Chapter One – Wolf Cub

"This gaki is no longer welcome in my apartment!" The old woman shrieked and threw Naruto forward by the scruff of his collar. "He almost burned down the entire place this morning with one of his pranks."

The boy struggled to his knees and growled, "It wasn't a prank! I was trying to cook some breakfast."

She slammed her foot against Naruto's back, forcing him to have another taste at the wood's hard surface. "Who'd believe a gaki like you?!" she spat. "Face it; the only thing you're good at is destroying things!"

Two ANBU emerged from behind the woman, their arms ready to pull her away. They stopped when they saw the Sandaime shake his head slightly. Nodding briefly, they stepped back into the shadows of the office and blurred out of sight. The Sandaime leaned forward, "Is the compensation I gave you not enough to warrant another chance for Naruto to live in your establishment?"

"I don't care how much you give me! He'll not step foot in my apartment ever again, you hear me?" The woman blushed after a moment's pause. She hadn't realized how unlady-like she'd been acting in front of the Hokage, the esteemed leader of Konohagakure, until now. With a huff she straightened up and smoothened her rumpled dress with hands that shook.

"If I cannot convince you, then so be it," the Sandaime spoke, sighing audibly. "You may go, Maeda-san."

The old woman bowed stiffly and withdrew without another word, a smug smile on her lips. Naruto finally got to his feet, his face twisted in a vindictive expression. "I was only trying to cook some breakfast," he repeated and sat on one of the chairs facing the Sandaime, his feet dangling. One of the ANBU appeared once more and, with glowing hands, checked to see if Naruto had acquired any injuries from the old woman's rough handling. There were none, to his relief. He informed the Sandaime with a discreet hand signal before returning to his post besides the door.

"You could have asked one of the apartment's occupants to teach you how to cook properly," the Sandaime spoke, benevolent eyes peering from underneath the Sandaime's wide-brimmed hat.

"I tried to. I was even polite about it like you said, but no one would teach me," Naruto answered with a look of defiance. "They said I could eat raw meat fine because I was no better than an animal!" He paused and gazed downwards. "I tried it, you know," he murmured, shuddering at the memory. "It didn't make me sick or nothin' but... Am I just being picky about my food if I don't like eating it that way?"

Years of attending village council meetings kept the Sandaime from making a horrified face in front of the boy. Nevertheless, what his face concealed, his heart experienced a ten-fold of: a vastly, irrational, and bitter anger. He tugged his hat down to conceal his face and inhaled deeply from his pipe. A ring of smoke left his lips and trailed upwards, dissipating slowly. "Here's a secret, Naruto," the Sandaime whispered, leaning his head forward to smile at the small boy. "During my days as an active shinobi, there were times when I found that making a fire was far too dangerous a move, especially when I was hiding in enemy territory. So I did what had to be done, even if it meant eating my food without cooking them.

"Someday, you might find yourself stuck in the same situation. So just think of this whole experience as another lesson in what it means to be a shinobi. Sure, no one would admit to doing such barbaric things nowadays, and there's all that new development with food scrolls and whatnot. In fact, no one would believe me if I told them the Sandaime, the leader of this village, once had to eat his deer raw, but really, that's the reality of a shinobi's life. So, in doing what you did, you know more than those other kids in the Academy, ne?"

"Does that mean that eating raw meat is good?"

"Well, I suppose so, though I don't suggest you change your diet simply because of what I said. I'm simply saying that you should keep your mind open to these things and think positively, even when the situation suggests you do otherwise."

The boy nodded enthusiastically. "I'll keep that in mind, Jii-chan. Thanks again." He slid off the chair and was about to leave when the Sandaime stopped him.

"Going already, Naruto? We haven't discussed about your living arrangements yet."

Naruto shrugged and scratched the back of his head. "I figured, it's another month living on the streets again."

