Words-100655, Chapters-16, Reviews-428, Hits-153,956, C2-93, Favs-661, Alerts-839
AN: Special thanks to Simonmountney for proofing this one, and to Inarealpickle for saving part of the original. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. I should have responded to everyone, but if I missed you, I apologize. All reviews/criticism is welcomed. Without further ado, I give you chapter fifteen of Naruto: Shadows of the Mind.
This will be AU (obviously) and Naruto will be two years older than Canon. Which means that the Kyuubi attack will be two years earlier.
Chapter Fifteen
Dawn crept slowly over the village of Konoha. As darkness gave way to light, the guards at the gate and around the walls breathed a little easier. In the early morning illumination, the village began to awaken, as its streets became host to a variety of people. Traffic increased at the gate as ninja began heading out on or returning from missions. Others prepared themselves for an early training session, or to relieve ninja coming off of the previous night's shift. Shop owners and merchants exited their snug homes, intent on opening their stores or stalls.
As the sun rose still higher, the streets became more crowded with villagers venturing out into the late morning sunshine. Children laughed and played in the streets, running between the legs of the adults, completely innocent and carefree. Tiny voices begged and pleaded with family members for treats or toys. Others demanded that older siblings play with them. Still others whined for ninja training.
In one apartment, the sun poured in and slowly pooled across a single bed. A moment later, the mound of blankets shifted as a young blond futilely shifted in an attempt to escape the dreaded light. With a growl, he gave up and stared at the ceiling. "My life sucks." he sighed grumpily as he pulled himself out of the bed. Really, he never had this problem when he slept under the bed.
That had been the first argument of many between Kurenai and him. Naruto didn't understand why she had such a problem with him being cautious, but every time she found him under the bed, she'd look at him with these sad, hurt eyes that made his stomach twist uncomfortably. It was made even worse whenever she found him already asleep. Waking up with her under the bed and snuggled up to him was a startling and painful experience, mainly when he tried to jump up in surprise and hit his head on the bed.
Another of their arguments revolved around ramen. More specifically, she had the utter gall, the audacity, to try to tell him not to eat the delicious food more than once a week! Not that he actually listened to her, but that was beside the point.
Then there was the turning point in their relationship, when Naruto uncomfortably realized just how attached he was growing to her.
Flashback
Naruto scowled angrily as he stared at the door from the living room couch. The reason for his anger was Kurenai, or more specifically, her absence. This wasn't the first time Kurenai had been gone for days at a time on a mission. However, there was one thing about this time that was different.
Kurenai had said the mission would only last until five o'clock Friday night. It was now one in the morning on Sunday. Not that he was worried about her or anything. He was just mad that he had to put up with Anko the last few days. That's all.
Yawning tiredly, Naruto rubbed at his eyes in exhaustion. When he opened them again, he was surprised to find that the hand on the clock had moved several hours in the second his eyes had been closed. 'Well, I guess it's to be expected.' Naruto thought to himself. 'I never sleep well when Kurenai is on missions.'
Blinking at that thought, Naruto frowned before tilting his head at the sound of a set of tired footsteps approaching the door. He recognized that sound, tired though it may be. Fixing his glare back in place, Naruto waited, growing more and more angry as they drew closer.
He wasn't disappointed when the door swung open to reveal an exhausted looking Kurenai stumbling in. She didn't seem to even notice him sitting there as she kicked off her sandals. That just wouldn't do.
"Where the Hell have you been?" Naruto questioned darkly.
"Naru-chan?" Kurenai blinked in surprise.
"Don't you Naru-chan me!" He growled as he leapt to his feet and stomped up to her. "Do you have any idea what time it is?" he spat as he stared up at her with his arms crossed.
His mood was not improved when Kurenai made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a giggle. Though if he realized that he was acting like an overprotective father to a woman nearly three times his age, Naruto might have found the situation pretty funny himself.
"I'm sorry for making you stay up worrying about me, Naru-chan." she said with a smile that seemed only half-apologetic and half-something else.
"I wasn't worried." he ground out through clenched teeth. "And I wasn't staying up for you! I just couldn't sleep!" Of course, as is the nature of the universe, this would be the exact moment when Naruto was struck by an unstoppable urge to yawn.
"I think it's about time for both of us to go to bed." Kurenai said as she gently herded him in the direction of his room. "Come on, I'll tuck you in."
"I don't need to be tucked in." Naruto muttered tiredly. He couldn't understand why, but all the anger he'd had started trickling away -despite his best efforts- the moment she walked in, leaving him feeling incredibly exhausted.
Blinking, he was surprised to find himself climbing into his bed, unable to put up more than a token resistance when Kurenai made a rather futile attempt to smooth his hair and laid a kiss on his forehead. "Good night, Naru-chan." Kurenai murmured before pulling away and leaving the room.
It was somewhere in that bleary state between sleep and wakefulness that a strangely chilling thought struck him. 'What if… what if Kurenai wasn't really there?' It wouldn't be the first time his lack of sleep had caused Naruto to see things, nor would it be the first time he had nodded off and mistaken a dream for reality.
Frowning, Naruto crawled out from his bed and returned to the living room. Glancing around the darkened room, his frown deepened. 'Did I turn the lights on?' he asked himself as he looked around for, and failed to find, Kurenai's sandals. He had never noticed while living on his own, but as Kurenai had pointed out after he startled her one night shortly after moving in, he apparently had an amazing degree of night vision.
According to her, his eyes almost glowed at night, reflecting light in a manner eerily similar to a cat, or some other nocturnal creature.
Naturally, Naruto didn't really understand the significance of that. How he saw at night was how he saw at night. That's all there was to it as far as he was concerned.
So it was a common occurrence that he wouldn't bother turning on the lights, except for on the darkest of nights. 'But I did turn the lights on, right?' He questioned himself. 'Or was that last night?'
Unable to remember and seeing no signs of Kurenai's presence there, Naruto left the living room and headed down the hallway to her bedroom.
When he reached it, Naruto cautiously poked his head inside, scanning the bed for Kurenai's form. He let out a quiet sigh of relief when he saw Kurenai's familiar shape beneath the blankets of her bed. Turning to leave, he was struck by another thought. 'What if I m dreaming now?' Frowning, Naruto slowly made his way to the bed and gently prodded her sleeping form. When she didn't burst into bubbles or anything like that, Naruto was reassured that she was in fact, real.
'She must be really tired if she didn't wake up.' He thought to himself as he again attempted to leave the room. And once again, he found himself unable to move through the doorframe.
Grumbling, he turned once again and scowled across the room. For some reason, he just couldn't seem to make himself leave the room. This left him with a bit of a problem, seeing how tired he was.
Quietly marching up to Kurenai's bed, he stared down at her in annoyance. "This is all your fault you know." he muttered to her. Glancing around as if someone might be watching, he justified to himself. 'She's probably cold anyway; it does get cold in here at night. And she does always say I can sleep in here… and I can always wake up before her and sneak out. No one needs to know.'
Satisfied with his excus- reasoning, Naruto carefully climbed into the bed, yawning as he did so. He was so tired, he didn't even notice when he curled up against her and grabbed a couple of fistfuls of her nightshirt.
When he woke the next morning, he was horrified to learn that he had slept far longer than he meant to. Rolling over as quickly as he dared, he let out a sigh of relief to see that Kurenai was still sleeping. Still silently cursing himself, Naruto quickly slipped out of the bed and made his way out of the room, unaware of the single red eye that watched him make his retreat, or the smile on Kurenai's lips.
