DISCLAIMER: Don't own Naruto! Feels ahead! Oh, and there are some age changes. Shrug.

CHAPTER TWO:

"..You only hold me up like this

'Cause you don't know who I really am

Sometimes I just want to know what it's like to be you…."

Konoha's Shinobi Academy...

Students were quickly filling into their, soon to be former, academy classroom. Amongst the chattering students, sat Naruto Uzumaki near the back. She'd decided to show up early, and was watching Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka argue by the doors. The whiskered girl couldn't overhear much, despite how loud they were. They threw around words like, love, rivalry, and "Sasuke-kun." And of course, they tossed around insults as well. They were good at that, Naruto knew firsthand.

She scowled to herself. That damn Uchiha has every civilian and kunoichi head over heels for him. And for what? She could be moody and quiet too, if she wanted.

"Hey! Naruto-chan, why the long face?" Said the familiar voice of Chouji Akimichi. She turned her head to the side, seeing Shikamaru Nara and Kiba Inuzuka standing behind him. She even spotted Akamaru atop Kiba's head, unsurprisingly. The Inuzuka always had his dog. Always.. The blonde rubbed the back of her neck, giving a slightly sheepish grin.

"Oh er, just thinking 'bout stuff." Naruto replied, getting a snicker from the overly-confident Inuzuka boy. "I didn't know you could think, Naruto."

She growled and shot him a glare.

"Shut it, dog-breath!" She retorted, her blonde eyebrows furrowed in agitation. At that moment, she really wanted to go on a tirade about how she wasn't a complete idiot. Given her botched test scores, they probably wouldn't believe her anyway. Sure, she wasn't a genius like Shikamaru, but she was at least a hair's-width above average.

And damn it, she had worked hard to get any 'book-smarts' at all. Naruto knew she was goofy, stubborn, and clumsy. She might even admit to being a more of a, "act now, think later," type.

But just below the surface, she was a cunning girl as well. Naruto Uzumaki had retained that trait after her years spent as an orphan. And, she supposed, it would only fit for her to be as Machiavellian as the fox demon sealed within her. The whiskered blonde wanted to chuckle at the thought of the Kyuubi, whom Mizuki had used as an insult during his little.. Breakdown, after she passed her exams.

To think, that bastard had fudged up her scores, tried to get her to commit a treasonous crime, then berated her for not doing so!

She was just grateful Iruka-sensei had overheard the man's rant, otherwise he might not have ended up in prison. Arrested for violating the law in place to keep people from learning of the demon within her.. Oh and conspiracy to commit treason, or something.. Amongst several other minor charges, as well..

Her brain thought back to the event, images flashing in her mind as she remembered every detail.. Man, the horrified look on Iruka's face when that prick spilled all those secrets..

Her blue eyes glanced to her side, at her friendlier classmates. Shikamaru took a seat to her right, Kiba and Choji taking the other two remaining seats. Of course, this didn't bother Naruto at all. Those guys were the closest thing to friends she'd ever had. Possibly because Shikamaru and Choji were closer to her age, 14 and 13 respectively. Others in their class were still 12.

Though, they were by no means close, they didn't visit her outside of school, or tell each other secrets, or even talk regularly.

But they weren't cruel, and for that, Naruto was grateful. They didn't hate her like kids from civilian family's kids did, they didn't strongly dislike her like Uchiha and Ino, and they didn't constantly belittle her like nearly everyone else.

"Alright everyone, quiet down and take your seats!" Iruka-sensei shouted, straightening a few papers as he stepped into the center of the room.

Students quickly clambered to their seats, eager to hear of their new teams. Naruto knew the civilian teams would likely be announced first, and let her eyes linger around the classroom.
She looked to Iruka for a minute, but her eyes quickly scanned elsewhere. Behind him was the smudgey, blank chalkboard, and a wooden podium directly in front of him. The wood was the same as nearly every other thing in the classroom, from the trim of the walls, to the floors, the desks, and even the chairs. She wanted to groan, the familiarity of it all was a bit overbearing. Sure, she might miss it some day, but she couldn't care for the mundane place now.

The blonde twirled her hair around her finger, unable to focus on the lecture Iruka-sensei was giving. It seemed her.. Semi-Friends were having the same problem, as Nara was napping...? Or pretending to be asleep?

