Naruto

Naruto

Heart and Soul

My name is Naruto Uzumaki

Hours later…

After Kurenai and her team had checked into Konoha at the front gates, they immediately took the sleeping boy to the hospital to have him checked out by the doctors. In no time at all, the hospital's staff had the boy put to bed, and looked over by the head kunoichi. For the entire duration of the wait, Kurenai and the woman ninja of the Kai-lo Shinobi stood by the door, and waited for the nurse's diagnosis. Asuma and the other shinobi had left them to their own devices to deliver their reports to the Hokage, since the task of passing on the individual reports could be made by one or two people, and had to be done so immediately upon arrival. However, the Hokage would still need to see the entire team by the end of the day. For the next hour after arriving, Kurenai and her temporary teammate waited for the nurse to finish her checks of the yellow haired boy, arms crossed and standing by the door and looking in through its circular window.

Letting out a sigh, Kurenai lowered her head and closed her eyes for a moment, the anticipation bottling up inside her to an unbearable level. The Kai-lo woman was standing at attention across the hallway, her hands behind her back and head lowered, her hat hiding her face and expression. When it seemed the two would be waiting on their own for the time being, they got the biggest surprise when Kakashi and Kama suddenly appeared on the scene in a poof of white smoke. Kurenai jumped at their other two teammates arrivals, whereas the other female ninja glanced up with overshadowed eyes, but a clear expression of slight surprise engraved on her pretty face. When the smoke cleared, Kakashi walked up to the door Kurenai was standing by, and peered in through the window to see what was happening.

"Sure took your time getting here, Kakashi…" Kurenai said, arms crossed and watching the masked ninja make his analysis through the porthole. "But that should be expected…since you're always late…"

"With good reason this time," the silver haired Jonin said, glancing at the raven haired woman with a stoic expression in play. Well, how could you tell at all under that mask of his?

Kurenai smirked, closing her eyes and looking away. The expression she used promised the release of devious thoughts, most likely in relation to Kakashi's tardiness. That's something her teammate did not like, as well as the other two Kai-lo shinobi standing by. "As long as it wasn't reading those Icha Icha novels of yours, then I guess you do have a good reason…"

"Hey!" Kakashi protested, slipping his hands into his pockets and glaring at Kurenai from his one eye. "Those novels are a work of pure genius! There is no other series on the face of this planet like it!"

"Definitely…not a thrilling combination like Make-out Paradise," Kurenai said with a hint of a laugh etched in her tone. "Seriously, how can you find a perverted novel, on top of that, a semi-autobiography, with such a dirty plot in the man's life story, so interesting?" Kakashi was about to comment on her choice of words, before quickly reconsidering what he was about to say. Clearing his throat and adjusting his shirt collar, the silver haired Jonin blushed lightly and looked away. Clearing his throat again, he slipped his hands into his pockets again, and began to speak in a hesitant, paced voice.

"I'm a uhh…umm… (cough)…a fan of… (sigh)…" The Jonin made several hand movements, which was a fairly animated way of expressing his next thoughts. "I admire a man with quality and taste…and the writer of Icha Icha Paradise is a believer, if not, master of… (coughs)…the type of quality…I admire in a uhh…individual!" Kakashi said these in the most theatrical ways possible, which made Kurenai sweat drop and the two Kai-lo agents standing by look at him with odd expressions in play.

"You admire what now?" Kama asked.

Kakashi shook his head, glaring at Kurenai with a flushed face. "Can we please get back to the matter at hand?!" the man said aloud, trying to clear the awkward silence that fell amongst them. Clearing his throat once more, the Jonin continued his rampant of questioning. "How's the kid doing?"

Kurenai sighed and glanced through the window again, her eyes settling on the boy lying in the bed peacefully, the kunoichi checking on him looking over his hands for any cuts, bruises or other injuries he may have on them. "So far so good…but the nurse hasn't finished her analysis on him. It's amazing though…" Kurenai exclaimed, glancing round at Kakashi with a serious yet lightly astonished expression on her face, "to think that that boy was right in the middle of that tussle last night. I wonder if he knows anything about it."

