Masked Koi: Chapter 2. "Mother"

There was a reason of why Naruto was so desperate to get a tutor. Or sensei, as some others would put it. Aside from Kakashi, a man whom he barely considered a friend and Obito, a joking but distant man, he had no one. Often, he wondered what his life would've been like if his mother had been alive. He supposed it wouldn't be this boring.

Or terrifying.

Terrifying because Naruto feared lightning. He feared the thunder that came with it and whenever lightning would strike, his father would probably use that as an excuse to be able to stay in the office longer, saying how this way no one would come in trying to interrupt him from his paperwork.

Crack!

Naruto bit down a whimper. Kaa-san, I've got to be strong.

He gripped his mother's picture in the frame he'd taken from the altar his father had set up with unspeakably meticulous care and refused to cry. He felt eyes on him, two pairs. He knew who they were; the Hokage's guards. Their job was to protect the Hokage and his kin. Naruto admired their strength to some degree, having heard from Kakashi that they were Konoha's Elite Jounin and took missions on the same level he did.

But it was hard to be strong when you had no one else. Naruto understood this fully, yet accepting it proved to be a much more difficult matter. He sat in the corner of his closet with a sweater much too large for his small frame. The sweater was a deep red, matching his hair. A circle was drawn thickly in black and a swirl went round and round until it stopped at the middle. The Uzumaki symbol.

A flash of silent lightning lit up his face, making the room that much more eerie. Naruto hugged the sweater to him, smelling faint perfume from it. It made him feel a bit safer, but that was only to a certain degree.

He knew that there were two guards that served his father. He'd only met one of them, a man who actually took of his mask. It was common knowledge that the ANBU couldn't take off their mask and to have the top ANBU do so was…an honor, as Naruto had thought. Then again, he was the Hokage's son.

Naruto bit his lip. I hate that.

He wished he could be 'Naruto'. He didn't want to live in a shadow of a man he barely knew. He knew it was bad to think that he barely knew his father because that was his only direct kin, his only parent, but it was true. He knew what his father looked like, where his job was, whom his father had married, and a few stories about his jutsu.

The clock read 9pm, but Naruto couldn't read time yet. He felt himself inhale sharply as the voice of his aunt, who was visiting, came just as a crack of lightning and roar of thunder came. Naruto shook. His legs refused to move but he found himself walking towards the voice. He hated his obedience. He hated his silence. He hated his weakness.

He hated himself.

"Yes, Mikiko-obasan?" Naruto asked quietly, clenching his fists in his pockets to hide his fear of the unrest of the atmosphere.

"Where are the photos? I want to see all of them," Mikiko said.

Why? Are you going to take those too?

"I don't know."

"What a useless boy, so unknowledgeable and useless. Just like your mother's clan," Mikiko clicked her tongue in annoyance and wandered off, muttering other obscenities about the Uzumaki. "And take off that hideous sweater. You're a Namikaze, after all."

Naruto sighed, his blue eyes seeming grey in the dim light.

The woman was Namikaze Mikiko. She was Minato's younger sister and had the same golden hair and cobalt blue eyes but a different demeanor towards him. A few months ago, she decided to live in the Hokage's house. Naruto saw that she slept on his mother's bed and looked through Kushina's jewelry. Naruto noticed that slowly, the jewelry was disappearing. He had seen his mother's wedding ring once before and then, a month ago, it was gone. A few days later, Naruto saw a glint on his aunt's hand.

Naruto really, really hated himself. He couldn't even protect his mother's most valuable keepsake. However, he didn't want to hate himself. He wanted to be able to be confident in himself and even a hint of prideful. He figured that learning how to protect what he wanted to protect he'd be able to stand up against people like his aunt.

Naruto walked over to the fridge, tentatively opening it. He slammed himself against it, a sharp inhale following that, as another crack of thunder and flash of lightning shone in the dark kitchen. Fear shot through his trembling body. He couldn't reach the light switches and didn't want to incite the rather cruel ire of Mikiko by making scratching sounds on the floors with the chairs to reach the switches.

