Special thanks to my lovely anonymous reviewer Shane and my lovely non-anonymous viewer andy2908 for reviewing last time :3. You pumped me up to actually sit down and write this. Also many thanks to the people who have added this story to their favs and alerts :].
So I seriously had to sit down and think whether or not I wanted this chapter to be a reunion between Naruto and Sasuke, or just a chapter for Naruto as he grows a little. I didn't really want the reunion so fast, so I went with this 8D. I actually liked how it turned out. So I hope you all like it too!
I'm currently running on the energy of this cinnamon sugar pretzel that was SUPPOSED to be my dad's but he ate my non-salted one D:. I'm not complaining! The pretzel was freaking gooodd. But I felt like I had to share that.
Warning: Slight Naruto bashing (as usual) I really should have warned about that in the first place o.o. Ummah, I hope Pein isn't too OOC o
Disclaimer: I got arrested once for claming I owned Naruto. After a few shower incidents, interrogations, and a spanking, I relinquished my ownership.
Enjoy :3.
Chapter Nine: Respect
"Respect is so hard to come by. But once you've earned it, the mountains you had to climb to obtain it seem like little hills. All the troubles I had to go through were worth it in the end to gain that respect." – Naruto Uzumaki, age 16.
"Show me what you've got, brat."
I scoffed. Oh, I'd show him exactly what I have. Crouching low to the ground, I focus all my energy to the soles of my feet – so when I lunge for the attack, there's more power behind it. Dad and Pein recently started to train me in using Kyuubi's powers for my own benefit. A few months ago I was a little hesitant. I didn't want to accept the fact that I had a demon stored inside of me against my will. The idea slowly started to grow on me though once Dad told me all the cool stuff I could do if I tapped into the Kyuubi's aura.
Sure, it would be cool to become all powerful and shit with Kyuubi's aura, but it's not really true strength to me. I'd like to know I won a battle because of my own power, not something I borrowed from some overgrown fox. How in the hell would I ever beat him if I couldn't face him with my own strength?
Fuck… I thought about him. Again.
'Alright you stupid fox, you know what to do.'
'Is it really that hard to say please?' Kyuubi scoffed. Although it sounded more like it was snorting up mucus than anything else. 'You humans are all alike. Demanding with the thought that everything will be handed to you with a snap of your fingers. Sickening.'
'Are you done bitching yet? I don't really want to suffer another ass-whooping from Pein because you're dealing with another emotional rollercoaster.'
Kyuubi merely snorted, but he gave in anyways. I couldn't help but smirk victoriously. Even if the overgrown fuzz ball was a major whiner, I managed to somehow get him to do what I want. It both scared me and sent a major thrill up my spine knowing how much control I actually had.
Feeling the power of Kyuubi's aura mixing into mine, I went for my weapon's pouch clipped onto one of my belt loops. Inside was a specially made dagger Dad gave me with the power to channel aura into its blade. It was really fucking cool actually. All I had to do was focus my aura into the blade, and an enormous spike of energy would shoot out and engulf the blade. It was like roasting a marshmallow over a fire pit and watching it get engulfed by flames. You sit there, staring in awe for about two seconds until you go "Oh crap!" and try to snuff out the fire.
"You ready for this, Pein?" I sneered, gripping the handle of the dagger in my hands. Pein simply scoffed, got into a defensive stance, and begged me to attack him.
Like a flash I was behind him, aiming a kick for his lower back. The bastard saw it coming and did a perfect back flip. I hated when he did that. But it made the battle all the more fun. Smirking, a series of punches, kicks, and dodges came my way. I was able to block most of them, and I was even lucky enough to land a few punches and kicks myself. But Pein hated giving me the upper hand – the bastard – and decided to take the spar up a notch. Pein was known world-wide as being an excellent fighter and battle strategist. My dad recruited him for the Soleil Army a few years ago because I guess he found his skills attractive. Or maybe he found Pein attractive in general. Dad was horrible at hiding his relationship with Pein from me. Not that I minded that the two were currently seeing each other.
The only thing that pissed me off about Pein was that he knew he was good, and wasn't afraid to show off his skills. His attitude reminded me too much of certain raven that I had forever banned to the corner of my mind for all of existence.
