-Oiroke-

well, it might have been a little over two years but I'm starting to feel the tingle-bug of a writer.

what's the opposite of writer's block, I wonder?

super rusty and don't quite remember what I wanted to do with this and don't really want to rewrite everything so I'm kinda just going with the flow

i hope this isn't too rough to read, I'll edit what I can but it's been a while since I read or write anything.

life happens, I got a job or something

enjoy, I guess lol

minor disclaimer: gonna be using they/them for Naruto during narration until I or Naruto figures stuff out.

Happy New Year guys!

Whatever it was that Ino expected Naruto to come up with could not sound as outlandish as what she had just heard from the blond boy… girl? it was hard to say with her contemporary looking as they did at the time, as they sat across from her.

"You aren't allowed in any store?"

She couldn't imagine what she would have done if she was in any such situation, she never had to worry about not having enough to eat. The thought formed an uncomfortable lump on the back of her throat.

Naruto looked like they were trying to maintain their composure as they chomped down on their second slice of toast with as much dignity as could be mustered.

Ino had never known Naruto to be one of any kind of restraint, and with how loudly she had heard their stomach rumble back at the grocery store, it was a miracle the blond wasn't swallowing the bread whole.

Naruto shook their head, a few crumbs dotting his chin, "Not all, a few don't seem to mind my presence, but even they end up marking up bills thinking I wouldn't notice."

A pause and another bite later, Naruto continued, "But I don't have the money to pay the increased amount, so I thought that using a transformation would hopefully let me buy some food"

Ino took a contemplative sip of her tea (black, mind you, she has to watch her figure for Sasuke!). She didn't know what to think, on one hand if what Naruto was saying was the truth, then the way her fellow villagers were treating Naruto was absolutely abhorrent, but knowing the blonde's personality, she would hate for all of this to be some sort of elaborate prank.

She desperately hoped that it wasn't a prank, there was something in the way her classmate spoke that brought about a feeling of genuineness.

Speaking of pranks, could the treatment of her classmate be due to all the pranks they got up to? It kind of made sense in her head, but so many people refusing to help a starving orphan just didn't sit right with her, especially if it was just because of a few admittedly funny- but harmless pranks.

The blonde took another bite, Naruto desperately looked like they wanted to shove the entire loaf into their gullet but was trying to eat slowly for whatever reason.

After a bit of thought, Ino revealed her feelings about the situation.

"Okay, I think I believe you."

In all honesty, Ino wasn't quite sure if she believed everything Naruto had told her, but she had a feeling that the blond wouldn't lie about something like this.

Naruto smiled genuinely; it was odd seeing that oh-so-familiar foxy grin on such delicate features. But this smile was different to what she was used to, there was something here that left her thinking any grin she had seen before had some sort of plastic quality to it, fake.

She was kind of glad she had invited Naruto over for lunch, it truly ended up being quite an eye-opening experience for her. She, at first, was going to take Naruto to the cafe that was attached to the supermarket, but Naruto looked uncomfortable enough as it was. She dragged the other blonde home, her parents were out for work, so all she could offer them was toast she popped in the toaster, but Naruto seemed incredibly appreciative of the gesture ,nonetheless.

Surely there was no way she was the victim of some prank now, the genuine happiness on Naruto's face was unmistakable, and Ino started feeling bad for the way she treated her classmate in the past.

But then why was Naruto still maintaining the transformation? It wasn't like he had to hide who he was in front of her, Ino voiced the same thoughts.

"I can't."

What? Henge was one of the simplest ninjutsu they could learn, even Naruto should know how to dispel it. Heck, she had seen them do it many times when Naruto tried pranking Iruka-sensei.

"What do you mean, you can't?"

Naruto shook their head, seemingly at a loss. "I tried changing the transformation to get rid of my birthmarks, " Naruto traced a finger on the whisker-like marks on their cheeks, "but nothing happened."

And then, to prove a point, they brought up a hand seal and attempted to dispel the transformation again.