Naruto couldn't discern which one. Chouji was munching on barbecue flavored chips, and Kiba looked ready to die of boredom just like herself.

Iruka groaned, spotting the inattentive students in the back, left row. He straightened his posture and spoke a little louder. "As for Team Seven, we have Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha-" He paused for a minute, after hearing the pinkette taunt the blonde Yamanaka girl. His brown eyes shot the girl a pointed look, and she quickly went silent.

"And Sai, under Jounin Kakashi Hatake." The three fresh genin grouped together, taking seats in the now-empty front row. As expected, the civilian genin teams left as soon as their jounin arrived, leaving lots of empty seats.

"Team 8, under Jounin Kurenai Yuuhi, is comprised of Kiba Inuzuka, Hinata Hyuuga, and Shino Aburame." Kiba grinned, and gave them a wave goodbye as he walked off to the front to be with his team. She watched the tan-skinned instructor pale a bit, presumably after reading the last team formation.

Naruto sighed, it was as she expected.. She was, as usual, the odd one out. There was no way they'd make the exception of a 3 genin team just for her, especially not when it came to the Ino-Shika-Cho combination. The blonde held her head down as she stood up, making her way out the door as silently as possible. The quiet click of the door closing gave her a small fraction of relief.

At least she didn't have to plaster a smile on her face when she was alone.

Her blue eyes were darker than ever, full of unbridled emotion...

It felt like a tornado brewed within her, yes, a tornado.

Her mind flashed back to that training Ebisu had been forced to give her not so long ago. The dark-haired man had said a lot of things about her, mostly negative, but she'd retained one fact very well. She had a wind affinity, so it fit perfectly that she felt a tornado spinning within the depths of her very soul.

'It's not fair!' She thought, wanting to scream, cry, and punch something all at once. Nothing could ever just be fair for her! The past few weeks have been unending bullshit, and it's just growing even worse.

She stormed down the hall, headed towards a bathroom to calm down in. First things first, she hasn't gotten to prank anyone or have lunch with Iruka or the Old Man hokage all month! Those two things were essentially her only solaces, as ridiculous as it may have sounded to others.

But Then, the Old Man asks Ebisu to train her to keep her from failing the exams! Sure, she needed it, but that closet-pervert was just a slave driver! He'd made her learn all sorts of chakra control exercises, taijutsu forms, and both the basic and solid shadow clones! IN TWO WEEKS!

Naruto wasn't ungrateful for his help, she wouldn't have even passed otherwise, but she wished luck could've just smiled at her for once. That her hard work would've paid off, and she could be placed under some kick-ass sensei!
But now it seemed like those hours being worked into the ground and berated had all been for nothing.

In a show of pure fury, she threw open the bathroom door, her mind still raking over the details of stressful month. After twisting the lock, she kicked it behind her, the hinges squeaking in protest as the door slammed shut as she walked away.

Her tan-skinned hands gripped the ceramic sink, angrily marinating in her thoughts. 'Of course, immediately following Ebisu's exhausting training, I had to deal with Mizuki. And now, I have to deal with being a lone genin. Am I even going to get a jounin-sensei?!' She questioned inwardly, knuckles turning white from tension. This damned sink was lucky she wasn't using chakra right now, or she'd shatter it to pieces.

And of course, all those aforementioned struggles were just the bow wrapped around her usual struggles. Just a little add on to the everyday bullying, glaring eyes, harassment, and loneliness.

She looked at her appearance in the mirror, feeling absolutely nothing at all. All she felt, was a deep desire to change. She was a genin now, even without a sensei or a team! She was a shinobi, but she sure as hell didn't feel like one! And in all honesty, she didn't look the part either.

Her long golden pigtails and 'kill-me orange jumpsuit' (as Iruka had so-kindly dubbed it) would be nothing but a hindrance in a mission, that she knew. Of course, she could always tie her hair into a bun, but as much as she loved that shade of fluorescent, neon-orange..

There was no way the blonde could just strip down during a mission, even if it was to be stealthy. She had a devious grin on her face as she pulled a freshly sharpened kunai from her weapons pouch.

After all, the best way to relieve frustration is destruction!

Shikamaru Nara would've been lying if he said he hadn't noticed the changes in Naruto Uzumaki's behavior.

