Rose: Well Two-Tails asked me to make a slight change in the way I type things in my stories so Chapter names and numbers will now be in bold type as well things said by non-real entities (like Inner Sakura and Kyuubi). Mainly he wanted me to do this cause I have a tendency to type more than one chapter in a sitting and he gets frustrated when he's looking for the start of them to do his job. Poor Baby. :P
Disclaimer: Naruto and his friends and enemies aren't mine. So sad but I wasn't fast enough at creating him. Probably cause I'm not Japanese and didn't think of it.
Chapter Fifteen
The Agreement
A week later Tsunade finally agreed to let Naruto escape his jail. . .I mean get out of the hospital. Of course, he had to put up Watarimono and Ino visiting for several hours every day trying to chip his metaphysical mask. And of course his release had only come about because he'd promised not to avoid the pair anymore. Not that avoiding them was necessary since Watarimono hadn't endorsed his release until she'd extracted her own promise from him. Now he was stuck, he thought glumly. That damned woman. He kicked a rock on the sidewalk and it went flying.
He made the turn into the Uchiha District and stepped up to Sasuke's door. Before he could knock Sasuke opened it and he stepped inside quickly. Both of them knew fangirls would have a spy posted nearby to notice when Sasuke came and went from his residence. Sasuke escorted Naruto to the hidden room where he'd stashed his stuff with Hinata, Kurenai, and Iruka's help.
"So how'd you get away?" Sasuke asked. When it was just the two of them Sasuke talked like any normal boy his age.
"Don't want to talk about it," Naruto groused. "Damn nosy woman."
"Hn. Tell me about it."
"Had to agree to be myself for the next two weeks. Stupid woman. You?"
"I have to emcee that stupid music contest at the Festival. At least you can still hide here during it."
Naruto shook his head in the negative. "Nope. I have to preform during that contest. Some idiot told her that when the Rookies get together I do karoke. Probably Ino."
"Well, just do your loud act again. None of them know it isn't your real voice."
"Can't. Hinata knows. That and the fact that I won't be allowed to dress in my normal clothes. No secrets allowed for the next two weeks."
"Damn. You mean you can't even hide what you think of people? You can't act like you're to stupid to understand the insults and glares? No more orange baggy clothes? Nothing?"
"Nope none of it is allowed. I have to be one hundred percent true and Fox is backing her up."
"Oh shit and I thought having to be the emcee was bad but damn. This place is gonna be a death trap for you."
"She says with all the training I've received, I am perfectly capable of defending myself against anyone stupid enough to threaten me. Stupid woman. And I can't just hide out some where until the night of the contest. I have to appear somewhere in town at least once a day for at least an hour. And it has to be somewhere people are gathered together. A bar, which I stay out of unless we're all getting together, a store, most of which I can't even get in the door of, or a restaurant for a meal."
"Well, I guess we'll be eating a lot of ramen for the next couple of weeks then."
"No. Ichi's is forbidden too. She knows I'm comfortable there and Tsunade told her I eat too much of it to be healthy so I can't go there or buy any ramen for the duration. She's determined to kill me."
"Daaammmmmmn. Yeah . . .she is." Sasuke just stared open-mouthed. He'd thought she was being hard on him but damn. All she'd made him agree to was doing that emcee thing. And the villagers loved him. They hated Naruto. If he went through on this he, Sasuke, would be burying his only real friend before the week was out. Sasuke determined to get Iruka and Hinata to help guard Naruto until this was over and the two of them were free again to be who they wanted to be. "But why? I don't understand why she's being so hard on you. There has to be a reason."
"Tsunade."
"Huh"
"Tsunade told her I am her chosen successor and she doesn't like the idea of a Hokage who wears such a complete mask as I do. She says the Hokage shouldn't have a mask on at all so, even though they didn't want the whole thing removed, she is determined to rip it so completely away I'll never be able to hide again."
