Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
"Windows to the Soul"
by Chronos Astral
Chapter 8:
'Moving By'
Umino Iruka wasn't just nervous. Oh, no. He was downright troubled. He put up a calm facade as he wrote significant pointers on the blackboard, lecturing all the while about the basics of chakra gathering before his class, when inside he was trembling with anxiety. He hoped that the class didn't notice the small shaking in his voice. He couldn't help it. If this got out, he might have to kiss his teaching and ninja career goodbye.
His eyes took a brief glance at the very source of his distress. Spiky sun-kissed hair. Disturbingly angelic smile. Constantly sealed eyes. And to top it all off, exotic whisker marks. As if knowing that the scarred chuunin was eyeing him, the boy turned his head to his direction and beamed. Flustered, Iruka looked away and continued his lesson, though he felt that the boy's grin grew even wider.
Iruka was not having a good day at all as his thoughts constantly drifted to the beginning of the day when all the trouble began.
Trouble in the form of a new student, the enigmatic blond boy that was Uzumaki Naruto.
Today was just like any other day in Konohagakure no Sato's Ninja Academy, as young ninja-aspiring candidates clamored with the last of their innocence as the children they are. Various activities always sprouted from these students, always finding ways to entertain themselves as they work their way to hopefully join the respected ranks of the Konoha-nin.
It was like any other day with chatting, gossip, bragging, paper airplanes flying, studying, arguing, brooding, or whatever else the eccentric batch could do.
Noticeably, at one corner of the room, was a raven-haired boy who's handsome features had attracted a flock of females his age to his side, complimenting him for his 'greatness' and fighting over the seat next to him, much to his growing ire. Uchiha Sasuke, last remaining Uchiha 'loyal' to Konoha, just didn't find them worth his time, as much of an ego-boost as it might be. With those thoughts he steeled himself to block away their caustic babbling.
The only few females in the room that weren't throwing themselves at the moody Uchiha were but a group of three, possibly the only few girls that took the kunoichi profession seriously. The three were the best of friends as well as rivals, always trying to top the other over the prize of "Kunoichi of the Year".
The brunette among them, the current lead in their small competition, was notably a Hyuuga as shown by her pale white eyes that showed a great deal of kindness yet a fiery determination. She wore a large white jacket that hid most of her lithe form but had left the zipper open, revealing her dark mauve undershirt, and dark pants along with it. "Sasuke-san is getting more attention that usual today..." Hyuuga Hinata noted, speaking without the same stutter she once had in her childhood.
"I'm guessing it's because today's physical examination day. Their probably too excited to wait for another of his jutsus." Haruno Sakura, the brains of the group, quipped absently, shaking her head as the squabble had now resorted to hair-pulling and wrist-biting. The girl was genetically granted a strange mop of naturally pink hair, cut short so to prevent it from straying onto her face during a fight and inviting emerald green eyes. Wearing a modest red dress, fastened and cut for better combat performance over black form-fitting shorts, she was not one to put fashion or other menial things over her work.
Yamanaka Ino grinned at the poor Uchiha's irritated expression as he willed himself to tune out the catfight that had erupted right next to him. Ino was a platinum blonde with teal blue eyes that beheld a sense of beauty. She had the more maturing body of the two and it showed with her sleeveless purple top that showed her slim midriff and a purple skirt over her bandage leggings. She was also the most aggressive and protective one of them, acting as the older sister of sorts.
It was a known fact in the class that those three had no interest in the Uchiha heartthrob, which earned them the respect, admiration, and sometimes even affection of the male half of the batch. Even Sasuke had to admit they were talented in their own right, having sparred with them a few times. When inquired of why, the three answered that they had better things to with their time than gawking at the obviously uninterested boy. Once they were accused of liking another boy. Their only answer was flushed silence.
Outside of the classroom, a scarred chuunin by the name of Umino Iruka, teacher of this batch of would-be genin, felt troubled by what he was informed of by the staff. Apparently it was talk of a new student was coming in late at the last year of the academy, but it wasn't just anyone. It was the one and only most infamous child of all of Konoha, and Iruka was to be his teacher for the remainder of the year.
Joy...
He swore internally. He knew this wouldn't end well, he just knew it. While the Kyuubi did leave him orphaned, he only had conflicted feelings for the boy, seeing that he was also an orphan and that he didn't think anyone deserved that kind of scorn, especially one so young. But he heard rumors before, on how the boy had managed to control the mind of some stranger years ago. Shaking away these thoughts, he decided to cross that bridge when he got to it, steeling himself and opening the door to his classroom.
"Alright, quiet down!!" He commanded the students with a booming shout, forcing them to stop whatever they were doing and sit quietly, giving their full attention. Iruka nodded at their obedience and mentally prepared himself. "Class, we will be having a new student joining us today. Due to a few circumstances, he is only able to join the academy today."
