Chapter 6: Hiro's Growing Pains!

DemonClowSorceress and Red

Disclaimer: Obviously, since if I owned it I wouldn't need to write this every chapter.

Back in Konoha.......

Hiro fussed through his fathers' examinations. "Papa, Tou-chan, Hiro-chan is all right!" Squirming away, he bounded out the window and perched on a tree branch just out of reach. "See? Hiro-chan is fine! Ita-nii-chan was nice. So was DeiDei-chan, Ori-chan and Ko-nee-chan. Not Shark-baka or Skull-baka, and Mask-baka was annoying, but the others were nice!"

Both fathers twitched angrily when the Akatsuki were mentioned despite the cute names Hiro gave them.

"And Hiro-chan has been thinking......" Hiro tapped his chin, looking out over the village. "That maybe........Hiro-chan should be a ninja like Papa and Tou-chan."

Both boys looked at each other in shock. Of course, they had considered the option when Hiro had scurried up to the corner of the ceiling during that first week. But after the close scare with Akatsuki, Naruto and Sasuke weren't so sure about the whole ninja thing. There was a few moments of silent consideration between them before Naruto cleared his throat. "What brought this on, Hiro-chan?"

"Then Papa and Tou-chan won't have to be so afraid for Hiro-chan all the time," said the child. "Because Hiro-chan should know how to fight. Then Hiro-chan won't be a nuisance."

"You're never a nuisance, Hiro," said Sasuke firmly, hugging him. "Never. But you being a ninja......well, we need to think about it for a while, Papa and me. Okay?"

But Hiro-chan is sure, thought Hiro as he was put to bed with lots of hugs and a kiss on the forehead from his Papa. Hiro-chan knows this for sure. Hiro-chan can help Papa, and Tou-chan, and all Hiro-chan's nii-chans and nee-chans if Hiro-chan could fight like they could.

But Hiro wasn't a fool. He knew there were some things he couldn't do as well as everyone else. He wasn't powerful like Papa or a genius like Tou-chan. He wasn't smart like Shika-nii-chan, or clever like Neji-nii-chan, or tough like Lee-nii-chan. He didn't have special animal skills like Kiba-nii-chan or Shino-nii-chan despite his squirrelness, nor did he have cool ninja skills like Sai-nii-chan or Choji-nii-chan. He didn't have a kekkai genkai like Hinata-nee-chan, super-strength like Sakura-nee-chan, mind-controlling powers like Ino-nee-chan - Hiro laughed to himself as he remembered how she'd done ninja moves while possessing a cat - or badass weapon skills like Ten-nee-chan.

All Hiro had, he thought, was the fur on his back and his wits. And his summoning skill, if that was considered special.

Hiro-chan will have to use his wits to make Papa and Tou-chan see, the young boy thought, curling up to sleep. Tomorrow, Hiro-chan will have to work hard to prove himself.

********

The next few weeks saw Hiro desperately trying to toughen himself up without Naruto or Sasuke knowing. He'd wake up long before his fathers did and slip into the woods with borrowed kunai and shuriken from their weapons pouches, practicing what he'd been taught by Ten-nee-chan. Sometimes he'd try the moves Lee-nii-chan had showed him, punching trees until he managed to filch a stuffed dummy from the training grounds and started using it instead. Then he'd sneak back in time for breakfast and saying good-bye to whichever of them left for a mission. Since that first month-long mission, Naruto and Sasuke had made an agreement to not leave Hiro by himself.

When Naruto was the one who stayed, Hiro had some more freedom, but less time. His Papa would try to keep him close to home, inventing new games to play with his son. Hiro loved this time with his Papa, but the bonding time meant he had to do his training during the day, when Naruto was doing small chores around the house and didn't miss him.

When Sasuke stayed home, Hiro had less freedom but more time to himself. Tou-chan would sometimes keep to himself, going to train on his own, but always checked on Hiro at the house at irregular times. This meant Hiro couldn't train unless he snuck out after dark - always risky since sentries were posted - and practiced long into the night. He'd be bone-tired the next day, but forced himself to act like nothing was different.