Flashback Ends
That night was the first night that Naruto realized that he was changing. And what's worse, he couldn't decide whether he liked it or not.
Shaking his head, Naruto made his way over to his dresser and pulled out his "training" clothes as Anko liked to call them. He of coursed had a different name for them. Where Anko called what they did training, Naruto called it "Anko gets to beat the shit of him without Kurenai getting as angry as usual".
The clothing consisted of a pair of dark shinobi pants, a long-sleeve fishnet shirt, and a dark short-sleeved training shirt with a square portion cut out of the front.
As he dressed, his eyes glanced at a calendar hanging on the wall, or more specifically, the date circled in red with large letters saying ACADEMY STARTS.
Naruto grimaced as he remembered what would happen in less than a week. Oh, he had always known that there was only so far he could take his skills on his own, but he had always told himself that he would decide what to do later on, that he had plenty of time to find a solution. Then, lo and behold, he suddenly found himself with little to no options, as well as a new concern.
Flashback
Naruto made it a point to grumble in discontent as he followed Kurenai through the trees toward their destination.
Kurenai was on her way to spar with Anko, and she had decided to drag him along, stating that he needed more sun. He of course, had tried to point out that the sun was up practically everyday, so there was no way he needed any more of it.
Needless to say, Kurenai managed to get her way and here he was, following her through the trees. Not that he stopped letting her know just how he felt about this.
"This is stupid." he grumbled as they neared their destination, signaled by the form of a grinning Anko bouncing lightly on her toes. "Why can't I just go get some ramen while you spar with Anko?" Naruto asked grumpily.
"Quit whining, Brat." Anko called with a smirk. "You should be grateful to be able to spend time in the presence of the great and sexy, Anko-sama!" she proclaimed with a fist thrust into the air.
Naruto just sent an irritated look her way before turning back to Kurenai. "This is stupid. Why can't I just go get some ramen?" he repeated.
"Hey! Don't ignore me, you little Brat!" Anko yelled as she shook an angry fist at him. Which of course, is exactly what he did. Or at least, he tried to, until Anko started hurling dango sticks at him.
"Hey! Stop that, you brain-dead Dango-Freak! I said stop!" Naruto shouted as he frantically tried to dodge the tiny skewers.
"Stop calling my breasts small!" Anko shrieked as she increased the rate of her throws.
"Damn it!" Naruto growled angrily as he ran through the storm of skewers at her. "Why do you keep saying that! I never say anything like that, you stupid bitch!"
Once he was within ten feet from her, the hail of skewers stopped, though this was likely based more on Anko running out of them than deciding to be reasonable. Panting heavily, Naruto stared at her intently, determined not to be caught off guard.
He felt a terrible sense of foreboding as Anko's face suddenly split into a large grin. "Ramen is the worst food ever." she drawled deviously.
Naruto could only stare at her in horrified shock. "Take that back." he demanded quietly.
"Or else what?" Anko asked in a singsong voice.
"Take it back!" he roared as he threw himself at her in anger.
"Never!" she cackled maniacally as she threw herself forward as well.
…
A few minutes later saw a ruffled, scowling Naruto kneeling next to a much less ruffled, grinning Anko. In front of them stood an upset Kurenai scolding them. Not that they paid much attention to her.
"Ha! I sure kicked your ass, Gaki!" Anko crowed mockingly as she poked the side of his head.
"What fight were you watching?" Naruto snorted as he batted away her arm. "You're just lucky that Kurenai pulled me off you before I did something you'd regret!"
"You want to go again, you little Ramen-bastard?" she growled semi-mockingly, semi-dangerously.
"Bring it, Dango-bitch!" he growled right back, even as he gathered his feet under him in preparation of leaping at her. A moment later, he collapsed back to his knees as a seemingly blinding pain erupted from the side of his head.
"Shit!" he cursed in pain. "Let go!" he demanded as he tried to pry Kurenai's hand from his ear. His only consolation about the embarrassing situation was that Anko was reacting far more childishly than he was.
"Owowowowow!" Anko exclaimed as she waved her arms around frantically. "Let go, let go, let go!" she whined, her flailing arms somehow missing Kurenai entirely.
"Honestly you two." Kurenai sighed in exasperation, even as she held onto their ears. "Do you have to fight all the time?"
"He/She started it!" Anko/Naruto whined/most certainly did not whine.
When Kurenai released his ear, Naruto couldn't stop the sigh of relief that came even as she dragged Anko out into the center of the training field. He missed whatever Kurenai said to Anko as she settled into a fighting stance, but he could easily pick up Anko's boisterous retort. "Ha! I hope you're ready to get that pretty little ass of your's kicked!"
He of course, decided to let his opinion on such a foolish statement known. "Yeah right." he drawled loudly. "Kurenai's unbeatable." Naruto couldn't see her face, so he missed Kurenai's loving smile. He could, however, see Anko's eye twitching.
"Oh yeah? Just watch you little Brat!" she shouted even as she settled into a stance of her own.
Naruto grinned smugly as he made himself comfortable, fully intending to enjoy watching Anko lose. A moment later, the two kunoichi leapt at each other. Then his mouth dropped open in shock.
When he thought about ninja fighting, he saw a scene from that movie he saw when he was younger. That is to say, easily noticeable attacks interspersed with monologues until the hero found the strength of will to succeed, or the bad guy realized the errors of his ways.
Obviously, the movie had been fake, but he had assumed that it was fake in how much the fighters talked. And if there was one thing the two kunoichi weren't doing, it was talking. That's where his expectations were blown away.
Saying that the two women were blurs would be entirely inaccurate. After all, "blurs" implied that he could still see their forms if nothing else. No, to Naruto's untrained eyes, the two simply vanished.
Just as he began to wonder if they had left him, they briefly reappeared with the sound of flesh meeting flesh.
He blinked in surprise and they were gone again. "What the…?" Naruto muttered as he thought about what he saw in that split second before he blinked.
Anko had been up on one foot, her body canted to the side so she could stare at her other foot, which was "resting" against one of Kurenai's forearms and the opposite hand, just inches from her neck.
No sooner had his mind registered what his eyes had seen, the two had reappeared, this time with Anko's hand wrapped tightly around one of Kurenai's arms. What followed next -or what he could see of it anyway- was a strange dance of twisting, grabbing, slapping, and an occasional punch, elbow, or knee mixed in.
Eventually, Kurenai seemed to gain the advantage as she managed to slip behind Anko and wrenched the younger woman's right arm towards her, combining with a hard shove to the same shoulder to force Anko to bend forward at the waist.
For a moment, he was sure that Kurenai had won, only to be proven wrong when the younger kunoichi twisted her body, and with a series of sickening grinding sounds, popped her shoulder out of socket, rotated her body and viciously drove her left elbow into Kurenai's throat.
Naruto flinched as Kurenai took a stumbled step back, her hand instinctively reaching up to grasp at her throat as she struggled to draw a breath. A breath Anko refused to give her as the purple-haired Chuunin finished her spin with a kick to Kurenai's stomach, driving what little breath the crimson-eyed kunoichi had managed to draw in back out.
Naruto jumped to his feet in horror as Kurenai tried to distance herself from her opponent, Anko doggedly pursuing her. Said opponent continued to attack with a ferocious barrage of jabs, kicks, and punches, continuously keeping Kurenai on the defensive.