As he finished his small briefing, a knock on the door interrupted him that he assumed to be the arrival of said student.
'Here it goes...'
Iruka swiveled his head to the direction of the door, followed by the class who were curious as to whom this boy was that would attend so late into the academy. "Enter."
The resounding click of the knob was heard followed by the ominous creak of hinges as the door slowly swung open. Footsteps padded from behind the door and forwards to the front of the classroom, revealing a distinct blond child of around twelve years of age. The boy was a bit tall for his age, many strands of blond saggy hair spiking outwards and down onto his shoulders into a ponytail that looked more like a long yellow porcupine hanging off the back of his head. He had his eyes sealed shut in a serene look which made one wonder how he could see where he was going. A pristine captivating smile plastered his attractive facet, projecting an easygoing and tranquil appearance. He wore a loose dark blue kataginu over a black kimono with a blue fitting hakama over it and the standard shinobi sandals. Though despite all this, his most notable feature was the unique marks on his face that looked to be whiskers.
Iruka made a mental equivalent of a nervous gulp. "Introduce yourself to the class and tell us a little about yourself."
The boy nodded and spoke with a calmness and serenity of one enlightened. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I aspire and persevere to become a Konoha ninja and gain the title of Hokage, in my and my Nii-san's honor. I may not be of any prestigious clan or in possession of any revered bloodline that you know of, but I work myself to be stronger and someday become the strongest of all ninja," He was about to end his speech but he remembered to add one more detail.
"Oh, and I am also the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. It's a pleasure to meet you all."
By Kami, he nearly pissed himself when he heard that.
The chuunin did his best to focus on the lesson, trying to shake away the feeling of dread and foreboding yet failing as the thought of the Uzumaki boy boring into his back only heightened his anxiety. He didn't know if it was a blessing or a curse that none of the students knew what a 'jinchuuriki' was. It was a relief to know at the least that they weren't exactly aware of the boy's condition but that also led to them inquiring him of what the meaning of 'jinchuuriki' was, which made it even more bloody uncomfortable than it already was.
In contrast to the distressed thoughts of the chuunin teacher, the thoughts of the students were that of intrigue and curiosity. Or most of them at least as certain individuals either couldn't care less, found it too troublesome to think on, were too busy eating, or too enamored with the boy to notice.
If one looked close enough, they would notice that one Yamanaka Ino, Hyuuga Hinata, and Haruno Sakura appeared to be flustered and almost wide-eyed in awe. If one looked really close enough, they would spot the tinge of pink in their cheeks.
'Uzumaki' was not a common surname and the same goes for the given name 'Naruto. Blond boys with whisker-like streaks on each cheek that aspired to be Hokage are an even greater rarity. Narrowing it down, there would only be one boy that fit the above descriptions that compare with what the girls could remember of their respective pasts with him.
The one and the only Uzumaki Naruto.
The girls felt a distinct warmth well up inside their stomachs, impelling them to squirm uncomfortably in their seats. The three found themselves staring, not able to look away from the boy as they drank in his every feature. The boy had grown considerably through the years in a physical sense, seeing the baby fat on his face was non-existent now and his pronounced collar bone was visible through the opening of his loose-fitting gi. He didn't look to be one who trained often seeing as his skin bore little to no imperfection and seemed to be very smooth to the touch. The girls had to acknowledge how handsome he looked to them, wondering how the boy of six years ago could turn into this stunning Adonis of a pre-teen. And to think, he had yet to grow into his teenage years.
Sakura felt ecstatic at the sight of her second true friend. Try as she might, the butterflies in her stomach wouldn't settle. Unconsciously, she reached into her pocket, feeling the material of a nostalgic handkerchief brush against her fingertips. The cloth had been with her all this time, refusing to let go of it at all, just like the ribbon that Ino had given her. At times she would longingly trace the swirls embedded into the fabric, reminding her of her fateful encounter with the selfless boy. Though she would never admit it to anyone, her reason for wanting to be a kunoichi wasn't just to gain strength to support herself, but it was also influenced by the blond boy's heartfelt words. He had said that she looked intelligent, which had been her drive to study vigilantly, and how her name and hair fit perfectly, even adding that it looked cute on her.
Ino, herself faired no better and felt very conscious of herself and how she looked like to him. Often at night he would think of him, going to sleep with the boy's cap, his unofficial reminder of him as well as one of her most precious keepsakes. She could remember how they met and how his hands soothingly caressed her in the past. How he soothed her with his words and ministrations. In her younger years, the thought made her giggle uncontrollably, but now the very mental image of his hands going down her back like they once did made her shiver pleasurably, wanting more. Mentally, she asked herself if her hair was fixed right, or if her shirt was properly fastened, or if there were any blemishes on her face.
