Authors note
As always thanks to my beta Sakiku Torakak for her work on this chapter. She's a real trooper for putting up with me and the way I write.
Anyway, all reviews/criticism is welcomed. Without further ado, I give you chapter seven of Naruto: Shadows of the Mind.
'THOUGHTS'
LINEBREAKS=CHANGE OF SCENE/POV
Chapter Seven
Sarutobi sighed wearily as he walked through the hospital doors. His sleep had been restless the previous night, and while things had more or less calmed down, the situation was still far from resolved.
Sarutobi had gone to the hospital for three things. The first had been to inform Naruto of what "really happened" the past day or so. He had stayed up late into the night, formulating a way to explain the situation to the child and to try to save some of his innocence. No easy task for a child that was as determined and as curious as Naruto. There was no chance that Naruto would understand the hows and whys of politics, and even less likely that he would understand the situation, considering that the boy still knew nothing of either his true heritage, or his not so secret burden. Still, Sarutobi was reasonably confident in his bluffing abilities, and he was certain he could eventually convince Naruto of the "truth".
The second reason he had come for was to inform Naruto of the Sanadas' last will and testament. He supposed he shouldn't really be surprised that they had even gone so far as to legally leave everything to Naruto. It had certainly helped in their attempt to lower suspicion against them. Though they obviously never thought that Naruto would ever outlive them, at least some good came from their deceptions. Now Naruto would have a legitimate inheritance that couldn't be connected to his parents, or raise any questions as to where it came from. So at least he would be better able to support himself when the time came.
His final reason also concerned the blue-eyed bundle of energy. Sarutobi would need to talk to Naruto about his new living arrangements. The boy might now own a rather nice house and a rather large chunk of wealth, but he was still just a four-year-old child. Someone would have to look after him, while Sarutobi managed his new property for him. Sarutobi would begin giving Naruto his money on a weekly allowance basis, starting with a small amount and gradually increasing as Naruto grew older.
What to do with the boy himself was a slightly more difficult decision. Once again, Sarutobi found himself considering having the boy live with him at the mansion. He had scrapped the idea when Naruto had been first born in yet another failed attempt to hide the boy's identity from the rest of the village. Since only a select few had known what Naruto looked like at the time, much less his name, the orphanage had seemed an ideal place for Naruto's childhood. He should have been safe from the village in obscurity, and as long as Naruto wasn't living with him, then other Villages would have been less likely to wonder about Naruto or why he of all children had been taken in by the Shinobi no Kami. And if they weren't wondering why the boy was living with him, then they wouldn't have the chance to wonder about the boy's last name, or the fact that he bore some resemblence to the Yondaime.
When he had learned of the orphanage workers' crimes, Sarutobi had again considered moving the child in with him, especially after the Hitode incident. Sarutobi had been mere moments away from taking the chance of foreign assassins and kidnapping attempts in order to protect the grandson he'd never had, when the Sanadas had first come to him with their request.
Sarutobi had sensed something amiss with the elderly couple, but in his desperation to find a way to protect Naruto - as well as to assuage his own guilt over the boy's stay in the hospital - he had quashed those doubts. After all, they said everything that Sarutobi wanted to hear.
The Sanadas had appeared to be the perfect solution to his dilemma. They had had no other surviving family, they had been skilled shinobi before they had retired and as such had been quite well off financially, and they had seemed to have a genuine concern for Naruto's well being, and argued fiercely that he should be raised in the shinobi way rather than the civilian. That is to say, that as Konoha's Jinchuuriki, Naruto needed to be taught to protect himself, and given the same training that many other children in shinobi families received. They had been able to protect Naruto without making the boy the international target he would have been if Sarutobi had taken him in. Everything about them had appeared to be fine, and he had made sure to keep an eye on them, both by himself and through the Anbu.
Sadly, it seemed that none of them had watched closely enough. Or in Sarutobi's case, hadn't wanted to look closer. Everything had been going so well for Naruto that Sarutobi hadn't been able to bring himself to look into the situation too deeply. Similar to his actions - or lack thereof - concerning his former student Orochimaru. Now he was once again faced with the consequences of his own weakness.
So for the third time he was faced with the choice between the orphanage with Anbu watchers, or taking Naruto in himself. Both options were risky, though for different reasons. While the orphanage would definitely be the safer choice, Naruto had just had his life destroyed, and would need constant, caring attention to help him recover. Attention that indifferent orphanage workers were unlikely to give. On the other hand, Sarutobi could provide that care, but at the cost of putting the child in increased danger from both within and without the village.
Sarutobi sighed tiredly, 'I'm really too old for this job. If only I was ten or so years younger…' Sarutobi made his way slowly up the stairs to Naruto's floor, trying to find a suitable solution to his current problem. Passing a doctor in the hallway, Sarutobi had the beginnings of an idea. 'Perhaps I could try to find a therapist for Naruto to talk to while living in the orphanage…that way he would be safe from outside threats while receiving the help he would need to overcome his loss. Of course, I'd have to find a therapist that could be trusted with Naruto… Not Inoichi or Ibiki that's for sure… not one of the civilians either… that certainly narrows the list quite a bit.'
Sarutobi shook himself out of his thoughts when he reached the nurse's station. He nodded to the nurses there. "I'm here to see Naruto Sanada."
"Right this way, Hokage-sama." A short brunette woman said while bowing.
Sarutobi followed the nurse -"Emiko" the woman's nametag said- to his surrogate grandson's room. He paused as he arrived outside Naruto's door. Glancing around the "empty" hallway, Sarutobi made a minute movement with his hand, dispersing the unseen ANBU.
Stepping into the room, Sarutobi was shocked to find an empty bed, one that looked like it had not been slept in.
