I see that at least a few people found the story interesting enough to follow. If anyone afraid that I'll drop it let me say that I already have more chapters written down. The wait time is due to my editor. He's good at cleaning up the story of my mistakes, but he's a busy man. Updates will come whenever he can finish revising.
So with that said enjoy the read.
Chapter Two
Naruto's apartment was not located in the nicest of places. The old complex had far too many boards patching gaping holes. Prostitute activity attracted customers in the streets. Neighboring buildings had seen better days. Yet the blond boy had no choice in the manner. The tenant of the complex was the only person he could find who would let him rent a room. Not like a demon could damage a criminal den's reputation.
To keep away from the worst of what the area had to offer the blond lived on the top floor. Outside the apartment there was nothing attractive about it. Inside it was plain with trash thrown everywhere. The main living area combined with the kitchen and dining room. There was also a bedroom with a bathroom across from it. There were few luxuries, but Naruto had what he needed.
Scrounging through the fridge, the boy grabbed himself a jug of milk. "Ramen, ramen," he sang out loud as he brought the carton to the table. "Going to eat some ramen." From the cabinets he took out a carton of instant ramen. The teapot on top of the stove shrilled as steam shot out of it. Grabbing the teapot, Naruto took the items over to the table. He poured the steaming water into the ramen and wait impatiently for the ramen to soak. As he waited he drank directly from the milk carton to quench his thirst.
Chopsticks poised and ready, Naruto reached to remove the plastic lid when his ears twitched. Outside his doorway someone was walking down the opened corridor. Naruto got to his feet and darted toward the door. Placing his ear against the door, he listened to the steps. When they were close he sniffed the air. A strange aroma of snakes and dango entered his nose.
Ripping the door open, he darted out in the open and shouted, "Hey Anko! You're back."
Carrying a bag of groceries over her shoulder, the kunoichi smiled at the boy. "Hey short stuff, mind if I join you for dinner?" Upon seeing what was on the table Anko stared at the boy. "Seriously," she said in a deadpanned tone. "I'm gone hardly a week and you're eating ramen again. Where the vegetables and fruits?"
Chuckling nervously, Naruto said, "I may have accidentally tossed them out."
Walking over to the table, Anko grabbed the ramen and strolled over to the nearest window.
Panic widened Naruto's eyes. "Wait," he cried, "don't!"
Opening the window, the kunichi tossed the ramen out. Tears swelled up in the blonde's eyes as the heavenly scent of ramen disappeared. "If you keep eating nothing but ramen," said Anko, "you're going stay short and scrawny."
"Like microwave food is any better," said Naruto.
Snorting, Anko took a frozen box meal from the bag. "I just finished reporting my last mission. Stop complaining and tell me how your week has been going."
Naruto took a seat at the table as a smile crossed his face. "It been well for the most part," said the blond. "Old man and I spent some time talking. I got a lot of training done." Squirming in place, "I can't wait to join the Academy."
Nodding, the kunoichi chucked the meal into the oven to let it cook. She leaned on the oven as she commented, "Maybe you'll make a friend there. I see that you got new clothes. Used your pension from the Hokage for that?" Naruto's smile lessened slightly.
"No, I got chased by a group of villagers again."
Anko's fingernails dug into metal. A sadistic grin dominating her face. "Who are the hapless fools this time?" she asked.
"Don't know," said Naruto with a shrug, "a funny man saved me before they did much harm.
"Funny man?" inquired Anko.
"Yeah," said Naruto as the smile returned with full force. "Mr. Silver wore this tall hat with this odd suit. He was nice and gave me these new clothes. His daughter was a little mean, but not too bad."
"Really," said Anko with a thoughtful expression. Was that the same merchant I met earlier? thought the kunoichi.
"The food's ready," noted Naruto. With a nod of her head Anko retrieved their meals and brought them to the table. Throughout the meal Naruto interrogated his elder about her mission. Turned out to be nothing more than a simple retrieval of a wealthy man from bandits. Anko sounded a bit sad that the enemy didn't put up much of a fight.
Once finished with her meal Anko stood up. "Well," she said, "I have to report to the interrogation wing tomorrow. The boss wants me to crack a tough shell."
"Aw," said Naruto, "but what about my training?"
"Just keep working on your taijustu," said Anko with a wave of her hand. "Once the academy teaches you about controlling charka we'll see about a justu or two." With that said Anko left an annoyed Naruto muttering at his tray.
