Naruko's life had changed a bit since the old man had appeared. The largest change was that she had been allowed to leave that room she'd been living in. Actually now that she thinks about it she can't recall ever having left that room prior to the man showing up. She also got to eat regularly now. It wasn't a lot and it often tasted bad, but she had learned it was better than being hungry. She had also met the old man a few more times. The voice from her dreams hadn't warned her about him since the first time so she chose to disregard it. Actually now that she thinks about it she hasn't heard the voice at all in the past seven months. If it was wasn't for the dreams being so vivid she would have thought the voice was never there at all.
The sound of kids laughing drew her out of her thoughts. Right she was at the park. She had taken to sneaking out of the orphanage. The old man had made the Hag (also known as the Matron Mother) allow her outside, but she wasn't supposed to leave the backyard. Clearly she isn't very good at following those orders. But whenever she's in the backyard the other kids at the orphanage just pull on her hair and call her names. She doesn't really mind but it makes it more annoying to be outside. So she had a decision be outside and put up with them, or go inside and not get to enjoy the outdoors. She chose neither and decided to start sneaking out. Well she calls it sneaking out, she's pretty sure the Hag knows what she's doing and just lets her go, so she has an excuse to hit her. She thinks it's worth it though, after all the swings at the park are pretty satisfying to just sit on and make for a good spot to enjoy the sunshine.
Naruko was once more drawn out of her thoughts by the sound of kids laughing; however, this time something was different about it. It was a sound. . . She recognized it, but she couldn't place where she'd heard it before. In a flash of inspiration it came to her. It was crying. She used to cry a lot back when she was first placed in the orphanage (it's odd she can remember being brought there but she can't remember where she was before). But she had quickly come to the realization that crying for Nee-chan wouldn't stop her from receiving her beatings, actually it made them worse. It was sort of odd, she remembers crying for Nee-chan but she can't remember who she is or what she looks like. Oh but she can remember a song, that she sorta associates with that Nee-chan, even though she can't remember her voice. She begins to quietly hum the song to herself. It always made her feel good when she hummed the song. Another set of laughter and sobbing broke her from her melody. Maybe the person crying didn't realize people get meaner when they see tears, at least that's how it's been for her. Seeing as she wasn't gonna get any peace she figures she might as well go investigate.
Naruko followed the sound of laughter and crying to the forest next to the park. She didn't have to go far in to find the source of the noises. Three boys, probably seven or eight if she had to guess, were surrounding a girl around her age. They seemed to be going between mocking the girl for having weird eyes, being arrogant about school or something weird like that, and just laughing.
"You know I have a Hyuuga in my class, that bastards always lookin' down on us regular people." The apparent leader spoke, as he bent down and grabbed the girl by her hair. He pulled her head up and for the first time Naruko got a good look at her. She had short black hair that seemed to have an odd tint of blue to it. More strikingly; however, was her white eyes. The girl appeared to be blind. Though for a second her eyes seemed to flick towards Naruko. Had she heard her perhaps? Or maybe it was a coincidence.
"Help." The girl said with barely a whisper. Her eyes were still locked on Naruko. She has to know she's there. Naruko didn't really want to get involved, she'd fought with older kids at the orphanage enough to know that they're typically stronger than her. And by typically she means always. Still there was something that compelled her to step in. Maybe it was the fact that for once someone seemed to actually need her. Her body was in motion before she even realized.
"Oh how the might Hyuuga. . ." He didn't get to finish as Naruko tackled the lead boy to the ground. He doesn't even get a chance to speak as she starts to repeatedly punch the downed boy in the face. The other two boys seem stunned for a moment before the largest among them forcefully pulls her off the lead boy. "What the hell's with this crazy kid? Just comin' outta nowhere and tacklin' me?" The lead boy seemed annoyed as he slowly got to his feet. Naruko kicked and struggled to get out of the large boys grip to no avail. The third boy, that Naruko decides to be the ugly one, speaks up.
"Hey I've seen her around, my mom and dad say not to look at her cause she's a demon." This wasn't the first time Naruko had heard someone call her a demon. She didn't really get it. Weren't demons supposed to be super tough monsters that are scary? She wasn't tough at all, in fact she was quite squishy as far as she could tell. Sure her birthday was the same at as the ten tailed monster that attacked the village, but she failed to see how that made her a demon.
"So you guys saw it then right? This demon tried to kill me." The large boy and the ugly boy nodded in agreement with their leader. "Then we teach it a lesson for the safety of the village. And then we'll get some shinobi to actually deal with it." Once again the two boys nodded in agreement with their leader. Naruko didn't get much time to think about what dealing with her was going to entail before receiving a punch to the gut that knocked the wind from her. "That was for tacklin' me to the ground." Another punch to the gut. "And that was for hittin' my face." And another. "And that was for stoppin' me from teachin' that Hyuuga a lesson." He had a larger wind up this time before bloodying her nose. "And that was for being a demon. And this last one, well this is because I can." He threw one last punch that once again connected with her gut making her cough painfully. The boy sneered and spat on her cheek. "You're worthless. Not even cryin' like a human. Come on, lets go find a shinobi to deal with her." The boy jerked his head and the large boy dropped her to the ground. The trio stalked off and Naruko let out a sigh. This probably wasn't worth it.
She looked towards the girl and gave a weak smile. She didn't really understand the purpose of smiling, but other kids did it around each other so she figured it might make her seem more normal. "You okay?" The girl shyly nodded and Naruko let out a sigh of relief, at least she stopped them from picking on the other girl. And well she'd heal fast, she always recovered from the Hag's beatings fairly quickly and she failed to see why this would be any different.
"U-Um are you really a demon?"
"I don't think so. Do I look like a demon to you?"
"N-No. Thank you for helping me. Wh-What's your name?" This girl sure did stutter a lot, Naruko wasn't really sure why.
"Uzumaki Naruko." The girl seemed to be waiting for something. Naruko wasn't sure what until she realized she hadn't asked the girls name. "You?"
"Hyuuga Hinata." Her name was kinda pretty. She didn't really understand why she thought it was pretty but she certainly felt that way.
"So are you blind?" Naruko had a suspicion the girl wasn't but she certainly looked the part.
"N-No my eyes are white because of a kekkei genkai." Naruko had no idea what that is but she nodded along anyways. "D-Do you think they look weird too?"
"No if anything I think they're pretty." The girl seemed surprised by the compliment. Naruko wasn't sure why, the girls eyes were unique and quite pretty, easily the prettiest eyes she'd seen. Her own blue eyes seemed sort of bland in comparison really.
"Th-thank you. N-Naruko-san i-if you don't mind can we be. . . um. . . can we be friends?" Naruko only vaguely understood what having friends was from watching other kids, but she had always wanted to try it.
"Sure, we're friends from now on the Hinata-chan." Naruko could feel the smile on her face. Odd she didn't have to force it this time. It just sorta came naturally. Is this why the other kids smiled all the time, because being happy just made people want to smile? She liked the feeling.
Before Hinata got a chance to respond a man who looked similar to Hinata emerged from the forest. If Naruko had to guess he was maybe her older brother. He looked to be a teenager at the least. Most notably he shared the same white eyes. The mans eyes darkened as he recognized her. She's never seen the man in her life but she's seen that look on the villagers enough times to know what he thinks of her.
"Hinata-sama come over here. One of your status should not associate with such. . . creatures." The man didn't even wait to hear her response before going over and beginning to drag Hinata-chan away. Naruko was a bit disappointed, this is usually where any chance she had of getting along with other kids disappears. Surely Hinata-chan would pick up on the scorn and begin to direct it at Naruko like everybody else. Well She'll be fine alone, just like she always has.
