Chapter 4

I had expected this. Uh huh, because the ominous feeling at the pit of my stomach said so. My guts haven't failed me yet.

I sigh. Better this than having nowhere to live. God forbid hoarding with the kids in the orphanage. I don't mind the kids actually, - aside from the fact that it comes with its own set of troubles - the strain I have when interacting with people, in general, probably won't go so well. It makes me feel twitchy just thinking about it.

I suppose not everything can go according to plan. Considering I've had hope to avoid Naruto at all cost, proved fruitless since he's the one that found me, intentionally or not. His talent for messing with people plan seems enthusiastically keen on getting in my way.

"Well, on the bright side, it's not like he will remember me," I muse. "Or affect the plot much." That's where I would later learn how wrong I could be. Such foreshadowing...

Though for now, let's see how comfortable my new temporary home is, just for however long I need it, it's not like I want to stay here forever. I crush that thought for a later date. I'm too tired to linger the thought any more than necessary. I unlock the door to my new apartment and look around.

It's bare. There is nothing in here other than a bed, an empty fridge, sink and a stove. There's no food, no clothes, no money... No nothing. I'm so freaking tired my eyes are closing itself! Ahem, can you tell I'm getting cranky? I hear a loud growl and look down at my stomach. Great. I'm hungry too.

"I need a job." I grumble as I plop myself onto the comfortable looking wooden floor and promptly fall asleep.

"Would you like an apartment for yourself?"

Would you? Would you?! You would fucking love it!
"That sounds nice."

The Hokage looks amused as he sees how easily your expression can be read. But then it changes to calculating and serious.

"But you see, you won't get any allowance like the other kids."

You frown as you mull it over in your head. There are a lot of pros and cons in this. But what the heck, let's just roll with it, since you're already emotionally and physically drained. You can't waste any more energy over it,- You need it for walking later, Damn it!- and privacy does sound appealing.

You've made up your mind. You nod at the Hokage and can't believe how absolutely delighted the Hokage looks; the expression doesn't really bode well with the lingering ominous feeling you had.

"Good, I shall arrange it right away. Ah, you will be neighbors with the other boy just now, so would you please get along." He said, still with his I'm-an-innocent-old-man look intact. He set this up! You thought, feeling slightly betrayed for an unknown reason.

I wake up with a slightly disoriented feeling and soreness all over. Note to self; Beds are the most glorious things to have ever existed. I glance around the place and sigh.

"Of course it's not a dream" I say to myself sourly as I continue to look around. With the lingering sleep I still have, I ponder about the things that had happened. Which deity above had I apparently pissed off? I was about to drag myself into the bathroom, but a knock interrupts my narrating.

I nervously shuffle to open the door. Did I lock the door last night? I warily think. It wouldn't be Naruto, would it? Even though the Hokage said to get along- Another knock cuts my mindless thoughts.

"Who is it?"

I'm met with silence before a muffled voice answers.

"I have a message from the Hokage and I'd rather not talk to a door."

The voice sounds amused if anything, and with that I convince myself to open the door for the Stranger-san before my paranoia takes over. I wince when I noted that I forgot to lock the door.

"Hello." Stranger-san looks happy. I groan internally. It's too early to be this happy.

"It's never too early to be happy!" Stranger-san chirps. Did I say that out loud?

"My name is not Stranger-san~ and yep, yep you did!" Still chirping, he doesn't sound offended in the slightest. I don't know who you are and I don't plan on knowing either. "My name..." I tune out the rest. I stare at the animated ninja talking aimlessly, forgetting his earlier mission.

I frown in contemplation. I never saw this ninja before in the manga. Probably too minor to be a character of importance. Probably died in a mission or invasion... Or any other events that'll occur later on.

...

Not my problem. "What is the Hokage's message again?" Stranger-san blinks as if he just realizing his reason for coming here in the first place.

"Oh, here!"

Now it's my turn to blink and stare at the old Japanese currency.

"What's this?"

"Money?" If I can just scowl this ninja to oblivion I would, with how annoyingly oblivious he acts. No wonder this character didn't get any screen time. I sigh and start explaining anyway.

"The Hokage said I wouldn't get any allowance since I chose the apartment instead."

"Oh~ yeah about that, Hokage-Sama said this money is to help you get sorted out."