Taking in a deep breath of air, Silver let out a satisfied sigh. The late morning sun bathed the area in a warm glow. Several wispy clouds floated through the clear blue skies. A weak breeze blew by. All in all, a perfect day in the merchant's opinion. Especially now that he had the needed forms to conduct the business at hand.
His talk with the Third Hokage, an old, yet lively man, had gone pretty well. Much of what needed to be done was because the merchant's guild was trying to protect their interests. Fortunately for him most or all his goods lay outside the guild's tight rein. He wasn't tax free, but he was paying little of it.
Flanking the merchant's sides were his daughter and the fox. With them he left the large red building that consisted of one main cylindrical and two smaller ones attached. Looking back at it, Silver stared at the large kanji sign for fire painted near the top. He wondered why the building had stony horns on top of its crown. Separating the Hokage building from the surrounding area was a white wooden wall. It seemed more useful for separating the Hokage building from the village than anything else.
Silver tucked the forms into his pocket. "We've got a couple hours before lunch," noted the merchant. "Want to check the town out?"
"I want to find a training ground," said Fu.
Chuckling, Silver said, "A little too eager for a whipping."
With a wicked grin, Fu said, "Just you wait old man. I'll be beating your ass…" A solid whack of the cane nearly caused her to bite her tongue.
"Language Fu," said Silver as he placed the cane back on his back, "but if you would like to train we can do that." Spotting a shinibo, Silver went over and asked, "Excuse me, sir. Do you happen to know where the training grounds are?"
The shinibo found it odd that a merchant and his daughter needed to train. Yet he helpfully pointed the way for them. With a quick thanks to the shinibo, Silver said, "Alright girls, let's get moving."
Entering a large clearing surrounded by forest, the companions scanned the area over. Three large logs sat in the center. A river run through the field in the south. To the north sat a memorial made from polished black stone shaped into kunai. Seeing no one about, Silver gave a nod of his head. "Hoshi," said the merchant, "keep an eye out for us." With a nod of her head the fox dart off into the trees.
"Alright Fu," said Silver, "Today we'll focus on mana control."
Head dropping, Fu gave an exasperated sigh. "When are we going to learn some justu?" asked Fu.
"When you've got adequate charka control," said Silver. "You're old teacher taught you how to release large amounts of charka at once. Most justu need control rather than quantity. So sat down and get ready." A frown creased her face as Fu sat down, resting her hands upon her knees.
Silver walked over to the river. He scooped up a handful of water and walked back to Fu. "Hold out your hand," the merchant ordered. Fu did as told. Water was poured into her hand. "You know what to do?"
"Channel my mana or chakra-whatever you call it- into my hand. When I think I've got the water attached to my hand hold it upside down. Then get the water to travel up my arm." Staring blankly at the merchant, she added, "We've done this more times than I can remember."
"Then you should be an expert by now," proclaimed Silver with a smile. Pointing to the stone, he said, "I'll be over there if you need anything."
With a sigh Fu closed her eyes. Find your charka, she mentally told herself. Focus it all to your hand. Slowly, she felt her charka gathering within her palm. Okay, she thought, turn hand over slowly. As she did the action she cracked open an eye. With her hand fully over turned the water clung to her skin.
Now here comes the fun part, she mused as she closed the eye. She focused on her charka and tried to pull it apart. Teeth clenched. Her body quivered slightly as the water slowly divided into four tear shaped pieces. They lined up in a straight row. Gingerly, Fu honed in on the first tear and begin tugging the chakra up her arm. Easier said than done. While keeping her focus on that tear drop she had to hold the other three in place. The first tear was only moving a centimeter every few seconds, making touch an unreliable tool to tell her progress.
The tear was at her wrist when a loud voice asked, "What are you doing?" Fu jumped in place. Gravity enforced its rule and pulled the water to earth.
"Damn it," she shouted. Turning a heated glare to the interrupter, she shouted, "Can't you tell I'm busy?" Naruto took a step back a little stunned by the outburst. Upon seeing who it was the anger faded to curiosity. "Hey Whiskers," said Fu, "what are you doing here?"
"He's been standing there for a good minute," said Silver who was examining the stone. "You were so focused on the training that you didn't hear him trashing your way. Plus one in concentration, minus two for letting a loud mouth sneak up on you."
"So what are you doing?" asked Naruto.
"Training," said Fu as she stood up. As she walked to the river Naruto followed.
"What kind of training?" asked the blonde.
"Charka control."
"How?"
"I'm forcing myself to minimize the amount of charka needed to attach, divide and move the water." Receiving nothing but silence, Fu looked back to see a blank face. "Just watch."