"Then we tell. We tell the Hokage of this deal and she'll get concessions for you. If she doesn't agree then we'll tell the Ero-Sannin. He hates her poking and prodding almost as much as you do."
"Tsunade already knows. Blasted woman drew up a scroll listing all of her demands before she would agree to my release. Tsunade was the witness to my signature and signed her own name to each condition." He shrugged his shoulders. "Anyway I have to get my guitar so I can practice before I get humiliated." He sat down at the kitchen table and put his head in his hands. "It was bad enough when they laughed and mocked my image. That wasn't real so I could laugh at them. But this. This will be me. Every insult; every barb; every rock and stone. . . It's gonna be the real me they're hurled at. It was bad when I was six. But now. . ."
"I'll be here." Sasuke put a hand on his shoulder. "And there are others who already know the real you. They'll be there too. We won't let you down. Trust us."
"It's not that I don't but . . .you and Iruka have never had to see the real me go through what this farce is going to send me through and you know it."
Sasuke left Naruto alone at the table and called Kurenai to come release the seal she'd put on the room with Naruto's things. She came right over and noticed how somber both the young men were.
Thinking it was due to the loss of his sanctuary, she said, "Don't worry Naruto. You'll find another place."
He just stared out the window at the rain that had started after he'd entered the house. The rain matched his mood he thought as he watched it streaming down the windows. Once Kurenai had released the seal he reached in and pulled out his guitar and after a minute of digging through the scrolls he found the two he wanted and stuck them inside his jacket.
"Did you get your journal?" Kurenai asked and was surprised when he closed his eyes.
Sasuke snapped his head towards Naruto, knowing there was another condition to that release he hadn't been told yet. He was about to ask her to leave when Kurenai said, "A lot of people have been asking to have it while you were in the hospital but Sasuke told them to go do themselves." She laughed as she headed for the door. "Don't give in, Naruto. No one has the right or need to see your private thoughts." She walked out the door into the pouring rain and disappeared never seeing the surprised look on his face.
"Told you. Now what did you agree to about that journal that you didn't want to tell me?"
"I'm supposed to either give it to Tsunade or to HER so they can see how my mind works through my own thoughts but I can't. This isn't a journal of my thoughts, Sasuke. It's. . ." He shook his head and shivered. "I was gonna ask you to burn it and say you'd done so while I was in the hospital but now that Kurenai knows you were actually guarding it I can't."
"Hn. Give it to me." He held his hand out. Naruto hesitated and he said, "Kurenai is right. They have no right to know what you aren't willing to tell them and they are stupid to put you through all this crap. Just because you were going nuts in there they got concessions they wouldn't have gotten from anyone who didn't have your enhanced senses. So hand it over."
Naruto pulled it out and stared at it for a few minutes. Sasuke took it away from him and said, "I'm not going to destroy it. I'm going to hide it and they will not get it. Ever. YOU will decide who gets to see it and no one else."
Naruto gave him a shaky smile and stood up. "Well, I guess it's show time. Like it or not." He took a deep breath and headed for the door.
"Wait up. I told you. You aren't going to go through this alone. Give me a minute to put this somewhere safe and then I'll go with you."
"You hate being in public places due to all those stupid girls. No need for both of us to suffer."
"We'll go to Hinata's and to Iruka's and get them to come along. We'll also tell them of these concessions."
"Hinata? Why her?"
"She is the one that knew where you were and helped to hide your treasures. She's been aware of who you are for longer than I have and she hasn't betrayed you yet. She won't like this any better than Iruka will." Sasuke went into a room Naruto knew was his father's old study and came back out with out the scroll a few minutes later. "It should be safe where it is until I can think of a different hiding spot. Now let's get this circus on the road."
They left the Uchiha District together and a few minutes later they were standing at Iruka's door and explaining the situation to him. His eyes narrowed and he frowned but after a brief trip inside he came back with his jacket and they set off for Hinata's place.