Naruto's eyes grew wider and wider as more and more of Anko's strikes got through Kurenai's defenses, feeling a stabbing pain that slowly fed into rage with each strike. He didn't notice as his breathing grew quick and erratic, nor how his fists were clenched so tightly that blood flowed.
Kurenai, perhaps realizing that Anko wouldn't allow her to withdraw, attempted to launch her own kick at the younger woman, only for Anko to catch her foot with a grin, twisting her body into a spin, pulling the older woman off her feet, and swinging her to the ground.
Moments after she hit, Anko was on top of her, landing punch after punch on Kurenai as she tried to block what blows she could. Unfortunately, she couldn't block enough of them, and a powerful punch broke through, slamming her head into the ground and causing blood to fly from her mouth.
And Naruto saw red. He didn't think, he didn't breath, he just hurled himself at Anko with a roar of rage. Amazingly enough, Naruto somehow managed to catch her by surprise, as Anko didn't react until he had jumped on her back, doing his best to latch onto her as he tried to hurt her anyway he could.
Of course, no sooner had he hit her than she had reached up over her shoulder with one hand, grabbed a fistful of his shirt and hurled him over her and slammed him into the ground beside Kurenai. And perhaps most enraging of all, she did it all in a casual, subconscious way.
"Naru-chan?" he distantly heard Kurenai's voice as he furiously twisted, trying to break Anko's grip so he could continue his assault. There might have been more, but his instincts had long since taken over and he kept snarling and thrashing. When that didn't work, he actually sank his teeth into Anko's hand, biting down as hard as he could, relishing in the taste of her blood as he dug his fingernails into her arm, drawing more blood.
His mind vaguely registered someone speaking, though the words didn't really register in his mind.
He didn't know how long he laid there, biting and scratching, but when his mind finally snapped out of the sea of red that blanketed it, it was to the sound of laughter.
"What's the matter, Brat?" Anko chuckled. "Were you feeling left out?"
"You hurt Kurenai." he growled around her hand as he felt the rage begin to build again at how nonchalant she was being.
"Of course I did." Anko stated simply. "That's what you do in a spar. Otherwise, how could anyone ever improve?"
"I'll kill you." Naruto promised angrily, glaring with all his rage and anger at the person who dared to hurt Kurenai.
Anko just laughed again, before turning to a worried looking Kurenai. "Well, well, Kurenai-chan," she said with amusement dancing in her eyes. "Looks like you've got yourself a little guard dog. Or should I say, guard fox?"
Kurenai sent her a warning look before kneeling next to Naruto and placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Naru-chan?" she began gently. "Please let go of Anko-chan. I promise you, she didn't really hurt me that much, and people do get hurt in spars anyway."
Naruto ignored her for a moment, only to comply when she added another "Please." with a gentle squeeze. He reluctantly released Anko, but kept himself tense and ready to throw himself at her again if she even glanced at Kurenai the wrong way.
For her part, Anko just examined her hand with a grin before sending a glance at Kurenai. "Feisty little guy, isn't he."
"If you ever hurt her again." Naruto whispered quietly. "I won't let you go a second time."
"I don't think I'm the one you have to worry about Brat." Anko snorted. "There are a lot worse people than me out there that she's going to have to fight. She's gonna get hurt from time to time."
"No she won't." he denied fiercely. "I won't let that happen."
"Oh really?" Anko drawled. "And how exactly are you going to do that? You couldn't even fight a civilian right now, so how do you expect to keep her from getting hurt?"
"I'll get stronger." he declared. "Stronger than anyone!"
"Naru-chan," Kurenai spoke softly. "I'm happy that you want to protect me, but Anko's right. Your skills might be impressive for your age in some areas, but you wouldn't last thirty seconds in a fight with a shinobi. And even if you could, you're not allowed to go on missions with me."
"Why not!" Naruto demanded. "I can handle it, and you need my help!" Naruto struggled to get his emotions under control as they jumped back and forth.
Why couldn't they understand, he couldn't lose Kurenai, he had to protect her. So what if he wasn't the best fighter, he could learn, just like he had learned everything else! And who cared what he was "allowed" to do, he wasn't a ninja, so ninja rules didn't apply to him.
As if reading his mind, Kurenai sighed. "You know the village doesn't allow for non-ninjas to be trained in the ninja arts, Naru-chan. It's very sweet of you to worry about me, but don't be. After all, it's my job to worry about and protect you. Not the other way around."
He could tell that she meant to be comforting, that she was trying to reassure him, but Naruto couldn't help but feel his heart clench painfully. Both Kurenai and Anko thought that he was too weak to help her. They thought he was just a little boy with no skills that would be useful in a fight. Feeling his anger rise, Naruto made a half-hearted attempt to stay calm.
"I can help you. I know I can!" Naruto began softly. "I'll learn whatever I have to, I'll be so strong that no one can touch you, in fact, I'll be so strong, you won't even need to go on missions anymore!" Throughout his rant his voice grew steadily louder until he was all but screaming. "I won't let anything happen to you, ever! I'll protect you no matter what!"
Kurenai appeared to be shocked by his outburst, yet Anko was a different matter. "Give it up Brat. You're not a ninja so you can't go on missions, and even if you could, it's illegal to teach a civilian the kind of skills it would take for you to be anything but a burden to Kurenai-chan. Why don't you just go back to eating ram-"
"Then I'll be a ninja!" Naruto spat. "I'll be the greatest ninja the world has ever seen! So great that no one will ever dare think about hurting Kurenai! Just watch me!"
With that, he sprinted from the training ground. He didn't see the shock on Kurenai's face, nor the slightly smug grin on Anko's as he ran as fast as he could. Didn't they understand? Didn't they realize that he couldn't lose Kurenai? 'Well, that's fine! Who cares if they understand or not? I'll do whatever it takes so that I don't lose her. I won't let anyone hurt her or take her from me. Even if I have to kill the whole world!' With that thought so firmly in his mind, everything else was shoved aside. Including such thoughts as "Why do I care so much?" or "Wait a minute, I don't want to be a ninja".
Flashback Ends
Naruto sighed in exasperation as he thought back on that day. By the time he had returned to his senses, he had already enrolled himself in the Academy, bought numerous shuriken and kunai, and "tactically acquired" the various books for each year of the Academy curriculum.
Kurenai had been quite shocked as well, when she learned of his actions, and surprisingly enough -or not so surprising considering her attachment to him- tried to convince him to change his mind.
And truth be told, he wanted to change his mind so bad he could almost taste it. He didn't want to be a ninja, and he certainly didn't want to fight for Konoha or the Old Man. But he didn't want to lose Kurenai either. And though he hated to admit it, he couldn't think of any other way to get strong enough to help her, and all of his other attempts to gain new shinobi skills failed.
Not that he had given up searching for another way, but he had discovered a side benefit to his actions. Now that he was enrolled for the coming year, Genma, Kurenai, Anko, and even Yoshino, were working him into the ground to get him up to speed for where they felt his skill levels should be. Yoshino for instance, worked to teach him social etiquette of all things, insisting that it was important for his "development".
Still, she was so worried about him, that he couldn't help but strive to learn her lessons, if only to assuage her worries and his own guilt.
