's perfect."
Hiruzen looked on fondly as he watched the two friends interact, happy that his grandson had such a good friend.
(One week later)
One week after his birthday, Naruto and Haruki walked around the outskirts of Konoha, enjoying the weather. It was starting to get chillier in Konoha, so Naruto had put on his new orange jacket. He and Haruki passed by a particularly secluded, forested area when they heard muffled yelling. Naruto gave a questioning look at Haruki, who titled her head to the side in response. Shrugging, Naruto decided to go investigate. Naruto and Haruki quietly crept through the trees until they saw a clearing several yards away from them. In the clearing, there was a little girl with indigo hair who was curled up in a ball as three older boys stood menacingly above her. Naruto guessed she was around his age, while the boys appeared to be a couple of years older than him.
The lead boy, who was also the biggest, had dark black hair tied in a short ponytail. He had on an olive green shirt and black cargo pants. The boy on his right was shorter than him, only a couple inches taller than Naruto. He had brown hair that flopped down and covered his left eye but left his nasty smirk exposed. He had on a white shirt with a large black kunai on the back and dark green shorts. The last boy was standing the furthest away from Hinata. He had an unsure expression on his face and refrained from throwing any verbal barbs at Hinata. He was was slightly shorter than the tallest boy, and he had straight black that fells over his ears. He had on a turquoise shirt with a navy blue pocket in front and white pants.
Naruto leaned closer and heard the biggest boy yell, "Yeah! That's what your stupid clan gets. Thinking they're so much better than the rest of us with their noses stuck in the air, acting all high and mighty. Well, not so high and mighty now, are ya!" He yelled before kicking her in the ribs. "Tell your stupid cousin that the next time he ignores us in the Academy, we'll kick his ass too!"
Naruto scowled as he looked on, furious at the abuse the girl was receiving. Naruto was never bullied like this by the villagers, but he was always fearful that he was one step away from this treatment. Haruki growled next to Naruto, and he decided he needed to act. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out one of the spare sealing tags he had for Gamaken. He quietly put it on the ground and activated it. The boys were too busy verbally abusing the girl to notice the small puff of smoke that signaled the toad's arrival.
"Hello, Naruto-san," Gamaken began before noticing the scowl on his typically happy friend's face. "What's the matter?"
"Those three assholes are bullying that defenseless girl over there. I'm gonna go stop them. Will you help me, Gamaken?" Naruto explained, angrily pointing at the scene in front of him.
Gamaken adopted a serious expression and retrieved the wooden sasumata Naruto had given him. "It would be my honor, Naruto-san."
Naruto smiled at his friend, before straightening up and glaring at the still unaware boys. "Hey! Stop that, you jerks!" He yelled before launching himself at the biggest boy with his right hand cocked back.
Naruto noticed the bullies were caught off guard by his sudden appearance and the burst of speed he used to close the distance. 'Looks like all that tree hopping with Gamarisu has paid off,' he thought before throwing a right hook to the largest boy's nose. The punch connected, resulting in an explosion of blood as Naruto broke the unsuspecting boy's nose. He fell backward in shock, allowing Naruto to jump on top of him and start raining punches down on his bloody face.
The shortest boy quickly recovered and reached down to yank Naruto off his friend. However, before he could reach him, he was assaulted by a wooden weapon. He recoiled back from the smack to the face and noticed that he was being attacked by a small purple toad. He looked on bewildered, before snarling and going to kick the annoying toad. When he reared back for the kick, the toad jumped up and struck him over his left eye. This caused a small cut to open up, causing blood to drip over his eye, hindering his vision.
Gamaken jumped behind the boy and delivered a vicious double kick to the back of the boy's right knee, causing him to buckle. Gamaken then lept into the air and powerfully swung his sasumata at the back of the boy's head. A loud *Thwack* sounded in the clearing before the boy crumpled to the ground unconscious.