She was actually just heading home but they stopped her and told her about the blackmail the Hokage and her friend had subjected Naruto to and she turned on her heel. Her reaction took all three of the guys by surprise and they just stood staring as she marched towards the Hokage's tower. Yes marched was the word for the way she was moving. Her hands were clenched into fists at her sides and promised pain for someone as did the set of her shoulders. In fact there wasn't anything about her present posture that didn't say someone was gonna die. . .painfully.
After a quick look at each other the guys decided to follow her. Whatever she was gonna do was gonna be something none of them wanted to miss. Well, Naruto didn't want her to do anything that would get her into trouble but Sasuke and Iruka were interested in just who she was blaming for this mess.
Hinata stormed through the halls of the Tower intent on reaching her destination. Behind her ninja of various ranks, from genin all the way up to jounin scrambled to intercept her path but she was fury unleashed as her hands flew to connect with them and cut off their tenketsus whenever they got too close. "Move," she said in a quiet voice to the two Anbu that guarded Tsunade's office. When they didn't comply she slid gracefully into position and let loose with her Gentle Fist on them and both dropped to the floor two minutes later.
She pushed open the door and marched straight up to Tsunade's desk. "Where is that Bitch?"
Tsunade blinked. She had been relaxing and congratulating herself over getting the concessions from Naruto. Sure, she knew they'd gone farther than they should have but each of them was something that someone important to him wanted so she thought it was ok. But she hadn't counted on having Hinata angry over it all and it was obvious she was more than angry. Deciding to play it off she asked, "Who?"
"That. . .that. . .WOMan you brought here to hurt Naruto-kun. Where is she?"
"I didn't bring anyone here to hurt him. Calm down Hinata. He's not gonna get hurt." That had the opposite effect than she was looking for. Hinata got angrier.
"You FOOL," she said. Her voice was a mere whisper but each word was perfectly clear. "That you would hurt him like this after claiming to care for him. Constantly you say he is like a favorite nephew, the son you never had. But you'd never treat your son this way. You'd never ever use his disgust of the hospital against him like that if he was really like a son to you. And then you have the nerve to say he won't get hurt. He's hurting now!" Her voice had risen with each sentence until by the time she finished she was shouting. Since she hadn't closed the office door people were gathering in the outer office and listening as the normally very shy Hyuuga lived up to her clans reputation as Shinobi not to mess around with.
Tsunade rose from her chair and walked around Hinata to close the door, cutting off her words from the gossip hounds. Then she turned and looked at the shy heiress sternly and said, "If he hadn't chosen to hide so much away and refuse to meet with her like I wanted him to then none of this would have been necessary. If he's hurting now, he'll heal and be better for it. Believe it or not you are not the only person in this village that loves him. But unlike you I can't spend the better part of my day following him at a distance to see what he's hiding away. I have a job to do."
"Making him go into public places for at least an hour every day. Places where he knows he's not welcome. You think this isn't going to hurt? Are you stupid or just blind?"
"That's enough. You may not agree with the decision but it has been made because it is in his best interest. It's time he learned that he can go anywhere he wants in this village. He's not a little kid anymore where the shop keepers can and will manhandle him."
"You don't deserve to know the real Naruto and you don't deserve the respect he gives you." Hinata pushed past the stunned Hokage and left with tears in her eyes.
The guys had stood in the outer office totally floored when they heard Hinata go off on the Hokage. Now when she came out they went to her and surrounded her and together they left the building. Outside they stood waiting for Naruto to decide where they would go to fulfill his part of the concessions for the day.
"How about a park? We're a group so if we can find a private spot that should suffice. Luckily they didn't specify who has to see me during my hour of exposure." Sasuke smirked and led the way. He knew of a very private rarely used but very public park.
Once Hinata had left with Naruto, Sasuke and Iruka, Jiraiya came out of hiding and whistled. "I told you this was a bad idea, Tsunade-hime."