Slowly, but noticeably, Hiro again began to change. He didn't have another serious growth spurt, but his squirrel fur shrunk back some more. Now his bare feet were completely visible, as were his hands. His tail sometimes went limp unexpectedly, which made him worry about his health, but most days he was too tired to care.

He also began to get stronger and tougher. Small tasks that were too much for him soon became easy. Hiro began carrying objects half his weight without a problem. Because he regularly had to sneak across Konoha to his private training ground, he became quiet and quick, melting into the darkness. His night vision, nonexistant before, began to develop. His reflexes became less animal-like and more refined. Soon his late-night training jaunts didn't tire him as much as they once had. He no longer had to pretend he wasn't tired, because he really wasn't.

Two months after Itachi's arrival, Hiro was walking down the street when he found himself at the Cadet Academy. Lacking anything to do, he sat on a swing he saw and watched as children his size (but older than him, he knew) began practicing the types of moves he'd seen his nii-chans and nee-chans do. They looked very determined, Hiro saw, and their sensei was quick to pick up on any mistakes they made.

He also saw Hiro sitting by himself on the swing. Leaving his cadets, the man came over. He had darkish skin, like stained wood, and a scar across his nose and cheeks. "You're not from here, are you?"

"Hiro-chan is Hiro-chan," replied the squirrel-boy. His tail gave a quick wave before falling limp. Blushing in embarassment, Hiro picked it up and lay it across his knees. "At least, Hiro-chan hopes he is."

"Hiro-chan....." The man blinked, recognition flashing in his eyes. "Oh! You're Naruto's adopted son! Right." He held out his hand, which dwarfed Hiro's small hand when he shook it gingerly. "I'm his old sensei, Iruka."

Hiro nodded, recalling his Papa's old stories. "Iru......sensei," he repeated.

"Sure." Iru-sensei put his hands on his hips. "So, Hiro-chan, are you thinking of becoming a ninja?"

The little boy's blue eyes lit up. "Yes! Hiro-chan wants to make Papa and Tou-chan proud!" Then his face fell. "But Papa and Tou-chan said they would think about it, but that was two full moons ago*......"

Iru-sensei grinned. "Tell you what. I can tell you've been working at it, so here's what we'll do. I'll let you fight one of my newer cadets. If you win, I'll talk to your fathers about letting you come on as a student. If you lose, you can train and re-apply when you're ready. How's that?"

Hiro bounced out of his swing and cried, "Okay, chi!" The last word came out before he could clap his hands over his mouth, so he winced in anticipation of the inevitable nut.

Thankfully it was a small one, bouncing off Iru-sensei's head like a raindrop on a stone. The man laughed and led Hiro over to the children, who had stopped training to see Hiro coming up to them. Hiro saw some of them whispering, some pointing, and some even making faces at his fur, but he showed no emotion on his face. Tou-chan says ninjas can tell if you're scared. Hiro-chan is not afraid.

"Everyone, this is - " Iru-sensei paused, seeming to fumble. In his mind he was debating - was it Uchiha Hiro or Uzumaki Hiro? Had they decided? The two weren't legit together, so which last name had they given their son? "Um, this is - "

"Uzuha Hiro," Hiro supplied**. "Hir - I am Uzuha Hiro."

Iru-sensei blinked, but rolled with it. "Anyway, Hiro is here to try out for a place in the Academy. Would anyone like to spar with him?"

Children exchanged glances at each other. One boy raised his hand. "Why're you wearing a fur suit?" he asked Hiro.

Other children don't wear fur like you do, Hiro remembered his Papa telling him. So he was honest. "I was found in it. I like wearing it."

"You look really weird," said one girl. This made some others giggle. Iru-sensei glared at them and they went silent.

"Will anyone spar with Hiro?" he asked again.

Another boy stepped forward. "How old are you?"