"Sanada-san," the nurse called as she hurriedly checked the bathroom and closet. Looking under the bed, Emiko let out a sigh of relief. "Sanada-san, what are you doing under there? You need to stay in bed and rest," the nurse scolded as she tried to remove the child from under the bed. Tried being the key word as young Naruto continually backed away from her reaching hands. "Sanada-san, stop being difficult and come here," Emiko ordered sternly. By this point, she was practically laying on the floor, reaching under the bed for Naruto, who was almost out from the other side.
Deciding to intervene, Sarutobi stepped around the bed and picked up the tense child. "Don't you think the bed is more comfortable than the floor, Naruto?" he said, placing Naruto on the bed where Emiko began to fuss over him as doctors and nurses do.
"Really, Sanada-san, I know we told you to stay in bed, so what were you thinking climbing around in your condition? You're supposed to call us if you need something, not hide from us." she said while tucking Naruto under the blankets and checking his pulse and blood pressure before marking some things down on his chart. "Now you stay in that bed and be a good boy for the Hokage while I go and get your breakfast. Remember your manners and -"
"Don't worry, Emiko-san; I'll look out for him while you're gone." Sarutobi cut off her scolding, anxious yet hesitant to get to the reason of his visit.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Emiko bowed while sending another warning look to Naruto, before leaving the room.
Once she was gone, silence descended on the room as Sarutobi stared at Naruto, who refused to look at his face. Sarutobi tried to gather his thoughts and come up with a basic plan for how to manage the conversation, when Naruto asked him, "What do you want?"
Sarutobi winced inside at the quiet, almost broken tone the boy used. "I wanted to see how you were, and to talk to you about some things." he answered with a smile. "Why were you on the floor Naruto?" he questioned both out of curiosity and to stall for time.
Rather than answer his question, Naruto just said, "'m fine, go away."
Sighing, Sarutobi replied gently, "I still need to talk to you about some things, Naruto. It's about what happened with your grandparents."
"They're not my grandparents!" Naruto shouted angrily as he surged forward as in actually planning to attack him, before leaning away again though his glare remained.
"Naruto, please listen to me." Sarutobi interrupted before Naruto could continue with his tirade. "We've found out what really happened, and your grandparents weren't the ones to hurt you." When Naruto didn't respond, Sarutobi continued. "We found out that it was an assassin - a foreign ninja - who actually killed them, and who tried to kill you."
"Liar!" Naruto snarled heatedly. "I was there, I seen em, they tried to make me go away!"
"Naruto, do you know what a Genjutsu is?" Sarutobi patiently asked. When Naruto frowned, he continued. "A Genjutsu is an illusion technique that can make people see or hear things that aren't real, or act differently."
Naruto's scowl returned. "So? You tink somebody made a Geni...Genjui...illusion to make em hurt me? Yeah right! 'm not stupid, I know what happened! How come they want to do that?"
"You're right Naruto, that's not what happened." Sarutobi said, drawing a startled look from the blond child. "The Genjutsu - the illusion - wasn't put on them, but on you. It made you see things that didn't really happen. The enemy ninja made you think that your grandparents were trying to hurt you, so that you couldn't call for help while he murdered your grandparents." When Sarutobi saw Naruto's confused look, he backtracked. "Murder is when someone, a bad person, takes the life of an innocent person. It's one of the jobs of ninja to stop the bad people. The man who killed your grandparents was a very bad person. Luckily, the Anbu got there in time to stop him from killing you as well."
"Then where were da Anbu when the assin was trying ta kill Takeshi and Susuki!? If there was a bad man then why didn't they stop him!?" Naruto retorted.
"I'm afraid the bad man killed the Anbu that was at your house. Then he used the Anbu's mask to try to get you last night. Do you remember the man who attacked you? That was the bad man, but the good Anbu with the toad mask stopped him."
"Nuh uh! The Anbu can't be beat by anyone! You're makin all this stuff up!" Naruto accused angrily. "The Sanadas hate me, an they always did! And da Anbu hate me too! They all want ta hurt me and make me go away!" By the end, tears were silently pouring down Naruto's face.
When Sarutobi moved to hug him, the child swiped at his arms and moved further into his blankets.
Sitting on the side of the bed without getting too close to the boy, Sarutobi gently asked, "If your grandparents really hated you, would they have left all their things to you? If the Anbu hated you then why would Gama save you last night?"
"Wh-what? Whadda mean le-left me their th-things?" Naruto managed to ask through his sniffles.
Smiling sadly, Sarutobi said, "They wanted you to have their house and everything in it, Naruto. They made it official, like when they adopted you. It all belongs to you now."
Still confused, Naruto asked "Why?"
Sarutobi moved a little closer to the boy as he answered. "They wanted to make sure you were taken care of if anything ever happened to them. They wanted you to be able to live happily when they were gone. Now does that sound like something they would do if they hated you?"
When Naruto didn't immediately respond to his question, Sarutobi decided to back off slightly to let him absorb the information. The boy had gotten his tears under control, and seemed to be thinking deeply about something.
Sarutobi was slightly surprised when the first words out of Naruto's mouth were, "So, all their stuff is mine now?"
Frowning slightly Sarutobi went along with the odd question. "Their things do belong to you, but I'll be handling their money and house until you're a little older." 'Perhaps the boy just needs time to adjust to what I've told him? After all, when someone is as confused as Naruto must be, it's natural to latch on to whatever makes the most sense. Now I know for sure that a therapist will be needed to help him cope with everything.' "You can take a few things with you when you move back into the orphanage if you like, but I'm afra-"
"No!" Naruto shouted, staring Sarutobi in the face for the first time since he entered the room. "I'm not going back there! Ever! Why can't I stay at the house? You said it's mine now, so I wanna stay there!"
"Naruto," Sarutobi began gently. "you're too young to live in and take care of such a large house by yourself. Who would take care of you, or clean the house? Who would pay the bills?"