The last boy was the most startled by the attack and took the longest to recover. He hesitantly stepped forward, unsure of who to help first. He then heard a loud growl behind him and whipped around to see Haruki growling with her teeth bared. He fearfully put his hands up and backed away, content to let his (now) former friends get beaten up. He slowly backed up until his back hit a tree. Then he wisely turned around and sprinted out of the forest.
While this was going on, Naruto was throwing punches at the leader's face. Unfortunately, he had recovered admirably from the initial assault. He put both arms in front of his face to block the blows. He then used his superior strength to shove Naruto off of him, allowing him to stand up. His green shirt was stained with blood as it still leaked from his broken nose.
The injured boy glared at Naruto and rushed him. Naruto evaded the first several strikes, but the elder boy's longer reach allowed him to eventually connect on a left hook to the chin. The hit sent Naruto sprawling to the ground. The boy ran forward, looking to capitalize on his advantage. However, he was suddenly struck in the face by a strong double kick from Gamaken, stunning him and sending him reeling back. When he regained his senses, he saw Naruto standing back up and the small toad in front of him, sasumata ready to strike. He decided to cut his losses, picked up his unconscious and bloody friend, and fled.
Naruto watched the boy run, breathing heavily but satisfied with his performance. He was sure he was going to have a nasty bruise on his cheek in the morning, but he was otherwise okay. He was sure this fight would've been much more difficult if he didn't have the element of surprise or Gamaken. Gamaken had saved his ass from the bigger boy and had thoroughly handled the shortest one.
"Thanks, Gamaken," Naruto panted, looking at his best friend. "I couldn't have done it without you." He heard an indignant bark from behind him and smiled, saying, "You too, girl. You did great."
Naruto then turned to the stunned girl on the ground, looking up at him with wide eyes. He smiled reassuringly at her and approached her, kneeling down so that their eyes were level. "Hey there. I'm sorry those jerks were so mean to you, but I don't think they'll be bothering you anytime soon," he said before sticking out his hand. "I'm Naruto, by the way. What's your name?"
"H-Hi-Hinata," she shyly muttered, face covered in a blush. She quickly looked down from the smiling boy. She couldn't believe how brave he was, taking on all those boys. "W-Why did y-you do-do that? You did-didn't have to-to step in," she questioned.
Naruto blinked, then rubbed the back of his head and replied, "Oh! Well, I guess I just didn't like to see you getting bullied by those assholes. I don't know. It just didn't sit right with me. I guess I thought I wouldn't be any better than them if I just left you there. All I know is that I'm happy I stepped in."
Hinata stared owlishly at Naruto. He did that... all for her! Why? Was it because she was the heiress of the Hyuuga heiress? She quickly dismissed that idea, remembering that he asked who she was after he saved her. 'Could he really have done all that just to be nice?' she thought incredulously. She saw his warm smile and concluded that he had.
"Th-Thank you so-so much. I-I don't kn-know wh-what I would have do-done without you."
"No problem!" Naruto beamed. "Want me to walk you home?"
"Y-Yes, please. It's very cl-close," Hinata replied.
Naruto then helped her up and introduced her to his dog Haruki and his toad friend Gamaken. Hinata had never seen a toad who could fight and talk, but she was grateful that he helped her. She thanked him and the dog, who barked happily in reply, wagging her tail. She and Naruto walked back to the Hyuuga compound in silence as she didn't know what to say. Naruto seemed content with the quiet, calmly looking around at the trees with Gamaken perched atop his head. They arrived after only a five-minute walk, and Hinata turned to Naruto with a blush on her face.
"Th-Thank you again, N-Naruto-san," she quietly said.
"Anytime, Hinata-san. Anytime," he replied with a smile. "I hope I see you again sometime! I'm sure Haruki would, too, wouldn't you girl?"
"*Bark!*" Causing Hinata to smile and pet the dog.
"That would be ni-nice, Nar-Naruto-san. Th-Thank you," she said before turning inside, trying to hide the blush on her face.