Genma on the other hand, increased his Fuuinjutsu lessons. When Naruto asked why -not that he was complaining- Genma simply said. "Most of the stuff I was going to teach you as a tutor was Academy level things. Since you're going to learn that anyway, and I can't teach you anymore after you start classes, I figured I might as well work on something you obviously enjoy that you can't get from the Academy."
Let it never be said that Genma wasn't the coolest man he knew. Not that he knew any men besides him and Teuchi and the Old Man, but those last two were old, so they didn't count the same as Genma.
Kurenai, once she decided that he couldn't be swayed, decided to teach him a new chakra control exercise.
Flashback
They were standing in the same clearing where he had made that fateful -and stupid- decision to enroll in the Academy. Glancing around, Naruto wondered what kind of chakra control exercise he could learn there. There was nothing different than the last time they were there. It was a simple clearing, surrounded by trees. Nothing that stood out or seemed special in any way.
"Kurenai," he asked with a frown. "What are we doing here?"
"Well, Naru-chan." Kurenai began with a smile. "I'm going to teach you how to climb trees with your chakra. This will help improve your chakra control exponentially. What you do is-"
"I already know how to do this, Kurenai." he interrupted just a tad bit smugly.
Kurenai blinked. "You do?"
"Yeah, I figured it out a long time ago." Naruto nodded.
"Show me." she asked and Naruto was only too happy to do so.
Running up to a tree, he channeled chakra to his hands and slowly began to pull himself up the tree, smiling all the way. 'Finally, I can start proving that I'm better than they give me credit for, that I-'
His train of thought -and his smile- was wiped away when Kurenai…walked past him…on the side of the tree.
"This is what I meant, Naru-chan." she teased lightly. "Still, good job on figuring out your own exercise. It might not be as good an exercise as Kinobori no Waza, but it is a useful skill."
He was vaguely aware that she was trying to sooth his ego, but honestly, he was way too distracted by the fact that she was walking up the side of a tree!
Flashback Ends
It had taken a lot of effort, but Naruto had managed to learn it, even if he wasn't close to mastering it.
Then there was Anko. She claimed to be trying to give him some basic skills in Taijutsu and weapons use. Apparently, Anko's idea of "basic" was vastly different from everyone else's if Kurenai's horrified look when she saw it was anything to go by. His throwing skills were improving slowly, but he had yet to get a hang of throwing at moving targets, or while on the move himself, which was apparently much different from standing in front of a stationary target.
Taijutsu-wise, Anko declared him "barely passable for the Academy" which worried him a bit. After all, if Anko thought the Academy level was so much higher than his, then how strong would the other students be?
Shaking off his memories, Naruto made his way into the living room, expecting Kurenai to be there. Instead, he was greeted by an empty apartment, save for two pieces of paper on the kitchen table. Grabbing the first one, he saw it was addressed to him from Kurenai.
Naru-chan,
I had to go to a meeting with the Hokage. Anko-chan should be around to watch you. Please try not to get into any fights. Hopefully, I should be home before lunch. I love you.
Kurenai.
Setting down her letter with a frown, Naruto picked up the second one, also addressed to him.
Brat,
I've got better things to do than baby-sit you, so you're on your own for the day.
PS. If you get me in trouble with Kurenai-chan, I'll cut your balls off.
PSS And don't call my breasts small!
The Great, Sexy, Single, Anko-sama!
Naruto's eye twitched in annoyance. Even in a letter, she was still doing that! Shaking his head at Anko's apparent stupidity, he decided to head to Ichiraku's for lunch. Once his Genjutsu and Henge were up, he made his way out into the village.
On the way, he decided to cut through a nearby park, since he was fairly certain that would shave twenty or thirty seconds off his trip, which was time he could spend eating. He was so caught up in his thoughts about delicious ramen, that he almost missed the sounds of a child crying. Glancing around, he focused on his ears, trying to tune out the ambient sounds so he could position the crying.
After a moment, he found it and carefully walked in its direction. A minute or so later, he had found the source. A small child, tinier than any he had ever seen before, sat huddled up against a tree, wailing into his knees.
Frowning, Naruto moved closer in order to study the child. He wasn't worried about anything, since his Genjutsu was still active, so he took his time. The boy was a brunette, and young, definitely too young to be wandering around on his own, even by Naruto's own, admittedly skewed, standards. Also, something about the boy was oddly familiar. What hair the boy had seemed to stick up somehow, and he wore an obviously oversized scarf.
Frowning, Naruto looked closer, trying to see if the boy was hurt. He didn't appear to be, but then, why was he crying?
He spent a few minutes doing this, before finally just dropping his Genjutsu and Henge and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
The boy jumped nearly a foot in the air when Naruto "just appeared" in front of him. Then he let out a series of whimpers and sobs that Naruto couldn't hope to understand.
'Stupid brat…probably just fell down or something stupid like that.' he thought angrily. How dare the little bastard cry over something so small? Didn't he understand that there were far worse things in life?
Yet…despite his anger, Naruto was surprised to find that his voice was quite calm as he asked. "Hey, calm down and speak so I can understand you. What's wrong with you?"
This time, the boy took a quivering breath and answered more intelligibly. "I-I- I'm lost! I can't find m-m-my home!" Sniff. "I want my Jiichan!" the little boy dissolved back into wailing.
Growling in annoyance, Naruto resisted the urge to plug his ears. If nothing else, the kid had a pair of lungs on him. "What's your name kid?" he asked, surprised to find the words coming out of his mouth.
Again, the child managed to get his crying under control enough to look up at Naruto with watery eyes. "M-my name is Ko-Konohamaru." Sniff. "Can you help me find my Jiichan?" the newly named Konohamaru asked with wide hopeful eyes.
Sighing again, Naruto contemplated saying no. It wasn't his problem that the kid was lost, and his relatives or babysitter was probably running around the park somewhere. So really, he didn't need to do anything. Yet every time he tried to walk away, he found his feet stuck to the ground somehow.
Growling to himself, Naruto asked. "What's your Jiichan's name Konohamaru? Maybe I can find him."
"Jiichan's the Ohkage- hey! Where are you going?" Konohamaru asked in a panic when Naruto turned on his heel and walked away, all problems moving his feet gone.
'No wonder the brat looked so familiar. I forgot the Old Man had relatives.' he vaguely remembered the Old Man mentioning a pregnant daughter some years ago. 'Oh well, the little bastard probably deserves it for being related to him.' he thought to himself, tuning out the panicked cries of the young child behind him. He took a twisted pleasure in the thought that he was hurting the Old Man through his grandson.
"Wait! Please don't go!" Konohamaru begged as he chased after him in unsteady steps. "I'm sorry! I'll be good I promise! Please don't leave me alone! Wai- ahh!"
Naruto paused as he heard a thump, and glanced back over his shoulder. The boy had tripped on his scarf from the look of things and fallen flat on his face, and was now crying piteously mixed with sobs for help.
"Pathetic…" Naruto muttered as he took a step to leave only to pause as a painful memory resurfaced. A memory of a small, blond boy with birthmarks on his cheeks, crying in the middle of a street, lost and without any idea how to get back to the orphanage. Then as now, those who could have helped the child stood by and did nothing, even taking a twisted pleasure in the child's pain.
Shaking his head to clear away the unwanted memories of a distant past, Naruto turned around with a sigh and approached the wailing child. Konohamaru was too lost in his crying to notice him, even as he came to stand looking down at him. Naruto didn't like seeing resemblances between him and a relative of the Old Man, but he couldn't deny that what he was doing to the boy was the same thing that so many had done to him in the past. And as much as he wanted to hate the boy, all Naruto could feel was guilt and an odd sense of protectiveness.