Sarutobi shook his head. "When you're older and can take better care of yourself, you can move back in if you want, but until then, you'll have to go back to the orph-"
"But I can take care of myself!" Naruto interrupted again. "I can make food, and I can pick up like my chores, and if the house is too big then I can use somma da money and get a small one!"
"Naruto, that's simply not-" Sarutobi began before frowning in thought. 'Actually…maybe with some changes… that might be the best answer to this problem. If Naruto were moved into an apartment in secret… a secret known only to trusted Anbu and myself… that would keep him both safe and hidden from the more unfriendly portions of the village. Obviously Naruto couldn't be completely on his own. Added to the therapy sessions, I would have to make sure to visit as often as possible, and probably find someone among the more…child friendly… Anbu to act as nannies or babysitters during the day. Incognito of course. Though the numbers of trustworthy Anbu are slightly fewer right now than I'd like to believe, I can make up for that with various security seals around the apartment… that would settle the problem of how to watch him without making him panic from that "feeling" of his as well. There are a few things that would still need to be worked out, but perhaps this is for the best.'
Under normal circumstances, it would have been doubtful that Sarutobi would have ever considered something like that but then again, Naruto had sadly never been normal despite Sarutobi's efforts. His guilt at what happened to the boy -and the fact that Sarutobi was deliberately covering it up- no doubt played a part in Sarutobi's relatively easy acceptance of a four-year-old living "on his own". Especially when said four-year-old was like a grandson to him.
Looking back to the determined child, Sarutobi gave the patented response to a child's request. "I'll think about it." Naruto didn't seem to be satisfied with the answer, but he kept quiet and looked away again. Concerned, Sarutobi asked, "Naruto, what's wrong?" For a short while there, Naruto had been back to his normal, loud self. Now though, he had returned to the quiet state he had been in since the night before.
"Nothing," Naruto muttered without looking up. Sarutobi frowned. For all his skill and knowledge, he didn't know what to say or do to bring back his beloved grandchild. It wasn't something he had much experience with, and considering how badly he'd botched it with Asuma, what little experience he had probably wouldn't help much. He would have to find the best possible therapist to help Naruto recover.
Before Sarutobi could try to speak, the door opened and Emiko returned with a tray of food. "Ah, forgive me for the wait, Hokage-sama, Naruto-kun," she said while giving a slight bow. Placing the tray in front of Naruto, she smiled. "You must be hungry, Naruto-kun, so make sure you eat it all up. You're still a growing boy after all."
Naruto didn't answer, though he did pick up the chopsticks and poke at the food. Smiling slightly at Naruto's picky eating habits, Sarutobi reached out and ruffled his hair, pretending not to notice Naruto's flinch. "Make sure you do what the nurses tell you, Naruto, otherwise they'll make you stay here even longer."
"Kay," was Naruto's quiet answer.
Satisfied, Sarutobi left the room behind Emiko, planning to head back to his office and give Naruto's idea some serious thought.
Once the Old Man had left the room, Naruto poked at his food for a few more minutes.
Deciding enough time had passed, he put down his chopsticks and climbed out of bed. Tiptoeing over to the door, he slowly cracked it open, peering out into the hallway. Seeing and feeling no one, Naruto darted back to his bed and grabbed his tray of food before returning to the door. Glancing around once again, Naruto quickly made his way down the hall to the room next to his.
Looking around once more, Naruto peeked into the darkened room to see and feel that the only one in the room was a patient who seemed to still be asleep, despite the tray of food sitting on the bedside table. Darting inside, Naruto quietly closed the door behind him. Slowly making his way over to the patient, Naruto quietly traded his tray of food with the sleeping man's. Breathing a sigh of relief, Naruto took the man's food and began to leave.
Just as he was reaching for the door knob, Naruto was hit by a wave of guilt. If his food was poisoned like he thought, then wouldn't trading it with the other man's mean that Naruto was hurting him? Maybe even killing him? Hesitating, Naruto made his way back to the man's bedside.
Standing by the black haired man's bed, Naruto fidgeted slightly before placing the tray on a nearby chair. Looking back to the patient, Naruto bowed low. "It's not like I wanna make you go away or anything…" He whispered. "I… it's just… 'm scared… I… I don't wanna get hurt again. So…'m sorry if you get sick or die ." Feeling somewhat more at ease, Naruto grabbed the tray and darted back to his room.
A few moments after Naruto had left the room, the "patient" sat up in bed. Looking at the door, the "patient" went up in a puff of smoke, revealing a Tori masked Anbu. "Well shit…this isn't a good sign. Hokage-sama is going to want to know about this."
When his stomach growled, Tori paused. "I'll go after breakfast," he said to himself. Removing his mask, Tori grabbed a pair of chopsticks and picked up a piece of egg. Just as he was about to take a bite, he paused. It was crazy to think someone would poison a four-year-old…then again, Naruto wasn't exactly a normal everyday child either...and someone had just tried to assassinate the kid twice in the past twenty-four hours.
"Maybe I should pick something up on the way to the Hokage's office..." Tori muttered as he put his mask back on and Shunshined from the room, leaving his food untouched.
Returning to his room, Naruto climbed into bed and placed his new tray in front of him. Grabbing his chopsticks, Naruto quickly began to eat his food, grimacing in distaste. Her cooking had been much better than this.
He still felt guilty about the man in the other room though. 'Maybe…maybe he won't eat the food…maybe he won't wake up and the nurses will take the food away…maybe there's not even anything wrong with the food…'
Shaking his head to try to rid himself of his thoughts, Naruto turned his attention to what the Old Man had said.