"NO!" Much to both Naruko and the mans surprise Hinata-chan yanked her arm out of his grasp and ran back over to Naruko. "Naruko-san is my friend!" Naruko felt a warmth fill her at those words, she didn't know why but hearing that made her happy. Maybe there really was something to having friends. The man seemed shocked by Hinata-chan's outburst and went silent for several moments.
He sighed and said, "As you wish Hinata-sama, but your father does want you home in thirty minutes and when that time comes I'm going to take you home, no arguments allowed." The man had mixed feelings on his decision if his reluctant stare towards her was anything to go by. Still Naruko wasn't about to argue with getting to spend more time with her new friend.
"Do you wanna go to the playground?" She had always seen other kids playing there so she figured it's more fun to play there than here in the forest. Hinata-chan nodded so Naruko grabbed her hand and started leading the way. "Do you wanna play 'ninja' Hinata-chan?" She didn't know how to play but as far as she could tell it mostly involved chasing other kids around the playground. It took Hinata-chan a moment to respond but finally she did.
"Sure. . . Naruko-chan." Naruko tilts her head at the other girl in curiosity.
"You don't need to be afraid Hinata-chan, we're friends so you can be brave." She thought maybe she was scared of her brother (Naruko had decided that's who he was, despite not having asked) deciding to separate them. Her brother is so weird, just nodding his head like he's answering yes. What is he answering yes to? She didn't get it.
Her attention is drawn away from him as Hinata-chan smiles at her and says, "Thanks Naruko-chan." Naruko smiles in response happy to see Hinata-chan acting brave now.
As it turns out Naruko was right about 'ninja' just being a game where they chase each other. Apparently one person is designated as the ninja and the other is the target and the goal is for the ninja to catch the target. Well catch really just means managing to touch them. Naruko was currently trying to catch Hinata-chan when Hinata-chan's brother spoke up.
"Hinata-sama it's been. . ." He didn't get to finish as a loud voice that Naruko flinches at shouts.
"Uzumaki Naruko!" Why did the Hag have to show up? "You sneak out! Make me come looking for you! And I find you trying to bully the Hyuuga heiress?!" She wasn't bullying her though. Also Naruko didn't really understand what about Hinata-chan being the Hyuuga heiress made her different, or what being an heiress was.
"Matron Mother I wasn't. . ." She was interrupted by more of the Hags yelling.
"Don't you lie to me you little witch, I saw you chasing her!" The old woman comes and violently grabs Naruko's arm and starts pulling her away.
"Bye Hinata-chan!"
"You leave that girl alone!"
"Miss they were simply playing. Or are you implying that a child would be allowed to bully our heiress right in front of me?" That seemed to get the Hag to freeze up. She turned and with a much kinder look on her face spoke to Hinata-chan's brother.
"Of course not, but the girl is very crude and isn't fit to be around such a distinguished clan."
"That is for the clan to decide, not you."
"My apologies Hyuuga-san, Still the girl did sneak away and needs to be getting home now."
"Hinata-sama we should be going too, you can say goodbye to your friend now."
Hinata-chan waves with a look of concern. "Bye Naruko-chan, can we meet again?"
Naruko returns the smile and says "See you soon Hinata-chan!" She didn't actually know when she'd see her again, but her words promised they'd meet again. The matron didn't let her say anymore as she's quickly dragged Naruko back to the orphanage. She's violently thrown into her room. Which for the first time felt small to her.
"You damn little demon. You wanna fucking embarrass me in front of the Hyuuga clan? Is that your game?!" Naruko winced as she felt the old woman slap her across the face. "If it wasn't for the grace of lord third I would never let you out of this closet. Nor would I feed a wretch like you." Another slap to the face. "Don't you ever try and manipulate that poor girl ever again!" She slapped the opposite side this time. "You." Slap, "are." Slap, "worthless." She finished with yet another slap to the face. Her cheeks were red and burned with the pain. Naruko could feel the tears of pain in her eyes but refused to cry. The woman went silent for a while and just continued to slap her over and over again. Finally it came to an end as the woman seemed to tire. "No food for three days! And you won't be allowed out of this closet for a week! And I so much as hear a single peep from you I'll beat you until you're black and blue." The woman left her room and slammed the door shut. Naruko was plunged into darkness.
That had been the worse beating yet, but she couldn't help the smile tugging at her lips. She'd made a friend today. She could sort of see why the other kids always seemed to care about friendship and that stuff. The warm feeling in her chest made everything else worth it.
Her day had gone from terrible to great very fast. It had started with her usual lessons about everything she would need to know as the Hyuuga heiress. Those lessons were difficult and stuffy and she hated them. After what had seemed like an eternity she had been given a break and with Ko-san as an escort she was allowed to go and play at the park. It had gone well until she had, with all the courage she could muster, ordered Ko-san to go get her snacks. She had told him that she'd wait at the park. He had seemed reluctant, but went seeing as it was an order. That had proven to be a mistake when a trio of boys convinced her to play with them in the forest only to immediately start bullying her once she followed them.
Then Naruko-chan showed up and her day turned around. Well not right away, it was even worse watching her get beaten up so badly. Though now that she thinks about it those injuries seemed to have disappeared by the time that old woman had shown up and taken her away. Hinata knew right away that she didn't like that woman just by how mean she was to Naruko-chan. She couldn't help but be amazed by Naruko-chan however. The smaller girl (as she had come to realize during their time playing together) hadn't been afraid to sneak out despite the risks. Hinata wanted to be like that one day, someone so brave that she's not afraid to take on people who outmatch her if it means helping others. But everytime she thought of fighting she simply froze up.
The elders often talk about that behind her back, claiming that she's not fit to be heiress and that it's unfortunate her uncle and his son were born to the branch family. Of course they don't dare to say such things in front of her father. Speaking of her father she is actually standing outside the door to his office while Ko-san is inside giving a report on the events that transpired today at the park. Huh, apparently he came back when he did because those same boys lied and told him that she was in danger from the demon. Ko-san had just told her father about Naruko-chan and how he had allowed them to play together.
She didn't even stop to think as she burst into the room and pleaded, "Please Otou-sama don't make me end my friendship with Naruko-chan!" Her father seems taken aback. Though given that his Byakugan was active it wasn't by the fact that she was listening and more by her outburst.
Her father was silent for several long seconds before he finally spoke. "You may continue to be friends. That being said if this friendship interferes with your studies in anyway you will be prohibited from seeing her again." She smiled at her father and despite it not being proper ran up and hugged him.
"Thank you Otou-sama!" She felt his hand tussle her hair. She could see that he wore a faint smile on his face.
"Now run along, I need to hear the rest of Ko's report." Hinata nodded and left the office.
It had been three months since Hinata first met Naruko-chan. In that time the little redhead had quickly become her best friend. They'd meet about once a week at the park as that tended to coincide when Naruko was let off from her punishments. Hinata wasn't sure why, but the Matron seemed to truly hate Naruko-chan with every fiber of her being.
But she wasn't the only one. Most of the village seemed to feel that same way about the girl. Hinata for the life of her couldn't figure out why the village had such an irrational hatred for her friend. But not everyone seemed to feel that way, Ko-san for example had warmed up to her quite a bit and was now at least friendly toward the girl, which is more than most people can get from her family. But he is an exception to that strange hatred.
There are other strange things she's noticed too besides the hatred. Like for example Naruko-chan's expressions are really weird. It seems like the vast majority of the time they're fake. Well fake perhaps isn't the right word, maybe it would be more accurate if she called them imitations. Like she's seen other people make these expressions and tries to recreate them in similar situations. The most common one was when she smiled. But then sometimes, she would smile for real and it was amazing. Hinata didn't know why she did those imitation smiles so often when her real smiles were so pretty.