The Hokage can't be that kind... He must be planning something. Or am I overthinking things again?

"Is that all?"

"Ah, well, if you're interested in being a ninja-"

"-No."

"You will be put on probation for a few months. Not just you but the other kids who also might be interested."

Sounds reasonable enough, considering some of the kids that had been saved would've probably had a bloodline or something of the sort.

They are apparently 'scientifically interesting' enough to be kidnapped by the snake pedophile - What's with that guy and kidnapping kids?

"That includes physiological checkup on your mental stability."

I snort at this. "No." No Yamanaka will ever touch my head. Ever. Not while you're alive. And you don't plan on roll over and die anytime soon.

"But if-"

"-No." My eyebrows start to twitch.

"Anything else?" Stranger-san was about to say something else but thinks about it again and shakes his head.

...

Stare

...

What is he still doing here? "Don't you have to report back to Hokage?" He huffs in annoyance, like a kid that had been denied to having his favorite candy.

"Tsk, kids these days don't have any respect for elders." I twitch in annoyance by the absurdity of it all.

"Ano..."

Stranger-san and I both blink. There stood by the door was the one and only, Naruto yet again. Somehow no matter how much I tried to avoid everything, it seems enthusiastically eager on making my life more miserable than it already is.

"Ah, hey! Aren't you that kid that was at Jiji's office yesterday? Thank you, thank you, thank you! Its true, Jiji did have some free time in the evening, I'm so glad that you told me! I never had a neighbor before cause for some reason whenever I try to greet them they would always move the next day. So, um... Do you want to be friends?"

I twitch. Calm down, me. I glance over to my side to look at Stranger-san and notice that he had excused himself away. Good riddance. You didn't even aware how impossibly hard it is to do that without anyone noticing.

"First off, it's rude to come into anyone's house or room without the owner's consent-"

"-But the door is already open..."

"Second, I don't want to be your friend. Now go away."

I was about to glare at Naruto, but the crestfallen look stopped me from doing so. I curse seven different ways to hell and deny that the look affected me. Nope! Nu uh! No!

"Third, we're probably the same age and you're shorter than me. What makes you think I'm a kid?"

Naruto glared at me, probably at the 'short' comment.

"Probably because of that unhealthy eating habits of yours" I grumble lowly to myself, not expecting Naruto to hear it.

"Not my fault! I don't know how to cook! And I don't like going shopping for groceries..."

Silence descends upon the both of us.

"What does food do anyway? Ramen is as good as any food, and it tastes good."

He pouts as he tries defending his favorite food. I sigh. Whatever. I don't care anymore.

"Close the door shortie-"

"-Not a shortie!"

"If you want to come in, I haven't even washed my face, and the day is already tiring me out."

Plan for today:

Find a job.
2.1) Shop for necessities.
2.2) Find clues about cross-dimensional traveling.

I frown as I look at my own writing. Naruto provided the pencil and paper, since he was so stubborn and wanted to hang around here, I might as well make use of him.

"Ne, ne, ne what 'cha writing anyway? You're glaring at it."

"My writing is horrible."

"Well mine is way bad."

Because the whole disastrous mishap hadn't sunk in yesterday, my attention is all over the place. I didn't notice how uncoordinated my body is.

I didn't count on the fact that I will not magically adjust to my new body. I tried to brush away some of the bangs that cover my face, but nearly poke my eyes with my own fingers, so.. I better refrained from doing anything that may physically harm me.

"Heeeeeyyyyy."

"Stop that."

I glare at the offending limbs and then glance at Naruto. He looks worried.

...

No one can avoid not being drawn to him when he's the one being so persistent, can they? He grins when he knows that you had come back from wherever your mind was wandering to.

"What's that? The academy doesn't teach the stuff you write! Is it a code?"

"It's English."

"In-Gu-Ri-Su?"

I nod as I note how easy it is to change the language whenever I try to write between English and Japanese. Though Kanji might be a problem, since it's more complex.

"What's In-Gu-Ri-Su?"

"It's a..."

I frown. Does this place, no; does this world know what English is for that matter? Hopefully not.

"Secret language code thing..."

Naruto's eyes start to sparkle at the code idea, more so that it's a secret.

"Cool! Can I learn it? Can I? Can I? Oh please, can I?"

