07 Friendly Advice
5/5/2008 -- 3322 words
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter (Rowlings) or Naruto (Kishimoto).
5/12/08 The link is www(dot)hpfandom(dot)net. It used to be a com site but they changed over. My apologies for the mix up. My username is LynnGryphon
AN:7 pages in Word people. Rejoice. This chapter has been AbeoUmbra approved. I'm not 100 percent sure that the next chapter will be the infamous Bridge Scene but I can guarantee that if it isn't chapter 9 then it WILL be chapter 10. So, keep your fingers crossed people.
AN2: READ THIS: Also, this is NOT the slash version. I am setting up the scene for a strong Shino Naruto FRIENDSHIP not relationship. Version 1.2 the slash variant, can be found at www(dot)hpfandom(dot)net - slash won't come into play in the 1.2 version for a while longer though. I repeat - THIS IS NOT SLASH! There will be no main character relationships unless already established (ie: KurenaiAsuma). Even then, relationships will NOT be the focus of this story. Thank you for your understanding.
Warnings: Minor swearing, use of Japanese suffixes, and potential OOC (I personally don't think so but readers may disagree).
The red eyed jounin-sensei of Team 8 wasn't a fool no matter what anyone thought of kunoichi. Kurenai took the offer of free training from a competent, although not completely trustworthy source, with both hands. That Harii-san could instill the fear of the Kami into the children had nothing to do with it. Nope, it had nothing to do with subjecting her team to a self-confident, brutally frank, alpha type personality who went out of his way to needle anyone within his sensory range. Not at all.
--/
Shino was prepared to do something highly unusual if that braided menace didn't remove himself from his personal space in the next five seconds.
Shout.
Not just shout but rip Harii-san up one side and down the other. Ever since Kurenai-sensei handed them off to that madman he'd done his best to kill them all, spiritually, mentally, or physically depending on his mood. Worse, it had only been four days. Worst still, Harii-san had locked onto the young Aburame yesterday and, like a dog with a bone, he refused to let go.
"Oi! Buggy wake up! You're not sleeping on my watch!"
Shino twitched. His eyebrow ticked. And he finally lost it.
--/
The genin gained a new respect for one of Konoha's most underestimated clans that afternoon; even the unshakable Naruto, prideful Uchiha, and arrogant Inuzuka.
Harry Potter was never more proud than in that single moment when the little Aburame heir started verbally ripping him a new asshole.
Delighted laughter erupted when the braided gypsy began dodging kikaichu attacks.
"Harii-san why'd ya rile up Shino so bad earlier?" Naruto asked that evening at dinner.
Harry hummed in thought drawing idle pictures in the rice with chopsticks. 'I need to thank Haku-kun for teaching me how to eat with these things.' Something poking him in the ribs brought him back to reality.
"Hmm?"
"Harii-san? Why'd you piss off Shino so bad today?"
Harry frowned and flicked Naruto's nose gently. "Language Naruto-kun. You're only twelve."
Naruto pouted eliciting soft giggles from the females in the room.
"Aburame-kun is still human, no matter what his clan's techniques require of him. I don't particularly care what Konoha's laws state, eleven and twelve year olds are still children and as such should be allowed to act their age. I freely admit Naruto needs to tone it down some but on the other hand Aburame-kun needs to act out more. The words and beliefs of others should not and do not allow them the right to hurt children -- especially not for such asinine reasons as what their bodies contain or who their parents are or when the hell the kid was born! The child had no say in any of those circumstances so they should not be held responsible."
Everyone had quieted at the beginning of Harry's speech and regarded him solemnly afterwards. The atmosphere was leaden with his words, adults and children alike looking guilty and ashamed. Surprisingly, it was Shino who broke the tense quiet.
"Thank you Harii-san. Although I am grateful for your sentiments I am used to the reactions of those ignorant in the ways of the Aburame clan. Most humans fear insects irrationally and we are a clan that not only works with insects but we share our very bodies with them." Shino shrugged – he had resigned himself to that truth before he was six.
Naruto growled loudly, startling the occupants of the room into jumping before he shoved himself to his feet and stormed outside. Ten grooves scored the surface where the blond's hands had laid. Harry's blind eyes stared after Naruto's retreating form; he grasped Sakura's arm when she rose to follow and shook his head silently--now was not the time to go after the boy. Everyone finished their meal soon after, any appetite deserting them with Naruto.