"You spaced out." Pein replied bluntly. He was standing behind me with a dagger barely brushing against my vocal chords. Shit. When did he get behind me? "That's going to cost you."
"Gonna kill me now, Pein?" I joked, although the way the man smirked evilly at me and pressed the cool tip of the blade against my throat even more made me second guess. God, Pein really scared the shit out of me sometimes.
"If this was actual combat, and I was the enemy. Then yes, your head would be happily rolling on the ground right now." Pein cracked a rare smile at me and removed the blade from my throat. Praise the Lord! I felt instant relief rush through me as he stepped back and allowed me some breathing room. I really pitied all the people who had to face off against Pein in combat. He normally held back a lot when we were fighting, which made me a little pissed off, I had to admit. How the hell did he expect me to get better if he always fought me half-assed? But Pein always has a reason for everything, and anymore back-talk leads to me getting my ass kicked… again.
So I've learned to hold my tongue back, a little.
"Aren't I lucky that you love me then." I laughed and slipped my dagger into my back pocket. The need for water was calling out to me and I would be stupid if I ignored it. Thankfully Pein was already one step ahead with two water bottles in his hand. He tossed one to me and I gratefully accepted it.
"You wish. However I will admit that if I killed you things in this castle would be too quiet for me to bear. Unless of course I'm fucking your father, he has the loudest—"
"Alright, you're going a little too far there, Pein!" I want to wipe that cocky smirk off his face so badly my fingers are itching. "I don't need to know about what you and my dad get into under the covers."
"A lot, actually." Pein's smirk grew even wider. Damn it! Sometimes I really hated this man. His mannerisms were too familiar to a certain raven… "I could go into detail if you wish."
"I think I'll pass on that."
"Suit yourself." He shrugged his shoulders and recapped his water bottle. Another thing I envied about this man was that no matter how intense our sparring got, he never broke a sweat! What is this guy anyways? A freaking superhero in disguise? It was like he was barely even trying. Which he probably wasn't, but still! "Hurry up with that water. When you're done we need to talk about a few matters."
My shoulders sagged at his tone of voice. I knew something bad was about to come up whenever Pein used that tone of voice. Maybe if I'm quick enough I could escape through one of the windows in the gym. No, that wouldn't work. Pein would hog tie me down before I could even make it to the window.
Fuck. I'm totally screwed.
'That Uchiha brat is always on your mind.' I really wish the overgrown fuzz ball would shut up sometimes. Did he not understand that I wasn't in the mood for his freaking comments? 'He's going to be your downfall one day. I can see it coming too! Ah, what a glorious sight to behold.'
'You're fucking insane.' I spat out. Shit, my face was heating up, wasn't it? No! I'm not blushing over that freaking idiot that left me three years ago. And I'm obviously not thinking about how much I miss him and how I wish I could have been a little more mature back then. Of course I've pushed him into the back of my mind, forever locked away where I can just forget and move on.
'You're a horrible liar, Kit.'
'Shut up! And don't call me Kit. It's weird.'
"Naruto?" Crap, I spaced out again. I looked up to see Pein looking rather worried. Yeah, I would look worried too if I had to watch a teenager have an inner battle with a demon locked inside of him. Smiling, I gave the man two thumbs up, indicating that everything was peachy keen. Although I had a major headache starting to form from fighting with the fuzz ball. Arguing with Kyuubi always got me headaches. Fucking bitch.
"Sorry. Got a little preoccupied there." I smiled sheepishly and walked over to the bench Pein was seated at. He offered me a towel and I took it, wiping off the remaining sweat from my face. My heartbeat must have been obnoxiously loud – probably loud enough to wake up the dead. There's no need to freak out, Naruto. Pein's most likely going to take about your training and ways to improve yourself. I had to scoff at that last thought. If Pein really wanted to talk about my training he would have made comments on it while we sparred.
No. We were definitely entering dangerous territory right now.
"Naruto, I've been meaning to ask you this for a while." Oh God… here it comes. "After the Uchiha left—"
"Stop right there." I raised a hand, and it seemed to effectively shut Pein up. Sadly he smacked my hand away and gave me glare that normal people would have run away from. To me, Pein had all bark but no bite when it came to me – but don't tell him I told you that. "I've already told you and Dad that I'm over it. What happened happened. So drop it, okay?"