"Probably…" Kakashi replied. "It might be a while till we get an answer though…"

"Actually…I wouldn't be so sure about that…" Kurenai exclaimed, stepping back as the door opened up in front of them. Kakashi also stepped back, all eyes falling on the kunoichi as she made her stand before the four of them. Silence dawned on the group as the red haired nurse finished writing down her final notes onto her note-pad, before looking up at the anxious faces staring right back at her.

"Well…" the female Kai-lo spoke, her voice low and filled with anticipation.

Smiling, the woman slipped her pen into her ear and nodded to the four waiting shinobi. "The boy is fine. His vitals show no signs of recent trauma, and he's in perfect shape. I've never seen such a healthy child. Though he was a bit dirty, he's doing fine. He's been sleeping for a while, and I think he'll be waking up shortly…" Kakashi and Kurenai nodded in understanding, and turned to their two waiting comrades.

"You may want to go get the Hokage," the silver haired Jonin said. "He would want to meet this child when he wakes up…"

Nodding, the two Kai-lo agents vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving Kakashi and Kurenai to tend to further business. Bidding the kunoichi thanks, they entered the room to check up on the boy themselves. When they did, they found themselves in a single-bedded room with the white curtains drawn back so that they could see the yellow haired rascal fully. Beside his bed sat the standard table with a glass of water, some cheese, lettuce and carrots on a plate, and a towel. Also, next to his bed, propped up against the wall was the boy's sword, sheathed and sparkling clean. On the washing rack on the other side of the room, folded up neatly was his scarf, gloves, shirt, shorts and sandals. He was now dressed in a hospital issued shirt and shorts, and had been cleaned up by the nurses. And still, without any surprise, he was sleeping peacefully under bedcovers…

Kakashi and Kurenai walked over to him, both of them stopping beside his bed and staring down at the boy's face. Arms folded and expressions fixed, they analyzed his face for a moment, before breaking out small smiles. The Sharingan Jonin of the pair chuckled and glanced over at his teammate, a smile beneath his mask.

"I guess Asuma was right, he is kind of cute…"

"In an adorable sense," Kurenai said, smiling. "He's still very young. Yet I wonder what the kid could have been doing with this…" she said, walking over to his bed corner and picking up his sword from wall. Upon curling her fingers around its sheath and handle, she brought it up to her height and began looking it over, ignoring the belt that was secured around it so that it didn't get caught on anything. Kakashi was also looking over at it, hands in his pockets now.

"I don't think he would appreciate you touching that, Kurenai…" Kakashi said, reaching into his back pouch and drawing his Icha Icha novel. Walking over to the wall near the door, the silver haired Jonin leant up against it and flicked through the pages to the chapter he was up too. Once he had reached the section he had last stopped on, he flipped open the book into a comfortable grip and, while blindly speaking up, quickly became deeply entranced in the story. "After all, you saw how he reacted when you tried grabbing it before…"

"He just murmured in his sleep…" the raven haired woman objected, grabbing the handle with her right hand while glancing round at her teammate. "Come on…that doesn't tell you anything…"

"Suit yourself," Kakashi replied, letting out a sigh and moving onto the next page. "Don't say I didn't warn you…"

Ignoring him, Kurenai went on to scanning the weapon she held gently in her vice grip. Running a finger over the handle, she began making detailed statements on its weight and design. The scabbard was standard black, with a golden tip on the end formed into the image of fire, one of the flames circling to form the symbol of the Konoha Nin. Another flame formed into a Japanese symbol on the other side, which represented Peace. At the hilt of the sheath where the scabbard opened up to allow the sword to be tucked, there was another golden groove around it shaped in a similar manner to the base, which held the blade firmly in place so that it didn't fall out. Moving further down it, Kurenai saw that the weapon's handle had the standard dao hand guard, only more styled out. It was gold with markings of two foxes moving around it on the top, and two dragons on the other side. Furthermore, the handle was formed out of strange leather she could no identify, but looked really tough, yet not taxing on human skin. This made for good grip. The pommel of the sword were wide enough to prevent grip from slipping, the base holding the Ying and Yang symbol, that had a split down the center, dividing them. The weapons also had red strings and pom-poms hanging from two places on the pommel, traditional style yet not obstructive.