"The streets, Naruto? Again?" The Sandaime asked, bristling in anger. "You are my responsibility, Naruto, therefore, your words are an affront to me. Are you suggesting that I am incapable of providing you a proper home?"

"No, no. I just didn't want to have to rely on you too much," Naruto answered hurriedly, surprised by the sudden wave of anger coming from the old man.

"You're seven, Naruto. You're supposed to rely on me. Elsewise, what kind of guardian would I be?" The Sandaime sat down heavily, the implication of Naruto's words, sinking in. "When were you living on the streets?"

"It was only for a week...or three," Naruto spoke weakly, his gaze downcast. "I came back when I heard that the landowner was gone on a business trip in the Land of Tea. He didn't really kick me out, technically. I guess he didn't want you to find out, in case he'd stop receiving payment for my rent."

Comprehension made the Sandaime pensive. He had remembered that particular landowner, if only because the news of his death had struck a blow to the Sandaime's heart; he'd sent a Genin team to bodyguard Hideaki-san, thinking that they were more than ready to do a C-rank mission. It seemed that Hideaki-san was involved in a smuggling operation at Degarashi Port, a small city located along the coast of the Land of Tea. The team found out about his illegal dealings and had tried to stop him. Suffice to say, they had failed and lives had been lost in the conflict.

For Naruto, on the other hand, Hideaki-san's death meant that the apartments the man owned would be inherited by his son-in-law, a disagreeable fellow who was adamantly against the idea of letting Naruto stay in one of his apartments. That had been almost half a year ago.

The Sandaime leaned back and regarded Naruto with a thoughtful look. Finally, he said, "I've decided that the apartment life is not for you. Starting today, you will be living in one of the compounds I own." He paused, hesitating. "A friend of mine used to live there, but he is gone now. Perhaps you could liven up the place, for him." He smiled, his eyes glazing over in reminiscence. "Yes, he would have liked that a lot."

"Cool," Naruto said, his mood lightening up again. He was quick to smile, and people found his eager grins quite infectious.

"As for the matter of who will look after you there..."

Someone had kicked the door open, attracting the gazes of those who occupied the room. The one who entered was an old woman in her late fifties, wearing a modest dress of a bland grey colour. She bore an unhappy expression on her face, and there was only a stump where her right arm should have been. Regardless, her left hand was more than enough in conveying her emotions. "I told you before, and I'll tell you again: there's no need for any of your people to barge into my house, demanding that I go and do my weekly physical check-up. I assure you, I can go to the hospital on my own. I don't need a bloody escort."

"You know that's not the reason, Izumi-san. They have told me several times that you haven't been going to the hospital in the first place."

"Does it look like I need all those prodding doctors constantly testing me, searching for a disease that isn't there? I am fine, Hokage-sama. It's been two years since I've had a decent, mouth-foaming, hair-tearing hallucination." She paused for breath and looked at Naruto. "Who's the little 'un?"

"He's your new assignment, Izumi-san." The Sandaime found himself saying. He adjusted his hat, grasping for words to say next. "I want you to help him adjust to his new home and act as a mentor of sorts. He is studying to be a shinobi, you see, and as much as I would like to help him with his lessons in the Academy, I'm afraid I cannot show such blatant favouritism. You will be responsible for any extra training which he might need. If, you are unable to teach him in certain areas because of your...disability however, inform one of my ANBU, and we will provide Naruto with a suitable instructor."

Izumi snorted. "Last time I remember, I'm not on active duty."

"You're reinstated then," he answered simply. "In fact, along with receiving payment for this new assignment of yours, I'll also notify my men to stop badgering you about those hospital visits. Do we have a deal?"

The woman stared at Naruto with inexpressive eyes. "He's the boy, isn't he?" Not waiting for an answer, she grabbed Naruto's shoulder and steered him out of the room.