Pein stared at me with those ringed eyes of his, and not for the first time I felt like he was trying to read into my soul. I swallowed, hoping that my aura was in check and not spiraling out of control like it wanted to be. Pein could read a person's emotions and thoughts just from their aura because of his eyes. He called it the Rinnegan. It was cool at first until he started to use that pesky ability against me. Now I just find it annoying.
"You don't have to lie to me." I flinched involuntarily. Pein normally never showed emotion unless it was directed towards my dad, me, or if he was angry. Small traces of sadness leaked into his eyes, his lips jutting out into a slight frown, and I felt like an asshole for not being completely honest with him. On the other hand, how in the world does he expect me to be straight with him if I couldn't get my own damn feelings together myself? "I only ask because I care about you, Naruto."
"I know that…" I mumbled weakly. I knew Pein cared deeply for me. He's been there for me whenever I needed a good kick in the ass to get me going again. He was like a second father to me, a best friend, and an older brother all rolled into one person. If that was even possible.
"Don't shut me out, then. Your attacks lack any real conviction. It's like you have something going on in your mind that distracts you. The only logical explanation I can come up with is that you're still thinking about him."
"I am not."
"Stop lying."
"I'm not lying!"
"Now you're yelling and becoming defensive." Pein folded his arms across his chest and shot me a cold look. He was starting to lose his patience. Which meant that I was slowly starting to lose this argument. "Naruto, it would be in your best interest if you forgot about Sasuke."
I felt pure anger boil through me then. And desperation. A lot of desperation. Pein could easily suggest forgetting Sasuke because he didn't know him like I did. He never met him in the forest, fought against an overgrown tiger, and nearly die to protect him. He didn't have the scar permanently etched on his skin proudly stating that his friendship came from something special.
He never loved Sasuke…
No. I don't love Sasuke like that. At least I don't think I do. I mean… shit. I'm getting confused. I love Sasuke like a brother. We've been together for years. And yes, him leaving was a knife stabbing me in the back; especially since I had to learn it from a stranger. And yeah, I'll admit I acted childish back then. But… I rarely ever think before I speak, I'm aware of that. So the logical thing for me to do at the time was scream then run away.
I regret it so much…
"Pein… it's not as easy as you think it is." I dropped my gaze to my fingers, clasping them together. "I-I've tried. No matter what I've done Sasuke always manages to get into my head." I rolled up my black sleeve and pointed at my scar that traveled from my wrist up to the halfway mark of my arm. Till this day we never knew why that scar never healed considering I'm the host of Kyuubi and that gives me the power to heal every wound rather quickly. Yet this wound stayed, for years. I've tried asking the fuzz ball about it but he'd always throw a hissy fit and shut me out. "This scar here, it's a mark of our friendship. It started from something special. And yeah, Sasuke leaving may have affected me more than I will admit but… You have to understand I can'tforget him."
Pein studied me for what seemed like hours. His eyes never left my scar, and for a moment I thought he was going to say something more. Instead, he simply nodded his head and dropped the subject. I sighed in relief.
"Then you're going to have to learn how to reign in your emotions." Pein spoke quietly. My ears picked up on it though, and my curiosity was peaked. "I've trained you too hard and too long for it all to go to the waste the minute you see the Uchiha and want to pick a fight with him." He smirked, "You don't have to forget him if it's too painful. However, while we're training I only want you to concentrate on two things: Your goal and defeating me. Do you understand?"
"Roger that!" and for the hell of it I even threw in a salute. Pein chuckled and the air around us instantly got lighter. "So is that all? Can I go? I'm starving!"
"Ah, hold your horses there brat." Damn it. I knew it was too good to be true. Deflated, I slowly sunk back to my seat. My stomach growled in protest and it took all my willpower not to lash out at it. "There's one more thing I have to talk to you about before you stuff your face in that unhealthy slop you call food."
"I'll have you know that ramen is a part of the food pyramid!" I shot back. No one – and I mean one – no one, disses ramen!
Pein scoffed, "Maybe in the pyramid of the mentally insane, but I'm getting off topic." Damn it, I was hoping he wouldn't notice. "Naruto, how well do you feel you've connected with the people of Soleil?"
I shot the carrot top an incredulous look. Was he stupid, or did he like preying on my weaknesses today? He should know personally how well the people and I "connect".