Naruto smiled and turned around to walk back towards his apartment, deciding that was enough adventure for today.
(3 Months Later)
It was a chilly evening in Konoha as Naruto and Haruki were walking to the park. Naruto didn't usually go to the park but thought that there wouldn't be many people in the park this late. Even though he didn't go to often, he still liked to play on the swings and slides when he could.
As they approached the park, Naruto saw that his assumption was right as there weren't a lot of people there. There were only two girls around his age. There was one with blonde hair tied in a long ponytail. She had on a purple, long-sleeved dress that reached down to slightly above her ankles. She had on black boots that covered her toes and came up above her ankles. The other girl had short bubblegum pink hair. She had on a plain red shirt with long black pants and a jacket that matched her hair. Naruto thought she was really cute.
Naruto was content to avoid them, but Haruki had other ideas. She barked and sprinted over to the two girls, ignoring Naruto's calls for her to stop. Haruki bounded over to the two girls, stopping right in front of them. The two girls squealed as they looked at the adorable dog. They both reached down to pet the dog, and Haruki let them, basking in their love.
It was at this point that Naruto caught up to Haruki. Naruto stopped in front of the girls and bashfully introduced himself. "Hi, I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Nice to meet ya! I see you've already met Haruki. She's a really friendly dog. Sorry, she ran up to you guys," he apologized.
"Nice to meet you, Naruto!" replied the blonde. "I'm Ino, and this is Sakura. Oh my gosh, your dog is sooooo cute. I'm in love with her," she said while petting Haruki. She looked back to Naruto and asked, "We were about to play a game of hopscotch. Want to play with us?"
Naruto was taken aback. He had never been asked to play with anyone before. He had always been the one to ask and then been turned down. "Y-yeah. That'd be great!" He stammered before giving a bright smile.
Regrettably, right after Naruto said this, Sakura quickly pulled Ino aside. She turned to Ino and harshly whispered, "What are you doing? We can't play with him?"
Ino gave her a confused look and whispered back, "Why?"
"My mom said that he's a bad kid and that I should stay away from him. My mom didn't explain why he was bad, but my mom has never lied to me before," Sakura explained.
Naruto frowned and looked downward. He could hear every word Sakura said. He didn't know why, but ever since he could remember, he always had better senses than everyone else. He could see better, hear better, and smell better than all the kids in the orphanage. Naruto didn't really care why he could do it, he was just happy that there was something he was good at. Naruto turned to leave and was about to call Haruki to follow him when he heard Ino's reply.
"What? That's stupid. No, let's play with him. My daddy said that Naruto gets a bad rep from other people. He wouldn't explain why when I asked him, but he said, 'You shouldn't listen to what other people said. You should see for yourself what he was like,' and he seems nice. Also, he's got a super cute dog." Ino said, repeating her father's quote.
Naruto was stunned after hearing Ino's retort. It was the first time anyone had ever stuck up for him. He turned around and saw Sakura hesitate before eventually nodding. When they looked at him, Naruto couldn't help but give a big smile. Ino smiled back and gestured for him to come and play.
After an hour of playing, the sun was starting to set, signaling the end of their time at the park. Naruto was thrilled. He'd never had this much fun playing with kids his age. However, his excellent mood suddenly soured when a tall, pink-haired lady sped over and dragged Sakura away by the arm.
"What are you doing? I told you to stay away from him!" The woman reprimanded before shooting Naruto a glare. Sakura tried to protest, but she was cut off by her mother. "Enough, Sakura. We are leaving. And I don't want to see you playing with that, that... boy ever again."
Naruto scowled as they walked away. Sakura shot him an apologetic look over her shoulder but kept walking. Naruto looked at the ground and angrily kicked a rock lying by his feet. 'Why does this always happen?! I've never done anything!'