'It's not really his fault the Old Man's his relative. I probably should at least get him somewhere where someone can take care of him.' he admitted to himself before reaching down and scooping the boy up and placing him on his back.
"Wh-what are you doing?" Konohamaru asked through his hiccups.
"Come on." Naruto grunted. "Let's go find the Old Man."
"But I don't want the Old Man! I want my Jiichan!" Konohamaru wailed into Naruto's sensitive ears.
"Your Jiichan is the Old Man." Naruto grumbled as his ears rung. "And stop being so loud, you're killing my ears."
"M'sorry." Konohamaru whispered softly.
Feeling an irrational surge of anger, mixed in with his guilt and irritation, Naruto took a deep breath to calm himself. "It's alright kid, don't worry about it." He definitely needed to get rid of this kid. He was bringing up all sorts of emotions that Naruto would rather not deal with.
Meanwhile
Kurenai couldn't help but feel a small amount of nervousness as she sat next to Yoshino in one of the two couches in the Sandaime's personal office. Both she and Yoshino had been called in to discuss Naruto's recent developments, including his decision to enroll in the Academy, with the Sandaime and the village elders. A nerve-racking proposition, as unlike the many similar meetings she'd had with the Sandaime since adopting Naruto -which were more of a concerned Grandfather checking up on his Grandson than a village leader asking for a progress report- whatever was decided in this one could drastically alter Naruto's life, and she knew it was his rapidly improving abilities that was the cause for it.
"Kurenai-san, Yoshino-sensei, thank you for coming to meet with us today." The Sandaime greeted cordially as he sat in a chair positioned to their left. Koharu and Homura nodded in agreement as they both say in the couch across from her and Yoshino, and Danzo carefully lowered himself into a seat directly across from the Sandaime, completing the square.
"Let's get started already." Danzo grunted.
For her part, Kurenai merely nodded politely while Yoshino exchanged greetings with the Hokage. It wasn't long however, before the meeting got under way. "I'm sure you both know why you're here." Homura stated gravely.
"Naruto's recent… obsession… with all things Shinobi is a somewhat troubling development." Koharu added with a slight frown.
"We all know why he's doing this." Danzo stated bluntly. "But the question is, should we allow him to continue?
"With all due respect, Danzo-sama." Kurenai began. "Why shouldn't we? Naruto-chan is an excellent student, and I've never seen anyone with his drive to learn. What reason could there be not to let him join the Academy?"
"Because the boy's unstable." Danzo replied. "His mood swings are difficult to predict, and he's already been pushed to his mental limits several times without the benefit of proper training and instruction." the aged elder finished with a pointed look at the Hokage.
Kurenai bristled at that, but Yoshino was the one to rebuttal. "Naruto-kun is very easy to understand to those who know him. And while he's not a perfectly adjusted individual, he has made enormous strides in his recovery."
"True, but despite how much he's improved psychologically, it's always been by leaps and bounds." Homura added. "How much time passed with little to no improvement, before he made a break through? How long will it be before his next improvement?"
"It's not that we don't believe he can recover from the trauma he suffered." Koharu spoke reassuringly. "It's that we have doubts as to whether or not the life of a shinobi is truly best for him at this time."
"We can't afford to have an unstable Jinchuuriki running around." Danzo spoke up again. "The danger to that would be too great, even if the alternative means never being able to utilize his potential."
"So what do you suggest?" Kurenai asked with a frown. "That we refuse him entrance to the Academy? What would that accomplish?"
"Spending more time with other children in a controlled environment could be a tremendous help to him." Yoshino pointed out. "In fact, getting him to spend more time with children has always been something we wanted to accomplish."
"Yet the boy remains a paranoid wreck." Danzo sighed in exasperation. "Yoshino-sensei, you've had four years with the boy, yet look at him. He still believes Sarutobi is out to kill him, and you can count the people he trusts completely on one hand and have fingers left over."
"If he can't trust others, how can we expect him to work on a team?" Koharu asked.
"But we've seen that he does trust other children!" Kurenai objected. "He befriended Shikamaru Nara in less than a day, and he trusts him completely!"
"I agree." Yoshino nodded. "In my professional opinion, refusing Naruto-kun now will cause far more harm than good. Especially since he still doesn't know."
That brought a moment of silent consideration from the elders. "We had always intended to tell him when he entered the Academy." Koharu said softly. "However, that was before he was…traumatized. Telling him now could be disastrous."
'Traumatized…is that her polite way of saying manipulated and almost murdered twice in one day?' Kurenai silently growled as she clenched her teeth.
"I agree." Yoshino conceded. "Telling him now is the worst thing we could do."
"Agreed." Sarutobi spoke for the first time since the meeting began. "We will wait until the time is right to tell him of the Kyuubi. For now however, we will not stop him from joining the Academy."
"Sarutobi!" Danzo barked angrily only to be seemingly ignored.
"We will however, continue to keep a close eye on him for the foreseeable future."
Kurenai blinked in surprise that the meeting turned out so well -not to mention so quickly. Granted, she didn't appreciate people calling her son unstable or paranoid -regardless of how true it is- but she expected to have to fight tooth and nail to get him into the Shinobi program.
There were a few more minutes of Danzo objecting and Koharu and Homura clarifying things, but in the end, everything was settled and the Hokage escorted the group outside only to be met by a shocking sight.
Standing just outside the door was a blank faced Naruto, a small form clinging to his back. "Old Man." he greeted in a surprisingly neutral tone of voice. "You should keep better track of your shit." he stated before reaching back and pulling the smaller child from his back and setting him on his feet, before turning and walking away.
The little brunette let out a wail of "Jiichan!" before throwing himself at the startled Hokage. "I got lost Jiichan and I was so scared!" he blubbered into the Sandaime's legs as he clung to his robes.
After a few moments of crying, the Sandaime managed to calm the boy and turned to the retreating form of Naruto. "Naruto-kun," he called, causing her baby boy to stop, even if he didn't turn around. "Thank you, for looking after Konohamaru."
Kurenai was slightly disappointed when Naruto chose not to answer and instead continued on his way. But that was nothing compared to the pride in she felt that Naruto had helped the Honorable Grandson, despite his relation to the Sandaime. Her pride grew when the small boy asked, "Jiichan, do you know him?"
"Yes, Konohamaru." Sandaime answered with a sad yet proud smile. "He's one of the village's greatest heroes."
"Really?" Konohamaru asked in childish amazement. "What did he do?"
"He saved the entire village." the Hokage explained. "And he continues to do so every single day."
"Wow!" the boy exclaimed in awe "I wanna be a hero like him when I grow up!"
Kurenai couldn't help but smile.
One Week Later.
Naruto sighed in annoyance as he gathered his things in a small backpack before looking over his new outfit. Said outfit consisted of a short-sleeved forest green shirt, black pants, black shinobi sandals, and a brown woolen jacket, which did wonders to hide the kunai pouch and shuriken holster -which he wasn't supposed to take to class- that he had attached to the back of his belt. Today was the day he had been simultaneously dreading and anticipating. The start of the new year at the Academy.