"Do you want me to answer that truthfully?"
"Yes."
"Then we connect as well as trying to put a square block in a circular hole." I folded my arms across my chest and that was that. It wasn't the best description of our relationship, but it gave the general feel of it I would say. I was the square, trying desperately to fit inside the circular hole. Only I got rejected every single time.
Pein laughed – actually laughed – at that! So I had to retaliate by punching him square in the shoulder. The bastard.
"It's not funny, asshole!"
"You're right. It's not funny at all." Then stop smirking! "You do realize you need to switch your tactics in order to gain some respect. You're the prince. You never know when disaster will strike and your father isn't there anymore. It would be a foolish move to appoint you as king and no one wishes to follow you."
"Wow, Pein. Way to shove all that shit in my face." I shot him a sneer. "I already know that. But if you haven't exactly noticed, all the people of Soleil hate me because of this freaking fox sealed inside of me!" for emphasis at pointed at my stomach where the seal was hidden beneath my shirt.
'Pointing is not nice, Kit.'
"If I'm not blunt with you, how will you ever learn?" Pein shot me one of those fake, innocent, smiles of his that always sent chills up my spine. I hated when he smiled like that. It normally meant that whatever he said had a double meaning, was complete bull or he just made a fool out of me. "Seriously speaking, though. You need to start connecting with Soleil's people. What have you been doing so far?"
"You mean besides pulling pranks?" I grinned rather cheekily. I really haven't pulled any pranks since two years ago, but I loved seeing Pein's face whenever I press the wrong buttons.
"Naruto…" and then his tone of voice took on that of a warning. If I stepped over the line too much, Pein would surely pounce on me.
"I'm kidding! I swear!" I couldn't help but laugh at the look of relief that washed over Pein. Jeez, I'm not that dense. If I pulled anymore pranks it would just give the people enough more reasons to hate me.
It always crosses my mind though what would have happened if I had the fox locked inside of me, but I was just a normal townsperson. A small part of my mind says I would go through out my day, resenting everyone if I never had people like Iruka, my father, Pein, Sasuke, and Deidara in my life. And that part would probably be right. Those five people are the ones I lean onto whenever I'm upset or hurt. They've given me pep talks and help me strive to become the greatest. If I never had that sort of emotional boost… I hate to wonder what I would have turned out to be.
"Thank God." Pein muttered. "I know you have the potential to get people to acknowledge you, Naruto. That loud of mouth of yours can rarely be ignored."
"Hey! Isn't this supposed to be a pep talk?" because if it is, Pein's failing miserably at it.
Pein chuckled, and a wry smirk came on his face. "You didn't let me finish. With your loud mouth, and personality that seems to attract even the coldhearted, you'll be able to overcome everything. I have faith in you, Naruto. As does your father and all your other caretakers. Don't forget that we'll always have your back, no matter how many people look down on you because of Kyuubi. That will never change."
I didn't know what to say. I couldn't exactly say anything either because even if I moved my mouth, no words would come out of it. Instead, actions were a lot louder than words at the moment, and lunged forward. I wrapped my arms around his neck and forced him into the biggest bear hug of his life. Pein was rarely a person to show affection – how Dad was able to get the man to actually love was beyond me – but this time he actually looked pretty embarrassed and hugged me back.
It took all of my willpower to hold back the tears that wanted to spill down my cheeks.
'Bah, human emotions are so sickening to watch.'
Not even the overgrown ball of demonic fluff could tear me down!
"Thank you so much, Pein!" I honestly don't know what I would do without carrot top. He was a key part in my life and I wouldn't trade him in for anything in the world. The man always knew the right words to say and when to say him. He was just that beast.
"I get it already." Even though he tried to seem annoyed that I was latching onto him like a jellyfish, I knew he was happy. You can't fool Naruto Uzumaki! "Not get off of me already. You're heavier than you look."
+Eclipse+
The city was alive, like it normally is during the afternoon. People were chattering happily. Kids were running around. Everything in Soleil looked peaceful. As I walked down the streets, I'm not going to lie and say that people didn't look at me or whisper. I used to cower, freak out, or even scream at them to look away. But that was back when I was young and naïve. Now I hold my head up high and walk through them. They were only afraid of what they didn't know. All they saw me for was a monster.