"Oh shut-up," she growled as she moved back to her desk. Watarimono came in with Kakashi and both took a seat on the couch.
It was Kakashi who spoke first, "What did Naruto want? Did he try to get out of the contract you forced upon him?"
"We didn't force him to sign it. He had the right to refuse," said Watarimono.
Kakashi snorted, sounding more like Sasuke than Sasuke did. "No he didn't. If he'd refused to sign away his life she'd have kept him pinned down for you to worm into his mind forever, making him sick off of the smells in that damn place as well as making him a sitting duck for anyone who still thinks he's a demon that needs to be put down."
"True," said Jiraiya.
"You have no room to talk. You're getting his journal out of it," muttered Tsunade. She fixed her gaze on Kakashi. "You really think there are still people in town who will try to kill him because of the Fox?"
He nodded. "You're in on this too Jiraiya? Damn. I knew you were rough in his training but I did think you had some respect for him." He shook his head in disappointment.
"Hey I do but boys his age have all kinds of fantasies they write about in things like that," Jiraiya protested.
"He doesn't write about any fantasies. He doesn't even think about girls that way if he can help it and he'd damn sure not write it down somewhere you could read it."
"Well then what does he write about?" Jiraiya was perplexed. "Boys his age can't think of much else. That scroll has to be full of fodder for my next novel."
Kakashi didn't answer but he knew Naruto well enough to know that he definitely would not write about something he didn't believe he could ever have. Whatever Naruto found important enough to write about it wasn't gonna be sex.
Tsunade spoke again. "You said we forced him into it. Something about the smell of the hospital making him sick. What did you mean by that? The hospital is kept very clean and we have deodorizers all over the place."
"Yeah and for people that don't house a demon they are strong enough to block all the odors that are bound to be in a place like that but not for him. He can smell an infection before the wound even gets that angry red color. So for him, the hospital isn't the place to get well. It's a place to go if he wants to get physically sick. He may not get the flu or a common cold thanks to his friend but those smells will still upset his stomach. How would you like to be queasy every day all day and know that unless you signed over your life you'd have to put up with it every day from now on? You made it quite clear he wasn't getting out of there without signing your paper. You wouldn't even negotiate it with him. He had no choice and it was blackmail."
Tsunade hung her head. But Kakashi wasn't done. He kept quiet when Tsunade had said she wanted Watari to work with his students because he did think she could help them but this went too far and he knew it. "For the person he respected most in this town, you sure know how to hurt him. Don't worry. None of those stupid villagers will hurt him anywhere near as much as you have by being involved with this. Even Sakura didn't hurt him like this. She couldn't. He didn't care what she thought of him. I'm disappointed in all three of you and I don't see anyway you can ever make this right but if I was you, that's what I'd put my collective mind to now. However I'm sure you want to pat yourselves on the back now so I'll leave you to it." He stood up and before anyone could say anything he poofed away.
At the small park in the center of town the group of four sat under a Sakura tree and listened as Naruto strummed his guitar. They carried on a discussion as to who would help him and be at his side at all times throughout the coming days. "She made you agree not to buy any ramen but that doesn't mean you can't eat it does it," asked Hinata.
"No but since Sakura trashed my apartment she knows I don't have anymore of it. And by making me agree not to go to Ichiraku's for the whole two weeks I can't have any from there."
Hinata grinned. "But we can. And we can bring it here when we come for our get-together every day. Each of us goes and buys three bowls?" She looked at Naruto and he nodded. "And when we meet here. Naruto can have two of mine and two of each of yours while we each have one. That way Naruto gets one meal he likes every day and he gets full too."
They all laughed as Sasuke added, "And by meeting here we've kept the second of her proclamations. You'll be in a public place with people around. Who cares that we all already knew the real Naruto before they stuck their noses in?"