For his usually absent-minded friend to seem.. Lost in thought, was a bit of a surprise. Her body language practically spelled out the word stress, which was saying something, considering how bright and bubbly the blonde usually was. Shortly after her departure from the classroom, his team was announced.

He sighed, the lazy genius knew he had to see what was up. When a Nara was curious about something, they had to satiate their curiosity, by any means. It was, in his opinion, a curse of sorts.. He rose from his seat, raising his hand before speaking. "Oi, sensei. I'm gonna go check on Naruto-chan, I think she's sick or something."

Iruka sighed in response, nodding his head approvingly. He looked worried for his usually cheerful student, the Nara boy noticed.

Shikamaru stepped out of the class, slightly slouched with his hands tucked in his pockets. He enjoyed the silence of the halls as his sandals clacked against the wooden floors, nearly rhythmic.

Clack, clack, clack..

He wandered absentmindedly, letting his feet carry him through the halls before coming to an abrupt stop in front of the girl's bathroom.

The sounds of fabric tearing, and triumphant cursing would be hard to ignore. Especially when he had wanted to discover why the girl seemed so.. Off, today. He pulled his right hand from his pocket, knocking lightly against the thick door.

Silence.

Then fumbling, and a near silent curse.

"Just a sec!" Said her familiar, mellifluous voice. He exhaled softly, turning to lean against the wall right before the door, not-so-patiently waiting for the pig-tail wearing girl. His eyelids closed lazily, one arm behind his head and another tucked into his pocket.

The sound of sandals against the wooden floors prompted him to reopen his eyes. Shikamaru glanced down the hall upon seeing a purple haired woman in his peripherals. Upon walking closer, he could she was wearing a knee-length beige trenchcoat, and a burnt-orange mini skirt. Her fishnet patterned mesh armor was much like his own, though, he wore a shirt over his...

He turned his attention away from the slowly approaching woman upon hearing the lock on the door click, it swinging open not long after. Out stepped his friend who was...

"The hell?!" He questioned, spotting the remains of her orange tracksuit cradled in her arms.

She was wearing a tight black romper, which had been concealed by her baggy clothes. He was surprised, Naruto actually looked like a fairly normal girl for once! But why?

"I needed a change!" The blonde said, sticking her nose up at his perceived rudeness. "B-but, your clothes!" The brunet boy stammered out, aghast at her behavior. Now he was really certain, this girl was a curious case. Absolutely weird, and entirely unpredictable. She made a noise akin to what a pouting child would, not having a retort to fire at him. He fought off a scowl, remembering how loudmouthed she could be. 'At least she spared me from a bothersome rant..' Interjected one of his thoughts.

Hell, she was nearly always loudmouthed..! Much like his new teammate, Ino..

"Are all blondes this troublesome?" He asked rhetorically, looking up at the ceiling. Before the girl had a chance to make a taunt or retort, the lady from earlier butted in.

"Hey there, Gaki." Said the amused looking woman, tousling Naruto's already unruly hair. Despite that her bangs and twin-tails were relatively smooth, the locks atop her head stuck up and out in blonde spikes.

"Hey!" The whiskered girl replied irritably, leaning away from the woman's hand. Naruto took a moment to look her over, seeming wary. "Oi, is that your boyfriend?" asked the purplette, sticking her thumb in Shikamaru's direction. The dark-haired boy sputtered and stammered, his face quickly turning a deep shade of crimson as he quickly denied that heinous, most embarrassing accusation.

He waved his hands dismissively, an over-exaggerated show of disapproval.

The Uzumaki, however, was completely unbothered. It was like she hadn't even heard what the purplette had said!

"No. Who're you?" She asked, tossing the remains of her once favorite outfit in a garbage can. The woman watched her toss the outfit, smirking with a strange glint in her light brown eyes. Naruto crossed her arms, accusing eyes landing on the taller woman in front of her.

The woman seemed amused, one hand on her hip. Her free hand laid lax at her side, she was practically exuding confidence.

"Your newly assigned jounin captain, but its Anko-sensei to you. Now, you can tell me all about yourself while we go get you some new clothes." She said, taking Naruto's hand and dragging her away. The girl's blue eyes lit up like sapphires caught in the sunlight, and her entire face seemed to brighten.

"Wait, really?" She asked, stumbling a few steps as she was led down the hall by the much taller woman. "Yup!" Replied the older woman, both of which were ignorant of the scowling boy behind them.