But the weirdest thing about her hands down would have to be the animals. Anytime she gets close to animals they seem to be afraid and run off, which while a little odd isn't that strange. No what's bizarre is that despite that, they seem to always hang out near her. Especially when they manage to play right after Naruko-chan just woke up. For example, when they're in the park various squirrels, birds, and other critters hang out watching her, but as soon as she acknowledges them they suddenly get scared and flee, only to then return once she stops paying attention to them. She didn't get it. And they never behaved that way when she mimicked Naruko-chan's behavior so she had no idea what was causing it. Her best friend was a real mystery and she feels like she only gets more complex the longer Hinata thinks about her.
Naruko had been going to the park to visit Hinata-chan for about eight months now. It had been a great eight months too. She never knew life could be so much fun. Of course she was repeatedly punished for sneaking out to play with Hinata-chan, and that always left her sore and hungry, but she felt her friend was worth the risk involved. Today was no different. Or it should have been as she climbed the fence and entered the back yard of the orphanage. Weird that no other kids were out today. It wasn't that late. She shrugged it off and crept up to the door. It was locked. Okay what about a window. They were also locked. No getting out of punishment today then. With a sigh of resignation she went around to the front and knocked on the door. After several moments the door opened to reveal the Hags ugly face.
"Yes little girl? What do you need?" What? Why was the Hag acting like she doesn't recognize her? She could clearly see the disgust on her face, even if her words sounded kind.
"Did you finally lose it you hag?" Well she certainly succeeded in angering the woman.
"I don't know what you're trying you brat but get the hell away from my orphanage." Naruko didn't even get a chance to rebuttal as the door was slammed shut and the lock clicked. Naruko bangs on the door in response.
"What the hell! Let me in!" No response. She tries it for a while longer before resigning to the fact that it won't accomplish anything. Well now what?
She wouldn't be seeing the old man, who she had learned in the past few months was apparently the leader of the village (known as the Hokage) for another month and a half as he only visited every two months. She could try asking people where to find him but most villagers just ignore her when she approaches so that won't work. She could also go wait at the park for the next time she sees Hinata-chan, but she didn't want to burden her friend. Her stomach rumbles and she sighs, she better go look for some food or something.
She felt like she had walked the whole length of the village by the time that she had found anything. In fact she hadn't found anything in the village proper. It was only when she went out to the training grounds did she finally find something. There was a large forest sealed off by an iron fence. The gate had the numbers four four. She wasn't sure if it was supposed to be two fours or if it was just a number she couldn't count to. Either way she'd call it as she sees it and that's four four. With no hesitation she climbs the fence and enters the training ground.
She wanders around for a while and notices something odd. All the animals seem to be afraid of her. She had always thought it was because squirrels and birds were just scared of people naturally but she feels like those really big kitties and bugs wouldn't be scared of people. Maybe she's wrong, maybe humans are just really scary, or maybe demons are. She is still pretty sure she's not a demon, but she doesn't have any proof that she isn't outside of her size and how squishy she is, so she supposes it could be possible.
After a while of searching she finally finds some food. There were some berries that were growing out of a plant. They didn't look very tasty but she was so hungry, she'd deal with it. . .
She couldn't deal with it. The berries were so bitter and almost as soon as she managed to swallow them her stomach started to move violently. Not even at her hungriest had she felt a stomach pain this bad. It didn't take long for her meal to come back up and for her to be feeling just as hungry as before, only now her head was also spinning and her mouth tasted really bad.
She couldn't keep looking for food like this, it was getting darker by the minute and she was exhausted. After some quick searching she found a tree that was hollow towards the base. She crawled in and laid down.
She awoke the next morning to a bizarre sight. Two of the giant kitties were standing over her and growling at a bush. She didn't have any idea what to make of it. Maybe she's dreaming, that would explain why her hair looks white for some reason. She sits up and rubs her eyes. That seemed to of worked as her hair goes back to being red. It also seemed to have frightened the kitties as they make a sound akin to yelping and run off.
Having seen how bad the food in the forest was last night she decides to return to the village proper. Now that it's day people are at least out selling their food. One man was selling some fruit, which amazingly didn't seem to have any of that fuzzy stuff on it (the Hag always gave her fruit that was fuzzy if she was lucky enough to be given any fruit at all). She scrounged up enough money that was lying around on the ground to buy it, at least by the price he was advertising about loudly on the street. It didn't work. She went up to his stall and asked for an apple, placing the money on the counter. He took one look at her and then shouted at her until she left. He took the money too. She tried this a few more times, and after repeatedly getting the same result she decided it wasn't worth the effort.
And so it went for three weeks, before finally she couldn't stand the hunger and exhaustion anymore and she collapsed. It was weird. She had felt this hungry before the Hokage started to visit her but it never made her collapse like this. Maybe it's cause she used to sleep constantly in that room of hers. She didn't have long to dwell on it as her consciousness began to fade, the last image she remembered seeing was two figures standing over her.
She awakened feeling oddly well rested. Perhaps it was the fact that whatever she was on top of was the softest thing she'd ever been on. Her stomach rumbled loudly and she began to sit up. Only then did she notice the girl sitting next to her. She looked older than Naruko by a few years. She had black eyes and long brown hair. Naruko would say the girl was pretty, but not in the way Hinata-chan was. No instead she had a sort of earthly beauty. Naruko wasn't really sure how to describe it but the girl was pretty. The girl gently placed her hands on Naruko's back and helped her to sit up.
"Easy there, you passed out from starvation. I'll go get you some food, just sit tight okay?" Naruko nodded and watched as the girl went and left the room. She comes back with a bowl of something that smelled amazing. She gently placed a wooden board on Naruko's lap and then placed the bowl and some sticks on top of it. Steam was rising from the bowl and it was filled with a brownish -orange liquid. In addition there were various foods she had never seen before, in particular some long stringy looking things. She looked at the girl who just nodded. Naruko shrugged and dipped her hand in to scoop out the food, only to wince and yank it back.
"Are you okay!?"
With a look of distrust she asked the girl, "How am I supposed to eat this stuff? It's so hot." She looked down at her hand and saw that it was burned red.
The girl ignored the question in favor of checking on the burn. After a bit she sighed and asked. "Do you know what chopsticks are?" Naruko shook her head. The girl pointed to the sticks she had placed down and said. "You are supposed to use those to pick up the food since it's too hot to use your hands. And also it's cleaner that way." Naruko didn't really get it, nor did she understand how she was supposed to use these chopsticks, it looks inconvenient. The girl sighed and said, "I'll feed you for now, and then I'll teach you how to use chopsticks once that burn is healed up, alright?" Naruko was still a bit suspicious but she agreed nonetheless. The girl picked up the chopsticks and gathered the food in them. That doesn't look that inconvenient actually. "Say 'ahh'"
"Ahh." The girl placed the food in her mouth and Naruko felt her mind just about break. She didn't know food could taste this good. She had figured that the food the Matron had been giving her was worse than food normal people eat, for example that one mans apples weren't fuzzy, but she didn't think it would actually taste so good. Despite her best efforts she can feel tears welling up in her eyes. She just couldn't help it, she had never thought eating could make her so happy. She couldn't stop the tears even as a smile came to her face.
"What's wrong? Did you not like the taste? I can get you something else if you'd like." Naruko shook her head and responds.
"No, I've just never had anything so tasty." This seems to both upset the girl and make her happy. Naruko wasn't sure why but the girl didn't explain and Naruko didn't ask. The girl gathered up more of the food and she opened her mouth without any coaxing this time. She eagerly eats it up and asks while chewing "Whash thish shtuff called anywaysh?"
"It's called ramen. My father makes it for a living, and it's my dream to help him and one day run the shop myself." Naruko didn't get what this girls dreams had to do with what her father does, but she didn't question it.
