Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the original characters mentioned in passing.
A/N: I would like to thank everyone who added this story to their favorites and follows as well as everyone who reviewed the last chapter.
(Nearly 13 years ago)
Uzumaki Naruto was only five years old when the Third Hokage asked her about her dream.
It was a memory that she would always remember because it had been the first time that the old man actually asked her about her first dream. At the age of five, most children had some kind of idea of what they wanted to be when they grow up. Shinobi, florist and even being a merchant were just some of the dream that the children of Konoha had.
She was different of course. Even though she sat on the lap of the most powerful man in Konoha, Naruto didn't want the funny, large hat dangling on his head. She didn't want to be in his position, where she had to sit in front of pile of looming papers that seemed even taller than the old man. No, the dream of becoming Hokage didn't come to fruit at that age.
"Well Naru-chan, tell me what's your dream?" The Third Hokage asked her. His warm brown eyes flashed with curiosity as her little hands fiddled with the end of her dress. She didn't know why her foster grandfather care so much about her dream, not when they had no blood connection between them. People with blood connection were treated better than children with no blood connection to their parent.
That was the only explanation for those cold eyes being directed at her and not at little Konohamaru. The only people, who didn't give her such cold eyes were the foreigner merchants that came in. They smiled at Konohamaru and her. Those strange merchants even looked at her with warm eyes, so maybe only Konoha cared about bloodline.
(She learnt when she was 12 that it hadn't been because of her parents that made her have those cold eyes, but Kurama).
"My dream?" Naruto repeated. The Third Hokage smiled even wider at her and nodded his head as a bird smacked the window. His brown eyes gazed at her without any judgment and filled with so much curiosity and adoration that it made her pause. Her foster parents never asked her but then again they were mostly working.
The times that they did have were times devoted to playing with her and Konohamaru, so it was natural that they never really asked her about her dream.
"You mean to tell me that not once you thought of a new dream?" The Third Hokage asked, tickling her stomach. Giggles erupted from her lips and she smacked the old man's hand away from her as her lungs burned from the laughter. The old man smiled. "Tell me, Naru-chan…don't you have a new dream? It's been six months since Kei decided to take you in."
Naruto could only stare at the smiling old man before looking down at her hands. She had never really thought of another dream until he asked her. If she asked for more then she would be greedy and selfish just like how that mean old lady warned Kei-ojisan. She didn't want the Old Man to think bad of her but if he really wanted to know then she would tell him.
"I wanna explore the world that the merchants talk about," Naruto grinned and stared at the warm eyes of her grandfather's figure. Those warm, brown eyes widened and the surprise faded into concern. Oh. Did he want her to say that she want to become a shinobi like his son and daughter-in-law? Because she could do that.
She lowered her head and cleared her throat, only to blink when the Third Hokage patted her back. Wasn't he angry with her for wishing to escape from this small village and going to the big sea? Why wasn't he saying anything? She doesn't understand why the old man was comforting her when he didn't like her dream.
"So you want to leave Kei, Yui and even little Konohamaru?" The Third Hokage asked. Naruto blinked and then lowered her head. She didn't want to leave them because they were her family. They took her in even though she was a bad, little girl but she had to leave them eventually. She brought nothing but bad luck to them. "You know the sea is no place for you, Naruto. You can barely defend yourself."
She frowned and swirled her head at the old man, only to laugh when the old man tickled her sides. He always seemed to do that whenever the two of them were alone in his office. This is our time. That was what the Third Hokage explained to her when he told her that they were going to have tea in his office every Thursday.
The tickles died down and Naruto rubbed her eyes before looking back up at the smiling old man. So if she wanted to go out into the big open ocean then she had to be able to defend herself? Well that made sense. There were pirates and marines in the ocean and they could be really strong compared to the average civilian.
"I'll just join the Academy," Naruto declared, bobbing her head. "They can teach me how to defend myself."