Fu sprinted toward the river. Sitting down at the river bank, Fu leaned forward and scooped up a hand full of water. Closing her eyes, she repeated the process from earlier. From over her shoulder Naruto watched intently. His eyes grew a little wider when Fu turned her hand upside down. "This is what I was doing earlier," said Fu. "In simplest terms, this is helping with my chakra control."
"Cool!" exclaimed Naruto. Fu cringed at the volume of his voice. "Can I do that?"
"Can you control your chakra?" Silver called over.
"Somewhat," said Naruto.
"Then you can do the exercise."
With a grin plastered on his face Naruto sat down and got himself some water. He immediately begin placing charka into his hand. Hardly a second into the exercise the water exploded. Sprays of water went everywhere. The startled blonde stared at his palm. Hearing a chuckle, he glared at Fu. "What's so funny?"
Without looking at him, Fu said, "You're supposed to use as little charka as possible." Huffing, Naruto scooped up more water and again focused charka into his hand. He got the same result within a similar amount of time. Pausing from her work, Fu said, "Don't worry Whiskers. It took me weeks to figure it out."
"Ha," shouted Naruto, "I bet I can do this within a few days."
Snorting, Fu said, "No way."
"Yes why! Believe it!"
Returning to her work, Fu said, "I'll believe when I see it." Naruto's eyebrow twitched as he scooped up more water. "And please move a few feet away from me. I would like to remain dry." Naruto merely nodded as he scooted to the side. Leaning against the stone, Silver watched Naruto as he failed to complete the exercise.
Seeing that he was going to be there for a while, Silver sat down and pulled out a percussion cap pistol to clean. Once done he put it away and reclined against the rock. Tilting his hat forward slightly, he closed his eyes. Within moments he was snorting gently.
A frustrated shout woke the merchant. Sitting up, he pushed his hat back to see Naruto jumping up and down in place. From his pocket Silver took out a pocket watch. If he had remembered to keep it wound it was noon. Had that boy been practicing this past two hours, mused Silver.
Getting to his feet, Silver shouted, "That's enough for now Fu. We've got to make some money." With an inaudible sigh Fu let the water fall from her hand.
"Hey Whiskers," said Fu as she stood up.
"What?" Naruto shouted. His patience was already wearing thin.
"Place your hand on the river's surface. Channel charka into it until it starts to ripple. Gauge how much that is. When you do the exercise again try to keep your charka below that amount." As she walked off, Fu added, "It was nice training with you. I would like it if we did it again."
Naruto just stared blankly at the girl as she rejoined her father. As they left he turned his attention to the river. He placed his hand on the surface and begin channeling charka. Once it started to ripple he pulled back. He scooped up some water and did the exercise. Just before he reached a certain flow of charka he stopped. When he turned his hand upside down the liquid drooped downward. It remained him of how honey would leave a jar. With a wide grin on his face he put a little more charka into his hand. The water explode, but Naruto didn't mind as much as he did before.
A gibbous moon shined down upon the darkened land. Standing beside the memorial stone, Silver recalled the constellations in the sky. Funny how something that looked so familiar could also be so different. From behind he heard the rustling of leaves. Glancing to the branches he saw the outline of a small person. "These areas are clear?" he asked.
"They are," said the person in a feminine voice. "The villagers feel confident enough to keep the patrols outside the city. I think as long as we remain quiet we'll go undetected."
"Good," said Silver. "We must not let anyone interrupt the lessons."
Tilting her head, the woman's gaze went off in the distance to her left. "Fu is in her original state?" she asked.
"She's currently practicing maneuvers," said Silver. "What your opinion of this place?"
"It's another ninja's village," said the woman as if that was all to be said. Silver nodded. "Though I find that boy to be interesting. There shouldn't be any of his kind left in this part of the world."
"Yes, Naruto," said Silver as he turned his attention back on the stars.
"What is going on in that mind of yours?" asked the woman.
"Chaos, random thoughts, pointlessness," replied Silver. A maddening smile appeared on his face for a split second before becoming warm. "Like most other people." Off in the distance he heard something big landing. "How is the practice coming along?"
Stepping out of the trees, a sweaty Fu breathed heavily. "Difficult. Why are there so many trees in the forest?"
"Because it's a forest," said Silver with a shrug. "Though some are denser than others. Return to work. We'll keep at it for another few hours."
The next several days went through a similar routine. Silver and Fu would come to the training grounds in the morning so Fu could practice her chakra control. Always there to greet them was Naruto. After two days the blond proudly presented to them the ability to keep the water on his hand. "Impressive," said Silver. "It took Fu a good month to get that step down."