Naruko finished eating and swallowed as she responds with, "This stuff is so good, thanks for letting me eat some Nee-san." Naruko started to get up, not ready to receive more of this strangers kindness.
"Nope get back down. You're not leaving that bed until you've finished this meal." Is that what this thing is called? A bed? Interesting.
"I don't have any money to pay you for it." She stopped trying after the shopkeepers would shoo her away after taking her money.
"I'm not charging you for it silly. I'm feeding you because you need to eat, now eat." Naruko quits trying to argue and quietly continues to eat the amazing food. She'd have to figure out a way to have more ramen in the future.
"Thank you Nee-san. . . Hey Nee-san, what's your name?"
"Ichiraku Ayame, and you?"
"Uzumaki Naruko."
"Well nice to meet you Naruko." Naruko nodded feeling it was in fact nice to meet Ayame-nee. "Would you like to meet my father? He's the one who made your ramen." Naruko nods and Ayame gets up and leaves the room again.
She returns a short while later with an older man following behind her. "Name's Ichiraku Teuchi, nice to meet you kid."
"Hi Ojisan."
He had never in his life felt that he had failed more than in the moment he saw her collapse. He had recognized her as Kushina's kid immediately, the resemblance was too uncanny for her to be anyone else. She looked like her mother in almost every way, with the only exceptions being her vibrant blue eyes that she clearly inherited from her father, and the two cowlicks around her bangs that sort of look like horns, or maybe they're ears. Well it's just hair sticking up, he doesn't know what he's on about.
The girl was clearly a perfect mix of his two favorite customers. And she had been starving on the streets. What has this village come to where their heroes child has to suffer like this? He'd make sure she doesn't have to starve ever again, even if it means giving away free meals or marking down the prices as far lower for her. If she's anything like her mother she'll be too stubborn to take a freebie even when he insists.
"Name's Ichiraku Teuchi, nice to meet you kid."
"Hi Ojisan." Much to his surprise the cowlicks flattened all on their own and her hair now truly looked identical to Kushina's.
"Hey kid, how would you like to start living with us?"
"I don't want to be a burden."
"Trust me you won't be a burden."
"What about how the villagers will look at you?" That just about broke his heart, she wasn't even five years old and she was already aware of how they treat her. This village really had gone to hell after the fourth died.
"I don't mind."
"I-I don't want to live with anyone other than Nee-chan." Now that caught him by surprise. Who was this Nee-chan and why wasn't she feeding her.
"Who's your nee-chan?"
"I can't remember."
"Do you remember anything about her?"
"I can sorta remember the colors red and black." So maybe an Uchiha then, or one of Kushina's students perhaps. He'd talk to her if she ever stops by the shop again, same with Mikoto if she decides to drop by.
"Do you really not want to stay?"
"Yeah."
"I won't keep you then, but you gotta make me a promise."
"What is it?"
"If you ever get hungry like that again, or at all really, you'll come here for a meal, alright?"
"Alright."
"You promised me, and remember, an Uzumaki doesn't break a promise."
"Okay, thank you Ojisan."
After her encounter things sort of stabilized for Naruko. She had started taking shelter in that same hollow she first slept in, as it protected her from the rain and helped trap some heat so she wasn't terribly cold during the night. More importantly though is that she was getting at least one meal a day. She definitely still got hungry, but she was never starving like she had been. She can't even begin to tell the Ichiraku family how grateful she is for all the help they've given her. She knew that they heavily discounted her meals if she tried to pay, and often times they just preemptively told her it's free.
But that wasn't all, she had also figured out that she can raid the trash of restaurants to get left over scraps. It wasn't good, in fact it tasted really bad most the time. But she was at least able to get by without having to burden the Ichiraku family too badly. She swore she'd pay them back for all the help one day.
She was on her way to do her usual routine when she was reminded of something, or rather someone, very important. The reminder came in the form of a person with white eyes, that looks very similar to a blind persons. She hadn't seen Hinata-chan in six weeks. Does the girl still remember her, does she even still care? Naruko wasn't sure how she'd feel if the answers were no, but she had to find out.
So to the park she went. And then to the ground she went. It seemed Hinata-chan missed her a lot. As soon as she arrived she had been knocked to the ground from the force of Hinata-chan hugging her. Normally she tries to struggle out when Hinata-chan tries to cuddle her like this, but this time she just leaves it. She's missed her best friend more than she realized.
"Where have you been?!" Hinata didn't hesitate to get straight to the issue at hand, a far cry from how she would have behaved had this been a year ago (of course she didn't know Naruko-chan back then). The point is, her best friend has been missing for six weeks and she wasn't about to let this go unanswered.
"I got kicked out of the orphanage." Hinata never did like the Matron of the orphanage and this only cemented that.
"Why didn't you come to me for help?"
"I don't know where you live." Had she really not had Naruko-chan over once since they met? She glances at Ko-san before turning back to Naruko-chan. She would drop this issue for now, she had another issue. Naruko-chan was thinner than before, a lot thinner. She had always known she hadn't been eating properly and had been helpless to fix it, but now it seemed like she was on the brink of starving.
"Have you been eating?"
"Yes."
"Naruko-chan."
"Yes."
"Naruko."
"No."
"I thought so." Hinata only had to stare her down until she spoke truthfully. Naruko-chan knows well enough by now that she can't lie to her very well. She looked Naruko-chan over. She had been living on the streets and starving but she wasn't crying. Naruko-chan always seemed to have an unbreakable will, and she wasn't about to let her own tears spoil that. She wanted to cry for her, but she wouldn't. Especially since the girl in question hates to see her cry.
"So do you wanna play something?"
"Sure, wanna play house?"
"I was thinking ninja."
"We always play ninja, let's play house."
"Ninja."
"House."
"Ninja."
"House."
"I can keep going."
"So can I. You clearly haven't been eating enough so we're playing house so you don't get tired."
"Fine."
Ko activated his Byakugan as soon as he saw the girl. It wasn't pretty. Besides just being all around dirty she was also terribly thin. It looked like she could collapse at any moment with how thin she is. He had to hold back a grimace so as not to alert the girls to the issue. He wouldn't be surprised if the girl was constantly feeling hunger pains and had just grown used to it. Whatever the case it's clearly not enough for a child to grow properly. He makes eye contact with the heiress as the young red head mentions not knowing where they live. That works then, even if Hiashi-sama punishes him for it, he'd bring her to the clan to have a decent meal and learn where they live. He watches on, letting them play for a few hours before calling the heiress.
"Hinata-sama it's time for us to return home, you have etiquette training today." Which is true, a delegation from Kumo would be arriving in two months and the Hyuuga family would be hosting them for the peace talks. She, as the heiress, would have to be perfect in order to maintain the clans image.
"Can we stay just a little longer please?" It was clear she didn't want to leave her friend and he wasn't about to make her.
"I can't let you stay but tell you what. If Naruko-san would like, she can come back with us to meet your father and if he allows it have dinner with you." He was planning on inviting her over before Hinata-sama had given him that look. After seeing it however he knew she had been thinking the same thing. It was almost scary, how much she took after her father. He thought it was ridiculous that the elders believe she isn't suitable to be the heiress.
"Thanks Ko." The red head smiled warmly at him. She had brightened a lot since the first time he saw her. He actually finds it almost hard to believe that he once thought of her as a demon or second class citizen. But hatred is a funny thing in that it doesn't care about rationality.
He quickly escorts the two girls to the clan compound. The guards don't stop him but it's clear from their expression that they are not to fond of Hinata-sama's company. He ignores it however and takes the two girls to Hiashi-sama's office. He lets out a few sharp knocks and waits for Hiashi to respond. It doesn't take long for the mans stern voice to call them into the room.