The Third Hokage stared down at her with a small smile but she could see the worry in his eyes. Why is he worried? I will become so strong that no one can touch me. She was a very good at doing that because she beat up the mean boys, who tried to ruin her hair. She was definitely going to accomplish this dream.
"Why do you want to explore the outside world?" The Third Hokage asked. He lifted his hat up from his head and placed it right beside the piles of thick paper before looking down at her with curiosity. His warm eyes traced her and then it shifted to the photo of the Fourth Hokage. Those warm eyes looked at the young man in the photo with concern and regret.
He always looked at that photo with those kind of eyes whenever he sensed something was wrong with her. Naruto didn't know why her grandfather-figure would always do that. She didn't have a connection to the Fourth Hokage but it would be cool if she was his daughter. If she was his daughter then none of the kids would bully her.
(Even when she was 16, Naruto knew that being her father's daughter wouldn't have given her anything because the villagers only began to acknowledge her heritage after she saved them).
"I will be free, won't I?" Naruto asked. The smile on the Hokage's face faded and she bit her trembling lip. She knew that no one in their village would have such thoughts because they were free. She didn't fully understand what was freedom but she did know freedom didn't mean being scared. "And…I can find people who accept me."
She steadied her arms and looked up at the Third Hokage. There was no smile on the old man's lips, only a very deep frown. His warm brown eyes looked at her like he wanted to cry, which was silly. Adults didn't cry. Only babies cried and the Hokage wasn't a baby. His grandson was a baby. A big baby but she wasn't going to tell the Hokage that.
"Naru-chan, did my family ever make you feel that you weren't accepted?" The Third Hokage demanded. Naruto blinked and gazed down at her hands. Kei and Yui listened to her and they always seemed ready to answer her questions. Not once did they ever feel less than their own son.
She knew the villagers didn't like the fact that the Hokage's son took her in. There are children more deserving of that honor. Those adults say those words whenever she played in the swings. A part of her wanted to tell them that Kei and Yui chose her but it was hard to talk when their cold eyes were directed at her.
"Kei-ojisan and his family makes me feel warm," Naruto answered. The Hokage relaxed his shoulders and stared at her with eyes filled with confusion. She licked her dried lips and took a deep breath. "But none of the other villagers accept me. They don't like the fact that your son took me in. They keep talking shit about your family because of me."
The Third Hokage clenched his jaw and balled his hands into a fist. She leaned further away from the old man because those warm eyes were now filled with so much irritation. Was he angry with her? She did her best to be a good kid. Whenever Yui needed someone to help her in the kitchen then she was there. She even carried Konohamaru's diapers and help her foster mother changed his diaper.
"Naru-chan, if you're worried about them then don't worry," The Hokage informed her. His eyes showed sincerity and she could only stare at the man. What did he mean don't worry? What if Kei and Yui realized that they made a mistake taking her in? It was a matter of time before those adults could change their mind. "Kei and Yui loves you as much as they love Konohamaru. Not a day goes by when they don't talk about you."
She felt her throat tightened at those words. Could the Third read her mind? Because how did he know about her fear? But how could she know that the old man was telling her the truth? He was always saying things to cheer her up from telling her that her birth parents loved her to telling her that she was a very smart child.
She still didn't understand why Kei and Yui chose her over all the other kids in the orphanage. There had been prettier little girls in the orphanage, who were always being complimented by the Matron. There were other kids that could do amazing things like make pretty drawings. Nothing about her stood out except for the small clothes that the Matron gave her to wear.
"Old Man, why did Kei-ojisan pick me over the other kids?" Naruto asked. The Third Hokage blinked and then frowned. He looked at her like he didn't understand her sudden question and maybe he didn't understand. He was old and probably had never been a kid before. "There were so many other kids in the orphanage, so why did they pick me?"
The Third Hokage looked at her for the longest time before lowering his head. Naruto slumped her shoulders. Whenever the old man did these kind of things then it meant he didn't want her to read his emotions. Why couldn't he tell her anything? She was going to be six soon. When she turned six then it meant she was a big girl now.