--/
Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. Clang! Splash!
"Damnit! Get it together Naruto, there's no need to be freaked. Just because of those stupid villagers and their stupid prejudices...crap!"
Shino followed the vehement swearing to the blond member of Team 7. He hung back in the tree line and watched in surprise as Naruto climbed back on top of the river after falling in. In his hands were kunai while the tree on the opposite bank was scarred and dotted with the ninja tools.
With a valiant effort Naruto bit his tongue, steadied himself on top of the water, and aimed his kunai.
Thunk.
"Oh come on! Why can't I hit the freakin' middle?! It's not that hard!" The kunai rested two inches outside the marked middle, high and to the right. Fuming Naruto readied another kunai and threw.
Clang!
"Sonuva…," he grumbled hotly under his breath. His knife had bounced off the end ring of the previous kunai and now lay innocently at the base of the tree. It was also his last kunai causing the blond to trudge across the water and start collecting his knives.
Shino shifted quietly contemplating whether or not he should leave the moving ocean of chakra alone when his foot brushed against something metal. Glancing down revealed one of Naruto's stray kunai and, taking it as a sign, he picked up the kunai and stepped forward. Naruto started violently and instinctively launched a kunai. Surprisingly, it flew true but Shino easily blocked with his own kunai then bent to retrieve it. By the time Shino stood up again Naruto realized it was him and had put away the knives.
Naruto quietly accepted the extended kunai and put them inside his pouch as well. The silence between them became thick and heavy, Naruto finding his sandals fascinating while Shino calmly stared at his bent head. Eventually it was Shino, again, left to break the silence.
"You throw too quickly. Take the second before you throw to aim exactly where you intend to hit then release."
"Huh?" Startled again, Naruto completely missed what Shino said.
"I said that you are throwing too quickly. If you take the second before you throw to aim at your target then release you will increase your accuracy by a noticeable degree. The way you are throwing currently is better for a barrage of throwing weapons." Shino felt it prudent to explain further.
"Oh. Um…t-thanks." He glanced around, unnerved by the Aburame's presence but he was Naruto Uzumaki and he wasn't going to be intimidated by one of the scariest, quietest boys from the Academy. Or at least he didn't intend to show it.
The blond moved over to another tree and slashed an 'X' into the trunk. Returning to Shino's side he threw his kunai like normal. Again he missed hitting high and to the right of his target. Instead of fuming he took a breath, grabbed another kunai, and threw except this time he paused a split second before releasing to aim. Surprisingly, or not so surprisingly depending, the kunai only missed a little, hitting an inch left of center. Letting out a whoop Naruto tried again. And again. And again.
--/
Thirty minutes later Naruto had moved back into the middle of the river. Thanks to Shino's hint he was regularly hitting closer to the target but he only hit the middle three times. Naruto was not complaining, well he was complaining quietly but, the improvement was so great it negated his feelings about only getting three bulls-eyes.
Shino was still standing on the bank quietly but the quiet had lightened and become friendly; Naruto no longer felt like he was suffocating from the intense silence. The Aburame was impressed to see the blond take the initiative to mix chakra control and accuracy training into one and, amazingly, not be tired after nearly three continuous hours.
Thunk.
"Crap."
Shino discretely sweat dropped. Although his comrade's aim improved after his suggestion Naruto still regularly missed. He finally realized that the blond extended his wrist too far while throwing, bending his wrist to the right before releasing. When he attempted to correct himself he released too soon and sent the kunai to the left.
Clang! Splash!
"Sorry sonofa--!" Naruto shouted before the water covered his head. The kikai user was convinced he could see the water steaming over the submerged ninja. Shino collected Naruto's knives while said blond clambered back onto the surface of the water, slipping and splashing as his anger threw off his control. He was surprised to see a pair of blue sandals in front of him and looked up; Shino stood over him, hand extended to help him up. Blue eyes blinked up in surprise causing Shino to retract his hand—before it had moved so much as an inch a small tan hand, heavily calloused gripped his larger pale one.
Naruto made it to his feet and in moments had steadied himself again on the surface. He grinned in thanks when Shino handed him his kunai. He returned them to his pouch but looked curiously at Shino when he kept one.
"Naruto, watch how I throw and try to mimic me," Shino softly ordered. Naruto complied, moving to the side to see better. Shino's throw was picture perfect and the kunai embedded itself in the middle of the target. Confused, Naruto turned to his companion.