Huffing, Fu crossed her arms while staring up to the skies. "So what?" said the vertette.
"Well," said Naruto with a sheepish grin, "if it wasn't for Fu it would have taken me a lot longer."
A small smile crept onto the vertette's face. "Well," she said with a shrug, "that doesn't mean much. You still have to complete the next part."
"And I'll do it faster than you!" declared the blond with a thrust of his arm.
"As if," said Fu as her smile turned wicked. "I'll be done with it within the day."
"No way!" exclaimed Naruto as he leaned in.
"Yes way!" proclaimed Fu, "and I won't let a snot nosed boy beat me." Silver couldn't help but chuckle at the childrens' antics.
By mid-day Silver would retrieve Fu to start up the shop. They would spend a good portion of the day selling, buying, and trading goods. It didn't matter what one had to offer. Silver was willing to buy anything of interest. With Konohagakure's large population there was certainly no shortage of customers.
With the setting of the sun the two would shut down the shop and drop off Rubric at the stables. After a quick dinner they would return to the training grounds for more training. Fu would do her thing and Silver would refined some of his own moves on the logs.
The next day Silver sat in front of the memorial stone. In hand he had an orange book called Icha-Icha Paradise. If he was going to sit there for two hours he might as well do something. He had heard of the book during his travels, but he didn't know much about it. He was a third of a way through the first chapter when two voices in union shouted, "Father/ Mr. Silver! I've done it."
Looking up from his book, he spotted Naruto and Fu standing in front of him. With arms outstretched their eyes followed the beads of water traveling all over their bodies, with little trouble as far as Silver could tell. Closing the book, Silver tucked it into his jacket. "Good work both of you," he said as he stood up.
"And I completed it first," declared Fu.
"No," said Naruto, "I totally figured it out before you did and it took less than a week."
Before the bickering could begin Silver laughed. "You both did well," he said. "And as an award I think we can take the rest of the day off."
"What about the shop?" asked Fu.
Waving a hand, Silver said, "For the time being we're financially sound. So how does a trip to the park sound?"
"Sound good to me," said Fu with a wide smile. When Naruto didn't reply the two looked at him. The blond seemed a little uneasy. "Hey Whiskers, what's with that look?"
"I can play with Fu at the park?" asked Naruto as if afraid of the answer.
"As long as Fu wants to," said Silver with a smile.
Huffing, Fu said, "You're a bit annoying, but you're okay most of the time." Grabbing Naruto by the wrist, she said, "So let's get going." Fu darted off and Naruto was forced to follow.
"Hold up," shouted Silver as he darted after them, "Do you even know where you're going?"
Running toward the village, Fu said, "So what so we do first?"
"Not sure," Naruto replied. "I've never really played with anyone else before."
"Loner?"
Looking toward the ground, Naruto said in a quieter voice, "You could say that." The sudden change of mood confused Fu but she shrugged it off. As they ran through the village itself the vertette felt as if people were staring at them. Slowing down, she scanned the surrounding area. People were staring at them, but what scared her was how intense they were. Cold, hard eyes that could pierce steel stared down at her.
"Fu," said Naruto, "are your hands getting sweaty?"
The blonde's words fell on deaf ears. Preoccupied with the stares Fu felt her heart rate building up. No, she told herself, I'm not there. Closing her eyes, she turned away from the people. I'm not there. These people can't know who I am. Her self reassurement did little to settle a terrible feeling in her chest. Just before she made a run for it Fu felt something soft brush her legs.
Eyes shot open as Fu looked to her legs. Brushing against her legs was Hoshi. This action relaxed the vertette long enough to notice something. While the stares were cold they weren't directed right at her. They all landed upon the blond who seemed more concerned about her than the malignant stares. "How can he ignore them?", she thought.
"Fu," called Silver as he caught up. "Don't run off like that."
"Sorry," muttered the vertette.
"So where is this park we're heading to?" He received a blank look.
"I know where it is," declared Nartuo.
"Then lead the way." Even with Silver walking alongside them the glares never went away. Yet Fu felt much more confident staring right back.
The park was positioned at the edge of a forest. Children joyfully dashed across its sandy grounds. Sitting nearby on benches parents caught up on the latest stories and events. It was a nice place for a kid where one could climb bars, slide down slides, or swing on the swing set. It all seemed so peaceful from a far.
When the first parent caught sight of Naruto's group her gaze hardened. She leaned over to a fellow adult and whispered into his ears. Before the group reached the playground a majority of the parents were taking their children away. Many of the young protested, but what could they honestly do? It wasn't safe to be around that boy!