"Yeah but I feel like we're forgetting something tricky about that contract," worried Iruka. Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled out a scroll. He gave it a brief look and then tossed it to Iruka.
"That's it. I got to keep a copy so I wouldn't forget any of the conditions."
"Hm. . . They were pretty thorough. They demanded that you show your true self in manner of dress and personality. That you appear in a public place for at least one hour everyday, said place to be a public place that anyone may go to and that said place not be Ichiraku's ramen bar and that while in said place you shall show your true self in manner of dress and in personality. They go on to demand that you turn over your journal to one of the below named people for study and that you perform during the festival music contest. And at least once per day you must meet with Watarimono for a counseling session."
Naruto nodded but said nothing. The quartet sat and listened to his playing as they waited for the hour to wind down. When it was nearly done, He took his fingers off the strings and stored the instrument away in it's case before slinging it to his back as he stood up. "Come on. Let's go see what if anything I still have in my apartment."
Together they left the park and walked the short distance to his rundown tenement building. One after another they climbed the stairs and waited as Naruto unlocked the door. He led them inside and Hinata went to check his kitchen while Iruka looked with Sasuke into what was in the bathroom and living room. Naruto went into his bedroom and checked to see how many shirts and pants he still owned. Like he thought most of his clothes were gone or destroyed. He'd have to go buy some new ones. "Hey Sasuke, Where do you shop for clothes?" he called out."
"I'll take you tomorrow. Why? What happened to your clothes?" was the answer.
"Either Tsunade decided to throw out my comfortable clothes or the villagers destroyed them or a combination of the two. I'll bet she threw out everything orange and the villagers destroyed the rest of them," was the answer.
"Makes sense," said Iruka. "At least they replaced your furniture for you so we can work on replacing your books and things." Just then someone knocked on the door and they all froze wondering who it was. All of them knew no one ever came to see Naruto with friendly intentions unless it was one of them or maybe Kakashi, who sometimes stopped by to check up on him.
Hinata whispered to Naruto, "Did you have your session for the day already?" He nodded and they went back to staring at the door as the knock sounded again.
"Open up, you Baka. I know you're in there and I have a bone to pick with you," yelled Sakura.
"Crap!" muttered Naruto, walking across the room to open the door. Sasuke, Iruka and Hinata went into defensive stances prepared to defend him if she wasn't polite.
She pushed him back into the apartment and lambasted him with every step for all the trouble he'd caused with his spoilt selfish behavior. "Because of your behavior I lost my temper. I came here looking for you and because you live in a dump that you never clean, I got blamed for the damage and now my paychecks are being garnished to pay for the repairs that had to be done to make this dump livable again. And then I got tied to a stump because I couldn't find you. Just where the Hell were you? And what made you think for one damn minute that you had the right to go into hiding anyway? You're the weakest person on our team and you think you can skip practice. You need it more than either my Sasuke-kun or I do. We at least have a real skill to bring to the team." She accentuated each word with a finger jabbed at his very hard muscular chest but she was so angry at all the punishment she'd had to endure that she didn't notice. She did notice when Sasuke shot a very narrow stream of fire between her and him. He stepped back until he stood between Hinata and Iruka.
"Touch me again, Harpy, and I will show you weak," said Naruto in a perfectly calm voice.
"Do not threaten me Baka. You're nobody and not even worth my little finger." For the first time she noticed Sasuke and her whole appearance underwent an instant change as she gushed, "Oh Sasuke-kun, what are you doing here? This place isn't worth you defiling your feet to come to just to give this Baka the lecture he so richly deserves. You should have realized I'd take care of it for you as soon as I heard he'd been released from the hospital." She went to latch onto his arm and found that Iruka was now shielding the Uchiha from her advance. She tried to go around him but found Hinata in her way.
"Come now Sasuke-kun. I'll take care of this and he'll never dare to interfere with our training schedule again. After this lesson I would be very much surprised if he doesn't wake up and realize he doesn't have what it takes to be a ninja. Let me get you out of here and then I'll come back and teach him to mess with you and I."