Well, I was going to change their minds.
"But how?" I sighed, finding a nearby bench to sit down and rest. Ironically enough, the city that hates me was the city I used to clear my head and gather my thoughts. I guess it's because everything's all chaotic, and since I was anything but stable, the city helped me ground myself and find my center. If that makes any sense.
'I say you kill them all. That will get them to respect you.'
'Do you even hear the words that come out of your mouth?'
'It's a perfectly good idea, Kit.'
'I told you to not call me Kit! And it's not a good idea. What the hell makes you think they'll respect me if I kill them all?'
'Well firstly they won't have any more nasty words to throw at you.' Good point, actually. But no, I wasn't going to fall for his mind games! 'And secondly if they were to fear you, that is another form of respect.'
'Oh yeah. I'd love to see them pee their pants in fear that I'll rip out their throats.'
'It's actually rather pleasant thing to watch.'
'You're sick…'
Recently, these sort of conversations between Kyuubi and I have become more frequent. They didn't revolve around violence – as much – like now, but normally the fox couldn't keep his trap shut enough and felt like he had to make a comment on every little thing I did or said. Normally our conversations were more like arguments where we tried to out do the other. Before, I was scared shitless when I recognized that nagging, animal-like, voice in the back of my mind as Kyuubi. I did my best to ignore his presence as much as possible. Damn that fox for being so fucking stubborn and not taking the hint…
Now, I kind of find his presence a little… comforting. Hell, I'm still scared that one day he'll take over and go on a rampage, but for now I like having these inner conversations. These daily conversations that we engage in somehow have me laughing in the end.
'Take what I said into consideration, Kit. I know what I'm talking about.'
'No offense – okay scratch that. Big offense, you're locked up in a cage that's within my body. Obviously your version of "respect" failed miserably.'
'A minor setback.'
The damned thing didn't know when to quit.
I was going to voice a retort when my ears picked up on a scream. My instincts kicked in and I started to search for the origin of the noise. No one else seemed to have picked it up, since everyone in the city was going about their business. I got into the defensive as the scream pierced through my eardrums even louder. How the hell could these people not notice the screaming?
'It's your enhanced sense, Kit.' Oh, that makes perfect sense now. 'I suggest you don't stick your head in where it doesn't belong or else you'll lose it.'
'You really don't learn, do you?' I haven't listened to Kyuubi's suggestions so far. What the hell makes him think I would start listening now? Zoning in on the voice, I let my intuition take over my body and lead me towards the opening of an alleyway. Despite it being really sunny today, the sun couldn't reach the alley so it was covered in darkness. I nearly gulped, but another scream shattered and I had to go through with it.
Putting away the small sense of fear that tried to grip onto me, I ran into the darkness. The alley was long, really long, and it felt like I was running down the narrow strip – dodging trashcans, cats, and homeless people – forever. It was only a matter of time until I found the source of all that screaming.
"You little brat!" the ring leader out of the two grabbed the kid by the collar and slammed him against the wall. There was sickening thud and the kid looked like he was about to lose consciousness. "Don't think 'cause your gramps is all powerful and shit that yah can start waltzing around our territory like yer high and mighty!"
"Beat the shit outta 'im, boss!" his lackey was cheering on the sidelines with a baseball bat in his hands.
Alright, I had to step in there before things got even more out of hand!
"Hey you!"
The two thugs turned around to face me. Ring Leader dropped the kid on the ground so he could crack his knuckles. His face looked rather angry that I was interrupting his beating session. But then his eyes widened and I could only guess that he figured out who I was.
"Well lookie what we have here." He laughed and elbowed his partner in the ribs. "It's the monster prince comin' in to save da day! What a joke!"
"I've always wanted to beat da shit outta 'im, boss!" his partner looked even more derange than Ring Leader was. He patted his baseball bat against the palm of his hands before getting into a stance as if he was about to hit a baseball. "The whole city will love us if we kill 'im, eh boss?"
"We'll finally get some respect around here." There was that word again – respect. This time brought up for all the wrong reasons.
