Yo, I'm back. Your awesome reviews inspired me to continue. Probably would have had it posted earlier, but I got sick. Bleh. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy I put a lot of love into this. :D
Apparently cooking was harder than he had first assumed. Kurama stared sullenly at the burnt food in front of him. He had thought he followed the directions completely, but he was second guessing himself now. Naruto was staring at the plate in front of him with wide slightly disturbed eyes. Kurama didn't blame him, he wasn't even sure if they could even categorize it as food anymore.
How does one even burn rice that badly?
He sighed and stood abruptly, startling Naruto. "…Let's just eat cup ramen again."
He pretended to not see his twins' relieved expression. Munching on the noodles silently, he decided that he would need some more practice with cooking. They couldn't eat ramen every day, no matter how much Naruto loved it, nor did they have the funds to eat out too much. Especially if they were expected to buy their own ingredients now.
He wondered, not for the first time, who in their right mind would allow two six-year-olds to live like this. He was over a thousand years old and he was having trouble managing. Then again he had been a being compose entirely of ancient chakra, so acquiring sustenance in order to live hadn't been a big priority.
They walked to the Academy alone. Glares and whispered insults followed them the entire way. Naruto was getting more and more upset the longer it continued, but Kurama only sighed. While he hadn't cared all that much, having so many more years to get used to the humans and their petty hatred, he was still angry that Naruto was forced to bear with it. Out of all of the things, the boy could have gained from his chakra, the ability to sense negative emotions was one Kurama wished he had never developed.
Kurama could deal with it. He had years of practice, but Naruto was still a child; a kit. It was obvious that it was overwhelming at times. But…
He watched as Naruto made a visible effort to shake off his melancholy and turn to him with a big smile.
"Hey! What do ya think we'll learn today, Natsu? Think it'll be something cool?"
Naruto was a strong kid. He'd survive.
Kurama smiled. "I doubt it. It's only the second day."
Naruto pouted. "Ugh, we better not go over history again. That's boring. I want to learn how to do cool Shinobi stuff. Like…Like…uh…"
"Maybe we should learn what Shinobi do before learning how to do it." He replied mildly, enjoying the look of frustration on the six-year-olds face as he tried to piece together what Kurama had said. "Also, history is important."
"I'm going to be Hokage. I don't need history."
Kurama shook his head, laughing at the petulant look on his twin's face. He had his arms folded and everything. He almost didn't want to break it to the boy, almost. "The Hokage needs to know the past even more than regular Shinobi in order to be a good leader."
The exaggerated look of betrayal was worth it. He had a smile on his face all the way to class as Naruto continued to pout.
Daichi-sensei, unfortunately, was as unbearable as he was the first day. If not more so, since he apparently decided there would be no repercussion over treating them like scum in front of the whole class. Kurama narrowed his eyes wishing he could listen in on the council meetings. Surely there must have been a decision recently that revolved around them. The Hokage wouldn't pull his Anbu guards and their cook if nothing significant had occurred. It must have had some kind of an effect on the Academy too if their instructor thought he could get away with this attitude.
He sighed as his brother was called on for another question the instructor knew the boy didn't know.
It was only the second day and the man was calling on an orphan with no formal teaching for questions not even the clan kids could answer. He tilted his head down to hide the angry red flecks he knew were filling his eyes. If he didn't rein in his temper his eyes would turn completely red.
Something had to be done about this man.
He could not sit here and take this calmly. Despite all of his work towards controlling his anger over the years he still had trouble and this man was dancing on his patience. He knew that even without the corrosive hatred, his chakra was still rather intense. Still, he had to do something, for today at least. He'd go to the Hokage after class and see if the man could do something.
Taking a deep breath, while suppressing his chakra as much as he could, he tilted his head back up and gave their instructor a withering glare.
Even without any killing intent behind his gaze the man wilted and turned away quickly leaving Naruto and the rest of the class confused. Kurama raised an eyebrow at the pathetic display wondering how the man could have ever earned a chunin rank.
Naruto glanced at him, giving him a small smile.
Maybe he wasn't as subtle as he had thought. Then again Naruto was very perceptive, for a six-year-old.