Curiosity getting the best of her, she decided to unsheathe the weapon. Carefully, so not to make too much noise, she drew it, carefully setting down the scabbard and looking at the blade much more carefully. Kakashi continued to read on without a fuss, and happily murmured to himself when he arrived at an interesting twist in the story. While he was reading, Kurenai was, with an awed look on her face, looking over the elegant blade with interest. The weapon's cold steel was no less then perfect, and had a nice clean shine to it. It was a double-bladed weapon, meaning it could cut and block on both sides without damage. She suspected the blade to hold much more spiritual qualities, which must have been incredible. What was even more unique was the craftsmanship. The blades flowed smoothly, and were extremely well balanced. On one side of the weapon, the blade was silver, almost white in its shine, with symbols on it that read, 'The Rising of the Moon'. On the other side, the blade was all black, with similar symbols on it reading, 'The Flowing of the Ocean'.

Blinking, the woman brought the sword up into a two handed grip and gave it a swing. "Wow…impressive dao. I've never seen one like this before…"

"You've rarely seen one, Kurenai," Kakashi said over his book. "How many ninja carry one, anyway?"

"You see ninja carrying scythes, kunai, needles, katanas, pitchforks…but you hardly see weapons like these being carried around by people. Good quality weapons such as this one are pretty hard to come across…" Kurenai concluded, swinging the blade again, making a loud slice sound through the air. Of course, it was this sound that would prove to be her undoing.

The second the sound was made, the once sound sleeping boy suddenly awoke, his eyes flying open. Without a word or shout exclaimed, the yellow haired boy leapt out of bed, throwing back the covers and dropping into a crouched fighting stance. Quicker then Kurenai could react, the boy jumped at her and landed on her collar bone on bare feet. She staggered back, the commotion catching Kakashi's attention, the man glancing up in surprise. Growling, the boy grabbed Kurenai's wrist, the one holding his sword, and in a blink of an eye, disarmed her. Causing her to release his weapon, he grabbed it while it was in mid-throw and he kicked off of the woman. Kurenai fell to the ground with a loud thud, gripping her wrist from the soreness of being disarmed, and stared in shock at the boy who was now standing, dropped in a fighting stance a top of the bed.

Gritting his teeth, the boy grabbed the handle of his sword on two sides, and pulled it apart. Twirling both halves of the weapon in both hands, he positioned them in a threatening way that said to all that he meant trouble. It was only then Kurenai and Kakashi could clearly see that the weapon was really a duel dao blade and not a single dao blade. They were two-halves of the same weapon, one blade being black, and the other silver. It was a pretty impressive weapon.

Kurenai, staggering to her feet, while kept under the eyes of the glaring boy, stretched out her bruised wrist and stared back in surprise. "Wow…now that…I didn't see coming…"

Kakashi chuckled, getting up off of the wall and looking at the sight in amusement. The boy, spotting the other ninja, spun the sword he held in his right hand and pointed it at him, while keeping the other one primed. The sight caused the silver haired Jonin to stop, and Kurenai to look between the two with widened eyes. Of course, what she felt before was pure strength that was able to take her down, and that got her worried. If the boy was capable of doing that, then who knows what else he was capable of performing.