Naruto didn't believe a word from the Old Man about the Sanadas. He knew what he had seen, what he had felt, what they had said. The Old Man was trying to lie to him, to trick him. Why would there be an Anbu outside his house? Why would the same Anbu try to kill him unless the Old Man told him to? After all, the Anbu did whatever the Old Man wanted. So that meant that the Old Man had sent that man, Nezumi, to kill him. What Naruto didn't understand was why he had the other one, Gama, save him. And then trying to convince Naruto that what happened didn't. It didn't make sense.
Still, it did help Naruto achieve some of his own goals, and since all the Sanadas' things were his now, he didn't have to try to steal any of the scrolls he wanted. The Old Man even seemed to like Naruto's plan for living on his own, which would also be easier with the Sanadas money.
All Naruto had to do now was convince the Old Man to let him have a smaller house, and to keep an eye out for the next attack. Let him think that Naruto believed his words. Yes, once he got out of the hospital, he could get stronger, until the time came when he no longer had to be afraid, when he was stronger than everyone else, then he would have answers…and justice… for all that had been done to him. Naruto's hand rose to caress the two scars slanting across his left cheek.
Takeshi had always said that Naruto was impatient. But for this, for his answers, Naruto could wait as long as it took. Believe it.(1)
Several hours later, Sarutobi let out a tired sigh. Unlike the many previous times in the last couple of days, this sigh was more relaxed. Finally, things seemed to be going right. He had a therapist he felt he could trust set up for Naruto, one Yoshino Nara. While he didn't know how she felt about Naruto, Yoshino was a woman who kept all her oaths, whether they be given as a shinobi, a doctor, or a wife. She would take care of Naruto's mind simply because it was her duty.
His idea for an apartment was all but settled, despite some lingering doubts. Those doubts were mainly from when he consulted some of his trusted Anbu.
Flashback
"What do you think of this plan? Tatsu, Inu?" Sarutobi asked around his new pipe.
Tatsu was the first to answer. "I'm not really sure this is a good idea, Hokage-sama. The boy is only four, should we really let him live by himself? Surely putting him back in the orphanage is better than that."
"Oh, I don't know," Inu began conversationally. "I wasn't much older than him when I started living alone, and I turned out alright." The dog-masked man didn't seem to notice the stares he got for that statement.
"What's wrong?" Inu asked Tatsu, who quickly turned away, muttering "Nothing." quietly.
Sarutobi felt a sweat drop form on his head. "Maybe this isn't such a good idea after all."
Flashback Ends
The apartment he had chosen for Naruto wasn't too close to the Hokage Tower, so as to avoid being too obvious, yet not at the edge of the village either.
Sarutobi had already made arrangements to rent the apartment, as well as to ensure that it was furnished and ready for Naruto to move in as soon as he left the hospital. He had also compiled a number of seals to place in and around the apartment for security. With all the different seals he had planned, Naruto's apartment would be one of the most protected places in Konoha. Not to mention, one of the most watched.
Best of all, Naruto wouldn't even have to worry about "feeling" his ANBU guards, since they would be in a room across the street, where the seals' "observation room" would be. The others would be stationed in the surrounding area just in case. Of course, Naruto had no need to know any of this, since that would raise some very awkward questions.
The final problem was finding a babysitter for Naruto. While there were a few people that he had in mind, Yoshino had suggested that he hold off on it until she had some time to talk with Naruto and figure out his state of mind. They still had no idea just what Naruto's current mindset was, so until Yoshino had talked to him any actions Sarutobi took could just worsen the situation.
Sarutobi frowned when he thought of what Tori had reported. Both Naruto's actions and words disturbed him. Yoshino had assured him that it wasn't too unusual considering his recent brush with death by poison, but Sarutobi still worried for his surrogate grandson. Hopefully, Yoshino would be able to make some progress when she visited Naruto tomorrow.
For now, Sarutobi had no choice but to wait. He frowned in thought. He'd have to send Jiraiya a report as well. The man might not be living up to his responsibilities as Naruto's godfather, but he would still want to know about this.
The next morning, Naruto was sitting in his hospital bed. And he was so BORED! He had already finished his neighbor's breakfast, and now just like the day before, he was stuck sitting here. He actually found himself missing the Old Man's company, even though Naruto saw him yesterday. 'There's nuthin to do here!' Naruto mentally railed. 'Why don't they gimme something to color? I'd give my soul for some crayons.' he grumbled to himself.
Throwing himself onto his back, Naruto began counting the tile on the ceiling. Again. 'Seven, eight, nine, ten, one more than ten, two more than ten, three more than ten…' He'd have to find out what came after ten one of these days.
The sound of footsteps from the hallway broke his concentration. 'Probably the nurse coming to get the tray…' he thought. They never sent the same nurse twice in a row, and the nurses rarely stayed for long. The only one that really stood out in his mind was a young brunette. 'Kaori I think her name was.' She was one of the youngest nurses he had seen, though the only real reason he remembered her was because she came to visit him the day before.
Just a minute after he had swapped lunches and made it back to his room, she had walked in and sat down next to his bed. She had said she was on her lunch break and she thought he might be lonely. Naruto had never really talked to her, even when she had asked if it was ok for her to eat there. How was he supposed to know where people were allowed to eat? She was the one that worked there, not him!
He had hoped she'd just eat quietly and leave, but the lady had just gone on and on about anything and everything for nearly an hour. When she had finally left she had smiled and wished him well, before taking his tray and going.
At the time, he had thought she was annoying, but now, a part of him hoped she would come back again today. Even listening to her talk about stuff that he didn't know anything about was better than just sitting here.
Looking towards the door, Naruto wasn't too surprised to see the Old Man walk in. The woman who came with him was a little more surprising. She was about as tall as the Old Man, although she was a lot younger. She had dark hair and eyes, and she was pretty with a pleasant smile. The woman was dressed in the same kind of clothes that she used to wear around the house.
"Good morning, Naruto. How are you feeling today?" The Old man greeted as he took a seat by the bed. Naruto managed to keep from flinching this time when the Old Man reached out to ruffle his hair.