Naruto wasn't called on for the rest of class. Unfortunately, Kurama forgot all about bringing a lunch, however, so he tried to distract his twin with questions about the lecture as the rest of their class chatted and ate. No one offered them any, of course.
When class ended they didn't immediately run out like they did yesterday. Which, of course, left them open to the group that had nearly accosted them last time, but Kurama wanted to try and gain some friends for his brother before the instructor completely corrupted them against the blond.
He had noted some potentially neutral candidates the previous class and had watched them today. The Hyuuga girl looked scandalized at the treatment Naruto was getting, while the Akimichi child looked uncomfortable. The Nara child had observed them sleepily off and on throughout the day, and though his face was blank, Kurama couldn't sense any hostility from the boy. Only curiosity.
The Uchiha, on the other hand, seemed to have gained some sort of obsession with him and had been staring blatantly all day. Which had really only irritated Kurama further.
He dragged Naruto over to the Nara and Akimichi first.
Naruto was practically vibrating with excitement, but couldn't seem to form any words when they got close to the other boys. Rolling his eyes, Kurama took pity on his brother.
"Hello, my name is Natsuki Uzumaki and this is my twin Naruto."
His parents had made a very big mistake when they told him not to interact with the Uzumaki twins. Well, they hadn't said that specifically, but their intentions were clear when they tried to subtly warn him away from the other boys.
That was their mistake.
He hadn't even noticed the twins other than noting their obnoxious hair colors, but with his parents warning ringing in his ears he began to see them everywhere.
He realized they were orphans and for some reason everyone in the village hated them.
Despite all his questions and attempt at getting answers, he could never find out why. His best guess was that one, or both of their parents, were criminals. Maybe missing nin. However, the only recent known missing nin from Konoha was Orochimaru and that didn't make sense for a number of reasons.
They wouldn't call two kids demons if their parents were bad, would they?
He had even asked his father at one point, but instead of answering his face twisted into something akin to grief with a healthy dose of guilt. His father never told him to leave the boys alone after that. When his mother tried to take him to a different park after she had caught sight of the twins at the one they normally went to, his father had argued with Shikamaru against it.
Shikamaru wondered if he was close to one of their parents.
But if he was, then why would he never help them?
Surely his parents of all people, wouldn't condemn children for their parent's mistakes.
Shikamaru had watched as the boys were surrounded by bigger kids and beaten-up while his parents dragged him away like nothing was happening. He remembered the frustration, in the smaller one's eyes. He remembered how dark blue almost purple eyes had sought his for a brief moment before turning away, not expecting any help.
That, he thought, was what bothered him the most.
Which was why when the two finally stood in front of him, he decided that he could deal with his mother's nagging. He gave them a brief nod and introduced himself.
"Shikamaru Naru." He glanced briefly at his friend wondering, for the first time, how he would feel about interacting with these two. His parents had also warned him away.
He apparently didn't have to worry, because his friend was smiling shyly. "My names Choji Akimichi. It's nice to meet you."
They were greeted with two very different smiles. A blinding one and a soft thankful one. As they fell into a slightly awkward conversation Shikamaru observed the two again. Natsuki was the smaller of the two with orange hair and wide dark blue eyes that seemed to shift to purple and even showed hints of red at random. When he spoke his voice was soft, his words precise. Shikamaru wondered if the boy was like him, a genius, or whatever people called it.
Naruto, on the other hand, was very loud and cheerful. While they had the same facial structures Naruto had bright blond hair and lighter blue eyes along with some strange whisker marks on his cheeks. Shikamaru was almost worried for a moment that he would make Choji uncomfortable or make the dire mistake of insulting his weight, but the blond somehow managed to get his quiet friend into an argument about the best ramen flavor.
He blinked slowly and shook his head. Natsuki caught his eye and smirked at him before rolling his eyes at the other two. Shikamaru felt a small grin pull at his lips.
"Well, it was nice meeting you two, but Naruto and I need to talk to the Hokage."
Shikamaru's head snapped back to the shorter twin, while Choji's eyes widened.
"You visit the Hokage…?"