For a minute or so, the three of them stood in silence, eyeing the opposing party cautiously. Nobody said a word, even though the situation called for it to calm the other one down. However, nobody spoke for risk of getting attacked, and since no one wanted to get hurt, the perfect thing to bide time was a stand down. That was what the yellow haired boy was doing. He wanted answers, and the best way to get them was to use this method.

As the clock ticked on, the three of them continued to stand around and do nothing. But then, just before either of them could say anything, they all suddenly heard a voice open up from the doorway, surprising all of them.

"Now there's no need for that, kid," an old voice churned up from the silence, Kurenai and Kakashi sucked in sharp breaths of air, before quickly turning towards the entrance of the room to confirm their fears. As expected, they saw Sarutobi himself standing in the doorway. The Third Hokage, wearing his funny hat complete with robe, pipe and all, was standing in the open doorway, flanked by two Kai-lo Shinobi. These were two different ones from before, both of them males and both of them with their hands behind their backs. It was a splitting image of the country's leader and the royal guard, only this guard was much more field fighting prone.

Sarutobi smiled at the boy, who was glaring at him with uncertainty shining in his bright, blue eyes. "My…but I must say, you're a very unique child, indeed. Being able to retrieve your weapon, and at the same time disarming a fully fledged Chunin ninja! A normal six your old boy with: no taijutsu training whatsoever…that's rather phenomenal." This statement made Kurenai blush and look down in embarrassment and shame. It earned her a rather amused glance from the Hokage, before the old man turned back to the boy and stepped forward, raising his right hand to him in a conceding manner. "You can put down the swords now…we mean you no harm…"

The boy glared at the old man for a moment, glancing around the room at the other individuals standing closest to him. With a single hand gesture, Sarutobi ordered Kakashi and Kurenai to back down, which they did, and transfixed to relaxed stances with an unthreatening appearance. The yellow haired boy watched them back down, and after seeing this was convinced that they did not mean to do him ill. Face contracting to a calmer, innocent expression, the boy closed his eyes and spun his swords around. In a highly skilled form of disengagement, he sheathed his swords into his scabbard which was lying on the bed beside him. Once he did this, he looked back up at the elderly man and hopped off of the bed. Smiling, he placed his right fist into his left palm and held it out in a traditional style of bow. Although this one was not Land of Fire custom type of bow, Sarutobi recognized it as one of foreign custom, and bowed to the boy in kind.

After exchanging greetings, the yellow haired boy went about trying to identify his surroundings. His eyes tearing away from the old man, he began walking slowly around his white-walled room, looking up at the ceiling and at the various pieces of equipment and furniture in curiosity. Kakashi and Kurenai watched him with confused eyes, as he came up to each of them and began looking at them closely. As innocent as a five year old, he circled each of them, looking them up and down. Sarutobi did not find the boy's actions out of the ordinary, but indeed found it entertaining. The boy took an extra level of analysis, and took in the scent of both Kurenai and Kakashi by leaning close to them, and just sniffing the air a couple of times. After which, the boy stepped back and smiled up at each of them, before turning towards the Hokage and looking at him in question.

Taking the boys confused look as his queue, Sarutobi smiled and walked toward him, left hand behind him and pipe held in his left hand. The end prodding his chin, he nodded towards the boy with a friendly look etched all over his face and stance. "I am Sarutobi Hiruzen, Third Hokage of the hidden village of Konohagakure, or, translated, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. I'm simply the leader of this village, and the others you see here…" he continued, gesturing towards Kakashi, Kurenai and his Kai-lo guard, "are the defenders and soldiers of this village, the Konoha Ninja. The man with the spiky hair and the mask is Kakashi Hatake, and the woman to your left is Kurenai Yuhi. Both of them are high-level, elite ninja that help serve and protect the village. They are the ones that brought you here…" He approached the boy and knelt down in front of him, watching the youngster follow him intently; his curious expression on full blaze. Sarutobi smiled as he gestured towards the boy with his pipe. "And what's your name, young man?"