His stomach growled softly and Naruto quickly grabbed the rice pot out of the fridge. The rice was made by one of the ANBU, something Minato had requested they do as needed. They'd been making rice for four years now. Naruto could tell when the rice was different, when the rice was somehow richer in taste, even though the container of uncooked rice was always the same. Perhaps, Naruto wondered as he chewed the cold, flavorless rice, the two ANBU switched off. It was as if one of the ANBU took better care measuring the rice and cooking it accordingly.

Once he'd eaten enough, Naruto replaced it back into the fridge and went back to his ponderings in his room.

Her light caramel-colored fingers ran over the books, leaving behind a trail that cut into the dust that had accumulated over the years. Her finger passed over a thick spine and then stopped. Her fingers moved back and gripped the spine, pulling out the book completely.

It wasn't a book. It was a photo album, filled with photos of the young couple, from their childhood to their adulthood. Mikiko smiled, her smile a bit lopsided and deranged. Hungrily, it seemed, she ripped out photos of a stunning girl and then woman with a mischievous smile and striking red hair. The photos were piled one on top of the other in no order. Once all the photos containing a deceased spouse were gone, Mikiko left the pile to search for the other photo she knew was there, in the altar. In her regal and luxurious and beautiful kimono, she crossed over a few rooms and opened the altar with a scary grin. She saw that the photo was gone and rage filled her. She stormed over to Naruto's room and the door was loudly slammed open. Naruto yelped in surprise as a flash of lightning lit up her face, followed by no thunder. The sudden presence of the vile woman was enough to frighten him. She'd surprised him, after all.

"Where is it?!" Mikiko demanded, her cobalt blue eyes gleaming with hatred.

"What are you talking about, Mikiko-obasan?" Naruto asked quietly, his mother's photo in his hand. Kushina was grinning, as if someone had just said something funny, with the peace sign in one hand. On her shoulder was the Uzumaki crest and one eye was closed in a wink. Naruto liked to think that she was grinning like that because, and only because, he gazed upon her photo.

"That photo!" Mikiko grabbed it out of his hand, only to find that he was holding onto it with both hands, his blue-greyish eyes glinting with confusion and fear and a hint of determination and anger. He gritted his teeth, pleading silently for her to simply let go.

"Why you—" Mikiko raised her other hand and brought it down in a lightning-fast arc towards the boy with whiskers.

There was a blur, invisible in the darkness, and then a figure was kneeling in front of Naruto, a left arm raised to block the blow. Mikiko screamed but found that the door was already locked. The figure easily pulled the photo out of Mikiko's hands and put it on a desk before straightening up and tilting a head at the blonde woman. Naruto saw silver hair that seemed to glow white in the moonlight. On her back was a tanto, the same color as her hair, with a gold insignia on it, reading 'Hokage'. Not that Naruto could read that word, yet.

"W-who are you!? Please don't hurt my dear nephew! I couldn't live without him! Take me instead!" Mikiko cried out.

"I'm the Hokage's Elite ANBU guard. I was protecting the Hokage's son, direct orders from Hokage-sama," the woman said, her presence seeming to emit a rather eerie aura.

"Oh," Mikiko said. "Well, whoever you are, you can go now. Leave."

"Naruto-sama, are you unhurt?" the woman knelt to Naruto's level. She saw the shock in his eyes and smiled a little under her mask.

"Yeah…" Naruto muttered. "You can go, if you want."

The woman vanished into thin air and Minato's two direct relatives were left in the room again. The door clicked and was unlocked. Naruto grabbed the photo and sent Mikiko a hurt look before clutching it to his chest, staring at her eyes, willing her to leave.

"I'm home, Mikiko."

Mikiko smirked at him and left in a wave of colorful kimono and flip of blonde hair. Naruto slid against the wall until he sat against it, looking at the ceiling.

"That boy of yours has been vandalizing the photo album and when I tried to stop him, he tried to attack me," Mikiko complained. "You need to put some sense into him."

Minato gave her a weary look and nodded silently before sitting down at the table where warm food had been set out at some point by one of the ANBU.

