Caught in the Middle
Chapter 10
What am I?
Disclaimer: Nooooooooooo...
Hey guys, I'm back again! Normally I'd have updated Fateful XIII before this story, but I've sort of hit some writers block there and I didn't see why you guys should have to suffer, so here you are.
"A friend is one to whom one can pour out all the contents of one's heart, chaff and grain together, knowing that the gentlest of hands will take and sift it, keeping what is worth keeping, and, with the breath of kindness, blow the rest away." - Arabian Proverb
Tsunade sat down at her desk once more, but was actually a bit excited, which was very unusual. You see, it had been a little over three months since Naruto had been brought to the FBPS headquarters. His basic training was officially finished today, and he if he had good marks, he would be granted the official rank of 'junior surveillance officer'.
She opened the top file on her desk marked with the blonds name and looked down at the file with his marks. It read:
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Trainee: Naruto Uzumaki (Namikaze)
Hand to hand: exceptional
Kenjutsu: above average
Magic: average
Stealth: below average
Intelligence: average
Marksmanship: slightly above average
Ingenuity/Resourcefulness: exceptional
Overall score: 8.5/10
Summery: Naruto is well versed in hand-to-hand combat and has made great strides in Kushina Uzumaki's Ouichi-Tsukeme style. On the other hand, he has difficulty grasping basic spells, though I have deduced that this is because of his enormous reserves of energy and he was able to master more advanced skills, therefore, I was lenient on his score.
Naruto simply cannot master stealth, and while he is fast and agile, he has a problem with simply being too loud. His intelligence is average, scoring straight C's on all his written tests, though it should be noted that his Ingenuity and Resourcefulness has been rated as exceptional. I believe his scores were a result of lack of interest rather than being un-intelligent.
His Marksmanship is impressive, though he is still primarily a melee fighter and should remain so. All in all, I highly recommend Naruto Uzumaki; he is dedicated to his training and is as much a prodigy as his father…when he wants to be.
Thank you for your time,
-Agent Kakashi Hatake,
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Tsunade smirked at the papers, it was just as impressive as she had expected. She admitted she was a bit disappointed with his stealth scores, but then again, he was his mother's son. Kushina had never been much of a subtle person either.
In the end though, she agreed with Kakashi; even without the situation Naruto was in, he still deserved the rank. His scores were impressive and she felt a swell of pride as she lifted her "approved" stamp and planted the red mark on the paper. She closed the file and decided to deliver the news to him personally; this was something she didn't want to miss.
When she arrived at the gym, she was greeted by a now normal sight. Naruto was in the middle of the sparring mat, taking on Rock Lee, a junior agent only one year older than him. Karen was sitting in a chair watching the fight intently.
Lee had dubbed Naruto his "arch rival", and challenged him to fights and competitions whenever possible. Naruto had made astounding progress with his fighting ability, and could now go toe-to-toe with Lee and present a decent challenge.
She felt another swell of pride as she watched him fight Lee in a bare knuckle battle of the fists.
Lee threw a roundhouse kick at the blond, which he ducked under and threw a punch with his right fist. Lee quickly rebounded from the miss and caught the punch, to which Naruto slammed his left leg into Lee's side. The Bruce Lee wannabe let go of his fist but wrapped his arm around Naruto's leg.
He swung Naruto around in a circle and let go, sending him tumbling across the room, landing on his back. The blond quickly hopped back up and got back into a fighting stance to which Lee quickly followed. The two charged each other at the same; Lee still being significantly faster, made it to Naruto first.
The blond threw a straight forward punch, as did Lee. The two caught each others assaults, and after a brief struggle for dominance, Lee twisted to the side, completely flipping Naruto over onto his back. Naruto attempted to sweep his leg under Lee's as he regained his balance, but it was in vain as he simply jumped over the attack. He quickly followed up that attack however, with a swift kick to Lee's chin, which connected and sent him tumbling back.
The two were back at square one; both of them on opposite ends of the mat, panting in their respective fighting positions. Tsunade thought it would be a good time to break it up, and applauded them both, gaining all their attention. Lee gave her a swift salute and stood rigid and Karen a slight bow, while Naruto just scratched his head and waved. She disregarded the boys' lack of respect for a moment, and instead focused on why she was here.
"Naruto, I have something here for you," she said waving the folder with his evaluation inside.
He gave her a confused look.
"What's that?"
She tossed it to him with a smirk.
"Open it and find out."
He eyed her suspiciously, but did as instructed, and opened the folder. He looked over his evaluations sheet, and smiled at himself, he was proud of his marks, even if he had completely blown off stealth. His smile grew even wider when he was the big, fat "approved" stamp mark on it. He looked up with a gleam in his eyes.
"So does this mean…"
Tsunade nodded. "Yes, as of today, you are officially and agent of the FBPS," she said extending her hand, "welcome."
He took it eagerly.
