Chapter 15: "And when I was a child…"

The dinner affair was going as expected in his opinion, of course no one actually asked for it. "Their expressions would put a comedian to shame", Jiraiya though silently as he watched the group eating. After they had arrived at the house Aiko had set the table quickly and dinner started with Aiko's own recipes. "The only one who seems happy to be at this table is the kid."

Jiraiya shifted his eyes to his godson. The kid was engrossed in thoughts ever since when he had seen him close off into his own mind. Even now Naruto looked like he was in another world, in another time. Sasuke and Aiko were stiff and polite to the point of being icy; they were the ones who amused Jiraiya the most, since Naruto was out of the entertainment factor.

He wondered again what had happened to Naruto after the kid had left konoha. "If the stories and his calculations were right the kid left konoha he went to suna and after some weeks went out of the border of the countries and crossed the bridge. It didn't make any sense how he had done but then after two years was found at the edges of lightening country. Three months after that I found at that village. Two weeks afterwards he was in my camp and then disappeared again. It was during these months the kid became the pseudo Akatsuki leader while travelling."

Jiraiya was taken out of his musings when Aiko started laughing after something Naruto had said, he took time to notice the subtle souring of Uchiha's mood. He kept an eye on Naruto, watching the eyes shift from the time at the table to whatever conversation he was probably having with Kyuubi. He made a note to ask the kid how he did both at the same time.

"Two years after this he said he was at Kiri, the missing nin killings had started around that area at that time according to my sources. But what else happened in between?"

He was pulled from his thoughts again when he felt the stares. Naruto sighed before asking the question again, "Satoshi was asking why I used to call you ero-sennin, sensei", even though Jiraiya was glad to see the small smile he wasn't so amused at the topic of the conversation.

"Why don't YOU explain it? Since you're the one who called me that!"

He was glad to see the laugh that went with his comment, even though it took some of his dignity with it. His godson had changed, and apparently from the looks of it, it wasn't for the best.

"Give me your soul."

The words kept going in his mind, kept taking his mind back to when desperation was a cloak he wore. He wondered if remembering those words were an omen. If it was, with his plans running out time, he should take more heed.

"Naruto, love, when will you be coming back then? You said you wouldn't get a mission so soon!"

He turned his eyes, he remembered they were blue just like his father's were, towards the woman calling to him. It was night time in Konoha, the time for shinobi in the village. His eyes didn't focus neither on her, nor on the words that spilled out her lips.

'It was so simple it was insulting that he hadn't thought about it before. The day is for the civilians, comfortable in their ignorance, the night is for the shinobi, their truth in the lies and deceit that surrounds them.'

"Naruto?"

He smiled simply, the expression etching on his face like a reflex, fake in its intensity. "I am sorry Aiko, it's something that needs to be done soon. I will probably be back around tomorrow morning." He grabbed the pack he had made earlier, momentarily pausing to give her a halting kiss on her check before smiling again.

"Ittekimasu."

The hiraishin could only get him near to the village. The jutsu would have given him away but he wanted it done soon, his recuperation usually took half the time of the 'mission'. Adapting into one of the villager's using a simple henge he stepped onto the road used by merchants.

The village was one of the small farming villages that were littered across the Fire country's border. It was nondescript with no ninja or anything noteworthy around. 'A perfect hideout' he thought grimly. He could sense the creature's presence in his mindscape, lingering around the edges like a parasitic fungus that couldn't be removed.

Kyuubi had protested at first, and then tried using his crimson bubbling chakra second. None worked and it only made the creature amused, making it even more focused on trying to link into his and kyuubi's joined mindscape. Sometimes it appeared in front of the fox's cage, pulling Naruto's own subconscious with him to amuse itself.

Even during daytime the village was plain. Merchants were scarce and the open area was filled with villagers going on with their daily tasks. There were some children running about, women with baskets doing shopping and the men going on with their business. It was a scene of something so normal he couldn't wrap his mind about it. But he needed to find the man first, and then create the situation that will lead to his 'accidental' death. He approached one of the women walking about, casting him glances from the corner of her eyes. 'Sharp woman.'

"Hello, I was wondering if there was an inn around here? I am weary from travelling from Murakata across the hill." He had been to Murakata once, that time the one he was shown by the creature was a girl, barely five years old, who wasn't supposed to have been born.

The woman's expression brightened after hearing the name of the village. "Oh you're from Murakata? Haha, you must be here for the monthly cow milk load eh? The inn is just around that building."

Naruto smiled again, he remembered that people usually relaxed when he did that often, "I was also wondering if my friend arrived here before me? He should have arrived about two weeks before? A man my age and height with dark hair and eyes?"

"Hmm there was only one who arrived in this month. He came with the merchants he did. With shoulder length hair?" at Naruto's eager nod she continued, "Aye he's staying at the inn too. I heard from Taiko-san that he paid with cash, that one did. One rich friend you got there. Makes want to introduce my daughter to him."

At Naruto's laughing she smiled sheepishly. He thanked her and with a bow he left, walking down the bare path towards the building she had indicated before. He paid for one night at the inn and secured a room next to the one on the list. And then he waited.

