-Oiroke-
Hi all!
To those who have been uninitiated, this is a reworking of a story I have recently deleted. The only real differences are going to be the main pairing, and because I hadn't gone that far along in the story, it's really no issue to just start with this and not even acknowledge that any other version existed.
I'm hoping for this story to be cute, fluffy and wholesome. I hope I will be able to accomplish that with slightly above average my writing skills (in my ever so humble opinion).
This isn't the most original idea, but I'm hoping I can put my own spin on it :D
The main pairing in this story is going to me fem!Naruto x Sakura. No real reason why I picked her, it's just that the old one was Ino and I couldn't think of where to take the story after the first chapter. Also, I think they are like, hella cute together.
One last thing, I'm not sure if I should use Naruto or Naruko in the character list so if anyone has a recommendation, please do tell. The thing is that while this is going to have fem!Naruto, I'm planning on keeping his name the same, most likely.
Guys and gals, please make sure to read the little disclaimer I have at the bottom of this chapter. It's something important that I want every single one of you to read.
Thanks!
Grrr
Eleven-year old Uzumaki Naruto's stomach let out a whine of pain.
He was hungry.
Painfully hungry.
He was almost entirely out of money and his monthly stipend had been delayed due to some 'unforeseen' circumstances yet again. It wasn't unusual for the boy to have to go hungry for a few days when the dawn of a new month began to roll around, it was then, that the bank could take their sweet time in paying him his monthly allowance.
It had already been two days since he had last eaten a full and proper meal, and he was beginning to grow desperate for a nice hot bowl of ramen. But he didn't want to freeload off the kindness of Teuchi and Ayame anymore. They had already given him a bowl two days prior that was completely on the house, and he didn't want to take advantage of them every time he was running low on funds.
The cold winter air brushed against his skin, making him shiver. He could really go for a steaming hot bowl of ramen. If not to fill his belly, then to warm him up from the inside.
He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out his wallet - Gama-chan, once again to recheck that he hadn't missed any loose coins in one of its folds. Unlikely, but he was still hopeful.
Reaching into the green toad-shaped wallet, Naruto pulled out all of his remaining money. Naruto sighed after counting the coins again, same as the last three times he tried to count them.
"Twenty-three ryō," barely enough for a cheap can of food in at the grocery store but it would have to do for now. The handful of stores that allowed him in without much fuss wouldn't have anything cheap enough that he could afford, so he would have to resort to going to one of the other markets in the village.
Hopefully, he will receive his money soon enough.
Grrrrr
The growls emanating from his stomach seemed to grow more aggressive the longer he stood outside the K-Mart (Konohagakure Market) without entering. K-Mart was the largest supermarket in the village and Naruto had only ever been inside it on one occasion.
The last time he tried to enter the store hadn't gone all that well, however. He had been kicked out of the store by the manager and had been told to never return. He wasn't given a straight answer as to why he wasn't allowed to shop like the rest of the village, and any protests he made went ignored.
He had thought of going to the Hokage about his problem, but the kind old man already had a lot on his plate, having to run a village and all, and Naruto didn't want to bother the old man any more than he had already done.
Besides, for all he knew, the Hokage hated him like the rest of the village but was only putting up a facade of kindness because it was his duty as the village leader to care for all of his villagers.
Taking in a deep breath to steel his nerves, Naruto placed his hands on the glass doors to swing open the entrance of the mart.
"So far, so good," he whispered to himself as he stepped into the store.
The first thing that hit him was the overwhelming sensory overload from entering the building. Smells of all kinds assaulted his nostrils, the sweet fruits meshed with the sour pickles. The metallic pungency of iron permeated from the raw blood in the meat section and the lingering smell of coffee and cocoa came from the café next door.
His vision was filled with the colors of the rainbow and more. Plastic wrappings of everything he could imagine enveloped his sight, from the humble cup of noodles to the most expensive chocolates, everything was laid out in front of him.
He could hear the rumblings of conversation between countless customers, he could hear the playful banter between young lovers and he could hear the whining of a child to their mother. He could hear the employees' scanning items in the checkout lane and he could hear the sounds of a boxes being shuffled around in the back of the store.
Naruto closed his eyes and tried to tune out his senses so that he could maybe find something cheap to eat and leave before the manager found out he was back in the store.
Just as he was about to take a step forward, he felt a firm grip on his shoulder.
He knew exactly what was going to happen, he had already been caught. Resigning himself to his fate, he turned around to face the manager of the store.
The man was middle-aged, with a receding hairline, he wore a formal yellow yukata and had a fake smile plastered on his face.
"I'm sorry sir, but the store is closed right now. I'm going to have to ask you to leave," his voice was sickly sweet but had an edge to it, suggesting that Naruto better do what he was told.
The man was lying through his teeth, it was barely past lunch-time and Naruto knew the store wouldn't close until late in the evening.
"Please let me in, I really need something to eat," Naruto tried, "I'll even accept the rejected and slightly rotten stuff in the back."
It was a desperate plea, but that was just what he was; desperate.
The manager shook his head no, fake smile still firmly affixed on his face, "I'm sorry sir but we need to close the store any moment now and we can't allow you inside."