"Oh what a joyous occasion this is indeed," shouted Lee, "I wish I could stay and celebrate with you my eternal rival, but I must inform Gai-sensei of this, he will be so pleased!"
Without another word, he ran off into the hall and was gone. Naruto chuckled at the guys antics.
"Man he's weird, but he's cool."
He turned back to Tsunade.
"So, what do I have to do now?"
"Well, I'll have Kakashi come and get you for all the official processing, then after that, there's something we need to discuss, but for now, you've got some free time."
He nodded.
"That's all I have for you right now, so I'll be going," she said as she walked out the door, "Congratulations Naruto, you really are your parents son."
The blonds eyes widened when he heard her say that, then he was overwhelmed with a feeling of pride. He was brought out of his trance though, when Karen walked up and hugged him, to which he smiled.
"Congratulations knucklehead!"
He smiled widely and laughed. Over the last three months, Naruto and Karen had only gotten closer and now acted like they were actually best friends. In fact, even if they weren't magically and mentally bonded together, they'd still be practically inseparable.
She stepped back and Naruto put the folder under his arm.
"Hey, we've got some downtime, let's go grab some lunch."
She smiled and nodded.
"Sure."
Once again, Kakashi was sitting in Tsunade's office, this time on a much better note. They were discussing how to best break free the magical bond between Naruto and Karen. It was good that it helped them become so close, but it was still a safety concern. Tsunade already had a plan that would most likely free them both, and would be especially beneficial to Naruto, but that didn't mean she was comfortable with it.
"So do you really think this is necessary?" asked Kakashi.
Tsunade nodded slowly.
"Yes, as much as I hate to admit it, I'll need his help. After all, if there's a seal that can cancel out the affects of the bond, he'll know about it."
"Do we even know where he is?"
Again she nodded.
"We spotted him in the high mountains of northern Japan."
Kakashi sighed, he didn't like this. It was going to be dangerous being so far from any support the FBPS could have normally given them.
"I think," she started, "along with the obvious benefits, Naruto would like an opportunity to meet someone so intimate with his family; there are only so many questions I can answer, but he's got to have hundreds of stories."
He knew there was no getting out of this, so he conceded and resigned himself to his fate.
"When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow, it'll give you three time to prepare. Now...onto an issue a little more pressing."
"Let me guess," said Kakashi, "Naruto's demonic powers, right?"
She nodded with a worried expression.
"Well, I can't honestly say how much control he may have gained over it, but I don't exactly want to test it."
It was Tsunade's turn to sigh.
"You know we'll have to tell him right? I plan on doing it today; as a matter of fact, could you go get him, better we get this over with now rather than later."
"Right away," agreed Kakashi.
Naruto and Karen were both sitting in the cafeteria; Karen eating a sandwich while Naruto was devouring (what else) some ramen. It was pretty quiet until, out of no where, Kakashi decided to just poof in with his magical smoke, surprising both of them to the extent where they almost choked on their food and fell out of their chairs. Once Naruto caught his breath he looked up at the elder agent with and growled.
"What the hell is wrong with you Kakashi, you trying to give me a heart attack or something!?" he shouted.
"I'm sorry if I startled you Naruto," he said, not even looking up from the book he was reading, "but Director Senju wants to see you right away, its important."
Naruto sighed.
"Alright, come on Karen, lets see what granny Tsunade wants," he grumbled.
Kakashi stood there with a worried expression under his mask, hoping to God Naruto didn't make a habit out of that nickname. The only thing that could come of it were injuries.
He shook off the mental image of the Director beating the poor boy to death, and instead thought of the upcoming discussion. He knew he should probably be there, so for once, he decided to be punctual and, once again, disappeared.
Naruto gave three light taps to the door of Director Senju's office, to which he received a muffled, "come in." He did just that and looked around the familiar office.
Tsunade sat behind her desk as always, Shizune was seated next to her, which was also common, and Kakashi stood to her other side, which wasn't all that common. If all three of them were here at once, then this was probably more important than he thought; he sat down feeling slightly nervous.
"What is it you wanted to talk to me about?" he asked.
Tsunade cleared her throat apprehensively before beginning.
"Naruto...do you remember about three months ago when you and Karen were at the cemetery in Konoha city?"
He nodded.
"Well, I'm not going to beat around the bush with you here. When the kistune attacked you there, and you were impaled through the heart, you were revived by the four-tailed kitsune that arrived to help you. He sacrificed his own life to heal your injuries and keep you alive...but he also gave you something else."
He gave her a confused look.
"What else did he give me?"
She sighed and leaned forward onto her desk.
"Naruto, he gave you what is called "The Kitsune's Gift". Basically, he transferred his demonic abilities and powers to you, so in essence, you are now under the classification of...half demon. Half kitsune to be precise; you now have enhanced physical abilities and senses, your life-span is longer, and you have larger reserves of magical energy."
She was expecting a million questions to be shot at her from every direction by the boy, but to her surprise, he only asked one.
"So...what's going to happen to me now?"
