4
Naruto woke the next morning from a dream he couldn't remember. It had been a good one, though; rare for him. He was completely awake the moment he opened his eyes, something he'd learned to do over years of long-term missions into other ninja countries during the war. This reaction proved a theory he'd had. He figured that he remembered everything he'd ever done or learned, but it only showed mentally. Physically, which included his chakra system, he was still a young, developing child ninja.
Well. That was good to know. Note the sarcasm.
Naruto sat up and stepped out of his bed, his toes curling away from the cold feel of the wooden floor. He went to the bathroom, brushed his teeth, and combed his unruly hair (which, he thought to himself, he would have to grow out again) in quick succession. Once done with those simple morning tasks, he pulled off the pants he'd slept in and, in their place, put on his new dark brown training pants. They were made specifically for use by ninja, so it had a pouch at his right thigh where the pants kept tight to the skin to keep the pouch from moving when it had kunai or shuriken and such in it. He pulled the named weapons from the top drawer of his bedside table and filled the pouch with them, knowing that the hitai-ate basically gave him permission to carry such weapons at all times, instead of just for training.
Next, he pulled on the plain black short-sleeved shirt he'd bought to wear with the pants. It was light and loose enough to move in easily but fitted enough to keep out of his way. He'd spent the last of his month's allowance on the clothes, food, and cleaning supplies, but it was worth it. Although wearing the orange had helped him develop his technique for undetected movement (A/N: I mean, really, who wouldn't be able to point out a big glob of orange during a recon mission? Not that Sakura was much better with her pink outfit), he'd found that black usually helped in the camouflage area.
He put on his pair of blue, standard issue ninja sandals and walked smoothly into his kitchen. As he made a breakfast of eggs, toast, and a glass of milk (the traditional morning meal), Naruto wondered if he could ask old man hokage for a small loan. Just enough to buy some clothes and proper food. He'd never asked before because he had too much pride in the fact that he'd survived all on his own without anybody else. But, if he got himself killed because his enemies saw his orange jacket or because he passed out during a fight from malnutrition, he wouldn't be able to say he'd survived anymore.
He sat down at the kitchen table with his plate of food and got back up not five minutes later to put the empty plate and utensils in the sink; he'd wash them later. He still had some chores to do once he got back from the meeting with Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi. The fact that the floors still needed cleaning was the only reason Naruto was wearing his shoes inside the apartment.
Going over a checklist in his mind (i.e. clothes, food, weapons, etc…), Naruto laughed to himself, thinking someone would probably think he was an idiot from the way he'd been grinning all morning. But, really, his heart was just pounding in excitement of seeing his best friend alive again.
He stepped out the door to his apartment, locked it behind him, and went straight to Hokage Tower. Walking at a moderate pace, head held high, with a shit-eating grin on his face, he received quite a few curious stares, though he suspected many of them to be because of his new outfit. It appeared that the owners of the stares had confused him for a stranger. That was, at least, until they recognized the blond hair and his whisker scars. After that, it was back to the old, hate-filled, degrading looks. Avoiding him when walking by in the street. Going out of their way to make him feel isolated and unwelcomed. It didn't faze him that much, but it wasn't exactly how he wanted to be treated, and he wasn't quite used to it happening all over again.
He reached Hokage Tower rather quickly, thankfully, and went up to the top floor to take his ID picture. Naruto only had to wait a second after knocking the door to the left of the stairway for the man inside to open the door. Once again, the chore went rather quickly, and Naruto left the room after the man congratulated him on a rather fine picture and for his graduation from the academy. He must not have been from Konoha.
Looking at his watch and seeing that it was only four minutes until eight o'clock, he figured he had time to drop in on the hokage. Naruto walked down the hall until he reached a large set of doors. He knocked and, receiving an "Enter!" from inside, walked in leisurely.
"Well? What is-? Oh! Naruto. I thought it was a Jounin or Anbu. I couldn't sense your chakra. When did you…?" Sarutobi Hiruzen left the sentence hanging as he lay down his pen and the report he'd been reading over. Naruto mentally grimaced. That was another reason he no longer treasured the position of hokage. Paperwork. Then he registered what the old man had said.
"You couldn't? Damn, sorry. It's habit. I used to be in ANBU for a little while…" Naruto frowned, trying to lift his suppression on his chakra. When the Hokage nodded at him, letting him know that his chakra was perceivable, Naruto sighed, not liking the feeling of vulnerability that came with the fact that his chakra was out in the open. The Hokage gestured for him to sit in the chair that sat across the desk, attracting Naruto's attention. Naruto sat.
"It's…strange. How…how old are you now?" Sarutobi seemed confused. Naruto paused before answering, but thinking on it, he didn't see any problem with revealing his own, later, past. It had already likely been drastically changed when he came back in time. Not to mention that the old man was as good to him as a father and, even if he wasn't, he was the hokage. Regardless of what it was, Naruto figured that Sarutobi deserved to know who was in his village.