Naruto's ears flattened against his skull while his tail went between his legs. Silver examined the phenomenon around him with interest. "A bit early to be leaving," the merchant said to no one in particular. "Fu, Naruto," that got the children's attention, "I'll go sit at one of those benches. As long as you stay in my sight you're allowed to do what you want within reason."
A beaming smile covered Fu's face. "Okay Father." Tugging on Naruto's wrist Fu said, "Come on Whiskers. Let try out the jungle gym over there."
"Sure," shouted Naruto.
Silver chuckled as he walked over to a bench. Taking a seat, he pulled out the orange book. From behind its pages he kept an eye on the children. It was rather amusing to watch Fu hang upside down from the semi-hemisphere circle of bars, shirt kept from falling down with one hand, as Naruto ran around in a panicked manner. If Silver heard correctly the blond was trying to keep his head from being bit off.
With no real reason the merchant's eyes wandered the playground. Upon the swing sets he spotted a young, fair skinned girl around his own child's age. At first he thought the girl to be blind for her eyes were milky white. Yet they moved about in a purposeful way. Short, dark blue hair was fashioned in a hime cut while two long veins framed her face. She wore a simple black outfit consisting of a shirt, pants, and sandals.
Silver looked about for the child's guardian, but saw no one. Must be here alone, he thought with a shrug before returning to his book.
Waving her hands over her head, Fu swiped away at the trapped blonde's ears. "Give me your soul," she proclaimed.
"Never," shouted Naruto as he ran around in a circle. Honestly, he could have just stepped to the side and been out of reach of the girl. Yet where the fun in that? As he ran he noticed someone sitting on the swing set. "Hey," he said, "there a girl sitting on the swing."
Fu lifted herself up and grabbed hold of the bars. "So there is," said the vertette. "She looks kind of lonely. Let's go over and say hi. All the blood going to my head is giving me a headache."
Suddenly, Naruto became somber. "I don't know," he said.
Snorting, Fu said, "Afraid of getting cooties?"
"What are cooties?" asked Naruto as his eyes widened from fear. "And how can you tell that she has them?"
Rolling her eyes, Fu said, "Never mind." Unhooking her legs, she swung downward while letting go of the bar. She landed beside the blonde. "Come on," she said as she made for the bars and squeezed through them. Not wanting to be left behind Naruto dashed after her.
Kicking her legs, the bluette watched as sand flew into the air. "Hey you," said Fu as she and Naruto approached the bluette. The bluette's head whipped upward. She looked to her sides as if expecting someone to be there. "No," said the vertette with a shake of her head, "I'm talking to the girl with weird eyes."
Flinching, the bluette looked to the earth. "S-sorry," she muttered.
With a raised eyebrow Fu looked to Naruto who gave her a shrug. "What are you doing here all by yourself?" asked Fu.
Upon looking up the bluette spotted the blond. A slight blush covered her face as she looked away. "I'm w-waiting for m-m-my g-guardian to return."
"It looks kind of boring to sit right there," said Naruto. "Would you like us to push you?"
The bluette's tiny hands tightly gripped the swing's chains. Without looking at them, she said, "Okay." A wide smile overcame Naruto and Fu's faces. They darted behind the bluette and placed their hands on her back.
"One," exclaimed the duo in union, "two, there!" Holding nothing back they shoved their weight into the bluette. The bluette squeaked as she soared into the air. Falling back down, she was again greeted by a pair of hands that shoved her higher into the air. This action repeated until she was high over their heads.
Shutting her eyes, the bluette froze up. Momentarily, she let her grip loosen from the chains. With one strong push she was sent off of the swing and into the air. Seconds later she felt something rough rubbed against her skin. The bluette opened her eyes and found herself face first in the sand. As she sat up a blond blur rushed up to her.
"You alright?" asked Naruto, worry painted onto his face. So it shook him a little when the bluette cracked a smile.
Unwillingly, her hands came up to her face and she pushed her index fingers together. "C-can we d-do that again?" asked the bluette.
A wide grin vanquished the fear from the blonde's face. "Of course we can…"
"H-hinata," said the bluette as she stood up, "Hinata Hygua
Thrusting a thumb at his chest, Naruto proclaimed, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki!"
"And I'm Fu Dollar," said the vertette as she crossed her arms. "Nice to meet ya."
"Lady Hinata!" exclaimed a voice. "Stay away from that boy!" Before Naruto could move a man in a black kimono shoved him out of the way. The same eyes as Hinata's stared down at the bluette. He reached for the girl, but stopped short and went into a crouch that appeared out of nowhere.