He hated paperwork. It ate into his day far too much for his taste. If Hiashi could have things his way he wouldn't have to do any paperwork and could instead spend his days furthering his skills and spending time with his daughter and pregnant wife. Instead he got to spend the majority of his day in his office doing paperwork and listening to the reports from his clan members. He didn't really hate listening to the reports, it was always a good way to see more directly how his clan is doing. Of course his favorite reports were the ones Ko gave. Because he always got to hear about his daughter. He loved his daughter more than life itself. Of course he couldn't show that as he had an image to maintain as head of the clan, another thing he hates about the position, but he truly did love her. It never failed to make his day when she would hug him.
So of course he was plenty eager when he heard the knocks on his door. Ko always gave his reports right on time and today would be no different.
"Enter." He didn't look up from his paperwork. Ko knows better than to disturb him from finishing his current document. Hiashi spent the next few minutes continuing the paperwork before he was rather rudely interrupted. The voice wasn't one he recognized but it sounded like a young girl.
"So you're Hinata-chan's dad right?" This had to be Naruko then. He looked up and he wasn't prepared for the sight before him. He had known she was Minato and Kushina's daughter. But the resemblance was down right uncanny. The girl had long red hair that perfectly matched her mothers in it's color. In fact she looks just like her mother did back when they were in the Academy. Well she would, if not for her bright blue eyes that belonged to her father. And not just in the color department. She had the same look in her eyes as her father, one that looks straight through a person. Well not quite the same. Where his had been honed and refined into a tool for war, her seemed more wild like that of an animal that could innately perceive if someone is a threat. He suspects that she doesn't even realize that she is doing it. He had to hold back a smile, it felt like he was seeing his best friend for the first time in nearly five years. It was nostalgic feeling, and he couldn't help but enjoy it. "Hello?" Right he hadn't answered her, perhaps the nostalgia was to much even for him.
"Yes, I'm her father. I take it you're the Naruko I've heard so much about?" He had to hold back another smile as his daughter blushed. She had, of course, talked about her best friend nearly endlessly since they first met. But her stories weren't actually what he was referring too. No he was referring to how that stupid couple had never shut up about how much they'd spoil their daughter. Seriously since the moment they found out Kushina was pregnant the two love birds had never stopped talking about it. Though to be fair he had done the same in private (he couldn't be doting in public as the clan head after all) when he found out Hitomi was pregnant with Hinata. So he guessed it was only fair. The other three didn't know the history behind this however and assumed he was referring to Hinata. Which is true, he had heard his daughters endless worries every day for the past six weeks since the girl first went missing. He'd have to ask Ko about that later, seeing as the boy was giving him a look signaling he has something important to tell him. And given that he brought Naruko here without his permission and with risk of punishment, it was obvious who it concerns. Of course he wouldn't punish the boy for it, he was happy to see his friends daughter.
"Hai, Otou-sama this is my best friend, Naruko-chan." The girl had calmed down from her blush and had actually given a look of surprising determination. It would be fierce if she wasn't four and wasn't his adorable daughter. In fact he was sure that his wife would be cooing right now if she saw this. Especially since she used to behave the same around Kushina in the academy when people mocked her for her red hair. She, Kushina, and Mikoto had been best friends right until the end. So he couldn't help but smile at his daughter. She really did take after her mother. A Hyuuga doesn't abandon those they call friends, and his little girl was no exception.
"Well in that case welcome Naruko-san." He turned his attention back to the red head. He hadn't noticed it before since he was blinded by nostalgia, but the girl was thin. She was dirty too. He was beginning to understand just why Ko had brought her here. "Hinata, why don't you and Naruko wait out in the hall for a moment, I need to talk with Ko privately."
"Hai, Otou-sama. Come on Naruko-chan." The two girls exited the room with Hinata leading the smaller girl by the hand.
He turned his attention to Ko and said, "Report."
"She was kicked out of the orphanage several weeks ago, and seems to have been living on the streets. From what I could tell she's barely had a decent meal in that entire time." An audible snap echoed through the room. The pen he'd had in his hand snapped. Well it'd be more accurate to say he snapped the pen in his anger.
His eyes turned cold as he thanked Ko. "You made the right choice bringing her here. Go take her to be bathed and then she can go and be introduced to Hitomi. Oh and make sure she's fed and given a change of clothes." He would need to speak with the Hokage. The man had rejected his adoption request. Clearly the orphanage wouldn't take her and he wanted answers. He hoped the man wasn't aware of the issue, but he wasn't going to hold his breath.
Ko bowed to him and left the office. He could faintly hear him relaying the orders through the door. Oh he forgot to tell Hinata that he'd let her have her etiquette lessons off today. Well he can do that when he gets back. He suddenly needs to have an urgent meeting with the Hokage.
Hinata-chan's dad was cool. He looked sorta mean on the outside but she could tell he was nice on the inside. At least whenever he looked at her or Hinata-chan. Apparently he had ordered Ko-san to escort her to their bath. She didn't really get the point of bathing or how she's supposed to do it. Whenever the Hag had wanted her clean she would just take her outside and spray her down with a hose. The water was always cold and she didn't really like it. So she was very surprised when there was a massive pool of water in the house. She was even more surprised when she dipped her foot in and it was warm. She thought water was just always cold for cleaning. But this, this was so comfortable.
She quickly got in the water and realized a problem. She has no idea what to do. Does she just swim around in the water? She shrugged and called through the door to the bathroom. "Hey Hinata-chan or Ko-san!"
After a bit she gets a response, it's from Hinata-chan. "Yes?"
"What am I supposed to do?"
"Do you see a pink block near the water? Rub that against yourself until you're not dirty." Naruko looked around and found what she was talking about. She wasn't sure how long that would take or what counts as not being dirty. Still she did as instructed and started dragging it along her skin. It felt weird with how slippery it was and she dropped it more than a few times. But it sorta felt nice and it smelled like Hinata-chan. She decided to just keep going until it felt right. She ended up using the entire bar.
She walked out of the bathroom and found Hinata-chan waiting for her. The girl gave her a set of clothes which she tried to put on and failed. She had never worn anything other than shorts and shirts before so this weird robe like thing was weird for her. She was told it's a kimono and Hinata-chan helped her put it on and tie it. She had to admit it was sorta pretty and it was definitely comfortable. She could see why Hinata-chan wore these all the time.
"Come on, let's go meet Okaa-sama." Hinata-chan led her into another room and similar to her experience at the park today, she was once again grabbed before she could even comprehend anything. Though this time she was lifted into the air. The woman looked like a big version of Hinata-chan. This must be her mom.
"She's adorable! And so small! She's so cute how could you not bring her here sooner?" Naruko didn't even know what to make of this as the woman cuddled her relentlessly. She could see where Hinata-chan gets it from.
"Good evening Hokage-sama."
"Ah, what brings you around today Hiashi?"
"Are you aware of Uzumaki Naruko's situation?"
"Yes."
"Forgive my impertinence by why have you not done anything about it?"
"It was a test to see if the demon would lash out against the village. You know as well as I that I would have to put her down if she's a threat and I felt this was a good way to find out."
"Clearly she's not. She's just a starving child."
"I wouldn't be so sure. She's been sleeping in the Forest of Death. And she's somehow gotten the tigers to defend her from the Anbu following her." That came as a surprise to Hiashi. Those tigers were extremely aggressive and could often threaten new jonin let a lone a four year old.
"She found out about her Anbu tail?" He had assumed Anbu were tailing her as soon as the Kage said that he was aware of Naruko's situation.
"No. It seems the beasts are just doing it naturally. Either it's a kekkei genkai or they are submitting to a truly apex predator."
"So you still believe her to be a demon?"
"I believe her to be a potential threat."
