The academy classes were all outside today.
Sparring matched were being held between students.
"Alright, Naruto Uzumaki, it's your turn now. Try to stick to the basics this time."
Iruka sensei waved his clipboard with a patient smile. The adult with a scar over the bridge of his nose, a short brown ponytail, and a green flak jacket given to chunin was the instructor of Naruto's class at the academy. He taught them all the basics of taijutsu, ninjutsu, and other essentials for shinobi.
"Bring it! I'll kick the butt of whoever I'm up against!" Naruto pumped his fist into the air and adjusted the green goggles in his hair. He pushed his way through the students to stand in the center of the field outside. He ignored the grumbling and words they said behind his back
Iruka turned to a boy hanging in the back of the group. "Sasuke Uchiha, step forward."
The reception couldn't have been any more different. The girls were practically falling over themselves cheering him on. Even the guys shouted out some words of encouragement.
Naruto scowled at him, 'What's with him acting like a hotshot? And why is he getting all the attention.'
Sasuke had black hair and black eyes, never smiled and never lost a fight.
'Today, that's gonna change.' Naruto grit his teeth and held up his fists. 'I'm gonna take down and become the new hero.'
Sasuke's arms remained at his sides while he looked ahead with an annoyed expression.
Iruka stood between them. "Alright, it's Sasuke Uchiha versus Naruto Uzu-"
"Screw all that! Let's get started, idiot!" Naruto shouted at his opponent.
"Hey!" Iruka scolded. "Don't forget the proper etiquette." He held up a simple hand sign. "You need to make the proper spar sign before you begin."
Naruto gave him the odd stare. "I don't care about any of that. I just wanna beat this jerk already!"
Sasuke closed his eyes, "Whatever, loser. I'll end this quick."
They finally made the proper hand signs upon Iruka's insistence and lecturing, etiquette without any of the underlying respect.
"Ready?... Begin!"
"So you got beat up again?"
Naruto spat out his water and started coughing. The stone cup fell to the ground.
Sitting next to him facing the fire, Natsumi held a tea kettle over the flames while she rested her head on her other hand, legs stretched out in front of her. Her hair spilled out over the grass. She took a deep breath and exhaled smoke.
"What!? N-No I didn't!" the boy protested, his goggles beginning to slip off his face.
Natsumi reached over and sifted her hand through his hair. Bits and specks of dirt fell out. "Your hair gets messy whenever you do."
He slapped her hand away. "The sun was in my eyes!"
She winced and stuck a finger in her ear, "Don't shout so much, will you? It's like a nail getting hammered in my skull." She pulled the kettle from the fire and poured the boiling drink straight down her throat before wiping her mouth.
Naruto crossed his arms. "Anyways, I'll definitely beat him one of these days."
She said nothing and just stared at him judgingly.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Naruto griped. "Stop it! You're staring at me like I got helplessly beat up after talking big!"
Natsumi touched her bangs, "You should be more aware of yourself even if you're little."
The boy looked away and grumbled.
"Forget about that now. I'm kinda hungry." She started dragging him towards the woods with a sharp pull. "You help this time."
The air was cool and damp even after the morning dew dried up. The leaves in their glossy green color looked radiant in the sunlight. One could take a breath and savor the smell of the forest, the thrill of the hunt.
Everything that is alive will leave a trail of itself, a history whether or not that history is discovered.
She showed Naruto hidden traces that he tried to remember, the broken branches, trampled underbrush, and mud puddles where the boar had stopped to drink. Sometimes she'd pause and turn her head away to a new direction.
But even then, to him the forest still just looked like a forest.
Natsumi kept stopping him, making him move slower and quieter to not alert the animals. He thought he was pretty quiet, but she was treating him as if he were a walking thunderclap.
Naruto kept his head low and his hand on the kunai in his pocket. His senses were on alert, his eyes scanning the ground for any movement. Everything in the woods just seemed to blend together.
They found themselves in a rocky space on the side of a stream. Jagged and rounded boulders surrounded them. The cliffside dropped towards the water separating them from the trees.
