(New 10/14/20) Warnings added to chapter one. Please review if you haven't seen them.
===Chapter 5===
Naruto's birthday was a bit of an example of mixed blessing. For one, it was the day the hokage acknowledged that he could take care of himself, and take responsibility for his day to day life. That meant saying goodby to his revolving guardians. It was a presence Naruto missed for reasons other than simply belonging, and he hoped distantly that he'd get to see them again elsewhere.
He received his own home, a stipend to get by on, and showered in a few articles to get himself started. It was a substantial responsibility, topped by knowing that it was his job to keep the 'itch' under control, and be mindful of its effects on others.
Naruto wasn't exactly comfortable with the idea. For the entirety of his life, the influence of the aura was something to be locked away at all costs. Having it appear, and even considering it's effects reaching those around him, it felt like telling him to swim down and protect the barrier between oil and water. Better to leave alone as it were.
Still, the greatest change was that he was no longer flanked by visible guards all the time. Naruto anti-fangroup had kept a lot of dark will in the rafters, admitting the shinobi corps to do its job. Following the division from his leash, a number of them saw what was one of the few opportunities to influence that boundary directly.
People twice and three times his size would show up and grill him in the middle of the street, and it seemed some were out to make waves between him and the day to day commute. He would have none of that, but in the early days following his release, he didn't have a basis for dealing with this new threat.
Contacting as many of his social groups as he could, The blond prepared to isolate himself until either the worst passed, or he came up with an approach to counter it.
It didn't take long however for someone to push the boundary, and cross a line that should never have been crossed. Canned food and groceries scattered across the road, and what wasn't wrapped was drenched in soapy water. The words were mean and spiteful, but they didn't compete until posing the idea that someone would steal from him.
The teenager cut her rant short when a nagging sense of doubt caught her situational awareness. The boy's head lowered and hands rolled at his side sent a message that she worried she might have missed otherwise.
Anger welled up in him and the glare that his steel blue eyes fixed her with could blow the pin out of a grenade. He turned and gathered up his purchases, taking only enough time to stow them before walking away.
That one line crossed became a cycle of retribution, and it put anyone who went so far to create a problem for him or others. When she woke up the next day, every window on the entire house was plastered with the brand of canned food she taunted him with. A review of 'poorly chosen target market' decorated the back of one of the front most windows, as well as the only outward facing poster.
Naruto could be funny when it came to pranks, but that was only the ones he felt deserving for his musing. To bullies, a stone cold reminder that he took them seriously. The itch, their first and only warning.
The autumn leaves were on their last limbs now, and the chilling breath of winter was becoming a frequent part of the day to day commute.
Naruto was making his way through a red bean bun, and mulling the challenge ahead of him. The boy's red scarf and wool sweater kept a fair amount of warmth from leaving him, but pretty soon he would have to make his way inside.
The wind picked up abruptly, and cut through a far amount of his comfort. Plotting would have to wait. A few voices were muffled by the wind, when the first in a line of brazen tones reached his ear. One word rang out above others, and echoed as the gale gave it's pause.
He wandered toward the sound, worried whether something truly awful could have gotten inside the village, but his speculation died when he saw the target of the trio to be a little girl. Indignation and concern rose in equal measure, competing against the retribution he had come to embrace. Still, he wanted to be able to send a message that they would remember.
It fell through when he saw her stumbled to the ground. The ring of bullies lurched closer and one rolled and arm. He couldn't delay further.
Naruto had never fought before. He'd never been the target of such abuse that it was an issue. When the windup kid's fist came, It buried deep in his stomach. Fighting, either for breath or to stand, it was all he could do at first to keep another big hit like that from landing, but between the three of them, they had their pick of angles.
Not long after he emerged from the woods, Naruto's arms were the only thing separating him from the dirt.
"C'mon, these two monsters aren't the only ones." Gradually the group split off.
Naruto heard the restle over the pounding in his ears, and he couldn't stand to let them keep finding more victims. Oh he had a fair share of ideas.
"Umm, "Are you alright?"" The two chorused.
Naruto balled his fists and leveraged himself upright, "I'll be fine. They didn't hurt as much once they got into it. And you?"
The dirt shifted behind him, "Y- t-y They didn't hit me, t-thanks to you."
Naruto turned to face her, finding midnight blue hair and moonlike eyes, flitting nervously until the moment their gazes locked. It was brief, as a moment later Naruto unwrapped his scarf, "C'mon, your shivering."
"Eh?" The girl received the cloth in her arms, "W-wait, what's your-" She clutched the scarf close.
"I'm Naruto. C'mon, we should get inside." Even as he spoke, the undercurrent from the changing seasons swirled around them in eddies. Beyond the windbreak, it would only get worse.
Pausing as he reached the treeline, he glanced over his shoulder before doubling back.