"My daughter-in-law wanted an adorable little girl," The Hokage answered, quirking his lips into a smile. "And despite the fact that you were a scrawny little thing, you managed to make them fall in love with you."
Naruto stared at the smiling old man and bobbed her head. What did she do to make them fall in love with her? She had been in the back of the line when they came in to adopt another child. The Matron didn't even seem to think she was going to be worth adopting since she didn't try and make her take a bath.
The Matron also told her that no one was ever going to accept a child like her.
"Do you think that one day they will love and accept me like how Kei-ojisan and Yui-obachan accepts me?"
The Third Hokage looked down at her with thoughtful eyes, which only made her stomach roll around with worry. There were only a few times when the old man to direct those eyes at her. Each time he gave her those eyes, he would give her an answer that didn't fit the answer that she wanted to hear from him.
Kei-ojisan says that it was because the old man disliked lying when it came to serious topics.
"I believe that if you continue to work hard then one day they will accept you," The Third Hokage answered. Naruto blinked and the old man offered her another smile before fixating his eyes on the photo of the Fourth Hokage. "You're a lovable child, Naru-chan and one day the whole village will come to realize just how loveable you are."
Her heart fluttered with hope at those kind words and she couldn't stop herself from smiling at the old man. If she worked hard then one day the villagers would stop looking at her with those mean, cold eyes. If she worked hard then those cold eyes might be replaced with warmth and maybe just maybe, she could walk with her head held up high.
"So if I work hard then I'll be accepted by them? Once they accept me then can I final feel free?"
The Third Hokage looked at her with unreadable eyes. He didn't answer her question, only darting his eyes to the photo of the Fourth Hokage before looking back at her. She waited for him to dismiss her question or for him to change the topic. The talk of freedom was probably not something she should discuss with the leader of her village.
"Naru-chan, what do you mean by free?" He finally asked her. His tone was soft and inquisitive like he truly wanted to hear her opinion on freedom. It was strange because adults never asked her a question like that. She was always the one asking him questions because old people always seemed to have the answer for everything.
She guessed that even old people didn't know everything.
"Can I walk out of your tower and be free to love who I am?" The Hokage blinked and then offered her an encouraging smile. Naruto licked her dried lips and stared down at her hands before looking back at the old man. "Can I be free to not care about what the people in this village thinks of me?"
The Hokage offered her a little bitter smile, looking almost as if someone stabbed him in the stomach with her questions. Should she have kept quiet? But the old man was the one to ask her about her meaning of freedom. Maybe she could have gone with the meaning that she found in Yui's dictionary. At least the old man wouldn't look so hurt.
"Naru-chan, you're a smart child which is why I'll give you this answer: being accepted by the villagers doesn't mean that you might get that freedom that you desire," The Third Hokage answered. Naruto blinked and dropped her shoulders, only to blink when the old man placed his large hat on her head. "But what I can tell you is that you have your own will and only you can know when you're free."
(Years later, she realized that she still wasn't free even though she had the love of the village. Konoha was trying to shackle her with responsibility and even though the people loved her as a hero, they still didn't love her. They haven't given her any freedom).
"Well, I'm looking for freedom and an adventure."
Naruto offered the old man a smile as her friends looked at her with wide eyes. It didn't surprise her that they hadn't figured out her occupation. Why would they? She never thought that there was a need for her to tell them that she was a shinobi. Though, she probably should have made things clearer when the old Captain dropped her off at that port.
The old Chef regarded her with blank eyes and thinned lips. He was probably trying to think if she was actually being serious about the whole thing or if she was here for some agenda. Shinobis were affiliated to their respective village and would never dare to think of the outside world, when leaving the village could make a shinobi a missing nin.
"A kunoichi looking for an adventure and freedom?" The old man snorted and leaned against his wooden peg as the other customers broke out into whispers. His eyes searched her while the boy called Lil' Eggplant looked at her like she was a character from some book. "You're the first person from those islands, who are looking for those things."