Pulling his hand back, the man fell into a defense stance, feet spread out and one arm partly extended while the other was ready at his side. A stoic mask fell over his face. "Hello," said Silver with a welcoming smile, "who are you?"
Leaning to the side to see Silver, Hinata said, "He's Ko. My guardian."
A hand was offered as Silver said, "Good afternoon Ko. What happens to be the problem here?" The question caught the man off guard, but he didn't let it show.
As he came out of his stance, Ko said, "Lady Hinata is not allow to be around that boy."
Appearing beside Silver, Fu asked, "Why?"
"Because Lady Hinata shouldn't be with people like that boy." The bite added to the last words caused Naruto to cringe.
"Why?" said Silver as he crossed his arms. "What makes Hinata so much better than Naruto?"
Sighing, Ko said, "Lady Hinata is the heir to the Hygua clan."
"Yet here she is," said Silver as he spread his arms out, "in a commoner playground. She obviously is allowed to play with other children if she wants to. So why not Naruto?" Silence came over them. Ko's uninformative stare just prompted Silver to shrug. "What sort of example are you giving your lady?" That got the man to widen his eyes.
"A leader should always approach everyone, no matter their appearance, as an equal until status is formed. Even then the leader must treat everyone of all levels with due respect until given reason to do otherwise." Gesturing to the man, Silver said, "For all I know you could be a serial killer, yet I have no proof. To disrespect you for no good reason is uncouth. Right."
"Yeah," shouted Fu as she jumped into Ko's face, "stop setting a bad example."
That stoic face slipped into a slight frown. "I have good reason," said Ko.
"Then you should be able to tell me why," replied Silver.
After a few tense moments Ko sighed. Grudgingly, he said, "Lady Hinata may continue her play." During the conversion the bluette had listened to the argument with an anxious expression. Upon hearing those words a small smile formed. A hand gripped her by the wrist and she eeped. "Hear that Hinata?" said Naruto. "Fu, let's go swing some more."
Not getting an answer he looked the area over. The vertette was kneeling by the grass. Without thought Naruto dashed over to her, dragging a startled Hinata with him. "Hey Fu," shouted Naruto, "what are you…"
A hand clamped over the blonde's mouth. Glaring, Fu said, "Quiet Whiskers." With that said she withdrew her hand and knelt back down. Naruto and Hinata gave each other a confused look before joining Fu. "Look right there," said Fu as she pointed. Walking upon a blade of grass was a praying mantis.
"It's a bug," noted Naruto.
"Praying mantis," Fu corrected as she lower her hand. Carefully, she led the mantis onto her hand. She lifted it up for the others to see. "One of the cooler bugs out there."
As the three observed the little critter Silver and Ko took a seat on a nearby bench. Seeing what Silver pulled out of his jacket, the guardian said, "You read that stuff?"
"Only recently," said Silver. "Heard it was a good book."
"It's porno."
"Oh," said Silver as he looked the book over. "Happen to know which parts to skip?"
"What do we have here?" said a familiar voice. Glancing over their shoulders, the two males spotted Anko sauntering their way. Resting her elbows on the bench she gazed at the children. "So you got Naruto a couple of friends," she said as a smile crossed her face. Looking to Ko, she added, "Though I'm surprised you convinced him to let the Hygua girl join the fun. What blackmail did he used to loosen you up?"
"It wasn't blackmail," said Ko, "I just happened upon a sticky situation. What are you doing here?"
"Work was light today and I got off early. I just happened to be lucky enough to wander this way."
"So I take that you're Naruto's sister, mother, cousin, aunt," Silver quickly listed off.
The smile slid off of Anko's face. "Naruto is an orphan," she said, "with no known family members to speak of."
"Oh," said Silver in a subtle tone, "I just assumed…"
"Do I and Naruto look anything alike?" said Anko. "For that matter Fu doesn't look like you at all."
Chuckling, Silver said, "Reason being that I'm not her biological father." Two sets of eyes landed on the merchant. Reclining back, the merchant closed his eyes while cupping the back of his head with his hands. "I travel throughout the lands and during those travels I happened upon Fu. Poor girl was living a miserable life and I took pity on her." A smile formed as he said, "She's trouble at times, but a good girl over all."
"I know that feeling," said Anko. Silver gave the woman a questioning look. "Stick around long enough and you'll see."
Time knows no speed limit when one has found favorable companionship. Though Ko was a little reluctant to talk, the three adults chatted away as the children happily played. Feeling a tug on his pants leg, the merchant looked down to see the children gathered around them, all of them holding their stomachs.