"I'm not sure what I'm missin'. Sorry." Again Naruto found his sandals fascinating, embarrassed that he couldn't understand what he was doing wrong.
Shino cleared his throat gaining Naruto's attention. "It's fine. Take one of your kunai and go through the motions but do not release. I will correct you."
Blue eyes expressed their gratitude while Naruto gave a weak smile. No one was interested in helping him without something in return. He didn't want to believe it of Shino, especially after what he said at dinner but still…the quiet boy's parents had to know about the fox and it was all but guaranteed that they had done like everyone else and passed their hate down to their child. However, he understood that he didn't have the abilities to be a good ninja yet and Shino was offering to help. All he could do was pray that he wasn't willingly walking into another Mizuki incident.
--/
In another hour in which nothing happened aside from Shino professionally altering his grip, his stance, and the way he threw Naruto was successfully hitting the bulls-eye four times out of ten. Even then, the other six times were only and inch or less from center.
Finally, Naruto tired from the continuous training and the boys retreated to the bank; however, neither of them wanted to return yet. Instead they wandered for five minutes and found a clearing with a clear view of the waxing gibbous moon and stars. Naruto gracelessly flopped onto his back, tucking his hands behind his head and gazed quietly at the moon. In contrast Shino gracefully folded himself into a sitting position, his large coat covering his knees and making him look like he had been swallowed by his coat.
"Why?"
The quiet question, barely breathed, floated into the air between them not truly disturbing the encompassing silence. Shino glanced over at the supine blond, eyebrow cocked in query.
"Why are you helping me?" Quietly, the blond explained.
Shino shrugged minutely. "Why shouldn't I? We are both loyal shinobi of Konoha."
The quiet descended between them again. Shino turned to contemplate the calm face of the village's pariah. His eyes were closed, his face relaxed, the odd whisker-esque marks gently bending around his still baby fat pudgy cheeks. Thin lips were parted just enough to allow him easy breathing as demonstrated by the even rise and fall of the blond's chest.
"Why did you react so at dinner?" The question on Shino's mind accidentally slipped passed his lips and he tensed in anticipation, silently chastising himself for his slip.
One large blue eye opened to look at the Aburame boy. After a few moments contemplation he shrugged. "No one should be used to somethin' like that bug-boy. Especially since ya got a family and everythin' to look after you. Like Harii-san said, it ain't right." The answer, said softly, was tainted with bitterness and Naruto's luminous blue eye shut again.
"But aren't you Naruto? I have seen the way the villagers react to your presence, how can you say you aren't resigned to their actions?" The kikai user pressed on, mentally resigning himself to having the peaceful camaraderie with the strange boy broken. Tensed muscles markedly relaxed when, instead of shouting or leaving, the blond answered him.
"There's a difference between bein' resigned and bein' acceptin' of it. I've never accepted what they've been doin' Shino -- the Hokage Monument should be proof enough of that. I wanna be Hokage not just to be looked at with kind eyes but also to protect the villagers. To show them that I ain't the hated demon child they think I am. You've all but admitted that ya accept what the villagers do to ya and your family bug-boy. That's what pissed me off."
Shino just watched the blond enigma lying next to him, Naruto's words tumbling through his mind.
Naruto spoke up again a few moments later, worried that Shino had taken offense earlier. "Maa, we've never talked much before. Why so talkative now?"
Shino, preoccupied, said the first thing to cross his mind, "You're loud, both vocally and visually."
"Huh?!"
Embarrassed, Shino hurriedly explained what he meant. "Aburames have heightened senses due to the kikai within their bodies. We are susceptible to loud sounds and bright colors and you provide both in large quantites. It's not a matter of disliking you personally it is just that your presence causes me discomfort."
Naruto gaped at Shino. Of all the reasons in all the elemental countries he did not expect something so simple to be the reason for Shino's dislike. 'I cause him pain 'cause I'm so loud? Why does no one bother tellin' me these things?! I don't try to hurt folks; I woulda tried to tone it down.'
Shino shifted and Naruto snapped out of it. "Why didn't ya just tell me? It's not like I try to hurt ya. If you'd've just told me I would've at least quieted down, or honestly tried. I can't do anythin' about my clothes but, geez bug-boy, I ain't that scary."
