• CHAPTER FIVE •

Yaruka hadn't been reminded of his personal mission for Guy until he stood into the mourning silence of Lee's hospital room. Though spacious, the atmosphere was enough to mimic a claustrophobic panic, it's tightening tension forcing a pitiful hole of butterflies into the boy's stomach. The two males, though very similar in appearance, yet having no relational blood traits connected to each other, gazed up at the entering stranger with empty eyes. Yaruka swallowed a dry lump from within his throat, and contemplated throwing himself out the window for the meantime, though he didn't, but flashed a weak smile to the weak boy.

"I- you don't know me, but my name is Yaruka. I heard about the preliminary exams." As the boy spoke, neither made a move, the grieving atmosphere only growing thicker. "I know this isn't much, but this flower means optimism, and joy, which I will give to you as a gift." He had been almost desperately determined to befriend the injured youth, as whilst watching the show he ha an increased admiration for the child's hard working spirit. Yaruka's cheeks burnt at the responding silence, and again, he contemplated throwing himself out the window.

"Why are you here?" The much older figure, recognised as Guy, muttered at the presence made well aware, not so much shifting his gaze nor committing any movement to his words. The man's hands were interlocked with one another, his head hung low, as the hospitalised boy only stared upward. Neither spoke, and neither moved, which unsettled the foreign boy greatly, and for the first time, he inhabited the feeling of guilt towards another person. The situation with Lee much reminded him of a dying relative, who understood her fate, and had given him the jewellery promised to pass down to the eldest male of the household. Yaruka, though, being in his mid teens then, scoffed, and threw aside the necklace, demanding no pity, and demanding no respect. He blamed himself, now, for not perfecting a relationship, and having to let his own mother go with an argument.

"I want to be taught taijutsu. Seeing Lee's strength has inspired me, as I don't have any chakra levels whatsoever, I gave up through that knowledge." The lie had only been half true, though the attempt was to prevent any oncoming nausea. "I hate to say this in front of Lee, but please teach me. I want to someday be a worthy opponent."

The silence was heart breaking. Alas, after a brief moment of empty responses, the boy only gifted the flower upon the boy's chest, and averted his gaze to the door. He dipped his head in respect, becoming a pretender to ignore the arising sobs of the injured male.

"Please accept my apology for wasting your time."

•••

Yaruka exited the white doors with an equalised solemn line pursed over his lips, his belly aching. His fingertip clawed lightly along his bottom lip, which trembled in a mere thought, his head hazy and oblivious to the mess of yellow tufts squawking loudly toward a group of unrecognised citizens. The black haired boy only glanced upwards at a scream, demanding the child to cease his disturbances, which then did the strange figure be identified.

"Naruto?"

"Yaruka!" Naruto turned from shaking his fist at the fleeing group, his furrowed eyebrows peeking up, as did his smile. "What have you done to be in trouble with the hokage already, eh?" The blond waddled over, a toothy grin plastered to his glowing expression, a laughter to his words. Yaruka only blinked in response, his own expression softening to a worry, his heart somewhat beating in disbelief.

"What?"

"Old man wants to see you, dunno why." The blond shrugged, walking in the assumed direction with his wide stance, a laziness shrouding his figure, as he hummed calmly to himself. For the other male, however, things weren't as relaxed as he wished them to be, his body freezing up, wondering how such a thing can amuse the energetic child so easily.

"Oh no."

"Wha-?" Naruto averted his gaze from the road, and only glanced behind him, though not fast enough to catch Yaruka sprinting ahead.

"Thanks for telling me! I'll see you later, yeah?" Yaruka's voice drowned with the wind, leaving the poor boy in a trail of dust, without giving him a moment to so do much as process the situation.

"Huh?" It became Naruto's turn to blink, a blank stare overcoming his expression, until he jumped to his senses. "Yaruka! I didn't tell you where to meet him!"

By then, Yaruka hadn't heard, nor cared, as he summoned every remaining strength of his younger self, his feet carrying him swiftly enough to have the wind snap over the crevices of his ears, a rumble to the breeze. He skidded, a sharp turn, toward wherever he wished, or assumed, to go, following only a memorised path. Though, after a missing moment of no building, nor sign of the old man, he only wandered at a slow pace his breath heaving over his chest.