Ten months old. Hiro knew this, but he had to think for a second before the answer came to him. "Four," he corrected himself. Have to be more like tall-humans. He was as tall as a four-year-old, Tou-chan had once said.

Apparently that was funny, because all the children began to laugh. A tall kid with beady eyes stepped up. "I'm Guta," he said, "and I'm seven. What's a four-year-old doing trying to pick a fight with us?"

"I'm not picking a fight." Hiro could smell this boy's bully-ness coming from every pore. "I just want to be a ninja."

As luck would have it, walking along the chain-link fence was Team 10, returning from a mission. They heard the commotion and took a peek, but when they saw Hiro inside they stared in shock. Well, Hinata and Kiba did. What could be seen of Shino (like his nose) didn't change in the least.

"Fine then. Let's play ninja." From his pocket Guta pulled out some shuriken cut from cardboard. "I'll be Konoha. You'll be the enemy."

Iru-sensei snapped, "Guta! You're not allowed to have those in class!" but Hiro patted his thigh. The little squirrel's face was intent, so unlike his normally cheerful and happy expression. It made Kiba and Hinata blink in shock, seeing their kawaii little Hiro so serious. Shino still showed no expression.

Hiro didn't see his nii-chans and nee-chan at the fence. He was too busy centering himself around the fight to begin. He knew Guta wouldn't play fair; the cardboard shuriken against the rules were proof of that. Hiro was a simple soul; if you hid something, chances were you'd do it again. Guta reminded him of a lone coyote that Hiro had tangled with in the before-times. It had seemed weak and starving, but once it saw Hiro, it had utilized every predator trick to try and eat the child.

When Guta lunged at Hiro, he was ready. Instead of going left or right, like expected, Hiro jumped straight up. His strong leg muscles let him clear five feet, much to everyone's gasps of surprise, before landing on top of Guta's fat head and leaping off like a springboard. While the other boy was stumbling forward trying to regain his balance, Hiro crawled up a tree and peeked through the branches. The children began to clap and smile. Clearly Guta wasn't popular.

Said Guta was whipping out his shuriken. "Taste pricks, squirrel boy!" he yelled.

Hiro wasn't expecting the first carboard star to almost hit his face. He has good aim! I'd better be careful. He leapt to another tree, dodging a shuriken along the way. This is way worse then evading a coyote! Not only was Guta a good thrower, he also had a lot of shuriken. And Hiro had to attack him one way or another. This was much different then his training.

But, it was a good difference. You didn't get an adrenaline rush evading dummies.

Hiro saw an opening when Guta fumbled to get more shuriken. Recalling his experiences with Ita-nii-chan, he jumped from the tree and hit the ground running. Guta's eyes widened when he saw the brown blur before Hiro jumped three feet in front of him.

And delivered a perfect flying kick. In the head.

Kiba and Hinata gasped. Shino nodded. "Good move." And the kids cheered as Hiro brushed himself off.

Iruka chuckled, watching the suddenly popular Hiro become surrounded by the children. "Huh, he actually did it." Not that I'm surprised. His parents are Naruto and Sasuke. I wouldn't be surprised if that wasn't all he knew. Those two wrote the book on unexpected.

"Iru-sensei!" Hiro suddenly leapt from the center of his adoring fans, executed a perfect front flip, and landed feet-first in front of Iruka. "So? Can I be a ninja now?"

Now Iruka was caught between a rock and a hard place. He couldn't break the promise, but he had to leave himself an out in case Hiro's parents didn't want him to be a ninja. Which left one classic trick that he knew would never work on Naruto and Sasuke.

There was no way. No way in hell. They were too smart to fall for it. Maybe not Naruto, but definitely Sasuke.......

********

Naruto was, shall we say, surprised to hear that his little boy had been in a fight with a seven-year-old cadet. He was even more surprised to hear he had won the fight.

But he was adamant. "No. Sasuke and I still have to talk about Hiro's future."