"M'fine." Naruto muttered while looking down, his eyes darting from the Old Man to the strange woman and back.
"Well that's good." The Old Man smiled softly. "Naruto, there's someone I want you to meet," he said while gesturing to the woman. "This is Yoshino Nara, and she's going to be talking with you about some things."
The woman now named Yoshino stepped closer. "Good morning, Sanada-san, it's a pleasure to me-"
"My name's not Sanada!" Naruto shouted angrily. How dare they keep calling him that! The Sanadas weren't his family, and he wasn't one of them. He was an Uzumaki, damn it!
"Ah, I'm sorry, Naruto-san - do you mind if I call you Naruto?" she asked. When he nodded slowly she continued. "I seem to have been looking at the wrong paper work, silly me. Anyway, I'm pleased to meet you Naruto-san." She finished with a polite bow.
Without even thinking it, Naruto returned the bow as that woman had taught him.
"You can call me Yoshino-sensei, Nara-sensei, Yoshino-chan, or whatever you're most comfortable with. Although, I'd much prefer if you could call me Yoshino-chan. Is it alright if I call you Naruto-kun?" Yoshino came out of her bow and sat down in a chair, not too close to the bed, yet not too far away.
Glancing at the Old Man, Naruto shifted so he was leaning against the headboard. "Kay," he muttered cautiously.
"Naruto," the Old Man began, seizing Naruto's attention again. "Yoshino-sensei is a counselor. Her job is to assist people who are suffering emotionally from traumatic experiences like you." Naruto could only stare. There were an awful lot of big words in there.
The sound of feminine giggling drew his attention back to Yoshino. "What the Hokage means is I help people who have had bad things happen to them. Sometimes they can get really sad, or angry, or confused. So I help them sort things out so they can get better."
'Oh, well why didn't the Old Man just say so? Stupid old people and their big stupid words.'
"I don't need your help. Go away!" Naruto spat.
"Naruto!" the Old Man scolded. "Where are your manners? I know that you were taught better than that."
Naruto flinched visibly at that statement.
"Tsk, now this won't do at all." Yoshino interrupted. "If it's alright with you Naruto, we can talk alone for a bit. After all, the Hokage is a busy man, and he needs to get back to work."
Naruto wasn't old enough to understand the subtle scolding and dismissal that Yoshino was giving the Hokage. So he responded with a well thought out retort. "I don't care." Yes, well thought out indeed.
"That's good," Yoshino said before the Old Man could scold him again. "Well, you heard him, Hokage-sama. Shoo, shoo." She finished with a shooing motion towards Sarutobi.
"Very well," the Old Man sighed. "I'll come visit you again later Naruto." With that and a wave, he vanished in a spiral of leaves.
"Men, always making a mess," Yoshino said while shaking her head. "So, Naruto-kun, is there anything you'd like to do?"
Naruto sent a confused look her way. 'Do? Like what? It's not like there's anything to do in here.'
When he remained silent, Yoshino spoke again. "Would you like to color? Or do a puzzle maybe?" She reached into her bag and pulled out a box of crayons and a coloring book and notebook.
Naruto stared at the crayons like they were the Holy Grail. Glancing wide eyed back and forth between Yoshino and the crayons, he fearfully asked, "You're not the Devil are you?"
She looked surprised for a moment before smiling again. "Of course not, silly! Don't you think I'm too pretty to be the Devil?" Naruto couldn't be sure but he thought she was laughing at him.
"So…I don't hafta give you anything for the crayons?" he asked cautiously.
"Nope, they're completely free. Would you like them?" she asked pleasantly as she held out the crayon box for him.
Naruto quickly snatched them out of her hands before shuffling back. The black haired woman just smiled and leaned forward to place the coloring book on his bed. When he saw that she was settling back in her chair and opening her notebook, he grabbed the coloring book and excitedly flipped through it. It was filled with all kinds of pictures, sorted by animals, then toys and other things. Naruto scowled when he came across an image of his hated enemy. Vegetables. Specifically, asparagus. 'Even in the hospital it finds me.' He mentally snarled. 'And it actually has eyes! I knew it was evil!'
Naruto turned the page with a humph and began coloring in a bunny. He couldn't quite figure it out, but for some reason, the bunny made him feel more relaxed, protected even. As a reward, Naruto decided to color the bunny in the most awesome color ever. Orange. They sat in silence for a while, Naruto coloring and Yoshino just sitting there and smiling slightly as she scribbled something down in her notebook from time to time. It would be Yoshino who eventually broke the silence.
"Is orange your favorite color, Naruto-kun?" Yoshino asked, startling Naruto slightly.
He eyed her for a moment, wondering when she had moved her chair to the small table by his bed. When she just kept smiling pleasantly at him, he decided to be a little more polite and answer her.
"Yeah," he spoke clearly without shouting for the first time in two days.
Yoshino smiled wider and nodded. "Are there any other colors you like?"
Naruto eyed her warily again. "Not really," he spoke cautiously. 'I wonder what she's up to?"
"What about rabbits, do you like them?" Yoshino asked.
"Huh?" Naruto stared at her confused. "What's a rabi?"
"Rabbit Naruto-kun. It's another name for bunnies," the dark haired woman explained.
"Oh. I guess so. Looking at it makes me feel good," Naruto said absentmindedly as he returned to his coloring.
"That's nice. I always feel better when I spend some time around deer. Their just the cutest things." Yoshino said cheerfully.
Naruto looked at her curiously. "Deer huh? So is this what you do? You just talk to people bout the colors they like best? And animals?"
"Something like that, though we don't have to talk about colors. We can talk about whatever you want Naruto-kun," she offered.
Naruto snorted and began scribbling harder at the bunny. "I don't wanna talk."