Suddenly, he spotted the boar up ahead, its massive frame hidden behind a thicket of bushes. Naruto froze, his heart racing with excitement. He slowly raised his kunai, taking a stance to rush forward.
The boar let out a loud grunt and immediately barreled away.
Panicked, Naruto ran after it as fast as he could. He stumbled over the uneven rocks and slippery ground. The wild boar was getting farther and farther away. Taking aim, he threw his kunai as hard as he could. It glanced off the rough hide and clattered against the stream.
It let out an enraged squeal. Circling around, it fixed its beady eyes on the boy and charged forward with its massive tusks glinting in the sunlight. The barrel-like body carried surprising momentum. Its tusks could easily tear through flesh.
He dove to the side and hit his leg against something hard and rough. Naruto fell over and saw the boar rush past him. It looked back at him before disappearing up the cliffside.
"Damn it!"
Natsumi walked up to him without giving the boar a second glance. "That thing smelled you before you got the chance. You should watch out for that. I'm surprised you threw that knife, though." She picked up that sharp piece of metal with her toes.
Naruto frowned, "I nearly had it."
"Not really. First time hunting or are you just bad at it?"
He turned away with gritted teeth, refusing to meet whatever look she had in her eyes.
She kicked his butt lightly when she wasn't looking. "Don't worry about it. Not like it's winter and we're gonna starve or anything..." A red color caught her attention.
There was a scrape on his leg. Blood oozed out of the patch were layers of skin were torn off. Drops of red slowly trickled down his calf from the exposed and raw pink.
"Ah... Hey, come here for a second."
Natsumi brought him closer to the stream rather forcefully, ignoring his protests. She sat down and raised his injured leg over her knee. Cupping water from the natural source, she boiled it to great temperatures in the palm of her hands before it quickly cooled to the warmth of a hot spring.
Naruto hissed when she poured it over his wound. "It's hot!"
"Better hot than filled with disease and parasites," she answered with little mercy. "Don't be a baby." After repeating the process twice more, she bandaged it up and gave him a cuff to the back of the head. "Watch your surroundings next time."
He stood on his own two feet and kicked the stream. 'That was a waste of time.'
A rumbling came from the earth again.
He learned that it was just her stomach and not some dreadful beast.
"Hey, do you like ramen?"
Ichiraku Ramen had two customers that evening. A young boy with blonde hair and whisker markings on his cheeks and a girl with wild rosy hair and sharp features.
The small ramen shop was bustling with activity. Teuchi and his daughter were busy prepping ingredients, boiling noodles, and simmering broth on the stove. The aroma of soy sauce, miso, garlic, and pork filled the air.
In the kitchen, the shop owner was carefully monitoring the broth, adjusting the heat and adding spices to get the perfect flavor. He had been making ramen for decades and knew the secret to making a good bowl of ramen was a balance of good broth to compliment the noodles.
"So it's noo... noo... nooodles in soup?" The girl awkwardly pronounced words she didn't know. Her speech dipped into a foreign accent.
"Pretty much!" Naruto cheered with a grin. "Ichiraku's ramen is the best food in the world!"
"Uh huh." The disbelieving look on her face made it apparent she didn't believe him. She did like the sounds of the kitchen. It was a different sound from the forest. The smell was good too. She could see the sweat on Ayame's brow as she worked diligently.
They cooked without stopping and without slack to make good on their craft.
Finally, their order was ready.
Two steaming hot bowls of miso ramen were brought before them, topped with slices of tender pork, marinated bamboo shoots, perfectly cooked sliced egg, small swirly fish cakes, and chopped green onion. Optional butter, pickled ginger, and a bowl of red spice was present on the counter.
Disposable wooden chopsticks were handed to them.
"It's the best! Thank you for the food!" Naruto picked up his chopsticks and began slurping up the noodles. The taste and texture were amazing as always. A bite of pork forced an even wider grin on his face. He saw something really strange while he was eating.
Natsumi was bowing her head. Her long ungroomed bangs fell over her face.
When she finished giving her own sign of respect, she dumped the entire bowl of spice in her ramen. The heat caused burning steam to waft in the air. Naruto's skin tingled and sweated even though he wasn't eating the spice.