Sighing with resignation and not wanting to make a scene, Naruto stepped out of the store and made his way back to his apartment. He would get the man back with a prank later, but his top priority was still food.
He tried to ignore the stinging pain he felt when he heard the same manager greet a new customer who had entered right after he left the supermarket. It was a blond girl who appeared to be vaguely familiar. He didn't care enough at the moment to identify her.
Naruto wasn't sure if the burning he felt in his gut was his envy of everyone else in the village for not being treated unfairly or his stomach trying to digest itself in hunger.
Grrrrrrr
Naruto really needed to figure out a solution to his problem and soon. His stomach was beginning to sound like some kind of wild beast was trapped in there.
On his way back to his apartment, walking through the Commercial District, Naruto passed by a small civilian family; a husband and wife with their young daughter. They seemed so happy with each other, like nothing could go wrong in their lives.
The ugly burning in his stomach returned, oh how he wished he had a family that could love him. How he wished he was someone else, maybe if he wasn't Uzumaki Naruto then he could be whoever he wanted to be.
A metaphorical lightbulb went off in his head.
Why hadn't he thought of it before?
He thought back to one of the first jutsu he had been taught in the Academy.
Yes… that could work.
He looked around to see if anyone had their eyes on him. When he affirmed that there was nobody explicitly looking at him, he shrunk back into a dark alleyway.
It was dank and depressing, but there was nobody around that could spy on him as he was about to execute his plan, which made the location perfect.
His mind affixed in what he needed to do; the boy began to gather his chakra.
Inu
He placed his left hand flat on his right fist.
The Henge no Jutsu (Transformation Technique) allows the user to take the appearance of whatever they choose.
I
He folded his wrists downwards and facing each other.
He could have transformed into anything at all, he could take the appearance of anybody who had ever existed. But he already knew what he was going to transform into. He had always wished that he could have had a sister, she would show him all the love he needed and take care of him. Maybe he wouldn't have had to be so lonely anymore.
It was who he based his signature transformation on, a sister he could never have.
Hitsuji
He shakily held his hands with the first two fingers on each pointing to the sky, his left thumb over his right and his right ring finger and pinky over his left.
But what if she hated him too? What if his only family couldn't stand his presence like the rest of the village? What would he do if his only family also hated him and treated him with scorn?
Lost in thought and muddled by his emotions, be barely noticed his hand seal slipping. Naruto began to pour way more chakra into the technique than it required. He didn't notice the crimson aura that surrounded him, influenced by the negative turn to his emotions.
"Oiroke no Jutsu (Sexy Technique)!"
A puff of smoke erupted from the ram seal he formed. Naruto felt his body change, a feeling he had grown used to due to how often he used the technique. It was the only basic E-Rank ninjutsu he could perform without any troubles. But something felt off, something was different. He couldn't quite place his finger on what exactly was different.
When the smoke cleared, the newly transformed boy took a look at his appearance in a conveniently placed piece of broken glass he found next to the dumpster.
Naruto could see a round face, with blonde hair framing both the sides of his face. His eyes were the same brilliant blue that they always were and his whisker-like birthmarks were still on his face.
Deciding that the whiskers would give him away, Naruto tried to apply another Henge (Transformation) on his face to hide the markings.
It didn't work.
He tried again, to no avail.
After a couple more tries, he decided to not bother and just cover the markings with the scarf he had around his neck.
He had decided to age down the transformation to be closer to his own. When he had to stand in place and pose seductively, he could handle the longer limbs and imbalance, but he would have to be closer in size to his actual body that time because he would have to move around and blend in with society.
He kept most of his features the same, but grew out his hair down to the small of his back. He had them separated and bound into two pigtails.
He wore a short-sleeved, dark orange kimono-like blouse with a dark embroidered border, held closed with a black obi, a dark short skirt and stockings that stopped at his thighs along with brown sandals. He had an orange scarf wrapped around his face that was once on his neck.
The look was borrowed from one of the mannequins he passed along the way in the financial district, the orange embellishments were a personal touch, of course. The mannequins had donned a boring maroon instead of the much superior orange.
Satisfied with how he looked, he stepped out of the alleyway determined to get some food into his belly. He still didn't have much money, but at least he could enter the store.
How had he not thought of using the technique earlier? He should have been considered a genius for having realized he could use the boring things he was thought in school in the real world!
Here's a little disclaimer from me, I am a cis-male writing a story about what could be considered a trans-lesbian couple and can't imagine what actually goes on in the minds of those with actual gender dysphoria. I don't hope to offend anyone, and in fact I am offering a non-committal space to voice your own opinions in a review or even just a PM if you need someone to talk to. I know that something like this is very unusual in any 'normal' fanfiction, but I am just trying to do my part in making sure that society tomorrow grows to be better than the one we have today.
And one way I can try and do that is show some love to some of the minorities in this world. There are literally hundreds of thousands of cis-het stories on this site, in this fandom even, so perhaps this story would be ignored like a cup of water in front of an ocean, but maybe this can be the pebble that sends ripples across the seas.
That's it from me for today, I guess I shall see you guys in the next one.
Lots of love and don't forget to be awesome!