"Here we go…" he muttered to himself, as he headed out into the living room. He was surprised to see Kurenai waiting for him. Or more accurately, her outfit. "What are you doing in your uniform?" he asked in confusion.
"Good morning to you too." Kurenai said wryly. "I'm going to be walking you to the Academy."
"Oh joy." Naruto muttered sarcastically. "I don't need you to walk me. And that doesn't explain why you're wearing your vest."
"Yeah…about that…we need to make a quick stop on the way to the academy." Kurenai continued, apparently ignoring his objections. "Come on, you don't want to be late on your first day, do you?" She chided as she shooed him out of the apartment.
After walking for a time, they found themselves standing outside a very large, very fancy looking walled compound. "Big place." Naruto grunted sarcastically. "What are we doing here again?"
"Well, this is the Hyuuga compound." Kurenai began. "I'm going to have a new mission for a while. And this is where I'll be picking her up for the foreseeable future." she explained as she headed into the compound, leaving him no choice but to follow or be left behind.
'Her?' he blinked as he followed her, taking in the surroundings, as well as the people in it.
The compound set-up was very similar to the traditional Nara compound, in the same way that Kurenai's apartment was similar to a penthouse. Sure, they both had the same general things, like a bathroom with a shower/bathtub. But whereas Kurenai's bath could maybe fit two adults in it, the penthouse's was an inset Jacuzzi big enough to fit six people comfortably. Similar, but in totally different leagues.
The grounds were breathtaking -he supposed- and the gardens must have been beautiful if Kurenai's longing looks were anything to go by. Even the pebble and sand filled expanses had swirls and designs, often around slightly larger rocks, which was probably supposed to give off a peaceful and harmonious aura. But for some reason, Naruto couldn't help but feel that something was…wrong.
The exterior walls were pristine and white…very white. The same went for the buildings. In fact, they would probably gleam like a gem during the day. Yet Naruto was still reminded of something else…
The hospital.
That was exactly it, if anything, the only difference was that this place was prettier. There was that cold precision to everything, as if it all had it's place where it had to be, and Naruto wouldn't be shocked if it extended into the actual homes within the Hyuuga compound.
The clan members were all paler than he was used to seeing, and they all possessed the same, pale, pupil-less eyes. They all moved with a sort of cold precision, nice to look at and very fluid looking, until you noticed the coldness of it all.
In fact, it seemed as if each Hyuuga exuded a sort of bubble, one that kept all but the smallest of children at arms length. The children also seemed to be the only ones that any of the adults looked at with anything other than a neutral indifference.
Despite this, Naruto could still pick up a sense of tension radiating between certain groups of Hyuuga, though the only difference he noticed other than some wearing slightly better clothing, was that one group seemed both more numerous, and apparently had more ninja in it if the abundance of hitae-ate was anything to go by.
"Wait here, Naruto." Kurenai's voice broke through his observations. Looking back at her, he just caught sight of her walking through one of those sliding doors and greeting a Hyuuga inside.
Shrugging, he went back to studying the surroundings, though he was surprised to note that the Hyuuga that had been all around before were now all gone. A few minutes later, Kurenai returned with a tiny little form that shuffled along all hunched in on itself. "Naruto," Kurenai began softly and gently, as if trying to avoid spooking a skittish animal. "This is Hinata-chan. I'm going to be walking her to and from school for a while. Hinata-chan, this is Naruto."
Blinking, Naruto look closer at the shriveled form to discover that it was, in fact, a tiny little girl, who seemed to be trying to do an impersonation of a turtle, the way she was trying to bury herself in her coat.
He nodded in greeting before turning back to Kurenai. "Can we go now?" he asked with a forced bored disinterest. This place was starting to get to make him nervous, like there was a restrained violence just hidden beneath the surface. He wanted to leave, before something happened to spark off what -to him at least- seemed to be the inevitable bloodshed.
If Kurenai noticed his discomfort, or the tension between the Hyuuga, then she did a much better job than him of hiding it. "Of course, that is, if you're ready to go Hinata-chan?" she asked the tiny thing next to her.
Said girl seemed to jump in fright at being addressed, before asking in a timid, shaky voice. "Um…could…could I say goodbye to my Imouto first, please?"
"Of course," Kurenai said with a gentle smile. "We have plenty of time before we need to be at the academy."
With that reassurance, Hinata quickly led the way across the grounds and into another large building. Once there, they passed a pair of middle-aged, headband-less Hyuuga men sipping on tea just outside the entrance. What really caught his eye was the way Hinata marginally relaxed once inside, though she seemed to give off a sad aura at the same time. Naruto recognized that kind of relaxation. He himself felt it every time he entered their apartment after being outside for any period of time. The feeling of having reached someplace safe.
It didn't take a genius to realize that Hinata's reaction was connected to the subtle tension that permeated the rest of the compound. Frowning, Naruto subtly palmed a shuriken. He didn't think his and Kurenai's presence would trigger a sudden outburst of violence, but he was taking any chances with his, and more importantly, Kurenai's safety.
Eventually, they arrived at what appeared to be some kind of nursery, and he and Kurenai stood outside the door and watched as Hinata relaxed even more as she approached an older Hyuuga woman, again without a forehead protector, rocking a tiny, blanket wrapped bundle.
As Hinata approached, the woman smiled slightly and shifted the bundle to reveal the head of a tiny, Hyuuga baby, complete with those pale eyes -Hinata's sister he imagined.
"Good morning, Hanabi-chan." Hinata greeted quietly, yet with a wide, beautiful smile. "I have to go to class today, so I won't be able to play with you until this afternoon." The baby started to fuss and make little crying noises, almost as if she understood what her sister was saying and didn't like it.
"Don't worry, Hanabi-chan. I'll be back as soon as I can." Hinata reassured as she kissed the baby's head and nuzzled her cheek with her own. This seemed to make the infant feel better, as she made a sound that Naruto thought might have been laughter. "Be good for Hoshi-san, Imouto."
She exchanged a few polite words with "Hoshi-san" before making her way back to them, whatever happiness she had been feeling seeming to fade as they made their way out of the compound and into the street.
Once there, Naruto relaxed marginally and returned his shuriken to it's holster, dutifully ignoring Kurenai's offer to hold his hand. An offer that Hinata seemed desperate for, as she latched onto the offered appendage. As they walked, Naruto made it a point to study the little Hyuuga in more detail.
The tiny girl looked like she was four or so, despite him knowing that you had to be at least six to enter the Academy normally, and there was no way this little, seemingly terrified girl, was a prodigy. She wore dark pants with blue sandals, and a large jacket, zipped up all the way despite the warm weather. But it was her face that really caught his attention. Or to be more accurate, her eyes. She seemed to be in a constant state of shock, or startled fear, and added to her whisper of a voice, tiny frame, and her habit of huddling in on herself, Naruto could help but think of a small animal skittering to and fro.
'A mouse…' he thought to himself. 'That's exactly what she is. A terrified little mouse…but why would a mouse try to be a ninja?'
It didn't make sense. What would make a member of the Hyuuga clan, -which judging by it's compound had a lot of power- one that was important enough to warrant a Chuunin body-guard when outside their compound, turn into this timid little thing?
No matter how he thought about it, Naruto couldn't make sense of it. But he did know one thing. He didn't like it. Every fiber of his being told him that this little girl should be a happy, frolicking thing, not this timid little creature. Something was very wrong, and his gut twisted in an uncomfortably familiar way at the situation.