"That's okay. Would you like to play a card game instead? Like Go Fish?" Yoshino asked amicably.
Curious, Naruto put down his crayons and scooted over to the side table Yoshino was sitting by. "Kay. What's a card game? And how da ya fish with em?"
Yoshino let out a sigh as she strode down the hospital hallway. She had just left young Naruto's room, and she still had to go over her notes and write a report for the Hokage.
She had only been with Naruto for a couple of hours, but she had picked up several things that worried her. The first being those scars of his. While he hadn't gone so far as to cover them up, he had tried to keep his left cheek out of direct sight.
His personality had definitely changed from what the Hokage had told her of. He hadn't been confrontational exactly, but he didn't actively participate either. He acted extremely introverted and continuously asked to be "left alone" in some form or other, both verbally and physically. And, he had acted extremely suspicious for a not even five year old.
When she taught him how to play Go Fish, he had at first seemed somewhat excited and he had really gotten into the game. The disturbing part came from how every time he asked for a card and she said Go Fish, he asked her if she was lying. And no matter how many times she promised not to lie or cheat, he would always ask again the next time. She also noticed how he never called her by name, nor smiled at her. Oh sure, he smiled to himself from time to time, and had even asked questions. But he never smiled at her, and his questions were always the result of something she said that he didn't understand.
Given his current state, she would have to agree with the Hokage's plan to keep him in his own apartment, separate from others. While her maternal instincts railed against deliberately isolating a child only a year or two older than her Shikamaru, the doctor in her understood that placing Naruto into a large group while in his current mindset, would not only hurt him, but possibly those around him as well. Not to say that Naruto should be completely separated, but the number of people around him would have to be kept small, and only those he trusted. If there still were any.
The boy needed help, that was for sure. If there was no one left he was comfortable with, then they'd have to find someone who could eventually befriend him and earn his trust. The time spent around strangers would have to be kept to a minimum and slowly increased as Naruto improved. Only time would tell, and Yoshino fully intended to make sure he did. This would no doubt include many more sessions with the blond haired child. In fact, Yoshino believed that helping this child, might be the toughest, yet most important assignment of her career.
Two days later, Sarutobi stood in a simple looking apartment. To any outsiders, it appeared to be a normal, one bedroom, one bathroom apartment. There was a kitchen with a small pantry, and a back room where the washer and dryer were located. All three rooms, bed, bath, and kitchen, connected with a modest living room, with simple, yet sturdy furnishings. The kitchen was more or less stocked, and the bedroom and bathroom were merely awaiting the arrival of Naruto's bedding, clothes, and hygiene supplies.
All in all, it was a simple looking apartment. The truth was that, hidden underneath the hardwood floor and carpeting, or in the walls and ceiling, were a complex array of seals crafted by the Sandaime himself.
Surrounding the door and windows, were a number of detection seals, some to register the chakra signatures of those allowed to enter the apartment -which was currently restricted to two outside of the soon to be owner. There were also a number of barrier seals designed to slow the entrance of any unauthorized people. These seals would pick up on anyone generating killing intent. The barrier itself would only impede someone for a brief moment, while alerting both the Hokage and the team of Anbu stationed in an observation room down the hall.
If someone were to try to force their way past the fairly weak barrier, the second line of defense would kick in, first administering a large voltage of Raiton chakra, then temporary sealing the chakra of the intruder, before releasing a rather potent knock out gas. Each line of defense would kick in if the previous methods failed to stop the intruder, assuming that the Anbu or the Hokage himself failed to arrive sooner.
The same detection seals were engraved all over the apartment, keyed to even more seals that would set up a barrier preventing unauthorized Shunshins into the apartment. There were still more detection seals hidden all over, registering the chakra signatures of anyone who set foot on that floor of the building.
There were even more seals hidden near the building entrances to keep an eye on who the other occupants were, as well as to monitor the chakra capacity of those who entered. All of these seals were keyed to transmit the information to the Anbu observation room and the Hokage's office, both the administrative one in the tower and Sarutobi's own private study at the Sarutobi estate.
Sarutobi had spent the last two and a half days creating, hiding, and testing these seals in preparation of Naruto's move in. All that was left was to attune the seals to Naruto's chakra.
His only dilemma right now was how to protect Naruto when he traveled outside the apartment. The Anbu, while efficient, were also apparently easily noticed by Naruto, or at least their presence was. Sarutobi wouldn't be concerned about this normally, except for the fact that Naruto would no doubt become increasingly curious as to why he needed an Anbu detail. While he could play it off as protection from any other "assassins" still in the village, that excuse could only last so long. He also couldn't tell Naruto the truth right now either. So, he was left with trying to decide how to guard Naruto, without it being revealed that the Anbu were there.
Sarutobi had considered, and truth be told, was still considering secretly placing a tracking seal on Naruto. The only thing stopping him was worry over how Naruto would react in his current state if he were to discover that Sarutobi had done so without his permission.
Perhaps he could find an Anbu to be Naruto's babysitter, then that would help, once Naruto trusted them anyway. For the time being, he would have to place undercover Anbu in the areas Naruto wished to travel through. The boy hadn't shown any signs of being able to sense being followed, so as long as the Anbu wore "plain clothes" then Naruto shouldn't pick up on them. Hopefully.
"Well, I suppose I better go get Naruto released from the hospital." Sarutobi spoke to himself before Shunshining away.
Reappearing outside Naruto's hospital room, Sarutobi could sense two chakra signatures within. One was Naruto, and the other he recognized as Yoshino Nara. Yoshino had insisted that she be there to observe Naruto as they moved him in. Sarutobi didn't know just what exactly she would be looking for, but he trusted her opinion on this.
Politely knocking on the door, Sarutobi waited a brief moment before opening the door and walking in. "Good afternoon, Naruto, Yoshino-sensei." he greeted cheerfully.