Iruka smiled. As usual, the fox was stubborn as all hell. He sent Hiro out to play so that he could focus solely on his former pupil. "Naruto, that boy is gifted. Guta was one of my best cadets, ninjutsu-and-taijutsu-wise. Hiro made him look like a fool and incapacitated him with one kick. I'm telling you, Hiro has a lot of potential as a ninja."

"But - " The front door opening had them both turning to the black-haired boy entering. Sasuke shed his tattered cloak and hung up his weapons. Naruto jumped up and bounded over to him. "Sasuke! Yay!" he cried as he threw his arms around his boyfriend's neck.

"Hey cutie, what's happening?" Sasuke dropped a kiss on the blond's head before seeing Iruka on the sofa. "We have company? What did you do?"

"It's about Hiro-chan," Naruto said. "Iruka-sensei wants us to let him enroll in the Academy as a cadet."

"Why?"

Iruka took over. "For one, I've seen him in action. He took out one of my best cadets in single combat, and his opponent had fake weapons that he knew how to use. He displays good reflexes, a clear mind for strategy, and can think on his feet. For a four-year-old, he's remarkably talented."

"Four?" repeated Naruto, confused. "No, that's wrong. He's only a year old, tops."

This was too unbelieveable, so Iruka simply accepted it and moved on. "Look, he can come for a probationary term. A few months, just to see how he takes. And if you don't like how it's going, I'll end it. Swear."

The two parents looked at each other. Iruka could almost see and hear the mental conversation between them. Sasuke played on Hiro's side, while Naruto was the affectionate yet overportective mother-figure. They had a silent argument regarding the legalities of the whole thing, Hiro's stamina or lack thereof, the trials of becoming a ninja, and their own personal experiences dealing with becoming ninjas versus Hiro's gentle temperment and changes that could happen. But Iruka could see that the boys were faltering in both aspects.

A movement on the cieling caught Iruka's eyes. Looking up, he remarked, "Look boys, 'gullible' is written on the cieling," before he burst out laughing.

Naruto and Sasuke looked up. Hiro was splayed across the cieling like a starfish, face looking down at the three. His tail gripped a magic marker. Written in bold black strokes above his head was one word.

Gullible.

Hiro laughed like a maniac as his fathers' faces became shocked. "Papa and Tou-chan looked! I was right, Iru-sensei! They did look!" He laughed so hard that he fell off the cieling and into Naruto's arms. "Yay, yay, yay! I'm going to be a ninja!"

Iruka grinned sheepishly as Naruto and Sasuke fixed equal glares of What does he mean? on him. "Well, I kinda bet Hiro that he couldn't beat Guta. When he did, I said you two had to fall for the 'gullible-written-on-the-cieling' ploy. But I had no idea he'd actually write gullible up there......"

"Hiro is a simple kid. You saw the ocean tastes like sugar, he'll jump in with his mouth wide open." Sasuke glowered at Iruka, pissed that they - forget Naruto, that he, Uchiha Sasuke, had fallen for such a lame trick. Thinking past his own wounded pride, he said, "Say we actually let Hiro do this. You mentioned a probationary period. Exactly how long is a few months?"

"Two," answered Iruka quickly, naming the time period he normally saw who were slackers and who had the guts for the life. "Maybe three. No more than four; that's the first real preliminary. If he can't last that long, I'll let him go."

Naruto and Sasuke had another silent conversation using their eyes. This time Iruka couldn't read them. He did his utmost to not betray any emotion on his own face lest it tip the scales out of Hiro's favor.

Finally they stopped and Naruto spoke. "Okay, Iruka-sensei. We'll try your way. But if we don't like it, we'll pull him out."

Iruka smiled and nodded his acceptance. "Very well."

"YAAAAAAY!" screamed the ecstatic Hiro as he hugged his fathers. "I'm gonna be a ninja! I'm gonna be a ninja! Just watch, I'll make you proud, chi!"

An acorn dropped from midair and bounced off Iruka's head. The man grinned in forgiveness as he mentally braced himself for mini-Naruto-style pranks all over again.