The Sandaime blinked. He hadn't really planned for Izumi to look after Naruto. It had simply happened. Of course, thinking about it now, it wasn't too bad a decision. She was level-headed for the most part, and very passionate about her work. She may have prejudices about the boy, as was often the case for anyone who first met Naruto, but he was certain that she would soon shed herself of those prejudices. Naruto had a way with people, and it was only a matter of time before people started trusting him.

Naruto wondered if he should say something. It wasn't that Obasan's grip on him hurt, it was just, well, it was an affront to his dignity. He wasn't a dog to be dragged by a leash after all. If she wanted him to follow her, all she had to do was ask. Then again, would it be rude of him to complain? Jii-chan said that people don't get angry at him so much if he stopped being so rude to them. Was complaining rude? Naruto remembered his previous landowner and frowned. That old bat got angry at him, even when he didn't complain. But, she did hurt him when he did. Would Obasan hurt him then? Not everyone did, so he wouldn't know. Really, the only logical way of knowing would be to say something.

"Ne, Obasan, could you let go of my shoulder? It's starting to numb," Naruto spoke politely. "I promise I won't run away or sommat."

They stopped in one of the main streets. "Where do you live?" Obasan asked abruptly.

"I don't know. Jii-chan didn't tell me." Obasan raised an eyebrow when she heard the word 'Jii-chan' but Naruto was used to people reacting like that whenever he referred to their Hokage by that moniker. "I set my old apartment on fire so they wouldn't let me live there anymore."

"Jutsu accident? A prank that went out of control?"

"Cooking accident, actually," Naruto clarified.

"Didn't anyone teach you?" When he shook his head, Obasan sighed. "You've a lot to learn then, cub." She eyed his attire with obvious disgust. "What's with the outfit anyway? Didn't anyone tell you that orange is a horrible colour to wear for a shinobi?" She snorted and continued on walking ahead. "Even if you could hide in the middle of a forest with that outfit, no one would take you seriously anyway. It doesn't matter how good you are. The truth is, people judge by others' appearances."

Naruto massaged his shoulder while trying to keep up with Obasan. He wasn't lying when he said it was numb. "That's not really fair, innit? Besides, don't you want others to underestimate you? I mean, if you're fighting a really strong opponent, they'd let their guard down if they think you're not very good and don't take you seriously."

"Sure it's an advantage if people underestimate you, but if you're strong, really strong, would such an advantage matter? By seeing that as an advantage, then you're admitting to the fact that you're not strong enough to have to rely on such stupid tactics. Why'd you choose to be a shinobi anyway? Want to get back on all those villagers who've treated you unfairly?"

Naruto wondered how she knew about that, but didn't bother asking. Adults just knew as far as he was concerned. "I want to be Hokage someday."

Obasan clearly wasn't expecting that for an answer. "Why?"

"Because Jii-chan was kind to me, when so many others weren't. I owe him. I think, if I become Hokage someday, I can protect the people for him. It's the only way I can think to pay him back," Naruto answered honestly. He grinned, "It'd also be nice if people stopped treating me so badly and acknowledge me for the good things I do for them, and not the bad. When they see me, they immediately think I'm a mis—a mis... What do you call people who like to do bad things to other people for fun?"

"A miscreant?"

"Yeah, that! Or a demon, or, or, a murderer. I don't know why they'd call me that when I haven't done anything bad. It's weird, really." He paused. "But yeah, that's why I want to be Hokage. They wouldn't hurt me without reason if I became Hokage, right?"

"Not unless they were our enemies, anyway," Obasan agreed, her eyes distant. "Fine then. I guess I'll help you become Hokage."

"Really?" Naruto asked in disbelief. Usually, when he told people he wanted to become Hokage, they just made fun of him. No one had outright supported him before. "Why?"

"Haven't you heard, cub? I'm supposed to be in charge of you. If you want to become Hokage, then I can't really complain, can I?" Obasan answered. "It's part of my orders after all."

"I don't remember—" Naruto started to say, but Obasan interrupted him.

"We're here," Obasan announced and entered the clothing store.