"Yeah, the old man is super nice and lets us hang out in his office sometimes." Naruto grinned, not realizing how crazy that sounded.
Natsuki nodded along with his brother, looking like he was enjoying their confusion. "Yeah, we tell him how our day went and the people we meet."
Shikamaru noticed absently that the other boy had raised his voice slightly and the instructor, who had been milling around in the background, went pale suddenly. He waved slowly as the two bounded out the door while shaking his head. Those two were insane.
"They were nice." Choji murmured. "I don't know why mom and dad don't like them."
Shikamaru sighed. "Me neither."
He glanced out the window, eyeing his mother chatting with Choji's mother as they waited for the boys to come out. He sighed again.
"So, troublesome."
Choji just laughed.
Kurama stared at the secretary. He didn't even bother hiding his disbelief.
She just scowled. "Look, brats, the Hokage is too important to entertain you. So, scram."
There had been three different secretaries since Kurama and Naruto had started visiting the Hokage at four. The first one very nearly broke the law and told them about the 'Kyuubi'. She was removed immediately and he never saw her again. The second was a kind elderly woman who always gave them candy whenever they had to wait for the old man to finish up a meeting. She had resigned when her arthritis started becoming too much for her to handle.
The third one had disliked them but was smart enough to realize that since the Hokage liked them she was in no position to be outwardly rude to them. They had entered a silent agreement to stay out of each other's way.
Though Kurama was fairly certain that Naruto's adorable nature had managed to get under her skin. She had been a lot more accommodating and pleasant for the past few months.
This woman, however, was glaring at them from her desk. She hadn't even let them get a word in edgewise. Without further explanation, she summoned the guards and the two found themselves sitting in the dirt outside the tower.
They sat there blinking in surprise.
"Uh, Natsu…what happened?"
Kurama turned to his brother and helped him up. "I'm not sure…"
Though he had some ideas. This coupled with the withdrawal of the Anbu and their cook was looking even more suspicious. He was almost certain, now that some sort of meeting had taken place recently. He sighed.
"Maybe we can sneak in!" Naruto whispered loudly. "Like Shinobi, you know!"
Kurama smiled at him. "We'd need a plan for that and more training. So, not today, but maybe…"
Naruto pouted for a moment before grinning. "We can plan and train, so we're the best sneakers and then the old man will have to make me Hokage!"
Kurama chuckled and ruffle his hair. "Yeah, okay Naruto."
They headed home after that and ate some more ramen. Kurama practiced trying to make simple things for a little while, as Naruto scribbled some plans for their big break-in at the table. He sighed, glaring down at the soggy mess in front of him before starting to clean up. It looked like they would have to share the last instant ramen for breakfast tomorrow.
Later that night as Naruto snored beside him Kurama stared up at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep.
Actually, he simply didn't want to sleep, rather than couldn't. Every time he'd close his eyes he'd find himself back in his cage. Completely alone. With only the burning pain of the seal on his skin and echoes of screams ringing in his ear.
Sometimes, on particularly nasty nights, he'd find Naruto outside the bars glaring at him with spite filled eyes, his mother beside him and Mito behind them looking on with disinterest.
It had been bearable with Hound waking him up, but now that the Anbu wasn't here he was…uncertain about letting himself fall unconscious.
He sat up and dragged himself over to the window, laying his forehead against the cool glass.
He watched the stars for a while feeling the sickeningly sinking feeling of dread course through him. Something was happening. Something bad.
He could feel it in his bones...
He slept very little that night.
They shared the last ramen in the morning.
Naruto tried to make him eat it all, but Kurama would hear none of it.
The walk to the Academy was strangely silent. Kurama glanced around suspiciously at the lack of people on the streets.
There was an oppressive feeling in the air.
They stood awkwardly in front of the empty Academy. It wasn't a holiday or anything that would warrant the canceling of classes. Just as Kurama was starting to worry about a genjutsu a man came running out of the building toward them.
"What are you doing here?! Alone, too! Didn't your parents tell you class was canceled today?!"