Hinata couldn't stop shaking as she felt Naruto's presence in the room. At the mention of his name, she was stunned, bewildered, and flustered, unable to look at him directly out of fear that he would look back at her and make her flush even more. She found the strong her to tap her fingers together, a reaction she had once when she felt very unsure or nervous.. After his successful attempt at boosting her confidence, she had found herself growing stronger over the years, never backing down at the harsh words her clan would spit. She had come to truly appreciate what he had done for her, treasuring the stone he had given her, going as far as having it fastened into a necklace that she wore everyday. She could never bring herself to remove it, even when she bathed.
In their distraction, the girls had failed to pay any attention to the lesson being given. Iruka damned the lesson plan he had for today. Of all the things he could be teaching of all the times. With a mental sigh, he resigned himself to fate.
"Can anyone tell me of the incident of the Kyuubi no Kitsune?" At that point, he avoided calling on the blond boy that constantly raised his hand to recite.
"Excuse me, Sensei?"
Iruka's thoughts screamed. 'Please don't be him, Please don't be him, Please don't be him!' He turned about and found the beaming face of his new student, Uzumaki Naruto, inquiring him. 'I hate you Kami...'
"Yes, Naruto?" The chuunin failed at trying to hide the tremble in his voice.
"No offense meant, sensei, but I'm afraid you may have misinformed the class with that lesson." Naruto stated.
"O-oh?" Again, his tone shook. Maybe the Hokage would go easy on him and settle for only life imprisonment. Maybe none of the students would tell their parents of what had transpired.
Maybe the sky was neon pink.
The boy nodded, still managing to smile. "From what I know, the story is quite different from what you've taught, sensei."
This only confirmed the chuunin's suspicion that the boy knew of his 'tenant'. "Naruto..." Iruka darted his eyes for any listeners. "I want you to understand that there is a law that forbids me to even speak of what really happened to the Kyuubi and-"
"I know, sensei," Naruto cut him off and gave a small toothy grin. "I was referring to your explanation as to why the Kyuubi attacked the village."
Iruka became interested at this. "You see, sensei. The Kyuubi did not attack the village for its dislike of humans. Though it doesn't like mankind, it wouldn't attack unless provoked or otherwise."
Naruto continued in a tone that spoke of intelligence much more advanced than that of a twelve year old. He watched as he had caught his teacher's full attention. "At the time, the Kyuubi did not want anything to do with Konoha, or any human for that matter. The demon had been driven into a rage, through the effects of a rare bloodline. Our village had the sad misfortune of being within its warpath. Interesting enough is that the person who had performed it was a nin from Konoha itself."
"To put it more precisely, his fury was brought upon by the bloodline of my own uncle, Uzumaki Toruna."
It was at this point that Iruka would be screaming 'WHAT THE #$!!!' but he had settled for a wide-eyed mouth-agape expression and instead recited those words in a mental mantra. Talk of the Kyuubi was always an uncomfortable subject with Iruka, a prospect the other instructors and ninja respect. Now the very boy containing said beast was casually speaking to him about it. Not only that, if he were to believe the boy's words, it was apparent that the very thing that instigated the attack in the first place, thus killing his parents, was the boy's very own relative! It was insane! Ludicrous!
Silence gripped him, his voice caught in his throat in pure outrage, unable to speak. Naruto smiled at his expression. "I mean no offense to you, sensei. I can see that this makes you uncomfortable. Perhaps the Kyuubi pains you in some way?"
Waiting for no response, Naruto placed the forefinger of his right hand to his head. "Here," He inched his hand closer to the chuunin. "Let me relieve you of your pain a little."
Iruka was given little time to react as the young blond's fingertips brushed made contact on the collar of his neck. The world around him rushed forward suddenly, feeling an invisible weight fall away from him.
It felt... good...
"Naruto...?" An unsure voice called to him from behind.
The Kyuubi container beamed brightly at the address of his name. Despite being a little winded from his small exchange with his teacher, his senses caught the presence of some very familiar individuals who have been tailing him for some time, afraid to approach him until now. He didn't even turn around to acknowledge them as he spoke. "Hinata-chan. Ino-chan. Sakura-chan. It's so nice to see you again."
A/N
A small glimpse of his bloodline, if you didn't know.
This is also a time-skip. I hope you're not too confused with what happened the previous chapter.
What Toruna had shown the previous chapter was also only a small glimpse and not the entirety of it all. There is more to it.
A clarification on Naruto's clothing: It is the modified set of a traditional Japanese outfit called the 'kamishimo', composed of a large sleeveless jacket (kataginu),
Update on the pairings:
Girls decided in the Harem so far:
Sakura
Ino
Hinata
TenTen
Temari
Hanabi (made a little older)
And others I will leave as a small surprise.
Girls for debate:
Anko
Ayame
I had nearly forgotten about Ayame. I don't know if she should be more on the sisterly role though I'm still leaning on the harem.
Anko is still in debate. I really can't decide what to do with her.
Reviews are like my life essence... I am slowly dying each day I receive no review...