It was now or never. If I didn't do something they'd not only hurt the kid, but probably me as well. Although the only fear I had was getting whacked in the head by that baseball bat. It was freaking steel! Getting into my own attack position, I didn't call on the Kyuubi this time. Secretly I've been doing some training by myself, honing on my own skills and strengths. The results were pretty good so far. I was getting stronger, faster, and my attacks had a little more impact.
This was going to be fun.
Ring Leader lunged out me first, trying to tackle me down for a pummeling. I dodged out of the way easily enough, and with is back turned all I had to do was kick him and he was down on the ground. His lackey looked to be shocked, but he overcame it and went for me swinging his back. It was so uncoordinated that at first he was going to hit me. I had to dodge a few swings, until I finally found my rhythm and caught the bat in my hands.
I smirked, "Didn't see that coming now did yah?" ripping the bat out of his hands, I landed a perfect kick to the stomach that sent the lackey sailing into a pile of trash.
"You little bitch!" Aww, I thought I had already taken care of Ring Leader. What a pain in the ass. Turning around, I saw that he had pulled out a small knife on me. Wimp, he couldn't even fight me hand-to-hand. I sighed, dodging every stab he attempted to make at me. Pein told me once that the angrier you made an opponent; the easier it was for you to win a battle. Anger clouded your mind and you no longer cared about the technical aspects of a battle, but rather beating the shit out of the other person. Now for me, my anger normally gave me more power, but others got lost in the fury and they ended up with their asses kicked painfully.
Like Ring Leader was about to be, for example.
"Is that the best you can do?" I taunted, dodging another stab. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the kid was frozen to the spot, shaking in fear. I flashed him a smile, telling him everything was going to be just fine. I don't know whether he caught on or not, but he seemed to calm down.
This fight was going on for way too long, and dancing with this thug was starting to get boring. Crouching down, I shot my hand up and grabbed the thug by the wrist. He never saw it coming, and with a little pressure, he dropped the knife. Standing up, I twisted his arm behind his back and brought him to his knees.
"Fuck!" he screamed as I twisted it even more. "Let go of me you bitch!"
"I'm not a bitch." I stated calmly, adding in more pressure. God, Pein's sadistic ways were somewhat rubbing off on me.
"You monster, let go!"
"Am I really the monster here?" I dropped my voice to a whisper, eyes suddenly growing solemn. "I wasn't the one beating up a poor little kid in an alleyway. If that wasn't cruelty then I don't know what is. Now you're going to leave with your lackey over there and never bother this kid again. If you fail to do that, I will hunt you down and break your arm this time." I kicked him in the back and Ring Leader fell to the ground in a huff. "No one threatens the safety of my people."
I smiled triumphantly watching Ring Leader run away with his lackey, their tails between their legs. A sigh escaped my lips as I rolled my shoulders. That was really too easy. I couldn't even consider that a work out. Now I suppose I should check out the kid; my next priority.
"Hey there," I whispered softly as I bent down to his level. He looked a little shocked at first, shivering with tears and blood staining his face, he even had a little snot running down his nose. "You don't have to worry about those goons anymore. Naruto Uzumaki here took care of them!"
"That…"
I raised my hand to stop him, a small smile on my face. "I know. You must think of me as a monster too. I'm really not like that, though. If they ever bother you again tell me. I may be the prince and all, but I'll kick a few asses if they mess with yah."
The kid blinked at me, probably stupefied that the supposed monster was so nice and protective. Which is true – I am very nice. Then, a small smile spread across his lips.
"That was so cool, Naruto Uzumaki! You were so cool!"
That was the first time anyone has ever called me "cool".
+Eclipse+
After I got the kid to calm down and wiped away all the snot, blood, and tears, I learned that his name was Konohamaru Sarutobi, and that his old man was a diplomat. I've seen his gramps around the castle sometimes. He always had this air around him that if you overstepped your boundaries with him, he would crush you. That's why I never got so close to him. But listening to this kid on my back gabbing on and on about his gramps made me think differently. Perhaps he was a good guy after all and I was always misjudging him because I never took the time to get to know him.
Ha, the irony of it all.
"You were so cool back there, Naruto Uzumaki! When you dodged that guy's baseball and then kicked him right into the trash! POW! It was so… so…"
"So cool?" I added in with a snicker.
"Yeah! That's it!"
I couldn't help but blush. My ego was seriously getting fed by Konohamaru's praises. "Oh I wasn't that cool. I'm pretty sure anyone could have done it."