The girl had an absolutely miserable look on her face, but it burst when she felt a hand grasp her own, and draw her out of the clearing. The humidity became frigid as they walked through the forest, and the howl of the wind picked up just ahead. The girl frowned and she took a few steps closer before tossing the scarf over his head.
Naruto sputtered as his field of view was blocked, then turned as the tassels flitted over his shoulders. The girl tightened the zipper on her cream turtleneck and squeezed his hand again. He beamed, and all of a sudden, it felt like the gale never stood a chance. Turning ahead he pulled her close as a bluster lapped across the treeline.
The village gate appeared in the distance. A sharp ridge above the treeline, and claiming the eroded hillside behind it as its own. I was burning so much time like this, and already, I had to avert two hotshots on the way here. At this rate-
"Water release: Stronghold"
The structure of the roadway lit up like a shorefront at dawn, trails of that energy brushing across the forest until all at once I felt them snatched up. Thirty yards ahead, I could see an entire platoon lying in wait. I could fight them off, but for the life of me it would not be a clean encounter. The soldier on my shoulder weighed in on my mind. I could still see the gleam of his face as the forest came alight.
"Enough of this self destructive path. Water release: Pressure point."
My veins and muscles shifted, prickling as the sensation of warm bodies ahead of me rang out like the promise of death. Elements of my chakra subverted, as I hard wired to get these two bodies through the gate. One, two, four steps, before I cut into the forest, sweeping unto the upper branches like a pouncing hawk before dashing off with nary a whisper. I knew one way into the village. It was a dirty trick, but the odds were good it would spark the audience I was looking for. A few hundred meters later, I used a nearby tree as a springboard and leapt into the air.
'You do realize that passing through the barrier is impossible, right? They block anything that doesn't belong from passing through, and filter out what energy should and should not be admitted.'
I felt through the firewall technique, the sensor barrier ring out like a gong. I landed a few steps later and looked to the sky, 'One? One chakra signature.' I shifted the young man off my shoulders and placed a finger to his neck. Sure enough, he was alive and I made a point of getting away from that spot quickly, albeit as subdued as possible. I wanted the test to be of manpower, not of reaction time and accuracy. Call me bias, but those tags sold me on that front.
'I guess it wasn't a fluke back then. They really can't tell me apart from the barrier.' I aimed to reach the land of tea well before the first snow. Weather in the land of fire was milder than most, but the current drafts around me had me playing my timetables tighter than was realistic. I 'escorted' my companion as far as the main road network, before setting him against the wall and drawing on nature chakra again. A few dozen signatures stood out. One of them was unnervingly stable, but two others were making a furious pace to my position. I wouldn't be waiting long. I waited, and watched as the two drew near. I needed them to find the body, and to assure myself that these were the hands I was after. Soon enough, I could pick out the formulae of their chakras and stood to go. The first crested the top of the nearest building, and I turned to take off. He didn't miss for a heartbeat the incapacitated body I left behind. Oddly enough, I felt the urge to take one last detour. I wanted to make sure the corps wouldn't nose dive while I was away. Then again, I would not be gone for long.
These guys were not root corps. Their specialization was being the first responders, to cross the village in a second if need be. Chances were good, they were also sensors within the department. As If I would have that kind of time here now. The distance between us closed at an alarming rate. They didn't need an explanation for someone who takes the liberty of going over the wall. No one gets clearance for that.
The grasp of the Jonin behind me dissolved over my shoulder, and the cobblestone nearly throbbed as I kicked off in earnest. I was no specialist, and I wasn't about to match pace with the jinchuriki hitting his stride, but if it came to a system, I could cheat. And I had a long leg ahead of me.
Tunnel vision kicked in a moment later, and sage energy kicked in right afterwards. All at once I leapt onto the wall enclosing the village and higher again still, "Wind release: Seam step."
No amount of sensory omission could deny that the sky rocked. The hybrid of water and wind cracked thunder, and tore the sky around it apart. A distortion closing over the air behind me, a dimensional rift threatening to form. I was halfway across the continent already.
The jonin behind the wall floundered. A few minutes later he returned to the scene of the disabled. His eyes widened as he caught sight of the ceramic mask at the side. A treacherous act, had it not been absent of any defining features.
"He's comatose. His body locked up tight, and if he doesn't get help soon, some of these joints will fossilize. C'mon, help me get him to the ER. we'll get our information one way or another."
The two hauled the body up and made their way toward the nerve center.
"Gave you the slip huh? That guy was bloody quick."
"I'm worried. That guy was bold, and the way he breached the barrier, it was like watching a hawk pick someone off."
"That doesn't add up, If this is the same incident. This guy's been out of commission for an hour or two."
'There must have been another. The barrier team should have logs of this one, and if he had a partner on the inside, that one as well.'