"Two. Maybe three. If he can't last that long, I'll let him go."

But will I last that long?

********

Eight months later......

"Roll call," said Iruka dully, holding up his clipboard. "Hitomi." The girl raised her hand. "Fuin." A sleepy-faced boy raised his hand. "Kokoro, Tomi, Kisuke, Lin, Riku, Eri." One by one the children raised their hands. "Hiro."

Silence. The students glanced around, seeing an empty spot where the boy usually sat.

Iruka didn't even look up. "Hiro. Hiro," he repeated, shuffling his feet a little bit. "Hi - "

"SURPRISE ATTACK FROM THE LEFT!" came a yell.

This is what most of the kids saw - Hiro jumping down from the corner of the back of the room's cieling, arms held out straight like he was a furry Superman, heading straight for Iruka's head. But Iruka only adjusted his position slightly, his head leaning back to miss being glomped by the squirrel-boy, who flew past him and right out the window with a loud "AAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

"Hiro-chan!" cried most of the girls, hands grabbing heads in shock. The boys, however, merely cracked up like hyenas on laughing gas, falling out of their chairs and rolling on the ground in hysterics. Those who could still walk hobbled over to the open window and called out, "Oy, Uzuha! You okay?"

"I'm fine!" came the slightly winded reply. First came the two ears, then the brown fur hood, and finally all of Hiro's upper body popped out from the leafy bushes he'd fallen into. His face was rubbed raw, courtesy of the rough tree trunk bark that had interrupted his flight. "I'm good, I'm good."

Iruka rolled his eyes. "All right, since there's no injury, Hiro, would you please grace the classroom with your presence so we may begin?" He watched as Hiro scurried along the tree branch and shimmied in through the window, then jumped four-legged onto the first table, then one back, until he sat in his own chair. He's almost like Kiba was, except more animalistic. I know Naruto and Sasuke said he was practically a squirrel in human form, but seeing it in action is still pretty unbelievable.......

Hiro had lasted the two months, and longer. Iruka was even seriously considering placing the little boy in the preliminary exam coming up. He'd said it at first just to place a timeline, but now.......Hiro had proven himself capable.

If only he actually stayed in class long enough to learn anything.

Unfortunately, Hiro was a special blend of the Rookie Nine boys. He had Naruto's ADHD and lack of respect, Sasuke's quick learning ability, Shikamaru's sleepiness habit, Choji's fondness for snacks in class, Kiba's animal-like tendencies to not remain in one place for too long, and sometimes Shino's insightful instincts. This had combined into a hyperactive, prank-prone child who excelled in strategy, cleverness and sheer luck but lacked drive and failed on written tests simply because he either slept through class or wasn't there. He was a boy of action most of the time, going solo a lot, but when it came to group exams, he always pulled his weight and helped his teammates.

And he was only a year and a half old biologically. Looking at him, no one would have guessed. He'd undergone another growth spurt, topping three feet, and his squirrel suit was now comprised of smaller peices; sleeves on his wrists, loose shorts from which hung his tail, fur covering his shins, and the sleeveless fur shirt with the cowl of fur and ears he wore over his head. From a stranger's perspective, Hiro appeared to be about four or five years old. Something that Naruto and Sasuke had considered and asked Iruka to maintain while Hiro attended school.

"We want him to grow up normally," Naruto had said when they'd begun this. "If the children knew he was one, it would be......problematic." His blue eyes had misted over, reminding Iruka that he had also suffered something like this, albeit more dangerous and malicious. "Say he's four. Maybe five. Whichever, but promise you won't let slip that he's only a year old."

Iruka had kept that promise. And now he was seriously considering taking the one-and-a-half year old boy along when the other four-and-five-year old cadets had their survival training exam. Physically, he was up to it. Mentally, he was up to it. But his parents still had the last say, and Iruka was sure they wouldn't sign off on it.