They stared up at the chunin in surprise. Their silence forced the shinobi to actually look closely at them, which made the man pale considerably. Apparently, he hadn't recognized them when he came running out. Though Kurama wasn't sure how since they were pretty easy to spot with their hair colors.
"What's going on?" He asked. "Why're classes canceled?"
The man blinked. "Nobody told you?"
Kurama frowned. "Who would? We live alone."
Then again, he thought to himself, they should have been notified by someone.
"Well, the Uchiha…You know what, let me walk you home."
Kurama narrowed his eyes at the mention of that clan, suddenly suspicious. "Who are you?"
He blinked at Kurama, before giving a strained smile. "Oh, I'm sorry. My name is Iruka Umino. I'm an assistant instructor at the Academy."
Kurama sighed, at least he tried to keep his dislike of them hidden. He didn't sense any dishonesty. He looked at his brother, who shrugged.
"Well… okay. We'll lead the way Umino-sensei."
"Oh no! I'm not a teacher, yet…you don't have to. Just call me Iruka…"
Naruto cut him off with a laughing. "Okay, Iruka-sensei!"
The blond started throwing rapid fire questions at the man immediately as they walked back home. Kurama laughed softly at the man's awkward floundering. He was pretty nice even if he did hate them. The man even looked rather indignant at the state of their apartment building.
Naruto seemed to catch his look and grinned widely. "It's not much, but its home!"
Iruka only raised an eyebrow. Kurama couldn't blame him, the building could use some work, but since very few people live there the landlord didn't bother. They had managed to reach their apartment when Naruto's stomach rumbled.
Kurama sighed, while his twin looked sheepish.
"Umm…do you two have anything to eat?"
Kurama glanced at him. "We have some ingredients, but I can't seem to make anything edible yet."
"Yeah, we've been eating ramen, but we ran out this morning." Naruto tugged on his hand. "Natsu, we should go get more ramen!"
Kurama shook his head. "We can't live off ramen Naruto."
Iruka fidgeted turning Kurama's attention to him once again. "Thank you for taking us home Iruka-sensei, but would you mind telling what exactly happened?"
The man rubbed the back of his neck before seemingly deciding something. "Alright, I'll tell you guys what happened while I make breakfast."
Naruto cheered, while Kurama nodded.
"First and foremost. I have to ask whether either of you know what the word massacre means?"
Kurama nodded as his mind raced, while Naruto shook his head. Before he could turn to his brother to explain, Iruka had already started talking again as he looked through their kitchen.
"That's alright, Naruto. It's a complicated word for a six-year-old, I'm surprised you brother knows it. A Massacre is when someone brutally murders a group of people without a reason." The man started shuffling ingredients while turning on the stove. Kurama slunk over to watch him work. "Do you know what murder means?"
This time Naruto nodded and solemnly recited what Kurama had told him a while back. "Murder means someone killed somebody else in…um, cold-blood?"
Kurama sent a proud smile to his twin while Iruka nodded.
"Yes, that's correct." Iruka flinched slightly when he saw how close Kurama had gotten, but didn't allow his uneasiness to affect his explanation. "Last night the entire Uchiha clan was massacred by one of their own members, Itachi Uchiha. The Anbu were sent after him and all the Shinobi are on high alert. Civilians were ordered to stay at home, even genin, chunin, and all clan members were recommended to do that same. Which was why classes were canceled."
They sat in silence for a moment. The feeling of dread that had plagued him all night had suddenly become clear, but there were still too many questions. While he wasn't one to argue against the destruction of that awful clan, he realized that it also left Konoha weak. Which made him slightly nervous, knowing how humans would act upon perceived weakness. On top of that, there was the question of why.
"Have they figured out why Itachi did it?" Kurama asked, decided that was the only safe question for the time being.
Iruka sighed. "No, the only survivor, his younger brother Sasuke, hasn't woken up yet. From what I heard, they are currently investigating the site for any clues."
Kurama frowned. "I see."
With that somber talk out of the way and breakfast made the twins sat down at the table to eat, while Iruka shuffled awkwardly.
"Wow, this is really good Iruka-sensei!" Naruto waved his chopsticks around excitedly.
Kurama smiled at his brother, agreeing completely. "Yes, it is very good. I'd rather have this every day than instant ramen."