She was having trouble with the chopsticks. They fumbled and cracked in her hand.
Eventually, she was finally able to eat slowly without dropping the utensils.
"Do you like it?" Naruto asked hesitantly.
"Mm hm." Natsumi gave a positive sound.
They ate in a fairly mutual happy silence.
Natsumi broke the silence first. "My father would take me out hunting when I was little to teach me. I wasn't as bad as you are now, but I wasn't as great as I am now either."
"Huh? Yeah... what're you getting at?" Naruto asked.
"Well, you lose a lot of the time, right? Hell, I'd accidently kill you if you tried attacking me in my sleep. It's pretty sad."
"Quit insulting me every chance you get! I have feelings!"
She poked the side of his head, "I'm trying to say you'll get better at things if you keep doing them, so don't get so down over a failure or two as long as your body still moves. Just keep building your roots. Then you won't get helplessly beat up."
"I wasn't beat up..." Naruto mumbled.
"Alright, alright, you can stop crying now."
"What? I'm not crying!?"
"Mm hm, no need to swear a life of revenge either. Those only end well if you're charming and handsome."
"Quit it!"
She laughed, "That's the spirit. Rebel more! It'll make you feel better."
Naruto huffed. "So how did you build your roots?"
Natsumi shrugged. "I was born strong. Anything that got in my way, I'd just overcome."
'That's not helpful at all.' He peeked at her. He'd admit that she was a little strong. Better at fighting than him for now. It was tough to tell under her hair, scarf, and clothes, but even her lithe body looked like it could kill. 'I wonder how she has fire like that.'
"Then I'll get stronger than you one day."
She got up. "Nah, I'd rather wait for heaven to burn up."
Before Natsumi left, she put enough ryō to pay for both their meals.
"Hey wait, I could've paid for that!" Naruto shouted at her back, scrambling to pull his wallet from his jacket.
The girl pulled up her scarf as the wind picked up. "I don't wanna be treated by some kid. Later, nighty night."
It was a very sunny and hot day.
"Alright, now punch it."
In front of Naruto was a bucket filled with coarse sand.
"This helps toughen up your hands and spirit. You need all the toughening up you can get."
When he punched the sand, he felt a pain in his bones. His fingers even became numb. Naruto didn't think sand could be so hard. When he punched with his other hand, the result was the same.
Looking behind him, he saw that Natsumi had already pulled out a blanket to take a nap in the sun.
Sweat rolled down his back because of the heat. His shirt was getting soaked and his skin felt sticky.
He kept doing the repetitive movements until it felt like he couldn't move his arms anymore.
'This isn't fun or cool at all.' Naruto looked over at Natsumi who was sleeping peacefully under the sun without care.
She was sleeping defenselessly. She was completely unaware of what was happening. She was completely defenseless. Anything and nothing could happen, and she wouldn't know the difference. Because she was asleep, she would be completely helpless. Nothing she could do about it.
A smile crept along Naruto's face.
He put some water from the stream into an iron pot and left it under the blistering sun. The water warmed up soon enough.
Slowly and carefully, he sneaked towards the sleeping girl and coughed.
She didn't move or make a sound.
Lowering the pot of warm water next to her, he reached for her hand. It was surprisingly cool even beneath the sun. Gingerly, he pulled it closer towards the pot.
A snicker nearly forced itself out from his lungs.
Abruptly, the world was turned upside down and he was suddenly trapped. All his bones felt like they were about to break. He couldn't breathe. She was still asleep and softly breathing. Her arms were wrapped around him with the force and comfort of a monstrous snake.
Naruto's face was muffled by something warm, soft, and supple. This was the feeling of death.
It was a while before he inevitably passed out.
That day he learned that there were people he was better off not playing his pranks on.
Ram then Snake then Tiger.
Upon performing these three hand seals consecutively, one is able to create a clone to fight alongside them. The clone will not have any substance and will be unable to damage any opponents, but their uses in deception and as a distraction are useful as is.
All the students at the academy are taught the clone jutsu before they graduate.
Or rather, they must learn the clone jutsu in order to graduate along with other things.