She chuckled and smiled wearily as her eyes shifted to Ace and Masked Deuce. Most shinobi wouldn't dare to look for those things because their missions were more than enough for them. They didn't desire freedom because they already had freedom. They could talk about the Daimyo and not have the fear that he would demand for their heads.
The man hadn't even been upset when she turned down his son's proposal.
"Well if you asked everyone back home about me then they'll tell you that I'm the number one unpredictable kunoichi," Naruto chuckled. She closed the menu and allowed her eyes to wander from the slacked jaws of the customers before fixating her eyes on the old man. "But I left my Hitai-ate back home with Kakashi-sensei, so mind telling me how did you figure it out?"
The man nodded and lifted up her orange backpack. Several seals decorated her bag from the lock seal to the newly formed fireproof seal that she had been forced to make because Ace could unintentionally burn her bag. Honestly, if it wasn't for the fact she needed Ace to learn how to control his powers then she would have put it on their boat.
"The only people I have ever seen use those kind of characters alongside shapes were shinobi," The old man replied, looking at the bag with careful consideration and eyes filled with slight irritation. He tossed her back her bag and her hand automatically reached for the strap. The old man nodded. "Those things alongside those jutsu that you people have, were a real pain in the neck."
She allowed her smile to widen before patting her bag. Seals were a bitch for anyone, who didn't know how to use them, but they were effective and useful if a person knew how to use them. They were, however, also a real pain to learn as Jiraiya would like to remind her whenever she used to complain about the length of time needed to learn them.
"Well now that you answer that question, are you going to tell me if you accept my currency?" Naruto asked, holding up her fat Gama-chan for him to see. It wasn't all of her hard-earned saving but it was more than enough to pay for whatever meals that the three of them would eat. It was definitely enough to cover the blackhole that was Ace's stomach. "It's more than enough to pay for whatever they want to eat."
The old man dragged his wooden peg across the floor. The floors shrieked and her poor ears almost screamed at her to get rid of that horrible sound but she held in the wince. Instead, she straightened her back as the man lowered his body until his eyes looked back at her. Nothing gave away his feelings about the matter.
"You have a lot of money but your currency won't allow me to feed my crew," The old man replied. His eyes flashed with slight regret even though his tone was anything but regretful. He eyed her friends, who clutched their stomachs, and then looked back at her. "But I'll let you and your two friends eat here for free."
The blond-haired boy relaxed his shoulders but Naruto didn't care much about his reaction. The irritated eyes of his crew drew her undevoted attention because they probably glared at the old man for being kind. Not that she could blame them because they worked so hard to make these meals and the owner just suddenly decided to let them eat for free.
"Ace and Masky can eat for free but I'll work for my portion of the meal," Naruto declared. The blond-haired teen frowned at her and shifted his eyes to his boss, who only thinned his lips at her. The other chefs gawked at her before shifting their nervous eyes towards the owner. "You seem like a good cook and a good boss, so I won't mind working under you to pay off the debt. Besides, I'm sure I can learn some stuff to keep those two well-fed."
The owner clicked his tongue and handed her back her wallet. She caught her wallet and raised her eyebrows at the old man. What was he going to tell her? She was more than capable of doing what was needed to get the work done. Chop some onions? She could do that without even letting a single tear drop. Clean the plates? Easy as making ramen.
"You aren't going to work for me," the owner declared. The chefs dropped their shoulders and threw a glare at the old man while the blond-haired teen only bobbed his head at them. Did they expect him to just say that? Well she had been expecting that answer because the old man didn't have a single female working here.
That didn't mean she was going to accept his answer because she was Uzumaki Naruto and she was the most stubborn woman in the world as Shikamaru would like to say.
"Why not?" She slid her wallet to Ace and jumped up from her seat as more and more eyes fixed on them. The blonde placed her hands on her hips and slid her legs even wider. Naruto felt her jaws growing tighter and could practically hear several of the customers gulping with what could only be fear. "Why won't you let me work under you?"