"Awesome! Bye, Shikamaru-san!" Naruto said, giving him one last glance and a radiant smile before turning to go down the stairs. He sighed, turning on his heel. He just hoped he wasn't late to meet his own damn jounin.

Anko looked at her new student and sighed, she couldn't help but feel an attachment to the girl already. She knew that the gaki had felt that same isolation that she did, and she wasn't going to let the poor kid stay that lonely. The pair walked into town, she could feel the kid's bright blue colored eyes burning into her back.

"What?" She finally snapped, glancing down. The kids face was so round and cherubic.. Anko was tempted just to squish her cheeks! She had never had a weakness for cute things, but this damn brat was an exception!

"It's just.. I never thought my sensei would take me shopping." The young girl's voice was traced with wonder and loneliness, hints of uneasiness making its way into the mix. The older woman could pick up on emotions rather easily, but this kid wasn't even trying to hide the emotion that leaked into her voice.
Wearing your emotions on your sleeves as a shinobi is dangerous, every shinobi knew that.

The kid trusted her already, and she wouldn't do anything to betray that.. Unlike her own sensei had..
Anko chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. Hopefully, this newfound kinship would benefit both of them.

"Ah, its uh, a bonding exercise!" Anko said, twirling a senbon in her fingers absentmindedly. The two shared eye contact for a minute, before breaking into equally vulpine smiles. Naruto's eyes drifted around the area, it was a sector of the village she didn't visit often. She never had much spare money to go shopping, and she was always afraid the shopkeepers farther from home would treat her even worse. After all, they weren't used to her presence. She knew this was where most of the shinobi-oriented shops were, at least

"Er, Anko-sensei.. Do you think I should use a transformation jutsu before we go shopping? I do-" Before she could even finish her sentence, her sensei interrupted.

"Nonsense, kid." Anko said, waving her hand dismissively. "They won't dare pull any tricks with me around."

Naruto didn't dare argue, not with that stern tone the jounin spoke in. She didn't know how long she could hold a henge, or transformation jutsu anyway..

Her sensei stopped abruptly in front of a very large shop, which, from the looks of it, carried everything a stylish kunoichi would need. She saw scrolls specifically for clothing in the front, long-lasting cosmetics near the back, assorted colorful gear and bandages, and practical clothes.

Anko stepped in first, and the clerk eyed them for a moment before turning back to her magazine. Naruto quickly found herself completely stumped. She had never, ever, been in a store like this before.

"Go ahead kid, find something practical that suits you." She said, getting a magazine from a stack and flipping through it.

"Anko-sensei... I don't know where to start.." Naruto resigned, hanging her head in shame.
Anko's eyes widened, face-palming shortly after. "Shit, I forgot. You've probably never even shopped like this before."

"Nah, never.." Naruto said, her eyes scanning the array of products offered. She looked over at the older jounin, and saw a spark in her eyes.

"On second thought, this will be fun! Take this as a crash course on all things beauty, kid!" Anko said, straightening with new-found vigor. "Let's start with clothes and build off that. What's your favorite color?" She planned to first find the girl an everyday ninja outfit, then she could get the girl some accessories to match, then maybe convince the girl to wear a little make-up just for fun..

It's not like you can fault her! A kunoichi's looks can be a great asset.

"Orange!" The purple haired woman face-palmed yet again.

"Kid, I said practical earlier. You can't just wear all orange and expect not to get murdered."

The blonde groaned, head hanging once more.

"What would look good?" The young tomboy asked, sounding defeated. She'd never cared much for her looks, but she might as well find something she can feel confident in.

"Hey, I never said you had to get rid of the orange completely! It suits ya! But you gotta tone it down.. Maybe, you should try black. That romper looks good, and! And! Black matches everything, including the orange you love so much." Her sensei explained, sorting through clothes for her.

The two tried many outfits over the hour they spent searching through clothes. About halfway through, the cold gaze of the clerk turned to amusement. She actually started helping the pair find Naruto a new outfit. The shopkeeper and Anko stood expectantly outside the dressing rooms, waiting for the blonde.

The door handle jangled for a moment, before swinging wide open. There Naruto stood, in a black kimono-sleeved top.