He glared at the ground with his fists balled at his sides until he felt a hand on his left shoulder. He jerked at the sudden contact and whipped his head around. He saw Ino giving him a comforting smile. "I'm sorry about Sakura's mom being a meanie Naruto. She's a butt-head. Don't listen to her. You're really nice."
Naruto smiled sadly at her, happy that she was trying to comfort him but could not shake off the sting of Sakura's mom's words.
"Anyway, I'm sorry I have to leave after that happen, but my daddy made me promise him I would be home in time for dinner. I really don't want to make him mad, but I would love to play with you again sometime!" She encouraged with a bright smile.
Naruto was taken aback by the question, but quickly gathered himself and beamed at Ino and said, "I'd love to!"
"Great! See you soon, Naruto-kun!" Ino called as she was skipping away, waving over her shoulder.
Naruto watched her leave with a big smile on his face before turning to a happy Haruki. "Come on, girl. Let's go home."
(2 months later)
Naruto was sound asleep in his room with Tabi nestled on his stomach and Haruki sleeping at the foot of his bed. He was unaware of the window in his room being cracked open before a small object was thrown through the room. It exploded against the wall, causing Naruto to jerk awake. Unfortunately, this sent Tabi flying through the air, crying at her impromptu wake up.
The smoke began to clear, and Naruto heard a loud voice announce, "Behold, young one! You are in the presence of a god amongst men! An Adonis amongst slobs! A man whose name sends shivers down his enemies spines, causing them to soil themselves! A man who can cause women to swoon with a simple glance. The Mighty! The Handsome! The Gallant Jiraiya!"
Naruto stared, dumbfounded as the smoke cleared. He saw Jiraiya in a ridiculous pose in the middle of his bedroom, hands outstretched, feet wide, and tongue out. There was a long pause before a loud hiss filled the room, and Tabi launched herself at Jiraiya.
"AHHHHH! What the hell! Get off you stupid cat!" he yelled before throwing the cat across the room. Naruto gracefully caught the flying feline and placed her on his lap, calming her down. She hissed once more at Jiraiya before settling down and purring at Naruto's actions.
Jiraiya, realizing his grand entrance had been ruined by a stupid cat, sheepishly grinned at Naruto, who deadpanned in response. Realizing Naruto wasn't going to break the silence, Jiraiya greeted, "Um... Hey, kid. How are you?"
"I was okay until you crashed into my room. I was having an awesome dream, and you woke me up. What do you want?" Naruto responded irritably. He was not a morning person.
"Now is that how you greet your friend who just wanted to give you some belated birthday presents?" Jiraiya answered with a mock pout on his face.
This caused Naruto to immediately brighten up. Few things got a six-year-old more excited than presents. "Whatcha get me?!"
Jiraiya smirked at Naruto, knowing that he would get this reaction. Jiraiya pulled out two medium-sized, rectangular boxes. "Well, I know you'll start the Academy in a year and a half. I don't want you to be unprepared, so I got you a set of the most critical tools a ninja can have," he said before opening the two boxes, "Kunai and shuriken."
Naruto stared at the shiny metal objects in the boxes. He looked up at Jiraiya with a grateful expression, causing Jiraiya to smile.
"Now, if I remember correctly, the first time we met, you asked me to train you. I've got the whole day free, so I thought I would take you up on that request. We could go out to the forests outside of the Village, and I could teach you how to throw these suckers. How's that sound?" Jiraiya asked.
Naruto enthusiastically nodded before, gently placing the napping Tabi to the side of him. No matter how anxious he was to get ready and start training, he wasn't going to be rude to his friend. After he placed her down, he hastily got ready and practically dragged a grinning Jiraiya out of the door.
After 20 minutes of running for Naruto and light jogging for Jiraiya, they arrived in a clearing outside of Konoha. As Naruto caught his breath, Jiraiya began to explain how to throw the weapons. "Alright, Naruto, here are the basics," he said before demonstrating. (3) Naruto intently looked on, taking note of every movement Jiraiya made. After Jiraiya described the grip, throwing motion, and follow-through for both weapons, he handed Naruto a shuriken. "Your turn, kid. Give it a shot. I'll be right here to give pointers." Jiraiya encouraged.
