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Naruto woke up about a half-hour later, sprawled across a lounge chair in the Hokage's office with his fraying blanket thrown over him.
Cracking an eye open, he found Rin standing at attention before the desk where Sarutobi was speaking to her softly.
She looked drawn and miserable, her eyes hooded and hands limp by her sides. What really got to the blonde was that she was hiding her face behind her hair; something she only did when she wanted to be left alone.
It took a few moments of orientation to realise his head was nestled on a cushion leaning against someone's legs.
The person absently petting his hair smelt strongly of dogs, so he assumed it was the Inuzuka Matriarch Tsume, Kiba's mother. A slight panting to his left denoted the position of the woman's one-eyed dog.
Rin glanced at him and saw that he was awake.
She straightened and interrupted the old Hokage's soft words. "If I may, Lord Hokage, it has been a long and stressful night and is, indeed, nearly dawn. Since my charge is now awake, I ask permission to withdraw until we have had sufficient time to rest."
Naruto felt the woman's hand pause in surprise and the Hokage glanced at him before nodding.
"I would like both of you to return here at 14:00 hours later today for further debriefing and to assess Naruto-kun's skills."
Rin-san bowed. "Hai Hokage-sama."
Naruto kicked off the blankets, stood and bowed to the feral-looking clanswoman. "I thank you for the care you have shown me, Inuzuka-sama."
Inuzuka appeared surprised by both his formal language and by his soft monotone, slightly scratchy from disuse. But still she smiled. "You are welcome Uzumaki-san. Feel free to seek me out if you have any questions you don't feel comfortable asking people close to you. I have a son your age and I know how he thinks."
Naruto smiled slightly. "Kiba-kun."
There was no uncertainty in his voice.
Tsume smiled at the blonde child she had last seen years ago, hooked up to innumerable machines and looking oh-so-fragile in the many white bandages covering his small body.
"Yes. Kiba." She agreed softly after the retreating boy.
(space)
Naruto woke to a tangle of limbs, sheets and snaking black hair.
Again.
Rin did this sometimes, and after the night several evenings before, he wasn't surprised.
The blonde sighed and gently disentangled himself from the woman, knowing she'd have half-roused enough to know what was happening, and left the room to pad quietly downstairs.
The two had moved into a house in the Uchiha district, on the far side from where she had lived with her widowed mother.
Rin had been debriefed, sent to counselling and temporarily demoted back to elite Jounin at her request. She was now trying to get the Uchiha's affairs in order and scouring the compound for whatever had set Itachi off.
Naruto knew, but wasn't saying anything. He wasn't stupid and Rin was a highly intelligent Kunoichi; she'd figure it out.
Naruto, however, was declared easily Jounin-level. But due to technicalities (and the ingrates on the civilian council), he couldn't technically be called a Shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato until he took the genin exam and earn the right to call himself as such.
So he would do so.
Ten minutes later, the blonde was out the door and walking over the crisp morning grass and through the remnants of pre-dawn mist, a small pack with his schooling necessities in hand.
Reaching the gate to the compound, he caught a glimpse of the other Uchiha ahead.
Feeling no need to hurry, Naruto continued his rolling pace to the Academy building where he paused.
Iruka, Udon and Ebisu had died when the building collapsed as they tried to get students out.
He blinked once and continued on to the office.
(space)
Naruto could barely look at Iruka as he followed the young teacher into the classroom of screaming pre-teens.
As soon as the brown-haired Chuunin entered, there was dead silence before they broke into whispers as Naruto followed and stood at the front of the room.
"Alright, class." Iruka began. "As you can see, we have a new arrival. He has just returned from a four-year trip outside the village, so if he has any problems with the work, I encourage you the assist him. So give a hearty welcome back to Uzumaki Naruto."
Naruto idly watched a moth flutter across the silent room.
He smiled slightly.
"Anyone would think you were surprised that I'm back."
His smile morphed into a smirk.
"…Dattebayo."
Chaos.
Short but I'm gonn get into it in more depth next chapter.
Reviews are appriciated.