Naruto wasn't very hungry.

It was an hour before dawn was coming. Minato was still, surprisingly, in the house and Mikiko had stashed the photos of Kushina somewhere to burn later. Of course, the ANBU knew about this and weren't about to let Mikiko burn the photos. But it was fun to let the woman think she had the upper hand.

Naruto leapt out of bed with determination to make sure that the previous night didn't happen once more. He slipped on a white shirt with a blue Uzumaki spiral and blue shorts. After he ran a comb through his red hair, he stepped into his shoes with a sketchbook and book in his hands and ran to the bamboo forest.

Naruto arrived about seven hours earlier than he was supposed to, but excitement and desperation made it hard to sleep. He lay on his stomach and sketched the bamboo for a few hours until noon arrived.

When noon arrived, Naruto was spooked out of his trance of bamboo gazing when the sound of paper hit the ground. Naruto looked at the package and saw that it was a pastry contained in a small bag of paper, seemingly fresh. It still felt warm and Naruto smiled a little. He looked up to see the woman with the carp on her shirt and black pants, but no mask.

Naruto couldn't help but stare, slack-jawed. "…"

"I figured that since I'm probably going to be training you in the shinobi arts for a while, I could show you my face. I've only shown two other people my face so consider yourself lucky, in a sense," she said. "Call me Nishiki."

Nishiki looked like a female replica of Kakashi, except for straight silver hair. Her large black irises seemed to peer into his soul and for once, his quiet soul screamed with surprise and something akin to fear as she continued to stare.

"Your breakfast isn't going to eat itself," Nishiki said sarcastically.

Naruto nodded as he quickly inhaled the pastry. Nishiki narrowed her eyes a bit, wondering if the boy had eaten at all. She knew she couldn't push him too much if his body wasn't strong enough, or had the bare minimum of muscle, to take the training.

Nishiki had several training exercises planned out. She wanted to first build his stamina, teach him basic taijutsu, chakra control, and a few basic ninjutsu techniques after teaching him the theory of ninjutsu. For ninjutsu, she wanted to teach him one or two E-Rank or D-Rank jutsu. She didn't want him to be prideful until he became a Genin, after all. Genjutsu, she suspected, would be difficult for him. If he were anything like his mother, genjutsu would be nearly impossible to teach the boy.

Nishiki also didn't want him to freeze up on his first time sinking a kunai into an enemy shinobi. She has had plenty of practice doing such an act but from his silent and rather withdrawn nature, it was possible he might blank out and end up getting injured. To avoid this, she'd expose him to how real shinobi fight. She already had a fighting partner picked out and if she could manage to work something out with him, she could have him teach Naruto genjutsu. He was a master, being an Uchiha, after all.

Nishiki, even though she was lending him a tremendous amount of help, didn't want to teach him about, what she'd referred to in her Academy days, as the trivial things. These things included book smarts, such as the angle and trajectory of a kunai, how the First War broke out, and how the economy of Konoha could lead to a lower mission submission rate.

"Thank you."

Nishiki looked up out of her thoughts. "Oh, yeah. Next time I want you to eat something. Make sure it's full of protein and vegetables. If that's not available to you it seems like either I've got more to teach you or you're going to have to reach out to the library, or to the shinobi of this village, if cooking among other things you don't know. I'm afraid I can't hold your hand; no one will in this world. On a different note, you're going to have to seek out your own enrichment if you'd like to specialize in something unusual."

"Like?"

Nishiki sighed before pulling out a scroll and a brush with ink and squatted to Naruto's height. In ink, she wrote a few of the shinobi arts. She put her finger on each as she explained.

"First, let's start with the shinobi basics. From there, you can learn the basics and then choose to specialize in something," Nishiki said.

"There is taijutsu, martial arts. This doesn't require chakra and can be used as a last resort. This happens to be one of my specialties. There is ninjutsu, converting chakra into fire, water, wind, earth, or lightning. There is genjutsu, hallucinatory illusions. There is kenjutsu, the art of wielding swords. Lastly, for now, there is fuuinjutsu, the art of sealing and barriers," Nishiki explained.