"Those are one in the same." Hiashi sighed, he wasn't going anywhere with this. "Are you going to let me finally adopt her?"
"No."
"Are you going to do anything, at all, to help her?"
"Indeed. Once she's done playing at your house a few Anbu agents will escort her to her new apartment."
"What about food."
"She's getting by." Hiashi wanted so desperately to scream at the Kage for this nonsense but he wouldn't. This man was the god of shinobi for a reason and that wasn't limited to his prowess on the battlefield. He had some sort of plan, even if it seemed foolish. Hiashi had no place to argue with the aged Kage even if he desperately wanted to.
"Hokage-sama I don't think she's the demon. She may not be normal but she's not the demon. I don't believe treating a civilian like this is right, let alone the daughter of the villages heroes. That being said I have faith in your judgment and won't argue the point further. Just please, keep in mind what we're sacrificing if you're wrong."
"I'll keep it in mind."
"By your leave then Hokage-sama."
"Go enjoy your time with your family."
Hiashi wasn't surprised in the slightest by the scene he came home to. His wife had Naruko locked in a hug and was nuzzling the little girl to death. Well she was being nuzzled to death if Naruko's squirming and plea for help was anything to go by. His wife noticed him rather quickly and grinned at him. God she's gorgeous.
"She looks just like her."
"Believe me I know." He looked toward his daughter and saw she was sporting an impressive pout. God she was cute. He supposed he can ignore proper decorum for today, his girls deserve that much. He asked his daughter, "Do you want to trade places with Naruko?"
The girl shakes her head and states. "I want to swap with Okaa-sama. Every time I try and do this with Naruko-chan she breaks free." The two adults look at her and laugh. Hitomi has always been the cuddly type and she used to make a game of trying to cuddle Kushina back in the academy. It seems they really do take after their mothers. Especially since Kushina hated being cuddled by anyone other than Minato, and even then she often tried to break away.
"I see, well if you don't want her to break free you'll have to get stronger than her."
Speaking of breaking free Naruko triumphantly shouted "Freedom!" as she managed to get out of his wife's grip (who was still laughing). Only to then immediately be grabbed by Hinata.
"No fair Okaa-sama. You already have Otou-sama, Naruko-chan is mine."
"Why can't I also be friends with your mom?"
"You were my friend first."
"But I can also be friends with your mom. I won't stop being friends with you."
"Promise?"
"I promise. And an Uzumaki doesn't break a promise." Hiashi and Hitomi felt like they just got punched in the gut by nostalgia. They don't know where she heard that but Kushina used to say it all the time. It was one of her biggest points of pride.
Hiashi coughs to get their attention. "Hinata you have today off with your lessons. You can just play today."
The way his daughters face lit up at that was all he needed to see to know that he made the right decision. He already knew he'd be hopeless if his next child is also a girl.
Naruko had weird feelings about the rain. She had hated it while she'd been living in the orphanage. The cracks of thunder had scared her when she was locked in that closet. Later when she became friends with Hinata-chan the rain meant that they wouldn't get to play that day. But those things were both no longer true. The animal people had given her an apartment. As a result she could actually watch the rain and enjoy the soft sound on her windows. Not only that, but she's no longer reliant on the weather being good to see Hinata-chan at the park, since they could just go to Hinata-chan's house or her own apartment.
That was the plan for today. Hinata-chan had some clan stuff to do, but after she was done she was gonna come over for a sleepover (with Ko as a chaperon). It wouldn't be their first sleep over and Naruko certainly hoped it wouldn't be their last. She glanced at the clock on her table, 7:55. Hinata-chan was supposed to be over in about five minutes.
She glanced towards the clock and thought about the day she got it. It had been the first time she had done any form of celebrating her birthday. The celebration was simple, they (being herself, Hinata-chan and Ko) just went to the Ichiraku's for dinner. The Hokage even showed up and promised to take her to dinner when he's free next (which would end up taking about a week but hey she still got free ramen out of him). Hinata-chan had given her a brush, stating that Naruko should "Take better care of her beautiful hair." The red head loved the brush and had taken to using it everyday. Of course Hinata-chan wasn't the only one to give her something. She was given a frog wallet by a frog. Wait no, the frog called itself a toad. It was confusing. Anyways, she liked it but would have sort of preferred a rabbit wallet. She just really liked rabbits. One of the animal people had given her the clock. He had hilariously spiky white hair. He had said something about it being important to always be on time. She didn't really get it but she liked it anyways. The Ichiraku family had given her coupons for seven free meals at their shop. The last gift she received might have actually been her favorite. It was a music box. The sender didn't show their face or say anything, not even a letter was written. But the box played that song she always liked to hum.
A loud clap of thunder drew her attention back to the window. Rain was softly pelting it and the haze of lights and rain blended together to make the village look bigger than it really was. She loved the view from her apartment. She had never realized just how pretty the village could be until she could see nearly the entire thing from above. She had to say, getting this apartment was the best thing to happen to her since meeting Hinata-chan.
She looked back towards her clock and she excitedly realized it was eight. Hinata-chan always arrived right on time so Naruko quickly ran to her front door and swung it open. No one was there. Okay maybe she was just running late, the family stuff could have run long. So she waited. And waited. And waited some more. It was nine now and there was still no sign of Hinata-chan. Where was she? She'd keep waiting, Hinata-chan wouldn't abandon her, right? So she waited. And waited. And still she waited. Another hour passes and there was still no sign of Hinata-chan. And so Naruko sat at the table, staring numbly at the door. She could feel a chill creeping into her, it was that same way she always felt back in that closet. Alone and empty.
She didn't know when it happened but she must have drifted to sleep. Because she dreamed of Hinata-chan. But she was crying for her help. She dreamed of a man made of lightning carrying her away. And she dreamed of the terror that Hinata-chan was feeling. It had to have been a dream because she shot out of her chair as her eyes snapped open. Her heart was beating wildly. She glanced towards the clock. 10:30. She had to look for her. Maybe she was at the park. As she left the apartment she noticed something odd, her reflection in the window looked different than usual. Her hair seemed white and she seemed a little paler. She didn't have time to dwell on it. She always seemed to think her hair was white when she woke up, and that was probably the case once again.
She arrived at the park quickly. She wasn't sure how long or how fast she had run but she was sure it was faster than normal. There was no sign of Hinata-chan. She shuddered as the cold November rain hit her. She was still in her pajamas and she was still barefoot. She continued to look around, extending her search into the nearby forest. Still no Hinata-chan. She winced as she stepped on something sharp. Her foot was bleeding and it hurt a lot, but she couldn't dwell on it. Her heart rate was still rising as she panicked more and more.
"Stay still. Take a deep breath." She hadn't heard the voice from her dreams in months but here it was. She struggled to do as instructed but after what felt like ages she had evened out her breath and stopped all movement. The world itself seemed to change after a minute of this. Suddenly she could feel everything. Looking toward the village she could almost see a vast sea of fire. But she wasn't seeing it with her eyes. It was like she was using some body part she didn't even know she had. She looked down and saw that her foot had healed the cut already. She didn't know what compelled her to do so but she grabbed the the sharp thing. It was a discarded kunai.
"Help. I'm scared."
She didn't know how but she could feel the plea for help. Similar to how she could feel the fire in the village. On the other side of the village she could feel it. She could feel lightning. And more importantly she could feel Hinata-chan. She didn't know how she knew it was Hinata-chan, but her instincts were screaming that it was. So she ran.
"Someone. Anyone. Please."
The world turned into a blur as she ran. Between the darkness of night and the blur she could barely see a thing, but still she could sense the way. It didn't take long for her to arrive at the two feelings. The world came back into focus as she slowed. There was a man. He was carrying a sack that was squirming. She could tell he was the man made of lightning. Hinata-chan was in the bag she just knew it.