Around the waist of the top, a thick orange piece of cloth called a koshihimo, tied into a big bow in the back. The sleeves stopped a few inches short of her wrists, just past her elbow. She had elbow length, finger-less, mesh armor gloves on beneath her sleeves. The knuckles of the gloves were reinforced to prevent any scraping or scratching at all. Under her koshihimo, lied a utility belt of sorts, which extended down into leg garters. The garters held a pouch to each leg, one just above her knees. On that side, there were also two empty slots for easy access to scrolls. But on her right side, there was a pouch hidden by her top, on her hip. It was nearly impossible to notice.

Of course, she also had on a pair of bright orange pair of mid-thigh length shorts on, which matched her koshihimo and thigh-high socks. On her feet, were a typical pair of black ninja sandals, with extra reinforcement around the ankles.

Naruto's face broke into a radiant smile, her hands positioned on her hips.

The shopkeeper clapped her hands excitedly, showing a kindness Naruto had never expected from a stranger. "That's it, it's perfect!" Squealed the teenage clerk. "I agree!" Said Anko, a triumphant grin on her face. And judging by the confidence radiating from her student, she loved it too.

In the end, Anko couldn't convince her student to wear makeup or anything girly. But, she did manage to get her wearing sandals with heels! It's the little things, after all. The pair approached the cash register, the young clerk quickly generating her total.

Naruto pulled her wallet out, attempting to pay for the new outfit and it's identical counterparts. But, once again, Anko waved her off. "Forget it, kid! I dragged you out here, I'll buy the clothes." She said, pulling out the necessary bills. Hesitantly, Naruto tucked her little froggy wallet back into her hip pouch.

The purple-haired jounin passed the clerk her Ryo, receiving her change a moment later.

Naruto kept silent as they walked out of the shop down the dirt paths, fists clenching her bags tightly.

"Anko-sensei, why did you do that for me..?" She asked, her voice edging on bitter confusion. Anko turned her head, looking down at the short blonde girl.

Naruto was used to Iruka trying to buy her ramen, though she'd begun paying her own tab long ago.. She'd never quite understood why he, unlike so many others, was kind to her. After the ordeal with Mizuki, and learning he'd despised her at some point for having the Kyuubi in her... She realized he possibly felt guilt for hating her previously, which was why he'd bought her things. A repentance to ease his own guilt.

And that was something Naruto did not want. That just felt wrong, to have people buying her things out of their own guilt..

"It just felt right.. Woah, kid, are you crying?" The purplette woman halted in place, her honey-brown eyes widened. Anko knew she was borderline incapable of comforting people. Especially children! Her job was to manipulate emotions, but not in a good way. She tortured and interrogated for a living, this was the exact opposite of what she was used to!

The genin's fists trembled, and Anko was trying to think fast.

"Oh my Kami, you are crying." She muttered, prompting the blonde to respond. "S-shut up!" The girl retorted, glaring for a short second. 'Damn it, think Anko!'

..Unbeknownst to Anko, Naruto was crying because she really, truly could not wrap her head around her sensei's kindness. That, and a hundred other conflicting emotions overwhelmed her rather quickly...

The Hokage had told her the kid loved challenges.. Anko sighed in relief, she knew exactly what she could say. Her posture straightened and she turned her head forward again.. "Well, if it's such a big deal, there's something you can do for me." Naruto turned her head quickly, peering up at Anko.

"In about five months, the chuunin exams will be held in Konoha. I want you to kick ass."

Naruto's eyes remained glazed over as she stared up at her sensei, confusion swirling in those brilliant sapphire irises.

"Of course, Anko-sensei! But what does that have to do with you?" She asked, tilting her head slightly.

"Well, my.. Co-workers, the other jounin, have expressed their.. Skepticism about my teaching abilities. If you go in and beat their students like a drum, I can gloat about how my adorable little student destroyed their snot-nosed brats." Anko had pulled that idea out of her ass, but it was true. She would love to rub that in their faces. Ha! She could show all of them up, even Ibiki!

"I'll explain it all to you in here.." Anko said, pointing her thumb at the door in front of a dango shop.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Nothing to say, except that I just finished revising and I hope this chapter was enjoyable..

Song this chapter is 'Of All the Gin Joints in the World,' by Fall Out Boy. Although I'm not a fan of their music so much anymore, I think some of their songs will suit this story well.