Masked Deuce stood up and yanked her arm, drawing her closer to him. Her friend flickered his eyes to their quiet captain before locking his gaze on her. Finally, he hissed. "Are you seriously going to pick a fight over this? Be happy that he won't let you work it off."
"We've been together for three weeks now and you still don't understand why I'm fighting over this," Naruto hissed back. Masked Deuce clicked his teeth and threw a pleading look to their Captain. Their Captain only shook his head before crashing his head against the table. In the background, several people cried but Naruto only gazed at the sleeping boy.
He did that a lot but she would have to ask Sakura-chan if this condition was dangerous, because her heart really did stop whenever Ace decided to fall asleep at the most random period of time.
"I'm not going to let you work under me because you're a girl," the owner declared. Naruto tore her eyes away from her sleeping captain as Masked Deuce loosened his grip around her arm. She looked back at the stern eyes of the owner. "Anyone that works under me should be expected to be hit and I cannot hit a girl."
So this old man was not going to let her work under him for at least a week because she was a girl? Because he couldn't bear the idea of hitting her? She was a fucking kunoichi and deserved to be treated with the respect that a kunoichi deserved. Naruto clenched her jaw together and took a deep breath.
"If you've been to all the islands that make up the Elemental Islands then you should know that our women are strong and not fucking fragile like the women here," Naruto growled. She could see several customers looking at her with disapproval while a couple of the chefs took a step backwards. Cowards! They were all cowards. "I'm a fucking soldier and deserved to be treated like every man in this ship!"
The old man narrowed his eyes at her. "Soldier or not, you're still a girl and I won't have any respect for myself if I allow myself to hit a woman."
What the fucking hell was wrong with this old man? What part of her being a kunoichi did he not understand? She wasn't like that pretty lady sitting next to the window, who looked like she couldn't even lift a table, and she was definitely not like that round woman who looked like she had more fat than muscles. She could handle a couple of kicks.
Fuck, this old man was definitely worse than every male she had ever met and that was saying something.
"That kind of attitude is admirable for civilian women but I've been trained as a soldier since I was six," Naruto growled. She felt the vein on her forehead twitching and bottled down the impulsive need to punch the old man in the face. "You think every bastard that walks out in a battlefield cares that I'm a girl? If they did then they're dead because I'm not afraid to fight dirty!"
The old man grunted. "Well I don't give a shit! I'm not having a girl working in this ship."
Naruto clicked her tongue and clenched her jaws together. There had to be a way for her to get this annoying old geezer to allow her to work off her debt and learn from him. Fighting him would be damn easy, too easy but it wouldn't be enough to convince him that she was stubborn. She had to do something that would make him concede. Something that would make him give up.
Growls thundered across the restaurant, drawing even more attention on them if that was even possible. Ace and Masked Deuce shot her guilty looks and Naruto paused as a lightbulb lit up above her head. She hated to do this. It had been so long since those days but if it meant proving a point then she would do it.
"I won't eat," Her voice boomed across the restaurant and Naruto focused her eyes on the quiet old man. "I won't eat a damn thing until you agree to let me work off any debt and learn how to make the best damn food that I could even make a member of the Akimichi clan cry."
Brown eyes widened and the old owner's lips twitched as if he found her words to be amusing. Maybe it was because if he was a cook and been to one of their islands then he knew just how much that clan loved food. If a restaurant did not meet to the standard of the Akimichi clan then it would be closed in a matter of days.
"If you can last a whole seven days without any food then I'll take you up on your offer."
Naruto grinned.
"Oh? I'm going to take you up on your word because by the end of the week, you're going to teach me how to cook like you and your crew."
She could handle starving for seven days because…that woman taught her of the wonders of neglect.
"Are you really going to go for a full seven days without any food?"
The sun shone with the intensity of a hundred chidori when Ace asked her this question. Her two friends were getting ready to go off to the nearby island, where they would hopefully train while she get the necessary training that she needed. Well if that stubborn old coot actually stick to his silly belief of not hitting a woman.