"Hey you! Let Hinata-chan go!" The man seemed surprised that she was there and whirled around.
"Oh it's just a kid. Piss off you albino freak."
"I don't know what albino means but I'm the freak who'll kick your ass if you don't let her go!"
The man sighed and said. "I gave you a chance kid, now I gotta get rid of the witness."
Naruko didn't have time to think as she felt another presence approaching, she instinctively recognized it. It wasn't here yet but she would still call out to it. "Hiashi-san, this guys got Hinata-chan!" The man actually seemed frightened by that and turned to look for him. In an instant Naruko ran forward and grabbed the bag, using the kunai to cut it open. Inside was a terrified Hinata-chan. Naruko barely got a chance to cut her bindings before she received a powerful kick that sent her into a tree.
Her head was ringing as she looked toward the man. He had grabbed Hinata-chan again. Naruko didn't have time to think, she ran forward and tried to stab the man with the kunai. He almost dodged it completely, but it cut into his arm making him drop Hinata-chan. Naruko quickly dropped the kunai and moved Hinata-chan away. This time Naruko managed to remove the gag. "Are you Okay Hinata-chan?" She didn't care about the man right now, her friend was more important.
"Y-yeah, I- Watch out!" her warning came too late as the man grabbed Naruko by the back of the head and smashed her into another tree.
"Just for that kid I'll make sure you die painfully."
"Stop please! I'll go with you! Just please stop hurting her!" The man turned toward Hinata-chan.
"I've got a better idea." Faster than either of them could react he grabbed Hinata-chan and held Naruko's kunai up. "Before I kill you, I'll let you see why ninja's aren't heroes." He swung the kunai down and Hinata let out a pained scream as it dug into her thigh. "Are you happy? I'm going to cripple her and it's all your fault. Now then, the next one is going into her knees."
Naruko stood up shakily. Her face was a bloody mess and she could barely see with how much her head was spinning. But it didn't matter, she knew what he was doing and knew she had to stop him. The man looked at her and laughed. "I don't know what kind of jutsu you used to change your pigment like that but it looks like it ran out." Her hair had changed back to red, and more strikingly her eyes hadn't returned to their blue. Instead they had turn into an amethyst purple.
"Please. Don't hurt her anymore. I'm sorry. Just please, she doesn't deserve this."
"Well it doesn't matter, you made your choices and now your friend has to live with them." The man swung the kunai down. Naruko saw red.
Hiashi's day had gone from stressful to very stressful. It was supposed to be fine. Peace talks between two villages with the Hyuuga clan as the host. It had gone great. The two villages signed a treaty and it looked like Kumo and Konoha could finally let bygones be bygones. Then his wife unexpectedly went into labor. He had stupidly in his worry for his wife not considered the ramifications of leaving his eldest with only a small guard while foreign nin were in his home.
He had continued to not consider the ramifications until the doctors found out while helping his wife deliver that she had been given a drug that would not only weaken her, but would also send her into labor early. He grimaced just thinking about it. It was pretty much made to ensure that the mother dies in childbirth. Fortunately his wife would be alright. Minato's only female student happened to already be working today. She had in the years since his death become the best active medic nin in the village. Rin Noihara was only a step or two down from Tsunade-sama and she had used that skill to ensure his wife pulled through. It was only once his wife was fine that he realized the problem. Someone drugged his wife. The culprits were obvious and he had left his daughter essentially helpless.
His mistake cost him as he found her and the Kumo ninja gone, as well as several dead guards. He didn't hesitate to mobilize the clan and begin searching himself. He was an expert tracker and it didn't take him terribly long to find the man. He could already see them with his Byakugan. He also got to see the man stab his daughter and the bloodied form of one Uzumaki Naruko as she pleaded desperately for the man to stop. Hiashi cursed his lack of speed.
He managed to arrive just on time for him to see the man swing the kunai down. He was too late.
His shoulders tensed before he was even aware of the chakra. Memories of a burning Konoha and his dead wife came back to him as he felt that same awful chakra. He was shaking like he was genin meeting Ibiki for the first time. A quick glance at the Anbu hidden in his office showed they were handling it worse than he was.
The feeling of this chakra was like dread incarnate. He gritted his teeth. He was the Hokage dammit! He pulsed his own chakra through his system (similar to how he'd dispel a Genjutsu). It worked as he hoped and had a calming effect. He had to move, it would seem the demon is finally making its move.
He arrived at the source with several of his top Anbu in tow (they had been the only ones able to overcome it fast enough to arrive with him). It had only taken him 11 seconds to arrive since he first felt the chakra but it would seem it's already over. The heavy rain obscured any moonlight, so they could only just barely see what had happened.
There in the clearing was Naruko Uzumaki standing before the corpse of a very dead Kumo ninja. Huddled defensively behind her was an uninjured Hyuuga Hinata. A stunned Hiashi was standing to the side of the clearing. The man seemed to snap out of it as he arrived. The aged kage turned back to Naruko. Her hair was that same white from the night of her birth, and her eyes were the same as the demons. Red ringed with the tomoe of the Sharingan. A dangerous red chakra swirled around the girl. Grasped in her hand was the heart of the Kumo ninja giving it's last beats as it futilely tries to cling to life.
"Naruko-san, are you still in there?" The girl whipped around toward him as he spoke. He had to suppress a shudder as he looked directly into those eyes that wished only for destruction. She didn't speak in response to his words, only taking a defensive posture before the Hyuuga heiress. Well then, the demon at least isn't in complete control or she certainly would have killed the other girl.
"Naruko-chan. It's okay. I'm safe." Those words seemed to do the trick as the girls hair returned to the same red she inherited from her mother. Oddly her eyes didn't return to the blue of her father, instead turning to an amethyst purple. He didn't get to look for long as the girl passed out and fell. Hiashi reacted quickly and caught the girl. The rain continued to pour as it washed away the blood covering her small form.
"Tell me everything that happened." He said, looking at Hiashi.
"The Kumo ambassador kidnapped my daughter after trying to assassinate my wife. I don't know why Naruko was here. She seemed to have fought him, as when I arrived he had injured my daughter and Naruko. He was about to cripple Hinata when Naruko used its power. Faster than I could react the man was dead and that was the scene you arrived to."
Hiruzen swept an eye toward the redhead. He was prepared to put her down, but it would seem she had protected a valuable asset to Konoha. And was sensible enough to not blindly lash out at comrades. This was good. This was the exact kind of thing he had been hoping for. If she would harness this power for the village then it would be unrivaled. He doubted anyone would dare to offend Konoha if news of this got out. But he had to stave off the information from spreading that the girl exists for now. It'd be bad if someone foreign got a hold of her before she was loyal.
The aged Kage turned and gave orders to the other people present. "No one is to ever speak of what happened here tonight. As far as anyone is concerned Hyuuga Hiashi killed this Kumo ninja for trying to kidnap his daughter and another child. If news of the truth spreads it will be on all of your heads." The Anbu acknowledged the order and faded into the shadows.
"Hai Hokage-sama. If you may I'd like to take these two to get some rest."
"Go ahead. Be prepared to be in my office tomorrow, you know as well as I do that Kumo will deny the kidnapping." The trap was obvious now that it had been sprung. He suspects that his cover up would have been the truth had the girl not shown up.
She didn't understand what her father meant by 'its power.' Obviously it was something Naruko-chan had done, but she didn't understand what that power was or why she had it. What she does know is that her friend saved her. She could still feel the pain in her thigh. Despite the fact that the wound seems to have disappeared. She didn't know how it had happened. She was bleeding a lot and then Naruko-chan killed the man and her wound had somehow healed.