"Buntaichou, how can I help you?" The man behind the counter asked politely. Naruto noted that he was about the same age as Obasan and there was a spiral tattoo on his left shoulder. A ninjato hung on the wall to their left.

"We need clothes for the boy, Masaki-san." There was an edge to her words, and an underlying threat in case the man refused to help them.

Masaki turned his gaze towards Naruto and smiled. "Hullo, Naruto. Remember me?" When he shook his head, Masaki laughed and pulled out a measuring tape from one of his drawers. "Of course you wouldn't. You were a year old when last I saw you." To Obasan, he said, "I used to guard him when he was a just a wee babe. Some nasty folk were after him, even then."

"Well, that makes things so much easier for me," Obasan said. "You've heard the stories, haven't you?"

Masaki nodded. "Aye, Buntaichou. Don't know a soul who hasn't heard of him. I don't believe a word of course." He began taking Naruto's measurements, scribbling numbers across his arm. "Where did you buy your clothes, Naruto?"

"They were old hand-me-downs from the orphanage," Naruto admitted with a shrug. "I don't really have any money, so I couldn't buy any for myself."

"That explains why everything's too loose for you," Masaki murmured. "If you don't have money, how do you eat and whatnot? Don't you get money through the mail?"

"Chouji always has an extra bag of chips for me, and Hinata-chan or Kiba sometimes share their lunch with me." Naruto said, trying to remain still. "I also have a little left over from before."

"The money, Naruto? Don't tell me the Hokage doesn't send you any. And what do you mean by 'from before'?"

"My old landowner gets all of my mail, even the money Jii-chan sends me. She says he's not paying her enough to look after me," Naruto explained matter-of-factly, as if it was happening to someone else, and not to him. "I used to get money when I still lived in Hideaki-san's apartment though."

"Well, you're quite lucky to have friends who'll feed you, Naruto," Masaki said, patting Naruto's shoulder sympathetically. "Do you have any colour preferences?"

The boy shook his head. "Any colour's fine with me. Anyway, most of them in the Academy aren't nice, not really, but a few of 'em treat me alright. Kiba says he could hear my stomach grumbling a mile away, so he always gives me a rice ball or two, to stop the grumbling. Hinata-chan's just really nice. I dunno why she helps me, but she does. And Chouji says that we can't survive in the field if we're always hungry, so he gives me some food too."

"And that cooking accident you mentioned?" Obasan asked. "Don't tell me you stole some of those ingredients, Naruto."

"Nu-uh," Naruto denied vehemently. "I got 'em as a gift from Kiba's mother, because me and Kiba studied for this exam really, really hard, and we both got really good marks after. She said Kiba's more motivated to learn when he has a rival he can compete with, see."

Masaki instructed Naruto to wear some of the clothes and comment on them. Were they too tight? Could he move freely in them? Were they too warm? Naruto answered as honestly as he could, and was delighted to find that Masaki seemed to take his answers seriously. Adults normally just gave him things and assumed that he was fine with them. That wasn't the case here. In fact, by the time Masaki was satisfied with him, he felt strange—lighter, freer.

Obasan told Masaki to send the bill to the Hokage, along with some whispered words Naruto couldn't hear. He had a feeling that it had something to do with their conversation though, and felt slightly sorry for Maeda-san who was probably going to have a long talk with the Hokage and his clerks. Only slightly though. He still remembered the feeling of her foot against his back.

Fortunately, he didn't have a lot of time to think back on the past; before he knew it, he was half-running again, trying to keep up with Obasan's brisk pace. The woman led him to a number of shops, some of which were owned by old friends she knew very well, all echoing the affectionate nickname, 'Buntaichou,' while others were owned by people who feared her enough to do as she says. Naruto saw Obasan use fear as a medium of controlling the people, her anger like a powerful whip, lashing out at those who dared question her authority. He wasn't sure he liked her methods, but he had also met people who respected Obasan. They weren't people who were afraid of her, not really. He didn't know what that meant. And then a thought struck him.