The boy blinked, staring at the old man for a moment or so, before suddenly finding an interest in the floor at his feet. His expression becoming shallow, the boy closed his eyes tightly and looked away, as if his incoming thoughts were becoming a little bit overly bearable. The Hokage took up a look of confusion and started to become more concerned for the child, as his nature as the village's leader intended him to be.

"You don't like to talk much, do you?" the old man exclaimed, sprouting a small, reassuring smile. "It's okay. There's no need to hide. You can speak freely here. Nobody's going to hurt you or stop you…"

For a few more seconds, the boy quietly dived into his thoughts, plowing through his mind quickly and looking for the answer. All the while, he was conflicting with the ideas and consequences that would befall him. It was the reassuring words from the kind old man that allowed him to overcome his fears, and emerge with the appropriate approach and answer. Opening his eyes slowly, the boy looked back towards the Third, and with a innocent look in play, the boy gulped before speaking. His voice was a timid reflection of his nervousness, and his limbs were trembling slightly.

"M-My name…?" he asked. Sarutobi smiled and nodded. This encounter was spiking up the surprised interests of both Kakashi and Kurenai.

"Yes…what is your name?" the old man repeated.

The boy fisted his hands, bucking up the courage to speak. When he did, he looked up with a bright smile, and the energy returned to his face once again. "M-My name is Naruto Uzumaki!" This highlight of speech seemed like a major step for him. Although speech didn't fit well as foreplay for him, he found it a necessity to communicate once in a while.

The Third Hokage smiled brightly, nodding his head towards the boy. "Well…it is nice to meet you, Naruto," he exclaimed. The boy smiled brighter in response, his expression extremely happy and unthreatening now. It was this look that made Kakashi and Kurenai forget all about his surprising aggressive side. The old village leader grinned at the boy before continuing. "So…where are you from, young Naruto?"

The young yellow head did a double-take upon registering to this question, his smile fading away and his expression once again becoming low. With a hurt look, he lowered his head, creating a very shadowy effect to drift over his face. Sarutobi immediately took this as a daunting question to answer, and decided not to pressure the boy on it. Instead, he attempted to change his question.

"Do you have a family?"

As if flicking on a switch, Naruto instantly clicked at the question. He looked up at the old man, his expression unchanged, but his attention set more on alert. Expectedly, the boy shook his head from side to side, telling the old man that he had no parents or relatives known. The Hokage nodded in understanding, and shifted to another question.

"Do you remember what they look like, or who they are?"

It was at this question, the boy reacted once again, only this time it wasn't a mere shake of the head. Instead, he took a moment longer of thought, before looking up at the old man with a rather blank look on his face, although his eyes held a tint of saddening remembrance. "I…I remember my mom…s-she was…very kind…and very…strong. B-But I don't remember my father…very well…"

"Was he from another village?" Sarutobi asked. Naruto nodded, affirming the old man's curiosity. "Do you remember what he looked like?"

Blinking, Naruto shook his head. Kakashi and Kurenai looked up at each other, rather stoic expressions on their faces as they silently nodded toward each other, before glancing back down at him.

Sarutobi thought for a moment, finding this attempt of connection rather difficult. Eventually, he decided to change the subject altogether, and made a point towards the weapon Naruto was holding, sheathed in his right hand. He nodded towards it, smiling kindly.

"I see you're really good at using those duel swords of yours," the Third exclaimed. "Are you good at fighting?" Naruto grinned, nodding his head rather enthusiastically. Sarutobi chuckled at the energy he had in his response, and tilted his head at the yellow haired boy in curiosity. He was really beginning to like this young lad. There was that shine around him that made him all the more interesting. "Who taught you to fight?"

The boy shrugged, looking down at the floor in deep thought. "I-I taught myself…and…my mom and dad taught me a lot as well…" he replied quietly. Sarutobi raised an eyebrow, highly interested in this answer. It shed a lot of light on this boy's origins and what his parents were like, as well as what kind of upbringing he must have had. He was also finding out much about this boy's character, which was highly likeable.