She sat back in her chair now, gaining hope that he might handle this maturely.
"Well, an old friend of mine, who goes by the name of Jiraiya, is currently in Japan and can help you. While you're with him he'll attempt to break the magical bond between you and Karen, give you additional training, and help you with your demonic abilities."
He nodded in silence.
"One more question," he asked quietly, "those memory blackouts from a while ago, like when Sasuke attacked us...is this why I can't remember those moments?"
This time Kakashi spoke up.
"That's correct Naruto, after he shot you, your demonic abilities awoke and you fought him off. While in that state, you're endurance and strength are phenomenal, but you're so blinded by rage, that it's hard for you to tell who the enemy is. That's why this is such a large concern."
"Okay," the blond nodded, "I get it now...I'm a threat, a safety hazard."
Tsunade shook her head.
"No Naruto, you're not a safety hazard and you're not a threat."
"Then what am I!?" he suddenly shouted.
He stared at them angrily for a moment, and got no answer; none of them would even look him in the eye.
"That's what I thought," he said, standing up in frustration; he walked out of the room and slammed the door. Karen was the only one to even go after him.
Tsunade rubbed her temples and sighed.
"That didn't go very well," she pointed out.
"There wasn't much more we could have hoped for," said Kakashi, not much happier with the outcome.
"Naruto!" called Karen.
The blond still didn't stop; this was the fourth time she'd called his name and he kept on moving as if he didn't hear her. He rounded a corner and made it to the hallway where their rooms were. He threw his door open and slammed it closed just as Karen was about to run in after him, coming dangerously close to smacking it into her nose. She proceeded to bang on his door.
"Naruto, open up!"
...no response.
"Damn it Naruto, if you don't open this door right now I'm knocking it down!" she shouted threateningly.
...still no response.
"Alright then, one...two...three!"
As she yelled three she raised her foot up and was about to kick it down when the blond finally admitted defeat and opened the door. She lowered her foot and settled down herself.
"Can I come in?" she asked in a much softer voice.
He still didn't speak but nodded, and she stepped over the threshold. Naruto sat back down on his bed, head hanging low, and Karen sat down next to him.
"So...do you want to talk?"
After a few seconds of silence, he finally spoke up.
"It isn't fair..." he muttered.
"What isn't fair?"
"...everything. At first I thought it was cool; I found you and I found out that all those bedtime stories were real, that demons and monsters really do exist. Then everything sunk in; people were trying to kill us, not just you, but me to. Sasuke, Kitsune assassins, the FBPS, and now I find out I'm half demon. It's too much, I'm only sixteen, this shouldn't be happening to me," he said in a trembling voice.
Karen saw a few tears drip down his face and onto the floor. She scooted closer and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him close. Karen finally under stood what Kakashi meant when they were talking outside his hospital room.
'He's got an extremely hard road ahead, and without anyone to help hold him up, even he'll eventually break apart.'
"This s-sucks...even Kakashi and...a-and granny Tsunade are afraid of me. They...they didn't bother to t-tell me...they kept it all secret! You knew to...d-didn't you!" he practically shouted, now opening crying.
Karen nodded slightly.
"Yeah, I did. I didn't know what to do though; when Kakashi told me, he said not to mention it, and I didn't want to do something that might have ended up hurting you more, so I kept my mouth shut. If I had know you would be this upset I would have told you right form the start...I'm sorry. You have to believe me Naruto, you're the most important person in the world to me, I didn't do this to hurt you, and neither did Kakashi or Tsunade, or anyone else. They were just as confused as you are."
He swallowed hard and took a few deep breaths, settling himself down a bit; Karen tightened her grip and held him closer.
"Naruto, when my parents died, I was all alone, I didn't have anyone left. Ever since I met you though, you've helped fill that hole that they left, and because of that, you're the most precious person to me in the world. You've saved my life so many times, and you've comforted me when I needed it, even when I was a complete jerk to you. I would never, and could never be afraid of you."
He took another few deep breaths and finally settled down to the point where he stopped crying. Karen let go of him when he moved to sit up, and he took one more deep breath.
"I...believe you. I'm sorry I freak out so much...it's just I'm having trouble taking all this in, it's only been three months since all this started and I can't seem to keep up."
"It's alright; even though you're always smiling, I saw what was sitting behind it. I'm glad you finally got it out."
He nodded.
"Me to," he agreed, "but I'm kind of tired, would you mind if I went to sleep for a while. I didn't get much sleep last night."
She smiled and nodded, getting up from her seat, letting him lay down. He scooted over and spread down on his bed, laying on his back. Karen looked back at him as she stood at the threshold of his door. She smiled as the blond was already slumped over asleep, and shut off his lights.
"Sweet dreams Naruto."
Okay...so there's that. This chapter was a little iffy for me, but you be the judges. I personally thought that last scene was pretty good if I do say so myself though.
Ladies, can you believe I'm single?
Anyway, go ahead and shower me with reviews as you always do!