Naruto took one of the ninja stars and aimed it at one of the trees about 15 feet away. He moved the shuriken back by his ear, took aim at the target, breathed, and snapped his arm forward. It whistled through the air, and... missed the tree by 4 feet to the right. Naruto scowled, annoyed that he had missed by so much.
Jiraiya laughed at the angry expression on Naruto's face and clapped him on the back. "Don't worry, Naruto. You'll get it. It will take some time. Now, let's try again."
They spent the next several hours practicing and talking about their lives. Jiraiya was very impressed by Naruto's heroics when he saved Hinata. He was proud, and it reminded him of the time Minato had rescued Kushina from her Kumo kidnappers. He didn't tell Naruto this, as the kid was too busy rambling on about how he "Kicked ass!" Jiraiya was sure some aspects of the story were exaggerated. Still, he wasn't exactly one to reprimand someone for boasting, so he let him continue.
Jiraiya noticed Naruto was starting to tire, so he decided they should take a break. They sat underneath the shade of a large tree, enjoying the beautiful spring weather. After a while, Jiraiya spoke up. "Another reason I wanted to bring you out here was to introduce you to the boss of the toad clan. This will solidify your position as a summoner."
Naruto nodded eagerly, looking forward to meeting another one of the toads. He wondered if this toad would be larger than Gamaken. 'Probably. He may even reach my knee!' He thought excitedly.
Naruto was curious why when Jiraiya slammed his hand on the ground, he grabbed Naruto and lept back. There was an enormous explosion of smoke, far higher than anything Naruto had ever seen when summoning his friends. Naruto was awestruck as he stared up at a toad as giant as the Hokage Tower. He was speechless as he had to crane his head all the way back to take in his enormity.
Gamabunta took in his surroundings before looking down at Jiraiya. "Jiraiya! Why'd you summon me? Nothing's going on here!" He yelled down at his summoner.
Jiraiya grinned up at Gamabunta. "Hello to you, too, Bunta. I'm good. Thanks for asking!"
"Don't be glib, you punk. Answer the question," Gamabunta retorted grumpily.
Jiraiya put his hands up in a placating and gestured towards Naruto. "I wanted to introduce you to the newest summoner of the toads. Gamabunta, this is Naruto. Naruto, say hi to the nice toad." Naruto waved dumbly back at Gamabunta, still in awe of his size.
Gamabunta's eyes got wide as he took in the appearance of the small boy. He looked almost like a little clone of his previous summoner. Gamabunta's eyes snapped to Jiraiya and gave him a pointed look. Jiraiya stepped behind Naruto and nodded. 'He doesn't know,' he mouthed and held up a finger to his mouth, signaling for Gamabunta to be quiet about the matter. Gamabunta frowned and glared at Jiraiya but eventually Naruto.
Naruto was oblivious to that interaction as he was too enraptured by the size of Gamabunta's feet. He walked up to them and put his hands on one of the toad's toes to measure how big it was. This startled Gamabunta and caused him to yell, "Hey, brat! Stop touching me!" Naruto jumped back, blushing and stammered an apology to the enormous toad.
"*Humph*," Gamabunta grunted. "Well, I guess it's nice to meet you, brat. I've heard good things about you from Gamaken and Gamarisu. They seem to be very fond of you. I hope you live up to their praise."
Naruto smiled up at Gamabunta and said, "I hope so too, Gamabunta-san! I'll try my best!"
Gamabunta nodded in approval before looking back at Jiraiya. "If that's all I'm going to head home now. I was eating lunch when you summoned me, and I don't want to let my food get cold." Jiraiya nodded, signaling that was all he needed, allowing Gamabunta to disappear in a puff of smoke.