Maybe, just maybe, it was the same with all of the previous Hokages he read about in his free time. People feared you because you were strong enough to be feared. Not just strong physically, because Naruto suspected Jii-chan wouldn't still be in power if it only came to that, but also strong enough influentially. Jii-chan had power over the people. It wasn't perfect. Hell, how could it be when there were still people out there who refused to play nice with Naruto? But it was enough that these people would trust Jii-chan enough to give him the right to lead their village.

So Obasan was like Jii-chan. She had power over the people—granted not to the degree that Jii-chan did. But, Naruto thought, smiling slightly, it did help that she was on his side, like Jii-chan was. It meant that there was one other person to learn from about the makings of a leader. However, as is often with realizations, this one was unkindly double-edged. If people feared leaders, it meant that becoming Hokage wouldn't solve the situation for Naruto. Sure, people wouldn't dare touch him anymore, because then he'd be strong enough to catch their attention, but that would just mean sneakier ways of hurting him. It meant that people would disobey when he wasn't looking. Just like some of the villagers did to Naruto when Jii-chan wasn't looking. Just like the way the shoemaker was reaching for his weapon holster uneasily, his wild, angry eyes darting from Obasan to Naruto, thinking that maybe Obasan wasn't looking. Oh, but she was, and Naruto turned away, staring at his new sandals moodily. From the edge of his thoughts, he could hear words being said, sharper than a kunai and meaner too.

How then, did you make people see the good side of you? Becoming Hokage meant protecting the people, but if people feared Naruto as they feared Obasan or Jii-chan, then it would all have been for nothing anyway. They wouldn't believe that his wish to become their leader was one made from goodwill. Heck, they might think it was a plot for him to get back on them. No, if he wanted people to show him respect, the way Obasan's old squad did, Naruto would have to earn it another way.

It was during lunch at a small restaurant near Toshikasa District—Old Man District, Naruto called it, but only in his head—that Naruto began to have an inkling of how he should go about gaining people's respect. It had started when he saw a reflection of himself outside the restaurant, and had fully formed by the time they were seated on some comfortable chairs, waiting for the orders they had placed.

He believed that it had something to do with appearances, and with how people perceived him. Obasan already seemed to know that of course, what with all of the shopping they had been doing for the past two hours and a half. She even felt that weapons were important, and had bought Naruto better quality kunai and shuriken to replace the ones he had. He never really thought there was anything wrong with them, and had protested at first, stopping only when the weaponsmith handed him a kunai and instructed him to throw it at one of their practice logs. For the first time, since the Academy teachers had been teaching them how to throw those bothersome things, Naruto found the kunai flying where he wanted it to fly. Granted, it was still a couple of inches off, but he had never come so close to the target before. It was almost as if someone had pulled open a curtain in front of his eyes, and he was seeing things right for the first time in his life. He had never felt so grateful to anyone before, and had resolved to purchase items from that store from now on.

It also had something to do with those old tomes she bought for him. They weren't like the scrolls on ninjutsus or on katas which he often read in his free time. These were books about etiquette—the proper bow to a hime, or table manners when eating in front of a Lord—about the human anatomy, and about words. In short, Naruto surmised, these were books on how to act all proper-like. He wasn't sure if the transformation would do any good overall—he had tried being nice to people before, and their response wasn't exactly favourable. Then again, no one had really taught him how to be proper. Maybe, he thought gloomily, I had been going about this business of being nice the wrong way.

The food served as a pleasant distraction, though a temporary one for Naruto, and after a quick lecture from Obasan on the proper way of eating meals—there was that word 'proper' again—he was lost in his thoughts once more.