Ram then Snake then Tiger.
Naruto quickly performed these seals to mould his chakra properly and create a double.
What he created was pale, laughable, and fell to the floor limp like a piece of paper.
No matter how many times he had tried to perform this jutsu, he had failed every attempt miserably.
But even so, he'd keep at it for as long as it takes.
"Haa? You're still awake."
"Waah!?" Naruto tripped over his feet and fell to the ground.
"Sup." Natsumi was in his apartment, having entered through the window like a cat. "This place is pretty small. Dusty too. Oh, and you need to sleep when it gets dark, or you stay a runt forever."
"I'm practicing. Go away." Naruto got up and starting weaving hand seals again before Natsumi picked him up by his shirt and tossed him onto the small bed.
"Sleep."
Naruto tried getting up, so she threw the blanket over him and proceeded to sit on him with all her weight.
"Good night."
He was fighting Sasuke again today.
The other students were all cheering Sasuke on while Iruka sensei watched passively. Nobody here ever seemed to get tired of seeing Sasuke win. They groaned when they were put up against him, but would always grin when it was someone else's misfortune.
Naruto's legs were swept out from beneath him. He frantically rolled away to avoid a rapid kick to his stomach.
He got up and threw a punch at Sasuke's face.
Sasuke grabbed his wrist, pulled him along, and kneed him in the chest before pushing him to the ground.
While he was coughing and groaning on the ground, Sasuke was declared the winner.
When classes were over, Naruto grabbed his stuff and began to leave.
Before he left the academy grounds, Iruka sensei called out to him.
"Naruto, good job today."
This time he was kicked into the river.
One kick and he couldn't feel his arms.
Natsumi was yawning aloud, unable to help herself. She was hunched over as if she would fall back to sleep at any moment.
He pushed himself out of the water as fast as he could and charged her. His punches and kicks went wild as she stumbled back with her arms limp at her sides. She rubbed her tired eyes after dipping her head, letting a stray kick pass by.
Her foot snaked forward and hooked behind Naruto's ankle, pulling it forward and causing him to fall.
Upon his back hitting the ground, he threw two of his kunai.
She snatched them both out of the air with her teeth and mumbled, "Do these even work on anything?"
As soon as he got up, he was knocked back down.
"You don't work on your balance. That'll bite you one day." She knelt down next to him, blocking the sun's blinding light. The strike that approached her face was held down by a finger. "Well that's rude. Doesn't that school of yours teach anything about manners.
Naruto tried attacking again but was immediately pinned down. "Maybe. Kinda. Yesn't?"
The girl brushed up her bangs. "Hey, if you have trouble avoiding a hit, want to just learn how to take one instead? How about it?"
Her smile looked unnervingly vicious.
Author's notes: Back again with another chapter, time to answer a few questions.
First of all, destiny590, JuanKui, surya25addanki, Zipzapdoowoop, thank you very much for the compliments. I thought of writing something a little unusual that I don't think is particularly common. One day I figured, hey Natsu would probably be best girl if he wasn't a dude and is all about family and the like. Naruto had a lonely childhood. Put two and two together, maybe toss in some stuff about dragons, karma, and curses. Cute interactions and moments are a definite goal of mine.
Dragonkeeper10 and Zipzapdoowoop noted the significant strength gap between the two. First off, there are several years between the two and Natsumi had genuine training from her dad. Second, a gap in experience and overall nature. He'll get stronger, but this isn't one of those OP kid Naruto stories. As for how strong Natsumi is at this point in the story, it's a little complicated. It wasn't exactly speed that let her get the drop on an Anbu that you might recognize, but rather a trick you might know if you read Kengan.
I've actually got some need for advice.
Looking at reddit and some forums and many other fanfics, it seems that japanese honorics like kun, san, sama, chan, etc. are recommended for "nuance". Never really minded about it, but of you think it'll enhance the story, let me know. Otherwise, I'll just use the dub for reference.
This was originally going to be the last chapter before the original story starts, but it looks like there will be one more.
If you have any questions, requests, ideas, or recommendations for the story and writing, feel free to let me know.
Thank you for reading.