Noticing that Shino still wore his sunglasses even in the middle of the night Naruto pulled off his jacket and flipped it inside out before tying it around his waist. Underneath the jacket he wore a tight black t-shirt with a red flame spiral on the back. Shino could not help but notice how the seams across the shoulders were strained, the fabric thin and worn, and he remembered Naruto's earlier remark, "I can't do anythin' about my clothes." 'Do the villagers interfere with Naruto's ability to obtain clothing? I will bring it to father's attention when we return. By not providing Naruto with appropriate clothing and weaponry they are maliciously interfering with Konoha's military. In the extreme they could be charged with treason depending on how wide their misdeeds are spread.'
"Oi, Shino! You awake in there? We should probably head back now; I'll bet your team is worried about ya." Shino blinked; surprised to see Naruto's face just inches from his own. It disturbed him how the normally loud genin was able to get so close while he was lost in his thoughts. Naruto stood back up with a grin and held out his hand to give Shino help up.
"Your team is undoubtedly worried too." Shino replied. He grasped Naruto's hand and was pulled to his feet. Once standing he discretely wiped off the back of his coat, missing the face Naruto made to his remark, then followed next to Naruto. A few moments later Naruto stopped and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Um…you wouldn't happen to know which way would ya?"
Unknown to Naruto, Shino smiled behind his collar before heading off to the northeast. Naruto followed.
--/
Sensing someone waiting just outside the bridge builder's home Shino told Naruto to continue inside. Then he waited.
A few moments later, long enough for Naruto to have returned upstairs, the braided traveler stepped out from the shadows at the side of the house. Shino unconsciously tensed—he had not realized who or where the person was, just that someone was waiting. The beads scattered throughout the numerous braids made not a whisper of a sound.
"Ah, Aburame-kun, I was hoping to speak with you. I hope my words earlier did not cause offense. For some reason I find my self preaching my views when presented with children still able to change their opinions on life." The words were softly spoken and sincere but Shino remained tense. His colonies expressed their unease at the situation and the person to him although they could not explain clearly why.
"I took no offense; however, Harii-san I was wondering if you could explain how you realized I had marked your accomplice with one of my kikai?" Shino asked pointedly.
Harry cocked his head to the side contemplating exactly what to say. He was on thin ice and knew it. "The kikaichu absorb chakra. In order to do this they themselves must be void of chakra. If you suppress your chakra almost completely, not all the way but mostly, then scan for a void in the chakra you can pinpoint the kikai."
Shino's blank face hid his surprise at the frank answer. "Why did you not just destroy the kikai if you knew about it? Why place it on Naruto-kun?" He realized his slip when a black eyebrow cocked and lips quirked softly.
"I think Naruto-kun would like to know that he has another friend available. He has so few of them. Even his teammates are not truly included in his list of friends because Hatake refuses to honestly enforce his code of teamwork. Haruno hits him whenever she is displeased and Uchiha-hime regularly degrades him and decries his dreams as rubbish. And Hatake stands on the side and does nothing to reprimand his subordinates for their deplorable behavior." Harry shook his head briskly. "However, I digress. Why did I not kill your little kikai? Because I felt there was nothing to gain from doing so and by placing it on Naruto I ensured you and your team would arrive in a timely fashion."
"Why?"
Harry sighed softly. 'I did not mean to confuse the boy, but it is encouraging.' "Young one, you are correct in that I have not admitted even half the reasons I am here but I can promise you that I mean you, your little Leafs, and Tazuna's family no harm. I cannot say much more but I ask that you keep in mind the idiot Hatake's little motto, 'Not everything is as it seems.' However, I should warn you I will be leaving in a few days time and something will occur not long after. Be ready but do not jump to conclusions Aburame-kun."
With that Harry bowed and entered the house. Shino remained for a time discussing with his colonies before entering as well. He would wait a few days and watch the traveler before he decided what to do with the information.
So, what do you think? Drop a review, I really do listen. Just ask AbeoUmbra or Steven Kodaly!
If you read my other stuff I am working on D5, APT, Nibbles, FSS, and Heart of Fire simultaneously. Nibbles, FSS, and HoF are NOT posted yet. However, I have all of them up and running in the background and I'm bouncing around them as the inspiration strikes. Go figure, Spring Semester ends and suddenly the floodgates open up. Congrats people, expect better updates than 1 time a year.