He almost considered it a prank, that Naruto only wanted to lead him into a trap, if that even was Naruto. If only he had the ability to sense the usage of genjutsu, then Yaruka would contemplate his worth, his usefulness, and how efficiently he'd be able to fight during the war against Orochimaru. He had grown lost among the forest of thoughts, for long enough to land himself into a tuft of familiar white hair, which he hadn't realised was so unexpectedly soft. The man turned his head to glance over his shoulder, and released a hum of recognition, catching the attention of another, much older appearing man, who only nodded at the child.

"Master Jiraiya! Third Hokage!" The boy jolted his body into a bow, at the realisation of the figures, a scattered smile worn over his panic, his head lowered in an obvious respect. The old man, the third hokage, only laughed a gruff growl, dismissing the boy's bow with a polite smile.

"I see Naruto delivered his message well. No need for such formalities, I only wish to talk." Sarutobi nodded his head, as Yaruka returned the gesture in understanding.

"You must know how important it is to tell the truth, Yaruka, there will be no consequences otherwise." Jiraiya looked downward at the boy, his eyebrows raised ajar, his lips pursed in concern. The two men turn from their positions, and furthered themselves down the crowded path they stood within, guiding the third member of the company to a less occupied field.

"Jiraiya has informed me of your earlier mentions of not being from... this world. I must ask, what did you mean by that?" The old man perched himself upon a wooden bench, closing his eyes, as he rested underneath the shade of a tree. Jiraiya only stood, and stared at the boy for the answer.

"It was just a stupid dream." Yaruka scratched his bottom lip, giving off an anxious laugh, as the two raised their eyebrows in uncertainty.

"You seemed sure enough that it weren't." The sage countered, his arms folded over his chest.

"If I tell you, I might hurt everyone."

"By making yourself sick?"

"What?" Yaruka blinked at Jiraiya's supposed accusation, though the events made sense, now that he thought of them.

"As you were explaining how you don't have a place here, you vomited. Is that a result?" As Jiraiya spoke, Sarutobi's eyes opened once again, and he gazed with a sense of curiosity at the two conversing.

"Oh, I threw up after talking to Ino, too, and I felt sick when asking Guy to train me, so I guess it is."

"Why ask Guy to train you?" Sarutobi spoke up then, a mean to answers running through his mind.

"Guy masters in Taijutsu, does he not? I don't seem to have any levels of chakra whatsoever as entering this world, I assumed he would be the best considering Kakashi- never mind." The boy replied with a dignified politeness, then forcing the two to wonder if he really wasn't a child, as the boy mentioned.d

"Yaruka, you spoke of fighting not being regular where you're from. Why ask to be trained?" Jiraiya corrected, no expression worn on his face, as he only stared out in thought.

"I know something is coming, that is all I will say. Even though I may damage reality by even so being here, I want to help as much as I can." Yaruka stared downward at the ground, his eyes fixed and hazed with thoughts of his home. The hokage turned to speak to the sage, who was as equally in thought as the boy.

"Jiraiya, tell me how you expect me to trust his word?"

"I don't." The sage only muttered.

"I have seen and heard your meetings with Anko. I know about the cursed mark, who gave it to her, and I know about the sand ninja participating in the exams." Yaruka spoke up, a liquid sadness threatening the corners of his eyes, as his voice creaked, his fists bawled beside him, desperate for trust.

"You sound awfully much like a spy." His plan had somewhat failed, he supposed, as Sarutobi's glance had a sudden narrowness to it.

"I assure you, I am not, and I'm willing to do whatever to prove so. I expected to wake up in my own bed last night, and I didn't, so I only wish to adapt to this world." Tears fell down the boy's cheeks. "No matter how much I miss home." The truth was, he didn't know what he wanted, and only wished to play along for the meantime. The sage hadn't spoken, and neither did the old man, all three of the company zoning out from the boy's desperation, until Sarutobi finally opened his mouth to speak.

"I will speak to Guy."