"I'll be twenty-two in three months." Naruto tried to tell him with his tone that he was open for questions, and the man picked up on it. Sarutobi sat up straighter and clasped his hand on the desk in front of him; the position he'd always taken when questioning Naruto about his reasons for committing one of his old pranks.
"How did you get your chakra training, then? That is ANBU training. You couldn't learn it from many other places, and ANBU doesn't normally let you into their ranks until you're twenty-one. You're far too good at it for you to have only been at it for just nine months." The gray-haired man put a questioning tone on his statement.
"That's because I joined ANBU when I was seventeen. I was infiltrating ROOT to take down Danzou and—Oh, sorry. I keep thinking that bastard's still dead. Can't tell you too much 'bout him, but, anyway…I left ANBU around when I turned twenty. I went on a training trip and didn't plan on coming back to the village for a while. To be in ANBU, I had to be on active duty, and, because I would be gone for so long, they had to take me off duty."
"How did you get into ANBU so young?" The Sandaime asked, looking surprised, if not a bit let down because Naruto wouldn't tell him anything about Danzou. Naruto smirked at that. He was sure that Danzou and the elders had been just as much a pain in the ass to Sarutobi and the other Hokage as they had been to Tsunade.
"I can't tell you that, but we both know that children younger than me have been recruited since before you were even Hokage."
Sarutobi sighed and nodded. "That's true, but it's usually ROOT that does that. And even then, once a child reaches twelve, it's rare that they are recruited." He pressed his forehead into his hands and leaned on his elbows which were resting stiffly on the desk. When he spoke again, it was with an air that made Naruto think that he should think on his answer very carefully. "While we're on the subject of ROOT, Why did you refer to Danzou as a 'bastard'? What did he do to you?"
It was Naruto's turn to sigh. He'd been so set on not telling anyone what he knew for the fear that releasing such information would make the situation even harder to deal with. But, again, Sarutobi deserved to know, and he was sure he would need help to do what he needed to do. So, needing help to decide, he turned to Kyuu, who had been watching the going ons passively, if not sleepily.
Should I tell him?
You want to change what happened in the past, not to stay along the same storyline. If you tell him, he'll help you get rid of Danzou. But, keep in mind, if you tell him too much, he might restrict your movements. He cares about you.
Yeah. And if he knows too much he might get killed again. I plan for him to retire at a ripe old age. Hopefully we can convince Tsunade to take the position of fifth hokage without him dying. Naruto smirked mentally. She's fond of bets. Perhaps I can get her to bet on the outcome of a fight between me and her. After a while of retraining, of course.
Naturally. Naruto mock glared at his mental image of Kyuu. She grinned like a madman… er… mad-fox. Naruto decided to go back to his conversation with Gramps, who was looking at him curiously. He shook his head.
"Sorry. I zoned out a little. I've got to leave soon, but I'll tell you a bit, all right?" Sarutobi nodded. "I'm not on very good terms with Danzou for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that he was part of a plot to capture and kill me when I was sixteen. The ironic thing was that, during his brilliant plan, he died instead. ANBU got cleaned up right quick after that." Naruto grinned nonchalantly. He saw Sarutobi curse under his breath and sighed heavily, assumedly thinking just how much of his life would be easier if Danzou weren't around. Even if he hadn't before he'd heard Naruto tell the short story, there was no way for him not to loathe the ROOT leader now.
"I understand exactly how you feel. I had hoped that you would enjoy some help in taking him down?" Naruto trailed off.
"Of course!"
"Good. But, for now, I was hoping I could ask you for a favor."
"Certainly. What do you need, Naruto?" Sarutobi looked curious again.
"I was wondering if I could borrow some money for food and clothes. I had forgotten how miserably I had lived at this age and, now that I remember, I do not feel like living like that again. My diet was rather unhealthy."
Naruto stopped looking at his hands, which he had folded into his lap as he spoke, and saw, as he switched his gaze to Sarutobi, that the man's eyes had widened.
"What is it?" He asked, even though he was sure he knew why the man had reacted in such a fashion. Before, he hadn't trusted anyone enough to risk asking something like this.
"I never expected you to ask for help. I know how you lived, but I was afraid you'd push me away if I offered."
"Gramps. I may look it, but I'm not a child. I've learned that it makes life much harder than it has to be if you don't ask for help. I was foolish to live as I did just because I was too proud to ask for help. Could I take some money as a loan and pay it back once my team and I start missions?"
Sarutobi's eyes softened into understanding and he nodded. "Of course you can. I would say that you don't need to pay me back, but I don't think you'll accept that, even now." He smiled as Naruto nodded in agreement to the statement. "Come back later this afternoon so I can give it to you. And you'll have to tell me some more about your life then as well."
Naruto glanced at the clock above the doors behind him. It was eight twenty-seven. Time passed quickly. He had thirty-three minutes to make his way to his old classroom to meet with his team. He grinned.