When class ended for the day, Hiro trotted off to Ino-nee-chan's flower shop. Since he'd started school he had found that working there helped him wind down, so Hiro stayed for about an hour, inhaling all the flowery scents that calmed his sensitive nose. It helped on days when he'd had to deal with Kanimaru-sensei.

Kanimaru-sensei was a tough, weathered man who'd made it clear in no uncertain terms that he didn't like Hiro. And for a child who'd been loved since his arrival, Hiro hadn't picked up on that at first. But after the first couple classes with Kanimaru-sensei - the man taught taijutsu and physical endurance - Hiro had gotten the message. Especially after the time with the bulky twelve-year-old Kanimaru-sensei tried to force Hiro to fight when the smaller boy was already nursing a sprained shoulder.

"Hiro-chan, why are you scowling?" asked Ino-nee-chan, coming into the store with an overfull armful of fragrant roses and baby's breath. "Did something happen today at school?"

Hiro shook his head. "No, it was just a long day." Hopping off the stool he had plopped on, he came over and took half her load. "Where do you want these, Ino-nee-chan?"

"Over by those vases. We have some orders coming in and I can use all the help I can get." Ino-nee-chan gave him a warm smile. "Thanks Hiro, for helping out here."

"No problem!" chirped the little boy, basking in the compliment. "What can I do?"

For the next hour the little squirrel followed his blond nee-chan's orders, plucking flowers and tying ribbons around the perfect bouquets she made. Some people stopped in to pick up their orders, gave Hiro a look and a smile, and thanked him for their flowers. With each thanks, Hiro's ears would wiggle happily. When it was time to leave, Ino-nee-chan gave him two white flowers and a kiss on the forehead. "Your payment," she teased, ruffling his furry head between his ears. He smiled like a content cat and left.

When he came home, he found his parents in the kitchen, backs to each other. Hiro stiffened; he could pick up on the tension drowning the room. Something was wrong, and Papa and Tou-chan were angry for some reason. Hiro's fight-or-flight reflexes kicked in, but his curiosity kept him rooted in place. Silence reigned for a few minutes. Neither Naruto or Sasuke had noticed Hiro's appearance in the room.

"I've told you, he's not going," said Naruto, ripping the leaves off a head of lettuce. Rip, rip, rip!

"And I say, he should go," bit off Sasuke, cutting carrots with a large knife. Chop, chop, chop!

"He's too young!"

"Iruka thinks he'll make it. He's surprised everyone else so far."

"That exam is murder! We had to do it, and I almost died!" Rip, rip, rip!

"You tried eating green berries and were sick for two days. Hardly a death sentance." Chop, chop, chop!

Both boys whirled on one another; Sasuke clenched an uncut carrot, and Naruto somehow had a large fish in his hand. "Look, how about I make this decision!" they both snapped in unison. "But you made the last one, so it's my turn! Stop that!" they yelled, brandishing their respective weapons of choice. "Dammit, why don't you listen to me for once in your life?!"

Hiro decided to make his presence known. "Papa? Tou-chan?"

"WHAT?!" screamed his fathers, rounding on him with scowls, clenched fists and anger radiating from every pore. Deeply shocked - they had never yelled at him with such ferocity before - Hiro burst into tears and ran out on all fours, dropping the two flowers he had brought from Ino-nee-chan's shop on the floor in his hurry.

Behind him, Naruto and Sasuke belatedly realized what they had just done and ran after their little squirrel, but it was too late. Hiro's late-night excursions had provided him with the perfect escape route from his home. He had effectively disappeared with six bounds into the night. And Hiro, only fleeing in blind fear, paid no attention to where he was going as he raced out of Konoha and into the forest.

Oh no, Hiro-chan ran away! Le gasp! Whatever will happed to our little squirrel-boy?!

Stay tuned to find out. Please review.

A.N.

* - Two months. Hiro's concept of time is basic

** - "Uzuha" literally means "swirl leaf." It can be seen as a tribute to Konoha. It's also a combo of Uzumaki and Uchiha. Clever Hiro-chan! ^_^