Suddenly, Naruto stopped in the middle of the road as he felt an old sense of being watched return. Glancing around, he attempted to find the source, only to blink in surprise to see another Hyuuga child, this one a little younger than him, staring at them from back down the street.
'Odd…I don't usually get this feeling from just being stared at…' Naruto thought to himself with a frown. Looking closer at the boy, he realized something rather disturbing. The boy appeared to have…veins bulging out from all around his eyes.
Just as Naruto contemplated sending the boy a message, the veins seemed to fade away just before the boy turned onto a different street. Frown deepening, Naruto debated the merits of tracking the boy down, and decided against it. After all, it wasn't like the boy had actually done anything.
Satisfied, he broke into a light jog to catch up with Hinata and Kurenai.
"Well, here we are." Kurenai said a few minutes later as they entered a small courtyard. "Hinata-chan, Naruto-chan, I'll meet you both here after class. Have fun." she finished by giving Hinata a light nudge and turned to Naruto. "And Naru-chan, please try to make friends, okay?"
"I don't need any friends." he muttered in response as he strode forward purposefully. After all, the sooner he got inside, the sooner he could leave, right?
He was only a few feet from the door when he picked up the sound of frantic footsteps approaching him. He instinctively pivoted on one foot as his left hand came up to block or grab as necessary, while his right went under his jacket to grasp a kunai.
He was surprised to see the little mouse scurrying up to him, a frantic look on her face for some odd reason. Apparently, his stride was too long for the much smaller girl to keep up with easily, forcing her to jog at a medium pace to keep up. "What do you want?" Naruto bit out, perhaps a bit harsher than he'd intended if the girl's flinch was anything to go by.
"K-Kurenai-san said that-that we're in the same class." she stammered hastily, almost panicky, as if afraid he'd lash out at her if she didn't explain quickly enough.
Frowning slightly at her response, Naruto stared down at her as he thought over his response. His first opinion of the girl was the usual mixture of hatred and envy that he felt for all other children. Hatred that they were allowed to be so innocent while he had to fight for his life, and envy that they were born and raised with loving families.
His second impression was that the girl was pathetic, scurrying to and fro like a terrified rodent, hiding from the larger predators.
His final impression though, was that of a little girl who was in way over her head, yet for some reason couldn't find her way out of the situation.
It was this impression that struck him the most. Oh sure, the rest were still there, but they were overshadowed by the idea that this tiny, frail little girl was fighting against forces far beyond her ability to comprehend. And that just wasn't right.
Naruto knew that he was…uninformed…about a lot of things that others took for granted. He knew that he wasn't very knowledgeable about things like families and relationships. But his gut told him that the little girl staring up at him with a mixture of hope and fear needed protecting. He couldn't put it into words, but he knew he had to help at least a little.
Nodding to himself, he motioned to Hinata to follow him and headed into the Academy, making the attempt to shorten his strides so she could keep up with him.
As he headed down the halls, Naruto was very aware of the looks he was receiving as he maneuvered through the crowd of children. What he didn't know, was what the looks were for. Subconsciously, they might have been for the way he moved, as even though he wasn't incredibly skilled at it, his training with Anko had left him with a distinct -if unrefined- flowing like motion, as if he was moments away from violence. And while a fully trained version of himself would move with a grace similar to a panther or a wolf, leaving him to walk more like a cat in comparison, subconsciously, the other children could pick up on that, subtle though it was.
But no, the real reason they stared, and the answer that Naruto arrived at, was far more simple. 'I guess they've never seen scars on someone as young as me.' he thought with an amused snort. 'Children.' he mentally sneered.
Moments later, he came face to face with the Hyuuga boy from the streets. Though when he looked closer, he noticed the boy wasn't even looking at him, instead glaring down at the tiny Hinata, who huddled in on herself even more if that was possible.
"Hinata-sama," The boy stated more than greeted. "What a pleasure it is to have you here with the rest of us commoners. Are your books too heavy for you? I'm sure you could force -excuse me- ask someone to help you with them."
"Neji-niisan," the girl managed to whisper out. "It's nice to see you again. How have you been?"
Neji continued to stare at her even as he answered. "I've been just fine, Hinata-sama. I'm very happy with my station, and I'm so grateful to Hiashi-sama and the Main Family allowing me to improve my ability to serve them."
Naruto frowned at the conversation, especially the way Hinata flinched and cringed every time Neji lashed out at her. And he knew that was what the boy was doing. Even if the words and tone of voice seemed perfectly polite, Naruto could see the anger and loathing in the younger boy's eyes.
"Get out of my way." he ordered the Hyuuga boy. "Hinata and I need to get to class."
He was a little miffed at the way both of their heads whipped around to look up at him, as if they were both just noticing he was there. Although, at least Hinata had the grace to look mortified, whereas Neji just glared at him slightly.
"Hinata-sama," Neji spoke in that same, not quite mocking tone. "Should someone of your status be seen associating with trash like this?"
Naruto narrowed his eyes, before whipping his right arm out and clamping his hand over Neji's neck, intending to squeeze just enough to send a message. "Watch who you call trash, boy." he growled just before releasing the boy and jerking his hand back to avoid the strange strike the younger boy sent at his arm.
Naruto narrowed his eyes again, this time in observation. The Hyuuga had obviously had some training of his own, based on how quickly and how smoothly he reacted, even if Naruto hadn't moved as fast as he could have.
The boy's eyes had only widened slightly at the speed Naruto's arm had moved, and was already launching a counterattack by the time Naruto grabbed him.
In fact, if it wasn't for the younger boy's surprise at his speed, -as he was probably used to being the fastest in his age group- Naruto wasn't sure if he could have grabbed the boy at all. Then there was the strange attack the boy used, striking at him with the tips of his fingers, glancing Naruto's arm despite how quickly he pulled back. Now the spot he had glanced was numb.
As both boys observed each other, little Hinata was left looking back and forth between them with a horrified expression. "Please, don't fight!" she said in her timid little whisper. Naruto was fairly certain that he was the only one that heard her.
"Naruto-kun!" came a woman's happy cry. "I thought that was you!" Yoshino Nara chirped as she herded a half-asleep Shikamaru up to them. "Oh, isn't this so exciting? Both you and Shikamaru-chan's first day! Come along, you three, off to class!" she said excitedly as she added Naruto and Hinata to her herd.
"Kaa-san!" Shikamaru whined. "Quit embarrassing me!"
"Embarrassing!" Yoshino scolded, "How is it embarrassing to be excited about such an important day? You should be a little more excited too!"
As Naruto allowed himself to be herded with Shikamaru and Hinata, he kept his eyes on Neji as the Hyuuga boy did the same. As they passed, their eyes met, slit blue eyes staring into pupil-less pale, and both giving off the same message. "Don't fuck with me."
"And what's your name little girl?" he heard Yoshino ask as he tuned back into the conversation.
"I'm Hinata Hyuuga." the girl said in her whispery voice. "Pleased to meet you, Nara-san." She finished with a polite bow.
"Oh, there's no need to be so formal dear." Yoshino gently chided. "Yoshino is just fine. And this lazy little thing is my baby Shikamaru-chan." she finished as she messed with said Nara's hair.
"Troublesome…" Shikamaru muttered, apparently having decided that objecting was too much work.
"So how do you know Naruto-kun?" Yoshino asked as they approached their classroom.