A beat passed, and nothing happened.

Naruto shrugged, finishing off the slice in his hand. Their face then darkened,

"I don't think I'd even want to go back to looking like I did, nobody likes Naruto Uzumaki anyway."

Ino felt her heart break at the words and crestfallen expression on Naruto's face. Was this truly how they felt underneath all the false pretense and bravado? Ino couldn't imagine not feeling comfortable in her own skin. Sure, she was self conscious about her weight, but that didn't mean she wanted to stop being Ino Yamanaka.

"Surely that isn't the case, Naruto" Ino wracked her brain to think of someone who didn't mind the blond's abrasive personality, "There's Iruka-sensei, everyone can tell he has a soft spot for you!"

Naruto just let out a half hearted chuckle, "I guess you're right"

Ino grinned, proud that her quick thinking was able to bring Naruto out of their sour mood, even if just a litrtle bit.

"Speaking of Iruka-sensei, we could go ask him about your Henge, he'd surely be able to help you out!"

Naruto's eyes widened, "You're right! you're the smartest person in the world, Ino!"

She flushed at the compliment, it wasn't a revolutionary idea, after all, he was the one who taught them that particular jutsu. And, was responsible for their development as a Ninja.

"We'll go look for him after you eat, then."

Naruto looked shocked, "You'd come with me? you don't have to, if you don't wanna, y'know"

Ino rolled her eyes, "For better or worse, I'm part of this now so eat up, time's-a-wastin'"

"Well, this is perplexing…"

Iruka was surprised to find the most unlikely pairing to find him in his home on their day off from the Academy.

Ino, and a girl who claimed to be and bared a striking resemblance to Naruto stood before his home, one looking assertive while the normally boisterous one looked nearly meek in comparison.

He had, of course, invited them in and offered the two of them tall glasses of water, both of which were accepted, graciously.

In his moderately long career as a ninja or as an instructor, he had never come across a transformation that couldn't be undone, and the reasoning behind it brought a pit to his stomach.

Naruto had never really expressed how unfairly he was being treated in the village, Iruka knew it couldn't have been easy for the young Jinchuriki, having been orphaned and isolated, but he never quite understood the scope of how rough of a shape Naruto was in, actually.

He would need to treat his student to a piping bowl of ramen as soon as possible, it was the least he could do after everything he heard. Naruto's mistreatment was disgusting, and he was going to have to see if he could do anything to change that.

Naruto shuffled nervously behind Ino, almost embarrassed that Ino had gone and blurted everything to their instructor.

Iruka had to focus on the problem at hand though, Naruto seemed to be stuck in a girl's body. Why exactly the boy chose a female form, was lost on the chunin, but he reckoned it had something to do with his dreaded sexy jutsu.

That being said, however, this form seemed closer to Naruto's natural age and was, thankfully, modestly clothed.

Something to unpack at a later date.

"Well let's see if we can sort out this Henge problem now, shall we?"

The two blonds nodded and followed Iruka, who sighed, this was going to be a long day.

a shorter chapter while I try to get back into the swing of things, the last two years have been… a lot and I think we all need some casual escapism now and then.

not much happens in this chapter, but Naruto made a new friend, which is great!

once my thoughts settle, I'll decide what pronouns Naruto should use, on one hand, they're still Naruto only looks different, on the other hand they are presenting, and probably will continue to (if I get off my lazy ass and write another chapter before the next two years) present femme.

i plan to tackle topics such as dysphoria and Naruto being unsure if they're comfortable in their skin, and only hope to do so with care, any advice is absolutely appreciated.

why am i still doing this? Because the thought appeals to me and doesn't seem to have been done before (as far as I can see), and I want to see if I can take a crack at it. And while I am LGBT, I'm not a woman or trans so I hope I can handle any topics I bring up respectfully and please point out any mistakes you might notice.

That's it for now, the author's notes will surely be shorter starting from the next chapter, have a great day y'all.