She turned her attention to her unconscious friend. She had gotten so hurt protecting her. Hinata swore to herself that she'd return the favor. No matter what she'd protect Naruko-chan from now on.
She returned her attention to her father as he scooped her up. She nuzzled into his warm embrace. She hadn't realized how cold she was.
"Let's get you home, you've had a long day."
"Mmm."
"You've made a great friend, Hinata."
"Mmm."
"Tomorrow I'm going to declare her an ally of the clan. It's the least I can do after she protected you." She didn't manage to give another response as she drifted to sleep in his arms.
Obstructed by the rain and the darkness the kunai went unnoticed by anyone. It lays discarded. The dark form of the Kunai clashed with the spring flowers that had bloomed in the field. The flowers would slowly wither over the course of the night. Come morning the field would look just like the rest of the forest floor. Covered in autumn leaves and mud from the rain.
Hinata had changed after that day. She had started to request more training from her father. And any trace of the timid girl that needed saving from bullies was gone. She had to change to protect Naruko-chan. Where Hinata had begun to grow more outgoing Naruko-chan had grown less.
Hinata blamed the village for that. They had changed after that day. Before they had just been content to ignore her friend or to say rude things, but now they had taken to throwing rocks or trying to hit her if she got to close. So Hinata had taken to blocking those attacks (or failing that Ko would). She used it as a chance to both protect her friend and train even while they're together. She had gotten pretty good at catching rocks.
She was sure the shift in treatment had to do with that power. She wasn't sure why the village hated it but they did and that's all that matters. They hated her friend but they were cowards. They would always retreat when they realized their actions could have harmed Hinata, and by extension offended the Hyuuga for harming the heiress.
That night would be known as the Hyuuga affair. As a result of it her uncle had taken the place of her father and been executed in the name of paying back Kumo. A life for a life. She wasn't happy about it, why should anyone from her family have to die because of Kumo's betrayal? She wasn't the only one. It was clear her father mourned the loss of his brother dearly. And her cousin looked so broken. He didn't deserve to lose his father.
He was not surprised to find out the elders were against his support of Naruko. It had after all given the clan a lot of bad publicity. They were defending the demon that tried to destroy all that they hold dear. He didn't care. The girl had saved his daughter and she needed support. A ramen chef was no where near enough to stand against a village that hates her. He had quelled their worries by telling them of how she was loyal to the clan thanks to this and her power was worth more than some good publicity. They had eaten it up. He knew it wasn't true. She was loyal to Hinata. That much was apparent. But she seemed to look towards most others with apathy or caution.
The other clans of course weren't happy about him protecting the girl. They saw it as him vying for power. He wasn't, but they didn't really care. Still they could do nothing about it. It was a decision made for his clan and they had no room to interfere. So despite all the trouble that his decision had brought, he didn't regret it. The girl had helped his daughter more than she'd ever know. Plus he owed it to Minato and Kushina.
Have the demon killed. Denied. Have the demon banished. Denied. Have the demon locked in isolation. Denied. Have the demon bred. Denied. Someone in the village must have made the decision to give him a migraine. It felt like all he had done for the past several weeks was deny having Uzumaki Naruko killed or banished or any other manner of harm done to her. He gets it. They don't like her and think she's a demon. He doesn't really disagree with that. But none of the people sending him these requests seem to understand that she can actually be useful to the village.
God he should have handed her over to Danzo at birth. Now he can't without starting a civil war. Oh it might seem like it'd be fine. But the Uchiha clan was currently at odds with Danzo and if he she disappeared now then they would all know what he did. And that would likely push the Hyuuga clan to join arms with the Uchiha. The last thing he wants is to deal with that. So the girl can't be harmed. Not to mention the girl is aware enough now that it might be a breaking point if he sent her to Danzo. Which could spell the end for Konoha. His plan had worked but it was annoying to balance on this tightrope.
He was turned away from his apocalyptic thoughts by the toad that suddenly appeared on his desk. Well that's not a good sign. Well it's normally fine. But given recent events it's not a good sign. With a sigh he took the letter the toad was holding out for him. It was the usual report for the most part. Until he got to the end and he started asking about Naruko. He wasn't about to tell his student that the village wanted the girl dead. No instead he'd tell him about her little adventure in saving the Hyuuga heiress and how the clan has taken a liking to her. Of course Jiraiya wasn't stupid. He'd likely figure out the truth sooner rather than later.
Fortunately with the Kumo situation he had the perfect excuse to send the man on a long term mission to make sure the village isn't planning on doing anything after that ploy of theirs. Satisfied with his decision he wrote up the response, handed it to the toad (which swiftly popped into a cloud of smoke), and resumed his paperwork. His migraine also came back just as soon as he started. Though this time it wasn't actually because of Naruko or the villagers.
No this was because of his students student (his grandstudent perhaps?). The girl had finally been found after having gone missing for several years. She had gone chasing after Orochimaru, after he had been forced out of the village for his crimes. He ignored the pang of guilt. Hiruzen only technically had no involvement in those crimes. But that wasn't important at the moment. What was important however was that the girl didn't remember anything since the moment she caught up to Orochimaru. She remembers confronting him, and then nothing.
It was particularly concerning however as the memories themselves were gone. At least assuming Inoichi is telling the truth (which he didn't doubt he was, but caution is part of the job). So that just brings the question of what to do with her. She had left the village without permission, and essentially been a missing nin for the past few years. But she did bring Orochimaru's unique techniques to the village and squandering those for something as simple as wanting answers seemed wasteful. No she would be demoted, and barred from achieving a rank higher than Tokubetsu Jonin, but she wouldn't receive any further punishment. It was up to her to work her way back up from genin.
He thought about the Jonin that had found her. Kurenai had impressed him. Truly she had. In the short two years since she was separated from Naruko she had improved from a low B-rank chunin to an A-rank Jonin. Of course she still had a long way to go until she hits S-rank and can even consider being an elite Jonin. But still she had yet to fail even a single A-rank mission. He had known this would work. She would likely be an S-rank ninja in the next few years and the trouble he put her through will have been worth it. Not to mention it does seem like he managed to get Naruko to latch on to him if only a little. That's really all he needs to ensure she is loyal to the village.
Things looked good for Konoha, they had recovered nicely under his leadership and he'd say they're only going to get stronger from here.
She wasn't sure what to make of the feeling. It was the only way she could describe it. It was that same feeling from the night Hinata-chan was kidnapped. Ever since that night that feeling would come back whenever she slept and for a little while after she woke up. It was reassuring to feel the people she cared about every morning but it was overshadowed. Every morning she felt it. Out in that sea of flames known as Konoha is hatred. Pure hatred. And she could feel just who it was directed at. Every morning she woke to the feeling of the villages hatred for her. She couldn't help herself when she started to look at them differently. The malice was too much for her. She hadn't told anyone about this. She didn't even know how to describe what it was. But she knew one thing for sure. The feeling told her the truth about people. For example there was one source of fire larger than any other in the village. And that source of fire disliked her just as much as everyone else. She couldn't trust him, just like the voice said.
A/N Well just about two weeks later and here is chapter 2 as promised. Thank you so much to everyone who for all the fav's and follows. And an especially big thank you to everyone for the reviews. You guys are awesome and I can really feel the love. Anyways, mushy stuff aside, what did you all think? It roughly tells the same story as the original chapter two except it's way longer, and has actual foreshadowing for the future. It also you know, has detail and editing. Well if nothing else I think it's a tremendous improvement. Next chapter should be out once again in approximately two weeks to a month (though I'd like to have it done for the anniversary of the original creation). Alright well this has been running long so I'll end it here, hope to see you all in the next one.
"P.S. Should I split up super long chapters in the future? Let me know so I can make the reading experience better for you. I personally like really long chapters but I only have my own perspective."
CM 10/8/2019