"All right. I've got to go for now, but I'll come back after Kakashi tells us what he wants us to do for his test tomorrow. I always enjoyed sitting and talking with you. It's relaxing." Naruto stood and stepped around his chair, going to the door. "Thanks!" He called, before closing the door behind him.
Are you going to tell him about me, Kit? It might help if someone knows about me, although he might send Yamato with you everywhere we go.
Yeah, but that might not be best until after Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi know. I won't tell him until after we return from the mission to the land of waves. I want to be able to tell team seven what happened to me in the near future. It will hurt; lying to them until then.
Then don't lie. Just don't tell them the full truth. Kyuu suggested unhelpfully.
Naruto sighed. I don't have any other choice. I have to. Sasuke will be mad, though.
But he'll be safe.
xXx
Naruto walked into the academy whistling softly under his breath. He was in the midst of wondering at the face Kakashi would make if he knew that Naruto knew that he was hiding right there in the shadows, not far from the classroom where they met for the first time. When he'd joined ANBU, he'd learned, as a result of honing his chakra sensory skills, that Kakashi was never actually late to any of the meetings team seven had had. He just liked to mess with his students to see if they came on time, although sometimes he truly had been late as a result of paying his respects to his old teammates.
But, Naruto decided not to test his sensei. He'd have fun with that tomorrow, during the test itself. Naruto briefly wondered for a moment whether Kakashi would listen to him or not, about giving them the same test he had pre-planned. If he did, Naruto would have to hold back. Even though this body felt completely awkward, Naruto knew that he would still be far above any normal genin. Sasuke and Sakura would be suspicious if he suddenly got smart and good at fighting, although he might be able to pull it off with the excuse that he trained by himself (true) and explained that he acted like a dunce at the academy to get attention (also true). After a second's pause at the door to the academy, Naruto decided that he would go with that explanation. It would be far easier that holding back all the time.
Naruto stopped outside the door to his old classroom. He was suddenly overwhelmed. He'd gone back nearly eleven years. He was going to get to see everyone from his life all over again, even the people who had died. He touched his forehead to the surface of the wooden pocket door as a wide grin split his face.
He grabbed the door handle and pulled it open, glancing around the near empty classroom as he entered. The room held a desk at the front which was situated in front of a chalkboard that took up the entirety of the wall behind it. The desk faced rows of student desks that were each raised up on platforms so that each row of desks was higher up than the one in front of it.
Sasuke and Sakura sat in the second row back. Sasuke had a black look on his face; probably because Sakura was trying to talk the boy's ears off. Naruto internally shook his head; the girl may be like a sister to him, but she had been seriously annoying at this age. He couldn't believe he'd had a crush on her.
The pale (although, thankfully, this paleness at least had life to it), black-haired raven just sat there, his chin resting on looped fingers, staring at the front of the room. Naruto glanced at Sakura. She didn't seem to be affected by Sasuke's silence in the slightest. The pink haired girl just continued talking, and talking, and talking…
That was, at least, until she noticed Naruto. She sent him a dirty look; most likely because he disturbed her alone time with her Sasuke. He ignored the look, but, strangely enough (and probably as a result of having to see through the teme's masks for years), Naruto was able to catch Sasuke glance at him with a somewhat relieved glint in his eyes. Naruto mentally smirked.
"Sakura, how many times has Sasuke responded to anything you've said since you got here?"
Sakura flushed and stood up, glaring heavily at Naruto, surprisingly quickly understanding what the blond was implying. No offense, but the pink haired girl had been rather slow at glimpsing the meaning of things people said when she was around Sasuke.
At a glance, Naruto saw amusement in Sasuke's eyes. He would've been shocked, seeing these emotions from the teme was always a cold-hearted bastard who supposedly didn't feel anything, but Naruto knew the expressions had always been there. He'd just never been able to see them. He put showed his hands to Sakura in a show of acquiescence.
"Whoa, sorry." He grinned at her. "Just wondering why you're bothering him when he obviously wants to sit there like a statue." He caught a sneer thrown his way from the raven.
"Don't talk about Sasuke like that! And, for your information, I'm talking to Sasuke because I like him!" Naruto snorted audibly.
"For one, I can talk about that teme," another sneer "Any way I like. Secondly, I think we all- we being the whole of Konoha- know that you are infatuated with Sasuke Uchiha. You've made it abundantly obvious."
Surprisingly, just as Sakura was about to charge at Naruto, and he feared that he would have to run for his life (her punches were hard even at this age, damn it! And curse Tsunade for making them even stronger!), Sasuke spoke.
"Sakura. He's right. Leave me alone."
She looked at him unseeingly. She was shocked, but not disheartened (never disheartened!), that he would speak because of that blond idiot but not to her. Oh, well. She'd just have to try again until Sasuke went out with her!
As if seeing her thoughts, Naruto snorted again and scoffed. "Sakura, Sasuke's not just going to like you all of a sudden! Why don't you just try being quiet and tolerable?"
Sakura's mouth was still hanging wide open when Kakashi walked through the door behind him.