"His mother is walking me to the Academy." Hinata volunteered shyly. "We just met today."
"Oh, I see." Yoshino nodded as they arrived outside their destination. "Well, this is it. It was nice meeting you Hinata-chan, and I hope we can talk again later."
In what seemed to be a routine, Hinata jumped in surprise before shakily asking. "Really?"
"Of course." Yoshino answered gently. "We can talk whenever you like okay?"
Hinata managed a nod, and with that, the three of them entered the classroom.
Naruto's first impression of his classmates was…bleak. Most of the girls were off giggling in one corner or the other, and the boys were all either boasting about how great a ninja they'd be, or else screwing around with each other.
Few, if any of them, looked like they were training to become fighters, let alone shinobi. In fact, most of them looked like they had just come in off the streets, or better yet had just snuck in. Glancing around, only two really looked or moved like they had anything in the way of training, and one of them was easily identified by the clan markings on his cheeks. Yet even they looked like they were just starting out.
Frowning, he turned to Shikamaru. "Not exactly the cream of the crop in here, is it?"
"Only by your standards." the lazy Nara grunted in return. "As far as normal people go, this is an amazing, not to mention promising, group."
"Whatever." he muttered as the three of them sat in the remaining seats. Naruto was pleased to find that his was in the back, giving him a perfect view of everyone else in the room, while leaving his back to a wall.
Later that day
"Finally." Naruto growled in annoyance as he quickly exited the building, just barely keeping his strides short enough to keep little Hinata from having to run to keep up.
The whole day was a complete waste. Most of the day was spent either going over trivial things like introductions, or going over material that Naruto already knew. They didn't even let them throw a single punch!
And perhaps the most annoying thing about it all was the whispering, annoying girls!
Flashback
"I heard that he's the last survivor of a powerful bloodline from Mizu, and that the Hokage is letting him join the village so long as he rebuilds his clan." A girl with long pink hair whispered so loudly Naruto could hear her from his seat in the top row.
"No, that's not it at all!" A redhead insisted. "He's a child prodigy who became an elite Oinin at age five!"
'Honestly,' Naruto thought to himself as the group of…well, just about every girl in the class alternated between gossiping and staring at him. 'It's like they're not even trying to be discreet.'
"Then what's he doing here?" the pinkette challenged scornfully.
"I'm getting there!" the redhead hissed back. "When he was an Oinin, he attacked Kumo because they killed his lover, and he caused so much damage, that Kumo wouldn't accept peace unless he was removed from the Shinobi program. But the Hokage found a loop hole where he could reenlist and now he's back in the Academy!" the girl finished excitedly.
'My God, that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.' Naruto thought to himself just before a brunette girl squealed, "That's so romantic!"
'Okay,' he amended. 'That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard.'
"Don't be stupid!" a girl with purple hair and a perpetual smirk spat. "He's a former Anbu member, who was trained from the day he was born to be an assassin. Only now, the Hokage feels guilty, and he's making him attend the Academy to make friends, fall in love, and regain his humanity."
"That's stupid!" the pinkette growled. "God Ami, why would you make up something that's obviously not true?"
"Shut up Forehead Girl! You're the one that's deluded, acting like you'll be able to marry into a bloodline clan and finally be someone!" Ami snarled spitefully.
The pinkette looked like she was going to explode, only for a blond girl -the only one Naruto had ever seen- to intervene. "Calm down Sakura, I know exactly who he is." the girl said smugly.
'Oh, this should be good.'? Naruto thought as he rolled his eyes.
"Come on, don't keep us waiting, Ino!" Sakura chattered excitedly.
"Alright, I'll tell you." Ino "whispered". "He is an Anbu, but he hasn't been kicked out or anything like that." Ino paused there dramatically before stating. "He's on a mission!"
The girls all burst into excited chatter and giggles at that, all save Hinata that is. The poor girl had been rounded up by Ino and Sakura along with the others as soon as lunch started, and now she was stuck in the middle of the group, trying to get a word in, only to be overruled by the much louder, and much bolder girls.
"What is his mission, Ino?" one of the girls asked excitedly. This was greeted by a chorus of "Yeah!" and "Tell us Ino!"
"Alright, alright." Ino sighed as if she was being worn down to reveal her secrets. "His mission is…to protect the Hyuuga Heiress, Hinata Hyuuga!"
"What?" Poor Hinata looked as startled as he had ever seen her. "N-no he's not-"
"Yeah, your right." Ino conceded with a shrug and upturned palms. "He's actually just a normal, older boy, who just happens to have battle scars, who just happens to be joining two years later than the rest of us, who just happened to escort you to class, annnnnd who just happened to be there to defend you from that jerk Neji. That same jerk who's one of the fastest kids in the Academy, and yet was easily beaten by Naruto." Ino finished with a sly grin. "It's ok, we won't tell anyone about your secret bodyguard, Hinata."
"N-no!" the little girl managed to get out. "That's not true at all! His mother is just escorting me to and from the Academy, that's all!"
"Oh really?" Ino drawled. "Then why does he have a different last name than her? He said his name was Uzumaki, yet your "escort's" name is Yuuhi. How does that work out?"
"Well," Hinata floundered. "I'm not sure, but Kurenai-san said he was her son, so I'm sure there's an explana-"
"Well, he is your friend isn't he?" Sakura asked curiously.
"Well, yes, but-"Hinata tried to explain only to be cut off again.
"You're a terrible liar." Ami declared. "Looks like Ino was right for once."
Hinata attempted to object again, but all the girls were talking at once, and her tiny voice was quickly lost in the cacophony.
Shaking his head at the girls' stupidity, as well at the boys for apparently not being able to hear it, Naruto turned his attention back to his lunch. "This place is going to drive me insane." he muttered.
Flashback Ends
"Naruto-san?" a tiny whisper managed to break through his thoughts, though the slight tug at his jacket sleeve helped.
Glancing down at his arm, he saw a tiny hand grasping his jacket between the thumb and index finger, almost as if afraid to grab anymore. "What is it, Hinata?" he asked as gently as he could, which, it turns out, wasn't very gentle at all.
"Um…I'm sorry I said you were my friend." she offered quickly. "I…I won't do it again, I promise."
Blinking, Naruto turned so he was facing her fully. "What makes you think I'm angry about that?" he asked curiously.
"You…you've been scowling ever since lunch so…I thought I must have offended you and-"
Naruto tuned out the rest of her explanation as he stared at her incredulously. Was her self-esteem so bad that she automatically assumed that anything that upset anyone was somehow her fault? That…that just wasn't right!
No child should feel like that, even Naruto knew that much. "Hinata." He interrupted whatever she had been saying. He mentally cringed when she flinched back as if expecting a blow. "Hinata," he said more softly. "I'm not mad that you called me your friend." he explained. "I'm mad because today's class was a waste of my time. You can be my friend if you want."
"Really?" she asked again with that painful mixture of hope and fear in her eyes.
"Yes, really." he answered as he reached out and grabbed her hand firmly yet gently. "Now come on, let's go find Kurenai."
As he pulled her along, trying to ignore how tightly she clung to him, -with both hands no less- Naruto couldn't shake the feeling that he was in for a long six years.
Translations:
Kaa-san=Mom
Imouto=little sister
Kinobori no Waza=Act of Tree Climbing
AN: There we go, after a couple of months of work I finally got it out. As always, any and all criticisms, reviews, suggestions, etc are welcome.