Yoshino stood and bowed politely while Naruto just glanced at him from under his bangs. "Good afternoon Hokage-sama. You're doing well, I hope," Yoshino said respectfully.
"Oh, I'm quite fine, Yoshino-sensei." Sarutobi nodded genially. Turning to Naruto, Sarutobi asked, "Are you ready to leave Naruto? I've found a nice apartment for you, and everything is set up. All we need to do is get whatever you want from your house and you can move in."
"…Really?" Naruto asked uncertainly.
"Really." Sarutobi chuckled. "So what do you say we get you checked out and go get some ice cream?"
"Kay." Naruto muttered as he climbed out of bed and came to stand a few feet away from Sarutobi.
He grimaced mentally when he saw that the child was still tense, like he was ready to bolt at any second. Sighing mentally, Sarutobi decided against offering his hand and merely said "Well let's get going."
The check out process was a quiet affair, with Sarutobi filling out the paperwork while Yoshino watched Naruto, asking the occasional question about ice cream of all things. Once everything was in order, Sarutobi calmly led the way out of the hospital, with Naruto a few feet behind and Yoshino a few feet behind Naruto.
Sarutobi wished Naruto would walk beside him, or let him carry him like he usually did. There was nothing more painful then realizing that one of your loved ones wanted nothing to do with you. Still, Sarutobi knew that Yoshino would be able to help Naruto. He refused to even consider otherwise.
When they eventually arrived at an ice cream stand, Naruto and Yoshino both stepped closer to him as they looked over the small menu. Sarutobi let the others order first and then ordered himself. In the end, all three of them chose chocolate, and while Yoshino expressed some exaggerated surprise, both she and Sarutobi knew it wasn't coincidence. They had planned to order whatever Naruto did so they were prepared for what happened next.
Naruto "accidentally" pushed his ice cream off his cone with his tongue. At least, that's what Naruto meant it to look like. It was a clumsy attempt that one didn't even have to be a ninja to notice, but Sarutobi and Yoshino both pretended not to see it. When Naruto pouted, Yoshino offered her own chocolate ice cream cone, stating that she had to watch her sweets and that Naruto could have hers. Naruto no doubt thought his ploy was successful, and that he had fooled the grown ups. He couldn't have known that Sarutobi and Yoshino had discussed this likelihood before Naruto was released from the hospital.
Walking toward the Sanada house, Naruto was far more relaxed as he ate his ice cream, almost as if he'd been sedated. He even walked next to Sarutobi, though he didn't really notice it. If he had, Naruto probably wouldn't have come closer than three feet. The reason for this was surprisingly simple. Naruto's sense of taste was enhanced, and ice cream of any kind happened to be among what a three year old Naruto had dubbed "Bestest nummies ever!"
Indeed, when Tsunade had warned him that Naruto would be a picky eater, Sarutobi thought she had meant just that. And while Naruto was indeed a very picky eater, whenever he happened to eat certain foods, like ice cream, or milk even, he would gain a happily glazed look on his face that to Sarutobi looked uncomfortably close to Jiraiya's look when he was peeping. Still, as long as he ignored that, Sarutobi couldn't help but find the look on Naruto's face adorable. Yoshino certainly thought so, judging by her giggles.
The plus side to Naruto's eating habit was that while he was eating his ice cream, he was more or less dead to the world, allowing him to relax and Sarutobi to finally get close to his surrogate grandson, if even only for a few minutes.
Sadly, those short minutes ended when they arrived at the Sanada house, just a few moments after Naruto finished his ice cream cone. In an instant, the happy, content look on Naruto's face, as well as the aura of innocent joy that he gave off, vanished, replaced by a sullen, angry, tense, and perhaps worst of all, introverted boy. Although the chocolate that covered his face lessened the transformation slightly, as did Naruto's squirming when Yoshino used a napkin to scrub his face clean.
Kneeling in front of Naruto, Sarutobi gently took the boy by the shoulders. "All right, Naruto, we're here. You can take almost anything you want, and I'll use a sealing scroll to transport them. You can't take any furniture or anything from the kitchen, as that's already been taken care of at your new apartment." When Naruto nodded cautiously, Sarutobi continued. "Now I'll go get your bedding and clothes, and Yoshino-sensei will help you with any toys or books you want. Okay?" When he received another nod, Sarutobi proceeded to enter the house and head up the stairs to Naruto's bedroom.
He entered Naruto's bedroom with the others following behind him, though that only lasted long enough for Naruto to grab a small backpack and exit the room.
Sighing, Sarutobi went about sealing Naruto's sheets and clothes into the scroll, before gathering the scattered toys that Naruto had left behind and sealed them as well. Looking over the now bare room and bed, Sarutobi couldn't help but feel angry. Angry at the Sanadas, angry at the villagers and ninjas, angry at Iwa for bearing such undying hatred for anything connected to the Yondaime, angry at Suna for being the most bitter of allies, angry at the Kyuubi, angry at Jiraiya and the Yondaime, but most of all angry at himself. If it weren't for them, Naruto could be living a much happier life.
He had witnessed the hatred and ignorance of his own village, and he couldn't help but wonder where he had gone wrong. The village's actions were not what the village built by the Shodai and Nidaime would have done. So he must have failed at some point, for this to have happened. Shaking his head to try and clear his thoughts, Sarutobi headed downstairs to the living room to await Naruto.
Naruto left the room quickly after grabbing his bag, trying to keep his inner thoughts from showing. 'How dare he act like that, he's just a liar. That Old Man is nothing but a phony, and one day, I'm gonna make him sorry!'