"Did they tell you what to use it for?" he asked. Naruto nodded, looking up at the man.

"O-Only in self defense…sir…"

"Ahh…that's good then. Well…" the Third Hokage stood up, hands on his hips and a smile still etched on his face. He placed the pipe in his mouth, allowing it to limit himself of carrying anything. "I see you have a lot of potential in you. You have the skills and abilities to become really strong, and that's saying a lot about your future. How about it, Naruto? Would you like to stay in Konoha for a while?" The old man's question surprised the young boy, who looked up at the towering figure with wide eyes and a mouth held slightly agape. Sarutobi grinned at the yellow haired youngster with strong sincerity and honesty. "I assure you, the villagers are very kind, and the atmosphere is highly likable. Perhaps I can even find you a home here, in the village, if you're willing to become a part of it. What do you say?"

Naruto looked at his feet, his eyes widened in realization to what the old man was offering him, and he found it quite surprising that finally someone has decided to accept him. He believed that maybe he could finally find a home where he'd be safe. But past experiences continued to conflict in his mind, and mess with his thoughts. For a few moments, he continued his mental battle in silence, before eventually emerging with a firm, absolute answer. A small smile on his face, he looked up at the Hokage and nodded his head firmly, earning a kind smile from the elder and a nod in response.

"I'll see what I can do for you then, lad…" the old man exclaimed before turning around, taking the pipe back into his right hand. His eyes steadily fell upon the two shinobi standing to his right. "Kakashi, Kurenai, see to it that our new villager is given new attire, and that he is fed properly before bringing him to my office. I want to make sure he is comfortable enough before we move him into a foster family…" The two ninja nodded, and turned their eyes back to the spot Naruto once stood. However, when they saw that he was no longer standing there, they turned towards the washing rack on the opposite side of the room, and saw the boy collect the scarf that was lying there.

In an undying show of affection to this piece of clothing, the boy hugged it to his chest and sighed in happiness, knowing that the piece given to him by his father was still with him. After reuniting with his most valued article of clothing, as well as the sword he now had at his side, he felt a hand place itself on his shoulder and looked up, where he saw Kurenai smiling down at him. The raven haired woman nodded towards the entrance to his room, where Kakashi and one of the Kai-lo shinobi were standing by.

"Come on, Naruto," the red eyed female exclaimed, "Time to get you fixed into some new clothes. I can guarantee you that I'll find you something that'll make you look as dashing as ever! The girls will love it!" She explained this as she led him towards the door. Kakashi overheard her exclamations and silently snorted.

"Don't kid yourself, Kurenai," the man said, watching with hands in his pockets as she led the boy out the door. "You'll turn the boy into a male geisha the moment you make him step into that clothing department. Not everyone likes your traditional style of outfit…" The raven haired woman paused on the spot and clenched her fist, a frustration mark appearing on her forehead and seam rising from her hair. She turned around and glared agitated at the silver haired Jonin who had made that remark.

"I'll have you know, Kakashi, I'm pretty good at styling out," she growled, "Unlike some people!"

"Are you implying that my casual wear isn't appropriate," the Jonin exclaimed, his expression stoic on first glance, as he kept his actions cool. When dealing with women, he had to make sure not to press the wrong buttons. Of course, his entre of speech wasn't quite the pillow of clouds to begin with.

"First of all, I've never seen you in a casual outfit," the woman stated. "And secondly, a woman's touch is perhaps the most appropriate when it comes to deciding what looks good on a boy…"

"Sure it is…" Kakashi continued as he watched Kurenai lead a giggling Naruto out of the room. Letting out a breath of air, he began to follow in sync, passing by the Kai-lo warrior staring oddly after him. "I'm just a little concerned about what you're going to do to him in that dresser…"

TO BE CONTINUED…