"No way, Naruto Uzumaki! I thought I was going to be a goner if you didn't come into save me!"
I laughed and ruffled Konohamaru's hair. I liked this kid. I liked him a lot. His was nice to me. Didn't see me as a monster. And had this amazing amount of energy that was infectious. I deemed this kid as my new favorite.
"Look at him. Hanging onto the back of a monster. Poor kid's going to get himself hurt."
I thought those comments with dulled knives wouldn't have affected me too much, but I couldn't help flinching at the… the pity and venom that were mixed into her words. It was hard to hang your head up high when people were constantly whispering at you and pointing. No! Naruto, you're stronger than this! You can't let these people get the satisfaction of seeing you hurt!
"Naruto Uzumaki?" Konohamaru leaned forward and poked my cheek. "What's wrong?"
"Haha, it's nothing Konohamaru!" I had to put on an act. I couldn't let him see me so affected by their words. I was this kid's hero right now! A hero does not let other's opinions get to him.
"Hmm…" he wasn't believe a second of it. His head whipped around left and right. I think he could catch on to what people was saying or the gist of what they were saying, because every time he tried to make eye contact with someone they'd look away.
"Oh look, the monster's gotten himself new prey. And it's Sarutobi's grandkid no less!"
"I wish the king would just drive out the demon. It's sickening having to look at him."
"Hey you!" Oh God! Please don't tell me Konohamaru's about to do what I think he is.
"Konohamaru!"
"W-What?" Obviously the man and his wife were taken aback that Konohamaru had caught on to what they were saying. Wasn't that difficult really since they weren't being considerate enough to whisper.
"You don't even know Naruto Uzumaki and you're calling him a monster! You guys are the monsters! Naruto Uzumaki is the coolest and kindest guy I know! Either take back what you said or I'll personally beat in your faces!"
Tears, they were running down my face as a grin started to take over. That was the first time anyone inside the city had ever stood up for me. It was even better watching the stunned faces of everyone around us. Sarutobi's grandson standing up for the demon prince? It was probably unheard of to them. But I loved it. I felt that it was actually possible to get people to notice me as the human, the prince, and gain their respect.
"Thank you, Konohamaru." I whispered softly.
Konohamaru hugged onto my tighter, "Anytime, Naruto."
+Eclipse+
"Konohamaru, what did I tell you about getting yourself in trouble?"
"Sorry, Gramps!" Konohamaru whined, he even threw in some puppy dog eyes for added effect. "It won't every happen again. I promise!"
"It better not." Sarutobi growled and ordered the kid inside. I couldn't help but laugh at their antics. It sort of reminded me of how I would act with my dad. Sarutobi looked up, and out of courtesy he bowed, but there was a small smile on his face. "Thank you for bringing him home, Naruto-sama."
"He was so cool, Gramps!" Konohamaru called out from the inside of their house. "He showed those thugs what's what!"
"Konohamaru!" Sarutobi snapped. Konohamaru squeaked and ran back inside from the wrath of his grandfather.
"It was nothing. No need to thank me." I rubbed the back of my head nervously. Seriously, I wasn't used to this much praise from other people. It was sort of nerve racking.
"No. I must thank you. If it weren't for you I probably wouldn't see my grandson come home again…" he smiled fondly and reached up to pat my shoulder. "I never viewed you as a monster, Naruto-sama. Do not let what people say about you bring you down. If they do not see your good attributes, then make it so that you stand out for the good you have and not the evil. You have earned my respect. And I can not wait to see what you will become as our future king."
Fuck. It's moments like these that I can't help the few stray tears that run down my face. Konohamaru stuck his head out the window and yelled, "I'm rooting for you too, Naruto! I'll be your number one supporter!"
Their words of support and kindness gave me a new found hope for myself. I was going to gain the respect of the people of Soleil. It wasn't impossible for me anymore! On the way home, I thanked God for this moment and wiped the tears away.
"Can't cry now, Naruto. You've got a city to win over."
Ta daaaa~ Chapter Nine done and done :3. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as much as I did! I loved Konohamaru's outburst on the people like BAM 8D. Ahaaaa.
Anywho! Leave a review on the way out, please :]. Feedback pumps me up, yo!
Till next time ^^