So earning respect had to do with appearances, and doing things the right kind of way. Naruto frowned thoughtfully. Even though that was the case, it appeared to him that there were certain people exempt of those rules, like that Hyuuga boy a year above him. Sure, he dressed like an actual shinobi, and he was polite and everythin' to their teachers, but Naruto had the misfortune of bumping into the boy once, and he wasn't damn well near Naruto's idea polite. Hyuuga was arrogant and antisocial, and the few words he had said to Naruto were words that hurt. Yet people respected him.

I don't, Naruto thought hotly. I think he's an arrogant ass with a god complex.

He then thought of Hinata-chan, and his anger disappeared almost immediately. Hinata-chan was a lot like that other Hyuuga—which was only logical, since they're cousins and all—but she was nice and thoughtful, unlike her grumpy counterpart. Somehow though, no one seemed to acknowledge her presence, save a few people, like Naruto and Chouji, who liked everyone who fed him. What did that Hyuuga asshat possess that Hinata-chan didn't have? Arrogance? No, Jii-chan and Obasan weren't arrogant, but people still respected them. What did they have that drew people to them?

Izumi watched Naruto silently, taking a sip of Oolong tea. The boy appeared to be nonresponsive, and his eyes were clouded with thought. A part of her cursed at Naruto for acting so vulnerably in front of her. However, she also knew that he was still just a child and naivety came naturally to him. Nevertheless, he should pay attention to his meal more. Who knows if the cooks of this establishment had a grudge against young Naruto? They might try to poison his meal with something. Izumi's ears twitched slightly. She refrained from laughing out loud, which was undignified, and shook her head instead. The dishes were not poisoned, of course; her sharp senses would have found something by now. Paranoia had gotten the better of her.

She wasn't sure whether to feel pleased that the staff had made no attempt to take Naruto's life or not. She settled with slight disappointment as she administered one of her lesser poisons in Naruto's food. It was time to test the boy. Starting on her meal, she kept a careful watch on the boy's mannerisms, and on the dish which carried the poison. He still moved with the mechanical grace of one who ate inattentively, and Izumi found herself wondering what thoughts kept him from becoming more aware of his surroundings.

His chopsticks reached for the poisoned slice of beef and wavered. Naruto's eyes met Izumi's in a questioning gaze. His attention turned to the beef, and before Izumi could speak, Naruto took the slice and ate it with some rice. Silence hung over them like a despondent cloud. Finally, the boy said, "Will you excuse me?" At Izumi's nod, he disappeared behind the bathroom door, walking with all of the dignity that a seven-year old boy could muster. Izumi's ears twitched once more, and she heard the faint sound of gagging. She frowned. He knew something was wrong with the meat, yet he ate it nonetheless? She voiced her query when Naruto reappeared and took a seat opposite to Izumi.

"I figured, it wouldn't be polite of me to order something and not eat it," Naruto explained.

Izumi raised both eyebrows in surprise. "You could have just told them that the dish was poisoned."

"And what? Accuse them of trying to poison me?" Naruto asked bitterly. "It would be rude of me, especially if it turned out that it wasn't actually poisoned at all."

"You mean you weren't certain?" Izumi asked, leaning forward to scrutinize the boy's face, daring him to lie. "How did you know there was something wrong with it in the first place?"

"Gut feeling," Naruto answered honestly, though he appeared unsure of himself. "I dunno. But there's this weird feeling inside my stomach whenever something bad is about to happen to me."

Izumi straightened her back and gazed at the boy sharply. "Well then, from now on, I'll be teaching you ways to locate poison, counter them, and help your body build a resistance against some of them. After all, you can't rely on gut feeling alone. Plus, it makes your accusations all the more credible."

He nodded sombrely and continued with his meal with the pensive look of one who had retreated into his mind once more, thinking. Izumi stifled a sigh. Here we go again.

They were exiting the restaurant when Izumi felt a presence materialize a few metres away. She felt her body tense, her one good hand reaching for the tanto hidden underneath her shirt. When she saw who it was, she let her muscles relax. She nodded stiffly to the lone ANBU who stood before them. The mask the woman wore was the mask of the wolf, a mask which Izumi knew quite well for it was the mask she herself had worn when she was still ANBU. "Do you have business with us, ANBU-san?"