Jiraiya turned to Naruto and clapped him on the back. "Congratulations, kid! You're now an official summoner of the toad clan! I know Gamabunta didn't exactly say it, but he still accepted you. He's a grumpy old toad. Now, Gamabunta mentioned his lunch, and I realized it's getting late. How about you and I go get some ramen for lunch? My treat," Jiraiya questioned.
Naruto got stars in his eyes and rapidly nodded while beaming at Jiraiya. Jiraiya laughed at the young boy's predictable reaction and ruffled his hair. They then walked off together, with Naruto rambling about what type of ramen Jiraiya should get.
(6 months later)
It was a warm summer day as Naruto and Gamarisu sat in their favorite forest clearing with Tabi napping in the shade. Naruto and his female toad friend were currently engaged in a competitive staring contest. It had been going on for several minutes, and neither side seemed ready to yield. Naruto's eyes were watering, and Gamarisu's eyelid was starting to twitch. "Troublesome," Naruto heard from behind, "This clearing is being used. Guess we'll have to go somewhere else, Choji."
The sudden interruption caused Naruto to blink, eliciting a victory cry from Gamarisu. "Haha! I win again. That is now four wins for me and three for you, Naruto. I am the undisputed staring contest champ!" She boasted as she hopped up and down.
Naruto pouted at her before turning to see who interrupted their game. He saw a boy about his age with spiky black hair. It was tied up in a ponytail, making his head almost look like a pineapple. He had on a dark green shirt with black cargo shorts. He was slouched over with his hands shoved in his pocket and a tired look in his eyes. The other boy was portly and had on a large white t-shirt with a red spiral in the middle and blue shorts. He had spiky brown short hair, and he was smiling amicably at Naruto while munching on a bag of barbeque chips.
Naruto got up and wiped the dirt off his shorts, ignoring the yelling toad behind him. "Hi there!" Naruto greeted. "We can share the clearing if you want. It's plenty big enough for all of us," he encouraged, eager to make new friends.
The larger boy replied, "Sure! Sounds good to me. What about you, Shikamaru?" The pineapple headed boy lazily shrugged and walked over to the middle of the clearing and lay down on his back.
The larger boy smiled apologetically at Naruto and said, "Sorry about that. My name is Choji, and that is Shikamaru. He doesn't mean to be rude, that's just the way he is. We'd be happy to share the clearing with you if you'd let us. Who's that toad behind you, by the way?"
Naruto waved off the apology and gestured to Gamarisu. "Oh! This is Gamarisu. Gamarisu, say hi."
Gamarisu eagerly bounded forward. "Hi there! I like your shirt! It looks a lot like Naruto's. I love those chips you're eating. My favorite flavor is barbeque, too! Can I have one?" Gamarisu excitedly greeted.
Shikamaru turned his head to look at the talking toad and shrugged. His family tended to deer, so who was he to judge if Naruto had a toad friend. If the toad talked, all the better. 'Nothing I can do about it, so why bother,' Shikamaru thought before looking back up at the sky.
Choji was just happy the toad was friendly. She said she liked his chips and didn't call him fat, so she was okay in his book. He was an easy-going guy, and he was glad to make a new friend. He grinned and handed her a chip.
Naruto smiled, happy that the two boys seemed nice and accepted Gamarisu. Some people got weirded out by the talking toad, but they didn't seem to care. Naruto turned to Shikamaru and asked, "Whatcha doing over there?"
"Just looking at the clouds," he replied. He paused for a second before saying, "Want to join me?"
"Sure!"
Naruto and Choji walked over to Shikamaru and lay down next to him. They spent the next several hours enjoying the beautiful day and watching the clouds. They made a small game of it and tried to see who could see the most creative shapes in the clouds.