Snorting, Naruto looked up at the concern eyes of her captain. In the distance, she could see Masked Deuce talking to the blond-haired teen, who seemed intent on glaring at Ace. Lil Eggplant was the nickname given by the owner but a better nickname would have been wannabe Casanova. Honestly with those cheesy lines, it felt like Jiraiya was right there in spirit.
Her mentor would have either scolded the male for such obvious cheesy lines, warn him for trying to flirt with her or gave him tips on how to actually score with the ladies.
Shaking her head, Naruto patted the warm shoulder of Ace and answered. "Is the sky blue, Cap?"
A hearty chuckle escaped from Ace's lips and his lips curled into a wide smile but his eyes really spoke everything to her. Even though his laughter and smile displayed and conveyed sincerity, his eyes spoke of a whole different battle inside of him. Those pretty gray eyes of his told her of the mountain of concern about her plan.
"You're really serious about this, Fishcake." His quiet and worried tone jolted her and almost made her want to blink, because the level of concern he had for her was rather strange. It was stranger now because Ace knew her occupation but still showed her those kind of eyes. It was like it didn't matter to him that she was a soldier.
She licked her dried lips and darted her eyes to Masked Deuce and the boy nicknamed Lil Eggplant before looking back at Ace. She shouldn't have to explain herself. Even if Ace's eyes blazed and burned with worry for her; it didn't mean that she had to explain herself. This was her business. But her stupid stomach flipped with happiness that he would be this concern for her.
Maybe it was that level of concern that made her admit her actions.
"You entrusted me with the role of a cook," she reminded him, wrapping her hand around his wrist. She pulled him towards the walls and almost snorted when Lil' Eggplant had stream erupting from his nose and eyes filled with envy. He's definitely thinking of something pervy. She chuckled, shook her head and continued on. "And if I'm going to be your cook then I've to be the best one."
Ace stared at her for the longest time with eyes showing absolutely no emotion. Her captain always did this when he didn't want her or Masky to figure out what was going through his mind. Was he upset? Happy? Furious? So many emotions could be running through his mind but she would never know with the way he avoided her eyes.
His eyes continued to look at her and the longer that he looked at her, the more aware she was of their surroundings and themselves. Her hand still wrapped around his wrist. The distinct fiery heat searing out of his muscular body. In the distance, a small wave crashed against the boat and like a chemical reaction, the boat rocked just a little bit.
After a few more of seconds of those grey eyes gazing at her, she felt her cheeks begin to heat up. Why did he have to keep looking at her like that? She hadn't said anything weird. She was his cook even if it was a temporary position. It was only natural that she did a good job because their crew was going to rely on her.
A healthy, full crew was a crew capable of handling everything.
"So you're a kunoichi," Ace finally said, clearing his throat. Naruto twisted her head around and scrunched her eyebrows together as her captain offered her a warm smile. That warm smile did silly things to her heart like making it run around with joy. That goofy, warm smile of his was like a band aid, covering up and aiding in the recovery of her stressed-up nerves.
She cleared her throat and looked away from him, choosing to focus her eyes on the waters ahead of them. Naruto dropped her hand from Ace's wrist and leaned her whole body against the wooden walls. Should she tell her whole life story to him? No, it wasn't the right time to tell him. It wasn't necessary for him to know all the aspects of her past.
But telling him the little details was harmless enough.
"I've been a kunoichi since I was 12," Naruto admitted, placing the sole of her feet against the wooden walls. It was odd to talk about something that was now common knowledge in Konoha and the other islands, but not a bad odd. It was actually pleasant like a small rock had been taken off her shoulder. "If I wanted to go out into the sea then I had to be strong as the Old Man told me. The only way to get any training was to become a shinobi."
There was no way for her to walk up to some random shinobi and asked them to train her. She could have asked the Third Hokage but it felt like at the time that it would have been special treatment. People would have thought lowly of the man, which was why she didn't ask him. Her foster parents were busy with their own missions and when they did have time…well Konohamaru deserved to spend time with them.