"Hokage-sama has instructed me to guide you to the boy's new home," the woman answered in a clipped tone.

Izumi inclined her head, beckoning for the woman to lead them. Besides her, Naruto trained his full attention to the ANBU as he assimilated all of the distinct features the woman possessed, from the long, blue hair, the short, but sinewy build to the faint glimmer of green behind the eye-slits of her ANBU mask. They followed in relative silence, Izumi watching Naruto who was searching for any landmarks that would assist him in finding the compound on his own. Once they were there, the young ANBU woman bowed and disappeared in a flurry of leaves, uttering not a word of goodbye.

Izumi recognized the place almost instantly, though her young charge didn't. The compound had once belonged to the Yondaime. Now it was the village's property, until someone buys it or the Hokage decides to give it away to someone whom he felt was worthy enough to own the Yondaime's land. Of course, Izumi thought wryly, if the Yondaime had a son, then this place would logically be his. Naruto was still young, but anyone with half a brain could easily find similarities between him and the Yondaime. That didn't explain why so many others couldn't see the similarities however. This place is run by a bunch of blind men playin' pin the blame on the donkey if you ask me, she thought angrily. No one's willing to see Naruto for who he really is—the kid saviour of the village, and the son of our late Hokage. And, she thought soberly, there are people like me who don't give a rat's ass about what happens to the boy. It doesn't matter if the majority of the villagers don't want Naruto dead. As long as there are people who say otherwise, Naruto'll have no peace from this village.

Naruto listened to Obasan's instructions with a forlorn expression on his face. The old woman wouldn't be living with him in this huge, empty compound. That meant that he was on his own again. Fortunately, she promised she'd visit him regularly to teach him how to cook meals and escort him to school. Afterwards, she'd go over what Naruto had learned that day, find out which areas he needed improving in, and help him overcome his weaknesses through whatever means necessary. She said she needed to know Naruto's current capabilities before she could teach Naruto anything. When Naruto pointed out that she was already going to teach him about poisons, Obasan replied by saying that those were already included in their cooking lessons, and therefore didn't count. She left, muttering about belligerence and wolf cubs who liked to stick their noses where they didn't belong.

Naruto liked exploring a lot. Once he was old enough to leave the orphanage, he had explored Konohagakure several times, learning its alleys and its secret tunnels. Just last week, their teachers had taught them how to jump from building to building, using chakra moulded on their feet. The next day, Naruto had woken up extra early and started going through the village again, this time learning its rooftops and mountains. If anything, the only places Naruto never really managed to see were the compounds and the insides of most of the residential houses. No one had ever invited him in.

Now he explored the insides of the compound, from inside the paper-thin walls, underneath the tatami mats and over the rooftops, making mental notes in his head of where everything was. He had found the kitchen relatively quick, his nose catching the whiff of new groceries lying on the counter. He deposited those promptly in the refrigerator and in their respective cabinets, thanking Jii-chan silently for the food. It was always thoughtful of him, buying Naruto basic necessities whenever he would move to a new apartment. The other things Obasan had ordered for him—clothes, books and scrolls—were in the largest bedroom Naruto had ever seen, along with the few things some ANBU were able to salvage from the ruins of his burnt apartment room. The moon was well in its place by the time he finished, the last room he found being a huge library which stretched underground, boasting several undecipherable tomes which Naruto vowed to read someday.

Curiosity brought him back to the library the next day, after a long lesson on chakra control from Obasan who was furious when she found out just how messily he'd been using his chakra. Also, half of the seals he had learned in the academy were either wrong or made up. It was a sobering realization, but a good one. It solved a lot of problems he had with some jutsus he was trying to learn on his own. He gravitated immediately towards the section on poisons, planning on surprising Obasan by studying ahead. However, before he could reach the poison section, he slipped on the floor, the flashlight he carried skittering into the darkness. He scrambled to his feet and crouched down to see what obstruction had caused him to slip in the first place. It was a scroll. Not a huge one, like the ones he saw in the Hokage's main office. This scroll appeared to be like any other scroll. Except... It called to him. It urged him to pick it up.