"Hungry I take it," said Silver. Everyone nodded. "How does dinner sound to you two?"
"Lady Hinata and I should…" begin Ko.
Placing her hands upon Ko's shoulders, Anko said, "Come now Ko. One dinner with us won't do the child any harm."
"How could it?" asked Silver. "So where should we go to eat?"
"Ichiraku Ramen!" exclaimed Naruto so loudly that everyone, except Anko who rolled her eyes, stared at him. "It's the best place in the world."
"Alright than Naruto," said Silver as he stood up. "Lead the way."
The small group made a rather interesting sight as they traveled through the village, Naruto proclaiming to his friends the wonders of Ichiraku Ramen. Fu walked beside him while Hinata walked a little behind. Ko spent part of his time hovering over the bluette and the other half being dragged away from her by his fellow adults.
"There is it," Naruto proclaimed. He dashed toward a small square building, its entrance partly covered by white flags decorated by kanji letters. A paper lantern hung by the entrance. Silver pulled back the flags while the children walked under them.
Attending to a couple of large pots was an old man. A round, white cloth crowned graying hair. His clothing consisting of a plain, loose shirt, pants and blue apron. He greeted the customers with a kind smile. "Hey Naruto," said the cook, "how my best customer doing? And who are all these people with you?"
A wide smile took over the blonde's face. He jumped onto one of the five stools before the counter. Fu took one to his left and Hinata his right. Silver and Anko sat to the right of Fu, leaving Ko to stand. In a proud voice, Naruto proclaimed as he gestured to sides, "These two are my new friends, Fu and Hinata."
Fu said, "Hey," while the bluette blushed and muttered a hello.
"Silver Dollar the Third," said the merchant as he offered his hand. The chef stared at it for a moment before grabbing it gingerly.
"The name is Teuchi," said the old man with a slight shake. Letting go of the hand, he said, "I already know Anko. She accompanies Naruto sometimes." Anko waved a hand at Teuchi. "And based on your eyes the other two are Hyuga."
"Hyuga," exclaimed a brunette as she rushed in from another room. A slender girl with brown eyes studied the two Hyuga customers. She was dressed in a similar manner as the old man, with a white bandana tied over long hair. Bowing, the girl said "Welcome to Ichiraku Ramen. It's an honor to have you here."
Rolling his eyes, Silver said, "Special treatment seems unnecessary."
"Pardon Ayame," said Teuchi, "my daughter can get easily excited at times.
"What does this place have to eat?" asked Ko.
"The best ramen in town," proclaimed Naruto. "Miso Ramen for me."
"The usual will do," said Anko as she leaned on the counter. Fu and Hinata opted to try Naruto's choice. After some consultation with his peers Silver went with the Tonkotsu while Ko chose the Shōyu. Within minutes all of their orders were ready and served.
Without hesitation Naruto dove into his ramen, devouring it as if starved. Fu rolled her eyes at the blond while Hinata giggled. Each tensely took some ramen with their chopsticks and took a bite.
Not too bad, thought Fu, though I wouldn't eat it every day. To Ko and Fu's shock the young heiress ravaged her meal. Silver ate at his meal at a much slow pace. Swallowing a bite, he said, "Not my favorite in the world, but the broth is good." His hand reached for Anko's ramen. He quickly withdrew it when a kunai pierced the wood. "Harsh," said Silver to a glaring Anko, "all I wanted was to try your broth."
"No way in hell," said Anko.
Silver's hand went to his cane, but Ko's voice stopped him. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Leaning against the wall, he paused from eating his meal. "The snake mistress will bite back if you displease her."
"Snake mistress," said Silver with a small smile. As he returned to his ramen, he noted, "I wouldn't mind watching her shed her first skin." It took a few seconds, but the small blush on Anko's face accompanied a predatory grin.
As she opened her mouth to speak, Fu said, "You can shed your skin like a bug can shed its exoskeleton?"
"I never knew she could do that," said Naruto.
"I-is t-that possible?" asked Hinata.
"Of course it is for Anko," proclaimed Naruto. "She a powerful ninja." With a gleeful smile he turned to Anko and said, "Isn't that right Anko?"
Silver buried himself in his ramen to hide the smirk on his mouth. Looking off into space, a small smile crept onto Ko's face. All three children stared at the snake mistress with expectant faces. Anko's jawed moved but words didn't came out of her mouth. "She could do it," said Silver with a chuckle, "but it's not something done lightly. So I'm afraid she can't demonstrate it."