I just wave him off.

"Yeah, yeah..."

He grins so wide it looks as if it might hurt his cheeks if he grins any wider.

"You promise?"

I freeze. Promise.

"I... Can't."

Promises... Naruto always, always holds on to his promises because he doesn't have anything to hold on other than his own word. You can't just carelessly promise something and break it off so easily, because Naruto might pick up your own bad habits and you don't plan to be the one responsible for any future complications that come up.

Naruto frowns at that.

"Why not?" He huffs, annoyed.

"Because promises can't be taken lightly, Shortie. If you broke a promise it's like..."

I tried to think of some idiom but none came to mind.

"Like stabbing another person in the back."

Naruto looks confused. I sigh and continue to explain anyway.

"Say someone promises you that they would celebrate your birthday, but in the end, they didn't keep their words. Even worse, they make fun of you for it."

Naruto's eyes widen akin to understanding and his eyes went hazy with memories. It made me curious as to what he was remembering.

"Oh."

"Yeah, it's a bad thing to break promises."

"So, you don't want to teach me that secret code thing...?"

I sigh at the dejected tone that Naruto had used against me.

"Look, Shortie-"

"-I'm not a shortie!-"

"-People have other responsibilities to do."

He frowns, indicated he doesn't understand. I can practically feel a huge headache coming.

"You know, I need money that comes from working- like jobs- and I don't stay at the orphanage to get monthly allowance."

Still with the frown intact, he adds,

"But I still got my own! Even if I'm not in the orphanage, Jiji still gives it to me!"

"It's because your Jiji loves you." Besides, Naruto's dad probably owned a fortune and probably won't put a dent on the Hokage's wallet. While here, I'm a different story altogether.

His frown is now gone, replaced by a blank expression staring straight at you. Didn't I say I hate expressionless faces?

"Don't be selfish, Shortie. Everyone needs to do other things, and you might not be included on the list."

"It's not because they hate me?"

Hate is ah... Such a strong word.

"Ah, not really... More like dislike." Well I know most people in the manga, the Shinobis -at least - is probably neutral to Naruto. Just a few would dare to blatantly show any sign of intense hatred, Mizuki for one.

"What's the difference anyway?"

"Well for one, 'Hate' is a more extreme length than 'dislike'. It's so extreme to the point that you'll be willing to kill that person."

He widens his eyes at that. I warily ask if he understands and he nods his head solemnly before his face morphs into a comically pained shocked expression.

"Ah! I'm late for the academy, and it's my first day too!"

"Well you better get going, then. I myself need to find me a job."

He was about to dash out of the door, but he stops at the frame and asks me without turning his back,

"Can... Can I see you later?"

I sigh and glance at the scribble of 'avoid Naruto at all costs'. It's scratched.

"Maybe..." I mumble. Whether he heard it or not, I'm not sure.

"Kay, oh! My name is not Shortie! It's Uzumaki Naruto! Believe it!" I caught his determined gaze as it locks onto me. I recognize it.

"I... Maybe when I have some free time I can teach you the code thing, Naruto."

He grins.

"But! If I notice even just a tiny bit that shows you're not interested in learning it, I will stop teaching and seeing you altogether. Promise me... Promise me that you won't tell anyone about this."

"Even Jiji?"

"Even the Hokage." Especially the Hokage, considering I'm not sure what he will do if he finds out that I know some strange language. This is a small test for Naruto, to see if he's willing to hide- or even lie at times- to his so-called Jiji. This way, I can decide whether I can trust him fully or not.

"I promise! You can count on it!" And what do you know, he didn't even hesitate. I can smile a little, and indulge in a thought; Befriending Naruto might not be so bad, what could possibly go wrong?

A hell lot.

Ah, damn it! I knew I was foreshadowing!

A/N: Fufufu~ well poor narrator-san I want to torture a bit more but eh I give it a break. I really dont want the oc to interact with Naruto at all but I doubt Naruto is all that annoying when he still little I supposed Narrator-san have a soft spot for him eh? and you might notice how my writing change ? well I want to test which one suited me.

Next up! search for work! what sort of work did narrator-san end up anyway and can narrator-san find any clue for a way to go back.

Edited 05/08/2015

Beta - thanks to my most fabs editor Maple~