Still muttering angrily to himself, Naruto entered the Sanada's study. Once there he went to the shelves and began grabbing scrolls. He started with those in the area where he had seen Takeshi go for teaching him about chakra. From there he just grabbed whatever caught his eye without really taking in what he was grabbing. He had thought that some of them had to be powerful Ninjutsu so he'd just grab some and look over them later. Unfortunately for Naruto, no one kept actual D rank techniques or higher laying around for children to find. The only techniques he would come away with were basic academy level techniques that Takeshi had once had to teach, years ago. Those were the only actual techniques he grabbed, the other scrolls being more instructional or theory based.
Quickly shoving them into his backpack, Naruto walked over to the desk Takeshi had used and opened one of the drawers. Inside the drawer were the kunai holster and shuriken pouch that he had seen Takeshi grab whenever he showed Naruto how to throw kunai and shuriken. Stuffing them into his bag, Naruto quickly zipped it shut and closed the drawer before grabbing an ornamental falcon from Susuki's desk, trying to seem as if that was all he came to get, as Yoshino stepped into the room.
"I got everything now," Naruto said quietly as he tilted his head to the floor while watching Yoshino from beneath his bangs. She looked around the room once before walking towards Naruto.
"This is a beautiful study Naruto," Yoshino said with a smile. "Did you spend a lot of time in here?" she asked pleasantly.
"Yeah." Naruto muttered as he headed for the door, with the falcon held tightly to his tiny chest as if afraid of dropping it…or throwing it.
Little did he know that Yoshino was well aware of the scrolls he took and that she had purposefully hung back so he could. She also knew that he only grabbed the ornament to draw attention away from his bag. He was lucky in one area though. Yoshino assumed that he had grabbed more scrolls from the drawer, as she didn't know what was kept in them. So she didn't know that he now had a full complement of kunai and shuriken.
Walking out to the front door, he saw the Old Man standing there waiting. "Is there anything else you want, Naruto?" he asked gently.
Naruto shook his head and walked out the door, already sick of being in this place and the memories that came with it threatening to bring him to tears. He vaguely heard the Old Man talk about how he would put everything in storage and handle the rest of the Sanadas' assets until Naruto was older.
The rest of the walk passed in silence on Naruto's part, as he tried to keep his mind off the thing clutched in his arms. Eventually they arrived outside an apartment building. It was only at this point that Naruto realized something. He couldn't "feel" anything. How long had it been? When was the last time he had that feeling? Was it… was it that first night at the hospital?
Before Naruto could really think about that, Sarutobi spoke to him again. "Here we are Naruto. Shall we go in and see your room?"
Naruto stared at him for a moment, wondering if he had something to do with the mysterious absence of "the feeling". Deciding that he had already come this far, Naruto nodded and followed the Old Man into the building.
Once inside, they headed up the stairs, first one floor, then two, finally stopping on the third floor. Then they walked a short distance down the hallway, pausing outside a door labeled 7C. "Well, here we are, Naruto," the Old Man smiled as he reached out and laid one hand on the door knob, placing the other on Naruto's shoulder.
Naruto frowned when he felt…something course through his body. Naruto blinked and looked around as the Old Man opened the door and stepped inside, drawing Naruto in with him.
Once inside, Naruto stared around a normal looking living room. There was a small couch, as well as a cushioned chair near a low coffee table. Otherwise, the room was rather sparse, with little in the way of decorations.
"Naruto," the Old Man's voice broke him from his observations. "Let me show you where everything is, alright?" Naruto nodded and followed him over to the kitchen. "Now, I know you used to help Susuki every now and then, but you don't have to worry about that here. I'll come over to cook for you, or I'll get a babysitter if I can't make it."
Naruto scowled at this, "I don needa babysitter! I can do it myself!"
"I'm sorry, Naruto," the Old Man interrupted, "but this is the only way you can live on your own until you're older. I promise, you'll be left alone for the rest of the time, until you're ready to be around people again. Okay?"
No it was not ok. Naruto didn't want anyone to be around him. He didn't want people "checking up on him", or cooking for him. He wanted to be left alone, because only when alone was he safe. Only when alone could he be at peace.
Naruto wanted to scream these things at the Old Man, he wanted to rage and fight until they left him alone. But he didn't. Instead, he sullenly nodded his head and allowed the Old Man to show him around the rest of the apartment, and then let him unseal Naruto's things and finish setting up his new room.
He spent the rest of the night in silence for the most part, occasionally answering questions from Yoshino about "how he liked the apartment" and, "would it be alright if I visit you from time to time". Somehow he found himself agreeing, and then, after what seemed like forever, he found himself alone in the apartment.
Letting out a sigh, Naruto sat on the couch and stared at the falcon ornament he had placed there when they had first arrived. He thought over the past day and what had occurred. Almost everything had gone the way he wanted. He had his own place, he had some scrolls and weapons, and there was no one watching him.
He thought about the scrolls he had taken, and how eager he was to get started on them. They were his first step to becoming the greatest nin- Naruto frowned at that thought. If he became a ninja, then he'd have to listen the Old Man, something he most definitely did not want to do.
Naruto stood from the couch and picked up the ornament. Walking into the kitchen, Naruto opened the trash can and threw away Susuki's favorite ornament. Once that was done, he nodded in satisfaction before letting out a tired yawn. There would be plenty of time to look over the scrolls and decide what he wanted out of life tomorrow. For now, he was exhausted, and he couldn't wait to climb into his bed.
1. I swear, that's the only time I plan on using that phrase.
Translations:
Gama=Toad
Tatsu=Dragon
Tori=Bird
Inu=Dog
Shunshin=Body Flicker
AN: Well, what do you think? Well, I hope you liked it. As always, reviews, ideas, suggestions, criticisms, etc are welcomed. How did you like my Yoshino? I don't know if my portrayal of her "therapy session" with Naruto is very accurate or not. Also, consider this the end of the "arc". The next chapter will involve a short time skip and some flashbacks. Well, that's about all I have to say this time around.
Peace, Vaan