A collective sigh came from the kids. Anko gave Silver a curious look before returning to her meal. The rest of the dinner was spent in comfortable silence between the adults. Naruto blabbed away with Fu fighting to get a word in. Poor Hinata could only manage a word or two before being drowned out.
Naruto complained about being hungry so the merchant stated that he could eat as much as he wanted. Bad move on Silver's part. The blond managed to down eight bowls in less than five minutes. His shy companion didn't help the matter by eating five herself. Taking pity on the shocked merchant, the adults agreed to split the cost of the meal between them.
"Thanks for the ramen," everyone said as they left.
Holding his stomach in content, Naruto said "That hit the spot."
"I hope you liked it," muttered Silver, "never thought someone would try to break my wallet with just simply food."
"Ramen is not simply food," declared Naruto as he pointed an accusing finger, "it's the food of the gods." The merchant smiled while rolling his eyes.
Looking to the setting sun, Silver said, "So I take it that we shall go our separate ways now."
"I must take Hinata back home," said Ko. With a bow the guardian herded the heiress away.
With a wave of his hand, Naruto said, "See you later Hinata."
Fu ran up to the heiress and held out a hand palm up. The heiress stared down at it in confusion. Grabbing Hinata's hand, Fu brought it down onto hers with a clap. "See ya," said Fu as she darted off. A smile came over her face as Hinata rejoined her guardian.
"Ko," said the heiress.
"Yes Hinata," said the guardian.
"Can I p-play with t-them again soon?"
After a brief silence, Ko said, "You may, but please do not inform your father about this." With a quick nod Hinata agreed.
"Mind if we walk you two home?" said Silver to Anko.
"Hoping to get lucky?" said Anko with a smirk.
"I wish to see what Naruto's living conditions are like."
"What?" exclaimed both Naruto and Anko.
Shrugging, the merchant said, "I'm curious how the orphan is living."
Though both the snake mistress and blond seemed unwilling they accepted Silver's offer. For the entirety of the walk he said nothing, he merely observed as the area around them degraded in quality. Fu tried talking to Naruto, but his unusual silence was off putting. Reaching the blond's apartment complex, the merchant asked, "This is home?"
"Top level," said Naruto.
Entering Naruto's apartment, Silver quickly slipped off his shoes and shoved them to the side. Within the time he explored the place the others had taken off their shoes. It wasn't long, but it was enough for Silver. A deep frown settled on his face. "This is your place?" Fu said out loud. Naruto nodded his head. "It's a dump."
Scratching the back of his head nervously, Naruto said, "I wasn't expecting visitors. Hey, you want to check out my plants?" Before Fu could say anything Naruto grabbed her by the wrist and dashed into his room. There was only a bed and dresser in the room, and plenty of trash on the floor. A few posters hung on the wall while a couple of healthy plants sat on the window still.
Silver and Anko hovered over a couple of flowers and a cactus. Bending over, Silver picked up a discarded ramen cup, "You're not this boy's guardian?" he asked.
A sigh escaped the snake mistress. "Unofficially, I am. I try my best, but missions and work keep me busy. People in town won't let him shop in their stores, so I have to buy a lot of stuff for him. I even train him a little to protect himself, but…" Shaking her head, she said, "Ninja aren't allow to train civilians unless for just reasons or if they are part of your family."
"Defending oneself isn't just reason?" Silver pointed out.
A scowl came over Anko's face. "It's complicated. Fucked up as hell, but complicated."
"Then why not adopt the boy?" said Silver.
"What?" asked Anko with a blank expression.
"That way you can protect the boy better," said Silver.
Anko rose with her hands up in front of her chest. "Hold on a second," she said, panic tainted her voice. "I'm not ready to care for a kid. Besides, Naruto has a no adoption status on his head."
"Really?" asked Silver. The snake mistress clasped her hands over her mouth, but it was too late. "What is it about Naruto that makes him so undesirable?"
Pulling her hands away, Anko said, "I can't tell you. What I can say is that the Third Hokage himself placed the ban." A strange gleam came over the merchant's eyes as an all too innocent smile appeared. Slightly startled, Anko asked, "What's with that face?"
"Fu," said Silver, "stay here. Naruto and I are going out." With that said he walked over to the curious boy. Bending down, Silver said, "Climb onto my back."
"What are you doing?" said Anko as Naruto complied with orders.
As he stood up, Silver said, "You'll see." Anko felt charka in the air and Silver darted to a nearby door. He threw it open, ran out onto a small, railed porch and leapt into the air, leaving behind a baffled snake mistress with an equally confused vertette.
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