"Chakra?" Naruto tilted his head.
"Chakra is the fundamental part of how a shinobi fights. It's the molding of physical energy and mental energy, channeling it through the chakra system, like veins are to blood, and bringing it out through the 361 tenketsu, or chakra points. To enhance and increase the success of a jutsu, hand seals are needed to channel the chakra well. With chakra, it makes being a ninja possible and those who understand how to channel it well through any way to create a new outcome are those who are remembered as legends. That's the difference between those who are remembered and those who are forgotten," Nishiki said, her voice lilting a bit.

"What's a jutsu?" Naruto frowned.

"In terms of ninjutsu, it's the combination of the two energies to create a physical outcome. Do you remember my jutsu from yesterday?" Nishiki asked. Naruto nodded. "That was an example of ninjutsu. Only some people can perform certain techniques, such as me. I can perform Lightning and Wind Release techniques, but I can't perform Water, Fire, or Earth techniques. I don't believe there is anyone alive who have all five affinities."

"Affinity?" Naruto repeated.

"Everyone has chakra. Because we're all different people, we have different chakra nature, or chakra affinities. I happen to have a chakra affinity for Wind and Lightning. Most people in the Land of Fire have fire, the Land of Wind has wind, the Land of Lightning has lightning, the Land of Water has water, and the Land of Earth of has earth. There are some who have fire in the Land of Water, but it's unlikely. Most Jounin have two or three affinities and can perform multiple jutsu of different natures. For example, a friend of mine can blow flames out of his mouth, create earth walls, and create gusts of wind. Having four is highly unlikely and five, as I said earlier, is unheard of," Nishiki frowned for a moment. "Actually, there was one man who was able to do so. He was the Rikudou Sennin, the father of shinobi and jutsu."

"Isn't he a legend?" Naruto asked. "I've seen him in picture books."

"I don't think he is. Lies are based upon truths, even half-truths. In this world, you can't just dismiss things because the general population does. You have to look underneath the underneath until you've found something plausible. The only problem I have is that in order to do so, your hands will be stained with blood and I guarantee it won't be yours. Our world is dangerous, unspeakably so. Since your father is the Hokage, you're more at risk than others to be targeted, and at a younger age. That's why you have ANBU stationed at your home," Nishiki said.

Naruto opened his mouth and then closed it and then opened it. "How do you know I have ANBU at my house?"

Nishiki laughed. "Don't be stupid; I'm an ANBU. I get to know things. That's why I have a mask."

Naruto mouthed 'oh'. Nishiki nodded, as if it were obvious as she finished up writing on the scroll. She blew on the wet ink to let it dry before rolling it up and standing.

"Naruto, to build your stamina and those skinny legs you have to run ten laps around this forest. Then you have a five-minute break and then you have fifty push-ups. Then you have another break and then you have to punch one of these bamboo a hundred times.

Naruto nodded. Kaa-san, I'm going to make you proud.

The Next Day

Click.

Minato's blue eyes opened and immediately closed upon meeting the sunlight. They were like the shy ferns, open when untouched, and then sprung back into themselves if an animal brushed up against them. Minato had been rather fond of those types of plants; they were humorous. Kushina had thought otherwise and burned the hell out of them, calling them weak and useless. They don't even bear fruit, ttebane!

Minato smiled at the memory before he remembered that he'd been woken up. He sat up from the mattress; a worn-out one that only had its skeleton left; just spring and a thinning cover over it. He frowned and then his mouth opened wide to yawn. His arms arched out and he tensed all his muscles momentarily. He threw off the blanket and stood to walk to make coffee for himself and tea for his sister, who demanded to have the Hibiki brand, the most expensive one.

As Minato was brewing the coffee, he couldn't seem to let go of the thing that had woken him up. Perhaps it was the door? Minato didn't know. He sighed and busied himself with coffee and tea. A few minutes later, his sister came through the doorway.

"Where's my tea?" Mikiko demanded.

"Right behind—" Minato started.