Naruto shot him a wounded look but didn't argue, which was very telling.
Their former cooks' food had always been very simple and slightly bland, but Iruka somehow managed to make a flavorful concoction with the same ingredients. Kurama promised himself to try harder to learn more about cooking. He hadn't realized food could taste this good.
"Ah..uh… it's nothing. Really."
Naruto just grinned at the flustered man and took another mouthful as if to prove his point.
"Ne, Iruka-sensei." Naruto's smiled soften. "You're pretty cool for an adult. Even though you don't like us you still took us home, answered our questions and cook us food. That's pretty awesome, you know?"
Kurama nodded. "Yes, you're a good person Iruka-sensei and a good teacher. I hope we have you as an instructor in the future."
"I…" Kurama watched in confusion as a number of emotions flashed across the man's face as he paled considerably.
"I should go." He finally said quietly.
"Bye, bye Sensei!" Naruto waved his grin back in full force.
Kurama simply watched as Iruka stumbled out the door looking as though he'd seen a ghost.
He wondered if he said something to offend him.
Kurama shrugged and went back to his food.
Humans could be weird sometimes, he wasn't sure if he'd ever understand them completely.
"You're pretty cool for an adult. Even though you don't like us you still took us home, answered our questions and cook us food. That's pretty awesome, you know?"
It felt like a punch to the gut.
He collapsed in the entryway of his home, his hand held over his mouth. He felt very sick all of the sudden. They knew. They knew that he hated them, probably from the first time he realized who they were. And yet, and yet….
The smiled at him and called him 'sensei'. They invited him into their home and allowed him to cook them food. He covered his face with his hands as he drew his knees to his chest.
The image of those two de-, those two children staring up at him with solemn eyes, expecting rejection and outright hatred. They had liked him because he was polite to them despite his feelings! Because he did what any responsible adult, much less a shinobi, would do.
"It's not much, but its home!"
He groaned quietly as he recalled their apartment. The building was dilapidated and in obvious need of some work. He hadn't seen anyone on the walk to the twin's apartment. The apartment itself was shabby at best, but completely clean and lacking in any sort of decorations or homey feel.
"I can't seem to make anything edible yet."
The smaller twin, Natsuki, had watched him seriously as he cooked.
At first, he had been freaked out, but now he wondered if they had anyone to cook for them. Was the little orange haired child with deep bags beneath his eyes hoping to learn how to cook, so they could eat something other than instant ramen? They had mentioned ramen a few times and had thought his simple meal had been the best thing ever.
He closed his eyes trying to forget their smiling faces.
Smiling.
Being so grateful to have a proper meal.
Being happy about being treated kindly.
"Yes, you're a good person Iruka-sensei…"
"No, no I'm really not." He choked out as he leaned his head against the wall.
He knew that.
He knew because he remembered that flash of irritation when he realized who they were. He remembered thinking to himself…
'Why couldn't Itachi have killed them instead?'
He was definitely not a good person if he had thought that about the two small orphans.
No parents.
No one to look after them.
They only had each other, in that small empty apartment with its worn-out furniture and blank walls.
"I'm a terrible person."
I like Iruka, I really do. Which is why he has to go through this little stump so that I can include him more. I have a lot of favorite characters in Naruto, but he's pretty close to the top. Speaking of which, awkward confession time, I haven't actually seen all of the shippuden. In fact, I've seen very little. I know a lot of major spoilers though and have watched some stand alone episodes, but I honestly don't think I'll ever finish it completely. It was just... well let's just say there was a lot of stuff and some characters that really irritated me. (Please, don't hate me. I've actually watched all of the first series. No joke, every single episode, but that was many years ago, before Shippuden)
That being said, there were also things I liked in the episodes I did watch and the spoilers I know. So, this fic will probably be a random mix of cannon and Au. *Shrugs* Just thought I'd let you know. Anywho...
Reviews! Thank you guys so much! I didn't expect very much when I posted the first chapter, but you guys made me smile every time I saw a new one!
So, let me know what you thought of this chapter and whether or not I should still continue! Till next time, Ciaossu!