Eventually, Shikamaru, Choji, and Gamarisu all dozed off, leaving Naruto as the only one awake. He turned his head to look at his two new friends, and he sighed contently before closing his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
(1 year later)
Naruto stood outside the Academy with his backpack on, anxious about his first day. He was early, so he still had time before he went in. As he saw parents dropping off their children, he reflected on the past year.
He had slowly increased his friend group from just his Jiji, Jiraiya, Gamarisu, and Gamaken to include Hinata, Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji. He saw Hinata every now and then, but not as often as he would like. She was rather shy, and it was hard to find her. She told him that after the incident with the bullies, her father kept a closer eye on her. He didn't like her going out of the compound too often, so she had to stay inside a lot. While Naruto was a little upset about it, he understood. It just meant that he had to enjoy every minute when he got to hang out with Hinata. He still hadn't been invited inside the compound, but he didn't mind.
Naruto did find it kind of weird, though, that whenever he and Hinata went to the park, she always had a bodyguard. They would silently stand to the side, keeping a watchful eye over the two kids. They were kind enough to Naruto. They didn't really talk to him, but they were polite when he would try and talk to them.
Ino, on the other hand, he saw much more often. He would see her a lot at the park, and they played together regularly. It made him incredibly happy that she ignored the disapproving looks that she got from other parents. She would just call them "butt-heads," which Naruto learned was her favorite insult. He had also been over to her family's flower shop several times. He loved going there because it always smelled really nice. It was here that Naruto met Ino's father. He was very friendly with Naruto and always treated him well. He even let Naruto take home a couple plants for free to brighten up his apartment, much to Naruto's joy.
The only negative in his and Ino's relationship was that she didn't like ramen as much as he did. He introduced her to it one day, but she was not a big fan. She said she preferred sweeter food, like dango, which she forced Naruto to try. He thought it was alright, nowhere near as good as ramen, but alright.
Naruto had also gotten very close to Shikamaru and Choji. They were an odd duo, but they reminded Naruto of him and Gamaken. One was more reserved, while the other was energetic and friendly. Naruto quickly got used to their dynamic and got along really well with both of them. He had also visited both of their houses and met their families.
Shikamaru's mom was really nice, but a little strict. She had scolded him for not taking his shoes off when he entered her house the first time. Shikamaru's dad was almost exactly like Shikamaru. He was lazy and enjoyed just sitting around the house.
Choji's family was Naruto's favorite, though. They were all big and jolly people, and they always fed him well. They were very kind to him and said he had an open door and an open spot at their table whenever he wanted.
Finally, Naruto thought about his training over the past year. He had really improved his shuriken and kunai throwing. He could reliably hit 10/10 targets and 9/10 with bullseyes. He had practiced every other day, and Jiraiya gave him pointers whenever he was in the Village. Jiraiya said he was very proud of Naruto's improvements and his training dedication.
Also, Naruto had gotten significantly faster and had powerful legs for an eight-year-old. His regular game of tag with Gamarisu had gotten easier. He was considerably faster than Gamarisu, but she still held the advantage in agility. She could quickly change directions and make improbable jumps, forcing Naruto to learn to adapt to her.
Overall, Naruto felt comfortable with where he was, both socially and with his training. As he walked towards the Academy doors, he was excited to see what the future would bring. He pushed open the doors, and he took the first steps towards becoming a ninja.
(1) Naruto's jacket from Part 1
(2) It's a small, wooden version of Gamaken's weapon from canon
(3) I'm not even going to try and explain how to throw a kunai or shuriken. I just know I would get it wrong.
AN: And there's chapter two! I hope you guys like it. Thank you to everyone who favorited and followed last chapter, and a special thank you to the people who left reviews. This chapter was a little longer, but it had the first action scene in the story. It was brief, but I wanted to try my hand at a fight scene before I got to any serious one. Let me know what you guys liked and disliked about it.
Next chapter will see Naruto start the Academy and follow him throughout his years there. He will meet a couple new characters next chapter. Anyways, please leave a review, and I hope everyone has a good day!
