Naruto: Beginning
Naruto ducked under a stall, dashed past the irate stall-holder and down the alley behind him. Through the hole in the fence, across the yard, over the far wall, down another alley around the corner and he was safe! The nondescript dead end edged on three sides by a large, elegant but rather elderly building was cleaner than the narrow alley which connected it to a side-street, but no-one ever seemed to come into it. The windows which looked onto the small square were all obscured by blinds or shutters, making it even more private. The scrawny six-year-old sat down in the corner furthest out of sight from the connecting alleyway and munched happily on the peach he'd stolen. Today was a good day.
"Well, who's this?"
Naruto jumped and spun around at the sound of the words spoken by a gently teasing female voice.
"Now then, nothing to be afraid of," the older, dark-haired girl in a fantastically patterned kimono said from the open doorway of the building behind him, "I'm just curious as to who is sitting in our courtyard."
"Your courtyard, nee-san?" Naruto asked timidly. I can go if you want."
"I'd rather you stayed; today has been very dull indeed and you look like a fun person to talk to. What's your name?"
Naruto brightened. "Watashi-wa Uzumaki Naruto desu, dattebayo! I'm gonna be Hokage!"
The girl's eyes turned introspective. "Uzumaki, ne? Who are your parents?"
Naruto wilted. "Ano, I'm an orphan."
"Gomen nasai, Naruto-chan. You just look a lot like a ninja I met when I was your age. He died in the Kyuubi attack, though."
"What was he like, nee-san?" the whisker-marked boy asked, curious. No-one had ever mentioned his looking like a dead ninja before.
"He had spiky blonde hair and blue eyes just like you, although yours are a different shape;" the girl said quietly, eyes staring off into the distance. "He was a very gifted and hard-working ninja and he loved this village more than anything." She paused, "Gomen, Naruto-chan, where are my manners: Watashi-wa Mitsusha no Hibana desu."
"Konnichiwa, Hibana-chan! You're really pretty!" Naruto said, sticky hands held behind his back away from his new friend's clean kimono.
"Arigatou, Naruto-chan. I'm a minarai, in training to become a geisha, so looking pretty is part of my job," Hibana said with a small smile.
"You must be really good then! What are geisha? Are they like ninja? Do you know any cool techniques?" Naruto asked, bouncing on the spot with excitement. He had a new friend! With Hokage-jiji who had visited him before he got kicked out of the orphanage, Ichiraku the ramen guy and Ayame who helped him, he had four friends now! And Hibana-chan had told him about a really cool ninja who looked like he did!
"Well, it's a slow day. Come inside Naruto-chan and I can show you a little bit of what geisha learn and what they do," Hibana said with an amused smile. "You'll have to wash your hands and face, though." She looked him over critically, taking in his grubby skin and ragged outfit. "In fact, a proper bath is in order, as well as a change in clothes."
"Ano, Hibana-chan, I don't have any other clothes."
"I'll find an outfit you can borrow while yours is being washed. Would that be acceptable?"
Naruto beamed. "Hai, Hibana-nee-chan!"
Specialised terminology
nee-san = big sister; generic address for an older girl
minarai = first stage in geisha training; means 'learning by watching'
geisha = traditional female entertainer, specialising in classical arts such as music and dance. While there is a sexual element to thier services, that is at the geisha's discretion, not the clients
A/N. And the story begins in earnest.