"Get out Sakura. Your presence defiles my home," Naruto said clearly enunciating every word.
She didn't even glance at him. She was still trying to find a way past the human barrier that was Sasuke's friends who were just as determined not to let her touch him. Since Naruto hadn't been able to shut his door when she barged her way inside yelling at him, Kakashi just walked in. He did give a knock on the open door but since he knew the apartment was supposed to be off-limits for Sakura he came straight in.
"Sakura, you were asked to leave by the owner of this residence," he said in a firm voice. "If you do not voluntarily vacate the premises in the next three seconds I will be forced to notify the Hokage of your presence here and the violation of your punishment that strictly forbids you from being in or near Naruto's residence."
"I just came by to let the Baka know how much trouble he made for me and Sasuke-kun," Kakashi-sensei. As soon as I've gotten it through his thick skull never to do it again I will be happy to leave." She balled up her fist and pulled her arm back at her side. Before she could even try to throw the punch Kakashi sent her flying over the stairwell railing outside the apartment.
She landed in a heap in the street below and wouldn't you know the rain from earlier had left a nice wet puddle behind in just the spot she landed. Dirty rain water soaked through the back of her pink shirt and drenched her hair as well. She stood up with an angry scream and tore back up the stairs but Kakashi was ready for her and again she went flying. He threw her out every time she tried to climb back up and force her way past him. Each time she landed on or in something nasty; a rain puddle; a pile of dog poo; a heap of garbage; something nasty. Finally she stood in the street and yelled up, "I will see you outside this apartment Baka and I will have my revenge." Then she stormed off and Kakashi asked for permission to enter Naruto's home.
Naruto motioned him in as he went to shut the door. "What can I do for you Kakashi-sensei and thanks for getting rid of her. She was getting . . . troublesome. For both Sasuke and I."
"Mainly I just wanted to let you know I do not agree with what Watari and the Hokage are doing. You're entitled to your privacy and they are violating it. I told them that after Hinata left the office. Sorry I didn't stop it before they got you to sign that blasted scroll but I didn't know what they were doing until Watari came home crowing about it. I will help you in any way I can to get thru these next two weeks."
"I'm glad to hear that Sensei. Cause tomorrow I have to go get some clothes and you know how these merchants are. Sasuke has already agreed to show me where he shops but that doesn't mean I can shop there."
Kakashi nodded. "Anything else?"
"Can anyone get me something to eat tonight?" I know that kitchen is empty. No way would those vandals leave edible food in my kitchen if they destroyed the furniture."
"Oh the vandals didn't destroy your furniture. That was Sakura. That's also why she isn't allowed near this place anymore and I will be telling the Hokage she came by and was threatening you. The Hokage seems to have this misbegotten idea that the villagers have accepted you and that you can go where ever you want to go," Kakashi informed him.
Naruto laughed. He found this to be absolutely hilarious. His friends just watched as he bent over trying to catch his breath. "What. Did she forget about having to replace everything in this dump?"
"Apparently she did indeed."
"Naruto, let's go to my place and I'll give you dinner tonight," said Iruka. "Everyone is welcome since we're all determined to help him out now. Bring that guitar. I like listening to you play."
Naruto picked it up and they left for Iruka's. On the street, Neji met up with them and informed Hinata that her father was waiting for her so she excused herself for the night. Naruto thanked her for her company that day and wished her a safe night before the four guys turned away and went onto Iruka's for dinner and companionship. Kakashi stayed and enjoyed the playing as much as Iruka did. Naruto could really play well. He knew Sasuke didn't really sleep any better than he did most nights so he took it as a compliment when he fell asleep while he was playing. Both Iruka and Kakashi were relaxed and comfortable as he played. The music was soothing and they felt their anger over the tricks of the day disappear in the music.