Sighing, Naruto did as the scroll commanded, sitting on the floor, his back against the wall. Without another moment's thought, he broke the seal on the scroll and rolled it in front of him, assessing the scroll with meticulous eyes. He growled in frustration after a while, and searched the library for a dictionary. A lot of the words were too long and sophisticated, and it took a while before Naruto could decipher the message on the scroll. It was a contract, which was odd, because it wasn't the kind that Naruto had seen before. Other contracts often only ever had one line. This one had, well, numerous lines. Also, most of the contracts Naruto had signed before were contracts which leased a piece of land to him, or in most cases, a room. This contract would bind a power to him, a Kekkei Genkai to be exact. This contract also had no terms, which was a first for Naruto. Every contract he had encountered so far usually had the same terms: be a good boy and abide by the laws of the village. Those terms he knew by heart. Does this mean that anyone could sign this contract? He wondered. Naruto looked down at the contract and tilted his head, debating whether or not he should sign the scroll. It was tempting, really it was. The Kekkei Genkai he would inherit would allow him to summon beasts that no one had ever heard of before. But... What gave him the right to obtain this kind of power?

"The scroll chose me," he whispered in awe, feeling the tug of the scroll once more. With his right hand, he bit his thumb and signed reverently, pressing his thumb at the very bottom. As if someone had slammed him against the wall, a shock coursed through his body, making him gasp in pain. He shook his head and rubbed the bridge of his nose. When his eyes refocused on his surroundings, he found that he was no longer inside the library. He was inside what appeared to be a night club, though he didn't know that. There was a stage on his left with a lone grand piano standing there invitingly. On his right was a long counter with shelves of liquor stored behind it.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room, young"—the man with the long nose paused and cocked his head—"man?" He stared at Naruto with probing eyes. "Aren't you a bit too young?"

A/N: Cliffhanger! Which, really, loses its awesomeness, because I already have the next chapter posted.

Anyway, just a few things before you move on to the next chapter. (Unless of course, you absolutely hate this story, in which case, why bother to even read this now?) First of all, I agree that this new Naruto isn't canon!Naruto, at least in terms of personality. As much as I like his cheerful attitude and all, what I really want is a Naruto who knows how to talk to people. Because I don't see enough of it. (And, to the people who actually know about Persona, this is just me trying to subtly put more Persona into the story without giving Naruto a gun and making him kill himself every time to summon a Persona. Oh wait. I am giving him a gun. LOL. Hopefully, he isn't emo enough to try and kill himself. Inside joke.)

Secondly, I have to warn you that there's gonna be another time-skip. That means that you won't be reading about the rest of Naruto's childhood and transition to genin. Why? Because I can't be bothered, to be honest. (I'd whine. But nobody will probably care.) Give me one good reason why though and I might just write a separate fic. Might. I need lots of convincing.

Which leads us to the third and final note. I implore you, dear readers (if I have any at all) please, please recommend Naruto fanfic to me. Please. It's not like I have real life friends who are always bugging me to work on my fanfic more. In fact, my real life friends are more concerned with passing their classes. Alas, it's the only common ground me and my real life friends have. This means that I don't get any motivation at all. And "please update" reviews just make me guilty and that's just counterproductive because I don't do well with negative emotions. (Of course, it does boost up my reviews which also equates to yayness... But that's only because I am an easy-to-please writer. LOL.) So please, if you want me to update, send me a recommendation.

Oh, and if you think rec-ing your own fic will garner you reviews... Don't count on it. Unless it's that good. (I am not discouraging though. Rec away)