"You said you wanted an adventure," Ace commented. He leaned his whole body against the wall and fixed his grey eyes on her, scanning her like he was trying to figure everything that was going through her mind. "But you're a ninja, so didn't you have adventures? What is the difference between being a pirate and being a ninja?"
She smiled and chuckled before shifting her body closer to the furnace that was her captain's body. There was no need for her to get closer to him but no one needed to know about this conversation. Ace was going to know because he was sweet, warm and definitely someone who didn't seem to judge her. She liked that about Ace.
People were judgmental creatures but her captain wasn't like that.
"Missions are never really fun," Naruto explained quietly. She ran her hands through her hair and quirked her lips into a slight smile. "Missions means I've to take orders from the leader of my village and act like the perfect little lady, because clients don't like it if I punch them in the face. God, there were so many times when I wanted to fucking punch one of our clients."
Ace chuckled and snorted. It was a wonderful sound that almost made her captain sound like an angel, except well he was anything but an angel if you asked her. If he was an angel then they wouldn't have lost their food supply to that bottomless pit that he called a stomach. But compared to every male she knew, he was one of the best guys that she knew.
"What stopped you?"
"My teammate," Naruto admitted with a laugh. "She would always pull me back and reminded me that punching them in the face was going to reduce my paycheck. I love my paycheck way more than my desire to destroy those annoying smirks off their face."
Ace let out a low-belly laugh and not for the first time did she noticed that there were little laugh lines around his eyes. She had never noticed it before but it suited her captain. Those laugh lines suited him as much as that pretty hat resting on top of his head. Her expression must have screamed her feelings because redness crept up on his cheeks.
"So you left your home so that you can hit people without being held back by someone?" Ace chuckled. "I swear if my little brother was in your position then he would just smack them without thinking of the consequence."
"Your little brother? I think you would have done the same thing, Cap," Naruto observed. Her captain chuckled and paused for only a second before bobbing his head. At least he wasn't going to deny the fact he wouldn't stop to think of the consequence of the action. Honestly, only boring people like Sakura-chan and Masky would think of the consequence.
That consequence of losing money was no longer a concern, now that she saved up enough money for her journey. Now she was free as the ocean in front of them. Nothing could hold her back when it came to the consequences of her action. She didn't have to think of what her actions would mean for Konoha because Konoha needed her.
They needed her because of her status and the fact that she was technically the strongest shinobi in their village alongside Sasuke. The whole village loved her because she saved them. They loved her but it didn't mean they fully accepted her. If they fully accepted her then they would have apologized for every shitty thing they did to her.
She clicked her tongue and looked at Ace. Maybe it would be a good idea for her to tell him about the other reason for leaving the only home that she had ever known. With the way the sun glinted on Ace and the gooiness that was her shoulders, it seemed only right for her to be a little bit opened with him.
Besides, Ace hadn't judged her yet.
"I also wanted to be accepted," Naruto admitted. Whatever good mood they had between them faded into nothing as her captain slacked his jaws at her. His grey eyes grew large and his lips parted like he had never expected that kind of thing from her. She must have had him fooled if he didn't think she wanted that. "Back home, I never really felt like I was accepted by them."
Her captain frowned. "But wouldn't they accept you? You're the daughter of their leader."
"When people look at me, they don't see me as Uzumaki Naruto but someone else entirely," Naruto admitted. She stared at the serious eyes of her captain and allowed the bitter laugh to claw out of her lips. "You work hard every fucking day and they still won't accept you. If I did something awesome then they see me as someone else entirely. It's like the idea that I'm Naruto, doesn't exist to them."
The raven-haired boy tilted his hat downwards, adjusting it till there was a dark shadow erected on his face. It didn't suit him, not at all like those warm beautiful smiles that he gave her and Masked Deuce. But the topic was serious and smiling at a topic like this seemed like a mockery to their growing friendship.