Mikiko turned around. "Don't hide it from me again. What are you trying to do, drink my tea? You're just like that kid of yours, taking what's not yours."

"What?" Minato asked, arching a brow.

Mikiko ignored him and looked into the container that held her tealeaves. To her shock, it was nearly empty. Minato had bought her that container just last week.

"It's actually quite bland."

Mikiko whirled around, anger blazing in her cold blue eyes. Her blue eyes met with a slender and lanky woman wearing a mask and uniform. Her gold insignia glinted in the morning sunlight and the way her voice lilted made it seem as if she were smiling, or smirking. Not that Mikiko cared enough; she was too busy being angry.

Minato no move to stop his sister from throwing herself at his ANBU guard. He took a sip of his coffee. Mikiko found that the figure disappeared as soon as she had put too much force behind her move and was about to fall on her face. A firm hand caught her stomach and kept her from falling.

"Don't touch me!" Mikiko screamed and stumbled back, fear in her eyes. "You'll hurt the—" Mikiko stopped herself.

"You're…" the ANBU started. "Why haven't you told anyone?"

"How do you know that? What makes you think you understand anything about me?" Mikiko said defensively.

"What're you two talking about?" Minato asked.

A pregnant pause filled a space of a minute. Minato became more and more curious and when no one answered him after some time, he began to get irritated. The ANBU looked shocked and Mikiko looked like a cornered boar. Minato narrowed his eyes and studied the two women.

"Nishiki, this is an order. Tell me," Minato said. Nishiki obeyed and dropped to one knee.

"Hai, Hokage-sama. When I caught Mikiko-san, I noticed another chakra inside of her, along with a bulged stomach. I didn't realize her state before because of the sheer amount of kimono she wears," Nishiki said.

"Mikiko…" Minato stared at his sister. "You're pregnant?"

Thwack.

Thwack.

Thwack.

The bamboo shook slightly with each punch. Naruto had risen early to practice what Nishiki had instructed him to do the previous day and he was adamant about getting strong. He felt sore, so sore, in his whole body, particularly his arms and legs. He closed his eyes momentarily and ignored the fire running up his joints. He reached three hundred, after two hours of training.

By this time, it was seven. Naruto began to put more force behind his punches and after another hundred punches, something changed. His knuckles had turned a blood red and dripped with a strange liquid. Naruto studied it and noticed a rather painful sensation coming from his hands. After a few more punches, it became unbearable and he cried out.

"I thought I told you to eat."

Naruto looked up. "Nishiki-sensei…"

"You're so thick," Nishiki sighed. She pulled out some bandages and wrapped his knuckles. Before she covered them, she studied the wounds. They were healing quite quickly. This must be the Kyuubi's power... how curious.

Nishiki quickly wrapped it up and stood, her stance filled with anger. Naruto got the feeling it was directed at him.

Naruto hit the ground hard, the palms of his hands hurting from trying to catch himself. He looked up and saw Nishiki still standing there, but with her arm poised as if she'd struck him. Naruto's head hurt and he placed a hand on his head to try to ease the pain. He stared up at her with hurt and confusion.

"Don't be so stupid and disobey me. If you're going to disobey me, you can't call me sensei because I have nothing to teach you," Nishiki said. "I told you to eat. And you go hungry once more."

Nishiki sat down next to him and drew up her knees, making her seem much younger on top of the fact she looked so young anyway. "I owe your mother a great deal. You can't starve; this training doesn't allow such a thing. And, you're the Hokage's son for Kami's sake. You've plenty of money to be able to eat. And yet, I find you here, starving. How stupid."

Nishiki sighed and shook her head disapprovingly. "You really cleaned me out yesterday, so go back home and eat something. I won't start you on our next training phase until you do."

"You owe my mother? How?" Naruto asked. "If you owe her, then you knew her, right? What was she like? She was cool, right?"

"That isn't important. What is, is that you eat. Now," Nishiki said. "Or I hit you again."

Naruto stood and sped off, trying to nurse the wound on his head.

He couldn't help but smile, though.

Nishiki couldn't help but feel a sense of dread.