"Haha sakura-san you must tell me more stories about Naruto! He doesn't like telling me about his childhood. I wish he did but after hearing your stories I can guess why he wouldn't." Sakura smiled at the honored daughter of the daimyo. She had come in earlier than she was supposed to with a dish her mother had made specially. She wanted to make sure to give it to the royal before hinata appeared.

"Well I wouldn't put it past him to make up something unbelievable just to compensate for what he didn't tell you." As the girl laughed again, her mind drifted to the supposed marriage of the town prankster and the royal daughter that was supposed to take place next month. The whole town had heard about it and were preparing. Aiko herself was involved in a lot of the planning of the ceremony and Tsunade had started increasing security as well as rechecking the systems. The fact that the daimyo himself was coming to konoha for the marriage, and even more surprisingly that Aiko had asked for the marriage to take place in the village, was taking a lot out of the ninja population.

Before she could reply she felt Hinata arrive at the door, and by the ringing doorbell seconds later Sakura supposed Hinata was going for the formal introduction instead of the ninja way. Aiko arrived with Hinata in the kitchen minutes later; her arms laden with another pot Sakura could only guess as a present from the Hyuuga clan.

"You don't need to bring me anything, you know. I have enough food that I didn't even cook to feed both of us for the whole week! But I thank you for your hospitality. The village seems to different from what my honored father told me." Sakura perked up at that news.

"Didn't Naruto ever tell you about the village Aiko-sama?"

Auburn curls of the daimyo's daughter shook with her head. When she took a seat next to Hinata at the table her expression was of pained admission. It made sakura think of the same expression Naruto had when she had rejected him when they were genin.

"He doesn't talk about the village." Silver and purple eyes found green. "He said that he doesn't like this village. He was going to bring me here before we got married, to see if I liked it here and wanted to stay here. But Naruto said he would like it much better if he could stay at the house I lived in."

Sakura didn't know what to say to that. For Naruto to admit something like that, even to say it to his fiancée. What were you thinking Naruto?

Killing the man was surprisingly easy. Even though the fight was quick, it didn't give him any pleasure since the man wasn't even a ninja. 'A worthless human who couldn't accept his end'

"Even if you say that little human, you were the same when I met you. Fortunately for you I was there personally to save you. Isn't that ironic? Being saved by me of all things of this world and others?"

Naruto refused to rise to bait of the creature, just as he refused to look into the ever amused red, red eyes of the handsome face. He remembered the last time he saw that face, the eyes had been dull and colorless, and the face cold and pale with blood morbidly drawing patterns on the stone floor of the old Uchiha hideout. Uchiha Itachi had died handsome, with his youth only been tarnished by disease and death; a perfect visage of a great man who had perished before he should have, just as Naruto had perished later.

"Oh he was a great one. Very powerful and smart. Makes me wish I had gotten to him before that walking corpse got to him."

"And I supposed you fancy yourself to be a live walking corpse?"

Kyuubi's voice brought a calm into his mind and his words brought wry amusement. Naruto travelled back to konoha with the two immortal souls bickering in his mind, his only company in his lone travelling. 'Just as it had been for seven years'

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Konoha was bright and sunny that day, the weather seemed to reflect the happiness Naruto felt inside. He skipped along to ichiraku, the thought of breakfast full of ramen making his mouth water and stomach grumble. He didn't see the two men following him, nor did he see the arm that snaked to his neck to make him unconscious.

He woke up seven hours later, naked and bloody. He didn't know what happened, he had bruises all over and there was something white poking out of his leg. Pain was something he was used to, pain brought by those he didn't know was natural and a daily occurrence. He waited until the bruises disappeared, his flesh left with only pink imprints of what had been before. The leg took time turn back normal though. He didn't know what the white thing was but the voice in his head told him to put it back straight, and so he did. Grasping his foot he made the leg be straight as usual, and not angled the other way.

After a few minutes the white thing was gone and his leg was all covered with skin again so Naruto stood up gingerly. He learnt long ago not to put a lot of pressure to the wounds the sometimes-voice-in-his-head couldn't heal at once. He hobbled out of the broken down house and all the way to ichiraku, where he had his ramen for lunch.

Iruka-sensei found him two hours later in his apartment, trying to cover his leg with his ripped clothes like he had seen ninja do. Iruka-sensei ranted at him for minutes before taking his own bandages and wrapping his small leg with it, and then promised ramen for dinner too. Naruto loved his iruka-sensei, and he promised that iruka-sensei will never have something white poking from his leg because it took so long to run again. Naruto wondered why iruka-sensei had turned white at that, and then kept asking him what the white thing looked like and where it had poked from in his leg, and then how he had got the white thing to poke out and Naruto got tired of talking after a bit and fell asleep on his couch.

Naruto went to the academy the next day without going to the broken down house as usual. Naruto was very happy that morning too, with ramen for breakfast because he had caught iruka-sensei walking in front of ichiraku. He wasn't even bothered when he didn't have lunch or dinner that day. He didn't even care about the ugly way people looked at him.

That night he was taken to visit the broken down house again though, and when he woke up next time Naruto was sixteen and dying in darkness.

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A/N- I am currently looking for a beta reader.. if anyone is interested i would really appreciate the effort!

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