"Why?"
"The first time around I understood why but now…I don't know," she shrugged and breathed in the salty air. "You know what I thought? I thought if I worked hard enough then they will accept me for who I am. I thought I would be free but that didn't happen of course. If anything, I just realized that people are really judgmental pieces of shit."
Ace nodded and looked at her like her words were the understatement of the century. That only brought out a smile on her lips because it was awesome to know that the boy had the same conclusion as her. Then again, he probably had seen first-hand with how that old coot refused to let her work because of her gender.
Honestly if it wasn't for the fact that it would have looked like a pathetic loss and the fact she needed him, she probably would have socked him in the face for being sexist.
"You know I accepted you because you looked like a fighter."
Smiling earnestly, her captain looked at her with absolute sincerity in his eyes as if to reassure her that he didn't care about her gender. Honestly, if Ace was like that blond-haired teen then she would have been concern for the speed that he accepted her. But the teen seemed to think with his brain and not the brain between his legs.
Of course, it would be way too boring if she just admitted it in that way.
"And here I thought you accepted me because of my dazzling beauty," Naruto wiped away a fake tear and allowed the smile on her lips to widen when her captain spluttered at her comment. Now that was the red-faced captain that she wanted to see. Out of all the expressions that Ace had ever shown her, this had to be the reaction that made her lips screamed with joy.
After a couple of seconds, the redness on Ace's cheeks died away and the gaggled expression was now replaced with the raven-haired boy laughing and shaking his head at her. She chuckled and offered him an innocent smile before gazing up at the lone cloud. This was the adventure that she had been dreaming for, but it would be a while before she figured out if this had been the freedom she craved for.
"You really have no shame, do you?"
Naruto chuckled and leaned closer to her captain before offering him a leering look that could put Jiraiya to shame. It was a harmless joke and if her captain was the type to get uncomfortable with these kind of expression then she would stop. It was fair. If she wanted equality then she should want equality for both genders.
"Of course I've no shame," She stepped away and felt her heart fluttered with amusement when the male chuckled at her comment. In the distance, she could see Lil' Eggplant glaring at her captain and Masked Deuce offering her an unimpressed look. She stuck her tongue out at him before looking back at her smiling captain.
Her captain shook his head and took a deep breath. "You know I expect you to win this bet."
She blinked and stared at the serious eyes of her captain before quirking her lips into a smile. She was definitely going to win this bet because it was a battle between stubbornness. If the old man was as compassionate as she thought he was then it would be two days top. If it was seven days then she had an excuse to stuff herself with so much food.
Chuckling, Naruto bobbed her head and dug her finger against her captain's hard chest. She quirked a single eyebrow when her captain shivered and then shook her head. If it had been a week ago, she could easily dismissed it as him getting flustered from physical contact. But the devil fruit he ate, made him so much more hotter than before.
Hot enough that her own finger felt like an iceberg compared to his own fiery chest.
"And I expect you to have even better control over your devil fruit power," she declared, flashing him a grin. "And you definitely have to start Masky on his training because I'm going to be testing the both of you when I win the bet and learn from that old cook. If I don't like it then you bet your ass I'm going to whip the both of you in shape."
Ace chuckled.
"Alright…Naruto-sensei."
The blonde grinned.
"You know I like the sound of that."
She was definitely going to have fun when it came to whipping those two and their future crew into shape.
A/N: So the flashback gives a little glimpse into this version of Naruto's past. We saw Naruto fighting with Zeff over not allowing her to work off her debt because of her gender and we see another bonding moment between Naruto and Ace. The chapter would have been longer but I have decided to cut it off here. Now here are a couple of questions for you:
Q1: What is your definition of freedom?
Q2: How did you feel about the flashback?
Q3: How did you feel about the interaction between Naruto and Zeff?
Q4: How did you feel about Naruto and Ace's talk in this chapter?
Please do tell me of your thoughts and feelings on this chapter.
